On the 1st of January Judith began making a chocolate cake
She was helped in her task by her best friend Rosalind
And a torero fresh from the bull-ring
The cake was to have a cinnamon topping
Which was a radical departure from her previous cakes
That torero who was much taller than either of the women
Stood next to the refrigerator
He was taller than the refrigerator
Raul was the tallest torero in Spain
But he loved cooking and had happily accepted the invitation
From Rosalind and Judith to make a chocolate cake
In their Sevilla apartment
Which was situated in the middle of the city
Not far from the tobacco factory
Where Carmen worked
Carmen had just been murdered by Don Jose the owner of the tobacco factory and there were many members of the Policia Nacional on the streets looking for him
But he was nowhere to be found
There were three bowls on the wooden work surface
Judith had rested a recipe book against the deepest of the three bowls
Set the grated zucchini in a mesh strainer and hold over bowl two then lightly press with a golden spatula to release the water
Remove the recipe book from mixing bowl three (the largest bowl) and place the book against a sturdy cheese-board
Using mixing bowl three (the largest bowl) combine the cake mix cinnamon eggs and egg whites and non-fat yogurt
Beat at a low speed with an electric mixer for two minutes
This should be done in complete silence
Do scrape the bowl often
Fold on the grated zucchini and then pour into the prepared cake pan
As the tallest torero in Spain followed the instructions Rosalind dug her finger into the mix
Judith playfully smacked her on the hand
Rosalind repeated her theft and was banished to the kitchen chair and told to read a newspaper
Judith repeated the theft but was not banished to the kitchen chair for two reasons
1/ That there was only one chair in the kitchen and this was already occupied by Rosalind
2/ The other reason was that Judith owned the apartment which she had inherited on her release from prison
Judith had made no cakes in prison
She had been sentenced to six years imprisonment for killing Holofernes
As a concession to her beauty Judith was allowed to keep the head of Holofernes in her cell
Whilst she was incarcerated Rosalind opened a place setting for Judith at the dinner table
Judith had been released on parole
She knew Don Jose although not well
Judith had not met Carmen but Rosalind knew the gypsy well as they shared spa days at a gym in the city
Both Rosalind and Carmen had apple shaped birth-marks between their ribs
Judith was aware of Rosalind’s birth mark as they had spent time together on the beach in Barcelona
Don Jose had mentioned Carmen’s birthmark to Judith in passing
But she had not seen it in real life as she had not met Carmen
Judith had decided to attend the mortuary where Carmen lay so that she could see the birth mark for herself
But the mortuary did not open until to nine in the morning
It was now seven in the evening
Bake the cake for between forty-five and fifty minutes or (and this is a tip from the author) until you can insert a silver toothpick into the centre of the cake
When withdrawn if the silver toothpick returns clean then the cake is ready
Let the cake cool taking into account both summer and winter temperatures
Invert the cake and place on to a large plate or platter
Cut cake into twelve pieces (never cut the cake into thirteen pieces as this is considered unlucky)
If adding a mousse topping
Combine tofu cinnamon and pudding mix in bowl two
Beat for four minutes with an electric mixer (or at high speed for two minutes)
Fold in the whipped topping again with the electric mixer (at a low speed only)
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve
In the corner Rosalind was vomiting into bowl one
She had a yet to be defined allergy to one of the ingredients of the cake
Being aware of this hazard she had placed bowl one on her lap
Judith and Raul who was the tallest torero in Spain had agreed that bowl one should not be used
Bowl one was taken to the bathroom and placed under the shower
The shower was alerted and warm water soon flooded the contents
Rosalind now well went to the broom cupboard to fetch a mop and found Don Jose
He was on the run from the Policia Nacional
Rosalind secretly loved Don Jose and had often shared spas with him when Carmen was waxing
Don Jose did not have any birth marks
He kissed her on her vomit stained lips
She thought that he would find her breath repulsive
But he kissed her again
He then gave her the bloody flick-knife that he had used to kill Carmen
Rosalind gave to flick-knife to Judith who had missed her friend and was worried about her well-being
Raul who was the tallest torero in Spain joined the trio in the area near to the broom cupboard
They discussed the situation at length
It was decided that Judith would take the blame for the killing
She had already served time and was quite used to prison conditions
In two years she would be sprung from an open prison and would return to baking cakes
Although much shorter than Raul who was the tallest torero in Spain Don Jose would start a career in the bullring
Rosalind would marry Don Jose
Who by the time of their marriage would be the smallest torero in Spain
They would not hold the reception in Judith’s apartment as originally agreed due to the damage which occurred when the shower flooded
It drainage had been blocked by bowl one
The damage was extensive and was not totally covered by the household insurance
To help to cover the costs Judith became a Mozo de espadas and aided Raul in the bullring for many years after her escape