I'd been working this case for weeks and still hadn't gotten a break -- coffee break, that is. So I headed out to Rick's Cafe to drown my troubles in a double caffe latte with cinnamon, straight up. I had this crazy notion, see, to find healthy, innovative treats to go with my coffee. 'Cuz a cup of coffee without dessert is like a dame without a heart.

I wasn't after the usual predictable stuff (we'll always have coffeecake). I was looking for a new way to espresso myself. So far, all I'd gotten was the slip, the runaround, the java jive. Then she entered the room. From the way she moved, I knew she was shorthand for trouble. She took the stool next to mine. A cool one, all right, an iced decaf in satin pumps. "Buy you a cup of joe?" I asked. She gave me the once-over, then reached for her purse. How was I to know she was packing a magazine: the latest issue of Cooking Light. She drew near to me. "I got what you want," she said, opening the pages.

And there it was, the break I'd been looking for all over this two-bit town: dessert recipes to go with cappuccino, cafe mocha, or a steamer. Not only did these desserts sound new and exciting, but they weren't messy, meaning I could eat 'em on the go -- like when I had to hightail it somewhere on a hot tip. (How perfect, I thought, for persons on the lam.) Suddenly, she put her hand in mine, wanting to know if I'd like to go to her place and do some cooking. She sensed my hesitation. "Don't worry," she purred, "they're quick and easy." I just smiled and put the magazine in my trench-coat pocket. Coffee and light desserts -- I knew right away this was the beginning of a beautiful blendship.