Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Books by Joanne Fluke

  Hannah Swensen Mysteries

  CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER

  STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MURDER

  BLUEBERRY MUFFIN MURDER

  LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER

  FUDGE CUPCAKE MURDER

  SUGAR COOKIE MURDER

  PEACH COBBLER MURDER

  CHERRY CHEESECAKE MURDER

  KEY LIME PIE MURDER

  CANDY CANE MURDER

  CARROT CAKE MURDER

  CREAM PUFF MURDER

  PLUM PUDDING MURDER

  APPLE TURNOVER MURDER

  DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE MURDER

  GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER

  CINNAMON ROLL MURDER

  RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER

  BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

  DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE MURDER

  WEDDING CAKE MURDER

  CHRISTMAS CARAMEL MURDER

  BANANA CREAM PIE MURDER

  RASPBERRY DANISH MURDER

  CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER

  CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER

  CHRISTMAS SWEETS

  COCONUT LAYER CAKE MURDER

  CHRISTMAS CUPCAKE MURDER

  TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE MURDER

  JOANNE FLUKE’S LAKE EDEN COOKBOOK

  Suspense Novels

  VIDEO KILL

  WINTER CHILL

  DEAD GIVEAWAY

  THE OTHER CHILD

  COLD JUDGMENT

  FATAL IDENTITY

  FINAL APPEAL

  VENGEANCE IS MINE

  EYES

  WICKED

  DEADLY MEMORIES

  THE STEPCHILD

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.

  TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE MURDER

  JOANNE FLUKE

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Baking Conversion Chart

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2021 by H.L. Swensen, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  The K logo is a trademark of Kensington Publishing Corp.

  Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2020945441

  ISBN: 978-1-4967-1892-1

  ISBN-13: 978-1-4967-1894-5 (e-book)

  ISBN-10: 1-4967-1894-1 (e-book)

  This book is for my friend, Lois Meister.

  And for Kathy Allen, who bakes delicious and beautifully decorated cookies, cakes, and cupcakes.

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to my extended family for putting up with me while I was writing this book.

  Hugs to Trudi Nash and her husband, David, for being brave again and tasting recipes that I tried for the first time.

  Thank you to my friends and neighbors: Mel and Kurt, Lyn, Gina and Jess, Dee Appleton, Jay Jacobson, Richard Jordan, Laura Levine, the real Nancy and Heiti, Dan, the real Sally in Wichita, Mark and Mandy at Faux Library, Daryl and her staff at Groves Accountancy, Gene and Ron at SDSA, and my friends at HomeStreet Bank.

  Hugs to my Minnesota friends: Lois and her family, Bev and Jim, Val, Ruthann, Lowell, Dorothy and Sister Sue, and Mary and Jim.

  So many thanks to John Scognamiglio, my patient and overworked editor.

  A big thank-you to Steve Zacharius for his support and wisdom.

  Hugs for Meg Ruley and the staff at the Jane Rotrosen Agency for their constant support and sage advice.

  Thanks to all the wonderful folks at Kensington Publishing who keep Hannah sleuthing and baking yummy goodies.

  Thanks to Robin and Joyce in Production, and Larissa in Publicity.

  All three of you go above and beyond.

  Thanks to Hiro Kimura for his incredible Triple Cheesecake on the cover.

  I know it’s paper, but it’s so appealing, I’d like to eat it!

  Thanks to Lou Malcangi for designing all of Hannah’s beautiful book covers and providing high-resolution graphics for us.

  Thank you to John at Placed4Success for Hannah’s movie and TV placements, his presence on Hannah’s social media platforms, and for being my son.

  A big hug to Kathy Allen for testing every single recipe in this book!

  Thanks to Tami Chase for designing and managing my website at www.JoanneFluke.com and for giving support to Hannah’s social media.

  Thanks to JQ for helping Hannah and me for so many years.

  Kudos to Beth and her phalanx of sewing machines for her gorgeous embroidery on our hats, visors, aprons, and tote bags.

  Thank you to food stylist, friend, and media guide Lois Brown for her expertise with the launch parties at Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ, and baking segments with the lovely and talented host of Arizona Midday on KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

  Hugs to Debbie Risinger and everyone else on Team Swensen.

  Thank you to Dr. Rahhal, Dr. Umali, Dr. and Cathy Line, Dr. Levy, Dr. Koslowski, and Drs. Ashley and Lee for answering my book-related medical and dental questions.

  Hugs to all the Hannah fans who share their family recipes with me, post on my Facebook page, Joanne Fluke Author, and enjoy the photos of Sven, the spokes-bear for Hannah.

  Chapter One

  The chairs in Mayor Bascomb’s outer office were uncomfortable and Hannah Swensen shifted her position. She’d brought the mayor’s secretary, Terry Neilson, some sample cookies from The Cookie Jar, Hannah’s bakery and coffee shop, and Terry was reaching for her third Chocolate Chip Crunch cookie.

  “These are great cookies, Hannah!” Terry told her, biting into the crunchy confection. “I’d better stop soon or Mayor Bascomb won’t get any of these.”

  “Forget it, Andrea!” Mayor Bascomb’s voice was so loud they could hear it in the outer office. “Nothing you can say will change my mind. And if you keep it up, you’re going to make me even madder! You and I both know that Bill was wrong to make that arrest!”

  “Uh-oh!” Terry reacted to the angry words that they could hear even though the mayor’s office door was closed. “He’s been in a horrid mood all week, and now he’s on
a real rant. I really hope your sister’s got enough sense to leave before he says something really nasty.”

  Hannah sighed and shook her head. “Andrea won’t leave. She’s never walked away from a fight in her life. She’s even more stubborn than Mayor Bascomb, especially when somebody insults her husband. And from what she told me, Bill was caught between a rock and a hard place. He had to arrest the mayor’s nephew. The state trooper was standing right there, and Bill couldn’t just let Bruce go the way he did the last two times.”

  Terry looked very apologetic. “I know. Bruce is a real menace on the road when he gets a snootful. I told the mayor that, but he never listens to reason when it comes to his brother’s kid. He still thinks that Bill should have figured out a way to let Bruce go.”

  “But didn’t the state trooper test Bruce for alcohol?”

  “Yes, and Bruce’s blood alcohol was twice as high as it should have been.”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Andrea!” The mayor’s angry voice interrupted their conversation. “My mind’s made up, and your husband is history. He won’t even get a job as a dogcatcher as long as I’m the mayor of Lake Eden!”

  Both Hannah and Terry listened, but they couldn’t hear Andrea’s response. This made Hannah proud of her younger sister. So far, Andrea hadn’t yelled back. The fact that they couldn’t hear her meant that Andrea was still using a perfectly reasonable tone of voice, but Hannah knew that couldn’t last forever. Eventually, Andrea would lose control and she’d give the mayor a piece of her mind!

  “I’m impressed,” Terry said admiringly. “Andrea’s really keeping her cool.”

  “Yes, she is . . . so far. But she’s always been very protective of her family. If Mayor Bascomb keeps this up, she’ll snap.”

  “I almost wish she would. Nobody else has the nerve to tell him when he’s being a you-know-what. Did Andrea tell you that Bill came in to talk to the mayor yesterday?”

  “Yes, and she said the mayor refused to see Bill. That’s one of the reasons Andrea came over here today. She promised me she’d be calm and reasonable, but she also said that she’d kick down his office door if he refused to see her.”

  “Do you think she actually would have done it?”

  Hannah laughed. “Oh, yes. Maybe she wouldn’t have succeeded. It looks like a pretty heavy door to me. But I know that Andrea would have given it her best shot. She’s in mother-lion-protecting-her-cub mode.”

  “Enough!” Mayor Bascomb’s voice was even louder than it had been before. “I’ve listened to your pathetic whining and sniveling for long enough. You’re every bit as stupid as your husband!”

  “Let me tell you something, Mayor Bascomb . . .” Andrea’s voice was louder.

  Hannah picked up her purse and Andrea’s parka. “I think that’ll do it,” she said.

  “You mean Andrea’s going to . . .”

  “You bet,” Hannah interrupted. “I know my sister and she can’t take much more.”

  “You’re the one who’s pathetic!” Andrea’s voice was almost as loud as Mayor Bascomb’s had been. “You’re nothing but a bully, and it’s long past time that somebody stood up to you!”

  “And you think that you can stand up to me, little lady?”

  “I know I can! Bill’s too much of a gentleman to take you on, but not me! Somebody’s got to give you exactly what you deserve, you . . . you pig!”

  Hannah jumped up from the chair. “Grab your coat, Terry! When Andrea charges in here, it’s time for us all to get out of Dodge!”

  “Right!” Terry grabbed her coat and purse and was pulling on her boots when they heard a sharp, stinging sound that was followed by a loud crash. “She slapped him?”

  “That’s what it sounded like to me. I think she slapped him right out of his chair!” Hannah hurried across the room and opened the door to the hallway. “Go out first, Terry. And stand out of the way. Andrea’s so mad, she’s going to explode out the door!”

  Terry grabbed the plate of cookies that Hannah had brought, and ran to the door. She had just stepped out into the hallway when Andrea came storming out of Mayor Bascomb’s office. “Whoa!” Terry gasped, sheltering against the wall as Andrea raced past her. “Wait for us, Andrea!”

  But Andrea didn’t wait. She practically flew down the staircase and out into the street. By the time Hannah and Terry had managed to catch up with her, she was leaning against the old-fashioned designer lamppost in front of the building, gasping for breath.

  “Here, Andrea,” Hannah, who had been holding her sister’s parka, draped it around Andrea’s shoulders. “Deep, calming breaths. It’s okay. You’re out of there now.”

  “I . . . I . . . I . . .”

  “We heard,” Hannah told her.

  “I . . . slapped . . .”

  “We know,” Terry said.

  “I . . . knocked . . . him . . .”

  “You knocked him over in his chair,” Hannah finished the sentence for her. “Put your arms in your sleeves, Andrea. It’s cold out here and you’re overheated.”

  “Nasty . . . bully,” Andrea managed to say. “I . . . I should have killed him!”

  “A lot of people feel that way,” Terry said.

  “But . . . all I did was . . . was slap him!”

  “Nobody else has ever done that before,” Terry told her. “They might have felt like it, but they never had the courage to actually do it.”

  Once Andrea had calmed down enough to zip up her parka, they walked to their respective cars. “That was a really loud crash,” Terry said as she unlocked her car door and slid into the driver’s seat. “I wonder if you broke his chair.”

  “Maybe.” Andrea gave a weak little smile. “I hope I did, but after the things he said about Bill, I should have broken his neck!”

  Chapter Two

  “Are you sure you’re all right, Andrea?” Hannah asked as they parked in their mother’s garage. Her sister’s hands were shaking even though Andrea held them tightly in her lap and her face was very pale.

  “I’m okay, but I still wish I’d slapped him harder!”

  “It sounded pretty hard to us. Terry and I figured he was seeing stars.”

  “Really!” Andrea said. “I guess you must be right because I knocked him right out of his chair.”

  “We know that, too,” Hannah said, and she couldn’t help chuckling. “I hope he fell hard.”

  Andrea didn’t laugh, but she gave Hannah a ghost of a smile. That made Hannah hope that her sister was calming down and regaining her sense of humor. “Are you still okay enough to help me with dinner?”

  “Yes, it might help if you’ve got something easy for me to do, like put cheese on a plate or toss a salad or something like that.”

  “How about opening a bottle of champagne?” Hannah asked, knowing full well that her sister prided herself on opening champagne without having the cork explode like a rocket.

  “I can do that,” Andrea agreed quickly, but Hannah noticed that her sister’s hands were still shaking.

  “I can make some kind of excuse to Mother if you don’t want to go out to the penthouse garden right away.”

  Andrea thought about that as she got out of the car and walked to the elevator with Hannah. “I think I’m okay now. Or at least I will be okay when we get up to Mother’s penthouse. Are Moishe and Cuddles there?”

  “Not yet.” Hannah glanced at her watch as she pushed the button for the elevator. “Norman’s coming in twenty minutes or so and he’s bringing them both in their cat carriers.”

  “Good. I haven’t seen Moishe in a while.” Andrea gave a little sigh. “When do you think you can go back home, Hannah? I miss the dinners we used to have at the condo.”

  “I’m not sure,” Hannah admitted truthfully. “Norman and I tried it last week, but Moishe shook so hard when Norman started to carry him up the stairs that both of us were worried he’d have a heart attack or something awful like that.”

  “But you’re okay going there?” Andrea stepp
ed into the elevator with Hannah.

  “I’m okay if other people are there, but I’m not so sure about staying there alone. It’s just . . .” Hannah stopped and swallowed hard. “It’s just that I keep seeing . . . it’s memories, you know?”

  “I understand, Hannah. It was awful for you. You don’t know how many times I wished that I could think of something that I could do to help you.”

  Tears gathered in Hannah’s eyes and she blinked them back. And then she reminded herself, as she had so many times before, that it had been an awful time, but now it was over.

  “Here we are,” Hannah said, forcing herself to speak cheerfully. “Are you absolutely sure that you don’t want me to make some excuse so that you can go home?”

  “I’m positive. I’m still furious at Mayor Bascomb and I’m so mad, I’m afraid I’d scare Tracey and Bethie. I’d rather stay here, Hannah. Bill’s meeting me here for dinner, and Grandma McCann is taking the girls out to the mall for hamburgers in less than an hour and then they’re going to a movie with her.”

  “Okay then,” Hannah said as the old-fashioned elevator ground to a halt at the penthouse floor. “Let’s go have a glass of champagne with Mother. Dinner’s in the crockpot and all we have to do is serve the appetizers I fixed earlier.”