Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  It was clear that her mother was satisfied with Doc’s explanation. Since she was now smiling happily, Hannah turned to Lonnie. “Would you like another helping of Stroganoff Light?” she asked him.

  “Yes, thank you.” Lonnie passed her his plate. “It’s really good, Hannah.”

  “It certainly is,” Norman agreed, taking the ladle from Hannah after she’d refilled Lonnie’s plate, and helping himself to another plateful. “I think I like this even better than your original recipe with beef.”

  Michelle nodded. “I know I like it better. And it is lighter, Hannah. I had a big helping and I don’t feel overstuffed or anything.”

  Hannah smiled. Her new recipe was a real success and she’d add it to her repertoire of main dishes. “Just as soon as we’re all finished with our entrées, I’ll put on the coffee and we’ll have dessert.”

  “What do you have for dessert, dear?” Delores asked her.

  “Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. It has layers of milk chocolate, white chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate.”

  “Oh, my!” Delores exclaimed. “That sounds like heaven, Hannah!”

  Hannah laughed. “That’s exactly what Andrea said when I decorated the first cheesecake. So I gave her one to take home for Bill, Grandma McCann, and the girls.”

  “But do we have enough, dear?” Delores asked, looking slightly anxious.

  She turned to her mother. “That’s why I brought three. Would you like coffee now, Mother? I can put on a pot.”

  Delores thought about that for a moment and then she nodded. “Yes, I would, dear. A cup of coffee is exactly what I need right now.”

  “I’ll help you, Hannah,” Michelle said, standing and picking up her own dinner plate. “I’ll carry in the coffee cups and dessert plates for you.”

  Lonnie began to grin. “You just want to snitch a little of that cheesecake in the kitchen, don’t you, Shelly?”

  “Shhh!” Michelle held her finger up to her lips and gave the age-old gesture for silence. “I won’t snitch any, but I’ve got to admit that the thought did cross my mind.”

  Everyone laughed as the two sisters left the table and went into the kitchen. Hannah pushed open the kitchen door and Michelle followed her inside to rinse the plates they’d carried in. Then Michelle placed them in the dishwasher while Hannah took her Triple Chocolate Cheesecake from the refrigerator.

  “Beautiful,” Michelle said, as she watched Hannah place it on the kitchen table.

  “Do you think two cheesecakes is enough for everyone?” Hannah asked her.

  “Yes, I’m glad you sent one home with Andrea. Mother said she’d had a rough time with Mayor Bascomb this afternoon.”

  “It wasn’t pretty,” Hannah agreed, getting out the dessert forks and smaller dessert napkins. And then she proceeded to tell Michelle all about Andrea’s confrontation with Mayor Bascomb.

  “I’m surprised she bit her tongue for that long,” Michelle declared once Hannah had finished. “I think I would have hauled off and hit him in the first five minutes if he’d said things like that about Lonnie. And Andrea’s temper is a lot worse than mine!”

  “That’s true,” Hannah agreed, sitting down at the kitchen table. “Keep your eye on the dining room table, Michelle. And bring in the other dinner plates when people have finished, please. I think I’ll call Andrea and see if she’s feeling any better about what happened.”

  “Good idea,” Michelle said, heading for the kitchen door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with the rest of the plates and I’ll take the coffee in when it’s finished.”

  Once Michelle had gone, Hannah sat there for a few moments, just resting. She’d gotten to The Cookie Jar early this morning to bake the extra cookies and cupcakes they’d need for the Easter parties. There were three Easter parties tonight, but luckily, neither she nor Lisa had to cater any of them. The cupcakes were for Bertie Straub, and she always handled her own parties. This one was for the group of ladies who were regular weekly clients at the Cut ’n’ Curl, Lake Eden’s only beauty parlor. Another party was being held at Danielle Watson’s dance studio, and it was for the mothers of Danielle’s beginning ballet class. Danielle was also handling her own afternoon party, which was probably long over by now. The mothers had been invited to a dance recital, and they and their children had gathered in the lobby for cookies and lemonade when the recital was over. The final batch of cupcakes was going to Cyril Murphy at the garage, who was treating his mechanics to Easter cupcakes and Irish coffee after work.

  Hannah reached for her purse, which was on one of the other kitchen chairs, and fumbled around inside for her cell phone. When she found it, she checked to see if any calls had come in, but before she could begin to punch in Andrea’s number, her cell phone rang.

  “Hello?” Hannah answered.

  “Hannah! I . . . I need you, Hannah!”

  It was Andrea’s voice and Hannah began to frown. Her sister sounded panic-stricken. “What is it, Andrea?” she asked quickly.

  “It’s . . . it’s . . . you have to come right away, Hannah!”

  “Of course,” Hannah said, as soothingly as she could. “Where are you, Andrea?”

  “I’m . . . here!”

  “All right. Tell me where that is and I’ll come,” Hannah said as calmly as she could.

  “I’m at City Hall! And he’s . . . he’s dead!”

  “There’s a dead person in City Hall?”

  “Yes! I’m sure he’s dead, but . . . I didn’t want to touch him . . . you know?”

  “Do you know who the dead person is?” Hannah asked her, thinking that it was probably a homeless person who’d come into the lobby of City Hall, trying to get warm.

  “I . . . yes! Come quick, Hannah! I’m scared and I . . . I don’t know what to do!”

  “Are you in the lobby, Andrea?”

  “No,” Andrea wailed. “I’m in . . . his office! And he’s dead!”

  A dreadful suspicion crossed Hannah’s mind and prompted her to ask her next question. “Are you in Mayor Bascomb’s office?”

  “Yes!”

  “And there’s a dead person there?”

  “Yes!”

  “Do you know who the dead person is?” Hannah held her breath, waiting for the answer.

  “Yes! It’s Mayor Bascomb! And he’s dead!”

  Hannah knew she’d gasped aloud and she hoped that Andrea hadn’t heard it. She had to maintain calm and get Andrea out of harm’s way. “Is there anyone there with you, Andrea?”

  “No, just . . . just him!”

  “Is he in the outer office?”

  “No! His office.”

  “Listen to me carefully, Andrea. I want you to walk to the door and go into the outer office. Do it right now and stay on the phone with me. And tell me when you get there. Can you do that?”

  “I . . . I . . . okay.”

  It seemed to take a long time, but at last Andrea spoke again. “I’m here, Hannah. What shall I do next?”

  “Go out into the hall. Walk to the head of the stairs and sit down in one of the chairs against the wall. Will you do that for me, honey?”

  “Yes!”

  “Then do it now and tell me when you’re sitting in one of the chairs.”

  Again, it seemed to take eons for Andrea to walk to the chairs, but at last her sister came back on the phone again. “I’m here. Thank you, Hannah. I just couldn’t seem to move before, but now it’s better. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Just sit right there and don’t move a muscle. We’ll be right there. It’s going to take a couple of minutes, but we’re coming. I promise you that.”

  “I . . . okay. Hurry, Hannah. I’m still scared!”

  “Of course you are. Just close your eyes and we’ll be there in a minute or two.”

  “Promise?”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die.” Hannah used the phrase that their father had always used when he needed them to believe what he was about to tell them.

  “I . .
. okay. I have to hang up now. I can’t hold the phone anymore.”

  There was a click and Hannah knew that Andrea had disconnected the call. She did the same and rushed into the dining room to tell everyone what had happened.

  STROGANOFF LIGHT

  This recipe is made in a 5-quart or 6-quart slow cooker.

  Ingredients:

  ½ cup minced onion

  6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or the equivalent)

  2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (one can is 10.5 ounces net weight)

  1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (one can is 10.5 ounces net weight)

  2 cans mushrooms, undrained (stems and pieces will do just fine—mine were Signature, 4 ounces each can)

  2 teaspoons finely minced or crushed garlic (I used jarred garlic)

  1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used Knudsen)

  2 8-ounce packages brick cream cheese (I used Philadelphia in the silver package)

  1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil

  2 chicken bouillon cubes

  24-ounce package of wide egg noodles, cooked

  1 Tablespoon salted butter

  Salt and black pepper to taste

  Spray the inside of a 5-quart slow cooker with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

  Place the minced onions in the bottom of your prepared slow cooker crock.

  Place the chicken breasts on top of the onions.

  Open the 2 cans of condensed mushroom soup and the can of condensed cream of chicken soup.

  Place the soups in a large bowl and stir them together.

  Open the cans of mushrooms, but don’t drain them. Stir the mushrooms and liquid into the bowl with the soup.

  Cover the chicken with the soup and mushroom mixture.

  For the slow cooker: Cook on LOW for 5 hours.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If you work and won’t get home in 5 hours, it’s okay as long as the slow cooker is on LOW. This dish will hold for up to 9 hours on LOW.

  One hour before you want to serve your Stroganoff Light, take out the chicken breasts and cool them for 10 minutes on a carving board. Then cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.

  Place the chicken pieces back in the slow cooker.

  Add the crushed or minced garlic and the cup of sour cream.

  Cut each brick of cream cheese into 8 pieces. Place the pieces in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave them on HIGH for 1 minute. Then let the bowl sit in the microwave for an additional minute.

  Stir the pieces of cream cheese smooth and add them to the crock of your slow cooker.

  Mix everything together and put the lid back on the crockpot. Then turn the slow cooker up to HIGH. Your Stroganoff Light will need to cook for another 30 minutes.

  While you’re waiting for your main dish to finish cooking, find a pot large enough to hold the water for your package of noodles.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you read the directions on the noodle package, it will usually tell you how many quarts of water should be used to cook the noodles.

  Place the required amount of water in the cooking pot.

  Add a teaspoon of vegetable or olive oil to the pot.

  Add 2 chicken bouillon cubes, center the pot on a stovetop burner, and turn the burner on HIGH heat.

  Pour yourself a cup of coffee or a refreshing drink and sit somewhere where you can watch the pot to make sure it doesn’t boil over on the stove.

  Once the water heats to the boil, stir the water again to mix up the chicken bouillon, and cook the noodles according to the package directions.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: You will have to watch the pot of water to make sure it doesn’t foam up from the noodles. I usually sit by the stovetop and stir it with a long spoon while the noodles cook.

  Once the noodles have cooked, drain them in a colander or a large strainer, in the sink.

  Dump out the water in your cooking pot, add a Tablespoon of salted butter and return the noodles to your cooking pot.

  Cover the cooking pot and set it on a cold stovetop burner. Stir the noodles to coat them with the butter.

  When Stroganoff Light has finished cooking, add the salt and pepper to taste and give it a final stir. You may add hot sauce (I used Slap Ya Mama) at this point.

  Hannah’s 4th Note: You have a choice to make. You can either dish up your entrée in the kitchen on plates that you will carry to the table, or you can serve it in a bowl with a ladle and a separate bowl for the noodles so that your dinner guests can dish it up themselves.

  Yield: This recipe makes at least 8 servings. If you have leftovers, refrigerate the main dish in a covered container and the noodles in a separate covered container.

  Hannah’s 5th Note: To reheat noodles, simply put them in a strainer and dip the strainer in boiling salted water until the noodles are hot again.

  Hannah’s 6th Note: If you have Stroganoff Light left and you’ve run out of noodles, you can reheat it as a casserole. Simply put a layer of frozen hash browns in the bottom of a pan that’s been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and ladle on the leftover stroganoff. Cover your pan with foil and bake it at 350 degrees F. until it’s nice and hot. (Try it for 30 minutes and test it—the baking time will depend on how full your pan is.)

  When your leftovers are hot enough, use a large spoon to serve your casserole and be sure to scoop up some of the yummy hash browns on the bottom.

  Chapter Four

  City Hall was only a block or so away and the street was deserted. Lonnie pulled into a parking spot directly in front of the building and immediately after they’d gotten out of Lonnie’s car, a squad car pulled up to the curb in front of them.

  “I’m here,” Mike announced, motioning to Lonnie. “We’ll go in first. You two wait until we come out to get you.”

  “No way!” Hannah objected, opening the car door and getting out of the back seat. “Andrea called me. I’m going in with you.”

  “And I’m going, too.” Doc got out to join her. “If he’s not dead, there may be something I can do to save his life.”

  “Did you alert Bill?” Lonnie asked Mike.

  “Not yet,” Mike said.

  “Why not?” Hannah asked. “He could have helped to calm Andrea down.”

  “Because Andrea found the body,” Mike explained, “that makes her a suspect. Bill’s her husband, and he can’t be involved in any way with this investigation.”

  Hannah gave a little gasp. “You think Andrea killed Mayor Bascomb?”

  “No, but she had an altercation with him this afternoon and she went back to his office and now he’s dead. Do you know why Andrea went back to his office tonight, Hannah?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No, I had no idea she was going back to see the mayor.”

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  “No, Andrea was too upset to tell me any details on the phone.”

  Mike nodded. “Andrea may have come back to apologize to Mayor Bascomb and try to placate him. He was really angry with her this afternoon and he said some very nasty things.”

  “How do you know that?” Hannah asked.

  “She called Bill at the station and told him all about it. And he told me. I was helping him with that ridiculous list the mayor wanted Bill to do.”

  Once they’d climbed up the stone steps, Lonnie hurried forward and opened the door for them. Hannah went first. She wanted to get to Andrea to tell her that Mike knew all about her unhappy experience in the afternoon. Taking the steps two at a time, Hannah arrived at the second floor slightly out of breath. And there was Andrea, sitting in a chair at the top of the stairs.

  “Oh, Hannah!” Andrea cried out, jumping up from the chair and rushing to intercept her. “It’s awful, Hannah. Just awful!”

  “I know.” Hannah slipped her arm around Andrea’s shoulder and hugged her. “It’s going to be all right, Andrea. Mike, Lonnie, and Doc are here.”

  “Not Bill?” Andrea looked crestfallen.

  “No
, Mike told him not to come. Mike and Lonnie will want to ask you questions about how you found Mayor Bascomb and what you think might have happened to him.”

  Andrea’s eyes widened in disbelief. “They think I killed him?”

  “Of course not, but you were the first one there. And anyone who finds the victim of a homicide is a suspect until they’re cleared.”

  Myriad expressions crossed Andrea’s face. “But Mayor Bascomb was dead when I got there. At least I think he was dead. He didn’t move. And he didn’t say a thing. And . . . and there was blood. When I saw that, I was so scared, I . . . I dropped your cheesecake, Hannah!”

  Tears filled Andrea’s eyes, and Hannah hugged her tight. “It’s okay. There’s more cheesecake where that came from.” And right after the words left Hannah’s mouth, she gave a little smile. “You were trying to sweeten up Mayor Bascomb by bringing him my cheesecake?”

  “Yes, but not the whole cheesecake. I just took a piece for him. And then, when I saw the blood, it ended up on the floor!”

  “I guess I’d better rename it Crime Scene Cheesecake,” Hannah said, and then she wished she hadn’t been so flippant when tears gathered in Andrea’s eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she said quickly.

  “But I ruined your beautiful cheesecake!” Andrea wailed, starting to cry in earnest. “And I’ll never be able to eat your cheesecake again because it’ll always remind me of . . . of him!”

  Hannah blinked once or twice, and then she wisely kept her silence. Andrea was being a bit irrational, but she certainly couldn’t blame her sister for being upset. From what Andrea had said, the scene in Mayor Bascomb’s office wasn’t pretty. Not many murder scenes were. But she knew that this scene would be bookmarked in her sister’s nightmares for weeks to come. “Did you have a piece of my cheesecake before you left home?” Hannah asked in an effort to change the subject.

  “Oh, yes! It was delicious, Hannah. That’s why I decided to take a piece to . . . to him.”

  “You can have another piece when we get to Mother’s place,” Hannah told her. “The chocolate will help to calm you down.”