by Joanne Fluke
“Did he let go of the gun?”
“No, so I did it again, harder the next time. I did that several times, I don’t know how many. I heard a crack and he let go enough so I could pull the gun away.”
“Did you leave then?”
“No, I saw him open another desk drawer with his left hand. I was afraid he had a second gun, so I hit him in the face with the butt of the gun I had in my hand. I know I hit him more than once and he was bleeding, but he was still fumbling around in the desk drawer with his left hand. I was about to hit him again when he fell, face forward, on his desk blotter.”
“What happened next?” Hannah asked.
“I still had the gun in my hand and I jammed it in the pocket of my parka. I’m not sure why I did that, but I did. And then I ran out of his office, down the stairs, and got into my camper. I started it, backed up, and drove out of the lot and away from Lake Eden as fast as I could. I didn’t slow down until the camper started lurching every time it shifted gears. That had never happened before, so I managed to turn in at a truck stop by the airport. I gave the camper to a mechanic, went into the restaurant at the truck stop, and ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich.”
“Did you leave the gun in the camper?”
“No, it was still in my parka, and it’s still there in the pocket. I’ll give it to them when I turn myself in for killing Richard.”
“Did you touch any other part of the gun besides the barrel?” Hannah asked him.
“I don’t think so, but I can’t remember. You’re going to take me in and they’ll charge me with killing Richard, won’t they?”
“I’m . . . not sure,” Hannah said quickly, hoping that she could get out of the apartment and go straight to the sheriff’s station. “I’d better go now, Robert. Have a cookie and you’ll feel better. Your face is really pale.”
“Yes,” Robert agreed, and Hannah noticed that he sounded old and confused. “That’s a good idea, Hannah. Thank you for bringing them.”
Hannah had almost reached the door when something unexpected happened.
“Stop!” a voice yelled, and she whirled around to see Bruce. He had a gun and it was pointed directly at her. “You’re not going anywhere. And I’m going to make sure you can’t tell anybody about what my dad just told you!”
“Put that down, Bruce.” Robert took a step toward his son. “Just drop it on the end table.”
“I can’t! If she leaves, she’ll tell the police. And you’ll be arrested! I can’t let you be arrested. You’re all I have!”
“Put the gun down,” Robert said, and his voice was firm. “Do as I say and it’ll be all right. Then come to me, son.”
“But . . .” Bruce’s face crumpled and he looked as if he were about to burst into tears. “I heard what you said. I’m not your son!”
“Yes, you are. I married your mother, and I was there when you were born. Your mother and I watched you grow up and when she died, it was just us. It’s just us again, son, and we have to do the right thing. Put the gun down and come over here to me.”
As Hannah watched, Bruce walked to the end table and dropped the gun. Then he turned and went to Robert. “Dad!” he said, reaching out to his father.
“It’s all right, son,” Robert said, wrapping his arm around Bruce and hugging him. “We’re going to be okay.”
“If what you told Hannah is true, it will be all right,” Mike said, coming out of the kitchen, walking to the end table, and transferring the gun to an evidence bag.
“Mike!” Hannah gasped, staring at him in disbelief. “How did you get in here?”
“I got your text and came right over. I let myself in the back kitchen door. The lock is easy to pick. And I recorded everything from the time I got here to right now.” He turned to Robert. “Are you sure you didn’t touch the trigger?”
“I don’t think I did.”
Mike turned to Bruce. “How about you?”
“I know I didn’t. I never learned that much about guns and I was afraid if I touched it, it would go off.”
“Guess I’m going to have to take you out to the sheriff’s department range. But first we’d better get your dad cleared of all charges. If your uncle’s fingerprint is on the trigger and your dad’s fingerprints are only on the barrel, I think we’ll have enough evidence to prove self-defense.”
Bruce looked very relieved. “You mean my dad won’t have to go to jail?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. I’ll turn over what I have to the district attorney, and I’m almost certain he won’t bother filing charges.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Two days later, there was a celebration at The Cookie Jar. The district attorney had decided not to file any charges against Robert, and everyone was in a festive mood.
The coffee shop was closed for the evening, and everyone connected with the case was seated at the big, round table in the back. Aunt Nancy had baked a special cake, and they were about to serve it.
“That cake looks really good,” Mike commented, as Norman filled glasses with champagne and passed them around.
“I’ll cut a double piece for you,” Hannah told him as she cut Aunt Nancy’s Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake and transferred the slices to dessert plates.
“No champagne for me,” Bruce said as Norman passed a glass to him. “I need to get a head start on my treatment.”
“Good idea,” Stephanie told him, putting her arm around his shoulders and giving him a little hug.
“You can have that glass, Bruce,” Norman told him. “I don’t drink alcohol, either, and I filled our glasses with ginger ale.”
“Thanks!” Bruce said, smiling at Norman.
“Are you glad the community college said that you could come back to your classes when you’re through with your treatment?” Delores asked him.
“Yes, and I’m even happier that Dad will be staying here in Lake Eden with me.”
“But how about your job in Wisconsin?” Lisa asked Robert. “Wouldn’t they rehire you if you told them what happened?”
“I have a new job now,” Robert explained. “Howie Levine hired me to work with him in his office. He said he’ll keep me busy drafting contracts and taking care of paperwork while I study for the Minnesota Bar. When I pass that, he’ll promote me, and I’ll handle cases of my own.”
Just then, Andrea’s cell phone rang. “It’s Bill,” she said, glancing at the display. “I’d better get this. It could be important. Excuse me, everybody.”
Andrea got up and hurried to the kitchen, where she could talk to her husband privately. The call was short and when she came back to the table, she was all smiles.
“I have some news,” she told them. “Bill just came from an emergency meeting of the town council. They voted, unanimously, to ask Stephanie to finish out her husband’s term as mayor.”
“Me?!” Stephanie looked shocked.
“Yes, it’s only eight months and then it’s time for another mayoral election. Will you do it?”
“I . . . I’d better think about . . .” Stephanie stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “Yes! I’ll do it as long as Terry Neilson agrees to stay on to help me. Richard’s secretary knew more about the mayor’s duties than Richard did.”
When everyone had plates of cake and glasses of champagne or ginger ale, Mike stood up. “I have a toast. To Bruce and his father, together again. We welcome both of them to Lake Eden. And to Aunt Nancy’s Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake.” He turned to look at Hannah. “And to my double slice!”
TROPICAL VACATION BUNDT CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
8-ounce can crushed pineapple
2 cups coconut flakes
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup pineapple juice
8-ounce (by weight) tub of sour cream (I used Knudsen.)
1 teaspoon pineapple extract (if you can’t find it, use va
nilla extract instead)
1 teaspoon coconut extract (if you can’t find it, use vanilla extract instead)
1 box of spice cake mix, the kind that makes a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake (I used Duncan Hines Spice Cake.)
5.1-ounce package of DRY instant coconut cream pudding and pie filling (I used Jell-O.)
5.1-ounce package of DRY instant banana cream pudding and pie filling (I used Jell-O.)
12-ounce (by weight) bag of white chocolate or vanilla baking chips (11-ounce package will do, too—I used Nestlé)
Prepare your cake pan. You’ll need a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then floured. To flour a Bundt pan, put several Tablespoons of flour in the bottom and hold it over your kitchen wastebasket. Shake the flour around in the bottom for a few seconds and then tip the pan (over the wastebasket, of course!) and turn it, tapping it gently with your hand to move the flour all over the inside of the pan. Continue turning and tapping until all the inside surfaces of the pan, including the sides of the crater in the center, have been covered with a light coating of flour. Alternatively, you can coat the inside of the Bundt pan with Pam Baking Spray, which is a nonstick cooking spray with flour already in it. If you choose this method of flouring your pan, let the baking spray dry and then give the inside of the Bundt pan a second coating with the spray.
To Make the Cake Batter:
Open the can of crushed pineapple. Set a strainer over a small bowl on the counter. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice in the bowl.
Leave the pineapple in the strainer and get a double thickness of paper towels. Use the paper towels to press down on the crushed pineapple to get out all the juice.
Measure out a half-cup of the crushed pineapple juice. If you don’t have enough in the bowl, use canned pineapple juice to make up the difference.
Measure out 2 cups of coconut flakes, pressing them down in the measuring cup.
Place HALF of the flour in the bottom of a food processor with the steel blade attached. Scatter the coconut flakes over the flour.
Sprinkle the second HALF of the flour over the top of the coconut flakes and process, using an on-and-off motion, until the coconut flakes have been chopped into much smaller pieces.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed until they’re a uniform color.
Pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil and mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed.
Add the half-cup of pineapple juice and mix it in at LOW speed.
Scoop out the cup of sour cream and add it to your bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
Dry off the crushed pineapple with more paper towels and add the pineapple to your mixing bowl. Mix that in on LOW speed.
Add the chopped coconut flakes to your mixing bowl. Mix them in at LOW speed.
Add the teaspoon of pineapple extract and the teaspoon of coconut extract. Mix those in at LOW speed.
Continue to mix until everything is well combined.
Shut off the mixer and open the box of dry cake mix. Sprinkle HALF of it on top of the ingredients in the bowl. (You don’t have to be exact—just guesstimate.)
Turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix in the cake mix you added. Mix until everything is well combined.
Shut off the mixer and sprinkle in the rest of the cake mix. Mix that in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer and open the package of coconut cream pudding and pie filling. Sprinkle in the DRY pudding mix and mix it in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer and open the package of banana cream pudding and pie filling. Sprinkle it on top and mix it in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and set it on the counter.
Give the bowl a stir by hand with a mixing spoon.
Sprinkle the white chocolate or vanilla baking chips and stir them in by hand.
Use the rubber spatula to transfer the cake batter to the Bundt pan you prepared.
Smooth the top of your Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake with the spatula and put it into the center of your preheated oven.
Bake your cake at 350 degrees F. for 55 minutes.
Before you take your cake out of the oven, test it for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick. Insert it midway between the outside edges of the pan and the metal protrusion that makes the crater in the center of the pan.
If the tester comes out clean, your cake is done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cake in 5-minute increments until the tester comes out clean.
Once your cake is done, take it out of the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack. Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then pull the sides away from the pan with the tips of your impeccably clean fingers. Don’t forget to do the same for the sides of the crater in the middle.
Tip the Bundt pan upside down on a platter and drop it gently on a folded towel on the kitchen counter. Do this until the cake falls out of the pan and rests on the platter.
Cover your Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake loosely with foil and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Overnight is even better.
This cake is very rich. If you don’t want to frost it, an alternative is to sprinkle it with powdered sugar and call it good. You can also dot it with sweetened whipped cream and decorate with seasonal fruits. Strawberries cut in half and raspberries are pretty on top of the whipped cream, and so are peach slices. If you like, you can get more exotic and decorate with mango, papaya, and kiwi.
If you want to frost your cake, try Neverfail White Chocolate Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)
Yield: At least 10 pieces of sweet and rich cake with more than a hint of the tropics.
Hannah’s Serving Note: This cake is very rich and filling. Do not cut it into large pieces, or no one will be able to finish their portion. If it’s thoroughly chilled, you can cut it into narrower slices and get at least 20 slices from each Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake.
NEVERFAIL WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
(A cooked frosting made with white chocolate or vanilla baking chips)
½ cup (1 stick, ¼ pound, 4 ounces) salted butter
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
⅓ cup heavy (whipping) cream
½ cup white chocolate or vanilla baking chips
1 teaspoon coconut extract (you can substitute vanilla extract, if you don’t have coconut extract)
Place the salted butter, sugar, and heavy cream in a medium-size saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Turn down the heat to MEDIUM and cook for 2 (two) minutes.
Add the half-cup of white chocolate or vanilla baking chips.
Stir them in until they are melted, and then pull the saucepan over to a cold burner.
Shut off the burner you used.
Stir the coconut extract into the frosting in the saucepan. (Be careful—it may sputter a bit when you stir in the extract!)
Let the frosting cool a bit, but be careful not to let it thicken too much. You can tell this by giving it a stir to check the consistency.
Drizzle the frosting over the top of your Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake and let it drip down the sides.
If you plan to decorate with nuts or fruit, put them on before the frosting hardens all the way.
Once the frosting has hardened, refrigerate your Tropical Vacation Bundt Cake until 15 or 20 minutes before you want to serve it.
Cover the leftover cake (there probably won’t be any!) loosely with foil and store it in your refrigerator.
Baking Conversion Chart
These conversions are approximate, but they’ll work just fine for Hannah Swensen’s recipes.
VOLUME
U.S. Metric
½ teaspoon 2 milliliters
1 teaspoon 5 milliliters
1 Tablespoon 15 milliliters
�
� cup 50 milliliters
⅓ cup 75 milliliters
½ cup 125 milliliters
¾ cup 175 milliliters
1 cup ¼ liter
WEIGHT
U.S. Metric
1 ounce 28 grams
1 pound 454 grams
OVEN TEMPERATURE
Degrees Degrees British (Regulo)
Fahrenheit Centigrade Gas Mark
325 degrees F. 165 degrees C. 3
350 degrees F. 175 degrees C. 4
375 degrees F. 190 degrees C. 5
Note: Hannah’s rectangular sheet cake pan, 9 inches by 13 inches, is approximately 23 centimeters by 32.5 centimeters.