Christmas Caramel Murder
Page 8
“That’s right. I think you know me too well, Michelle.”
“Maybe I do, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less.” Michelle smiled at Hannah. “I’ll go out front and ask Lisa to come back here right after she does the crowd reaction. I think she’s just about at that point in her story, but I’ll check it out to make sure.”
Both Hannah and Michelle moved closer to the door, where they could hear Lisa’s voice.
“She saw a mound at the bottom of the snow-covered ditch, a mound the same size as a body. She didn’t want to think that way, but you know Hannah. Anyone else would have climbed back up to the top of the ditch just as fast as they could and run back inside to get help. But not our Hannah. Do you think she hesitated?”
“No!” the crowd in the coffee shop chorused.
“Of course she didn’t hesitate,” a male voice called out and Hannah knew exactly who it was. “Hannah’s got slaydar!”
“Mike?” Michelle asked.
“Who else?” Hannah confirmed it.
“I’ve heard Lisa tell this story twice, and she’s winding down now,” Michelle informed her. “I’ll go out and give her the high sign.”
“Do you think she’ll know what you mean?”
“She’ll know.” Michelle sounded certain. “Lisa and I worked out a series of hand signals right after the last Lake Eden murder. If I stand at the back of the house and run my finger across my throat, it means I want her to end her story as soon as she can. And when I beckon to her and point toward the kitchen, she’ll know that we want her to come back here right after she finishes.”
Hannah glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Okay. Go ahead. Marge, and Lisa’s dad, should be here by now, and they can handle the coffee shop.”
After Michelle had left, Hannah placed the trays of unbaked Angel Jellies inside the industrial oven. She had set the timer, poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, and taken a stool at the stainless-steel workstation when Michelle came back from the coffee shop.
“Lisa read my signal,” she reported. “She should be here in a moment or two.”
“Good. I don’t want her to be caught unaware when Mayor Bascomb comes in.”
“You don’t think Lisa will turn down a chance to play Mrs. Claus, do you?”
“No. She really wanted to be Mrs. Claus. She mentioned it to me a couple of times. The only reason she might hesitate is if she thinks I can’t handle the concession stand alone.”
“You don’t have to handle anything alone with me here,” Michelle pointed out. “I’ll help you, and Lisa can play Mrs. Claus. That should make Herb happy, too.”
Hannah thought about the kiss she’d seen between Phyllis and Herb. “I hope so,” she said.
“What’s up?” Lisa breezed into the kitchen and took a stool at the workstation.
“Mother called,” Hannah told her. “It seems Mayor Bascomb is on his way here to invite you to be this year’s Mrs. Claus.”
“Really?” Lisa looked both excited and pleased, but then her expression took on a worried look. “Do you think that would be right? I mean, after Phyllis and everything?”
“The show must go on,” Michelle reminded her, “and there’s nothing you can do about Phyllis. She’s dead and she can’t play Santa’s wife.”
“I know, but . . . do you think people will think less of me if I agree so fast? I’m just wondering if it’s proper. She’s been dead less than a day.”
“They won’t think less of you, Lisa,” Hannah reassured her. “You know that the kids look forward to seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus every year. Their parents will be grateful that you agreed to step in and play the part.”
“Well . . . there is that,” Lisa conceded. “I’d hate to disappoint the children. But I’ll have to get into my costume at intermission so I’m ready in time. Do you think you can handle the candy sales?”
“I’ll help Hannah,” Michelle spoke up. “I already told her that I would. This is important, Lisa. Santa and Mrs. Claus have appeared at the end of the Christmas play for as long as I can remember. I used to sit on Santa’s lap when Santa was Earl Flensburg. And I loved it when Mrs. Claus handed me my gift bag of treats. Herb can’t do it alone, and he needs you. You almost have to do it.”
“Well, yes. You’re right. I do.” Lisa looked pleased at the prospect of playing Mrs. Claus.
“You’re the natural choice,” Hannah added. “Everyone knows that you’re Herb’s wife. And now you also get to play his pretend wife on stage.”
“Lisa?” Marge poked her head into the kitchen. “Mayor Bascomb is here, and he says he needs to talk to you.”
“Of course. Please get him a cup of coffee and some cookies, Marge. And tell him I’ll be right out.” Lisa waited until Marge had left, and then she turned to Hannah. “I just thought of something. Is Mayor Bascomb one of your suspects?”
“Actually . . . yes. He certainly had a motive. Phyllis told his wife what was going on between them when he refused to set Phyllis up in a condo. And Stephanie made him pay for his mistake in designer clothes and expensive gems. I’d call that a motive, wouldn’t you?”
Lisa nodded. “Yes, I would. So you think that the mayor might have killed Phyllis to get even?”
“There are worse motives,” Hannah said. “Anger is a powerful emotion.”
“So now all you have to do is find out if he had the opportunity . . . is that right?”
“That’s right. If he has an alibi, he’s in the clear. If he doesn’t, he’s still on my suspect list.”
“And Herb’s on there too, especially if he noticed me leaving the auditorium after that kiss Phyllis gave him. Is that right?”
Hannah felt like groaning, but she didn’t. Lisa always went straight to the heart of the matter. “That’s right. I’m sorry Lisa. I don’t really think that Herb did it, but . . .”
“But he had a motive. And we don’t know if he had the opportunity because we don’t know where he was until after midnight last night.”
This time Hannah did groan. “I don’t like it Lisa. But Herb’s on my suspect list.”
“And I’m there, too. I have to be. I have a perfect motive. After that kiss, I was so jealous, I couldn’t see straight. I told you that I had to go home to feed the dogs, but you have no way of knowing if I actually did that, or not. Maybe I drove straight out to the Corner Tavern, spotted Phyllis getting out of her car, and killed her in a jealous fit of rage.”
“But you couldn’t have killed her. You were wearing ankle boots. I saw them. And you couldn’t have climbed down into that ditch wearing ankle boots. You would have come in with soaked feet, and you didn’t. I looked down at your boots when we were standing there in the parking lot. They’re light-colored suede, and they weren’t wet.”
“Maybe I wasn’t wearing ankle boots then. Maybe I had another pair of boots in the trunk and I used those. You don’t know that I didn’t. You didn’t check, and neither did anyone else.”
“Lisa!” Michelle sounded very upset. “Cut it out! You just gave yourself a motive and admitted that you had the opportunity!”
“I know that, but Hannah would have thought of that eventually, if it hasn’t already occurred to her.” Lisa turned back to Hannah. “I’m on your suspect list too, aren’t I?”
Hannah visibly winced, but there was no reason to lie about it. “Yes, Lisa. You’re on it. But I don’t really think that you . . .”
“That doesn’t matter,” Lisa interrupted her. “You have to investigate me, too. That’s one of the things I like best about you, Hannah. You’re fair. I can tell you right now that I didn’t do it, but that doesn’t count for anything. Mike’s going to zero in on me, too. He’s a good cop, and he’s bound to investigate me. I’m just hoping that you’ll hurry and clear both Herb and me by catching the real killer. You’ll do that, won’t you?”
“I’ll certainly do my best,” Hannah promised.
“That’s good enough for me. Now I’d better get out there and
hear what Mayor Bascomb has to say to me. And I’d better help you either clear him or finger him.”
Michelle and Hannah were silent for a moment after the swinging door had shut behind Lisa. Then Michelle shook her head. “Finger him? That dates back a couple of decades. Where did Lisa ever hear a phrase like that?”
“Dragnet. She told me that she watches reruns while she’s waiting for Herb to come home. He’s been working really late almost every night this month.”
“Do you think he’s really working?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
There was a knock on the back kitchen door, and Michelle turned to Hannah. “Mother?” she asked.
“No. Mother’s knock is more impatient and she generally knocks in threes.”
“Threes?”
“Yes. Knock-knock-knock. And then knock-knock-knock again. After that, she tries the door. And if it’s unlocked, she comes in.”
“How about Mike? He always checks in with you the day after a murder.”
“It’s not Mike. We heard him out front in the coffee shop.”
“Unless he left and walked around to the back door.”
“No.” Hannah shook her head. “It’s definitely not Mike. He always knocks like he’s serving a search warrant. It’s loud and demanding and staccato. I think it’s probably Norman. He’s got a firm knock, but it’s not as commanding as Mike’s and not as impatient as Mother’s. Go let him in, will you please? I’ll pour him a cup of coffee and get him settled at the workstation.”
ANGEL JELLIES
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F., rack in the center position.
(That’s two hundred and seventy-five degrees F., not a misprint.)
6 large eggs
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 Tablespoons ( cup) all-purpose flour (Pack it down when you measure it.)
a little flour in a small bowl for later
a small jar of seedless raspberry jam (or your favorite jam if you don’t like raspberry)
Hannah’s 1st Note: Make sure you use jam and not jelly in this recipe. I know the name is Angel Jellies, but that’s because “Angel Jams” didn’t sound as nice. I haven’t tried jelly, but there’s more liquid in jelly than in jam. Jam has pieces of fruit in it and although the liquid in jam will melt, those pieces of fruit won’t melt. Jelly could melt and leak out of the bottoms of the cookies as they bake, making them soggy.
Separate 6 large eggs and put the whites in one container and the yolks in another.
Cover the container with the yolks and put it in the refrigerator. You can use it to make yolk-rich scrambled eggs for breakfast in the morning, or a yolk-rich Chocolate Flan with Caramel Whipped Cream for dessert.
Set the whites on your kitchen counter until they’ve come up to room temperature. (This will give them more volume when you whip them.)
Prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper (this works best) or brown parcel-wrapping paper if you don’t have parchment. Spray the paper with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray and dust it lightly with flour.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can also use Pam Baking Spray or another brand of baking spray that has flour in it.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: These cookies are a lot easier to make if you use an electric mixer because you must beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks and, ultimately, stiff peaks. You can use a copper bowl and a whisk, but it will take some time and muscle.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt until they are firm enough to hold a soft peak. Test this by shutting off the mixer and dotting the egg whites with the side of a clean rubber spatula. When you pull up the spatula, a soft peak should form.
Hannah’s 4th Note: For those of you who haven’t made meringues before, soft peaks slump a bit and bend over on themselves. That’s what you want at this stage. A bit later on in the recipe, you’ll want stiff peaks. Those stand straight up and do not slump or bend over.
With the mixer running on MEDIUM HIGH speed, sprinkle the egg white mixture with approximately one third of the sugar. Turn the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds. Then turn the mixer down to MEDIUM HIGH speed again.
Sprinkle in half of the remaining sugar, turn the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds, and then back down to MEDIUM HIGH speed.
Sprinkle in the remaining sugar and follow the same procedure, turning the mixer up to HIGH speed for ten seconds, or until stiff peaks form. Then turn OFF the mixer completely.
Sprinkle in the flour and mix it into the egg white mixture at LOW speed. You don’t want to whip any air out of the meringue.
Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a gentle stir with your rubber spatula, and place it next to your prepared cookie sheet.
Use a spoon to drop small mounds of dough on your cookie sheet, no more than 12 dough mounds to a standard-sized sheet. (If you make 4 rows with 3 dough mounds in each row, that should be perfect.)
Hannah’s 5th Note: The mound of dough should be no larger than a ping pong ball. (If you’ve never played table tennis, this is a little smaller than a golf ball. If you’ve never played golf, make the dough mounds the size of a large walnut in the shell. If you’ve never seen a large walnut in the shell, you’d better ask someone or you won’t have a clue!)
Dip the pad of your impeccably clean finger in the flour. (I use my pointer finger.) Make an indentation in the center of your mounds of cookie dough, dipping your finger in the bowl of flour before indenting each mound. Make sure your indentations DO NOT go all the way to the bottom of the dough mounds. (If the jam leaks out in the oven, it’ll go all over and you certainly don’t want that!)
Use the tip of a small spoon to take a little jam from the jar and deposit it inside the indentation you made. Don’t use too much jam. A little will do just fine.
Drop a little mound of cookie dough over the top of the jam to cover it completely. Then it will be a lovely surprise when everyone bites into your cookies.
Bake your Angel Jellies at 275 degrees F. for approximately 40 minutes or until the meringue part of the cookie is lightly golden and dry to the touch when you tap it lightly with your finger.
Take the Angel Jellies out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the paper-lined baking sheet by setting it on a cold stovetop burner or on a wire rack.
When your Angel Jellies are completely cool, peel them off the paper and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. (Unfortunately, your refrigerator is NOT a dry place. A cupboard shelf will do just fine as long as it’s not near your stove.)
Yield: 3 to 4 dozen crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a delightful surprise in the center. Warning: Angel Jellies are like potato chips. You can’t eat just one!
Michelle’s Note: My college housemates love these cookies. I’ve made them with strawberry jam, peach jam, apricot jam, pineapple jam, blueberry jam, and orange marmalade.
Chapter Seven
“Norman!” Hannah greeted him with a cup of coffee, a plate of cookies, and a smile. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Norman stood up as she placed the coffee and cookies in front of him and pulled her into his arms to give her a hug. “I know I haven’t dropped in for a while. I’ve been busy at the house, directing workmen. And I’ve gone out to the mall every night for Christmas shopping. How about you?”
“Here,” Hannah replied with a sigh. “Christmas and Valentine’s Day are our busy times. And this year we’re doing all the cookies and candy for the children’s Christmas gift bags.”
“Christmas is always a busy time. I hired Doc Bennett to take over for me until after the first of the year. He needs the work, and I need time off.”
“Are you going away for the holidays?” Hannah asked him.
“Not a chance. I’m doing some construction at the house.”
“Wh
at construction? I thought you loved the house the way we designed it.”
“Oh, I do. But things have changed and I wanted to update. Do you know that you can buy a humungous LED big screen now?”
“I hadn’t noticed. I’m perfectly happy with the television I have now.”
“I’m not. You know those old movies you love, Hannah?”
Hannah began to smile. “You mean the old romantic comedies and the chick flicks?”
“Yes. And the old detective films. They’re all remastered now. And I needed to enlarge the den so that I could get a hundred-and-twenty-inch screen on the wall without being crowded.”
Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “But . . . that’s practically theater-sized!”
“That’s right. And won’t it be fun to watch our favorite classic films in a home theater with perfect surround sound and incredibly comfortable seating?”
“Maybe,” Hannah said, but she couldn’t hide her delighted expression. She loved to watch classic movies with Norman.
“Then you’ll come out to watch films with me when my home theater is finished?”
Hannah’s timing was perfect. She waited a beat before she answered. But when Norman started to look a little nervous, she relented. “Yes. You can bet I’ll be there!”
“Wonderful!”
Norman looked very happy, and Hannah felt a little guilty about what she had planned to say next. But that didn’t stop her. “You bet I’ll come! But only if you’ve got a popcorn machine.”