Coconut Layer Cake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Once she’d mixed up the pancake batter, she’d put butter in the frying pan and heated it up on the stovetop. The recipe said that when bubbles of water danced on the surface of the pan, it was ready for the pancake batter. Hannah had waited until the pan was hot enough, and then she’d poured in the pancake batter . . . all of the pancake batter. Somehow she’d managed to miss the line at the bottom of the recipe that stated the yield. If she’d read it, she would have known that the batter she’d mixed was enough to make eight pancakes.

  Things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of minutes. Hannah had known she should flip her giant pancake over when bubbles appeared on the top surface. So she waited. And waited. And waited even when the frying pan began to smoke. Hannah figured that since she’d followed the directions to the letter, that must be perfectly natural. She’d opened the kitchen window to get rid of the smoke and continued to watch for the bubbles on top of her pancake.

  The Swensens’ next-door neighbor, who’d been working in her flower garden, had seen the smoke and had rushed over to knock on the kitchen door. When she’d seen the frying pan on the stovetop burned, she’d pulled it to a cold burner, shut off the heat, and pointed out Hannah’s mistake. She had also helped Hannah wash the frying pan and air out the house. And even more importantly, she’d promised not to mention Hannah’s cooking disaster to anyone.

  “Where does your client live now?” Hannah asked her sister, carrying several Cinnamon and Raisin Snaps to Andrea.

  “In St. Paul,” Andrea told her. “He wants to get out of the city.”

  “Does he work there?”

  “Yes, he’s an urban planner, but he’d like to get out of the field.”

  Andrea took a bite of her cookie and smiled. “I like these, Hannah.”

  “Good.”

  There was a knock at the back kitchen door and Hannah went to answer it. Mike and Norman were standing there and she ushered them in. “Coffee?” she asked, once they’d seated themselves on stools at the stainless steel work station.

  “Yeah,” Mike said, giving her a smile and then turning to Andrea. “Hi, Andrea. I thought you’d be taking Tracey to school.”

  “Grandma McCann’s doing the school run this morning,” Andrea replied. “She drops Bethie off at Kiddie Korner first, and then she takes Tracey to school.”

  “Bethie’s in preschool already?” Norman asked, looking surprised.

  “Yes, but only two days a week. Janice Cox decided to let her in early because Bethie plays so well with Kevin.”

  “Phil Plotnik’s son?” Mike asked.

  “That’s right. Sue’s been working for Janice at Kiddie Korner for a while now. Janice lets her bring Kevin with her, and since Bethie and Kevin get along so well, Janice said Bethie could come, too.”

  “Here’s your coffee,” Hannah announced, setting hot mugs of coffee in front of Mike and Norman.

  “Thanks,” Norman said.

  “Yeah, thanks, Hannah,” Mike echoed.

  “Why don’t you tell Andrea the news you gave us at breakfast,” Hannah suggested to Mike. “Since I’ve heard it, I’ll go refill the cookie platter.”

  Andrea stared down at the empty platter in shock. “Did I just eat a whole platter of cookies?”

  “There were only a few left,” Hannah said in an attempt to wipe the horrified expression off her sister’s face when, in actuality, there had been at least a half-dozen Butterscotch and Pretzel Cookies on the platter.

  Andrea gave a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness for that!”

  Hannah picked up the platter and half-listened as Mike told Andrea about Darcy’s car and how Cyril had promised to check it out himself and not let any of his other mechanics touch it. He was just explaining why this could be important when Hannah carried a full platter back and set it down in front of them. “I’m going to call Cyril later to find out what’s wrong with Darcy’s car,” Hannah told her.

  “I could drive out there after I’m through with my client,” Andrea offered.

  “Bad idea,” Mike told her. “You really shouldn’t be actively involved since your husband is the chief detective on the case. It might look bad if the case has to go to court.”

  Andrea sighed. “You’re right, of course, but I’ll come back in right after I show Roger the house to do my invisible waitress thing. This is going to be so much fun! Nobody will ever guess that I’m your undercover coffee shop spy.”

  BUTTERSCOTCH AND PRETZEL COOKIES

  Preheat oven to 350°F., rack in the middle position.

  1 cup softened, salted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  3 Tablespoons molasses

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  2 cups crushed salted thin stick pretzels (measure AFTER crushing) (I used Rold Gold, but Snyder’s are fine, too)

  2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 and ½ cups butterscotch chips (I used Nestlé)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If you can’t find thin stick pretzels in your store, you can use the mini regular pretzels. Just make sure that any pretzels you use are SALTED. If they’re low-salt or no-salt pretzel sticks, your cookies won’t turn out right.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: This dough gets really stiff—you might be better off using a mixer, or you may have to end up mixing this dough with your impeccably clean hands, almost like kneading bread.

  Mix the softened butter with the sugar and the molasses. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, and the molasses is completely mixed in.

  Add the vanilla and baking soda. Mix them in well.

  Break the eggs into a glass and whip them up with a fork. Add them to your bowl and mix until they’re thoroughly incorporated.

  Put your pretzels in a Ziplock plastic bag. Seal it carefully (you don’t want crumbs all over your counter) and place it on a flat surface. Get out your rolling pin and run it over the bag, crushing the pretzels inside. Do this until there are no large pieces and the largest is a quarter-inch long.

  Measure out two cups of crushed pretzels and mix them into the dough in your bowl.

  Add one cup of flour and mix it in. Then add the second cup and mix thoroughly. Add the final half-cup of flour and mix that in.

  Measure out a cup and a half of butterscotch chips and add them to your cookie dough. If you’re using an electric mixer, mix them in at the lowest speed. You can also put the mixer away and stir in the chips by hand.

  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased (or sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray) cookie sheets. You can also line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, if you prefer. Place 12 cookies on each standard-size sheet.

  Hannah’s Note: I used a 2-teaspoon cookie disher to scoop out this dough at The Cookie Jar. It’s faster than doing it with a spoon.

  Bake the cookies at 350°F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. (Mine took 11 minutes.)

  Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then remove them from the baking sheets. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: Approximately 5 dozen chewy, salty, and sweet cookies that are sure to please everyone.

  CINNAMON AND RAISIN SNAP COOKIES

  DO NOT preheat your oven quite yet—this dough needs to chill before you bake it.

  Ingredients:

  1 cup raisins (either brown or golden)

  ¼ cup rum (I used white Bacardi)

  2 cups salted, melted butter (4 sticks)

  2 cups brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 cup white (granulated) sugar

  2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)

  1 teaspo
on salt

  4 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it.)

  Dough ball rolling mixture:

  ½ cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If you’re making these cookies for children or if you don’t want to use rum, simply substitute water for the rum and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for flavor.

  Place the raisins in a microwave-safe bowl that will hold 2 cups.

  Pour the quarter-cup rum over the top of the raisins.

  Heat the raisin and rum mixture for 2 minutes on HIGH. Let it sit in the microwave for 1 minute and then take it out and remove it to a pot holder or towel on your kitchen counter.

  Cover the bowl containing the raisins and rum with a sheet of foil to keep the heat in. The raisins will plump up while you’re mixing up the rest of your cookie dough.

  Place the 4 sticks of butter in another microwave-safe bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave for 2 minutes on HIGH. Let the melted butter sit in the microwave for another minute and then remove it to another pot holder or towel on your kitchen counter.

  Add the sugars and mix. Let the mixture cool to room temperature while you beat the eggs and then stir them in. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix well. Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.

  Use your hands to roll the dough in walnut-size balls. (If dough is too sticky, chill for an hour before rolling.)

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl to make the dough ball rolling mixture. (Mixing it with a fork works nicely.) Roll the dough balls in the mixture and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten the dough balls with a greased spatula.

  Bake at 350°F. for 10–15 minutes. (They should have a touch of gold around the edges.) Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: Approximately 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hannah took the last pan of Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies out of the oven and placed it on one of the shelves in her baker’s rack. She had just wheeled the baker’s rack back to its spot against the wall, when there was a knock on the back kitchen door. It was a polite knock, a request to come in, and Hannah recognized it immediately. She hurried to the door, pulled it open, and said, even before she’d looked to see who was standing there, “Hi, Norman.”

  “Hi, Hannah. I brought your cookie truck back and parked it in your spot.”

  “Thank you, Norman! Did you have to use jumper cables to start it?”

  Norman shook his head. “No, it started right up. Would you like me to drive it around to make sure the battery’s fully charged?”

  “That would be great, if you’ve got the time, but come in and have a cup of coffee first. It’s cold out there.”

  “Not as cold as it was when you were gone. And that’s a comment on the temperature, not a reflection on how much I missed you.”

  Hannah smiled. “It’s good to know you missed me. I missed you, too. I kept turning around to say something to you and then I’d realize that you weren’t there.”

  “What were you going to say to me?” Norman asked, stepping in, shedding his parka, and hanging it on one of the hooks by the back door.

  “Just things like, Look at that gorgeous swimming pool, or Can you believe this house cost over three million dollars? If you see something surprising, or amazing, or beautiful and you’re by yourself and have no one to share it with, it feels really lonely.”

  “You’re right,” Norman said, walking to the work station and sliding onto his favorite stool. “What smells so good, Hannah?”

  “Georgia Peach Cake. I’d give you a piece of it, but it’s too hot to take out of the pan.”

  The phone rang once as Hannah was pouring coffee for both of them, but she didn’t rush to answer it. Lisa, Marge, and Aunt Nancy were in the coffee shop and one of them would pick it up.

  “Here’s your coffee,” Hannah said, placing it in front of Norman. Then she put her own coffee down on the stainless steel surface and sat down across from him. “Would you like a cookie, Norman?”

  “Sure. What have you got?”

  “Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies, Molasses Crackles, Minty Dreams, and Cinnamon and Raisin Snaps.”

  “They’re all good, but I can’t have that many cookies. You choose.”

  Hannah took a sip of her coffee and got up again. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  Hannah grabbed a plate, hurried to the baker’s rack, and chose one of each variety. Then she came back to the work station and placed them in front of Norman. “I chose,” she told him.

  Norman laughed. “One of each. I should have guessed. Mothers aren’t supposed to choose a favorite child, and I guess bakers aren’t supposed to choose a favorite cookie.”

  “That’s right.”

  The swinging door between the coffee shop and the kitchen pushed open and Aunt Nancy poked her head in. “You’ve got a call, Hannah. It’s Cyril Murphy, from the garage. Do you want me to tell him you’ll call him back?”

  “No, I’ll take it. Thanks. Are you busy out there?”

  “Swamped,” Aunt Nancy told her. “And everybody’s asking Lisa if she’s going to tell the story. She wants to know what she should tell them.”

  “Tell Lisa to say that I’m not sure yet, that we’re considering it. And she can promise to let them know by later this afternoon.”

  “Will do.” Aunt Nancy gave a nod and hurried back into the coffee shop.

  “I’ll be right back,” Hannah told Norman as she got up and walked to the wall phone.

  “Hi, Cyril,” she said once she’d lifted the receiver from the hook. “Did you get a chance to look at the car yet?”

  “I just finished with it. Can you come out here, Hannah?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be in my office with the door shut, making notes on what I found. Just come on in when you get here.”

  “Did Cyril find anything?” Norman asked when Hannah got back to the work station.

  “Yes, he wants me to come out to his office at the garage. Are you free to go with me?”

  “I’m free. Doc Bennett is working full-time for a couple of weeks.” Norman took another swallow of coffee.

  “You don’t have to rush,” Hannah told him. “I’m going to pack up one of the Georgia Peach Cakes for Cyril and some cookies for his mechanics. It’ll take me a couple of minutes.”

  Hannah made quick work of finishing her coffee and then hurried to the bakers rack. She was just feeling one of the cake pans to see if the cake was too hot to frost, when the timer on her oven rang.

  “Perfect!” she said aloud.

  “What’s perfect?” Norman asked.

  “It’s time to frost my Georgia Peach Cakes. I’ll do that first and let the frosting harden while I pack up the cookies.”

  Hannah chose a cake, moved it to the counter, and washed her hands thoroughly at the sink. Then she went to the stovetop and made quick work of making the frosting.

  Once she’d frosted the cakes and carried them to the walk-in cooler, Hannah began to pack up the cookies for Cyril’s mechanics. She chose six of each cookie on the baker’s rack and dipped into the cookies that were waiting for Lisa or Aunt Nancy to use in the coffee shop for another dozen.

  “I’m almost ready,” she told Norman, who was just finishing his mug of coffee. “I’ll just get a carry bag for these and we can go.”

  “Come finish your coffee first,” Noman said, patting the stool next to him. “I’ve got something I need to discuss with you.”

  Hannah felt a moment’s uneasiness. Norman sounded very serious. “Okay,” she said, placing her cookies in a carry bag and then taking the stool next to Norman. “What is it, Norman?”

  “It’s this trip to Cyr
il’s garage. I don’t want to butt in, Hannah. That’s the last thing I want to do. But sometimes I’m not sure if you want me to say anything in an interview with a suspect, or just be there when you’re questioning someone. Sometimes I feel like I’m intruding on what you want to accomplish.”

  “But you’re not!” Hannah’s reaction was immediate. “You’ve never interfered, Norman.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, but I just need to make sure that you’ll tell me if you don’t want me to take part. That’s all.”

  “I promise I’ll tell you,” Hannah said, reaching out for his hand. “And I appreciate that sometimes you ask questions that I wouldn’t have thought to explore.”

  “Then I’ve never done anything to . . . to impede you? Because if I have, I promise you that I’ll just sit there and listen.”

  “No! Don’t change, Norman. I like what you’re doing. We’re a good team.”

  Norman smiled, and it was like the sun coming out after a stormy day. “Good! I just didn’t want to assume, you know?”

  Hannah picked up her coffee mug and drained it. “I’m glad we got that settled.”

  “So am I.”

  “Good, because I’m going to need you when we get out to Cyril’s. I don’t know anything about cars, but you do. Ask any questions you can think of. It’s my turn to listen and learn something.”