by Joanne Fluke
Both Hannah and Delores leaned a bit closer to Georgina.
“Go ahead, Georgina,” Delores prompted her.
“It was exactly a week ago today and I was working the lunch shift. Stan Kramer came in and asked me for a nice, quiet booth. He said he was meeting Tori for lunch and they had some business to discuss. I gave him that booth over there.” Georgina pointed to a four-person booth in the corner. “I figured they might need to spread out papers and things.”
“That was nice of you, Georgina,” Delores said.
“I try to please.” Georgina gave a dry little laugh. “Besides, the tips are better when my customers are satisfied.”
“That booth looks fairly isolated,” Hannah commented as she concentrated on the booth in the corner. “The only one that’s close is that huge one on the wall.”
“I know, and we don’t have many big groups for lunch. Mostly, it’s just the people who work in the area, a few clerks from city hall, some of the condo residents who don’t feel like cooking, and locals who want something fancier than what they can get at Hal and Rose’s Café.”
“So how did you hear their conversation?” Delores asked her.
“I needed to clean the big booth so I sat there for my break and then I made sure it was spotless for the party of ten coming in for dinner that night. I put out a RESERVED sign and then I slid over into the corner and just sat there until my break was over.”
Hannah gave an amused smile. “You mean you just sat there and listened to Tori and Stan, don’t you?”
“Well . . . yes, I did. And it’s a good thing for you that I was so nosy. It might turn out that I was listening to Stan and Tori talk about the man who killed her!”
“Who were they talking about?” This time it was Delores who asked the pertinent question.
“Tori’s business manager. She called him her money man. Did you know that Tori got an allowance every month from him? And she had to ask him if she needed more than what he gave her.”
“That’s not all that unusual,” Hannah told Georgina. “A lot of people who have investments with a money manager get monthly allowances.”
“But it was her money! She earned it, not him! What right did he have to say how much of it she could have? Not only that, but she paid him for keeping her money! I heard her tell Stan that she sent him a check every month.”
Georgina sounded outraged and Hannah could understand that. For people who’d always handled their own money, hiring a money manager seemed like an unnecessary expense. Hannah understood that and she tried to explain it to Georgina.
“It’s seems strange to you and me, but Tori earned a lot of money when she was at the top of her profession. And when you earn a lot of money, it’s hard to exercise self-control and not run right out to spend it. Tori knew her acting career wouldn’t last forever and she wanted help to make some sound investments so that she’d have enough to last for the rest of her life.”
“I guess I get it,” Georgina said, but she still looked a bit dubious. “Why didn’t Tori just put it in the bank? That’s what a lot of people do.”
“Because the bank doesn’t pay much interest and Tori wanted her money to work for her and earn more money. She probably didn’t know that much about the stock market and investments, so she hired an expert to handle it for her.”
“Okay. That makes some kind of sense,” Georgina conceded.
“Why was Tori talking to Stan about her money man?” Hannah asked.
“Because Stan’s an accountant and he went through all her financial papers for her. From what I could hear, it sounded like Stan found a bunch of things wrong with the way the business manager was handling Tori’s money.”
“That’s troublesome,” Delores commented. “Did it sound like he was deliberately cheating Tori?”
“That’s what Stan said. He said some stocks that Tori had were missing from her portfolio and there was no record of them being sold and reinvested someplace else. And some money was missing from one of the savings accounts she had in a New York bank.”
“Did Stan say how much money was missing?” Delores asked.
“He said he couldn’t tell to the penny what was missing without doing a full accounting, but that he could give her a preliminary ballpark figure.”
“And that figure was . . .” Hannah held her breath. This could be very important.
“Close to sixty thousand dollars. And that was just for the current year.”
“What did Tori say to that?” Delores asked.
“She said that she’d get the rest of her financial records to Stan by the end of the day so that he could give her a full accounting. And she asked how long that would take. Stan told her he could probably finish it in a couple of weeks now that he knew what he was looking for. And then he warned her that a full accounting could be expensive.”
“Did Tori ask how expensive?” Delores looked interested.
“Yes. And Stan said it might be as high as five thousand dollars.”
“Did Tori agree to that?” Hannah asked.
“Oh, yes. It didn’t seem to faze Tori at all because she just laughed and said that since her money man had already cheated her out of sixty thousand this year, another five grand sure wouldn’t kill her.” Georgina stopped and shuddered. “And that’s what I keep thinking about. That’s just it. That’s why I told you all this. It could have killed Tori if she ignored Stan’s advice!”
Hannah was confused. “What advice?”
“Stan’s advice came a little later, right after the waitress that was taking over for me delivered Tori’s second vodka martini. Tori told Stan that she had a good notion to call her money man before he left his office for the day. She was going to tell him that she knew he’d cheated her. And that if he didn’t pay her back every penny by the end of the month, she was going to contact every single one of his clients and tell them exactly what he’d done to her and urge them to get their own independent accounting the way she’d done.”
“That sounds like Tori,” Delores said, looking as if she really missed her outspoken friend.
“Well, Stan told her not to do it, that she would be cutting off her nose to spite her face. He pointed out that if her business manager knew that Tori was onto him, he might grab all the money he could from all of his clients and take off for parts unknown. And if he did that, they’d never get their money back.”
“Good point!” Hannah said.
“Tori thought so, too. She said that Stan was right, that she wouldn’t do anything to alert her money man until Stan had finished his full accounting. But . . .”
“But what?” Delores asked her.
“But what if Tori didn’t keep her word? That would be a motive for her money man to kill her before she could tell any of his other clients, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh, yes,” Hannah said, exchanging glances with her mother. They both knew how impulsive Tori could be. If she’d done what she’d threatened and called her business manager, that would be a compelling motive for her murder.
* * *
By the time Hannah got back to The Cookie Jar, she was thoroughly frustrated. Mayor Bascomb had been her prime suspect, and in light of what Georgina had told them, he was cleared. She’d checked the clock in her mother’s office and it was actually a few minutes slow. If Delores had glanced at the clock and thought the screams and gunshot had come at a few minutes past eight, it could have been closer to eight-fifteen or even eight-twenty.
Of course, she did have a new prime suspect. It was Tori’s business manager, but Georgina hadn’t known his name. Hannah knew that she could ask Stan Kramer, but he would never tell her. That would be violating a client’s confidence and Stan prided himself on his integrity. Of course Stan would have to tell Mike if Mike asked him, but Georgina had said that Mike hadn’t contacted her. And if Mike didn’t know that Tori’s business manager had been skimming money from Tori, Hannah wasn’t about to tell him . . . at least not until she’d exhausted
all avenues to attempt to find him by herself.
The Cookie Jar kitchen was deserted and Hannah was glad. She really didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now. She had to figure out how to get Stan to reveal Tori’s business manager’s name. She poured herself a cup of coffee, sat down on her favorite stool at the work island, and rummaged around in her saddlebag purse for the stenographer’s pad she referred to as her murder book.
“You didn’t do it,” she said to no one in particular since there was no one to hear her as she flipped to the suspect page and crossed off Mayor Bascomb’s name. “I don’t like it, but you’re in the clear.”
“Who’s in the clear?” Lisa asked, coming into the kitchen with an empty display jar.
“Mayor Bascomb. I really thought he did it, but he’s got an alibi for the time of Tori’s murder.”
“Don’t sound so depressed, Hannah. You always eliminate suspects in your murder investigations. Who else do you have on your suspect list?”
“Someone, but I can’t write him down because I don’t know his name.”
“The unknown suspect with an undiscovered motive?”
Hannah shook her head. “I know his motive. He was stealing money from Tori. But I don’t have a name. All I know is his occupation. He was Tori’s business manager.”
“Why don’t you ask Mayor Bascomb? He’s out there having his afternoon coffee.”
“Because he’ll ask why I want to know and if I tell him, he might tell Mike.”
“I get it. You want to follow this lead without any interference from Mike. Is that right?”
“That’s it exactly. This might sound a little crazy, but I want to solve this case for Mother. She worked so hard planning my wedding and redecorating the whole condo for me. Now she’s depending on me and . . . well . . . I owe her, Lisa.”
“I understand. Calm down, Hannah. You’re under a lot of stress and you’re just not thinking clearly. If you relax, the solution will come to you. There are ways around every problem.”
Hannah sighed. Lisa was right. There was simply too much on her mind, and she couldn’t seem to think clearly. She had to work out a morning routine for showering and dressing, figure out some easy and fast things to make for her husband’s breakfast, write out all the thank-you notes for their wedding gifts, spend quality time with Ross and be a good wife, and solve a murder case.
“I think I’ve got it, Hannah.”
“A way for me to ask Mayor Bascomb for the name of Tori’s business manager?”
“You can’t ask, but your mother could.”
“My mother?”
“Yes. Have your mother ask Mayor Bascomb for the name. She can say she needs someone to help her with her investments and Tori mentioned that she had someone really good, but she didn’t give Delores his name.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Thanks, Lisa! It might just work. Mother’s very good at getting information out of people. But what if Mayor Bascomb doesn’t know?”
“You can cross that bridge if and when you come to it.” Lisa walked over to the nearly-empty baker’s rack and took off a pan of bar cookies. She tipped them out, cut them into pieces on the kitchen counter, and brought two to Hannah on a paper napkin. “Here. Eat these with your coffee. You sound tired and the sugar will give you some energy. Besides, they’re delicious. Aunt Nancy baked them right after you left. She said she got the recipe from her friend, Lynn, and everybody out front loves them.”
“What are they?”
“Salted Caramel Bar Cookies. I had one for lunch and they’re wonderful! The combination of sweet caramel and salt is just perfect.”
Hannah picked up one and bit into it. Then she started to smile. “You’re right. I like these a lot!”
“So does everyone who tasted them. Just as soon as Michelle gets back, I’ll send Aunt Nancy back here to bake some more. We’re almost out of cookies.”
“I can bake them if she left the recipe,” Hannah suggested. “I always think better when I bake.”
“It’s in the back of the book. She brought it in this morning.” Lisa glanced at the kitchen clock. “Uh-oh! Time for another performance. Happy baking, Hannah.”
Hannah was smiling as she finished the rest of her coffee and the second Salted Caramel Bar Cookie. She’d call Delores later this afternoon to ask if she’d try to get the name of Tori’s business manager from Mayor Bascomb. Right now, she wanted to start baking. Lisa was right. There were ways around every problem if you calmed down enough to think of them.
SALTED CARAMEL BAR COOKIES
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
The Crust and Topping:
2 cups (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound) salted butter softened to room temperature
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 and ½ cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
The Caramel Filling:
14-ounce bag (approximately 50 pieces) square Kraft caramels, individually wrapped (If the kids help you unwrap the caramels, better buy 2 bags!)
⅓ cup whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon sea or Kosher salt (the coarse-ground kind)
Before you begin to make the crust and filling, spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick baking spray.
Hannah’s 1st Note: This crust and filling is a lot easier to make with an electric mixer. You can do it by hand, but it will take some muscle.
Combine the butter, white sugar, and powdered sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract. Mix it in until it is thoroughly combined.
Add the flour in half-cup increments, beating at LOW speed after each addition. Beat until everything is combined.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: When you’ve mixed in the flour, the resulting sweet dough will be soft. Don’t worry. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
With impeccably clean hands, press approximately one-third of the sweet dough into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. This will form a bottom crust. Press it all the way out to the edges of the pan, as evenly as you can, to cover the entire bottom.
Wrap the remaining sweet dough in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator (or out on the back porch if it’s winter and you live in Minnesota) to chill.
Bake your bottom crust at 325 degrees F., for approximately 20 minutes or until the edges are beginning to turn a pale golden brown color.
While the crust is baking, unwrap your caramels and place them in a microwave-safe bowl on the counter. (Count them as you go to make sure that there are 50 caramels.)
When the edges of your crust have turned pale golden brown, remove the pan from the oven, but DON’T SHUT OFF THE OVEN! Set the pan with your baked crust on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack to cool. It should cool approximately 15 minutes.
While your crust is cooling, sit down and have a cup of coffee. You need the rest after unwrapping all those caramels.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If the kids have helped you unwrap the caramels, you’d better count them to make sure there are still 50 of them in the bowl. If not, unwrap enough to make up the difference from that 2nd bag of caramels you bought, just in case the inevitable happened.
After your crust has cooled approximately 15 minutes, get out the whipping cream and pour ⅓ cup over the unwrapped caramels in your microwave-safe bowl.
Place the bowl in the microwave and heat the caramels and cream for 1 minute on HIGH power. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for an additional minute and then try to stir the caramel and cream mixture smooth with a heat resistant spatula or a wooden spoon. If you cannot stir it smooth, heat it for an additional 20 seconds on HIGH power, let it sit in the microwave for an equal length of time, and then try again. Repeat as often as necessa
ry alternating heating and standing times until you can achieve a smooth mixture.
Once your caramel mixture is melted, add the half-teaspoon vanilla extract and stir until smooth. DO NOT ADD THE SALT YET.
Pour the caramel, cream, and vanilla mixture over the baked crust in the pan as evenly as you can.
Here comes the salt! Sprinkle the Tablespoon of sea salt or Kosher salt over the caramel layer in the pan.
Take the remaining sweet dough out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. It has been refrigerated for 35 minutes or more and it should be thoroughly chilled.
With your impeccably clean fingers, crumble the dough over the caramel layer as evenly as you can. Leave a little space between the crumbles, so the caramel sauce can bubble through (this will not change the taste, but it will look very pretty.)
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 additional minutes, or until the caramel layer is bubbly and the crumble is light golden brown.
Hannah’s 4th Note: Your pan of Salted Caramel Bar Cookies will smell so heavenly, you’ll want to cut it into squares and eat one immediately. Resist that urge! The bubbly hot caramel will burn your mouth. Instead, eat one of your extra caramels and let the bar cookies cool on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack until they reach room temperature. Alternatively, if you live in Minnesota and it’s winter, you can move the wire rack to a table on the back porch and set the bar cookie pan out there to cool.