Banana Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Did she tell him what kind of a spoon?”

  “Well . . . no, but . . .”

  “They give the contestants those big spoons they use for dishing up stew,” Rod interrupted. “Since KCOW is going to show it on the news, it’ll be a lot funnier.”

  “But what if Mayor Bascomb backs out when he sees the size of the spoon?”

  “He won’t dare. That would make him look bad. It’s a winner, Hannah. Do it and I’ll get some great photos for the paper.”

  “Done!” Hannah promised, making up her mind instantly. Delores would love to see Ricky-Ticky with a whipped cream mustache and so would everyone else in Lake Eden. Stephanie would probably think it was funny, too.

  Hannah hung up the phone with a smile on her face. This was going to be fun and she was really glad that Ross would be home to capture it all on video!

  PUMPKIN SCONES WITH SUGARED CINNAMON GLAZE

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Pumpkin Scones:

  ½ cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) at room temperature

  ½ cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  2 teaspoons cream of tartar

  1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground is best)

  1 and ¼ cups plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

  1 large egg, beaten (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)

  3 cups biscuit mix (I used Bisquick—just fill the measuring cup and level it off with a table knife)

  1 cup white chocolate chips or vanilla baking chips

  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

  Beat this mixture at MEDIUM speed until it is smooth and creamy.

  Add the pumpkin and mix it in until it’s well combined.

  Add the beaten egg and mix that in until it’s well combined.

  Mix in the biscuit mix, one cup at the time, beating after each addition.

  Shut off the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and take the bowl out of the mixer.

  Add the cup of white chocolate chips or vanilla baking chips by hand.

  Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or lining them with parchment paper.

  Divide your dough in half. Each half will make 9 scones.

  Working with the first half of the dough and using a large spoon, drop 9 scones on the baking sheet.

  Michelle’s Note: I just eyeball it and add or take away dough from the scones to make all 9 the same relative size.

  Use the second half of your dough to make 9 scones on the second baking sheet.

  Once the scones are on the cookie sheets, wet your impeccably clean fingers and shape them into more perfect rounds. Then flatten them with your moistened palms. They will rise during baking, but once you flatten them, they won’t be too round on top.

  Bake the scones at 425 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re golden brown on top. (Mine took the full 12 minutes.)

  While your Pumpkin Scones are baking, make the Sugared Cinnamon Glaze.

  Sugared Cinnamon Sugared Glaze

  This glaze is made in the microwave.

  ¼ cup water

  ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Right before your scones are ready to come out of the oven, mix the water, white sugar, and cinnamon together in a small, microwave-safe bowl.

  Heat the mixture on HIGH power for 30 seconds. Leave it in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir.

  Set the resulting liquid mixture on the counter along with a pastry brush.

  Brush the tops of the scones with the glaze right after they come out of the oven.

  Cool the scones for at least five minutes on the cookie sheet, and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula. (If you used parchment paper, all you have to do is position the cookie sheet next to the wire rack and pull the paper over to the rack.)

  When the scones are cool, or nearly cool, you can cut them in half lengthwise and butter them for breakfast.

  Hannah’s Note: These scones reheat beautifully if you wrap them in a paper towel and heat them for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave.

  Yield: Makes 18 delicious scones that are guaranteed to remind you of Thanksgiving dinner.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  It was the most beautiful dream in the world. Hannah Swensen rolled over in the early dawn on Saturday morning and cuddled up close to her husband. His arms were around her and she felt so loved and cherished, she never wanted to wake up from the dream.

  Reality reared its ugly head when her alarm clock began to beep with an irritating electronic tone. She opened her eyes, realized that part of her dream was not a dream at all since her husband was holding her tightly, and she reached out to do something she’d never done before. She punched the snooze alarm, giving them five more minutes to enjoy the morning.

  “Good morning, Cookie,” Ross said in a sleepy, very sexy voice. “We don’t have to get up yet, do we?”

  Hannah’s arm shot out and hit the snooze alarm another three times. “No, we don’t,” she told him. “We can stay here as long as we want. Lisa’s opening the shop this morning and I don’t have to rush.”

  “Neither do I,” Ross said, smiling as he looked down, into her eyes. “I love you, Cookie.”

  “And I love you.” And that was the last thing Hannah had time to say to him until the snooze alarm began to beep nineteen minutes later.

  * * *

  “The pies are ready,” Hannah said, carrying two to the walk-in cooler.

  “Good.” Michelle looked up from the bowl of cookie dough she was mixing. “Are they the real ones, or the contest ones?”

  “Both. I made the real ones yesterday afternoon before we left for the day. And the ones I just put in the cooler are the contest ones.”

  “With no crust?”

  “Right. Did you find enough big spoons or do we have to stop at CostMart?” Hannah asked.

  “I found three red ones. I thought they’d look good on television.”

  “Great! All I have to do is make a couple of pans of bar cookies and we’re ready for the bake sale.”

  “What kind are you baking?”

  “Multiple Choice Bar Cookies. Everybody loves those. I think they’ll sell really well, especially since I talked to Edna Ferguson and she said we could use the school coffee pot. She’s bringing it up from the school kitchen for us.”

  Michelle smiled. “That’s not all Edna’s doing. She’s making the coffee and selling it for us. She says she loves the fact that Lake Eden has a theater group and she wants to help support us.”

  “Edna’s always a big help at things like this. And she’s a great school cook. Jordan High would be lost without her.”

  “I know. I used to love her chili.”

  “It’s a shortcut recipe,” Hannah told her. “Edna gave it to me and I’ll copy it for you. It’s one of the reasons I call her the queen of shortcuts.” Hannah glanced up at the clock. “I’ll get those bar cookies in the oven and then I’ll start packing up the cookie truck.”

  “Okay. I’ll just finish this cookie dough and tell Aunt Nancy that it’s in the cooler. If they need it before the end of the day, one of them can come back here and bake it.”

  It didn’t take long to accomplish everything, and Hannah and Michelle arrived at Jordan High at noon. They’d expected to be the first ones there, but when they opened the lobby door, they saw that Edna was there and she’d set up all the tables for the bake sale. She’d chosen the table on the far wall for herself and she’d brought the large thirty-cup coffee pot the school used for social events.

  “You’re early, Edna,” Hannah told her. “No one else is due to arrive for an hour.”

  “And you set up the tables,” Michelle commented. “I thought we’d have to do that.”

  “I di
dn’t do it, Freddy Sawyer did. He dropped by my place last night and told me he wanted to do something to help.”

  “Well, please thank him for us,” Michelle told her.

  “I will,” Edna replied, plugging an extension cord into the wall outlet in back of the table she’d chosen. “I still have to run up to the teacher’s lounge to get their coffee pot.”

  “Do you really think we’ll need two?” Michelle asked her.

  Edna nodded, setting her tight gray curls bouncing. “We’ll need two,” she said emphatically. “It’s cold out today and everyone’ll want coffee when they come in.”

  “You could be right,” Hannah agreed.

  “Of course I am. And after I get that pot hooked up, I’m going to Mrs. Baxter’s Home-Ec room to get her coffee pot. I’ll heat hot water in that for those who want tea.”

  “I’d better run and get some tea,” Michelle said.

  “I’ve got it. I stopped by the Red Owl on my way here and Florence donated a whole bunch of herbal tea bags along with the coffee she promised me yesterday.”

  Hannah and Michelle exchanged glances. Edna had everything under control. “I suppose you got sugar, creamer, and spoons, too?” Hannah asked her.

  “Of course I did. And disposable coffee cups and napkins.”

  “You’re a real wonder, Edna!” Michelle complimented the older woman.

  “I’m not a wonder. I’m just a pro. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for years.”

  Michelle and Hannah went back to the cookie truck to carry things in and within the space of twenty minutes or so, the tables were set up and filled with the baked goods they’d brought.

  “Here you are, girls,” Edna brought over two cups of coffee. “You both take it black, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Michelle answered for both of them. “Did you make a whole pot of coffee?”

  Edna nodded. “I figured the Lake Eden Players might want some when they came in with their baked goods.”

  “Where is the closest refrigerator?” Hannah asked Edna. “I really should chill the pies.”

  “We’ve got a big one in there.” Edna pointed to a door set into one of the walls. “That’s where they chill the sodas for the basketball games. I’ve got the key. I’ll unlock it for you. We’ll just move a couple cases of sodas. They won’t need them until next Friday night anyway. I can put the sodas back after everyone leaves.”

  * * *

  All three of them were surprised when the first Lake Eden Players arrived at one o’clock sharp and ten minutes later, the whole cast and crew were there. Everyone had brought something, even the young man playing Tricia’s husband, who told them that his mother had baked eight loaves of her special blueberry tea bread.

  While Michelle talked to her Lake Eden Players, Hannah and Edna went up on the stage to prepare for the pie eating contest.

  “It’s perfect!” Hannah said when she saw that the contestant table and the judging table were exactly where she would have placed them.

  “Thank you,” Edna said. “I told Freddy where to put them. And he’ll be here ten minutes before the contest starts to open the curtains. I used a plastic tablecloth on the contestant table because I thought it might get messy.”

  “Good thinking.”

  “And the judging table has a real tablecloth. It’s three chairs behind each table, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right. And you even have the podium for the announcer.”

  “I didn’t think we needed name tags since everyone in town knows everyone else. Was I right?”

  “You were right.”

  “I thought I’d put a full water glass in front of each contestant. They might need to wash the pie down.”

  “Good.”

  “How long is the contest going to last, Hannah? The paper said it was timed, but it didn’t say how long.”

  “Michelle and I think ninety seconds is long enough. What do you think, Edna?”

  “Ninety seconds should do it. After that they might start to slow down and it wouldn’t be as funny. The paper didn’t say who was going to announce the contest. Someone is, aren’t they?”

  A lightbulb began to shine brightly in Hannah’s mind. Michelle had asked her to announce it, but there was a much better choice. She turned to grin at Edna. “You are! If you’d like to, that is.”

  “Me?” Edna looked properly astounded. “Are you sure you want me? I’m not a celebrity or anything like that.”

  “We want you. Both Michelle and I have seen you handle rowdy kids in the school lunchroom. You’d be the perfect announcer, Edna.”

  “Well . . .” Edna hesitated, but Hannah could tell she was immensely pleased. “Of course I’ll do it if you need me.”

  “Great! I’ll tell Michelle you agreed.”

  “And I’ll get a pitcher of water and three glasses for the contestant table.”

  Hannah found Michelle talking to the woman who played Tricia’s mother.

  “Hello,” Hannah greeted her. “I caught a little of your performance in rehearsal yesterday and I want to compliment you. You’re a very good actress.”

  “Thank you,” the woman said graciously, and then she turned back to Michelle. “Would you excuse me, please? I’m sorry I can’t stay for the contest and bake sale, but I have a previous engagement.”

  “No problem, Vivian,” Michelle told her. “I have plenty of other people here to help. Please don’t forget. We have dress rehearsal in full makeup tomorrow at three.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Michelle waited until Vivian had left and then she turned to Hannah with a puzzled expression on her face. “Vivian’s a strange lady.”

  “How so?”

  “She’s always polite, but she doesn’t say much. And she doesn’t really talk to the rest of the cast. She just keeps to herself, performs her part, and leaves. For everyone else, rehearsal is like a social occasion when they’re not on the stage. They exchange news, make plans to meet for coffee or whatever, and kid around.”

  “Maybe Vivian doesn’t have a sense of humor.”

  “If she does, I sure haven’t seen it!” Michelle gave a wry smile. “She’s been with the Players for a while now and she’s been cast in a couple of plays, but no one really knows her. One of the women said she’d heard that Vivian had a sick husband at home, so maybe that’s why she doesn’t feel like socializing.”

  “That could do it, I guess. She did seem a bit preoccupied today.”

  “Vivian’s always that way. It’s almost like she shuts down when she’s not on the stage. She’s polite, and she smiles, and interacts in a minimal way, but she has no real connection with anyone in the group.”

  “She keeps her emotions hidden?” Hannah suggested a possible explanation.

  “Maybe. Either that, or she’s just what Dad used to call a cold fish. But, once the lights go on and she walks on stage, she comes to life. She’s a talented actress and I’d like to find out more about her, but she doesn’t encourage that sort of thing.”

  “You’re right about that. She was polite when I complimented her on her performance, but she was aloof without actually being rude. Perhaps her husband needs a lot of care and attention, and she doesn’t have the time or the energy left to connect with other people. Taking care of someone you love who’s very ill could drain your emotions to the point where you’d have nothing left for anyone else.”

  “That could be it. But I wish she’d unbend a bit and be friendlier. I had the cast do their makeup before the first rehearsal because I wanted to see how long it would take them and decide if I needed to recruit more makeup people to help them.”

  “How did Vivian do?”

  “Perfectly. And she did it faster than anyone else. I think she must have been practicing at home, but I can see why everyone thinks she’s standoffish. Vivian waited to go into the dressing room until everyone else had finished.”

  Hannah thought about it for a moment. “There’s another possibility.”


  “What’s that?”

  “She could be pathologically shy. Some people are so afraid of making a mistake, they don’t want to interact with other people at all.”

  “Crippling shyness,” Michelle said. “My psychology professor talked about that. That could be it, Hannah. Vivian is so uncomfortable trusting in her own reactions to people that she chooses not to engage with them at all. And she’s only comfortable when she’s on stage, because everything she says is scripted for her.”

  “Right. It’s not really her, it’s someone else she’s pretending to be when she’s up there on the stage.”

  The two sisters were silent for a moment, thinking about that, and then Hannah remembered why she’d come into the lobby to find Michelle in the first place. “I almost forgot to tell you. I asked Edna to be the announcer for the contest and she said she’d do it.”

  “But I thought you were going to be the announcer.”

  “I was, but Edna will be better. You remember how she used to maintain order in the Jordan High lunchroom if things got out of hand, don’t you?”

  Michelle gave a little laugh. “She could calm us down in a couple of seconds by just standing there with her hands on her hips and giving us a disapproving look. And if that didn’t work right away, she’d call out somebody and dress them down. Edna’s got a really sharp tongue.”