by Joanne Fluke
“Do you think he’s coming back?” she asked.
Norman made a helpless gesture. “I really don’t know, Hannah. Some things seem to point to it, and others don’t.”
“It’s so frustrating! Sometimes I think . . .” The rest of her sentence was interrupted by an authoritative knock on the back kitchen door.
“Mike’s here,” Norman said, recognizing the knock.
“I know. I’ll let him in.”
“You have to tell him about the bank, Hannah.”
Hannah gave a little sigh. “I know,” she said as she walked toward the door to open it for Mike.
* * *
“He did what?” Mike stared at Hannah in shock.
“He signed everything over to me the day he left town. It’s a lot of money, Mike.” Hannah drew the printout Doug had given her from her purse and handed it to Mike. “See?”
Mike examined the printout. “Yes. This puts a different light on things, Hannah. We may have been looking for Ross in all the wrong places.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need to find out if he withdrew any large sums of money. You say that you cosigned on all these accounts?”
“That’s right. Doug told me that Ross wanted me to have full access to everything.”
“Good! That’ll save us a lot of time. I need you to go to the bank with me, Hannah.”
“But I can’t go now. I have bar cookies in the oven.”
“How soon will they be baked?”
Hannah glanced at the clock. “I should be through in a little less than an hour.”
“Okay. That’ll do.” Mike picked up his coffee and stood up. “I’m going back out to the cruiser. I have to check in with my detectives in the field, and then I’ll give Doug a call. I need to tell him that we’re coming in. I have to find out if there’s any paperwork he needs from me.”
When Mike had left, Hannah turned to Norman. “Do you have any idea why Mike needs me to go with him?”
“I think so. You cosigned on Ross’s accounts and you can request information on deposits and withdrawals. Mike can’t do that unless he gets a court order from a judge.”
“But if I request those deposits and withdrawals, I can give the information to Mike so he can have it right away? And then Mike will know if Ross withdrew any large sums of money right before he left?”
“That’s right.”
“I get it now. And of course I’ll cooperate. It just confused me when Mike said he could have been looking for Ross in all the wrong places.”
“That puzzled me too, until Mike said he needed to take you to the bank. I think he needs to know how much cash Ross took with him and whether Ross gave Doug any clue about how he was going to use the money.”
“But . . . how could Ross give Doug a clue about . . .” Hannah stopped speaking for a brief moment, and then the answer popped into her mind. “Traveler’s checks! If Ross bought traveler’s checks, that might indicate he was planning to go to a place where he didn’t want to carry a lot of cash.”
“Exactly. And Ross may have asked about foreign currency. That would give Mike a clue. Mike’s hoping something Doug tells him or something he sees on the bank records will point him in the right direction.”
The timer buzzed, and Hannah got up to take the pans of sweet dough crust from the oven. She slipped them on the bakers racks to cool and went back to prepare her strawberry filling. Once that was done and the crusts had sufficiently cooled, she spread the filling on them, sprinkled it with sea salt, and topped it with crumbles of the refrigerated sweet dough.
“I’m almost done,” Hannah said as she put the last pan of Sweet and Salty Strawberry Bar Cookies in the oven. “These will be baked in less than thirty minutes and then I can go to the bank with Mike.”
“You can go now,” Norman told her. “Just set the timer and I’ll take the pans out of the oven and put them on the racks.”
“Really?” Hannah asked.
“No problem.” Norman started to grin. “I’ve watched you enough times to know what to do. It’s not complicated. All I have to do is pull them out of the oven. And after all, Hannah, I’m a dentist.”
Hannah stared at him for a moment. “What’s that got to do with it?” she asked.
“Dentists are really good at extractions.”
Hannah groaned and then she laughed. “You really reached for that joke”
“Maybe, but you laughed.”
“That’s true,” Hannah admitted. “Are you sure you can stay long enough to finish the baking for me?”
“I’m sure. Doc Bennett’s filling in for me for the rest of the day and the only thing I have waiting for me at the clinic is some boring paperwork. When Michelle comes back and you two are finished baking for the day, we’ll all go out for that dinner I promised you.”
“Thank you, Norman,” Hannah said, patting his shoulder before she slipped on her parka. “I’ll go tell Mike we can leave now, and I’ll be back just as soon as I can.”
“No hurry,” Norman called after her.
Hannah thought about Norman and how much she liked him as she opened the door. She stepped out into the cold winter air and realized, once again, how lucky she was to have a best friend like Norman.
SWEET AND SALTY STRAWBERRY 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 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
The Strawberry Filling:
11.75-ounce jar (net weight) strawberry ice cream topping or preserves
1 cup (6-ounce by weight package) white chocolate or vanilla chips
cup (2 Tablespoons) whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons 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.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. With impeccably clean hands, take out a generous cup of the sweet dough, form it into a loose ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Stick that sweet dough ball in the refrigerator to chill. You will use this chilled sweet dough for your top crumble crust.
Again, with impeccably clean hands, press the rest of the sweet dough into the bottom of your prepared cake pan. (If the dough seems a bit sticky, cover the dough with a sheet of waxed paper to use when you press it down.) 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. Then remove the wax paper if you used it.
Bake your bottom crust at 325 degrees F. for approximately 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking, take the lid off your strawberry topping and place the jar in the microwave. Heat on HIGH for 20 seconds. Leave the jar in the microwave for 1 minute and then take it out.
Pour the slightly heated strawberry topping in a microwave-safe bowl on the counter. (I used a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Use a rubber spatula to get all the strawberry topping out of the jar.
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.
After your crust has cooled, it’s time to finish making your strawberry filling.
Add the cup of white chocolate or vanilla chips to the bowl with the strawberry topping. Mix them in with the rubber spatula.
Measure out cup whipping cream and add that to your microwave-safe bowl. Mix it in with the rubber spatula.
Place the bowl in the microwave and heat the strawberry filling for 1 minute at HIGH power. Let the bowl sit in the microwave for an additional minute and then try to stir the mixture smooth with a heat resistant spatula or a wooden spoon. If you cannot stir it smooth, heat it for an additional 20 seconds at HIGH power, let it sit in the microwave for an equal length of time, and then try again. Repeat as often as necessary, alternating heating and standing times until the chips are melted.
Once your strawberry filling is ready, add the half-teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir it in. DO NOT ADD THE SALT YET.
Pour the strawberry filling over the baked crust in the pan as evenly as you can. Smooth it out with the rubber spatula.
Here comes the salt! Sprinkle the sea salt or Kosher salt over the strawberry filling 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 strawberry filling as evenly as you can, letting some of the strawberry filling peek through.
Return the pan to the oven and bake at 325 degrees F. for 25 to 30 additional minutes, or until the strawberry filling is bubbly and the crumble crust is light golden brown.
Take your pan of bar cookies out of the oven, shut off the oven, and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Do not be tempted to cut your Sweet & Salty Strawberry Bar Cookies until they are completely cool. That strawberry filling will stay hot and molten for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
When your bar cookies are completely cool, cut them into brownie-size pieces, place them on a pretty plate, and serve them to your guests. If you want to make them even prettier, add a few fresh strawberries around the edge of the plate.
Chapter Fifteen
Hannah and Mike sat in front of Doug Greerson’s desk. She was sipping a cup of peppermint tea, something she usually didn’t drink, but the butterflies in her stomach had been startled into flight by her fear that Ross might have done something illegal to have accumulated so much money.
Mike put down his cup of espresso and locked eyes with Doug. Hannah could tell that he was frustrated.
“Why didn’t you call to tell me this when Ross didn’t come back to town?”
Doug made a helpless gesture. “Number one, you didn’t ask me. And number two, there’s an issue of confidentiality here and federal regulations apply. I have to file a report if anyone deposits over ten thousand dollars in currency, but not if they withdraw large sums. If I called you every time one of our customers made a large deposit or took out a large sum of money, I wouldn’t be a banker in this town for long!”
Mike didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “Okay. You’re right.”
Doug turned to look at Hannah. “Besides, I thought Hannah would tell you when she reconciled her bank statement. That deposit was listed on her statement.”
Hannah couldn’t help feeling horribly guilty. “I’m sorry, Doug. I didn’t even look at it when it came. I just put it on my desk to take care of when I had the time.”
Doug sighed. “I know you keep a running balance, Hannah, but you should at least look at your statement every month. If you think there’s a discrepancy, we want to know immediately.”
“You’re right, Doug,” Hannah admitted. “I promise I’ll do that when I get next month’s statement.”
“Statements,” Doug corrected her with the plural. “You’ll get a statement for your personal checking, your corporate account, and the three accounts you share with Ross. There are some large sums involved and it would be best if you showed more fiscal responsibility. If you need any help handling things, I’ll be glad to be of assistance.”
“I promise I’ll take care of it, but thank you, Doug.” Hannah was embarrassed, and she turned to Mike to change the subject. “Did you find anything helpful in the printouts Doug gave you?”
“Yes,” Mike said, giving her hand a squeeze before he switched his attention to Doug. “I need to know if Ross made his last withdrawals in cash.”
“Just a moment, Mike.” Doug addressed Hannah. “Do I have your permission to discuss this, Hannah?”
“Yes,” Hannah answered quickly.
“All right then. Ross wanted the cash in bills no larger than twenties and fifties. Normally, we don’t keep that much cash on hand. There’s no call for it. But we always start ordering more cash at the end of May and the end of November.”
Hannah was puzzled. “Why then?”
“People want new, crisp bills for graduation presents and Christmas gifts. You’d be surprised at how many bills are requested over the holidays, especially after Jon Walker started to carry graduation and Christmas cards that have slots to hold cash at his drugstore.”
“I remember getting a card from my aunt with little slots on a Christmas tree,” Mike said with a smile. “It held dimes and it was so heavy, she had to put three stamps on the envelope.”
Doug laughed. “It’s quarters now, Mike. And they’re even heavier. Bills are the way to go if you’re mailing a cash card.”
“So you had the amount of cash that Ross wanted on hand?” Hannah asked, attempting to keep them from getting sidetracked.
“Yes, we did. The armored truck had just delivered that morning and I went to the vault to get what Ross needed.”
“Did Ross buy any traveler’s checks while he was here at the bank?” Hannah asked.
The moment the question left her mouth, Mike turned to her with a smile.
“No. I get a record of traveler’s checks sold every week, and there were none that week.”
“Did Ross exchange any money for foreign currency?” Mike asked.
“No. I get a record of that, too.” Doug reached into his center desk drawer, drew out a small padded envelope, and handed it to Hannah. “I’m sorry I forgot to give this to you earlier. Ross left it for you. I’m really not supposed to hand deliver anything in a sealed envelope from one customer to another customer, but if you’ll open it in front of me so that I can see the contents are nothing illegal, that’ll satisfy our internal bank regulations.”
Hannah’s hands were shaking slightly as she opened the envelope. Was it a note from Ross, explaining why he’d left? She was almost afraid to see what he’d left for her, but she steadied herself and looked inside.
“What is it?” Mike asked.
“Two keys on a key ring,” Hannah answered, shaking them out of the envelope and onto the blotter on Doug’s desk. “That’s all. There’s nothing else in the envelope.”
“There’s a tag with a number on it,” Mike pointed out. “One thirty-seven.”
“Do you mind if I pick them up?” Doug asked Hannah.
“No, go ahead. I know I’ve seen keys like that before, but I can’t quite place them.”
“They’re safe deposit keys,” Doug told her.
“Did Ross have a safe deposit box?” Mike asked him.
“I’ll check. Give me a moment, and help yourself to more coffee while you’re waiting. I’ll be right back.”
Both Hannah and Mike sat there and waited, each thinking their own private thoughts. Hannah was wondering why Ross had left her the keys to his safe deposit box. Did that mean he was never coming back to Lake Eden and to her? Was he gone forever? And if Doug was right about the keys, what was in Ross’s safe deposit box?
And would she be allowed to use the keys to find out? Or was there some banking regulation making that illegal?
Hannah took a deep breath, told herself to think positive thoughts about this new revelation, and turned to Mike. “What do you think this means?” she asked him.
“The envelope with his keys?”
“Yes. Does this mean that he’s not planning to . . . to come back?”
Mike reached out for her hand again. “I don’t know, Hannah. Maybe it’s just a precaution.”
“A precaution against what?”
Mike was silent for a moment and Hannah could tell he was thinking. Then he gave her hand a little pat, let it go, and spoke again.
“A precaution against loss. Or maybe against someone taking the keys against his will.”
“But why would Ross be afraid that someone would . . .” Hannah stopped speaking as the door to the office opened and Doug came back in.
“Lydia checked the records. Ross’s safe deposit box is here, and it’s number one thirty-seven. As a matter of fact, she wrote out the receipt for him when he rented the box.”