Carrot Cake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Cut open the green bell pepper and take out the seeds, the stem, and the tough white membranes. Chop the remaining pepper into bite-sized pieces. Once that’s done, add them to the onions and celery in your frying pan.

  Cook the aromatic vegetables (that’s what they call them on the Food Channel) over medium heat until they’re tender when pierced with a fork.

  Drain them in the same colander you used for the hamburger, and then mix them up with the hamburger in your baking pan.

  Add some salt to your boiling water on the stove. Then dump in the noodles, stir them around, let the water come back to a boil, and then turn down the heat a bit so the pot doesn’t boil over. Set your timer for whatever it says on the noodle package directions and cook the noodles, stirring every minute or so to make sure they don’t stick together.

  Drain the cooked noodles in the same colander you’ve been using all along, add them to your baking pan, and mix them up with everything else.

  Add the diced tomatoes, juice and all, to your baking pan. Wait to stir. You don’t want to mush your noodles by stirring too much.

  Open and drain the cans of water chestnuts and mushroom pieces in the colander that’s still sitting in the sink.

  Dump the water chestnuts and mushrooms on top of the tomatoes in your baking pan.

  Sprinkle the cumin over the top of your casserole.

  Sprinkle the chili powder on top of the cumin. (Gary says to tell you that if your chili powder has been sitting around for as long as theirs has, it’s a good idea to buy fresh.)

  Sprinkle on the salt and grind the pepper on top of that.

  Now is the time to mix it all up. This might not be easy if the baking pan’s too full to stir with a spoon. If that’s happened, just wash your hands thoroughly and dive in with your fingers to mix everything up. When you’re through, pat the casserole so it’s nice and even on top, and call it a day.

  Wash your hands again, and then cover the baking pan with a single thickness of foil.

  Bake at 325 degrees F. for 60 minutes, or until you peek under the foil and see that it’s hot and bubbling.

  Remove the pan from the oven. Remove the foil slowly and carefully to avoid burning yourself with the steam that may roll out. Set the foil on the counter to use again in a few minutes.

  Sprinkle the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top and return the baking pan to the oven. Bake it, uncovered, for another 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

  Cover the pan again with that foil you saved, and let your casserole sit on a cold burner or rack to set up for at least 10 minutes, and then serve and enjoy!

  Hannah’s 1stNote: Sally says to tell you that she made 4 pans of this for a luncheon meeting. There were 25 people and she had one whole pan left over.

  Hannah’s 2ndNote: Gary says to tell you that they didn’t serve seconds, though.

  Yield: Judging from the above notes, I’d guess that one pan of Wanmansita Casserole would serve 8 to 10 people, especially if you served fresh buttered rolls and a nice mixed green salad on the side.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Norman gave a resigned sigh as he perched rather precariously on the top of Hannah’s cookie truck. They were parked next to the chain link fence that surrounded Cyril Murphy’s impound lot. Any cars that the city of Lake Eden, the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Department, or the Minnesota Highway Patrol impounded were stored here. Hannah and Norman had driven here right after she’d unmolded Andrea’s Jell-O, put it on a platter, and returned it to the refrigerator. Michelle had promised to remove the Wanmansita Casseroles from the oven when they’d finished baking, and to carry them to the dinner buffet. That meant Hannah was free to pursue the linen jacket lead they’d uncovered, and Norman had agreed to help her.

  Hannah glanced at her watch. They had exactly one hour before dinner would be served, and they had to locate Gus Klein’s Jaguar, look to see if the jacket was there, and drive back out to the lake in time to join everyone for Jack Herman’s birthday party.

  “I still think this is breaking and entering,” Norman said as he began to climb up the chain-link fence.

  “No, it’s not. It might be entering, but there’s no breaking involved. Go ahead, Norman. You said you could do it.”

  “I can. I’m just not sure I want to. Do you know for a fact that Cyril doesn’t keep guard dogs inside?”

  “I do.” Hannah shaded her eyes with her hand as she stared up at Norman. He had reached the top of the chain link and was just about to climb over. “Cyril bought two guard dogs when he opened the impound lot, but he ended up taking them both home for pets.”

  “Okay. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Just drop down on the other side and unlock the gate. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back out to the lake.”

  Norman gave a brief nod and dropped down. Hannah noticed that he landed lightly on the balls of his feet, the exact opposite of what would have happened if she’d jumped from that height. She watched him head for the gate at an easy trot, and she was impressed. Norman had never been in bad physical shape, but he appeared to be more agile and fit than he’d ever been before.

  “Got it!” Norman called out, opening the gate for her.

  “You picked the lock that fast?”

  “Not really. It wasn’t locked.”

  “Sorry about that.” Hannah stepped inside and watched as he shut it again. “I should have thought to check it before I asked you to climb over. And speaking of that climb you made, have you been working out?”

  “You noticed!” Norman looked pleased. “I’ve been swimming out at the new fitness club. They’ve got a lap pool. You should come out with me sometime. Members can bring a guest.”

  “Are you talking about Heavenly Bodies at the mall?” Hannah guessed. And when Norman nodded, she was almost tempted to give it a try. But then she remembered that her old swimsuit didn’t fit her anymore. That meant she’d have to try on suits in a department store fitting room, and that was always depressing.

  “Do you want to split up to look for the car, or do it together?”

  “Together, but separate,” Hannah said, enjoying the apparent contradiction. “Let’s do what the police do when they search for something in the woods.”

  “Walk forward in parallel and meet at a designated point?”

  “Exactly. That way you’ll hear me if I spot it, and I’ll hear you if you do. Let’s pick a starting point and walk straight down the rows. Then we’ll meet at the fence in back and start up another two rows.”

  It took three rows out of what must have been at least twenty, but they lucked out. Norman called out from the middle of his row, and Hannah darted between the cars to join him. She found him standing next to Gus Klein’s Jaguar with a smile on his face. “This has got to be it. It’s probably the only Jaguar in the lot.”

  “It’s the one Gus was driving,” Hannah confirmed it, “And there’s the jacket I remembered.”

  “Linen,” Norman commented. “I think that’s the same one he was wearing when he drove up in front of the church.”

  “Mother said he wore it to the brunch he hosted at the Lake Eden Inn. He must have hung it up so that it wouldn’t wrinkle for the drive to the lake.”

  Norman stepped up to the window, pressed his nose to the glass, and peered in. When he stepped back, he was shaking his head. “I don’t think so,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because his pants and shirt are there, too. They’re hanging behind the jacket. And I really don’t think he drove out to the lake in his underwear.”

  Hannah and Norman stood there staring at the expensive linen suit. For long moments, the only sounds were the humming of insects and the far-off drone of cars on the highway.

  “This just doesn’t make sense,” Hannah said at last. “Gus changed clothes at the cottage. His suitcase was open on the bed. And the closet was right there, no more than three or four steps away. I just can’t figure out why Gus w
ent outside and hung his suit up in his car.”

  Hannah smiled across the picnic table at Norman. “It was so nice of you to make Clara and Marguerite’s Mexican Hotdish for Jack’s birthday party.”

  “Maybe not. You haven’t tasted it yet. I doubled the spice. Marguerite says it’s even better that way. She felt so bad about not being able to bake it for Lisa and Herb’s family reunion, and I volunteered to do it for her.”

  “That was really nice of you, Norman.”

  “It was fun, and really easy. Taste it and tell me what you think.”

  Hannah took a bite and smiled. “It’s excellent, but it’s a little spicier than I remember.”

  “Then Clara must have made it the night you went over there for dinner. She uses only one packet of taco seasoning. When Marguerite makes it, she uses two packets.”

  “The sour cream on the side is a nice touch.”

  “That’s a little trick I picked up in Puerto Vallarta. We went to a place that was famous for its fish tacos and they were too spicy for Bev. The waitress brought her some sour cream to cut the heat.”

  “That’s nice to know,” Hannah said, referring to the sour cream, not to the fact that Norman had taken his ex-fiancée, Beverly Thorndike, to Mexico.

  “We should go sometime. You’d love it down there. We could stay at the La Jolla de Mismaloya resort.”

  “Isn’t that the location John Huston used in The Night of the Iguana?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  “That’s right. Of course it’s all modern and restored now, but they really did a good job of keeping the original ambience.”

  “Nice,” Hannah said, deciding that one-word responses were best. She really didn’t care to hear much more about Norman’s Mexican vacation with Beverly.

  “They run the movie continuously in the bar. The first night Bev and I were there, we sat through it twice.”

  “Really.”

  “You’d love the place, Hannah. It’s very relaxed, and you can practically live in your swimsuit.”

  Swimsuits again. It was the second time in less than an hour that she’d been reminded of swimsuits. “Great,” she said, not mentioning that if she agreed to go anywhere with Norman, and the way she felt right now the odds of that happening were drastically reduced, it certainly wouldn’t be somewhere he’d vacationed with his ex-fiancée.

  “I wonder what’s wrong with Lisa,” Norman said, changing the subject abruptly. “She looks worried.”

  Hannah turned to look. Her friend and partner was making her way through the crowd toward the picnic table where they were sitting.

  “I don’t know, but she’s definitely upset.” Hannah glanced around for Jack Herman and was relieved to see him smiling and laughing with Marge and a full table of relatives. Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t with Jack. But there was definitely something wrong.

  “Oh, Hannah! I’ve got to talk to you!” Lisa said, rushing up.

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “Not here! Mac and Herb are waiting on the dock for us. It’s private there. I promised to come and get you right away. You too, Norman.”

  Hannah and Norman exchanged glances as they got up to follow Lisa. Hannah’s glance said, Uh-oh. This is something big! And Norman’s answering glance said, You can bet the farm it is!

  The sun had lowered in the sky, changing from a bright yellow ball high in the sky to a huge orange orb at the edge of the horizon. The surface of Eden Lake gleamed with color. Red, yellow, orange, and pink streaks rippled with the waves across its surface, forming a riotous canvas for the darker reflections of the pines that lined the shores. The dock protruded, a dark carpet rolled out to greet the approaching evening. Two motionless figures in silhouette stood at the end of the dock, and as they drew closer, Hannah could see their tense postures and serious demeanors.

  “Norman,” Herb reached out for his hand. “You’ve met my Uncle Mac, haven’t you?”

  “Yes.” Norman reached out to shake Mac’s hand.

  “And thank you for coming, Hannah. You’ve met my Uncle Mac?”

  “Yes, at the dance.” Hannah gave him a nod and a brief smile. “Nice to see you again.”

  For several moments that followed the polite greetings, no one moved or spoke. It was as if they’d been turned into carved pieces on a chessboard, waiting for someone or something to move them.

  “So what’s wrong?” Hannah asked at last, taking a step closer and breaking the grip of inertia.

  “It’s Dad,” Lisa said, sounding tearful. “We’re afraid he killed Uncle Gus!”

  CLARA & MARGUERITE HOLLENBECK’S MEXICAN HOTDISH

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the center position.

  4-ounce can Ortega diced green chilies (with the juice)

  2 cups shredded Jack cheese (approximately 8 ounces)

  2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes (with the juice)

  1 medium onion, chopped

  2-ounce can sliced black olives (with the juice)

  1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  2 cups UNCOOKED white rice

  2 packages (approximately 1-ounce each) Taco seasoning (Clara buys Lawry’s)

  3 cups cubed cooked chicken

  1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

  ½ cup cold butter (1 stick, ¼ pound, 4 ounces)

  2 cups Fritos corn chips

  2 cups (approximately 8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese *** (I used the kind with four cheeses mixed together)

  Spray a 6-quart roaster with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. (Clara buys disposable half-size steam table pans at CostMart and uses one of those. She says to be careful to set it on a cookie sheet before you fill it, though. The disposable foil could buckle and you could end up with uncooked Mexican Hotdish all over your kitchen floor!)

  Hannah’s 1stNote: This hotdish is easy to make because once you’ve got the cubed chicken, all you have to do is open a bunch of cans. You don’t even have to drain them. Just dump them in your baking pan, juice and all!

  In the bottom of the pan or roaster, mix together the diced green chilies, the Jack cheese, the two cans of diced tomatoes, the chopped onion, the can of sliced black olives, the chopped bell pepper, and the UNCOOKED white rice. (Marguerite told Norman that she washes her hands and then just mixes everything up with her fingers, but that’s only if no one’s around.)

  Sprinkle the Taco seasoning over the top, add the chicken cubes, and mix again.

  Add the chicken broth and stir everything up with a wooden spoon. (You can also get in there with your impeccably clean hands and mix it up that way.)

  Cut the cold stick of butter into 8 pieces and put the pieces on top of the hotdish.

  Cover the pan with heavy duty foil (or a double thickness of regular foil) and turn down the edges to seal them.

  Bake the hotdish for 1½ hours (90 minutes) at 350 degrees F.

  Take the baking pan out of the oven BUT DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN YET. Remove the foil carefully as steam may escape.

  Sprinkle the Fritos on top of the hotdish, spreading them out as evenly as you can.

  Sprinkle the cheese on top of the Fritos as evenly as you can.

  Don’t cover the hotdish. Return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese has melted.

  Let the baking pan or roaster sit for at least 10 minutes so the hotdish can firm up before you serve it.

  Hannah’s 2ndNote: When I first had this hotdish at Clara and Marguerite’s condo, they served it with white wine margaritas. If you don’t want to serve alcohol, it would also be good with ice cold lemonade.

  Hannah’s 3rdNote: Norman served this with sour cream on the side for those who wanted to put a dollop on top of their serving. (I really liked it that way.) I think it would also be good with guacamole on the side for those who want to add that.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mac took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. “It was a little after one-thirty. Patsy was alr
eady sleeping, but I was still wound up from the dance and talking to all the people I haven’t seen for years. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep, so I got up to get a glass of water and take a couple of those aspirins with the sleep aids.”

  Hannah knew the type of over-the-counter medication he was talking about. “How did you come to see Jack?”

  “I was running water at the sink in the kitchen, and I looked out the window. It faces the pavilion, and I saw Jack walking down the road from his cottage. He cut across to the pavilion and went around to the entrance. I think he went inside, but I don’t know that for sure. You can’t see the entrance from the window.”

  Mac stopped speaking and cleared his throat. “I thought about going out to get him and walking him back to his cottage. I was already in my pajamas, but I figured I’d just get dressed again and go out after him. But then I realized that there was somebody inside the pavilion. One of the shutters was still open, and the lights were on. I figured whoever was in there would take care of Jack if he couldn’t find his way back, so I took the tablets and went back to bed.” Mac stopped speaking again and sighed. “I sure wish I’d gone after him now, but you know what they say about hindsight.”

  Hannah glanced at Lisa. Her friend looked as if she wanted to break down and sob. Hannah wanted to assure her that her father couldn’t have killed Gus, but what Mac had just told them fit perfectly with what Michelle had seen from the dock. Of course Michelle hadn’t known that the person she saw was Jack Herman.

  “Did you tell this to the police?” Hannah asked, not knowing which answer she’d prefer. If Mac had already told Mike, the matter was out of her hands and she didn’t have to worry about when she should tell him, or even if she should tell him.