Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Hannah was impressed. Marguerite’s professor sounded like a very good teacher.

  “Here.” Marguerite pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Hannah. “After I heard your speech in church yesterday, I went straight home and wrote this. Its message is that one small bit of time can completely change a person’s life.”

  Hannah unfolded the paper and read what Marguerite had written.

  It only takes a moment

  A baby’s first cry

  A lover’s lie

  A kiss goodbye

  And a dream’s dying sigh.

  It only takes a moment.

  “Oh, my!” Hannah said, handing the paper to Michelle. “It’s wonderful, Marguerite! Are you taking this one to class?”

  “Yes, I think it’s what our professor was talking about.”

  Hannah nodded. “So do I.”

  “It’s really very good, Marguerite,” Michelle commented.

  Marguerite looked pleased at their praise. “I’m so glad you like it. I hate to drink coffee and run, but Clara’s waiting for me. It’s my turn to make breakfast this morning.”

  Michelle jumped up and wrapped four scones in a piece of foil. “Take these home with you. They’re Peach Scones and I just made them this morning.”

  “Thank you!” Marguerite stood up and accepted the package with a smile.

  “Would you and Clara like to join us for dinner this evening?” Hannah asked as she walked Marguerite to the door.

  “I would, but Clara can’t. Her allergies are worse and I don’t think she can handle being in a place with two cats, even if she doubles up on her allergy pills.”

  “You’re right, of course. We understand. Would it work if I send one of the guys over with a plate of dinner for Clara so that you can come over here and see Cuddles again?”

  “That would be perfect!” Marguerite was clearly delighted with Hannah’s suggestion. “What time is dinner?”

  “We’ll eat dinner at seven, but we’ll have wine and appetizers at six,” Hannah told her. “Please join us for those, too.”

  “I’d love to.” Marguerite waited until Hannah had opened the door and then she reached out to give her a little hug. “Thank you for being my friend, Hannah.”

  “And thank you for being mine,” Hannah said, watching as Marguerite walked across the bridge between the two buildings, entered the second-floor condo she shared with Clara, and closed the door behind her.

  “I thought of something,” Michelle said, as Hannah came back to the kitchen.

  “What?”

  “I’ve been thinking about how to make the baked egg dish and I checked to see if you had any other ingredients we could add.”

  Hannah was curious. “What did you find?”

  “Sliced ham, Pepper Jack cheese, mustard, red onions, and sliced black olives.”

  “Those are all good incredients.”

  “Yes, and we can make Country Egg Bake.”

  “I’ve never heard of that before!”

  Michelle laughed. “That’s because I just made it up, but I’m sure it’ll work.”

  “I’ll trust you on that. The recipes you make up always work.”

  “Thanks, but no, they don’t.”

  “Really? Name one recipe you just made up that didn’t work.”

  “That’s easy. It’s tuna hotdish.”

  “But . . . that’s so easy. It’s just a casserole with tuna and cream of mushroom soup! Why didn’t our tuna hotdish work?”

  “Because I started putting it together and I didn’t have any cream of mushroom soup.”

  Hannah shrugged. “You could have used any cream soup. I’ve used cream of celery, cream of chicken, and even cream of asparagus.”

  “I know that, but I didn’t have any of those, either.”

  “So what did you do?”

  Michelle gave a little laugh. “I used cream of tomato. And the tuna hotdish was so bad, we had to call out for pizza.”

  PEACH SCONES

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

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

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

  2 teaspoons cream of tartar (important)

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  2 teaspoons cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon salt

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

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

  ¾ cup sour cream (or peach yogurt)

  ¾ cup peach jam (I used Smucker’s)

  ½ cup whipping cream

  Use a medium-size mixing bowl to combine the flour, brown sugar, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir them all up together. Cut in the salted butter just as you would for piecrust dough.

  Hannah’s Note: If you have a food processor, you can use it for the first step. Cut the half-cup COLD salted butter into 8 chunks. Layer them with the dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor. Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

  Stir in the beaten eggs, sour cream, and peach jam, and then mix everything up together.

  Add the whipping cream and stir until everything is combined.

  Drop the scones by soup spoonful on to two cookie sheets sprayed with Pam or another nonstick baking spray. Alternatively, you can line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide your dough so that there are 9 scones for each cookie sheet.

  If you have two ovens, you will bake one sheet in the upper oven and one in the lower oven. If you have only one oven, it will probably have 4 racks inside. Bake your scones on the two middle racks, switching their positions halfway through the baking time.

  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.)

  Cool the scones for at least 5 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, you can cut them in half lengthwise and toast them for breakfast.

  Yield: Makes 18 delicious scones.

  COUNTRY EGG BAKE

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

  4 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese (or Swiss cheese)

  ⅓ cup chopped red onions

  2 cups chopped ham

  4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or mozzarella)

  1 small can sliced black olives, drained

  3 cups half-and-half or whipping cream

  6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

  1 teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (freshly ground is best)

  2 Tablespoons honey mustard (I used Beaver)

  6 large eggs

  Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by spraying it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

  Layer half of the shredded Pepper Jack cheese in the bottom of the pan.

  Sprinkle half of chopped red onion over the Pepper Jack cheese.

  Scatter half of the chopped ham over the onion.

  Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar over the chopped ham.

  Distribute the sliced olives on top of the shredded cheddar.

  Repeat, using the rest of the cheeses, the chopped red onions, and the chopped ham.

  Pour the half-and-half or cream into a bowl. Sprinkle the flour, salt, black pepper, and honey mustard on top of the bowl.

  C
rack the eggs and mix them into the bowl, beating until you have a smooth texture and all the ingredients are incorporated.

  Pour the egg mixture into your prepared pan, distributing it as evenly as possible.

  Bake your Country Egg Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

  Test for doneness by inserting a knife from your silverware drawer 1 inch from the center of the pan. If it comes out milky, bake for 10 minutes longer and test again. Except for the melted cheese that might stick to the knife blade, the knife should come out clean.

  Take the pan out of the oven and place it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack on the counter.

  Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving it.

  Cut your Country Egg Bake into squares, but do not remove them from the pan. Instead, put the pan on pot holders in the center of the table and let each person serve themselves, or pass you their plates so that you may serve them.

  Yield: Serves 8 breakfast guests as long as you also serve muffins, toast, biscuits, or scones.

  Chapter Six

  Hannah was smiling as she opened the back kitchen door of The Cookie Jar and walked in. The blizzard had raged for two more days, but on the third day, the snow had stopped falling, the winds had ceased to blow. A few hours later, they’d heard the welcome sound of Earl’s snowplow coming down the access road that led to the condo complex. Hannah had put on the coffee, Michelle had prepared a plateful of their newest creation, Chocolate Mint Cookies, and Mike and the men had gone out to intercept Earl to invite him in for coffee and cookies.

  Mike and Lonnie had been the first ones to leave, and before he’d left, Mike had promised Hannah that he would warn Ross. Hannah, Norman, and Michelle had been ready to follow Mike out, but then the phone had rung and the call had been from Lisa, who’d told them that she’d opened The Cookie Jar that morning for their customers who lived in town. There weren’t many customers since the country roads hadn’t yet been plowed and the long farm driveways were still impassable. Lisa said that the school would be closed for another couple of days, so Hannah and Michelle should take an additional day or two off. Since there weren’t many customers, Lisa insisted that she was managing just fine with Aunt Nancy and Marge. And since they weren’t that busy, they were going to test some Valentine recipes. She’d recommended that Hannah should stay home with Michelle and do the same. Then they could compare notes when Hannah got back to town.

  Hannah had felt a bit guilty staying at home when The Cookie Jar was open for business, but Lisa had convinced her. And there were several recipes she wanted to test. But this morning, Hannah’s mini-vacation had ended as early as sunrise when she’d glanced out the window to see a beautiful, calm morning outside.

  Once she’d unlocked the back door to the kitchen, Hannah stepped inside, slid out of her boots, changed to shoes, and hung up her parka. Then she headed straight for the kitchen coffeepot to make herself a fresh, hot supply of her favorite morning wake-up drink.

  A few minutes later, coffee mug in hand, she’d opened the swinging door to the coffee shop. Everything was in place, ready to go, and she was the only occupant in the building. Instead of feeling lonely, Hannah was grateful for this time alone in one of her favorite places. She carried her coffee to her favorite table in the back of the coffee shop and sat there, sipping and waiting for the sun to come up.

  It was so quiet in The Cookie Jar, Hannah could hear the clock on the wall behind the counter clicking off the minutes. This was her favorite time of day, the half-light that began to brighten the sky right before the sun peeked over the horizon. Shapes began to appear in the distance, and the shops across the street gained recognizable form. There was nothing else moving. No cars. No lights. It was as if she were the only person awake at this hour in Lake Eden. There was a sense of peace, of feeling comfortable in her own skin, the beginnings of happiness after Hannah’s long weeks of feeling abandoned and bereft. She relished in the moment until she heard a knock at the back kitchen door.

  Could it be Norman? Or Mike? Or Michelle? Or Delores? Hannah went through the possibilities with lightning speed as she rose to her feet and hurried to the door. The knock came again, just as she reached it, and that was when she realized that the knock was not distinctive and she could not identify it. It was probably an early delivery of baking supplies that Lisa had ordered.

  “Coming!” she called out, releasing the deadbolt and turning the doorknob. She pulled the door open and gasped in shock as she recognized the man standing there. Despite the warning Mike had given him, it was Ross! He was back!

  “Hannah!” he said, reaching out to her.

  Hannah stepped back out of sheer reflex. “Ross. What are you doing here?”

  “I love you, Hannah. My wife is going to get a divorce and I want to marry you again the minute it’s final.”

  Hannah shivered at the thought. “No!” she said. “Never!”

  “But, Hannah . . . I love you. All I need is the money I left in the safe deposit box. I’ll give it to my wife and she’ll file the papers.”

  Hannah felt cold all over and it had nothing to do with the freezing temperature outside. “No!” she said again, even louder this time. “You’re a liar and a cheat! I wouldn’t marry you again even if you were the last man on earth!”

  “But I’ll make it up to you, I promise. And this wasn’t my fault, Hannah. When I left my wife a year ago, she said she was going to divorce me. She was the one who didn’t keep her word, not me!”

  Hannah just stared at the man she thought she’d loved. Her heart was leaden in her chest and she knew she could never trust him again. “No!” she said again. “Go away and don’t come back!”

  “Look, Hannah. I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I’m in big trouble and I need that money. Just give me the money and the key that was under the money in the safe deposit box and I’ll never bother you again.”

  “I don’t carry that key with me.”

  “All right, fine! Where’s the money!?”

  Hannah heard a note of desperation in Ross’s voice and she did something she never thought she’d be able to do. She faced him squarely and smiled. “It’s back in your checking account, along with the money you deposited in my bank account. Write yourself a check, cash it at the bank, and get out of town! There’s nothing here for you.”

  “I can’t wait until the bank opens. I’m in danger here. Mike said a lot of people are mad at me and he couldn’t be responsible for protecting me. Why do you think I drove all night to get here before anyone else was awake?”

  Hannah just stared at him. There was no way she was going to invite him inside to hide until the bank opened. “Mike’s right,” she said coldly. “I guess you’ll just have to be careful. You got yourself into this mess and you’ll have to get yourself out. I can’t help you. And I don’t want to help you!”

  “I’ve got to get that money!”

  “Fine. You know where it is. Come back as soon as the bank opens and get it. I told you before. It’s in your account. I don’t want your money. You can’t make up for the way you treated me with any amount of money!”

  A cold, hard expression crossed Ross’s face, an expression that Hannah had never seen before. Suddenly, she realized that everyone in town was still asleep and she was alone with a dangerous man.

  “Don’t play games with me, Hannah! I can hurt you! And believe me, I will!”

  Hannah took another step back as Ross moved toward her again. The sky was lightening and she could see the way his eyes had narrowed. He didn’t love her despite what he’d said. And she was suddenly afraid.

  “What do you want, Hannah? Half the money?”

  “No!” Hannah told him, matching his icy tone. “What I want is for you to get out of my life . . . permanently!”

  He reached out for her and Hannah leaped back into the warm interior of the kitchen. She slammed the door in his face and turned the deadbolt. And then she somehow made her way to the stool a
t the work station. Her legs were shaking so violently, they collapsed the moment she reached a stool.

  It might have been a matter of moments or much longer than that. Hannah had no way of knowing. She drifted in and out of fear so intense, she might have lost consciousness. Dimly, almost as if it were a dream, she was aware of the front door opening and the sound of footsteps heading toward the kitchen.

  “Hannah?”

  Lisa! Hannah began to breathe again. She hadn’t been aware that she had been holding her breath. She did her best to look up, but she couldn’t quite focus on Lisa’s face.

  “Hannah! Are you all right?”

  Lisa’s hand was on her shoulder and Hannah forced herself to concentrate. “No,” she said in a voice that was still shaking with fear.

  “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

  “Call Mike.” Hannah forced out the words. “Call now! He’s back and he’s going to kill me!”

  * * *

  She had managed to drink several swallows of water by the time Mike rushed through the door. “Mike,” she said in a small voice. “He’s back.”

  “Okay. Just relax, Hannah. Nobody’s going to hurt you as long as I’m around. You’re safe with me.”

  “Yes,” Hannah said, and she could feel herself begin to relax. “I’m safe now. Sorry, Mike. I just . . . lost it for a minute or two. I’m better now that you’re here.”