Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “I didn’t see Lonnie in the living room,” Hannah said, and then she wished she hadn’t mentioned it. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life.”

  Michelle laughed. “You didn’t. He got up when I did and headed for home to change clothes and take a shower. He told me that he’d be back before breakfast.”

  Hannah carried her full coffee mug to the kitchen table that, according to Delores, would be an antique in less than ten years. A moment later, Michelle joined her at the table with her own mug of fresh coffee. “Would you like me to take an Apricot Coffee Cake over to Marguerite and Clara? I baked four of them.”

  “That would be lovely, but you’d better check to see if they’re up yet. They always open the curtains in their living room to let me know that they’re awake for the day.”

  “And I’d better do it before Mike gets out of the shower,” Michelle said with a smile. “Right?”

  “Right!” Hannah watched as Michelle wrapped one of the coffee cakes on the cooling rack in aluminum foil and carried it to the living room to check on the status of their neighbors’ curtains.

  “They’re up,” Michelle reported. “I’ll be right back, Hannah.”

  When Michelle left, Hannah took a deep swallow of her favorite wake-up beverage and smiled as she looked out of the kitchen window. One of the arc lights that bordered the condo complex was casting shadows on the snow, and she wondered whether Clara had completed her assignment for painting class by finishing her photos of shadows. She was still thinking about Clara’s assignment and how much work it would be to take photos every two hours of the shadows falling in a particular spot, when she heard the door open and Michelle came back to her chair at the table.

  “It’s cold out there,” Michelle said, picking up her mug of coffee and holding it in both hands. “Clara answered the door and she said to tell you that she had a few more photos to take of the pine tree.”

  “That’s good.” Hannah wondered again if Michelle had possibly read her mind. “I was just thinking about that.”

  “So was I, so I asked her. Remember how Great-grandma Elsa used to say, Great minds think alike?”

  “I do. And she always used to follow it up with, And fools seldom differ.”

  “That’s right! I’d forgotten all about that part!” Michelle took a swallow of her coffee and stood up. “I’m going to make my bed before Mike comes in for his breakfast. Have another cup of coffee, Hannah. It’ll only take me a minute or two and then, when Lonnie gets here, we’ll all have breakfast.”

  “Do you want me to make some scrambled eggs and sausage?” Hannah asked her.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind. Otherwise, just wait until I come back and I’ll do it.”

  Hannah had just put the sausage on to cook and was whipping up eggs with a little cream in a bowl on the counter when Mike came into the kitchen.

  “How are you this morning?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, Mike. I know I slept better because you were here.”

  Mike grinned his famous sexy grin. “That’s good. It’s probably because you felt safe.”

  “That’s probably right,” Hannah told him, not mentioning the fact that delicious food and good wine might have had a bit to do with it.

  “The year before she died, my wife got me a bumper sticker. It said, Feel safe at night. Sleep with a cop.”

  Hannah laughed. She couldn’t help herself. It was funny. “Your wife had a sense of humor.”

  “Yes, she did. And so do you, Hannah.”

  Warning bells went off in Hannah’s mind. Mike was comparing her to his wife. Should she be a bit worried about that?

  “Something sure smells good,” Mike commented, taking a deep breath of the Apricot Coffee Cake – scented air. “What is it?”

  “Michelle baked a coffee cake with apricots.”

  “But that’s not all. I smell sausage.”

  “Yes, you do. And pretty soon you’ll smell scrambled eggs with cheese.”

  Just then the doorbell chimed and Mike turned to head for the living room. “That’s probably Lonnie,” he called back over his shoulder. “Go ahead and cook. I’ll get it.”

  Hannah gave a fleeting thought to whether or not Mike would peer through the peephole before he opened the door, something he never failed to remind her to do. Then she concentrated on melting butter in her largest frying pan and grating some sharp cheddar to flavor her scrambled eggs.

  “Hi, Hannah,” Lonnie greeted her as he followed Mike back to the kitchen. “Where’s Michelle?”

  “Making her bed and getting dressed. She’ll be out here in a minute, Lonnie.”

  “Something smells good!” Lonnie repeated Mike’s earlier comment. “What is it?”

  “Apricot Coffee Cake,” Hannah told him. “Pour yourself some coffee and sit down, Lonnie. The eggs and sausage will be ready in less than five minutes and then we’ll eat.”

  APRICOT COFFEE CAKE

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

  The Cake:

  1 cup salted butter, softened (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound)

  1 and ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 and ½ teaspoons baking powder

  6 large eggs

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

  The Filling:

  3 cups chopped apricots (I used canned apricot halves)

  ⅓ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  The Crumb Topping:

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

  ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  ¼ cup softened butter (½ stick, 2 ounces, pound)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: If you choose to use drained canned fruit, put it in a strainer and save the juice for the kids. Then pat the fruit dry with paper towels before you chop it in pieces.

  Grease the inside of a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan, or spray it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

  To Make the Cake:

  Mix the cup of salted, softened butter with the white sugar until it’s light and fluffy.

  Mix in the salt, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

  Mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

  Mix in the flour in one-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

  Give the bowl a final stir by hand and then spoon HALF of the batter in the cake pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula. Leave the rest of the batter in the bowl. You’ll use it later.

  To Make the Filling:

  In another bowl, mix the chopped apricots with the white sugar.

  Sprinkle in the half teaspoon of cinnamon and mix it in.

  Sprinkle the flour on top of the fruit and mix it in thoroughly.

  Spoon the fruit mixture on top of the batter in your cake pan. Distribute it as evenly as you can.

  Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top of the fruit. Spread them carefully with a rubber spatula, but it won’t be enough to cover the apricots completely. That’s okay. This coffee cake will look pretty with the apricots peeking up through the batter.

  To Make the Crumb Topping:

  Use a fork from your silverware drawer to mix the brown sugar and the flour together.

  Mix in the softened salted butter with the fork. Continue to mix until everything is crumbly.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can also make the Crumb Topping in a food processor if you use chilled butter. Process the ingredients in an on-and-off motion with the steel blade.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you’re using softened butter and the crumb topping becomes smooth and doesn’t crumble, simply stick it in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, when you add
it to your coffee cake, it will crumble on top.

  Use your impeccably clean fingers to crumble the topping over your coffee cake as evenly as you can.

  Bake your Apricot Coffee Cake at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. (Mine took 50 minutes.)

  Remove your Apricot Coffee Cake from the oven and set it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack. Let it cool until it is just barely warm.

  Serve Apricot Coffee Cake by cutting it in squares that are the size of sweet rolls, removing the squares with a metal spatula, and placing them on breakfast plates. Make sure that there is plenty of softened, salted butter for those who want to use it with their square of coffee cake, and a large pot of strong black coffee served with cream and sugar for those who want it. If there are children at the breakfast table, pour tall glasses of icy cold milk to go with their squares of Apricot Coffee Cake.

  Hannah’s 4th Note: Some people serve this Apricot Coffee Cake with powdered sugar icing drizzled on the top, but personally, I don’t think it needs icing. Recipe follows just in case you’d like to try it.

  POWDERED SUGAR ICING

  1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  2 to 4 Tablespoons cream

  Mix the powdered sugar with the vanilla extract and the salt. Make sure everything is thoroughly combined.

  Mix in the cream gradually and whisk until the icing reaches the desired consistency to drizzle over your warm Apricot Coffee Cake.

  Pour the icing into a cup or bowl with a spout and drizzle it over your Apricot Coffee Cake.

  Let the icing cool and “set” before you cut squares and serve your coffee cake.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It was morning and Hannah had just finished taking the last pan of Molasses Walnut Drop Cookies out of the oven when Lisa hurried into the kitchen. “Doug just called you, Hannah. He’d like to see you and Mike down at the bank at nine.”

  Hannah was surprised at the request. Had Ross somehow managed to intimidate Doug into giving him the money? “Did Doug tell you why he wanted to see me?”

  “No, he just asked me to pass on the message and said he’d explain everything when he saw you.”

  “I’ll call Doug and tell him you’ll be there,” Mike offered, getting up from his stool at the work station. “And I’ll ask him what this is about if you want me to.”

  “Yes, please do that. Doug’s never asked me to come in before and I know my business account isn’t overdrawn. Neither is my personal account, so I know it can’t be anything like that. And since he wants to see you, too, it’s got to be about Ross.”

  “I’ll see what more I can find out,” Mike promised, slipping into his parka and going out the back kitchen door to make the call.

  “What did you bake, Hannah?” Lisa asked after Mike left.

  “Molasses Walnut Drop Cookies. Mike tasted some from the first batch and told me that they were way too good to serve at The Cookie Jar.”

  Lisa laughed. “Because Mike wanted them all for himself?”

  “That’s probably right. He was on his second plateful when you came in from the coffee shop to tell me about Doug’s call. Mike really gobbled those cookies before I could frost them with Brown Powdered Sugar Glaze.”

  “Did Michelle leave?” Lisa asked.

  “Yes. She went to Jordan High. She had some papers to grade before class on Monday and she has tryouts for the play this afternoon.”

  “How does she like teaching?”

  “She loves it, especially the drama classes. She told me a couple of days ago that she thought she wanted to go into teaching.”

  “If she does that, she can settle down right here in Lake Eden with the rest of the family and get married.”

  “Well . . . I’m not sure about the married part, but maybe. I don’t think Michelle is ready for marriage yet.”

  “Does she still have dreams of making it on Broadway?”

  Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. Michelle’s realistic. She’s just trying out various things to see which ones she likes best. And it seems that teaching high school is at the top of her list right now.”

  “That’s good,” Lisa said, heading back to the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the coffee shop. “Let me know when those cookies are cool enough and we’ll test them on our customers.”

  “I will.” Hannah turned back to her cookie baking once Lisa had left. And that was when a dreadful possibility occurred to her concerning Doug’s call. What if Ross had somehow managed to get into the bank and he was there right now with Doug, holding Doug hostage? And what if this was part of a trap that Ross had set for Mike and her?

  “Please tell me I’m paranoid,” Hannah said aloud, sinking down on a stool and holding her head in her hands.

  “Paranoid about what?” Mike said, coming back into the kitchen just in time to hear Hannah’s comment.

  “I was thinking about Doug’s call and why he wants to see us at the bank. I know this will probably sound crazy, but I was worried that maybe Ross was there and he forced Doug into calling to lure both of us there.”

  Mike shook his head. “That doesn’t sound crazy to me. It sounds careful, which is exactly what you should be. And I don’t think you’re paranoid, Hannah. I think you have good cause to be afraid of Ross. He’s not the man either of us thought he was.”

  Hannah gave a long, heartfelt sigh. “I know. I realize that now. You’re going to the bank with me, then?”

  “You bet your . . .” Mike stopped speaking and Hannah waited, wondering what word he’d substitute for the one he’d been about to use. “You bet your boots,” Mike said.

  Hannah smiled and accepted the substitution. “Did you ask Doug why he wants to see us?”

  “Yes, but he wouldn’t tell me anything. He just said it was a personal matter that he needed to discuss with you.”

  “Okay,” Hannah said, even though she still had no idea why she’d been summoned to the bank. “I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”

  * * *

  Hannah settled back in the chair in front of Doug’s desk as he made a cup of cappuccino for her. Mike had stayed in the lobby of the bank when Doug had asked to see her alone. Hannah knew that Mike was on the job, watching the entrance and the traffic on Main Street outside to make sure that Ross didn’t pay a surprise visit to Lake Eden.

  “I love the way you make this coffee,” Hannah told Doug. This was the second time in as many days that she’d had a cup of cappuccino and she especially liked the way that Doug prepared it with frothy milk over the coffee and a sprinkling of sweet chocolate on the top.

  “Here you go, Hannah,” Doug said, carrying his own cup of espresso to his desk and sitting down in his leather chair. “Do you want one of these cookies you brought?”

  “No, thanks. I sneaked several before they were completely cool. Go ahead, Doug. Try them and tell me what you think.”

  Doug took a big bite of Hannah’s Molasses Walnut Drop Cookies and smiled. “They’re great, Hannah. Do you want me to go out and ask Mike if he wants some coffee and cookies?”

  “Don’t bother, Doug. Mike already ate two platefuls of cookies and drank most of a pot of coffee at The Cookie Jar earlier this morning.”

  “Okay then. I suppose you’re wondering why I wanted to see you privately.”

  “Yes, I am,” Hannah replied.

  “Let me ask you a question, Hannah. Did you know that KCOW-TV bought the rights to show Crisis in Cherrywood at their film festival?”

  Hannah shook her head. “I didn’t know that, but I guess it makes sense.”

  “Well, they did. And Ross signed a direct deposit slip when he started working at KCOW-TV.”

  Hannah wasn’t sure where Doug was going with this conversation, but she nodded. “All right. I’m with you so far, Doug.”

  “The check from KCOW-TV for fifty thousand dollars just came into th
e bank and it was automatically deposited into Ross’s business account.”

  “I understand. But what does that have to do with me?”

  “You’re a co-signer on all of Ross’s accounts, including his business account. I thought you should know that several additional sums had been deposited since the last bank statement.”

  “Thanks for telling me, but I still don’t know what that has to do with me.”

  “It means that you could withdraw any amount you want right now from that account or from any of his other accounts. They now have a combined total over a million dollars.”

  “Oh!” Hannah gulped. “That’s . . . a lot of money!”

  “Yes, it is. Would you like to make a withdrawal, Hannah?”

  “I . . . no. No, I wouldn’t.”

  A smile spread over Doug’s face. “That’s because you’re an honest person, Hannah. But you’d probably get even more than that in damages if you sued Ross for bigamy.”

  It took Hannah another moment to frame what she wanted to say. “You’re probably right, Doug. And I do appreciate the fact that you told me all this. But . . . no. That’s not my money. I didn’t earn it and . . . I don’t want to feel beholden to Ross in any way. I just want to put this behind me and do my best to forget that he was ever a part of my life!”