Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Remind me to get Mother new oven mitts,” she said to Hannah. “Hers are wearing out and they’re thin.”

  Hannah began to smile. “That’s okay. Mother doesn’t bake anyway.”

  “True,” Michelle agreed, coming over to sit in the booth.

  “Are those pineapple cupcakes?” Hannah guessed.

  “Close, but no cigar. They’re Pineapple and Walnut Muffins. Mother had crushed pineapple in the pantry and I found a package of walnuts. I made up the recipe as I went along. I hope they’re good enough to eat for breakfast.”

  “I’ll be happy to make that decision,” Hannah offered. “I’m as hungry as a bear this morning.”

  “That’s probably because you didn’t eat any dinner last night.”

  “No wonder my stomach’s growling.”

  Michelle took a sip of her coffee and then she looked up at Hannah. “What are you going to do, Hannah?”

  “I’m going to work. Thanks for the notes and the clothes, Michelle, but I can’t just sit here in Mother’s penthouse and think about things.”

  “Okay. But does that mean that you’re planning to . . .” Michelle’s voice trailed off. “Never mind. I’ll ask you when you really wake up. You still look like you could drop off to sleep any second.”

  “You’re right,” Hannah admitted. The cobwebs in her head were beginning to dissipate, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. “Is Norman still here?”

  Michelle shook her head. “He went home after you went to bed last night, but he should be back any minute with Cuddles. Mother thought Moishe would like to have a play date with Cuddles in the penthouse garden and she invited Norman for breakfast.”

  The doorbell rang and Hannah began to slide out of the booth, but Michelle held up a hand to stop her. “Stay here, Hannah. You still look a little unfocused. I’ll go let Norman and Cuddles in. And don’t try to get those muffins out of the pan while I’m gone. They’re too hot to eat.”

  When Michelle left to open the door for Norman and Cuddles, Hannah was sorely tempted to see if she could extricate one muffin from its cup. Somehow she managed to control herself despite the mouth watering scent, and she waited impatiently for Michelle to come back.

  “Rrooww!”

  There was a plaintive cry from the living room and Hannah heard a soft thud as Norman set the cat carrier down on the living room rug.

  “Rrroooooow!” Moishe gave the yowl he usually used to greet Cuddles and abandoned Hannah without a backward glance, streaking out of the kitchen door to greet his favorite friend.

  A moment later, Norman walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “Michelle took them out to the garden,” Norman told her. “How are you, Hannah?”

  Since she’d already almost finished her coffee, Hannah felt calm enough to answer his question. “I’m okay, Norman . . . or as okay as I can be under the circumstances.”

  Michelle came back into the kitchen, smiling broadly. “I seeded the plants with the ladybugs that I picked up from CostMart’s garden center last night. The cats are having a great time trying to catch them.”

  Norman looked slightly worried. “Do they ever succeed?”

  “No,” Hannah reassured him. “They just paw at the plants and the ladybugs fly to another plant. Don’t worry, Norman. I think it’s a game with the cats and also with the ladybugs. Neither Moishe nor Cuddles has ever caught one.”

  “Good.” Norman gave her a smile. “So how did you sleep, Hannah?”

  “Deeply and soundly. Doc gave me something to help me sleep and I didn’t even know that I was taking it. It knocked me out for a solid eight hours and that’s the most sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

  “Hello, Norman.” Doc came into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. “How are you doing, Hannah?”

  “Better,” Hannah settled for a short reply. “Thanks for whatever pill you gave me last night, Doc. I slept all night and didn’t wake up once.”

  “She was a little groggy this morning, but now that she’s had a cup of coffee, she’s fine,” Michelle reported.

  “Good. I thought it would work that way. What’s that great aroma? It’s making me hungry and it smells like I actually have a wife.”

  Delores came in the kitchen door just in time to hear her husband’s comment. “You do have a wife. But your wife doesn’t bake like Hannah and Michelle do. What do we have this morning, girls?”

  “Oops! You weren’t supposed to hear that,” Doc told Delores, going over to give her a hug. “I love you just the way you are, Lori.”

  “You’d better.” Delores sat down at Doc’s place at the table and commandeered his coffee cup. “Just for that, I get your coffee. Go pour another cup for yourself.”

  Doc laughed and went off to the coffeepot, and Delores reached over to give Hannah a hug. “Are you okay, Hannah?”

  “I will be,” Hannah answered. “I decided that the best way to deal with all this was to pretend that it was a normal workday.”

  “You’re going to work?” Norman asked, sounding shocked.

  “Yes. Work calms me down. If I stay here all day, I’m just going to think about . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and took a deep breath. “You know what I mean.”

  Norman nodded. “I do. Work is the best cure for a lot of things. If you’re going through your normal, everyday routine, you don’t have time to feel angry, or depressed, or sorry for yourself. Work is one of those all-consuming things that don’t allow for any other emotions.”

  Hannah turned to look at Norman in surprise. She’d never thought of work in quite that way before, but he was right.

  “That’s exactly the way I feel,” Hannah told him. “I do my best thinking when I’m baking. There’s something about gathering ingredients and mixing them together that’s very satisfying. And when you’re doing something like rolling cookie dough balls, or dipping them in sugar, or anything else that you have to do by rote, you don’t have to think.”

  At that point, Cuddles raced into the kitchen and jumped up on Norman’s lap. Moishe was right behind her and he jumped up on Hannah’s lap. The two cats looked at each other and began to purr.

  “I think they approve,” Norman commented.

  “And I think you’re right,” Michelle said, tipping her Pineapple and Walnut Muffins out of the muffin pans, setting them on a serving platter, and carrying them to the booth. “Let’s all have one and then I’ll start the bacon and cheese scramble.”

  “If these smell as good as they look, we could serve them at The Cookie Jar,” Hannah commented. “But we wouldn’t want to serve anything that didn’t have a seal of approval. I think we should all have two muffins, and then we’ll decide.”

  “Great idea!” Doc said, taking two muffins and putting them on his plate.

  Delores laughed. “Agreed,” she said, snatching his muffins and making him reach for two more.

  For the next several moments there was no conversation, only smiles, sips of coffee, and big bites of Michelle’s delicious creation. Then Norman turned to Hannah. “You’re not going to . . .” he stopped, obviously unsure of exactly how to voice his question.

  “Yes, I am,” Hannah told him. “It may not be easy, but I need to know who killed Ross and why.”

  Doc nodded. “I knew you’d want to do that. As a matter of fact, that’s what I told Mike last night.”

  “Last night?” Hannah was confused. “I don’t remember seeing Mike here last night.”

  “You were already in bed when Mike came by,” Delores explained. “He just wanted to check on you to make sure you were all right.”

  “That’s nice,” Hannah said, feeling glad that he’d cared enough to be concerned about her when he was in the middle of a murder investigation. “I suppose he’ll be here for . . .” she stopped speaking abruptly when the doorbell rang. “I should have known,” she said, turning to Michelle. “Mike and Lonnie probably smelled your incredibly delicious muffins all the way out at th
e sheriff’s station.”

  PINEAPPLE AND WALNUT MUFFINS

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  The Batter:

  1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (measure AFTER draining and patting dry)

  1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

  1 cup white (granulated) sugar

  ¾ cup salted butter (1 and ½ sticks, 6 ounces)

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

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon

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

  ½ cup whole milk

  ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (measure AFTER chopping)

  Crumb Topping:

  ½ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

  ¼ cup salted butter (½ stick, 2 ounces) softened to room temperature

  Grease the bottoms only of a 12-cup muffin pan (or line the cups with double cupcake papers – that’s what I do at The Cookie Jar).

  If you haven’t done so already, put the crushed pineapple in a strainer with a small bowl underneath it. Press it down with the back of a mixing spoon, trying to get out as much juice as you can.

  Pour the drained juice in a refrigerator container and save it for someone who likes to drink pineapple juice.

  Once you’ve completely drained your pineapple, measure out 1 cup of pineapple and place it in a small bowl.

  Sprinkle the crushed, drained pineapple with 1 Tablespoon of the all-purpose flour. Then mix the flour with the pineapple. (The flour will help to soak up any moisture left in your crushed pineapple.)

  Get out a medium-size mixing bowl and a wooden spoon if you intend to make this recipe by hand, but you can use an electric stand mixer or a hand-held mixer from this point on if you wish.

  Place the white (granulated) sugar in the bottom of the mixing bowl.

  Add the softened, salted butter and mix it with the sugar. Mix until the ingredients are light and fluffy.

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

  Sprinkle in the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix them in thoroughly.

  Add HALF of the all-purpose flour to a mixing bowl and mix it in with HALF of the whole milk.

  Add the remaining flour and the remaining milk. Mix until everything is thoroughly blended.

  Mix in the crushed pineapple and the finely chopped walnuts by hand.

  Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full and set them aside. If you have batter left over, grease the bottom of a small tea bread loaf pan and fill it with your remaining batter.

  Crumb Topping:

  Mix the sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Add the butter and cut it in until it’s crumbly. (You can also do this in a food processor with chilled butter and the steel blade by processing in an on-and-off motion.)

  Hannah’s Note: If your topping isn’t crumbly enough, just put it in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer of your refrigerator for 5 minutes or so. That should be enough to make it crumble in your fingers.

  Fill the remaining space in the muffin cups with the crumb topping. Then bake the muffins in a 375 degree F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes. (The tea bread should bake about 10 minutes longer than the muffins.)

  When your muffins are baked, set the muffin pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. (The muffins need to cool in the pan for easy removal.) Then just tip them out of the cups and enjoy.

  These are wonderful when they’re slightly warm, but they’re also good cold.

  Yield: 12 muffins and perhaps a tea bread.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Once they got to The Cookie Jar, Michelle went up front to the coffee shop to help Lisa, and Hannah stayed in the kitchen. She knew what would be happening today, and she dreaded it. Everyone would come in to hear about Ross. They’d want to hear about Moishe and how Norman had found him, and they’d want to know how she had reacted after she’d discovered that the man she’d thought was her husband had been murdered.

  Hannah didn’t want to relive the events of the previous evening, but her customers would expect Lisa to tell the story of the murder. And since Lisa hadn’t been there, it was up to Hannah to set the scene for her.

  Even though it was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do, Hannah walked to the swinging door that led to the coffee shop, and pushed it open far enough to see that Lisa was behind the counter, arranging the large glass jars they used to display the day’s cookie offerings.

  “Michelle?” Hannah addressed her youngest sister over her shoulder. “Will you take over out here for a few minutes? I need to speak to Lisa.”

  “No problem,” Michelle answered. “I don’t have to leave for school for another hour.”

  “Thanks! Lisa? I need to see you in the kitchen for a couple of minutes.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Lisa promised, picking up one of the empty jars. “Do you want to sell the Molasses Crackles this morning? Or would you prefer to substitute something else?”

  “The Molasses Crackles will do just fine,” Hannah told her, and then she retreated to the kitchen.

  Since she knew exactly what she wanted to bake, it only took Hannah a couple of minutes to gather ingredients and put them next to the industrial-size stand mixer on the counter. By the time she’d arranged them in the order she’d need them, Lisa came in from the coffee shop.

  Hannah gestured toward the work station. “Sit down and I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”

  “I’m so sorry about what happened last night, Hannah,” Lisa said when Hannah delivered coffee for both of them and sat down on a stool. “If you don’t feel like staying and working today, just leave. Aunt Nancy and I can handle anything that comes up. And if we get really busy, all I have to do is call Marge and she’ll come right over.”

  “Thanks, Lisa, but I think I’ll be all right if I stay in the kitchen and bake. We’re going to be very busy today. And I certainly won’t listen to the story you’re going to tell about the murder.”

  “But, Hannah!” Lisa looked shocked. “You don’t want me to tell this story, do you?”

  “Yes, I think you should. I wasn’t there when Mike and Lonnie found the body so you can’t tell that part, but you can begin when Norman and I got to the condo complex.”

  “But how can I tell our customers about that if I don’t know what happened?”

  “I’m going to tell you what happened right now.”

  “But do you really want to talk about it?”

  “Of course I don’t, but I’ve always told you exactly what happened when I found a murder victim. This time I didn’t find Ross first, but I was there later and I can describe the murder scene for you.”

  “You mean you actually saw him?”

  “Oh, yes. Everyone tried to keep me back, but I barged past them.”

  Lisa shivered. “It must have been awful!”

  “It was.”

  “Are you absolutely sure you want to tell me about it?” Lisa asked, and when Hannah nodded, she asked another question. “Do you think it might help you to talk about it?”

  “Maybe,” Hannah said, even though she really didn’t believe that describing what she’d found in her master bedroom would help her in the slightest.

  “Okay then.” Lisa gave a little sigh. “What happened when you got home to the condo, Hannah?”

  With Lisa listening attentively, Hannah described how Norman had found Moishe under the stairs and how frightened he’d been, how Delores had tried to keep her from going up the stairs, and what she’d found when she’d pushed past everyone who wanted to stop her. That was when a completely unexpected event happened.

  “What is it?” Lisa asked, noticing the startled expression on Hannah’s face.

  “I didn’t think describing things to you would help, but . . . it did! I always thought that was psychological nonsense, but
talking to you about what I saw is . . .” Hannah stopped speaking, not sure how to describe what she was feeling.

  “Is it defusing it for you?” Lisa suggested.

  “Yes. Everyone kept trying to get me to talk about it last night, but I didn’t want to.”

  “Of course you didn’t.”

  Hannah decided to change the subject by asking the question that was uppermost in her mind. “When are you going to start telling the story?”

  “I usually start about ten in the morning. Do you want me to give you a heads-up so you can put in ear plugs or something?”

  Hannah laughed. “No, I’ll be all right. I’ll be busy baking so we can keep up with everyone who comes in to hear you.”

  “Are you really sure that you want me to do this, Hannah?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Is there anything else I can do . . . ?”

  “I don’t think there’s . . . wait! There is one thing you can do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “When Grandma Knudson comes in, let her listen to your story once and then ask her if she’ll come back to the kitchen. There’s something I want to ask her.”

  * * *

  Hannah had just finished filling the bakers rack with freshly-baked Butterscotch Chocolate Bar Cookies when she heard an authoritative knock on the back kitchen door. She rolled the bakers rack back into place by the wall, went to the door, and stopped with her hand on the knob to open it. She’d recognized the knock and she was sure it was Mike, but she looked through the peephole anyway. She was right. Mike was standing there outside the back door.