by Joanne Fluke
Norman turned to Hannah. “Take out your cell phone, Hannah. Mike says he tried to call you four times and he couldn’t even leave a voice mail.”
“That’s because I don’t have voice mail,” Hannah told him. “But my phone’s on.” She rummaged around in the bottom of her saddlebag-size purse and drew it out to check. “I don’t understand why he couldn’t get through to . . . Uh-oh!”
Norman spoke into his own phone again. “Hannah said Uh-oh. Do you know what that means?” He listened for Mike’s answer and then he chuckled. “You’re probably right. Hold on a second and I’ll ask her.” Norman turned to Hannah with a grin. “Mike seems to think that you probably forgot to charge your phone again.”
Hannah sighed. She hated to admit it, but Mike was right. She had forgotten to charge her cell phone at The Cookie Jar even though Andrea had gone to the phone store to get her the right charger and even plugged it into the outlet at the end of the counter.
“Is he right?” Norman asked, looking amused.
“Yes,” Hannah said, even though she really didn’t want to admit that Mike and Norman were right.
“That’s okay. You can talk to him on my phone.” Norman handed it over.
“Hi, Mike,” she said.
“Hi. So you forgot to charge it?”
“Yes, I forgot to charge it.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again. And I’ve got the charger Andrea bought for me plugged in at The Cookie Jar. I’ve got one at home too, and I even put up reminder notes by both chargers. At first the notes worked, but they don’t seem to work anymore.”
“That’s because you got used to them. Move them to a new location. You’ll notice them then. And when they stop working in the new spots, move them again. When you get used to seeing something, you just take it for granted until it’s not there anymore.”
What Mike had just said resonated in Hannah’s mind. She was always there, either in her condo, or at work. And she always cooked for him. Did Mike take her for granted? Would he appreciate her a little more if suddenly she wasn’t there anymore?”
“Hannah?” Mike interrupted her unwelcome thoughts.
“Don’t you want to know why I called?”
“I do. Of course I do.”
“We found the thermos. It was under the passenger seat. You must have seen it yesterday and you just forgot about it with so many other things on your mind.”
Like the fact you interrogated me and almost arrested me for murder, her mind said, but Hannah quite wisely didn’t repeat it to Mike. After all, he’d recovered the thermos and that was the important thing. “So where is the thermos now?” she asked.
“Doc Knight has it. There was about a cup of liquid left inside and he’s running tests on it.”
“If he finds tranquilizers in the coffee, does that mean I’m in the clear?”
“It does. I talked to Roger and he says he didn’t pick up any coffee from you or from Lisa. It all depends on the lab report. Doc’s going to call me the second he gets the results.”
“Okay. Thanks for telling me, Mike. I’m really happy that they found it and it wasn’t just part of my dream.”
“I’m happy too, Hannah. Tell Barbara hello from me, okay? And let her know that everyone out here at the station misses her and wants her to come back soon.”
“I’ll tell her,” Hannah promised and then she handed the phone back to Norman. “Thanks for the phone, Norman.”
Just then Jenny came racing up the hallway after them. “Your mother just called,” she said to Hannah. “She wants to see you before you go to visit Barbara.”
“Okay,” Hannah agreed. “Is she in Doc Knight’s office?”
“Where else?” Jenny asked with a smile. “Your mother spends most of her time in there. She does a lot of things for Doc Knight.”
I wonder exactly what things she does. Hannah’s mind asked the question as she relayed the message to Norman, and they continued down the hall to Doc Knight’s office.
“Mother,” Hannah said, walking in the door. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, dear.” Delores turned to Norman. “Hello, Norman. Are you going to see Barbara, too?”
“I’d like to find out how she’s getting along with her temporary bridge,” Norman said.
“She’s getting along just fine,” Delores said. “She knows she looks better and now she can eat some things she couldn’t have before. Pureed everything has to be boring after a while.”
There was a yowl from Moishe and Hannah lifted him into her arms. “Say hello to Moishe, Mother.”
“My darling Grandcat,” Delores crooned, opening the top drawer of Doc’s desk. “Come on up here, Moishe. I’ve got something for you.”
Hannah saw the familiar cat treat canister in her mother’s hand and immediately placed Moishe on the desktop. “That’s very smart of you, Mother,” she said.
“That’s self-preservation,” Delores answered, doling out one of Moishe’s favorite fish-shaped treats. “Or perhaps I should say it’s silk-preservation since I’m wearing hose tonight. What do you have in those boxes, dear? Something for Barbara?”
“Yes. I brought some Monkey Bread for her,” Hannah said.
“What’s that?”
Hannah took one of the boxes out of Norman’s arms and set it on the desktop. She opened it and let her mother see the contents. “It’s a lot like cinnamon rolls and it has chocolate chips between the layers. I didn’t have time to make my Special Cinnamon Rolls so I got this recipe from Lisa.”
“Very pretty,” Delores said. “It smells absolutely fabulous. And that reminds me, have you eaten, dears?”
“Not yet,” Hannah answered, turning to Norman. “How about you?”
“Not yet. I was going to ask you if you wanted to go out to eat after we saw Barbara.”
“And I was going to ask both of you if you wanted to join us for dinner out at the Inn,” Delores said, before Hannah could answer Norman. “Doc’s running a test on that thermos they found in the car. He just called to tell me he’ll have the final results in about an hour, but there’s definitely a foreign substance in there.”
Without any conscious thought, Hannah crossed her fingers. If the foreign substance turned out to be the tranquilizers that had killed Doctor Bev, she would be cleared!
“I thought we might be celebrating tonight,” Delores continued. “Will you join us, dears?”
“Sounds good to me,” Norman said.
“Me, too,” Hannah agreed. “Tell me what happened when you took Barbara the things from her house.”
“She was perfectly rational,” Delores said. “I brought a bowling trophy from the mantle. It had her father’s name on it. She recognized it immediately and knew exactly where I’d gotten it. She said, That’s my dad’s bowling trophy. He won it the year before he died. I kept it because it used to make my mother laugh. It’s so funny, Delores. Just look. They spelled his name wrong.”
“Did they?” Norman asked her.
“Yes. It was engraved Patrick Donnelly and there were three N’s in Donnelly.”
“The last time Barbara talked about her father, she got very upset and started to cry,” Hannah said, remembering how Delores had patted Barbara’s hand and told her not to think of sad things.
“Not this time. And she was the one who referred to her father dying the year after he won the trophy. Doc was very pleased when I told him. He’s been hoping that her delusions would fade as her physical condition improved.”
Hannah nodded. “It sounds reasonable. Let’s just hope he’s right. What else did you find to bring for Barbara?”
“One of her purses since the strap broke on the one she had with her the night of the party. It’s a pretty tan leather shoulder bag with a gold buckle.”
Norman looked thoughtful. “I think I remember her carrying that purse last winter. Did she recognize it?”
“Immediately. And she thanked me very nicely for bringing it. She said it w
as one of her favorite purses. I asked her where she got it and she said Nettie Grant had given it to her for Christmas when Sheriff Grant was still alive.”
“It sounds to me as if she’s getting better every day,” Norman commented.
“I hope so,” Delores said, “but Doc warned me not to get too excited. He said that brain injuries were unpredictable and there could be setbacks.”
Hannah remembered that Lisa had said the same thing about her father. She’d told Hannah that there were good days and bad days, and there was no way to predict them.
“Is this Monkey Bread for me, dear?” Delores asked, pulling Hannah out of her contemplative mood.
“Yes, Mother. You can share it with Doc Knight and some of the nurses if you want to.”
“I will, but only after I have a piece. Or perhaps two pieces. It has chocolate, you said?”
“Lots of chocolate.”
“Good. I can hardly wait to taste it!” Delores stopped and looked at Hannah expectantly.
“What?” Hannah asked, not sure what her mother wanted.
“It’s like Doc always tells me. Payback is only fair. Aren’t you going to say it?”
“Say what, Mother?”
“Say what I used to say to you.”
Hannah had no idea what her mother was talking about, but when she saw the large chunk of Monkey Bread that Delores had pulled from the loaf, she began to understand. They were all going out to dinner at the Inn and Delores was eating a large chunk of the sweet bread beforehand. “Don’t spoil your dinner, Mother.”
Delores laughed. “I won’t. And I bet you’ve waited your whole life to say that.”
“You’re right.” Hannah was smiling as she scooped Moishe up, set him on his feet, and motioned to Norman. It was time to go to see Barbara. As they headed out the door and turned down the hallway, Hannah found herself hoping that Barbara’s rational response to the things Delores had brought her would carry over to their visit with her.
MONKEY BREAD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ¼ cups white (granulated) sugar
1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cans (7.5 ounce tube) unbaked refrigerated
biscuits (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional) (that’s a 6-ounce
size bag)
½ cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you prefer, you can use 16.3 ounce tubes of Pillsbury Grands. If you do this, buy only 2 tubes. They are larger—you will use half a tube for each layer.
Tony’s Note: If you use chocolate chips and/or nuts, place them between each biscuit layer.
Spray the inside of a Bundt pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Set your prepared pan on a drip pan just in case the butter overflows. Then you won’t have to clean your oven.
Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl. (I used a fork to mix it up so that the cinnamon was evenly distributed.)
Open 1 can of biscuits at a time and break or cut them into quarters. You want bite-size pieces.
Roll the pieces in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, and place them in the bottom of the Bundt pan.
Sprinkle one-third of the chopped nuts and one-third of the chocolate chips on top of the layer, if you decided to use them.
Open the second can of biscuits, quarter them, roll them in the cinnamon and sugar, and place them on top of the first layer. (If you used Pillsbury Grands, you’ll do this with the remainder of the first tube.)
Sprinkle on half of the remaining nuts and chocolate chips, if you decided to use them.
Repeat with the third can of biscuits (or the first half of the second tube of Grands). Sprinkle on the remainder of the nuts and chocolate chips, if you decided to use them.
Repeat with the fourth can of biscuits (or the rest of the Grands) to make a top layer in your Bundt pan.
Melt the butter and the remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture in a microwave safe bowl on HIGH for 45 seconds. Give it a final stir and pour it over the top of your Bundt pan.
Bake your Monkey Bread at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 45 minutes, or until nice and golden on top.
Take the Bundt pan out of the oven and let it cool on a cold burner or a wire rack for 10 minutes while you find a plate that will fit over the top of the Bundt pan.
Using potholders or oven mitts invert the plate over the top of the Bundt pan and turn it upside down to unmold your delicious Monkey Bread.
To serve, you can cut this into slices like Bundt cake, but it’s more fun to just let people pull off pieces with their fingers.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you’d like to make Caramel Monkey Bread, use only ¾ cup of white sugar. Mix it with the cinnamon the way you’d do if it was the full amount of white sugar. At the very end when you melt the butter with the leftover cinnamon and sugar mixture, add ¾ cup of brown sugar to the bowl before you put it in the microwave. Pour that hot mixture over the top of your Bundt pan before baking and it will form a luscious caramel topping when you unmold your Monkey Bread.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: I don’t know why this is called “Monkey Bread”. Norman thinks it has something to do with the old story about the monkey that couldn’t get his hand out of the hole in the tree because he wouldn’t let go of the nut he was holding in his fist. Mike thinks it’s because monkeys eat with their hands and you can pull this bread apart and eat it with your hands. Mother says it’s because monkeys are social animals and you can put this bread in the center of the table and everyone can sit around it and eat. Tracey says it’s because it’s a cute name. Bethie doesn’t care. She just wants to eat it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Hi, Barbara,” Hannah greeted her.
“Look, Hannah.” Barbara smiled widely. “My dentist gave me a nice present today. Now I don’t look like a bag lady.”
“I’m glad you’re pleased,” Norman said, coming over to kiss Barbara on the cheek. “How does that bridge feel?”
“Good.” Barbara turned to Hannah. “Did you bring your cat to see me? Doc said you would.”
“Moishe’s right here.” Hannah lifted him up in her arms to show Barbara.
“You’re such a beautiful, big boy!” Barbara said, patting the bed. “Come up here and say hello to Aunt Babs.”
Moishe didn’t wait for a second invitation. He leaped out of Hannah’s arms and joined Barbara on the bed.
“So handsome,” Barbara said, stroking his back and then scratching him behind the ears. “Do you like that?”
Moishe purred so loudly that Hannah was almost afraid he’d choke. His tongue flicked out to give Barbara a raspy kiss and he rubbed his head against her arm. Hannah was surprised and pleased by his behavior. It usually took Moishe a while to warm up to someone new, but this time no bribery with kitty treats was required. It was perfectly clear that he was wildly taken with Aunt Babs.
“He likes you, Barbara,” Norman said.
“I know. I think it’s because he recognizes me. Moishe and I are old friends, you know.”
“You are?” Hannah asked, frowning slightly. Barbara had never visited her condo and she hoped this wasn’t another delusion on Barbara’s part.
“Don’t you remember, Hannah? You brought Moishe down to your coffee shop when that film crew was in town. I was one of the extras in the movie.”
“That’s right,” Hannah said, even though she didn’t remember. It was true that she’d taken Moishe to The Cookie Jar while Ross and his movie crew were in town. He’d used all the shops on Main Street for background, and he’d paid every business owner for the privilege. He’d rented Hannah’s business for his exclusive use and since almost everyone in town played some part in the movie, Hannah had done business as usual. The only difference was that for the length of time the movie was filming, The Cookie Jar was classified as a private club and she was allowed to bri
ng Moishe to work with her.
“I was in the coffee shop one day with the other extras in my scene, and Lisa tethered Moishe to our table,” Barbara explained. “That’s how I met him.”
“Of course,” Hannah said, even though she didn’t remember that particular day. Barbara’s explanation was perfectly reasonable.
“I remember that,” Norman said, smiling at Barbara. “I was at the next table with Mike. Weren’t you the extra with the red umbrella in the rainy afternoon scene?”
“That’s right.”
Barbara looked delighted that he’d remembered, and Hannah was delighted, too. Barbara’s delusions had fled for today, at least. But as her Great-Grandma Elsa used to say, it was time to open a can of worms to see what crawled out. “Mother was telling us that she brought you a bowling trophy?”
“That’s right. It was my dad’s bowling trophy. He was in a league down at Ali’s father’s bowling alley. I still remember the shirts. They were aqua blue and they had Lake Eden Volunteer Fire Department embroidered on the back. I was in bed, but I heard them laughing when he came home that night. And the next morning my mother showed me that they’d spelled Donnelly wrong on the trophy.”
Norman got up to look at the trophy that was sitting on Barbara’s nightstand. “You’re right,” he said. “It says ‘Patrick Donnelly.’ And ‘Donnelly’ has three N’s. Was Patrick your father’s name?”