Devil’s Food Cake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  ¾ cup sugar

  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  1 cup powdered milk (I used Carnation Nonfat Powdered Milk, but I’ve also used my local grocery store brand.)

  In a blender, or using an electric mixer set on LOW, blend together the boiling water and butter.

  Add the sugar and let it run for a few seconds.

  Add the pure vanilla extract and let it run for several additional seconds.

  Shut off the blender or mixer, pour in the powdered milk, and then blend or mix on LOW until the resulting mixture is thick.

  Use immediately, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator. This homemade version of sweetened condensed milk will last for up to one week in the refrigerator.

  Yield: This recipe makes the equivalent of one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk that can be used in pies, cakes, cookie bars and flans.

  Hannah’s Note: My Grandma Ingrid made this up every Sunday morning and put it in the refrigerator to use in coffee for the whole week.

  SUBSTITUTE FOR SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

  (for anyone who needs to avoid milk or dairy)

  2 large eggs

  1 cup brown sugar (pack it down when you measure it)

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 Tablespoons flour

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  Hannah’s 1st Note: This is easy to make if you use an electric mixer. You can also make it in a blender. You must make it fresh for each recipe you bake.

  Beat the eggs until they’re of a uniform color and thoroughly blended.

  Add the brown sugar and mix it in.

  Add the vanilla extract. Mix it in.

  Add the flour and beat for one minute, making sure it’s thoroughly incorporated into the mixture.

  Add the baking powder and the salt. Beat for another minute.

  Set the resulting mixture aside on the counter until you need it in your recipe. Then add it when your recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: This substitute can be used in any BAKED dessert recipe, including pies, cakes, and cookie bars. DO NOT use it in frostings or candy.

  Yield: One recipe makes enough to substitute for one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. (That’s the store-bought size.)

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Hannah?” Michelle came out of Hannah’s condo kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate. “Did you know there’s a ball of socks on top of your refrigerator?”

  “Another one,” Hannah said with a sigh, glancing over at Moishe, who looked totally uninterested in their conversation.

  “Moishe?” Michelle asked, noticing Hannah’s glance at her cat.

  “He’s the only one who lives here besides me. And I really don’t think I’m sleepwalking with socks in my hand. Maybe you’ll be able to tell which one of us is doing it, now that you’re staying here.”

  “But Moishe can’t get your sock drawer open…can he?”

  “Don’t forget you’re doubting the abilities of the stubborn feline who managed to chew his way through the back of a locked cabinet to get at his food,” Hannah reminded her.

  Michelle gave a little shrug. “That’s true. Have you checked the back of your sock drawer?”

  “That was the first thing I did.”

  “And?”

  “No holes anywhere. The drawer is solid wood, and it’s heavy. If I’m not doing it, Moishe is. But I can’t figure out how he’s pulling out that drawer.”

  “Maybe I can. I’ll keep an eye on him. And on you, too. Sleepwalking’s not all that unusual, you know, especially in times of high stress. Are you stressed, Hannah?”

  “Who, me? What could I possibly be stressed about? Just because my cat’s exhibiting unusual behavior, Mike is about to warn me not to get involved in Paul’s murder case and I already am, Mother keeps adding items to the menu for her book launch party, and Norman’s spending more time with Doctor Bev who’s prettier, and younger, and has a perfect figure. That couldn’t possibly lead to stress, could it?”

  “Forget I asked. You’re stressed,” Michelle pronounced. “I can tell because you just got sarcastic. You never get sarcastic when you’re not stressed.”

  “That’s probably true,” Hannah admitted.

  “I saw her, you know.”

  Hannah knew precisely which her Michelle was referring to. “What did you think of her?”

  “Everything you said with one addition. She’s a fake.”

  “What?”

  “She’s a fraud,” Michelle repeated. “There’s something about her that doesn’t ring true. Nobody’s that sweet and perfect. She’s like…a dental doll.”

  Hannah was confused. She’d never heard of a dental doll before. “What’s a dental doll?”

  “You must have see those career dolls that mothers buy for their daughters. The girl astronaut, the girl teacher, the girl lawyer, and the girl doctor. I’m sure there’s got to be a girl dentist that looks just like Doctor Bev.”

  “You don’t think she’s a real dentist?”

  “That’s not it. I think she’s a real dentist, but I also think she’s playing some sort of part. She’s acting, Hannah. I can spot an actress a mile off. She’s playing sweet, and nice, and everybody’s friend, but she’s not really that way inside. I just wish I knew what she’s up to.”

  Hannah thought about that for a long moment. Perhaps Michelle was right. When she’d seen Doctor Bev in action at the birthday party, she’d thought that there was something a bit disingenuous about her.

  “Well? Do you think I’m totally wrong?” Michelle asked.

  “No. I had similar feelings about her, but I thought it might be just jealousy.”

  “You don’t have anything to be jealous about! You’re a much better person than she is!”

  Hannah walked over to give her a hug. The Swensen family wasn’t usually that demonstrative, but Michelle deserved a hug. “What would you like for dinner?”

  “Red meat. I’m taking you out to the Corner Tavern for a double burger. I worked a couple of extra hours last week and I’ve got the extra cash.”

  “But you don’t have spend it on me.”

  “I’m not spending it on you, I’m spending it on us. Besides, ever since Grandma Knudson mentioned that beef stew she was going to make for Reverend Matthew, I’ve had a hankering for red meat!”

  Of course they didn’t go straight to the Corner Tavern, not after Hannah told Michelle that she’d recognized the voice of the woman Grandma Knudson thought was Paul’s counselee.

  “Alice Vogel?” Michelle sounded surprised. “Why was she meeting with Paul?”

  “She wasn’t meeting with Paul. Alice thought she was meeting with Matthew Walters. She used to date him when they were in high school, and rumor has it that she still had feelings for him.”

  “Interesting. And you think she was with him in the church office on Sunday night?”

  “That’s my guess. Doc Knight said the murder took place between midnight and two in the morning, so Alice isn’t a suspect if she left before midnight. It’s even possible she saw Paul’s killer when she was leaving the church.”

  “Let’s stop by the bowling alley to talk to her on our way out to the Corner Tavern,” Michelle said. “I want to see her reaction when you tell her that Reverend Matthew was really his cousin Paul.”

  Hannah brought cookies. Hannah always brought cookies. “Ready?” she asked Michelle as they walked up to the bowling alley entrance.

  “I’m ready. Which cookies did you bring?”

  “Nutmeg Snaps. Alice just loves them.”

  “So do I. That’s JoAnn Hecht’s recipe, isn’t it?”

  “Right.”

  “Where did she go after she left her catering job with Sally?”

  “She moved to California and opened her own company there. I wish she were still here. She could cater Mother’s book launch party, and I could just go and have fun.”
<
br />   A blast of warm air, the good-natured banter of bowlers, and the smell of fresh popcorn from the popcorn machine rolled out to greet them as Hannah pushed open the door.

  One look at the bowlers who crowded every lane and Hannah knew that Club League was in full swing. There wasn’t a lot to do in February in Minnesota. Outdoor recreation was limited to sledding, skating, and ice fishing, and no one braved the subzero temperatures on a night that was this cold. Instead, it looked as if almost everyone Hannah knew was bowling. Club League was fun because you didn’t have to actually join a league. All you had to do was belong to a club, get together with four friendly members, and take part in the tournament. If your team lost, you were out. But if your team won, you went on to play another club team. The club tournament winning team won baseball caps embroidered with their names and the date they won. That gave them bragging rights.

  Several of tonight’s bowlers must have been winners in the past, because Hannah spotted Cyril Murphy wearing a green cap, and Digger Gibson sporting an orange cap.

  “Alice is behind the refreshment counter,” Michelle said, steering Hannah in that direction. “She waved at us when we walked in. What are you going to ask her?”

  “Leading questions, the kind that are designed to get her to talk.”

  “Like what?”

  Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know, but don’t worry. I’ll think of something before we get there.”

  Gus York was standing in line, waiting for Alice to pour him a beer. Hannah noticed that Alice emptied the bottle into a large disposable paper cup before she handed it to Gus. The last time she’d bowled, which had been at least six months ago, Alice had simply given bowlers the bottle. Perhaps there’d been too many incidents with dropped or broken beer bottles.

  Once they’d exchanged a few words with Gus and he’d left, Hannah turned to the person she’d come to see. “Hi, Alice,” she said handing over the cookies. “These are Nutmeg Snaps. Lisa said you liked them.”

  “Oh, I do! They remind me of Christmas.”

  Hannah was surprised. “Really?”

  “I think it’s because of the nutmeg,” Alice explained. “I always grate some fresh nutmeg on my eggnog during the Christmas season.”

  “Makes sense,” Hannah said, sliding onto one of the stools at the counter and motioning for Michelle to do the same. “You know my youngest sister, Michelle, don’t you?”

  “I sure do. Hi, Michelle. How’s it going with college?”

  “Really well, thanks. I’ve got a couple days off, so I’m home to help Hannah. She’s really busy this week.”

  “I figured she would be.” Alice turned to Hannah. “Are you going to try to catch Matthew’s killer?”

  “Well …” Hannah hedged slightly. “I generally like to leave all that to the professionals, but Grandma Knudson asked me to see what I could find out.”

  “That’s what I thought. Well, you’re about five hours ahead of Mike and Lonnie. They didn’t come in to ask me questions until suppertime.” Alice sighed and sat down on her own stool behind the counter. “Tell me honestly, Hannah, am I still your prime suspect?”

  “Not anymore. I cleared you about an hour after Norman and I were here.” Hannah was silent, waiting for Alice’s response.

  Alice looked surprised for a moment, and then she smiled. “That makes me feel a lot better! How did you clear me?”

  “Doc Knight set the time of death between midnight and two in the morning. And you left the church office at eleven-thirty.”

  As the two Swensen sisters watched, tell-tale spots of red appeared on Alice’s cheeks. “How do you know that?” she asked.

  “Jacob told us. Remember the mynah bird that was sitting on the bookcase in his cage?”

  “Yes. But …” Alice stopped speaking abruptly, realizing that she’d admitted to being at the church office the night of the murder, something she hadn’t intended to admit.

  Hannah was silent. So was Michelle. Both of them just sat there waiting for Alice to go on.

  “It’s not like it looks. I mean…I just needed to see him again, to find out if he still…liked me, you know? It was just a matter of curiosity, that’s all.”

  “And did he still like you?” Hannah asked.

  “Yes. He was the old Matthew, just like in high school. And he explained why he didn’t come over to see me before he left town. He said that he just couldn’t bear to see me again because he knew that if he saw me, he’d do something foolish like ask me to run off with him to get married, or settle down in Lake Eden and turn down the offer he got from Concordia College. He told me he wrote me a letter saying all that, and asking me if I’d be willing to wait for him to graduate and get his first posting as a minister, and then we could be married.”

  “But you never got the letter,” Michelle said with a sigh.

  “That’s right. My dad kept it from me. He didn’t want me to marry Matthew and leave Lake Eden. He wanted me to stay right here and help him run the bowling alley.”

  “Did you believe Matthew?” Hannah asked.

  “Of course! He was …” Alice stopped and wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “He was kind, and sweet, and considerate, just the way he’d been all those years ago. He even said I looked wonderful, and that was when he invited me out to dinner on Monday night. Maybe nothing would have come of it. Maybe we would have gone our separate ways once he was through filling in for Reverend Bob. But I can’t help wondering if …” Alice’s voice trailed off, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  “Here,” Hannah said, pulling a couple of paper napkins from the dispenser that sat on the refreshment bar and handing them to her. “Brace yourself, Alice. I’ve got some news that’ll change everything.”

  Alice looked up with tear-filled eyes. “What?”

  “Matthew’s alive. The minister you went to see at the church office wasn’t a minister at all. He was Matthew’s cousin Paul.”

  For a brief second Alice was silent and then she began to shake her head. “No,” she said. “No, he couldn’t have been Paul. I know he wasn’t Paul. I knew Paul. They looked alike, sure, but they weren’t anything alike really. Paul wasn’t a nice person. I would have known if the man I met was Paul!”

  “Matthew’s here now,” Michelle told her. “He drove in from Wisconsin this morning, right after he heard the news that he was murdered in Lake Eden.”

  “Matthew positively identified the victim as Paul this afternoon at the morgue,” Hannah told her.

  “But …” Alice swallowed hard. “I was so sure. I never doubted that it was Matthew. And now you tell me that it was Paul.” Alice reached for another paper napkin and wiped her eyes again. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “Do you want to go see the real Reverend Matthew?” Michelle asked her. “I could fill in for you here.”

  Alice shook her head. “No! I’ve had enough for today! I just can’t…cope with anything else. Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after. I just…have to get this all straight in my head.”

  “Of course you do,” Hannah said comfortingly, sliding off her stool and motioning for Michelle to do the same. “We understand, Alice. This whole thing has been a terrible shock. I only have two more questions for you, and if you can answer them, it’ll help me a lot.”

  “I…yes. I can.” As they watched, Alice took a deep breath and visibly pulled herself together. “What’s the first question, Hannah?”

  “When you left the church on Sunday night, did you see anyone else, anyone who could have been waiting to get in, parking in the lot or on the street, or even walking?”

  Alice shook her head. “There was no one around. I looked. I didn’t exactly want to be seen. It’s just that Matthew and I used to date and everybody thinks I’m still carrying a torch for him. No, Hannah. There was no one within a block of the church, no one but me.”

  “That helps, Alice. Thanks. The second question is about Paul, so you’re going to have to switch gears. Did Paul have
any friends when he was here at Jordan High?”

  “Only one that I can think of. Of course Matthew was his best friend. When they first got here, they palled around together. But then Matthew started dating me and Paul hooked up with Lenny Peske.”

  “The bartender at the Eagle?” Michelle asked her.

  “Yes. They were partners in crime, if you want to call it that. Paul and Lenny did all sorts of bad things, like breaking into school lockers, and playing nasty tricks on the teachers they didn’t like.”

  “Thanks, Alice,” Hannah said quickly. She could tell that Alice was shaken and really needed to be left alone. “Call me if you need me for anything. You have my cell phone number, don’t you?”

  “Yes. You gave it to me this afternoon.”

  “Here’s mine, too,” Michelle took a card from her purse and handed it to Alice. “Sometimes Hannah forgets to charge hers.”

  “So do I,” Alice said, giving Hannah a wan smile. And then she asked a question of her own. “Does Mike know that Paul was the one who was murdered?”

  “He does now. The real Reverend Matthew went into the sheriff’s station to report it this afternoon.”

  “Then they’ll probably be back tonight to ask me more questions. Maybe I’ll just ask one of the bowlers to run the tournament for me and lock up when it’s over. Digger’s here and he’s reliable. He took over for me Sunday night until I got back here at twenty to twelve. You can check with him on the time.”

  “Thanks,” Hannah said.

  “I hate to skip out again tonight, but I need some time to sort this out before the police ask me any more questions.”

  “Don’t forget you’ve got an alibi,” Hannah reminded her.

  “Yes, but does Mike know that?”

  “Not yet,” Hannah admitted. “I’ll tell him the next time I see him, but I don’t think that’ll be until tomorrow. Of course he doesn’t know that you were at the church office, either. We just learned about it a few hours ago.”