Carrot Cake Murder (23 page)

“I don’t know, but she’s definitely upset.” Hannah glanced around for Jack Herman and was relieved to see him smiling and laughing with Marge and a full table of relatives. Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t with Jack. But there was definitely something wrong.

“Oh, Hannah! I’ve got to talk to you!” Lisa said, rushing up.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Not here! Mac and Herb are waiting on the dock for us. It’s private there. I promised to come and get you right away. You too, Norman.”

Hannah and Norman exchanged glances as they got up to follow Lisa. Hannah’s glance said, Uh-oh. This is something big! And Norman’s answering glance said, You can bet the farm it is!

The sun had lowered in the sky, changing from a bright yellow ball high in the sky to a huge orange orb at the edge of the horizon. The surface of Eden Lake gleamed with color. Red, yellow, orange, and pink streaks rippled with the waves across its surface, forming a riotous canvas for the darker reflections of the pines that lined the shores. The dock protruded, a dark carpet rolled out to greet the approaching evening. Two motionless figures in silhouette stood at the end of the dock, and as they drew closer, Hannah could see their tense postures and serious demeanors.

“Norman,” Herb reached out for his hand. “You’ve met my Uncle Mac, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” Norman reached out to shake Mac’s hand.

“And thank you for coming, Hannah. You’ve met my Uncle Mac?”

“Yes, at the dance.” Hannah gave him a nod and a brief smile. “Nice to see you again.”

For several moments that followed the polite greetings, no one moved or spoke. It was as if they’d been turned into carved pieces on a chessboard, waiting for someone or something to move them.

“So what’s wrong?” Hannah asked at last, taking a step closer and breaking the grip of inertia.

“It’s Dad,” Lisa said, sounding tearful. “We’re afraid he killed Uncle Gus!”

CLARA & MARGUERITE HOLLENBECK’S MEXICAN HOTDISH

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

4-ounce can Ortega diced green chilies (with the juice)

2 cups shredded Jack cheese (approximately 8 ounces)

2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes (with the juice)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-ounce can sliced black olives (with the juice)

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cups UNCOOKED white rice

2 packages (approximately 1-ounce each) Taco seasoning (Clara buys Lawry’s)

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

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

2 cups Fritos corn chips

2 cups (approximately 8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese *
(I used the kind with four cheeses mixed together)

*
If the cheese selection at your grocery store is limited, just use shredded Monterrey Jack for the first cheese, and shredded sharp cheddar for the second cheese to melt on top of the Fritos. If you can’t find Monterrey Jack, use Mozzarella, or Swiss.

Spray a 6-quart roaster with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. (Clara buys disposable half-size steam table pans at CostMart and uses one of those. She says to be careful to set it on a cookie sheet before you fill it, though. The disposable foil could buckle and you could end up with uncooked Mexican Hotdish all over your kitchen floor!)

Hannah’s 1stNote: This hotdish is easy to make because once you’ve got the cubed chicken, all you have to do is open a bunch of cans. You don’t even have to drain them. Just dump them in your baking pan, juice and all!

In the bottom of the pan or roaster, mix together the diced green chilies, the Jack cheese, the two cans of diced tomatoes, the chopped onion, the can of sliced black olives, the chopped bell pepper, and the UNCOOKED white rice. (Marguerite told Norman that she washes her hands and then just mixes everything up with her fingers, but that’s only if no one’s around.)

Sprinkle the Taco seasoning over the top, add the chicken cubes, and mix again.

Add the chicken broth and stir everything up with a wooden spoon. (You can also get in there with your impeccably clean hands and mix it up that way.)

Cut the cold stick of butter into 8 pieces and put the pieces on top of the hotdish.

Cover the pan with heavy duty foil (or a double thickness of regular foil) and turn down the edges to seal them.

Bake the hotdish for 1½ hours (90 minutes) at 350 degrees F.

Take the baking pan out of the oven BUT DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN YET. Remove the foil carefully as steam may escape.

Sprinkle the Fritos on top of the hotdish, spreading them out as evenly as you can.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the Fritos as evenly as you can.

Don’t cover the hotdish. Return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, or until the cheese has melted.

Let the baking pan or roaster sit for at least 10 minutes so the hotdish can firm up before you serve it.

Hannah’s 2ndNote: When I first had this hotdish at Clara and Marguerite’s condo, they served it with white wine margaritas. If you don’t want to serve alcohol, it would also be good with ice cold lemonade.

Hannah’s 3rdNote: Norman served this with sour cream on the side for those who wanted to put a dollop on top of their serving. (I really liked it that way.) I think it would also be good with guacamole on the side for those who want to add that.

Mac took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. “It was a little after one-thirty. Patsy was already sleeping, but I was still wound up from the dance and talking to all the people I haven’t seen for years. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep, so I got up to get a glass of water and take a couple of those aspirins with the sleep aids.”

Hannah knew the type of over-the-counter medication he was talking about. “How did you come to see Jack?”

“I was running water at the sink in the kitchen, and I looked out the window. It faces the pavilion, and I saw Jack walking down the road from his cottage. He cut across to the pavilion and went around to the entrance. I think he went inside, but I don’t know that for sure. You can’t see the entrance from the window.”

Mac stopped speaking and cleared his throat. “I thought about going out to get him and walking him back to his cottage. I was already in my pajamas, but I figured I’d just get dressed again and go out after him. But then I realized that there was somebody inside the pavilion. One of the shutters was still open, and the lights were on. I figured whoever was in there would take care of Jack if he couldn’t find his way back, so I took the tablets and went back to bed.” Mac stopped speaking again and sighed. “I sure wish I’d gone after him now, but you know what they say about hindsight.”

Hannah glanced at Lisa. Her friend looked as if wanted to break down and sob. Hannah wanted to assure her that her father couldn’t have killed Gus, but what Mac had just told them fit perfectly with what Michelle had seen from the dock. Of course Michelle hadn’t known that the person she saw was Jack Herman.

“Did you tell this to the police?” Hannah asked, not knowing which answer she’d prefer. If Mac had already told Mike, the matter was out of her hands and she didn’t have to worry about when she should tell him, or even if she should tell him.

“Of course not!” Mac shook his head. “I haven’t told anybody except you four. I didn’t even tell Patsy. Since I didn’t see Jack go into the pavilion, I don’t know for sure if he did, or not. I just saw him walking outside. The awful thing is Jack probably doesn’t even remember leaving his cottage.”

Lisa bit her lip. “You’re probably right, Uncle Mac.”

“But don’t you get too upset, Lisa. I’ve known Jack for years. He was almost like a brother to me. He’s kind, and loving, and…there’s no way he’d do anything violent to anybody.”

Hannah was silent, but her mind raced. The fight her mother had told her about between Jack and Gus wasn’t exactly nonviolent. And Doc Knight had backed up that story.

“I knew if I told the cops about Jack, it would just muddy the waters.” Mac reached out and took Lisa’s hand. “Besides,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze, “we’re family. And family’s got to stick together.”

“She’s a real trooper,” Norman said, watching Lisa stick candles on top of the birthday cake she’d made for her father while Herb stood by, ready to light them.

“Yes, she is. And she loves Jack with all her heart.” Hannah thought about how Lisa had given up her college scholarship, two years ago, to stay at home with her father who’d just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’d wanted to become a doctor and Hannah was convinced she would have made a good one. On the other hand, Lisa seemed happy and content with the hand life had dealt her, especially now that she’d married Herb.

“What?” Norman asked, noticing Hannah’s determined expression.

“I’ve got to clear Jack. I just have to do it for Lisa!”

“I know you do, and I’ll help any way I can. How about Mike? Will you tell him what Mac told us?”

“I promised him that I’d share information.”

“That’s not what I asked you,” Norman said with a chuckle. “Let me ask again…will you tell Mike?”

It was Hannah’s turn to smile. “I don’t know. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“And you’ll put off making that decision to give yourself time to clear Jack?”

“That’s probably right. I just hope my conscience doesn’t get in the way.” Hannah broke into applause as Lisa walked to the table where Jack was sitting, set the cake down in front of him, and led them in singing Happy Birthday.

“Make a wish and blow out the candles, Dad,” Lisa said, kissing him on the cheek. “It’s like you used to tell me when I was a little girl. If you blow out all the candles, your wish will come true.”

Jack smiled as he bent over to blow out the candles, and everyone applauded when he extinguished every one. “Marge always tells me I’m full of hot air,” he said, and everyone laughed again.

“That was great, Jack,” Herb said, patting him on the back. “Now your wish will come true.”

“It already did. I wished for enough of Lisa’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake for everybody. And Marge and her sister are at the back table right now, dishing it up on the plates.”

“Why are we here?” Norman asked, following Hannah inside as she opened the door to the cabin Gus Klein had used so briefly.

“I just want to check on the frog.”

“What frog?”

“The one I saw yesterday when I came here looking for Gus. I’m just hoping the crime scene people didn’t trample him, or anything like that.”

“So you’re going to check to make sure he’s all right?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. It’ll just take a second and then we’ll rush right back for the cake.”

Norman chuckled as Hannah turned on the lights and began to look for the frog. “I’m not worried about that. I just thought we were here to check something for your investigation. And now I find out it’s for the frog.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I think it’s nice of you to be concerned. Do you want me to check the bedroom?”

Hannah turned to smile at him. “Yes. I’ll get the kitchen. That’s where he was when I left him.”

While Norman looked in the bedroom, Hannah went into the kitchen. She looked in every cupboard and checked the counters and the sink. There was no little green frog hiding anywhere that she could see.

“Hannah?”

Hannah turned to face Norman as he came into the kitchen. He was holding his hands in front of him and they were cupped around something.

“You’ve got him?” she guessed, hoping that she was right.

“He was under the bed.”

“Is he all right?”

“He’s fine. Where do you want me to put him?”

“Up here on the counter. I’ll run a little water in the sink. I know he can hop down, because he was up here when I saw him the last time.”

Norman placed the frog on the counter while Hannah turned the faucet on and off. “Anything else?” he asked her.

“Can you open one of the windows a little in case he wants to hop out?”

“I already did,” Norman said with a smile.

“Okay, then. We can go now.”

They turned off the lights and started down the road toward the scene of the party. Jack’s birthday celebration was still going strong if loud voices and laughter were any indication. Norman held the flashlight in one hand, and he held Hannah’s hand with the other. “Have you figured out a time line for Gus?” he asked.

“I think so. Herb took a run to the house after church and found Gus waiting. It’s the old family house. Marge and Herb’s dad took it over after her parents died. Gus didn’t know that she gave it to Lisa and Herb, of course.”

“The old family home was the logical place to go.”

“That’s right. Herb brought Gus to the church, and then he took everyone out to brunch at the Inn. Mother said the brunch ran late and Gus was still there when they left at two. By the time he paid the bill and left, it had to have been at least two-thirty. Then Gus drove back to Lisa and Herb’s house and looked through the trunk his parents packed from his old bedroom. It was probably four thirty by the time he left there. It’s thirty minutes from Lisa and Herb’s house to the lake, so Gus couldn’t have gotten to the cottage until almost five. Then he changed clothes and went to the dinner buffet at the pavilion.”

“And that started at six. I know. I was there to take pictures. So that means he spent all of an hour at the cottage?”

“That’s right, give or take thirty minutes or so.” Hannah was almost sorry as they approached the lights and music of the party. She really enjoyed the time she spent alone with Norman. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain about the frog, Norman.”