Cream Puff Murder (7 page)

“Hi, Phil.”

“Hi, Hannah. It’s snowing again, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Phil hung his parka on the coatrack by the door, but before he could take an empty seat at the counter, she hurried over to take his arm.

“Follow me, Phil. I’ve got something special boxed up for you in the kitchen.”

Once she’d settled Phil at the stainless steel workstation and presented him with a cup of coffee and two Minty Melts, she poured coffee for herself and joined him. It would take a bit of finessing, but it was the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Janice’s job opportunity at Kiddie Korner.

“These are really good cookies, Hannah.” Phil wiped his mouth with the napkin. Then he picked up his second cookie and took a large bite. “They remind me of peppermint schnapps.”

“Really?” Hannah was puzzled. “But peppermint schnapps tastes like peppermint. It doesn’t taste like chocolate…” Hannah hesitated as she realized she’d never actually tasted peppermint schnapps. “It doesn’t taste like chocolate, does it?”

“No, but it should. It would be a lot better that way.”

Hannah waited until Phil had taken the last bite. Then she whisked away the napkin and slid one of her distinctive bakery boxes in front of him.

“Is that it?” he asked her.

“Yes. Take a peek and tell me what you think.”

Phil opened the box and stared down at the giant-sized cookie inside. When he looked up he was grinning from ear to ear. “That’s perfect, Hannah!”

“Lisa and I thought so. The roses around the edge were her idea, and she wrote on the words. She said that any wife who got a cookie that said I Love You in chocolate frosting from her husband couldn’t possibly be down in the dumps.”

“I really hope Lisa’s right.” Phil gave a little sigh. “I just hate to see her this way. She used to smile and laugh all the time.”

“She’ll smile and laugh again,” Hannah said, crossing her fingers for luck. “But that cookie’s not all I have up my sleeve. I think Sue needs a break from your condo and from Kevin, so I found her a job.”

“A job?!” Phil began to frown. “But she’d never agree to go back to work. Neither one of us wants Kevin to grow up with a babysitter!”

“Oh, there’s no need for a babysitter,” Hannah said, reaching out to pat Phil’s hand. “Kevin gets to go right along when Sue goes to work.”

“You’re talking about an employee nursery like some of the big companies run?”

“Not at all. I’m talking about a teacher’s aide job at Kiddie Korner. Janice Cox needs a helper, and it’s only Monday through Friday in the afternoons. Sue would work from noon to four, and Kevin would come along to play with the other kids in Janice’s class.”

Phil leaned back and blinked. “That sounds ideal for Sue. But isn’t Kevin too young for Kiddie Korner?”

“Yes, he is. Janice would never take him as a regular student, especially for all day. But she thinks it would be good for the other kids to have a toddler around in the afternoons. It would be like a play date for Kevin, but with older children.”

Phil took another sip of his coffee. “That sounds good, Hannah. I know Sue likes Janice. They talk after church practically every Sunday. I’m sure she’d like to help Janice out, and it would be something new she could do with Kevin, something that gets her out and away from the condo.”

“Exactly. Did I mention that there’s a salary?”

“Sue gets out of the house, Kevin gets new friends, and there’s a salary?”

Hannah laughed at the utterly amazed look on Phil’s face. “That’s right. I don’t know how much the salary is, but it’s something. And whatever it is, Sue can have a little money of her own.”

“Egg money.”

“Exactly. I know you earn good money, Phil. And I know you tell Sue that it’s her money, too. I’ve heard you say it. But Sue might like to have a little something of her own to spend.”

“I can understand that. I’d feel that way if Sue had the job and I stayed home with Kevin. It would be a little strange to have to ask my wife for money to buy her a birthday present.”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Hannah gave him a big smile. “Janice told me she’ll call Sue tonight and make her a formal offer…if it’s okay with you, that is.”

“You bet it’s okay. When would Janice want Sue to start?”

“Yesterday. She’s really shorthanded all by herself. I know she’s been advertising the position, and a few people have applied, but most of them want full-time work.”

“Well, part-time is perfect for Sue.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I’m going to do my best to talk Sue into it.” Phil got to his feet and picked up the box with Sue’s cookie. “Not that she’ll need much encouragement from me. This is just perfect for her.”

“Tell her I’ll see her down at Kiddie Korner one of these days. I promised I’d bring more cookies.”

“Okay. Thanks again, Hannah. You really ought to hang out a shingle and charge for solving problems right along with your cookies.”

MINTY MELTS

Do not preheat oven yet. Dough must chill before baking.

1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound)

2 ½ cups white (granulated) sugar

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

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 drops red food coloring (or more if needed)

4 cups flour (there’s no need to sift it)

½ cup white sugar for later

Hannah’s Note: In the original recipe, these cookies are partially dipped in chocolate. If I don’t feel like dipping and drying all those cookies, I take a little shortcut you might want to try someday. Right before I mix the flour into the cookie dough, I add a 12-ounce (2 cups) package of miniature chocolate chips. (If they don’t have the mini-chips in your store, you can use regular and chop them up in smaller pieces with a knife or in a food processor.) Once the flour is mixed in, chill the dough and bake according to the original directions.

Another trick we use at The Cookie Jar is to make half of the batch pink and the rest green for a pretty mix of cookies on the platter.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and stir. Let it cool slightly. Then add the beaten eggs, baking soda, salt, and peppermint extract, stirring after each addition.

Add the red food coloring, stir it in, and then check the color of the dough. It should be bright pink. If the color’s too pale, add another drop or two of food coloring and stir it in thoroughly.

Add flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each one. The dough will be quite stiff.

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. (Overnight is fine too.)

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

Place the ½ cup of white sugar in a small bowl.

Spray two cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Or use parchment paper to line the two cookie sheets.

Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll the balls in the sugar so that the whole ball is coated.

Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press the balls down just a little with a metal spatula (or the palm of your impeccably clean hand) so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They’ll flatten out the rest of the way all by themselves.

Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once the cookies are cool, transfer them to sheets of wax paper and prepare to dip them in chocolate. (If you used parchment paper, you can frost them right on that.)

CHOCOLATE DIP

2 cups chocolate chips (12 ounces)

1 stick butter (½ cup, ¼ pound)

Melt the chips and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 90 seconds. Stir to make sure the chips are melted. If not, heat in 20-second increments until you can stir them smooth.

Hannah’s Note: Keep this dip fairly hot so that it’s thin and it won’t glop up when you dip in the cookies. If it cools and thickens too much, just return it to the microwave for 10 seconds or so to heat it so it’s thinner.

Dip the cookies, one by one, so that one-third to one-fourth of the cookie is chocolate coated. Place the cookies back on the wax paper (or the parchment paper) faceup to dry and harden the chocolate.

When the chocolate dip is dry (approximately 1 hour), store the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a cool place.

Yield: approximately 8 dozen (depending on cookie size) pretty and tasty cookies.

These cookies can be frozen in single layers between wax paper.

“W hat’ll it be, Hannah?” Florence stood behind the meat counter with a little white cap perched on her head. It reminded Hannah of the doilies her great-grandmother had used on the candle stands of the old pump organ that had stood in her parlor. “I’ve got a really nice pork roast.”

“It looks wonderful, but I don’t have time to cook it. Mike’s coming over at six for dinner.”

“Does Norman know that?”

Hannah bit back a sharp retort and reminded herself that in a town the size of Lake Eden, everybody knew everybody else’s business. “I don’t know if he does or not.” And then, because she was tired from her long day and more than a bit out of sorts, she zinged one in. “I guess you like dentists more than cops right now, right?”

Florence just looked at her for a moment, and then she started to laugh. “You nailed that, Hannah! I’m partial to Norman right now because he replaced one of my fillings for free.”

“So if you’d been robbed and Mike had recovered the money, you would have been partial to him?” Hannah pressed her point.

“Maybe so. In fact, I’m almost sure of it. And I guess that means they’re interchangeable?”

“Not interchangeable, but equal. You like them equally and you can’t choose between them in the big picture.”

“You’re right. But in the small picture, they keep bobbing up and down. One’s on top on one day, and the other’s on top on the next day.” Florence stopped speaking and gave Hannah an assessing look. “Is that how you feel about them?”

“It’s like my mother taught me…a woman never discusses her age or her love life.” She paused to let that sink in, and then she went on. “Unless, of course, she’s with a friend. And since you’re a friend, that’s exactly how I feel.”

“Then you should wait, Hannah. One has to be the clear winner.”

“I think you’re right. But let’s get back to the real problem. What am I going to make for dinner?”

“Sausage. That cooks in no time at all, especially if you get the precooked kind. Fix sausage and potato pancakes, and some of your cookies for dessert.”

“Sausage it is,” Hannah decided, “but potato pancakes aren’t quick and easy.”

“Yes, they are. Pick up a package of frozen hash browns. They’re already grated. Just chop them up so they’re in smaller pieces and follow your favorite recipe.”

“Good idea!” Hannah began to smile. “What else?”

“Get applesauce and don’t forget the sour cream. You can serve those on the side. I’ll wrap up your sausage while you go and get the rest. And pick up some ice cream. You can serve it for dessert, along with some of the cookies you always carry around in your truck.”

“Sausage tonight,” Hannah announced to the cat that hurtled himself into her arms the moment she pushed open her door.

“Rowwww.”

“I knew you’d like that. And Uncle Mike is coming for dinner.” Hannah stopped and stared down at Moishe, who was staring up at her with startled yellow eyes. “Did I really call him Uncle Mike? I did, didn’t I?” She kicked the door shut behind her and placed her resident feline on top of the couch so that she could shrug out of her parka. “Sorry, Moishe. I must be hanging around Andrea too much.”

Moishe said nothing. He was a smart cat. Hannah went back outside, picked up the Kitty Valet boxes and the sack of groceries she’d propped up outside her door so that she’d be able to catch him, and carried them inside. She tossed the boxes on the couch and carried the sack to the kitchen. The ice cream went into the freezer, the sausage and the chicken breast that would constitute the meat portion of her dinner went into covered pans in the oven, the hash browns sat on the counter waiting for her attention, and the kitty crunchies came out of the bag in her broom closet.

“I know you’re hungry. Just hold on a second,” Hannah said as she scooped up a generous portion and put it in the bottom of Moishe’s empty food bowl to cover the grinning portrait of Garfield, whose cartoon countenance appeared every time the bowl was emptied. Another generous scoop ensured that Hannah would have time to mix up the potato pancakes. Once Moishe’s water bowl was filled, she was free to continue the preparation of Mike’s dinner for at least ten minutes, maybe fifteen, or until her cat ran out of essentials.

The hash browns went into the food processor and were more finely chopped by the steel blade. Hannah imagined her Great-Grandmother Elsa spinning in her grave because she’d used boughten hash browns, but that couldn’t be helped. Two large eggs sans shells had found their way into a large mixing bowl. Hannah whipped them up until they were fluffy and then added onion powder, season salt, black pepper, and two tablespoons of cracker crumbs. She stirred everything up, covered it with a paper towel just in case feline interest escalated, and turned back to her food processor. Once the hash browns had been removed to a cutting board and patted dry with paper towels, she spooned them into her mixing bowl, gave everything an encompassing stir, re-covered the bowl with the kitty deterrent towel, put on a fresh pot of coffee, and headed off to the bedroom to change clothes for Mike’s arrival.

She wasn’t a moment too soon. When Hannah came out of the bedroom wearing her favorite forest green top and clean jeans, she heard the doorbell ring. Mike was here. She had to hurry. She opened the door, ushered him in, gave him a cup of coffee, and settled him on the couch with the Kitty Valet boxes to assemble the contents while she went into the kitchen to finish preparing their meal.

Heating the butter and olive oil didn’t take long. Hannah gave the contents of her mixing bowl a stir, decided the batter was neither too dry nor too wet, and began to scoop tiny pancakes into her largest frying pan. She flattened them slightly with a metal spatula so that the shredded potatoes would form a single layer, and then she opened the oven to check the progress of Mike’s sausage and her skinless, boneless, chicken breast.