Joanne Fluke Christmas Bundle: Sugar Cookie Murder, Candy Cane Murder, Plum Pudding Murder, & Gingerbread Cookie Murder (9 page)

Delores walked over to take a seat next to Hannah. “Guess who didn’t show up for work this morning?”

“Carrie?” Hannah guessed, knowing that her mother was worried about her partner.

“No. Carrie’s there now, or I wouldn’t have left. Luanne didn’t show up.”

“Is Susie sick?” Hannah took a guess at the only reason she could think of that would cause Luanne to miss work.

“I don’t know. She didn’t call in and she doesn’t answer her phone. Do you think I should call Nettie?” Delores named the former sheriff’s wife, who would surely have been Luanne’s mother-in-law if her son, Susie’s father, had lived.

“No. Let me see if I can find out what’s wrong,” Hannah responded quickly. She knew how much Luanne valued her job at Granny’s Attic, and also how much she valued her privacy. Something must be terribly wrong if she’d been scheduled to work and hadn’t shown up.

“Thank you. You might know today would be the day she’d miss work. I really need her help!”

“Is there anything I can do?” Hannah offered.

“I don’t think so, dear…not unless you’ve figured out our homework assignment for Miss Whiting.”

Hannah shook her head. She hadn’t even looked at the sheaf of papers since she’d carried them to The Cookie Jar. She intended ask someone knowledgeable, like Stan, their tax man, or Doug Greerson, the local banker, but she just hadn’t gotten around to it.

“I thought Luanne might have some ideas,” Delores went on to explain. “She’s been taking night classes in accounting.”

“Really!” This was the first Hannah had heard of it.

“When she’s ready, she’s going to take over the books for Granny’s Attic.” Delores stopped speaking and frowned. “You won’t forget to check on her, will you, dear?”

“I won’t forget.”

Delores took a bite of the cookie that Lisa had brought to her. “Very nice,” she commented. “I especially like the lemon icing.” And then, in the seamless way some mothers switch subjects with their offspring, she said, “So tell me…how are you coming along with your inquiries?”

Hannah managed to silence Andrea with a glance that indicated she’d explain later. “Just fine, Mother.”

“Very good, dear.” Delores turned to Andrea. “And how are you, dear?”

“I’m fine, Mother. Lisa and Herb are going to adopt one of Flopsy’s puppies. They’re going out this weekend to get the little guy. That means they all have homes.”

Delores gave a little laugh. “And that means you’re off the hook…for now, that is. I really don’t think you’ve thought this puppy business through, dear. There’ll be other puppies, you know. Tracey and Bill won’t give up, and when Bethie gets old enough, she’ll join them. You’ll have to give in and get a puppy eventually. I did.”

“But I remember Bruno. He was perfectly trained and he never had accidents, or barked, or chewed things.”

Delores laughed. “That’s true, but the question is, how did he get so well trained?”

“Hannah did it?”

“Not Hannah. She was in school all day.”

“Dad?”

“He was at work in the hardware store.”

Andrea’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “
You
trained Bruno?”

“Of course I did. I was the only one home all day. Get used to it, dear. You’re the mother. Tracey and Bill will promise you that you won’t have to lift a finger, but you’ll be the one to take walks around the block with a puppy that doesn’t know how to sit, heel, or do his business in the bushes.”

PORK AND BEANS BREAD

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

Prepare your pans. Spray two 9-inch by 5-inch by 3-inch-deep loaf pans with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Don’t drain the pork and beans. Pour them into a food processor or a blender, juice and all, and process them until they’re pureed smooth with no lumps.

Place the beaten eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the pureed pork and beans and mix them in well.

Add the vegetable oil and the vanilla extract. Mix well.

Add the sugar and mix it in. Then mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir until everything is incorporated.

Stir in the chopped nuts.

Add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition.

Spoon half of the batter into one loaf pan and the other half of the batter into the second loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 to 60 minutes. Test the bread with a long food pick inserted in the center. If it comes out sticky, the bread needs to bake a bit more. If it comes out dry, remove the pans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.

Run the sharp blade of a knife around inside of all four sides of the pan to loosen the bread, and then tip it out onto the wire rack.

Cool the bread completely, and then wrap it in plastic wrap. At this point the bread can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Hannah and Lisa’s Note: If you don’t tell anyone the name of this bread, they probably won’t ever guess it’s made with pork and beans.

FROSTED GINGER COOKIES

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

Hannah’s Note: If you plan to give any of these cookies to Delores, please leave out the cloves. She doesn’t like cloves.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat the mixture until it’s light and fluffy.

Mix in the beaten egg. Add the molasses and stir until the mixture is a uniform color.

Add the baking soda and the salt, and stir well.

Sprinkle in the ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg. Stir until they’re thoroughly mixed in.

Stir in one cup of flour, mix it all up, and then mix in the second cup of flour.

Measure out ¼ cup of white sugar and place it in a shallow bowl. You’ll use this bowl to coat dough balls with sugar. When the sugar gets low, add more as needed.

Break off pieces of dough and roll them into one-inch balls. Roll the dough balls in the sugar and place them on a cookie sheet that has been greased or sprayed with Pam
(or another nonstick cooking spray.)
Place the dough balls in four rows with three in each row to make 12 per cookie sheet. Press them down just slightly so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

Bake the ginger cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cookies are cool, make the glaze.

Combine the powdered sugar with the lemon juice. If it’s too thick to drizzle, stir in a bit more lemon juice. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar. When it’s just right, drizzle the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze.

Let the glaze dry before you store the cookies in a cookie jar. The glaze should be dry in 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 7 dozen nicely spiced cookies, depending on cookie size.

I
n the hour and a half that remained of the morning, Hannah tried Luanne’s number a half dozen times. Something was wrong. She was sure of it. Luanne was one of the most conscientious people she knew. In the entire time she’d worked at Granny’s Attic, she’d never been late. It was simply unthinkable that she wouldn’t show up at all!

Hannah dialed Luanne’s number one last time and listened to the empty ringing. This just wasn’t right. After she delivered Larry’s order of cookies and gave him a taste of her plum pudding, she planned to drop by the duplex where Luanne, her mother, and Susie lived. If Luanne wasn’t home, she’d knock on Nettie Grant’s door, armed with a gift of cookies, and make some careful inquiries about Luanne’s whereabouts.

Even though she hadn’t yet been able to solve the mystery surrounding Luanne’s absence, the day was definitely improving. It improved even more when the bell on the door jingled and Norman walked in. She’d already decided not tell him about Mike’s suspicions. There was no proof that Carrie was shoplifting and it would just worry him. It was entirely possible that Mike was seeing criminals on every corner, especially if he’d been putting in a full day at the sheriff’s station and then working another shift for the mall security company.

“Hi, Hannah.” Norman took a seat at the counter. “How’s your Christmas tree?”

“Don’t ask,” Hannah said, pouring him a cup of coffee and presenting him with a slice of plum pudding she’d warmed in the microwave behind the counter.

“What’s this?” Norman asked.

“Plum pudding.”

“But it’s got
plums
in it. Plum pudding doesn’t have any plums.”

“This plum pudding does. If it’s good and Larry uses it at the Crazy Elf, I’ll have to think of a new name, something that tells people it’s not English plum pudding.”

“Call it Minnesota Plum Pudding,” Lisa said, coming up to the counter to gaze at Norman’s slice. “That’s what you called your peach cobbler when it was different than the southern one.”

“Minnesota Plum Pudding is a good name,” Hannah agreed, her knife poised to cut another slice. “How about you, Lisa?”

“I want to, but I can’t. I promised Herb I’d wait and have a slice with him.”

“Then I’ll just give you a tiny bit as a taste. You can have a regular slice when Herb gets here.”

“Okay,” Lisa said immediately, and Hannah knew she’d been looking for a convenient excuse not to wait.

Once the Minnesota Plum Pudding, which was really more of a cake, was served, Hannah waited while Lisa and Norman tasted it. When they both reached for another forkful before they’d even swallowed the first, she knew she had a hit on her hands.

“This is wonderful!” Norman declared.

“Yes, it is.” Lisa finished her tiny slice and looked longingly at the rest of the pudding. “It’s so good, I’d better get out of here before I hurdle over the counter and eat the whole thing. I’m going to the kitchen to bake two pans of Lovely Lemon Cookie Bars. Sally Percy needs them for a tree trimming party she’s having tonight.”

Once Lisa had left for the kitchen, Norman turned to Hannah. “Why did you say I shouldn’t ask about your Christmas tree?”

“Because Moishe decided it would be fun to climb it at four this morning.”

“Uh-oh. Did the Big Guy knock it down?”

“Oh, yes. And the water spilled out on the rug. The only good thing is that it didn’t soak through to Phil and Sue’s apartment. I checked with Sue and everything’s fine.”

“That’s good.” Norman took another bite of his Minnesota Plum Pudding. “This really is great, Hannah.” He took time for another bite and then he turned to her again. “I think I’ve got the solution to your tree problem. I’ll put on some guide wires this afternoon to hold your tree in place.”

“But don’t you have to work?”

“Only for part of the afternoon. My last appointment’s at three and that’s just a cleaning. I’ll be out of the clinic by four at the latest, and that gives me plenty of time to fix your tree before you get home from work. I think I’d better decorate it first though. Otherwise it’ll be too hard to duck in and out around the wires.”

“Right,” Hannah said, picturing a spider web of wires holding her Christmas tree in the corner so that Moishe couldn’t get near it. “It’s going to look pretty ugly, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. I’ll only need two wires to hold it and those will be hidden in the corner.”

“Okay, but…” Hannah gave a little sigh. She knew she was being selfish, but she didn’t want someone else, even if that someone was Norman, to decorate her Christmas tree.

“What?”

“I was looking forward to unpacking the family ornaments and choosing which ones to use. If you do it, I won’t get to hang up my favorite things.”

“True. How about if I put on the lights and that’s it? Then we can decorate it tonight.”

“That’s perfect.” Hannah gave a relieved smile. Perhaps she should have a tree trimming party. That might be fun. She’d invite Norman, of course. And it would be nice to invite her mother. Delores might enjoy seeing the old decorations again. And perhaps Carrie might like to join her, and…

“What?” Norman asked, watching the play of expressions across Hannah’s face.

“I’m thinking about inviting you and the mothers to help me trim the tree. That way we can see if your mother gives an excuse and turns down the invitation.”

“That’s a good idea! Why don’t you call my mother first? Then, if she says she can’t make it, you don’t have to upset Moishe by inviting
your
mother.”

“Genius!” Hannah gave him a fond pat on the shoulder. Delores was not one of Moishe’s favorite people and Hannah’s mother had a drawer full of shredded hosiery to prove it.

Norman listened while Hannah made the call. When she hung up, he asked, “What excuse did she give?”

“She said she’d love to come over, but she promised to fill in for one of the women at bridge club.”

Norman began to frown. “That’s crazy. My mother doesn’t know how to play bridge. It’s a family joke. She’s so horrible at cards, no one ever suggested playing anything.”

“Maybe she just didn’t feel like decorating my tree.” Hannah thought for a moment and then she turned to Norman again. “Why don’t you call and invite her to something she likes to do? Then we can see if she gives you the same excuse?”

“Good idea.” Norman pulled out his cell phone and dialed. A moment later he had his mother on the line. “How about dinner at the Inn tonight? Sally’s making your favorite Pasta Porcini.”

Hannah watched as Norman’s eyebrows shot up. “Sure, Mother. I understand.” He chatted for a moment longer, said goodbye, and clicked off his phone.

“Well?” Hannah asked after Norman had slipped his cell phone in his pocket.

“She can’t make it. How about going out to dinner with me, Hannah? Sally really
is
making Pasta Porcini. I was planning to invite you to dinner so I called out there to check on the specials. And after dinner, we can we can trim your tree, just the two of us.”

“That sounds good to me,” Hannah told him, partially because Norman still looked upset and partially because she loved Sally’s pasta dishes. “Did your mother tell you she was filling in at bridge club?”

“No. She told me she’d really like to go out to dinner with me, but she promised to go to the movies with a friend.”

“Not bridge?”

Norman shook his head. “Not bridge. Something’s definitely up, Hannah. My mother lied to both of us and she’s never done anything like that before.”

Hannah had just picked up Norman’s dishes and wiped down the counter when Mike walked in the door. “I came to taste that plum pudding of yours,” he announced, taking a seat at the counter. “I just ran into Norman on the street and he said it was great.”

“You didn’t mention anything about his mother, did you?” Hannah asked, pouring a cup of coffee for him.

“Of course not. Besides, it looks like she actually bought all that stuff at the mall.”

“How do you know that?” Hannah heated a slice of plum pudding in the microwave and served it to Mike.

“I checked with a couple of stores this morning. Some of them keep electronic inventories and nothing was missing from their stock.” Mike took a bite of his Minnesota Plum Pudding and gave her the thumbs-up sign. “Excellent!” he said.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Larry’s crazy if he doesn’t want to sell this.” Mike took another bite. “The upshot is, I still don’t know for sure.”

“But I thought you liked it!”

“I do. I wasn’t talking about your plum pudding. I was talking about Carrie.”

“Oh. What about Carrie?”

“I still don’t know if she’s shoplifting or not. It’s possible items are missing from the stores that don’t keep electronic inventories. And I won’t find out about that until Friday.”

An image of Norman’s mother in handcuffs flashed through Hannah’s mind. “What are you going to do if Carrie really
is
shoplifting?”

“That’s a tough call.” Mike sighed deeply. “Norman’s a friend, and I like Carrie, too.”

“But you’d go by the book?” Hannah guessed.

“Yes.
Strictly
by the book. That means I can’t arrest her unless I catch her red-handed, or she’s captured on surveillance tape.”

“But you haven’t caught her either way…right?”

“That’s right, so I can give her the benefit of the doubt. If any inventory is missing and she’s implicated, I’ll talk to her privately and tell her that if she wants to make restitution, I’ll arrange for her to do it anonymously. Of course I’ll want her to promise not to do it again. And if she’s got some kind of psychological problem, I’ll give her a list of places she can go to get help.”

“You’re a good man, Mike.” Hannah walked around the counter to give him a little hug.

Mike turned to grin at her. “Thanks. Does that mean I get a second helping of plum pudding?”