Plum Pudding Murder (11 page)

A groan worthy of a rudely awakened hibernating bruin emerged from Hannah’s throat. As she stood there watching in dismay, the rest of the water saturated the fibers of her rug, seeped through the pad under her carpet, dripped past the joists that separated her apartment from her downstairs neighbors, and soaked the insulation and drywall that rested immediately above Phil and Sue Plotnik’s living room ceiling.

Hannah ran to the laundry room for a stack of towels and spread them out over the puddle. She patted them down, hoping she could soak up some of the moisture, and then she made her unsteady way to the kitchen for a wake-up dose of caffeine. Coffee would help and perhaps all this was a bad dream.

As she opened the cupboard and stared at the array of coffee mugs that awaited her, Hannah tried to convince herself that she was still fast asleep and merely dreaming that she was in her kitchen, choosing a coffee mug for the morning. She got out her favorite, the one that bore the words, That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles, and carried it over to the coffee pot. It was amazing how realistic a dream could be. She could almost feel the weight of the mug in her hand and hear the clink as she set it down on the counter to pour herself a cup of liquid caffeine.

Hannah stood there and took the first scalding sip. And at that instant, she knew that this was not a dream. Moishe really had tipped over the tree, it had probably soaked through the floor and ruined Sue and Phil’s new carpet, and her name was mud with her downstairs neighbors. She knew this for a fact because she’d just scalded her tongue and it hurt like blazes.

Hannah was waiting for her first attempt at plum pudding to come out of the oven when Lisa came in the backdoor.

“Hi, Hannah. It’s sure is cold out there!”

Lisa was smiling a smile that stretched all the way back to a tooth number that Hannah didn’t know, but Norman would probably agree that it was a molar. “You look happy,” Hannah said.

“I am. Herb and Mayor Bascomb decided not to stay over to fish. They’re coming back this afternoon.”

“That’s good.”

“It’s better than good. It’s great. I brought you a loaf of Pork and Beans Bread. Do you want to try a slice? It’s really good toasted and buttered.”

“I’d love to try it. I’m hungry this morning.”

It didn’t take long for Lisa to slice the bread, pop it in the toaster, and butter it. She brought it to Hannah, along with a fresh mug of coffee. “Now pretend you don’t know what’s in it and see if you’d be able to tell by just tasting.”

“Pretend I don’t know? That’s a little like un-eating a cookie, isn’t it?”

“I guess,” Lisa gave a little shrug. “I probably shouldn’t have told you in the first place. Then I could have asked you to guess.”

“That’s okay. We’ll try it out on the first person who comes through the door and see if they can guess.”

“Good idea. But I want to know what you think.”

Hannah took a bite and was amazed at the nutty, spicy flavor. It reminded her a bit of banana or date bread, but the texture was less cakelike. Lisa’s bread was delicious and if she hadn’t known it was made with pork and beans, she was almost certain she wouldn’t have guessed.

“What do you think?” Lisa asked, clearly eager for Hannah’s opinion.

“Delicious. I want the recipe.”

“You’ve got it.” Lisa opened her purse and drew out a recipe card. “I knew you’d want it so I copied for you early this morning.”

Hannah turned to study her young partner’s face. There were dark circles under Lisa’s eyes. “How early?”

“It was about one o’clock I think. Once Herb left, I couldn’t get to sleep. The house was so empty with him gone. It’s not that I’m afraid of being by myself. It’s just that I’m lonely.” Lisa stopped talking and turned to Hannah. “How do you deal with that anyway?”

If that question had come from anyone else, Hannah might have taken offense. But Lisa was waiting for an answer, and she looked as if she really wanted to know. “I have Moishe,” Hannah said, not mentioning that there were times, like this morning, when she wasn’t sure if that was a curse or a blessing.

“Of course you do!” Lisa looked as if someone had handed her a wonderful present. “I never thought of that! You’re never alone, not really. Herb and I need to get a dog.”

Hannah was silent for a moment. She really shouldn’t interfere. Lisa and Herb had their own lives and it wasn’t up to her to offer advice. But aside from all that, she simply had to give her opinion. “Good idea!” she said. “Bill’s dad just had puppies, and…”

Lisa cracked up and that made Hannah realize what she’d just said. “Okay. That didn’t come out right. Bill’s dad has a dog named Flopsy and she had puppies two months ago.”

“Flopsy?” Lisa looked confused. “Isn’t that the name of a bunny in Peter Rabbit?”

“Yes, but this Flopsy isn’t a rabbit. She’s a yellow lab. Bill’s mother named her Flopsy because her ears flop all over the place when she runs.”

“Oh. That makes sense, I guess. But yellow labs are pretty big. Does that mean that Flopsy’s puppies will be big when they grow up?”

“Not necessarily. Bill’s dad thinks the father is his neighbor’s Jack Russell terrier.”

“Like the one that was on Frasier?”

Hannah nodded and waited for the next question. It was bound to come. Lisa had been raised around farmers.

“But…a terrier like that is pretty small. And a yellow lab is big. How…?”

“Don’t ask me, but it happened,” Hannah told her. “Andrea asked Dr. Bob, and he said he thought a staircase must have been involved.”

Lisa sank down on one of the stools at the stainless steel worktable and chortled a bit. When she was through, she wiped her eyes and asked, “Dr. Hagaman didn’t go into any details?”

“No. I think he figured that Andrea was a married woman and she could use her imagination. They’ve already found homes for all the puppies except one, and he’s yours if you want him. He’s really cute. Andrea showed me some pictures.”

“Can I see them?”

“Yes. I’ll call Andrea and tell her to bring them in. Bill went out there and snapped a few photos. I’m pretty sure he thought Tracey was ready for a puppy, but Andrea’s still holding out.”

“That could be lucky for us. Herb really wants a dog.” Lisa thought about it for a moment and then she smiled. “Do you think Andrea could come by this morning?”

“I’m almost certain she can. She should be about ready to drive to Tracey’s classroom with the tree she picked out last night. Do you want me to ask her to stop on the way back?”

“That would be perfect.” Lisa turned toward the ovens. “What smells so good?”

“Plum pudding. I promised Larry Jaeger I’d take him a sample when I deliver his cookies this afternoon.” Hannah waited for the question and when it didn’t come, she added, “He increased his order, by the way.”

“That’s wonderful! You’re a good salesman, Hannah.” Lisa turned back from the kitchen coffeepot where she was pouring herself a cup. “Does your plum pudding have plums in it? The English one doesn’t, you know.”

“I know. Mine is different from the English pudding. I actually used purple plums.”

“Oh, good! I tasted the other kind and I didn’t like it. Marge bought some in a can last year and it was even worse than canned fruitcake.” Lisa gave a little shudder at the memory. “What cookies does Larry want for his extras?”

“Ginger cookies,” Hannah named one of the cookies that Larry had requested. “I thought we’d use Lois Brown’s Frosted Ginger Cookie recipe. And until Larry decides if he wants the plum pudding, we’ll fill in with more Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies.”

“Do you have the recipe printed out for the ginger cookies?”

“Right here.” Hannah handed her a sheet of paper.

“I’ll get the ingredients,” Lisa said, and headed off to the pantry. She opened the door and was about to enter when she turned back. “Do you know there’s only ten shopping days left until Christmas?”

“No.”

“I heard it on KCOW radio this morning. Do you have all your shopping done?”

“I do. I took Mother’s advice and did it before Thanksgiving.”

“That’s great. I’m through, too.” Lisa disappeared inside the pantry, but she stuck her head out again. “Do you think you could call Andrea now? The more I think about it, the more I want that puppy. Herb’s been talking about getting a dog to make rounds with him, and he’s really good with animals.”

“If he runs true to his heritage, this pup should be easy to train,” Hannah said. “Jack Russells are smart little dogs, and yellow labs are loyal and want to please their owners.”

“That’s true. Of course Herb can’t take the puppy to work until he’s trained, and I wouldn’t want to leave him home alone. Do you think I could bring him down here on a leash in the kitchen until he’s settled in?”

“That’s fine with me,” Hannah said, without a second thought for the health board or the city regulations. There were ways around those and she would find them. “If you decide to adopt the little guy, I’ll support you all the way.”

“Oh, he’s so cute!” Lisa smiled down at the pictures Andrea had spread out on the kitchen counter. “I know I should wait for Herb to get back, but I’m almost positive he’ll want him.”

“Do you want to call and talk to him about it?” Andrea asked.

“I’d like to, but he didn’t take his cell phone with him. He thought I might need it while he was gone.”

“That’s not a problem.” Andrea pulled out her cell phone and hit a number. “I’ll call Bill. He’ll have Mayor Bascomb’s cell phone number.”

There were times when the electronic age was wonderful. Hannah admired the efficient way Andrea obtained the mayor’s number and dialed it for Lisa. In less than a minute, Herb was on the phone talking to his wife. Of course Andrea had plenty of good reasons for wanting Lisa to take the puppy. Muddy footprints all over the sparkling white tile in her kitchen, a doggy entrance to the backyard that would have to be cut into the new designer door she’d just ordered for the kitchen, and accidents on her ice-blue living room rug were only three of those reasons.

“Then you really don’t mind?” Lisa asked, and the answer she received caused a huge smile to spread over her pretty face. She listened for a moment and then she blushed. “I miss you too, honey. What time do you think you’ll get here?”

Andrea nudged Hannah and they grinned at the way things were going. Hannah was happy that Lisa was getting a nice companion for the times that Herb worked late. Andrea was happy that she wouldn’t have dog walking duty in the dead of winter.

“Okay. I’ll see you before we close then. Hannah made plum pudding and I’ll save you a piece.” There was silence for a moment and then Lisa laughed. “Not that plum pudding. Hers has real plums in it and it smells divine. I’ll wait until you get here and have a slice with you.”

Andrea had just put her phone in the outside pocket of her purse when the front door opened and Delores came in. “Hello, dears!” she said, hanging her white leather, fleece-lined coat on the rack.

“Hello, Mother,” Hannah and Andrea responded, almost in unison.

“Hi, Mrs. Swensen,” Lisa chimed in.

“You don’t have to call me Mrs. Swensen. Delores will do just fine. And if that makes you uncomfortable, you can call me Mother, too.” Delores gave Lisa a smile. “Now what cookies do you recommend for a tired old woman this morning?”

“We just made a dozen batches of Frosted Ginger Cookies,” Lisa told her. “How about a couple of those?”

“Perfect.”

Hannah was disturbed by the phrase a tired old woman, especially since it had come from the mother who would rather endure torture than admit she was over fifty. “What’s wrong, Mother?” she asked, the moment that Lisa had left for the kitchen to fetch the ginger cookies.

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.”