Wedding Cake Murder (23 page)

“How about the Food Channel film crew? Did they like him?”

“Not personally, but he made for a good show. If all the judges are nice, there’s not much controversy. Duquesne provided controversy in spades.”

“What was his personal life like?”

“I don’t know. I only saw him once outside of the competition. He was in the bar when I walked through at the hotel in New York. It looked like he was trying to pick up one of the female . . .” Ross stopped and cleared his throat. “Wait a second. You wouldn’t be asking me all this unless . . . was he
murdered
?”

“Doc hasn’t made it official yet, but I’m pretty sure he was.”

There was silence for a moment and then Ross sighed. “I can’t say that I’m totally surprised. His comments to some of the contestants were a little out of line. I felt really sorry for Brooke Jackman that night in New York. He was really tough on her. And then, when you told me about what Gloria Berkeley did, I figured they deserved each other.” Ross paused and cleared his throat. “Are you okay, Hannah? I can come home early if you need me.”

“Thanks, but I’m okay.” And, the moment she said it, she realized that she was. “Michelle will be here really soon. She just stopped off at Mother’s house to paint a wall.”

“Are you sure? I can ask for time off.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. Michelle and I will be fine. Just maybe . . . possibly . . . come here early tonight?”

“I’ll see you at the condo at five. I love you, Hannah.”

“I love you, too,” Hannah said, and she was smiling as her kitchen timer began to ring and she hurried to take the first two pans of Butterscotch Sugar Cookies out of the oven.

BUTTERSCOTCH SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 cups salted butter
(4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)

1 cup butterscotch chips
(I used Nestle Butterscotch Chips)

2 cups powdered
(confectioner’s)
sugar
(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1 cup white
(granulated)
sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar
(critical!)

1 teaspoon salt

4 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
(not sifted—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

——————————

½ cup white sugar in a bowl for coating the cookie dough balls that you will make.

Melt the butter and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl by putting the chips on the bottom of the bowl and the butter on top of that. Heat for one minute on HIGH, let the bowl sit in the microwave for one minute, and then try to stir it smooth. If you can, you’re done. If you can’t, continue to heat in 30-second increments followed by a standing time of one minute, until you can stir the mixture smooth.
(You can also do this in a saucepan on the stovetop at LOW heat.)

After you have stirred the mixture smooth, set it on the kitchen counter or on a cold burner to cool.

When the mixture has cooled to slightly above room temperature, pour it into a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.

Add the powdered sugar and the white sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Mix in the vanilla extract. Make sure it’s well combined.

Add the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. You don’t have to be precise—just divide your flour into roughly 4 parts.
(One very important reason for adding the flour in increments is so that the whole mountain of flour won’t sit there on top of your bowl and erupt like a volcano all over your kitchen when you try to combine it with all the other ingredients.)

Once the dough has been thoroughly mixed, prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can line them with parchment paper.

Place a half-cup of white sugar in a shallow bowl.

Roll one-inch cookie dough balls with your fingers
. (You can also use a 2-teaspoon scooper to form the dough balls.)

Dip the dough balls in the bowl with the sugar and roll them around until they’re coated.

Hannah’s 1
^st
Note: Work with only two or three cookie dough balls at a time. If you put more than that in the sugar at a time, they may stick together.

Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet, 12 dough balls to a standard-size sheet.

Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula. This will make them bake evenly. If you leave them on the cookie sheet as dough balls, they will flatten out during the baking process, but the insides will be chewy instead of melt-in-your-mouth crispy.

Bake the Butterscotch Sugar Cookies at 325 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.
(Mine took 14 minutes.)

Yield: approximately 5 to 7 dozen fudgy Butterscotch Sugar Cookies.

Lisa’s Note: Herb says these cookies are like potato chips. You can’t eat just one. They also hold up really well if you stick several in around the sides of a dish of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Chapter Seventeen

H
annah had thought it was impossible, but the afternoon had flown by fast. When Michelle had arrived, they’d baked the rest of the Butterscotch Cookie Dough, had a quick cup of coffee, and baked some more. By the time they finished, they had over thirty dozen cookies to take to The Cookie Jar in the morning.

They were sitting on the couch, drinking tall glasses of lemonade when Hannah’s phone rang and she reached out to answer it. “Hello. This is Hannah.”

“Hi, Cookie.”

It was Ross and Hannah began to smile. “Hi, Ross.”

“I just called to tell you that I’m leaving the station now. I’ll see you in about thirty minutes, okay?”

Hannah glanced at the clock on the end table. It was only four in the afternoon. “That’s better than okay. That’s wonderful.”

Hannah knew that if she were a cat, she’d be purring as she said good-bye and hung up the phone. “Ross is on his way,” she told Michelle.

“Good. Is there anything we have to do before he gets here?”

“Yes. I have to put on my dark green sweater and brush my hair.”

“That’s not all,” Michelle said.

“What do you mean?”

“You have to wash your face. You’ve got flour on your nose and there might be some on your left cheek, too.”

It took only ten minutes to wash her face, get into her favorite sweater, and brush her hair. When Hannah returned to the living room, Michelle had switched on the television set and she was watching the Food Channel.

“Nothing about Chef Duquesne yet,” she reported.

“Good.” Hannah picked up her lemonade and took a sip.

“I’m going to run in and take a quick shower,” Michelle said, getting up and heading toward and guest bathroom.

Hannah did her best to relax. She felt a bit like a teenager going on her first date, experiencing a heady combination of nervous energy and extreme anticipation.

The next twenty minutes passed with the speed of a giant tortoise on tranquilizers, but at last there was a knock at her door. Moishe leaped down from her lap, Hannah leaped up from the couch, and both of them ran a foot race to the door. Hannah pulled it open, there were benefits in having opposable thumbs, and threw herself into Ross’s arms. But it wasn’t Ross!

“Mike!” she gasped. “Uh . . . sorry about that. I thought you were Ross. He’s due here any minute.”

“He’s right behind me. He parked in your extra spot. I just left my cruiser at the side of the road.” He gave her a big grin. “And you don’t have to be sorry about hugging me. It’s not like you haven’t done it before.”

For a moment, Hannah was speechless. “But . . .” she began to sputter.

“I know. You’re engaged. Don’t worry, Hannah. I’ll never tell.”

“You’ll never tell what?” Ross asked, coming up the outside staircase.

Mike laughed. “I’ll never tell you how Hannah thought I was you and threw herself in my arms.”

“That’s understandable,” Ross said, arriving at the landing and giving Hannah a hug. “We look so much alike.”

Hannah looked from Ross to Mike and then back to Ross again. Ross was a full four inches shorter than Mike, he had dark hair compared to Mike’s reddish blond, and he had a sophisticated, man-of-the-world look about him, while Mike looked rugged and capable of stopping a fleeing felon by tackling him and rendering him helpless in two seconds flat.

“You’re . . . you’re kidding . . . right?”

“Yes, Cookie. I’m kidding.” Ross turned to grin at Mike. “I guess we should have called her and told her that both of us were coming.”

“That would have been slightly helpful,” Hannah said, recovering her equilibrium. “It’s just that I didn’t expect to see Mike.” She turned to him. “I thought you’d still be out in Sally’s kitchen.”

Mike shook his head. “We cleared it hours ago and the contestants are practicing. The crime scene techs got there fast, and so did the photographer. I told them it was top priority and they were in and out in less than two hours.”

“Because of the Food Channel competition?”

“That’s part of it.”

Moishe made a soft sound of protest and Hannah looked down at him. He was sitting on his haunches staring up at Ross.

“Will you pick up Moishe, Ross. He’s looking up at you pathetically.”

Ross smiled and picked him up, scratching him behind the ears. “Come on, Mike,” he said as he stepped inside the condo. “You’ve already been greeted a little too well by Hannah.”

Mike laughed and followed Ross and Hannah inside. Hannah motioned toward the couch and asked them, “Drinks, anyone?”

“I’ll take a beer if you’ve got it, but I can only have one. I have an active investigation going, and that means I’m on call.”

“I’ll join you in that one beer,” Ross told Mike. Then he turned to Hannah. “Do you need me to run out for more beer?”

“No, I’ve got a twelve-pack in the refrigerator from the last dinner party. Cold Spring Export, if that’s okay.”

“My favorite,” Mike said, which Hannah already knew.

“Fine with me,” Ross agreed, heading for the kitchen. “Sit down, Hannah. I’ll get the beer and pour you a glass of wine. You probably need to relax after the day you’ve had.”

Hannah was about to tell Ross that she was relaxed, now that he was here, but she thought better of it. Perhaps it wouldn’t be right to say that in front of Mike. Instead, she gave Ross a smile and said, “Thank you. That would be nice.”

“Your guy is a real champ,” Mike said, after Ross had left the living room. “Did you notice that big backpack he was wearing?”

“Yes. But why does that backpack make him a champ?”

“Because he’s letting me watch all the footage they shot in New York and here in Lake Eden.”

“So you can get a good grasp on the personality of the victim and how he interacted with everyone in the competition?”

Mike gave her a thumbs-up. “I knew you’d catch on right away. Do you mind if we watch it right here, Hannah?”

“I don’t mind at all!” Hannah said quickly, since that gave her the opportunity to watch it, too.

“I figured that three pairs of eyes would be better than two.”

“How about four pairs of eyes?” Hannah asked.