Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Are you talking about the club at Trudi’s fabric store?” Hannah asked her.

  “Yes,” Carrie said.

  Hannah smiled. “I know. We’re catering your lunch.”

  “Oh, good!” Carrie looked delighted at that news. “What are we having, Hannah?”

  “Deli Brunch Bake, and Easter Bunny’s Favorite Pie Squares for dessert.”

  “Ooh! That sounds wonderful! Are you going to be there, dear?”

  “Yes, I’m helping with the catering. We’re just going to run everything down to Trudi’s store and serve it.”

  “Then I’ll see you later, Hannah,” Carrie said, going to the table to give Earl a pat on the shoulder. “You don’t mind if I go upstairs now, do you, Earl?”

  “Go ahead, honey,” Earl said quickly. “Come down when you’re ready and have one of Hannah’s Hot Cross Buns before you go.”

  “I’ll do that,” Carrie said, giving Hannah a smile. “Thanks for bringing them, Hannah. I was just telling Earl that I wish I’d baked something to serve with coffee, and you brought enough for all of us. Do they need to be heated?”

  Hannah nodded. “They’d be better that way, but I can do it in your microwave. Go get ready for your meeting, Carrie. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll come down when I’m ready and have a bun with you before I leave. Thank you, Hannah.”

  “All right,” Earl said, when Hannah had heated up her Hot Cross Buns and brought them to the table. “I know that you have questions, so ask away and I’ll do my best to answer them.”

  “Have a couple of these buns first, Earl,” Hannah invited, passing the platter to him. “I’ve had plenty already, but I want to know how you like them.”

  Once Earl had eaten two of her buns, Hannah flipped to the page of questions she’d written in her murder book earlier. “Did you like the buns?” she asked Earl.

  “You bet I did!” Earl said, reaching for a third. “They’re excellent, Hannah. You really should try these out down at The Cookie Jar. I think a lot of people would order them for Easter breakfast. That powdered sugar frosting is great. There’s just enough so they’re not too sweet. And the raisins are a nice touch. I’d like to place an order right now for Easter. Carrie’s planning on having an Easter dinner, and you and Norman are invited.”

  Hannah glanced at Norman, who gave a little nod, and then she turned back to Earl. “That sounds wonderful. What time is Carrie thinking of serving?”

  “She thought around six. That’ll give her time after church to get things ready. I’m going to order two dozen of these right now. Carrie’s going to serve lamb, and your Hot Cross Buns will be perfect with that.”

  “Who else is coming?” Norman asked.

  “Delores and Doc are coming, and Carrie is going to invite Michelle and Lonnie, too.”

  “How about Mike?” Norman asked.

  “He’s driving out to his sister’s house for Easter,” Earl told him.

  “That’s probably a good thing,” Norman said, winking at Hannah. “If Mike were coming, you’d have to order three dozen Hot Cross Buns.”

  Earl laughed. “You’re right. I’ve never seen anyone eat as much as Mike can put away.” Then he glanced at Hannah and smiled. “Go ahead and ask your questions.”

  “Thanks, Earl,” Hannah said, referring to her list. “I’d like to ask you about that vehicle footprint you saw next to Herb’s car the night that Mayor Bascomb was murdered.”

  Earl looked a bit embarrassed. “I had no idea it would be important, Hannah. If I’d known, I would have paid more attention to it. I just noticed that someone had been parked there, and it was a large vehicle.”

  “The size of an SUV?” Norman asked him.

  “Yes, a big one. Maybe a van or a full-sized SUV bigger than Herb’s Cadillac, anyway.”

  “Did you notice anything else about the spot?” Hannah asked him.

  “Like what?”

  “Like . . . a cigarette butt outside the window. Or a wad of gum, or a Kleenex on the asphalt.”

  Earl shook his head. “Not really. It was just there. When Herb and I were standing there, the snow started to fall faster and it began to get covered with . . .” Earl stopped speaking and gave a little nod. “I did notice the oil.”

  “The oil?” Hannah asked him.

  “Yes, there was an oil spot in the snow . . . at least it looked like oil to me. I think the car was leaking oil.”

  “That car? Or somebody that parked there before?” Norman asked.

  “That car. The oil wasn’t entirely covered with snow yet, and it still looked as if it had just leaked out. I’m pretty sure it was from that vehicle, Norman.”

  “And you’re pretty sure it was oil?” Norman asked.

  Earl took a minute to think about that. “Not really. I thought it was oil, but it could have been something else.”

  “Like transmission fluid or brake fluid?” Norman suggested.

  “That would be possible,” Earl admitted.

  “Really?” Hannah was surprised. “I thought all those fluids were different colors.”

  “They are when they’re new,” Norman told her, “but eventually, they get dirty and break down in your car. When that happens, they lose their original color and begin to turn brown.”

  Earl looked impressed. “How did you know that, Norman?”

  “I hung out in the pit a lot when I was racing,” Norman told him. “We talked about things like that.”

  Earl gave a little nod. “Of course! Carrie told me that you used to race. You might not know this, but she was scared to death that you’d crash.”

  “Really?” It was Norman’s turn to look surprised. “But Mom and Dad came to every race. I thought they enjoyed it.”

  “Your dad might have, but your mother was a bundle of nerves.”

  “She never told me that.”

  “Of course not. She didn’t want to spoil your fun. She told me that you were always happiest on stock car race Sundays.”

  “I was,” Norman agreed. “I loved it, but I might have backed off a bit if I’d known that she was so nervous.”

  It was time to get back to the matter at hand and Hannah knew it. “You got a good look at that fluid spill, didn’t you, Earl?” she asked him.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Was this oil brown?” Hannah asked the obvious question.

  Ear nodded. “It was almost black. Whoever owned that vehicle was definitely due for an oil change and full servicing. Have you ever had an oil leak, Hannah?”

  Hannah nodded. “Yes, my Suburban is old and every once in a while it leaves oil drips in my parking spot at the condo. Then I have to take it in to the garage to see what’s wrong. Luckily, it hasn’t ever been anything really serious, and Cyril always takes care of it for me.”

  Earl smiled. “Cyril takes care of all those things for almost everyone in town.”

  Hannah and Norman made conversation with Earl for another few minutes, and then Norman stood up. “We’d better go, Earl. Tell Mom goodbye from me, will you?”

  “Sure will. Good to see you, son. Don’t be a stranger now, you hear?”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t be. Mom is a really good cook.”

  “Don’t I know it!” Earl said, patting his stomach. “Did she overfeed your father like that?”

  “Of course she did. Mom overfeeds everybody. She takes after somebody else I know.”

  Hannah laughed as Norman turned to look at her. “I’m afraid it’s a family trait. And I’m not even a member of your family.”

  “You never know. You might be someday,” Earl said, and then he looked a bit embarrassed. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

  “It’s okay, Earl,” Hannah reassured him. “Anybody who’s a member of your family is a very lucky person. Hey, when do I get to drive the snowplow?”

  Earl laughed. “Oh boy! I don’t know if I’ll be teaching anyone else to drive the snowplow. Don’t tell Carrie I told you, but
the last time I let her drive, she went in the ditch out by Homer Johnson’s farm. Took Homer and me a couple of hours to get it back on the road.” He turned to Norman. “I hope you don’t have aspirations as far as the snowplow goes, Norman.”

  “Never,” Norman said. “One dive in the ditch is all you need from the Rhodes family!”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Cyril’s Garage?” Norman asked as he pulled out on the country road that ran past Earl and his mother’s house.

  Hannah glanced at her watch. “I wish we could, but I have to get to The Cookie Jar.”

  “But Lisa, Aunt Nancy, and Marge baked all of the cookies they needed this morning, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, they did. But I said I’d make the Deli Brunch Bake for Trudi’s Quilting Circle. And I just told Carrie that I’m going to bring Easter Bunny’s Favorite Pie Squares for dessert.”

  “And you weren’t planning on baking those this morning?”

  Hannah shook her head, and then she gave a long sigh. “This case is getting to me, Norman. I forgot all about Trudi’s Quilting Circle until Carrie mentioned it.”

  “You had a lot on your mind, Hannah.”

  “I know, but that’s no excuse. I think I’d better start keeping another calendar in my purse to remind me of my baking commitments. It’s going to be busy this Easter and I don’t want to forget to bake something.”

  “Good idea,” Norman agreed. “I’ve got some personal datebook calendars left at the clinic.”

  Hannah began to smile. “The ones that say Rhodes Dental Clinic and have that little place for a flat ballpoint pen?”

  “That’s right. We’ll stop there and I’ll get a couple for you. It wouldn’t hurt to give one to Lisa, Aunt Nancy, and Marge. Then you all can sit down over coffee every Monday morning and write down the catering jobs you’ve booked.”

  “That would be wonderful! Do you have an extra for Andrea? I want her to help me with the catering, too.”

  “I think so. We’ll stop at the clinic and I’ll run in to get them. And then, if you want me to, I can help you in the kitchen this morning.”

  “I want you to,” Hannah said immediately. “Andrea’s gotten really good at gathering up ingredients and helping me fill cupcake papers with batter, but I know she’s never made a luncheon bake before.”

  “I haven’t, either, Hannah.”

  “I know that, but you’re a natural. Andrea’s doing great as far as helping me goes, but she’s not a natural baker like you are.”

  Norman looked pleased. “Thank you, Hannah.”

  “I’ll never forget the first time you baked for me,” Hannah told him. “You made popovers and filled them with . . . I think it was your chicken salad. Is that right?”

  Norman gave a little shrug. “I really don’t remember, Hannah. That was a long time ago. I remember making the popovers, though. They were tricky to do at first.”

  “Did you use my recipe for Bernadette’s Popovers?”

  “Yes, I just wasn’t sure how brown they should get in the oven, so I took them out a little too early. The next batch I made was a lot better because I let them brown up longer.”

  “Well, you certainly perfected them,” Hannah said. “They were really good!”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes, Hannah lost in thoughts about Mayor Bascomb’s murder, and Norman lost in his own private thoughts. Hannah didn’t speak until Norman pulled up outside his dental clinic.

  “Do you want me to come in with you and help you find your calendars?”

  “No, that’s okay. I know exactly where they are. I just put them away yesterday afternoon. I’ll leave the car running so you don’t get cold, Hannah.”

  Hannah leaned back and watched the cars that drove down Main Street. There was quite a bit of traffic in downtown Lake Eden this morning, and she hoped that there had been a good turnout of customers at The Cookie Jar. Quite a few people came in to pick up cookies to serve for their coffee break at work, and others just wanted a quick cup of hot coffee and a cookie to tide them over until lunch. She was sitting there in Norman’s comfortably warm car, watching life in Lake Eden pass by, when Andrea drove up in her SUV, parked next to Norman’s car, and rolled down her window.

  “Hannah?” Andrea called out, motioning to Hannah to roll down her window. “What are you doing here?”

  “Waiting for Norman to come out. He’s bringing me some individual calendars so we can all keep track of our Easter catering.”

  Andrea looked pleased. “Great idea. Will I have one, too?”

  “Of course,” Hannah said quickly, willing to give hers up if Norman didn’t bring enough.

  “Oh, good! I’ll run ahead and park next to your spot in back if that’s okay.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes, Andrea. Norman’s going to help us this morning, too.”

  “Doc Bennett’s working for him again?” Andrea asked her.

  “Yes, Norman says Doc Bennett wants to go on another cruise, and he’s eager to earn the money.”

  Andrea laughed. “Of course he wants to go on another cruise. Not only does he get out of the cold, he’s got his pick of the single women that go on cruises together. He told Bill that he’s a very popular dance partner now that Danielle helped him polish his skills in one of her adult dance classes.”

  “Hello, Andrea,” Norman greeted her as he came out of his clinic. “Are you coming to The Cookie Jar?”

  “Yes. Did you find a calendar for me, Norman?”

  Norman patted his parka pocket. “I certainly did. I’ve got one for everyone and a few more. Did Hannah tell you what she’s going to do with them?”

  “Yes, I’ll see you there, Norman. I want to get there first and make sure they’ve got the kitchen coffeepot going.”

  Norman walked around the car and slid into the driver’s seat. “Andrea seems happy that she’s coming to work for you,” he remarked.

  “I know. She said she needed something to do, and I think she really enjoys learning how to bake.”

  “You tackled something that most people would be afraid to attempt,” Norman said, smiling at her.

  “I know, but Andrea’s a lot better at baking than I thought she’d be. I think she was just afraid to try before.”

  “You’re probably right.” Norman put the car in gear and drove down the street. “She might have been afraid to compete with you, Hannah. You’re such a good baker that you could have intimidated her.”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment. “You could be right,” she admitted. “I don’t think that I’m that good, but everyone else seems to. And Mother always tells me that everything I bake is wonderful. I guess I can see where Andrea didn’t want to be placed in a position where she had to compete with me.”

  “Well, it’s pretty clear that Andrea doesn’t feel that way any longer,” Norman said, pulling into Hannah’s parking space. “I think all the compliments you’ve given her on her Whippersnapper cookies made her much more confident about her baking skills.”

  “I hope so. She really does a great job with those cookies. I never would have thought of all the variations she’s made.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to tell her that some time,” Norman said, getting out of his car and walking around to open Hannah’s passenger door.

  “You’re right,” Hannah told him, taking his arm and getting out of the car. “I wish you’d had siblings, Norman. You would have made a great older brother.”

  “Oh, good! You’re here!” Lisa called out the moment that Hannah and Norman opened the door. “I forgot to remind you that we have a catering job at noon. I was just getting ready to start the preparations unless you . . .”

  “I’ve got it,” Hannah interrupted what she knew would be Lisa’s question about whether she’d remembered their commitment. “Don’t worry, Lisa. I remembered. And I’ll put the Deli Brunch Bake together right now. Do you need Andrea in the coffee shop? Or can you send her back here to help Nor
man and me?”

  “I’ve got Marge here to help today. Andrea’s in the coffee shop and I’ll send her back here,” Lisa said quickly. “Andrea’s really good with the customers, but they just can’t keep from asking her questions about finding Mayor Bascomb in his office. She deals with that very well, but I know that it bothers her.”

  Hannah nodded. “Yes, I’m sure it does. And Andrea’s proving to be a really good helper in the kitchen.”

  “Really?” Lisa looked surprised.

  “Yes, I know that surprises you and I didn’t expect it, either, but Norman thinks that baking the Whippersnapper cookies gave her the confidence to try other things.”

  Lisa thought about that for a moment and then she turned to Norman. “You could be right.”

  “Thanks. Doc Bennett’s taking over for me today, so I’ll help Hannah and Andrea with the baking. What else are we doing for Trudi’s luncheon, Lisa?”

  “Deli Brunch Bake and . . .” She turned to address Hannah. “Did you plan dessert for Trudi before you left last night?”

  “Yes, we’re having Easter Bunny’s Favorite Pie Squares.”

  “We’re all set, then,” Lisa declared, looking pleased at Hannah’s answer. “Is there anything you need me to do to help you?”

  “No, Lisa,” Hannah said with a smile. “Just go tell your story, but send Andrea back here first. We’ll get started on that Deli Brunch Bake.”

  * * *

  It was almost ten thirty when Hannah glanced at the clock. She gave a little sigh and then she turned to Norman. “Would you mind running out to Cyril’s Garage for me, Norman? I still need to make the Crème Fraîche before Andrea and I leave for Trudi’s fabric shop.”

  “No problem,” Norman said, getting up from his stool at the workstation. “Do you have any specific questions you want me to ask him?”

  Hannah shook her head. “You know what to ask. I’ll just leave that to you if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind,” Norman said quickly, and Hannah noticed that he looked pleased. “Do you want me to come back here when I finish at Cyril’s?”