Christmas Cake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  As she drank her coffee, Hannah thought of other mornings, the mornings she’d spent during her last few months in college. And even though she tried to push the memories out of her mind, she couldn’t help thinking of the last time she’d cooked for the man she’d thought she was going to marry. She’d been so sure, so very sure that he loved her, too.

  They’d talked about getting married in the summer, of buying a house near the campus so that Hannah could finish the last year of her doctorate. They’d planned how, when her thesis was accepted, she would apply for a faculty position and they’d be able to see each other every day on campus. She’d really thought that was what she wanted until the night all her dreams of happiness turned to ashes and she’d discovered what kind of man Assistant Professor Bradford Ramsey really was.

  Don’t think about it! Hannah’s mind warned her. Dwelling on shattered dreams is too painful and it doesn’t do any good. Think about your new career in Lake Eden and how you’ll never have to see Bradford again. Hannah knew that was good advice, but it was difficult to erase all thoughts of the man she’d loved with all her heart.

  “Get busy,” she said aloud as she went to her mother’s refrigerator to take out some of the ingredients she’d purchased at the Red Owl the previous morning. Soon sausage and bacon were sizzling in a frying pan on her mother’s stovetop as Hannah gathered the other ingredients for her burritos.

  Just to make sure that she hadn’t chosen a salsa that was too spicy, Hannah opened the container and tasted it. It had a nice little bite, but not too much heat, and it was perfect for Michelle and Delores.

  Once the bacon slices and sausage patties had cooked through and browned, Hannah removed them from the frying pan and placed them on a plate that she’d lined with several layers of paper towels. She would let the breakfast meat sit for a minute or so and then flip it over so that the paper towels could blot the fat on the other side. Once they had cooled enough to handle, she would crumble the meat and put it aside for her breakfast burritos.

  There was some fat from the bacon and sausage left in the frying pan and Hannah poured it off into a container with a lid and stuck it in the bottom of the refrigerator. She would let it harden and then she’d take it to Grandma Knudson for her winter bird tree. Hannah had helped Grandma Knudson “decorate” her winter bird tree every year in grade school and when they were old enough to help, she’d taken Andrea and Michelle with her. They’d placed fat that they’d saved in little plastic cups that Grandma Knudson helped them hang from the branches. Winter birds needed fat, or what Grandma Knudson called suet, in their diets to survive the sub-zero temperatures that were common in Minnesota winters.

  Once the children who’d helped with the bird tree were back inside the parsonage, they’d sipped hot chocolate and watched the birds fly back to the tree. Grandma Knudson had pointed out some particularly colorful winter birds, and Hannah still remembered the names of some of them. There were red cardinals, black and white downy woodpeckers, purple finches, and white-breasted nuthatches. When visitors came to the parsonage in the winter and looked out the window in Grandma Knudson’s sitting room, they saw the winter bird tree in all its glory, decorated like a Christmas tree with yellow, red, blue, and purple winter birds that were perched on bare black branches like Christmas ornaments, pecking at suet and black sunflower seeds that Grandma Knudson and the local children had hung there for them.

  Hannah used another paper towel to wipe the grease from the frying pan, leaving just a bit for flavor. Then she added a bit of salted butter and prepared to scramble eggs. She broke the eggs into the frying pan, turned it on medium heat, and stirred them with a fork as they cooked. The tines of the fork kept the eggs from sticking together to form large pieces. Instead, the scrambled eggs were crumbly and that was exactly what Hannah needed for her Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Burritos.

  When the bacon and sausage had cooled, Hannah crumbled the pieces into a bowl and went back to the refrigerator for the shredded Mexican cheese that Florence carried in her grocery store. The large flour tortillas were already out on the counter, and Hannah smiled as she began to prepare the burritos.

  Ten minutes later, she was finished. She wrapped each burrito in plastic wrap and stuck them in the refrigerator. She would take off the plastic wrap and rewrap them in paper towels when she heated them in the microwave, but she planned to freeze any leftover burritos after their breakfast was over so that she could serve them for another breakfast.

  As Hannah thought about freezing the burritos, she began to smile. The chest freezer her mother had ordered would be delivered today. She’d make a list of all the baked goods they planned to make for the Christmas Ball dessert buffet, and they’d bake those first and store them in the freezer. She wasn’t sure how a cake frosted with Cool Whip frosting would fare in the freezer since the Cool Whip had already been frozen once, but the frosting was very easy to make. They’d freeze all the cakes they planned to eventually frost with the Cool Whip Frosting, thaw them the morning of the Christmas Ball, frost them, and store them in her walk-in cooler. There was plenty of room on the shelves to hold that many cakes until it was time to transport them to the kitchen at the Albion Hotel.

  Hannah checked the coffeepot, realized that there was more than enough left for breakfast, and poured herself a second cup. As she sat down to drink it, she heard the master bedroom shower running and she knew that her mother would be downstairs in fifteen minutes or so. Michelle was up, too. She always blow-dried her hair and Hannah could hear the hair dryer running upstairs. It wouldn’t be long before both of them came downstairs for breakfast.

  Ten minutes later, Michelle entered the kitchen. She saw Hannah sitting at the kitchen table and smiled. “Good morning, Hannah,” she greeted her older sister. “I bet I know where you’re going today.”

  “And I bet you’re right,” Hannah responded.

  Delores stepped into the kitchen a scant moment later. “I heard that,” she said, and then she turned to Hannah. “Would it be too disappointing to delay your plans for an hour or so, Hannah?”

  “Of course not, Mother,” Hannah responded immediately. “Do you have something you’d like me to do for you?”

  “Not for me, with me. I need to take my car out to Cyril’s Garage and I’d like you to drive your father’s car out there for me.”

  “That’s not a problem, Mother. I’ll be glad to do it.”

  “Is something wrong with your car?” Michelle asked Delores.

  “Not a thing, dear. It’s running perfectly and it’s a year newer than your father’s car.”

  “Then is there something wrong with Dad’s car?” Hannah asked, drawing the obvious conclusion.

  “No, it’s running perfectly, too. I’m just following up on something that Grandma Knudson suggested to me yesterday when I told her about the bakery and your plans to start a business.”

  “What did she suggest?”

  “She asked me if it made me sad to see your father’s car sitting in the garage. I admitted it did, and she suggested that I sell it. That’s why we’re going out to Cyril’s Garage. If you girls don’t have any objections, I’m going to follow Grandma Knudson’s advice.”

  Hannah thought about that for a few moments. “That makes sense,” she said. “You shouldn’t keep it if it makes you feel bad. I’ll be happy to go out to Cyril’s with you.”

  “I’d go, too, but I have to get to school,” Michelle told her. “And I think it’s a good idea to sell it.”

  “Good. Let’s have breakfast, girls. It smells like bacon and sausage, but I don’t see it anywhere. What are we having, Hannah?”

  “Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Burritos. They’re already assembled and they’re in the refrigerator. All I have to do is heat them in the microwave.”

  “I’ll get out the orange juice,” Michelle said, hurrying to the refrigerator.

  Delores went to the cupboard to get a coffee cup. “And I’ll pour the coffee. Would you like a wa
rm-up, Hannah?”

  “Yes, please.” Hannah got up and went to the refrigerator, got out three of the burritos she’d made, unwrapped them from the plastic wrap, and rewrapped them in paper towels so that she could heat them in the microwave.

  A short time later, all three of them were sitting at the kitchen table, eating the burritos that Hannah had made.

  “These are wonderful!” Delores told Hannah. “And they’re so filling that I don’t think I can eat more than . . .” She stopped talking and gave a little laugh. “Second thought, I may have two and skip lunch.”

  “Me too!” Michelle echoed her mother’s sentiments. “You should serve these at The Cookie Jar, Hannah.”

  Hannah shook her head. “And compete with Rose’s breakfast business?”

  “No,” Michelle answered quickly. “You’re right, Hannah. I didn’t think about Rose’s breakfasts at the café. She makes some really good things.”

  Delores nodded as she wiped her mouth. “Yes, she does. Let’s go there tomorrow morning for breakfast so that Hannah can get an early start at the bakery.” She turned to Hannah. “You haven’t been to the café for breakfast since you’ve been home from college, have you, dear?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Then it’s a date,” Delores declared. “And tonight, we’re all going out to the Corner Tavern for hamburgers. I want to give Hannah a break from cooking.” She turned to Michelle. “Invite Lisa for me, will you, dear? I think she said her sister was cooking for Jack this week.”

  “But I’m perfectly willing to . . .” Hannah started to object, but Delores cut her off by holding up her hand for silence.

  “No, dear. You’re going to be busy all day today, learning how to use the appliances down at the bakery. And I haven’t had a Corner Tavern Double-double hamburger for months.” She pushed back her chair and got up from the table. “I’ll pour more coffee for both of us, Hannah. Did you have many leftover breakfast burritos?”

  “Yes, the batch made twenty-four and we only ate six. I thought I’d freeze the rest so that we could have them for snacks for another couple of breakfasts.”

  “What a wonderful idea! If you leave them in the refrigerator, I might be tempted to have another before I leave to see Essie at the hospital. As a matter of fact, I know that’s what I’d do. And then I’d be too full to have a Double-double tonight, and that would be a true tragedy.”

  BACON AND SAUSAGE BREAKFAST BURRITOS

  No need to preheat the oven. These are made on the stovetop.

  1 pound pork breakfast sausage (either links or patties)

  1 pound bacon (regular and NOT thick sliced)

  ½ cup thick, chunky salsa, drained (measure AFTER draining)

  4-ounce can chopped green chilies, drained

  Hot sauce, optional (I used Slap ‘Ya Mama brand hot sauce)

  2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (I used Kraft)

  12 large eggs (Yes, that’s a whole dozen!)

  1 ounce (2 Tablespoons) salted butter

  24 burrito-size flour tortillas

  Salt (as needed)

  Black pepper (as needed)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Choose the spiciness of your salsa according to your family’s preference.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you can’t find shredded Mexican cheese, you can use shredded Italian cheese or shredded cheddar.

  If you bought breakfast sausage patties, cut them into 4 to 6 pieces and place them in the bottom of a large frying pan. If you used sausage links with casings, leave them whole. (You will remove the casings after they are fried and have cooled.)

  Cut each bacon strip into 4 pieces and place them in the frying pan on top of the sausage.

  Fry the sausage pieces and bacon pieces at MEDIUM-HIGH heat, stirring frequently, until the meats are brown and crisp, and can be crumbled when they are cool.

  Take the frying pan off the heat, turn off the hot burner, and use a slotted spoon or slotted spatula to drain the meats onto a platter or a medium-size bowl lined with layers of paper towels.

  Scrape the bottom of the frying pan to remove any bits of meat that may have stuck to the bottom and place it on a cold burner to wait for the eggs you will scramble.

  Carefully (the meats could still be hot) pat the top of the meat with paper towels to blot the grease.

  Wipe out the inside of the pan with paper towels. (Be careful! The pan will be as hot as the meats were when you blotted them!)

  If you haven’t done so already, drain the salsa in a strainer, pat it dry with a paper towel, and measure out ½ cup. Place the drained salsa in a small bowl on the counter.

  Open the can of chopped green chilies and use the strainer again to drain them. Dry them with a paper towel and then add them to the salsa in the bowl. Stir the contents of the small bowl together.

  Taste the salsa and green chili mixture. If it’s not spicy enough for your family, add a few drops of hot sauce.

  When the pieces of meat are cool enough to crumble, remove the paper towels from the platter or bowl and use your impeccably clean fingers to crumble the meat.

  After your meats are crumbled, stir in the cheese.

  Add the salsa and green chili mixture to the bowl with the meat and the cheese mixture.

  Crack all twelve eggs into another bowl and use a whisk to beat them into a smooth mixture that is uniform in color. Let them sit on the counter while you prepare the frying pan.

  Place one ounce of salted butter in the frying pan you used for the bacon and sausage. Set the frying pan on the burner again and turn it on MEDIUM heat to melt the butter.

  Spread the melted butter around on the bottom of the pan with a spatula or a wooden spoon so that the entire bottom is coated with butter.

  Give the eggs a final stir with the whisk and then pour them into the frying pan.

  Scramble the eggs until they are thoroughly cooked.

  Move the frying pan to a cold burner, shut off the stove, and stir the meat, cheese, salsa, and green chili mixture into the scrambled eggs.

  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

  Take the flour tortillas out of the package and wrap them in paper towels. Heat them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until they are warm and you can bend them without breaking them.

  Spread out a sheet of plastic wrap on your counter. It should be about 12 inches long when you tear it off the roll.

  Center a tortilla on the sheet of plastic wrap.

  Place ½ cup of your filling (that’s the egg, meat, cheese, salsa, and green chili mixture) in the center of the tortilla.

  Pull the bottom edge of your tortilla over the filling and up to meet the top edge. This will roll the filling into the proper place.

  Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling. Then fold the other side of the tortilla over the filling. (The sides will overlap a bit and that’s the way it should be.)

  Starting from the bottom, roll the burrito up tightly, creating a roll that will not leak when you eat it.

  Place another tortilla in the center of the sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it the same way, pulling the bottom sheet up to seal to the top, pulling the sides in to cover the burrito, and then rolling it up to the edge of the plastic wrap.

  When you finish rolling all your Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Burritos, place them in a pan and refrigerate them until you’re ready to heat them in the microwave.

  To serve: Remove the plastic wrapper, rewrap in a paper towel, and heat in the microwave until they’re heated through. Alternatively, you can heat a whole batch that has been refrigerated by removing the plastic wrap, rewrapping in foil, and placing them on a cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

  To freeze for later use: Wrap your burritos in foil, place them in a closeable freezer bag, put them in the freezer, and take them out as you need them.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: Although you can thaw Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Burritos in the microwave once you’ve taken off the foil and
rewrapped them in paper towels, I’ve found it works better if you thaw them on the kitchen counter or in the refrigerator before you rewrap them in paper towels and heating them for breakfast.

  Yield: 24 Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Burritos.

  Chapter Ten

  Alight snow was falling as Hannah followed her mother to Cyril Murphy’s garage. It was located several miles out of town and it had grown both in size and reputation over the years. Now it served the whole Tri-County area, and Cyril had become a highly respected businessman with a reputation for honesty and competence.

  Hannah was careful as she turned off the highway and onto the Winnetka County road that led to the garage. It wasn’t as well-plowed as the highway, and there were a few small snowdrifts in fields and other areas that were not protected from the wind by trees. She passed farms she knew, red barns set back from the road with farmhouses placed in spots that the farmers and their wives considered close enough to the barn to get there in a blizzard, but more scenic.

  She smiled as she spotted Winnie Henderson’s farm. Very few people knew exactly how old Winnie was and if they did know, they didn’t dare say. In that respect, Winnie was a bit like a countrified Delores. Winnie had been a rancher all her life, and her passion was raising and breeding horses. She’d been raised by her father and older brothers and she would tell anyone what she thought about a controversial subject with no punches pulled. Winnie was smart and tough, and she’d outlived multiple husbands. Even though Winnie’s current one was a decade younger than she was, Hannah had no doubt that Winnie would outlive him, too.

  Hannah waved as she recognized the driver of the Winnetka County snowplow that had pulled over to the side of the road to let her mother and her pass. It was Earl Flensburg, one of her father’s friends. He’d looked slightly startled when he’d seen Hannah driving her father’s car, but since her mother never drove it, he probably hadn’t seen it on the road since Lars had died.