Coconut Layer Cake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 Tablespoons heavy cream (that’s whipping cream, but you could also use half-and-half, which is light cream)

  ½ cup sliced almonds (optional—to sprinkle over the top of the cake after you frost it)

  Take your Georgia Peach Cake out of the refrigerator and set it on the kitchen counter.

  To Make the Brown Butter Icing:

  If you used a saucepan to make the Butter Sauce, you already have a medium-size saucepan that you can use. (It doesn’t need to be washed first.)

  If you used the microwave instead, make sure that the saucepan you choose is not colored black or brown inside. (I made that mistake once and I couldn’t see when the butter had browned.)

  Put the ¼ cup (half stick) of salted butter into the medium-size saucepan.

  Place the saucepan on the stovetop and heat it at MEDIUM-HIGH heat. The butter will melt and then it will brown. There’s no need to stir until it begins to turn color.

  When the butter is a nice caramel color (this took about 5 minutes for me), slide the saucepan over to a cold stovetop burner and shut off the burner that you used.

  Stir in the 2 cups of powdered (confectioners’) sugar.

  Put the 2 Tablespoons ( cup) of heavy cream in a small cup and drizzle it in, stirring as you go until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

  This is another one of those wonderful no-fail icings. If it turns out to be too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it turns out to be too thick and stiff, add a bit more cream. Continue to adjust these two ingredients until the frosting is the right consistency to frost your cake.

  Using a frosting knife, spread your frosting all over the top of your cake. Make a smooth and even sheet of frosting.

  If you decided to use the sliced almonds, place them on top of your cake before the frosting hardens.

  Once your cake has been frosted and the frosting has hardened, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

  To serve, cut squares of your cake and remove them from the cake pan with a metal spatula. Place them on dessert plates.

  This cake is very rich and buttery. (There’s almost a whole pound of butter in it!) Serve it with plenty of strong coffee or icy-cold glasses of milk. Anyone who likes peaches and almonds will love your Georgia Peach Cake.

  Yield: Depending on how large you cut the squares of cake, your George Peach Cake will serve from 14 to 18 guests.

  Hannah’s 5th Note: Mother absolutely loves this cake. She’s always been very fond of peaches and she loves things that are flavored with almond. If you bake it and invite Mother, you’d better plan on serving her at least two slices, perhaps three.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hannah glanced at the kitchen clock. She’d worked almost nonstop since they’d left Cyril’s garage. She’d dropped Norman off at his dental clinic so that he could finish his billing for the month, purchased two slow cookers at CostMart before she’d shopped for ingredients at Florence’s Red Owl Grocery, and taken everything up to Doc and her mother’s penthouse at the Albion Hotel. Once there, she started dinner for all of them and hurried back to The Cookie Jar to bake cookies for her customers and dessert for the dinner at the penthouse.

  One glance at the kitchen clock told Hannah that it was almost time for Michelle to come in after her teachers’ meeting at Jordan High. They’d both help out until time to lock up, and then they’d meet the rest of their extended family for dinner at the penthouse.

  The phone rang and Hannah rushed to answer it. “The Cookie Jar. This is Hannah speaking,” she greeted the caller.

  “Hi, Hannah, it’s Norman. I’m here and your mother’s flight is about to land. Is there anything you want me to stop and buy before we get back to Lake Eden?”

  “I don’t think so. I shopped at the Red Owl this morning.”

  “What are we having for dinner?”

  Hannah laughed. “You’re beginning to sound like Mike. And when I tell him, he always says, Good, that’s my favorite! Whether he’s ever had it or not.”

  “Sorry about that, but what are we having for dinner?”

  “Lemon Glazed Chicken Breasts over Tracey’s favorite rice.”

  “That’s my favorite!” Norman said quickly, and waited until Hannah rewarded him with a laugh. “Who’s coming for dinner? When we get back to Lake Eden, I’ll drop your mother off at the Albion, and then I’ll pick up wine to have with dinner. If it’s chicken, I guess it should be white wine?”

  “That’s traditional, but you’d better pick up a bottle of red, too. Lonnie likes red, and so does Doc. Mother will probably want champagne, but she’s got at least three bottles in her office refrigerator and another in the refrigerator in the kitchen. I checked.”

  “Okay. That’s all I need to know. I’m going straight down to baggage so I can meet your mother and carry her suitcases to the car.”

  “You’re going to drop Mother off at the penthouse before you get the wine?”

  “Yes, I thought she might want to freshen up and change clothes before everyone else arrives for dinner.”

  “You’re right. Once you pick up the wine, you can come back to the penthouse and keep me company while I do some last-minute things.”

  “I’ll do that. Maybe I can help you.”

  “You certainly can. . . .” Hannah gave a little laugh. “You can take Mother to the garden, give her a glass of champagne, and keep her company.”

  “In other words, you want me to keep your mother out of the kitchen?”

  “Exactly right. Michelle and I can handle things in there.”

  “Okay. I can entertain your mother with a PowerPoint presentation on gum disease.”

  Hannah laughed so hard, she sputtered. “Don’t do that! You know how squeamish Mother is. She won’t even look at raw beef liver.”

  “I thought your mother liked liver.”

  “She loves it, but she doesn’t want to see it unless it’s cooked with onions and bacon on top. And forget about clams or oysters on the half-shell. Just do me a favor and leave your laptop in the car. I want Mother to enjoy my Lemon Glazed Chicken Breasts.”

  * * *

  Hannah had just seated herself on a stool at the work station with a final cup of coffee before she washed the kitchen coffeepot, when there was a knock at the back kitchen door. The minute she heard it, she began to smile. It was an authoritative knock, a no-nonsense summons that fairly screamed her visitor’s identity. It was Mike, and he probably wanted a snack before he arrived at the penthouse for dinner.

  “Hi, Mike,” she said even before she opened the door.

  “You forgot to check the peephole,” Mike accused her as he walked into the kitchen.

  “I didn’t have to check the peephole. I knew it was you from your knock.”

  “Someone else could have heard my knock and duplicated it. Never assume, Hannah.”

  “You’re right,” Hannah said, even though she thought he was being more than a little too cautious. “Would you like coffee, Mike?”

  “Sure. Do you have anything to go with it?”

  “I bake for a living, Mike. Of course I have something to go with your coffee.”

  Mike gave her the sexy grin that always caused her mouth to go dry, her knees to turn weak, and her heart to beat faster. Even more dangerously, it brought forth memories of the first time he’d kissed her, and that made her blush.

  “Just teasing, Hannah,” Mike said. “I figured you had to have something good left. It’s a long time since lunch, and I don’t think I could make it to dinnertime without something to tide me over.”

  Hannah smiled. Mike’s idea of something to tide him over was probably a thick ribeye steak with garlic bread and a banana split to finish things off. “I’ll fix a plate of cookies for you,” she promised, heading for the box with leftover cookies that she’d placed on the counter, lifting the lid and taking an inventory of what was inside.

  “I’ve got Che
rry Pineapple Drops, Fudge-Aroons, Cashew Crisps, Lemon Softies, Black and Whites, Rocky Road Bars, or Chips Galore.”

  “Sounds good,” Mike said, giving her a nod. “No way I can choose, so I guess you can give me one of each, maybe two. You make the best cookies, Hannah.”

  Hannah grabbed a plate and kept her face turned away from Mike as she filled it with cookies. She had all she could do to keep from laughing. She should have known that Mike would want to taste them all.

  “Wow!” Mike said, when Hannah arrived at the work station with a full plate of cookies. “These really look good! Did you go out to Cyril’s to find out about Darcy’s car?”

  “Yes,” Hannah answered, taking the stool across from him and picking up her coffee mug. “Norman went with me. Cyril told us he thought two separate people had tampered with Darcy’s car and what he said made sense. I’ll tell you all about his reasoning tonight. He also said that it wasn’t permanently damaged and he could fix it in a couple of minutes.”

  “Did they tow it in from Darcy’s house?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No, from the DelRay employee parking lot. Darcy called the auto club and had them tow her car directly to Cyril’s garage.”

  “So you’re going to follow up at DelRay to see if anyone there had a grudge against Darcy?”

  “Of course. I’m going to go out there tomorrow morning to talk to Darcy’s co-workers.”

  “Good. No sense in wasting your time talking to the wrong people. What time is dinner, Hannah?”

  “At seven-thirty. Michelle and I wanted to give Mother a little time to relax first, but you can come early, Mike,” Hannah said quickly. “We’ll be there.”

  Mike gave a little nod to confirm it. “I guess I could drink champagne, but . . . will there be any beer?”

  “Cold Spring Export. I picked it up at Florence’s this morning. It’s in Mother’s refrigerator, chilling.”

  “Great! That’s my favorite beer, you know!”

  “I do know and that’s why I got it.”

  Mike reached for a Fudge-Aroon Cookie, finished it off in two big bites, and selected a Cashew Crisp. “You’re really good to me, Hannah. Sometimes I wish you’d taken me up on my proposal. If we were married, I’d always have cookies.”

  “Ahh! That must be true love!” Hannah said, somehow managing to keep a straight face.

  Mike stared at her for a second, and then he sighed. “All right. I get it. Maybe I should have phrased that a different way?”

  “Yes. You could have said that if we were married, you’d always have love in your life.”

  Mike considered that for a moment or two, and then he shook his head. “That sounds like a Valentine card. Maybe it’s true, but I wouldn’t say anything like that.”

  “Then what would you say if I gave you another chance?”

  Mike took a moment and then he smiled. He’d obviously thought of something. “How about this? I could say that if we were married, I’d love you forever.”

  Hannah studied his expression. No smile. No smirk. No glimmer of humor in his eyes. Mike was serious and he deserved a serious answer.

  “I . . . I don’t know what I’d say to that, but . . . I know I’d be grateful, and happy that you felt that way.”

  “And you’d love me forever, too?”

  Hannah was silent. What could she say? This was getting too serious and she wanted to go back to their casual bantering before either one of them said something they’d regret later. It was time for a little light-hearted humor.

  “If you said you’d love me forever, I’d probably ask you if you’d like another cookie,” she answered, hoping that she could make Mike laugh, or at least stop being so serious.

  Mike smiled. “And I’d probably take you up on it since my cookie plate is empty,” he responded.

  “Already?” Hannah asked, gazing down at the empty plate in shock. “You inhaled those cookies, Mike!”

  “That’s the test of a good cookie. Just give me half as many, Hannah. I don’t want to spoil my dinner.”

  * * *

  Hannah and Michelle were sitting at their mother’s kitchen table, having yet another cup of coffee. Dinner was in the crockpot, and the table had been set with their mother’s best china and silver. All preparations had been made, and all they had to do now was wait until Norman got back from the airport with their mother.

  Hannah had just put on a fresh pot of coffee when the doorbell rang. She turned to look at Michelle and saw that her sister was already up and heading for the door.

  “I’ll get it,” Michelle said, hurrying through the doorway. “It’s got to be Mother and Norman.”

  Michelle came back into the kitchen. “They’re here,” she announced, stepping aside so that Hannah could see that Delores had someone with her.

  “Lynne?” Hannah was shocked to see her friend. “I didn’t realize that you were coming back here with Mother!”

  Lynne exchanged conspiratorial glances with Delores. “We wanted to surprise you,” she said.

  “But how about the rest of the packing?”

  “Robby and Maria are taking care of that,” Delores explained. “There’s not that much left, and they’ll call the moving company when they’re through. Lynne’s things should be here in a week or two.”

  “And in the meantime, Delores was kind enough to offer to let me stay in one of her bedrooms, and since I’m staying here . . .” She stopped and turned to Delores.

  “Lynne can help us with the investigation,” Delores added.

  “I’m glad you’re back, Mother,” Hannah told her, getting up to give her mother a hug.

  “Me too, Mother,” Michelle said, following Hannah’s lead.

  “And I’m glad to see you, too.” Hannah turned to Lynne and gave her a hug. “Would either of you like coffee?”

  “No, thank you,” Delores responded immediately. “I had too many cups on the plane.”

  “Thanks, but no,” Lynne said, shaking her head.

  “Where’s Doc?” Delores asked, and it was clear that she was eager to see her husband.

  “In the garden,” Michelle told her. “He’s out there with the champagne bucket and he told me that he was going to pop the cork the minute he sees you.”

  “How lovely!” Delores said, a pleased smile spreading over her face. “I’m going out to have a glass of champagne with my husband. Take your time and freshen up, Lynne. Hannah will show you which bathroom to use. Then I want all of you to come out to the garden to join us.”

  “Mother?” Michelle called her back as Delores was about to go through the kitchen doorway. “I almost forgot. Doc told me that he put two interns and his best nurses on tonight so that he wouldn’t have to go back to the hospital until tomorrow morning.”

  This news brought an even wider smile to their mother’s face as she turned and hurried toward the entrance to the penthouse garden.

  “She’s happy to be home,” Norman commented.

  “Yes, she is,” Michelle said. “And Doc’s happy, too. He told me he hated coming home without Mother here.”

  “I’d call that smile she gave rapturous,” Hannah commented. “It’s nice to see Mother so much in love.”

  “Speaking of that”—Norman turned to Hannah—“I think you and Lynne should give them an evening alone tonight.” He smiled at Lynne. “Hannah’s staying over with me and I have a guest room, Lynne. Will you come out and stay at my house tonight with us?”

  Lynne looked delighted at the suggestion. “Of course I will. That’s a wonderful idea to leave those two lovebirds alone. Thank you for suggesting it, Norman.”

  Norman turned back to Hannah. “As a matter of fact, if you ladies don’t mind, I’ll take Lynne’s suitcases out there right now and come back in time for dinner.” He turned to Michelle. “Is there anything you’d like me to bring back for dinner?”

  “Yes. Bring the cats, both of them. Mother loves to see them play in the garden, and I stopped by the garden center an
d picked up a bag of ladybugs.”

  “So we get to watch Moishe and Cuddles stalk the wild ladybug?” Norman asked.

  Lynne gave a little shudder. “Do they . . . uh . . . eat them?”

  Hannah laughed. “No! The reason it’s so much fun to watch is that neither Moishe nor Cuddles is fast enough to catch them.”

  “I don’t think they’d eat them anyway,” Michelle said with a smile. “They have much more fun pawing at the branches and watching the ladybugs fly away.”

  “You’re right,” Hannah concurred. “Just wait until you see the expressions on Cuddle’s and Moishe’s faces. You can almost hear them thinking, Why do they get to fly?”

  CHOCOLATE SALAMI

  This is a no-bake recipe that is served chilled.

  Ingredients:

  1 and ½ boxes of vanilla wafers (I used Nabisco Nilla Wafers)

  1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound) salted butter

  1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (unsweetened, I used Hershey’s)

  14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk) (I used Eagle Brand)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: You can use any vanilla cookie that is tan or white and will resemble the fat particles in salami or Summer Sausage.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you want to make your own vanilla cookies to crush, I’d suggest Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. They’re delicious and very crushable.

  Use a Ziploc plastic bag to crush your vanilla wafer cookies. Simply dump them into the bag, press the Ziploc strip at the top to lock it, and lay the bag out on your counter. Either take out a rolling pin and crush them, or crush them by squeezing the bag in your hand. Your goal is to get cookie pieces approximately the size of coarse gravel.