Banana Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “I won’t tell another soul! The only reason I told you was because I felt guilty about being mad at Tori when she had all these problems. That wasn’t very nice of me.”

  “You don’t have to feel guilty,” Michelle told her. “Tori doesn’t know you were angry with her. And really, Tricia, it was a natural reaction. I would’ve been angry, too.”

  “Did Tori say anything else before she ended the conversation?” Hannah asked, bringing them back to the important matter at hand.

  “She told the mayor to come over if he wanted to discuss it further, even though it wouldn’t do him any good. And he must have said he was coming because she told him she’d cancel her acting lesson with me. And then Tori said that she could only see him for thirty minutes because she had another appointment that night.”

  “Do you think she did have another appointment?” Michelle asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess it could have been an excuse so the mayor wouldn’t stay any longer than that.”

  Hannah nodded, but she had other suspicions. Tricia had left in time to be at her mother’s house by six-thirty and the Barthels’ farm was approximately twenty minutes from town. If Mayor Bascomb had visited Tori the night she was murdered, he would have left her condo by seven. Tori’s appointment with M. Dumont was scheduled for seven forty-five that evening. It was possible the mayor had stayed longer than his allotted half hour and the screams and gunshot that Delores had heard had been caused by Mayor Bascomb. Of course, it was also possible that Tori had been alive when the mayor had left her and M. Dumont was the killer.

  Hannah decided to think about all that later, and she turned to Tricia with a smile. “Thank you, Tricia. You’ve been very helpful. There’s only one more thing I’d like to know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Did you notice anything unusual in the studio that night?”

  “Not really,” Tricia said. “The studio looked the same as it always does and the stage was set up with a straight-back chair and a couch at the side.”

  “That wasn’t unusual?” Hannah asked her.

  “No. It’s always that way . . . I knew Tori would want me to rehearse my scene the moment she came in, so I took my script down to the couch where she always sits and put it on the coffee table.” Tricia stopped and sighed. “Tori’s really tough about memorizing your lines. She doesn’t want to see anyone even glancing at a script. I wanted her to know that I’d memorized everything, so I left my script down there.”

  “You said you put your script on the coffee table,” Hannah repeated what Tricia had told her. “Was there anything else on the coffee table?”

  Tori looked at her blankly for a moment and then she nodded. “Yes. Tori’s clipboard was there. She has this clipboard with a battery-operated light on it to take notes while I rehearse.”

  “There was nothing on the table except Tori’s lighted clipboard and your script?” Hannah asked, just to be certain.

  “That’s right. And right after I put down my script, I went over to the doorway so I could hear what Tori was saying on the phone.” Tricia paused and looked up at Hannah. “Does what I told you help?”

  “Yes. Thank you, Tricia.”

  “Then you know who did it?”

  “Not yet,” Hannah answered quickly. “But don’t worry, Tricia. Sooner or later, I’ll know.”

  BUTTERSCOTCH CRUNCH COOKIES

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  The following recipe can be doubled if you wish. Do not, however, double the baking soda. Use one and a half teaspoons—2 teaspoons is too much.

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

  2 cups white (granulated) sugar

  3 Tablespoons molasses

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  2 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

  2 cups crushed salted potato chips (measure AFTER crushing) (I used regular, thin, unflavored, salted Lay’s potato chips)

  2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 and ½ cups butterscotch chips (I used Nestlé, a 10-ounce by weight bag, not quite 2 cups, but you can use the whole bag if you like lots of chips)

  Lisa’s 1st Note: The butter in this recipe should be at room temperature unless you have an un-insulated kitchen and it’s winter in the Midwest. Then you’d better soften it a little.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: 5 to 6 cups of whole potato chips will crush into about 2 cups. Crush them by hand in a plastic bag, not with a food processor. They should be the size of coarse gravel when they’re crushed.

  Mix the softened butter with the white sugar and the molasses. Beat them until the mixture is light and fluffy, and the molasses is completely mixed in.

  Add the vanilla and baking soda. Mix them in thoroughly.

  If you haven’t already done so, break the eggs into a glass and whip them up with a fork. Add them to your bowl and mix until they’re thoroughly incorporated.

  Put your potato chips in a closeable plastic bag. Seal it carefully (you don’t want crumbs all over your counter) and place the bag on a flat surface. Get out your rolling pin and roll it over the bag, crushing the potato chips inside. Do this until the pieces resemble coarse gravel. You can also crush them with your hands if you prefer.

  Measure out 2 cups of crushed potato chips and mix them into the dough in your bowl.

  Add one cup of flour and mix it in.

  Add the second cup of flour and mix thoroughly.

  Add the final half cup of flour and mix that in.

  Measure out a cup and a half of butterscotch chips unless you want to use the whole bag. Add the chips to your cookie dough. If you’re using an electric mixer, mix them in at the LOW speed. You can also take the bowl out of the mixer and stir in the chips by hand.

  Let the dough sit on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets.

  Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper, leaving little “ears” at the top and bottom. That way, when your cookies are baked, you can pull the paper, baked cookies and all, over onto a wire rack to cool.

  Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons onto your cookie sheets, no more than 12 cookies on each standard-sized sheet.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: I use a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop at The Cookie Jar. It’s faster than doing it with a spoon.

  Bake your Butterscotch Crunch Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. (Mine took 11 minutes.)

  Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove them with a metal spatula. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

  Yield: Approximately 5 dozen wonderfully chewy, salty and crunchy cookies that are sure to please everyone who tastes them.

  Lisa’s 2nd Note: These cookies travel well. If you want to send them to a friend, just stack them, roll them up in foil like coins, and cushion the cookie rolls between layers of styrofoam peanuts, or bubble wrap.

  CHEESE POPS

  8-ounce package brick-style cream cheese (NOT whipped! I used Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the silver package.)

  8 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled

  8-ounce by weight package bacon pieces (I used 6-ounce Hormel Real Bacon Bits—it worked just fine)

  2 teaspoons ground paprika

  Small bag of medium thin salted pretzel sticks (I used part of a 16-ounce bag of Synder’s Family Size Stick Pretzels)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Since you only use a dozen pretzel sticks in this recipe and I bought a family-size bag, I had a lot left over. Ross ate some when he watched one of the TV movies he made and so did I. Then I made Pretzel Patties with the rest and both of us took them to work.

  Unwrap the package of cream cheese and place it in the bottom of a medium-sized microwave-safe mixing bowl.

  Crumble or cut up the bleu cheese in small bits and put it on top of the cream cheese.
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  Place the bowl in the microwave and heat on HIGH for 30 seconds.

  Leave the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute, then take it out and try to stir the cream cheese in with the bleu cheese. (I used a heat-resistant spatula to do this.)

  If the cheeses are too stiff to combine, return them to the microwave and heat on HIGH for an additional 20 seconds. Repeat as often as necessary until the mixture is well combined and there are no big lumps.

  Set the bowl on the counter and cool to room temperature. Then place the bowl in the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill thoroughly.

  Once the cheese mixture has chilled, take the bowl out of the refrigerator and set it on the kitchen counter.

  Set a flat pan with sides on the counter next to the bowl with the cheese mixture. (I used a rectangular plastic container.) Line that container with a layer of wax paper.

  Divide the cheese mixture into four equal parts.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: Each quarter of the cheese mixture will make 3 cheese pops. You will have a dozen Cheese Pops when you finish assembling them.

  Divide each quarter of the cheese mixture into thirds. You will have twelve parts in all.

  **Wash your hands thoroughly. Then wet them again and partially dry them on a clean towel. You will be rolling cheese balls and this is easier with slightly moistened hands.

  Roll the cheese balls and place them on the piece of wax paper in the pan or container. Leave at least an inch of space surrounding each ball. If you don’t do this, they’ll stick together.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: My container was not that large and I needed a second layer to contain all my cheese balls. If this happens to you, simply tear off another piece of wax paper and place it between the layers.

  Refrigerate the cheese balls for another 2 hours. (Overnight is fine, too.)

  Once your cheese balls have re-chilled, take them out of the refrigerator.

  Put your bacon crumbles or bits into a small shallow bowl and mix in the 2 teaspoons of paprika.

  Working with one ball at a time, roll the cheese balls in the bacon and paprika mixture and place them back in the container on fresh sheets of wax paper.

  Refrigerate your bacon and paprika coated cheese balls until fifteen to twenty minutes before you want to serve them.

  When you’re ready to finish your Cheese Pops, simply insert a pretzel stick into the middle of each ball and place them on a platter.

  Hannah’s 4th Note: You can also make these Cheese Pops with sharp cheddar cheese. Simply substitute finely shredded sharp cheddar for the bleu cheese and proceed as directed. If you make both types of Cheese Pops, roll the bleu cheese ones in the bacon and paprika, and roll the cheddar cheese balls in finely chopped parsley.

  Yield: 12 Cheese Pops that will delight your guests.

  Hannah’s 5th Note: This recipe can be doubled or tripled for large parties. Use different kinds of cheese with the cream cheese and experiment with different coatings. I’ve used sesame seeds, ground nuts of various types, and even finely chopped coconut mixed with finely chopped dried pineapple.

  PRETZEL PATTIES

  (These can be made from leftover salted pretzels from Cheese Pops.)

  Approximately 8 ounces of salted stick pretzels

  2 cups (12-ounce package) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

  2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, ¼ stick) salted butter

  Several handfuls of miniature marshmallows

  Break each pretzel stick into small pieces and put them into a bowl.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: The kids can help you with this, but you’d better put some extra pretzels into the bowl when they’re through! I can almost guarantee that some pretzels will be eaten during the breaking process.

  Tear off several sheets of wax paper and stretch them out on your kitchen counter.

  Put the chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl.

  Put the ounce of salted butter on top of the chips.

  Melt the chocolate chips for 1 minute in the microwave on HIGH heat.

  Let the chips sit in the microwave for 1 minute to rest.

  Try to stir the chips and butter smooth with a heat-resistant spatula. If you can, you’re done. If you can’t, heat for an additional 20 seconds in the microwave, let the bowl rest in the microwave for 1 minute, and try again. Repeat as often as necessary until you can achieve a smooth mixture of butter and chocolate chips.

  Stir the broken pretzels into the melted chocolate and butter mixture.

  Stir in the miniature marshmallows.

  Use a Tablespoon from your silverware drawer to drop patties of Pretzel Patties onto the sheets of wax paper.

  Let the candy harden to room temperature. Then peel it off the wax paper and store it in layers, separated by more wax paper, in a plastic container in your refrigerator.

  Yield: Several dozen Pretzel Patties, depending on patty size.

  Chapter Ten

  When Hannah woke up the next morning, she rolled over to give Ross a kiss. It was a promise they’d made to each other during their honeymoon. The first to wake up in the morning would kiss the other awake. But Ross wasn’t there! And, at that moment, she realized that the reason she’d awakened in the first place was because she’d heard the shower running.

  Ross had gotten up without kissing her awake and he was already in the shower. No doubt he thought he was being considerate by letting her sleep a bit longer. And, quite honestly, Hannah wasn’t sure what her reaction to this change in their morning routine should be. Should she be grateful or disappointed that Ross hadn’t kissed her awake? And should she let Ross know how she felt?

  Hannah thought about that for a moment and decided that it was best to forget the whole thing. Ross had already been in bed when she’d come home with Michelle last night after their talk with Tricia. She knew he’d been tired after his first full day back at work. Since she was also very tired, she’d simply prepared for bed, slipped under the covers beside him, and gone to sleep. Perhaps he’d been upset this morning when he’d realized that she hadn’t awakened him with a goodnight kiss, another one of their promises to each other. She had kissed him, but it hadn’t roused him. And since he’d been sleeping so peacefully, she’d decided not to wake him by kissing him again. That was another factor to consider.

  As Hannah sat up and dislodged the last wisps of sleep from her consciousness, she became aware of a delicious scent in the air. Black coffee, certainly. And something else . . . perhaps cheese and breakfast sausage. Michelle must have gotten up earlier to make breakfast for them.

  Her slippers were on her side of the bed and Hannah thrust her feet into them. Then she stood up and took her robe from the hook on the back of their bedroom door. It was a new robe, one of the robes that her mother and sisters had given her. So, instead of the old chenille robe she’d rescued from a lonely existence in a bin at the Helping Hands Thrift Shop, she donned a beautiful, fluffy, powder-blue silk robe. She gave a fleeting thought to that comfortable old robe that had been her companion on so many mornings and wondered what had happened to it. Perhaps she should drop by the thrift store this afternoon to find out if Delores or Hannah’s sisters had returned it to its former home.

  Hannah glanced at the bed. Moishe was still sleeping, but now he was asleep on Ross’s pillow. Usually Moishe preferred hers, but since she’d been using it, he’d probably decided that any other pillow would do. She reached down to pet him and he opened one eye, and began to purr. “Daylight in the swamps,” she told him, the morning phrase she used every morning. Hannah watched Moishe, bemused, as he yawned, stretched, and then jumped down from the mattress to follow her to the kitchen.

  As she passed the living room windows, Hannah realized that it was still dark outside. Well, of course it was . . . it was November already with Thanksgiving on the way. The days were short-lived in the Minnesota winters. There were several weeks, in the dead of winter, when she didn’t see the sun unless she happened to look out the window or the back kitchen door of The Cookie Ja
r. She got up in the dark, drove to town in the dark, and when she’d finished work for the day, she drove home in the dark. But even though the days were short, the temperatures were multiple degrees below zero, and icy winds defeated even the warmest parka, Hannah enjoyed the transitions of a four-season climate.

  “Whatever you made smells delicious,” Hannah said to Michelle as she entered the kitchen.