by Joanne Fluke
“That must have come in very handy when she was a baby,” Andrea commented.
“Oh, it did. I left it open for the first few years so that I could hear her if she woke up during the night. Now that she’s a big girl, we close it ... unless there a storm, of course. Then we leave it open.”
“I can tell you’re a wonderful grandmother,” Hannah said.
“I hope so. Diana is my life. She’s a sweet girl and I love her so much. You should have seen me the first day I took her to Ready-Set-Learn and left her there. I came home and cried.”
“I did the same thing when my daughter went to preschool,” Andrea admitted. “You want them to grow up with every advantage, but part of you wants to keep them as babies.”
“Exactly!”
Hannah watched as Judy and Andrea shared a smile. She was a bit uncomfortable pretending to feel the same way when a similar occasion hadn’t actually happened to her, so she walked over to look at the vertical blinds in Diana’s room. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed, pulling them closed to reveal a large picture of Cinderella getting into the pumpkin coach in the lovely dress she would wear to the ball at the palace. “Where did you get these wonderful blinds?”
“There’s a home decorating store at the mall that sells them. Cinderella’s on this window, and the Little Mermaid’s on the other. They’re Diana’s favorite Disney characters, and they were her birthday present when she turned three.”
Hannah looked around at the rest of the room. The wallpaper was printed with colorful hot air balloons in every shape and size imaginable, floating in a cerulean blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The bed was child-size and had a fluffy pink comforter with a white ruffle around the edges. There were two white bookshelves filled with children’s books, and one Hannah remembered from her own childhood, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, sat on a bed table next to an adult-size rocking chair.
“Are you reading that for a bedtime story?” she asked Judy.
“Yes, for the third time. Diana just loves it. Next week we’re starting the Harry Potter series. It may be a little old for her, but we’ll see. If it is, we’ll save it for later.” Judy motioned to Hannah. “Come downstairs and I’ll show you the piano room. It’s quite large and it would be perfect for an office.”
“I’ll join you in just a second,” Andrea said, following them into the hallway. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to use the bathroom.”
“Certainly.” Judy pointed to the bathroom at the end of the hall. “Do you want us to wait for you?”
Andrea shook her head. “Go on ahead. I’ll find my way, don’t worry.”
When Judy opened the French doors to the piano room, Hannah was immediately impressed. The room was long and narrow, exactly as Judy had described, but it was also filled with light coming in through the double-paned windows that ran the length of the outside wall. There were blinds you could pull to keep out the hot summer sun, but on a winter day like today, the sun felt good as it fell in patterns on the wooden floor.
“You’re right. It’s perfect for an office,” Hannah told her. “But it’s perfect for a playroom, too.”
“Diana loves it. She has Saturday play dates with another girl from preschool. One week they’re here and the next week they’re at her mother’s house. I think both of them would rather be here. There’s more room for them to play, and we always bake cookies in the afternoons.” Judy looked sad for a moment. “That’s one of the reasons I really hate to move. This is the only home that Diana has ever known. It’s not going to be easy for her to adjust to a new house, a new school, and new friends, not to mention a mother that comes home every night, and a new father who suddenly appears in her life.”
“So, did you get it?” Hannah asked the moment Andrea pulled away from the curb.
“Of course I did. I got everything I needed and a lot more besides.”
“A lot more?”
“Yes.” Andrea took the on-ramp and merged onto the highway. “We stayed a lot longer than I thought we would. It’s almost time to go over to Club Nineteen.”
“Okay, but what did you mean when you said you got a lot more than just a DNA sample.”
“There was a comb on the dressing table in the room Doctor Bev used. I bagged it and put it in my purse.”
“Why?”
“It had a couple of hairs in it, and I thought we might need it for her DNA. It can’t hurt ... right?”
“Right. I’m not sure if we need it either, but we might. And you got something to use for Diana’s DNA sample?”
“Somethings.”
Hannah frowned slightly. “What?”
“Somethings. Plural. I got a sample of Diana’s hair from her hairbrush, and a spoon that was next to a bottle of children’s cough syrup. I figured that should do it, but then I spotted a band-aid with blood on it in her wastebasket so I took that, too.”
“So you got hair, saliva, and blood.”
“Yes, and Bill’s detective book said that all three could be used to get samples of DNA. We’ll let Doc Knight choose whichever he wants. Did you get anything?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“A guilty conscience. I really liked Judy and I feel terribly guilty about deceiving her.”
“Well, don’t. We’re the best chance she has to be happy again.”
Hannah looked at her sister in bewilderment. “What do you mean?”
“I mean Judy doesn’t really want to move. She loves that house. When she showed it to us, she was really proud of everything she’d done to it, especially the playroom for Diana and how she’d decorated Diana’s bedroom. She’s a good mother to Diana, a lot better than Doctor Bev is. Remember when she said that Doctor Bev was more interested in socializing with her friends than she was in spending time with her daughter?”
“I remember.”
“I came back in time to hear what she said about reading to Diana every night. That’s what parents do. She’s taken over as Diana’s mother because Doctor Bev doesn’t want to be bothered.”
It was a harsh assessment, but Hannah couldn’t help but agree. “You’re probably right,” she said. “While you were upstairs, Judy told me that she baked cookies with Diana and her friends, and how worried she was about the move and whether Diana could adjust to a new home, a new preschool, making new friends, a mother who came home every night, and a new father.”
“I knew I was right!” Andrea signaled and pulled off the freeway. “Judy doesn’t want to give up her house and move. She wants to stay right where she is and be Diana’s mother. That’s why I said that we were her best chance at happiness. If we succeed in breaking up Doctor Bev and Norman, Judy’s life with Diana will stay exactly the way she wants it.”
RASPBERRY DROP SANDWICH COOKIES
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound) salted butter, softened
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and ½ cups raspberry pie filling (I used Comstock)
3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
———————-
¾ cup raspberry cream frosting (frosting recipe fol- lows the cookie recipe)
Hannah’s 1st Note: Make the frosting first.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Unless you have a very strong stirring arm, use an electric mixer to make this cookie dough.
Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Place the butter, which must be softened to room temperature, on top of the sugar. (We’re not talking about room temperature in a farm kitchen during a snowstorm—the butter must be easily spreadable.)
Turn the mixer to LOW and mix for one minute. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently and beating for one minute at each level, until you arrive at the highest speed
.
Beat at the highest speed for at least 2 minutes or until the resulting mixture is very light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer down to LOW and add the eggs, one at time, mixing after each addition. Then add the salt. When that’s mixed in, add the baking soda and mix until it’s incorporated.
Measure out a cup and a half of raspberry pie filling. Turn the mixer on LOW speed and add the pie filling to your bowl. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the mixer running on LOW, add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition. Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Give the mixture a final stir by hand. (The resulting cookie dough should be fluffy, but not at all stiff like sugar cookie or chocolate chip cookie dough.)
Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. It’s the easiest way to bake these cookies. If you don’t have parchment paper and you really don’t want to go out to get any, grease your cookie sheets heavily, or spray them thoroughly with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Using a teaspoon (not the measuring kind, but one from your silverware drawer), drop rounded teaspoons of cookie dough on your baking sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.
Bake your Raspberry Drop Cookies at 375 degrees F. for 12 minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven and slide the cookie-laden parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. (If you used greased cookie sheets, you’re going to have to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack with a metal spatula.)
Cool the cookies thoroughly. Frost the bottom of one cookie with Raspberry Cream Frosting and then sandwich the bottom of another cookie on top of it. This will make a little cookie sandwich that is rounded on both the top and the bottom.
Yield: approximately 2 to 2 and ½ dozen delicious cookie sandwiches, depending on cookie size.
Raspberry Cream Frosting:
3 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
An additional cup of powdered sugar, if needed.
Measure 3 cups powdered sugar and place them in a small bowl. Do not pack the sugar down in the cup when you measure it, but do level the top off with a table knife.
Whisk the heavy cream into the powdered sugar.
Heat the 3 Tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam in a small microwave-safe bowl for 15 to 20 seconds or until it melts a bit. Mix the warm raspberry jam into the cream and powdered sugar mixture.
If the frosting is too thick, add a little more cream. If the frosting is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to wait for the cookies to be baked.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If there’s any frosting left over, frost some graham crackers as a special treat for the kids when they come home from school. You can also frost soda crackers, salt side down, or gingersnaps.
Yield: Approximately 3 cups of frosting.
Chapter Nineteen
The interior of Club Nineteen reminded Hannah of the Eden Lake Pavilion except that it was three times larger. The outside was stucco, nondescript grey stucco, but the interior was wood. There was a wooden floor that had been polished to a full gleam, and wooden walls that were hung with framed posters and signed pictures of every jazz group and luminary that had performed there. The tables were small and square, seating four people, but Hannah noticed that they had four hinged and rounded leaves. Once the catches on two opposite leaves were released, the table could be made into an oval that would seat six people. If all four leaves were released, the resulting round table could seat eight people. It was a clever design and Hannah wondered why more restaurants didn’t use it.
“Hi, I’m Shelby,” their waitress said, bustling up to their table. “Can I get you a drink?”
I imagine you can or you wouldn’t be working here, Hannah’s pedantic mind said, and Hannah did her best to tune it out. Of course the grammatically correct question should have been, May I get you a drink? but it wouldn’t be wise to correct their waitress and alienate her right off the bat.
“Iced tea for me,” Andrea said. “I’m driving.”
Hannah was about to ask for the same when she reconsidered. It was a cold day and she wanted something warm. “Do you have any nonalcoholic coffee drinks?” she asked.
“Yes, we do. We have a raspberry latte, a caramel latte, and a chocolate apricot latte. They’re all made with flavored syrups and milk that’s been frothed in our espresso machine.”
“Could I change my order to a raspberry latte?” Andrea asked, giving Shelby an apologetic smile.
“Sure, Honey. No problem. And you, ma’am?”
Hannah wondered just when she’d graduated from honey to ma’am. Or was it an elevation in status? It could be a demotion because she looked older than Andrea, more matron than miss. Perhaps she should have worn the wig inside, and put on makeup, and ...
“Ma’am?”
“Oh! Sorry. I’d like to have a chocolate apricot latte. And ... when we called in for reservations, we were told the owner might be here and that perhaps we might be able to speak to him. It’s about Cinnamon Roll Six.”
“Just my favorite group in the whole world!” Shelby exclaimed. And then she looked slightly embarrassed. “They’re so good. When they were here, everybody loved them. Where are they playing now?”
“The Lake Eden Inn,” Andrea answered. “The owners hired them to headline their weekend jazz festival.”
“They deserve it!” Shelby smiled. “We’re going to be asking them to come back next month. They were huge hits and everybody loved ... what’s wrong?”
She’d obviously gotten a cue from Andrea’s distressed expression, and Hannah reached out to pull out a chair. “Sit,” she said, brooking no nonsense. “You obviously haven’t heard, and I’m afraid we’ve got some bad news for you.”
“About Cinnamon Roll Six?” Shelby asked, sinking down in the chair that Hannah had pulled out for her.
“That’s right. There was a bad accident on the highway, a multi-car pileup. The band bus was in that accident.”
Shelby’s face went so pale, her bright red lipstick stood out like a beacon. “Buddy?” she asked, clasping her hands together.
Hannah shot Andrea a glance that said, Let me handle this, and then she turned her attention to Shelby. “Buddy is dead,” she said.
“Oh, no!” Shelby gasped, slumping in her chair. “Buddy just can’t be dead! I saw him last week. He came in to hear a new jazz group.” Shelby gave her a pleading glance. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sorry, Shelby, but yes, I’m sure. Buddy’s dead. He died the night of the accident at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.”
Although Hannah hadn’t thought it possible, Shelby’s face turned even paler. Her skin was now the color of the freshly fallen snow outside, and Hannah wondered if they’d have to pick her up off the floor.
“Buddy died in the accident?” Shelby asked in a voice that shook with emotion.
“No. Buddy died later, at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.”
“But ... what happened to him? I need to know!”
Hannah gave a slight nod to Andrea. It was her turn to take over when affairs of the heart came into play. And Shelby obviously had more than a I’m-a-fan-of-your-musi relationship with Buddy.
“You loved him.” Andrea reached out to put her hand over Shelby’s. “I’m so sorry we had to be the ones to tell you about his death.”
“Thanks, but ... how? How did he die? Was he hurt that bad in the accident?”
Andrea nodded to Hannah, and Hannah took the lead again. “No. All he had was a sprained wrist. But while he was in a treatment room waiting for someone to come and put a splint on it, he was ... murdered.”
“Who would murder Buddy?” Shelby cried, staring at them in shock. “Buddy was wonderful! Buddy was sweet! Buddy was ... who would do something awful like ...”
Both sist
ers stopped as Shelby’s eyes narrowed and her expression turned from grieving to hard and cynical. “She did it!” Shelby said.
“Who?” Hannah asked, holding her breath. This could be the best clue they’d gotten so far.
“That woman, the one who came here around Valentine’s Day. She killed Buddy. I know she did. He told her he didn’t want anything to do with her, and ... and she murdered him!”
“You saw this woman?” Hannah asked her.
“I saw her. She was one of those women who like to pick up the musicians. You know the type. Dressed all sexy in a tight sweater and a skirt that barely covered ... well, you know. She couldn’t take her eyes off Buddy. I noticed because. . . well ... I had a thing going with Buddy at the time. After the show I saw her go backstage. I wanted to go back there to see what was going on, but I was clearing tables and I couldn’t find anybody to fill in for me. But later, when I took a smoke break, I saw them in the parking lot. She was hanging onto his arm and Buddy was trying to shake her off. She said, I’d know you anywhere, whatever that meant.”
Hannah and Andrea exchanged glances. Was it possible this woman had known Buddy’s real identity?
“What did Buddy say?” Hannah asked.
“He said, You got the wrong guy, lady. Leave me alone! And then she said something, and Buddy tried to shake her hand off his arm, but she wouldn’t let go of him. He finally hollered at her to let go, and she did. And then he shouted, I’m not the guy you think I am! And she shouted right back and this time I heard her. She said, Yes you are! I know you are! really loud. And then she slapped him and walked away.”
“Did you see where she went?”
