Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “I didn’t say that. They might, if they knew what that meant. Or they might tar and feather him if they knew how to do it. Don’t get me wrong. If they accused him and he sassed them back, or tried to say that everything that happened was all your fault and not his, they’d probably coldcock him. I know I would and I do know what that means.”

  Hannah drew a relieved breath. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Earl. I was afraid that Ross would come back here and some well-meaning, but misguided person would attack him and get into trouble by doing it.”

  “It could happen that way,” Earl admitted. “I told Carrie that if I saw him back in Lake Eden, I’d scoop him off the road with my snowplow. That’s probably why she was worried.”

  Hannah smiled at him. “Thanks for being so honest with me, Earl. I’ll tell Carrie that she doesn’t have to worry about you anymore.”

  * * *

  When Hannah got back inside, she poured herself a hot cup of coffee and joined Mike and Norman at the work station. She didn’t really want the coffee, but it had been cold outside and she needed to warm up. She cupped her hands around the cup, lifted it to her mouth, and took a sip. The hot liquid helped, but she found herself wishing that it were chicken broth instead of coffee. Her stomach had been giving her a bit of trouble lately and she knew she’d been drinking too much coffee. Perhaps she should buy some bouillon cubes the next time she went to the Red Owl Grocery, and drink broth made in the kitchen microwave instead of the endless cups of black coffee she was in the habit of consuming every day.

  There was a knock on the back kitchen door, and Mike got up quickly. “I’ll get it,” he said, heading to the door. There was a moment before he opened it, and Hannah knew he’d checked the peephole that he and Lonnie had installed right after she’d told them about Ross’s early-morning visit to The Cookie Jar.

  “Come in, guys!” Hannah heard Mike say, and she went to pour more cups of coffee. Lonnie and Rick were back from the bank and she could hardly wait to hear what had happened.

  “Doug!” Hannah gasped when she turned around with two cups of coffee in her hands. “I didn’t expect you to come back here with Lonnie and Rick.”

  “I know, but I wanted to tell you what happened this morning myself,” Doug said. “I’m not sure I handled the situation as well as I could have. And if I didn’t, I want to personally apologize to you.”

  “As long as you did the best you could, that’s good enough for me,” Hannah assured him. “Just let me get another cup of coffee for you and then you can tell us what happened when Ross got there.”

  Hannah hurried to the coffeepot and poured another cup. She quickly put on another pot, carried Doug’s coffee back to the work station, set it in front of him, and gave him an encouraging smile. “So what happened when Ross got to the bank?”

  “That’s just it. He didn’t.”

  That caught Hannah completely by surprise and it took her a moment to respond. “Ross didn’t show up?!”

  “No. Lonnie and Rick and I waited in my office until almost eleven, but there was no sign of him. Then I went out and told Lydia that if Ross came into the bank, she should buzz me immediately and say that I was waiting for him in my office. That’s where Lonnie, Rick, and I sat until we came over here.”

  Hannah couldn’t help the shocked expression that crossed her face. She’d been so sure that Ross would show up to sign the withdrawal slip. “So Ross didn’t contact you at all?” she asked.

  “Not physically. But about twenty minutes ago, Lydia buzzed me to say that I had a phone call. I asked who was calling and she didn’t know, but she said the caller had told her that it was imperative for him to talk to me.”

  There was only one question to ask and Hannah asked it. “And it was Ross?”

  “Yes.”

  “That makes sense,” Mike said. “Ross only contacted Hannah once in person and that was before anyone else in town was awake.”

  “The other two times I talked to Ross, it was on my cell phone,” Hannah explained. “What did you do when you realized that the phone call was from Ross?”

  “As soon as I realized it was Ross, I wrote Ross’s name in big, block letters on my notepad so Lonnie and Rick would know who it was. And then I put the call on speaker phone so they could listen in.”

  “Smart,” Mike commented, giving Doug an approving nod. “Go on, Doug.”

  Doug paused to take a sip of his coffee and then he went on with his account. “The first thing Ross did was identify himself. Then he asked me if I had his withdrawal slip ready to sign and I told him that I did. And then I said that the bank didn’t normally keep that much cash on hand, but I’d managed to get it by armored truck early this morning. All I needed was the signed withdrawal slip before I could release it.”

  “What did he say to that?” Hannah asked.

  Doug looked terribly embarrassed. “He accused me of playing games with him to try to get him into the bank. And he called me a name that I’d rather not repeat in polite company. I was shocked, Hannah. The first part of our conversation was friendly, almost like he was a regular bank customer. But then he turned ugly. He said I should listen to him and listen carefully, that he’d filled out a withdrawal slip that he had with him and taken a cell phone photo of it. He was faxing that photo to the bank and since he’d already signed the withdrawal slip, I should give the money to you and be quick about it.”

  “Did you explain that you couldn’t accept a fax, that you had to personally witness his signature?” Mike asked.

  “Of course I did. And then he called me another name, even worse than the first one, accused me of setting a trap for him, and said that if I didn’t release the money to Hannah, there would be some very nasty consequences.”

  Rick nodded. “It was really frightening, Hannah. Ross sounded really unhinged. Both Lonnie and I think he’s insane.”

  “That’s right,” Lonnie agreed. “It was almost like he had two personalities, the nice one and the nasty, vindictive one.”

  “I’m sorry, Hannah,” Doug apologized, “but the change in his voice really rattled me.”

  “It rattled me, too,” Hannah admitted. “What else did Ross say?”

  “He accused me of lying to him. He said he knew that I’d given the money to you because we were friends. And he said the word friends in a very nasty way!”

  “What came next?” Mike asked him.

  “He repeated that there would be consequences for lying to him, that he knew the truth and I wouldn’t get away with trying to trick him.”

  They sat there looking at each other for a moment. Ross truly was insane.

  Doug shook his head. “That’s really all I can tell you, Hannah.”

  Hannah picked up on Doug’s phrasing. “I understand. But did Ross say anything else?”

  “Yes, but I’d rather not say. It’s . . . really bad.”

  “You have to tell us, Doug,” Mike said, giving him a hard look. “It’s important.”

  “I know.” Doug sighed, and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t want to go on.

  “Go ahead,” Hannah encouraged him. “We have to know what to expect from him, Doug.”

  “Okay.” Doug swallowed again. “Ross gave that really nasty laugh again and said it wouldn’t do any good, that he was going to get his money back from Hannah even if he had to . . .”

  “If he had to . . . what?” Mike leaned forward.

  Doug looked more troubled than Hannah had ever seen before. “Ross said he was going to get his money back from Hannah even if he had to kill her to get it!”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Are you okay, Hannah?” Norman asked, when Hannah came back to her stool at the work station.

  “I think so. I just got a little sick to my stomach when Doug told us about . . . what Ross said.”

  “I know. You looked as if you were about to faint.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I did feel really dizzy and horribly sick to my stomach.” Ha
nnah took a sip of the orange juice she’d poured for herself. “Where did everybody go?”

  “Mike assigned Rick and Lonnie to stay with Doug,” Norman told her. “He thought that when Ross found out that you didn’t have his money, he might blame Doug and try to hurt him.”

  “So Rick and Lonnie are at the bank with Doug again?”

  “Not exactly. Lonnie is sticking with Doug at the bank, but Mike assigned Rick to guard Doug’s family.”

  “Then Mike thinks that Doug and his family may be in danger from Ross?”

  “That’s what he said. And he also said that he didn’t want to take any chances. He went back to the sheriff’s station to assign some other deputies to various places, and then he’s going to drive out to your condo to make sure that Ross isn’t there. He left me here to protect you, but he doesn’t think that you’ll be in any danger as long as The Cookie Jar is open.”

  Hannah gave a little nod. “Because there are too many people around for Ross to risk doing anything to . . .” she paused, feeling a bit sick to her stomach again, “to hurt me?”

  “That’s right. Do you have much more work to do here, Hannah?”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Well . . . yes, I do. We have to mix up the cookie dough for tomorrow’s baking and take care of the customers out in the coffee shop. Lisa and Aunt Nancy are out there now, but Aunt Nancy has to leave at four because she has a dinner date with Heiti.”

  Norman smiled. “How is their engagement going?”

  “Really well. They’re going to get married in June. It’ll be a small wedding and I promised to cater it. Lisa’s baking their wedding cake and it’s going to be chocolate because Heiti loves chocolate.”

  “Sounds wonderful. Do you think I’ll be invited?”

  “I’m sure you will. And even though Aunt Nancy seems to think the wedding will be small, they’re going to invite the whole sheriff’s department since Heiti is working for them now.”

  Norman laughed. “Don’t forget about Lisa’s family. She has lots of aunts, and uncles, and cousins.”

  “True. Aunt Nancy and Heiti say they’re going to keep the wedding small, but I have a feeling they won’t be able to do it without risking some hurt feelings. Everyone here in Lake Eden is going to want to be invited.”

  “You’re right. Weddings tend to grow larger every time you make out a revised guest list.”

  Hannah thought back to Norman’s initial question. “Why did you want to know how much longer I have to be here, Norman?”

  “Because I’ve got a few errands I want to run.”

  “Why don’t you go and do what you need to do right now? I’m fine here by myself because I’m not really by myself. I’ll lock the back kitchen door behind you, and I promise I won’t let anyone in unless I know who it is.”

  “Okay, but don’t open the door without checking the peephole,” Norman reminded her. “I’ll be back around four or so. Can we leave then?”

  “I’m sure we can. I’ll mix up tomorrow’s cookie dough, and we can invite Mike and Lonnie to have dinner with us tonight. We’ll pick up pizza at Bertanelli’s on the way and I have the Chocolate Cream Pie for dessert.”

  “Sounds great! And we can get salad and garlic bread, too. Do you think you have enough pie?”

  “I know I do. After you left, I made another pie. We’ll have enough, Norman. And if there’s any left over, we can take pieces to Clara and Marguerite.”

  “There may not be any leftovers if we invite Mike,” Norman reminded her, heading for the hook where he’d hung his parka. “Come with me, Hannah. I want you to lock the door behind me and promise that you won’t open it without checking the peephole.”

  “I promise,” Hannah said, standing up and walking to the door with him. She waited until Norman had dressed in his parka and slipped into his boots.

  “I’ll see you then,” Norman said, opening the door and stepping out. “Remember, Hannah. Don’t let anyone in unless you are sure you know who it is.”

  “I won’t,” Hannah promised, locking the door behind Norman. And then she turned and went to the pantry to gather the ingredients she needed for the next day’s cookies.

  * * *

  Hannah was busy mixing up cookie dough when Michelle came into the kitchen from the coffee shop.

  “Hi, Hannah,” Michelle greeted her.

  Hannah was surprised that her sister had come in from the street. “Didn’t you park behind the building?”

  “No, there was a perfect spot outside the front door and I took it. I stopped to talk to Lisa and Aunt Nancy, and then I came back here to help you. What are you baking for tomorrow?”

  “Right now I’m mixing up Crunchy Chewy White Chocolate Cookies.”

  Michelle looked puzzled. “Is that a new recipe?”

  “Yes. I thought I’d make a variation on one of our basic recipes using white chocolate and white Karo syrup.”

  “Are the cookies pink?”

  “No. Why?”

  “If you make them pink, you could use them for Valentine’s Day.”

  “You’re right! I didn’t even think of that! And there are a lot of people who really like crunchy, chewy cookies.”

  “How about nuts? Are you adding them to the recipe?”

  Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. These should be crunchy enough on their own.”

  “Just let me catch my breath for a moment and shake off the remains of my school day. Then I’ll be happy to help you bake.”

  “It’s a deal,” Hannah told her as Michelle walked to the kitchen coffeepot, poured herself a cup, and came over to look at the ingredients lined up on the surface of the work station. Then she read through the recipe that Hannah had written, and nodded.

  “Karo syrup and white chocolate,” she said. “That’s a great combination. Have you used those together before?”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve made a lot of cookies that are crunchy and other cookies that are chewy, but I don’t think I’ve baked anything like these cookies before.”

  Michelle laughed so hard, she almost choked on her coffee. “But you’re going to bake them tomorrow without testing them?”

  “No, I thought I’d bake a test cookie now. Do you want to be my guinea pig?”

  “It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it,” Michelle said with a smile. “Of course I’ll test them. I worked through lunch today at school and I’m starving. Make two test cookies. Or maybe three. I don’t care how many you make. Whatever number it is, I’ll eat them.”

  * * *

  Once Hannah had baked test cookies, a whole sheet of them, the two sisters tasted them. They’d both declared them delicious when there was a knock at the back kitchen door.

  “I’ll get it,” Michelle said, standing up from her stool.

  “Be careful!” Hannah warned her. “Mike and Norman don’t want that door opened unless we look through the peephole to see who it is. Mike was adamant about that.”

  “Mike’s always adamant when it comes to safety,” Michelle commented, heading for the door. “Don’t worry, Hannah. I’ll look first.”

  A moment later, Michelle opened the door and ushered their mother into the kitchen. “Mother’s here to see you,” she called out to Hannah.

  “Hi, Mother,” Hannah greeted Delores. “Would you like one of our Crunchy Chewy White Chocolate Cookies?”

  “No,” Delores said, but Hannah noticed that there was a smile lurking at the corners of her mother’s mouth.

  “You wouldn’t like one?” Michelle asked.

  “No, I’d like two, or maybe three,” Delores said, heading straight for a stool at the work station and taking a seat. “I don’t suppose you have any coffee, do you?”

  “That’s one thing we always have around here,” Michelle answered. “Just hold on and I’ll pour you a cup.”

  Several moments later, Delores was sitting there with a cup of coffee and two cookies in front of her. “It’s nice to be waited on
by my daughters,” she said as she took a sip of her coffee, smiled, picked up a cookie, and bit into it.

  “Good!” she declared, taking another large bite. “I like these, Hannah. They’d make great dunkers if they were a slightly different shape.”

  “Dunkers?” Michelle questioned.

  “Yes. Doc loves cookies that he can dunk in hot coffee and he calls them dunkers. I wonder if you could make these cookies oval-shaped. They might not be as chewy in the center, but the crunchy part would be really marvelous.”

  Hannah turned to look at Michelle. “Why not?” she asked her youngest sister.

  “There’s no reason we can’t,” Michelle responded. “Instead of rolling balls, we could roll cigar shapes. Then, when we flatten them out, the end will fit into a coffee mug.”

  “If you can wait until we bake another batch, you can take some home for Doc to try in his coffee tomorrow morning,” Hannah suggested.

  “For something like that, I’d wait an hour,” Delores decided, taking another cookie. “But I think I’d better try them out first. I certainly wouldn’t want to give just any dunker cookie to my husband that hadn’t been thoroughly tested.”

  Michelle got up from her stool. “Sit with Mother, Hannah. I’ll put in another batch of cookies and then we can all try them.”

  “Thank you, dear,” Delores said to Michelle, and then she turned to Hannah. “I hate to bring this up, dear, but I have a bit of a problem concerning my next book launch party. That’s part of the reason I came to see you this afternoon.”

  “What’s the problem?” Hannah asked. Her mother’s book launches had been very successful in Lake Eden. Almost everyone in town had come to purchase books and enjoy the refreshments. The town library had profited nicely from the sales because they’d gotten the books at a special library discount price from the publisher, and Lisa’s mother-in-law, Marge, had made enough profit to stock the town library with a shelf of current best sellers. This, in itself, was good, but Delores’s book launches were also fun. Everyone who came enjoyed the local social event.

  “The launch is at the end of this month,” Delores said, still looking concerned. “I was planning to hold it at the community center again, but they had some damage from the blizzard and they’re re-carpeting the entire lower floor.”