Fudge Cupcake Murder hsm-5

by Joanne Fluke

  Hannah had just finished stashing her bowl in the walk-in cooler when there was a knock on the back door. She walked over to answer it and found Beatrice Koester standing there, shivering in the cold. "Hi, Beatrice. Come in."

  "Hi, Hannah. Lisa." Beatrice stepped into the warm kitchen and smiled. "I can only stay a minute. Ted's waiting for me in his truck."

  Hannah took a moment to wave to Ted, owner and operator of Lake Eden's salvage yard. Ted waved back, but he looked disgruntled. He probably wanted to get back to work. Hannah shut the door and turned back to Beatrice. "Technically we're closed, but if you want some cookies we can get them for you."

  "Thanks anyway, Hannah. I just came to bring you a recipe. I know it's late, but I was going through some of Ted's mother's things and I just found it."

  "For the Lake Eden cookbook?" Lisa asked.

  "Yes. It's for her Fudge Cupcakes. Ted just loves them and they're really good. I asked Mother Koester for the recipe more times than I can count, but she kept forgetting to give it to me."

  "I'm glad you finally got it." Hannah said with a sympathetic smile. "Some people really hate to share recipes and I'll bet Ted's mother was one of them."

  "That's what I thought, but Ted said I was wrong, that his mother really forgot to bring it all those times she came to visit. Of course, Ted's mother could do no wrong."

  Hannah bit back a smile. She hadn't known Ted's mother, but it sounded as if she could have been the inspiration for quite a few bad mother-in-law jokes.

  "Is it too late to put in the cookbook? Now that Ted's mother is gone, he thinks it would be a fitting memorial to her."

  Hannah reached out and took the recipe. There was no way she could refuse Beatrice when she looked so worried. "It's not too late. I'll see it goes in."

  "Oh, thank you, Hannah! But there might be a little problem."

  "With the recipe?" Hannah glanced down at the handwritten card.

  "Yes. Just look at the list of ingredients."

  Hannah read the list of ingredients aloud. "Unsweetened chocolate, sugar, butter, flour, milk, and… uh-oh."

  "What is it? "Lisa asked.

  "It says, Add one-half cup secret ingredient."

  "I love recipes like that!" Lisa clapped her hands. "It's always something nobody can guess. What is it this time?"

  Hannah shrugged and so did Beatrice. Lisa glanced from one to the other and then she caught on. "It doesn't say?"

  "You got it." Hannah turned to Beatrice. "Did you ever taste the cupcakes?"

  "Yes, and they were wonderful! Alma made them for Ted every year on his birthday, but she wouldn't let me watch her."

  "What did they taste like? Describe them to us."

  "Well…" Beatrice drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. "They were really good dark chocolate, and they were heavy, not like one of those light cake mixes. They didn't rise much like those pretty rounded cupcakes you see in magazines, but that was okay because Alma mounded up the fudge frosting on top and you got even more that way. She said they were supposed to have dimples for the frosting."

  Hannah laughed. She couldn't help it. That was a great way to explain a cake that hadn't risen as far as you'd expected, and most people, Hannah included, wouldn't mind a bit as long as the frosting was good. "Can you describe the frosting?"

  "Yes, I can. It was fudgy and just a little chewy and it melted in your mouth. I always thought that if you heated it, it would make a perfect fudge sauce for ice cream."

  "Sounds good. Think back to the cupcakes. Was there any kind of hidden or subtle flavor that you can remember?"

  "Not really, but…" Beatrice stopped speaking and frowned slightly.

  "But what?" Lisa urged her.

  "They had a… a sort of German flavor."

  "A German flavor?" Hannah thought about all the chocolate cakes she'd eaten. "Was it like German Chocolate Cake?"

  Beatrice shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

  "Do you think it had sauerkraut in it?" Lisa asked. "My mother used to make a chocolate cake with sauerkraut."

  "I know it wasn't sauerkraut. I make that cake myself." Beatrice gave a little sigh. "It was sweet and tangy at the same time, like one of those good German tortes. You know the kind I'm talking about. They're really rich and even if you're full to bursting, you just want to keep on eating until they're gone."

  "No wonder you wanted the recipe!" Hannah smiled to set Beatrice at ease. "What do you think, Lisa? Can we figure out Alma's secret ingredient?"

  "We can try. They sound different than the fudge cupcakes that my mother used to make, but I've got some ideas already."

  "Great." Hannah turned back to Beatrice. "Was the cupcake smooth? Or did it have chunks of things inside?"

  "No chunks. It was smooth and it tasted almost like eating a chocolate bar."

  "That helps," Lisa said, nodding quickly. "It eliminates most of the solid things you might add to the batter like nuts, coconut, and chopped fruit."

  "True, but it doesn't eliminate anything that's finely ground, pureed, or melted," Hannah argued.

  Beatrice looked very distressed. "I'm sorry I brought this whole thing up. If Ted wasn't so all-fired set on having his mother's recipe in the cookbook, I'd tell you to just forget it."

  "No way!" Both Hannah and Lisa spoke at once. There was a very brief moment of silence and then all three women burst into laughter.

  When they'd stopped laughing, Lisa spoke up. "We'll figure it out, Beatrice. Hannah and I love a good mystery and at least this one doesn't involve a dead body."

  "Only my mother-in-law," Beatrice quipped. And then she looked slightly shocked at her own humor. "I'm really glad Ted wasn't here to hear that!"

  Hannah gave her hair a final brush and glanced in the mirror one last time. From the neck down, she looked very "teacherly" in her navy blue pantsuit and white blouse. From the neck up, it was another story. The humidity had been high today and her hair was a riot of unruly red curls. Hannah pulled it back, secured it all in the silver clasp her youngest sister, Michelle, had bought from one of her artist friends at Macalester College, and flicked off the light in her bedroom.

  "I won't be late," Hannah promised, reaching down to pet Moishe as he followed her down the hall. "I'm just going to the school to be what I was going to be before I became what I am now."

  Moishe gave a little yowl and stared up at her. Maybe it was her imagination, but he looked simply stupefied by the explanation she'd just uttered and Hannah burst into laughter. "Sorry. That was confusing. I'll be teaching an adult cooking class at the school and then I'm going out to dinner with Mike. Don't worry. I'll leave you with plenty of food."

  Hannah was still chuckling over her sentence structure as she hurried down the stairs. She was looking forward to her date tonight with Lake Eden's most popular unmarried man. Mike Kingston had moved to Lake Eden just over a year ago, recruited from the Minneapolis Police Department by Sheriff Grant to head up the Winnetka County Detective Division. Since Mike was Bill's partner, both Andrea and Bill favored him for the position of brother-in-law. Delores liked Mike, but she'd teamed up with Carrie to push Norman, and Michelle, Hannah's youngest sister, liked both of them. So did Hannah and that was why she couldn't choose one over the other. Perhaps it was just as well that neither man had proposed. Sharing her life with someone who didn't use a litter box might be nice, but Hannah didn't really want to give up any of her independence.

  Twenty minutes later, Hannah drove into the school parking lot. She was early and it was deserted. She pulled up as close to the home economics classroom as she could, grabbed her box of supplies, and headed for the delivery entrance. When Jordan High had been designed, the architect had put in an outside door for ease in delivering kitchen equipment and supplies. The regular teacher, Pam Baxter, had given Hannah a key when she'd agreed to take over the night cooking class. Instead of learning cake decoration, as Pam had originally planned, Hannah's class would be testing all the recipes that had been s
ubmitted for the Lake Eden cookbook.

  Hannah stepped inside and flicked on the lights, blinking like an owl caught in the beam of a searchlight. The multiple overhead lighting fixtures were bright enough to turn night into day. When her eyes adjusted, Hannah set her box on a counter. Pam Baxter's pantry contained all the staples, but she'd brought the special ingredients her class would need for the recipes they were testing tonight. One of the ingredients was a package of sweetened dried cranberries for the cookies Hannah had just created. Since they were made from cranberries and cranberries grew in a bog, she planned to call them Boggles.

  Five minutes later, Hannah was ready to teach. Her name was written on the blackboard in the unlikely event there were students who didn't know her, stacks of recipes were ready to be dispersed to the five groups that would bake at the five kitchen workstations, and the sign-in sheet was displayed on a clipboard at a desk in the front row. The only thing missing was Hannah's class and she had over an hour before her students would arrive.

  Hannah sat down at the desk, but it didn't feel right. Perhaps she'd been wise to change her career plans. She was a lot happier in front of an oven than she was behind a desk. She got up and walked to one of the workstations. She'd put the extra time to good use by mixing up a batch of Alma Koester's Fudge Cupcakes without the secret ingredient. Once she'd tasted them, Beatrice might be able to tell what was missing.

  Boggles

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

  2 cups melted butter (4 sticks)

  2 cups brown sugar

  2 cups white sugar

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  4 eggs-beaten

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  4 cups flour

  3 cups sweetened dried cranberries (Craisins or another brand)* * *

  3 cups rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal)

  * * * If you can't find the cranberries where you live you can substitute any chopped dried fruit such as dates, apricots, peaches, etc.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Add sugars and let cool a bit. Add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Add flour and mix. Then add the cranberries and oats and mix everything up. The dough will be quite stiff.

  Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet.

  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to rack until cool.

  Yield: 10 to 12 dozen, depending on cookie size.

  These freeze well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.

  Chapter Three

  Hannah had just finished frosting the cupcakes when she heard someone approach in the hallway outside her classroom door. Perhaps it was Mike and he was early.

  "Is my nose wrong, or do I smell chocolate?"

  Hannah sighed as she recognized the voice. Then she put a friendly smile on her face and turned toward the doorway. Sheriff Grant had never been one of her favorite people, but he was a good customer at The Cookie Jar and it was wise to be friendly to the man who was Bill and Mike's boss. "Your nose is right. I'm trying out a recipe for the Lake Eden cookbook."

  "It sure smells good." Sheriff Grant moved closer to the counter and Hannah noticed that he was listing toward the cupcakes at approximately a forty-five degree angle.

  "Would you like to taste one?" Hannah offered. "I think they're cool enough."

  "That'd be great! I haven't had anything to eat since lunch and I need to stick around until Kingston gets here. Got some paperwork for him to pass out."

  Hannah packaged up four of the cupcakes. She knew Mike was teaching a self-defense class in the room next door. "Do you want to leave the paperwork with me? I can make sure he gets it."

  "No, that's okay. I'll just wait in the parking lot and catch him when he drives in." Sheriff Grant accepted the package Hannah gave him with a smile. "Thanks, Hannah. This is really nice of you."

  "Maybe not," Hannah replied with a grin.

  "What do you mean?"

  "These cupcakes are an experiment and I haven't even tasted them yet."

  "Do you want a report on how I like them?"

  "That would be great," Hannah said with a smile. "You're a brave man, Sheriff Grant."

  "Why's that?"

  "For all you know, they might be poisoned. After all, my brother-in-law is running against you in the election."

  When Hannah's students arrived, she divided them into five groups, one group for each workstation in Jordan High's home economics room. Then she set them to work testing pastry recipes. One group had the cookie recipe she'd developed, another was baking a pie, the third group was in the process of making a cobbler, the fourth group had a tea bread recipe, and group five was baking a coffee cake.

  "What is it, Hannah?" Beatrice came rushing over when Hannah motioned to her.

  "I baked a batch of cupcakes before class. I need you to taste one and tell me what you think."

  Beatrice took a cupcake from the plate Hannah offered. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment and then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hannah. These aren't like the ones I remember."

  "I know. I made them plain, without the secret ingredient. I thought you might be able to tell what's missing."

  Beatrice took another bite and chewed slowly. Then she shook her head again. "I just can't tell. I know it's something. These are really good, but the ones Mother Koester made had a wonderful aftertaste and they weren't quite as dry. You got the frosting just right though. It's exactly the same as she used to make."

  "Thanks, Beatrice. You've been a big help."

  "I have? All I did was tell you that you don't have it right."

  "I know, but you also gave me a clue. If these are drier cupcakes, the secret ingredient must be something that makes them moist. Now all I have to do is figure out what it is."

  "I'm glad I helped. What makes cupcakes moist besides water, or milk?"

  "Several different things. Pudding in the batter could do it. So could more eggs, more butter, more oil, or adding some kind of moist ingredient. Even baking them in a slower oven or for less time might do it."

  Beatrice looked amused. "That doesn't narrow it down much."

  "No, it doesn't. But we have more information than we did this afternoon and I'm going to jot down some things to try. If you think of anything else to tell me about the cupcakes, just give me a holler."

  Hannah's class crowded seven students at each of the five workstations, in a classroom designed for less than thirty students. The only thing that saved the situation from becoming total chaos was the fact that these were women who were used to cooking together in community or family kitchens. Hannah gave each group seven tasks to be performed during the baking and the tasks were assigned by drawing names. First there was a leader, the person responsible for the group. Then there were two fetchers. They foraged in the pantry to gather the ingredients. One group member was the designated measurer. She measured the various ingredients and assembled them in appropriate bowls and cups. Another group member was in charge of mixing the ingredients, and the last two group members were in charge of preheating the oven and preparing the baking pans. Once the batter or the dough had been mixed, the leader was the one who put it into the baking pans and placed it in the oven.

  "Hannah?" Edna Ferguson, the head cook at Jordan High and leader of one of Hannah's groups, waved frantically at her across the room.

  "What is it, Edna?"

  "It's this tea bread dough. It's not right. Come over here and stir it and you'll see what I mean."

  Hannah hurried to the workstation and gave the bowl a stir. The dough was as thin as crepe batter. "See what I mean?"

  "I see. Are you sure you followed the recipe exactly?"

  "I'm positive," Edna said, nodding so vigorously her tight gray curls bounced.<
br />
  "I'm positive, too," Linda Gradin spoke up. "I did the measuring and I watched while Donna mixed it all up."

  Donna Lempke nodded. "We even talked about the flour. It just didn't seem like it would be enough and we had Edna double check the recipe. That's what it says, Hannah. A cup and a half."

  "Let's see." Hannah took the recipe that Edna handed to her and frowned as she read it. There was definitely a discrepancy between the amount of liquid and dry ingredients.

  "Should I add more flour?" Edna asked. "It'll never turn out right this way. I think another cup'll be just right."

  "No, you'd just be guessing at the amount. This is Helen Barthel's recipe. Let's call her and check."

  "I'll do it," Charlotte Roscoe volunteered.

  "Thanks, Charlotte," Hannah said, smiling at the school secretary. "We'll just wait while you run up to your office."

  Charlotte drew a cell phone from her pocket. "This is faster. Does anybody know Helen's number off the top of their head?"

  One student was reciting the number when Hannah heard Gail Hansen call out from the group at the next workstation. "Could you come here for a minute, Hannah? We don't know if these cookies are big enough."

  Hannah walked over to look. Gail's group was testing the Boggles she'd developed. "They look just perfect, Gail."

  "Good!" Gail slipped the cookies into the oven and motioned for Irma York to start the timer. "I'm a little worried about one thing in the recipe, though."

  "What's that?"

  "You say to form the dough into walnut-sized balls. That just won't fadge in some parts of the state."

  "Won't what?"

  "Won't fadge." Gail gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, Hannah. I went to a Regency club meeting this afternoon and I'm still talking that way. I just mean it won't work, that it might confuse a lot of people. I'll bet there are plenty of folks in the big cities who'll think you mean a shelled walnut."