Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18)

by Fluke, Joanne

  “Not that I’ve heard of. And I would have heard. People tell me things.”

  “So as far as you know, he’s never had an outburst in court since he took that anger management course?”

  Dave shook his head. “If he has, I haven’t heard about it.”

  “Tell me what you know about Judge Colfax’s personal life. Does he have a family?”

  “One son by his first wife. They’re divorced. Bitterly from what I hear. The son is trying to make his living as a musician. His name is Seth, but he took his mother’s family name when they divorced.”

  “You said the son was trying to make his living as a musician. Isn’t he doing well?”

  “I don’t think so. One of the clerks heard him once and she said he wasn’t very good. He sings with a band called Liquid Steel.”

  Hannah wrote that in her book. “What else can you tell me about him?”

  “He’s a mama’s boy. Judge Colfax told me Seth doesn’t work at a regular job and that Sheila is supporting him.”

  “She works?”

  “No, Sheila doesn’t work. She doesn’t have to. Her father died and left her enough money to set her up for life, but she still cashes her monthly alimony check from Judge Colfax. I know because he told me the alimony check was a day late and she’d already called him about it three times. He asked me to hand it to her personally so that he would know exactly when she got it.”

  “Did you happen to notice what her last name was?”

  “Sure did. It’s the same as my wife’s grandmother’s last name. Dortweiler.”

  Hannah jotted Sheila Dortweiler in her book. “What was Mrs. Dortweiler doing when you handed her the check?”

  “She was sitting in her living room drinking coffee and eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich.”

  “Do you remember where Mrs. Dortweiler lives?”

  “I do. She’s got a big place on the lake in Annandale. It’s less than an hour from here. I’ll give you the address. Judge Colfax told me that after I’d hand delivered his check, I could take the rest of the day off. I thought that was really nice of him until my paycheck came and I found out that what it amounted to was taking the rest of the day off without pay.”

  Hannah held her pen poised over a blank line. Was telling someone to take the day off and not paying them a motive for murder?

  “And don’t start writing my name in that book of yours,” Dave said. “I didn’t do it and I’ve got an alibi. I was talking to my wife on the phone when the judge was killed and it’ll be on my phone records. Have the cops check, if you like. The phone company won’t give the records to you, but they always cooperate when the request comes from someone in law enforcement.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Hannah said, even though she was already wondering if the deputies in charge would do that with all their persons of interest and if Michelle would ask Lonnie to make a copy for her. “What’s Judge Colfax’s current wife’s name?”

  “Nora. She’s really nice. I’ve met her and I like her.”

  Hannah noticed the omission. Dave had met Nora and he liked her. He’d also met Sheila if he’d delivered Judge Colfax’s check to her house, but Dave hadn’t said he liked her.

  “Did Judge Colfax and his current wife have any children?”

  “No.”

  “Then he had only the one son?”

  “Actually . . . no. He has a daughter by a woman named Margaret George. He was reminiscing about her one afternoon. I guess she was a really nice gal and he was going to marry her, but he met Nora and that was that.”

  “Do you know anything about Judge Colfax’s high profile cases?”

  “Not really. He just filled in around here. All the high-profile cases were delayed until the regular judges got back.”

  Hannah glanced down at her notes. Dave Johansen had given her a wealth of information and it was a good place to start her investigation. She had only one question left to ask. “Do you know anyone in addition to Chad Norton who had a motive to kill Judge Colfax?”

  Dave thought for a moment and then he shook his head. “No, not unless someone he convicted wanted revenge. He didn’t have any cases like that here, but if I were you, I’d check his case records. Even murderers get out on parole eventually. And there’s always the families of the victims. Someone like that might have thought their loved one’s killer or rapist got off too easy.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Hannah said, even though she’d already thought of it. “Thanks, Dave. You’ve been a big help.”

  “You’re welcome. He wasn’t a bad guy, you know. He just got crotchety in the last year or so. Maybe he was in pain. That’ll make some people cantankerous.”

  Hannah said her goodbyes and went out to the lobby to meet Howie. He wasn’t there yet and she sat down in a chair to write another note in her Murder Book. Check with Nora C. about Judge Colfax’s health.

  DOUBLE F DOUBLE M CRUNCH COOKIES

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

  1 cup white (granulated) sugar

  1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, ½ pound) softened to room temperature

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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

  2 cups Frosted Flakes

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

  1 cup M&M’s candy (regular, not the kind with nuts in the middle)

  Hannah’s 1st Note: I use an electric mixer to mix up these cookies at The Cookie Jar. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can do it in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

  Place the white sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up together.

  Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

  Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. Mix them in thoroughly.

  Add the vanilla extract and the beaten eggs. Beat until everything is thoroughly incorporated.

  Measure out the 2 cups of Frosted Flakes and place them in a closeable plastic food storage bag. Crush them with your hands or roll a rolling pin over the bag to crush them.

  Add the crushed Frosted Flakes to your bowl and mix them in.

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: 2 cups of Frosted Flakes will equal approximately 1 cup when crushed.

  Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and take the mixing bowl out of the mixer. Give it a final stir by hand.

  Gently, using a folding motion with the rubber spatula, mix in the M&M’s candy.

  Let the dough sit on the counter for a minute or two to rest. (It doesn’t really need to rest, but you probably do.)

  Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or by lining them with parchment paper.

  Form the dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet.

  Press the dough balls down just a bit so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven. (Don’t laugh. This happened to Lisa when she made these cookies at home. Her two dogs, Dillon and Sammy, chased the cookie dough balls and gobbled them up before she could stop them! She called Doctor Hagaman because there was chocolate in the cookies and chocolate isn’t good for dogs, but he said not to worry when she told him that they only got two dough balls apiece.)

  Bake your Double F Double M Crunch Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack until they’re completely cool. (If you used parchment paper, you can leave them on the paper. Just pull it over on the wire rack. The cookies will be easy to peel off when they are cool.)

  Yield: approximately 6 to 8 dozen, depending on
cookie size.

  Hannah’s 3rd Note: If your first pan of cookies spread out too much in the oven, chill the dough in the refrigerator for one hour before baking the rest of your cookies.

  Delores’s Note: I love these cookies! They’re so sweet and chocolaty. Hannah told me that the M&M candy name came from Forrest Mars Sr., of the Mars candy company, when he struck a deal in 1941 with Bruce Murrie, son of famed Hershey president William Murrie, to develop a hard shelled candy with chocolate at the center. The two M’s stand for Mars and Murrie. Hannah should really go on Jeopardy! She knows a lot of little facts like this. If she won, she could replace her old cookie truck with something that runs better.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When she walked in the back door of The Cookie Jar, Hannah found Norman waiting for her at the stainless steel work island. There was a cup of coffee in his hand and a welcoming smile on his face.

  “We didn’t get a chance to talk very much last night,” Norman said, patting the stool next to him. “Sit down, Hannah, and tell me all about Vegas and the wedding.”

  “Vegas was good. Michelle and Andrea took me to buy a new bathing suit and all three of us enjoyed the pools. We really loved the show tickets you gave us, too.”

  “That’s great. How was the wedding?”

  “It was fun. You’ll see the video at the party. The wedding chapel was small, but it was nice, except for the videographer in the Elvis wig.”

  “Oh, no!” Norman laughed. “Was your mother really upset about that?”

  “Not really. She was having too much fun to be upset. She said the wig was so awful, she was going to ask them to play ‘Love Me Tender’ at the ceremony.”

  “She didn’t!”

  “Oh, yes she did. It was a great wedding, Norman. Mother and Doc looked very happy.”

  “They deserve to be happy. Did you meet anyone interesting?”

  He knew! Hannah felt an instant of panic and her heart jumped up to her throat. Somehow Norman knew about Ross! What should she do? What should she say? Somehow she had to handle this without hurting Norman’s feelings.

  The truth, Hannah’s mind instructed. Tell him the truth.

  Hannah knew her instinct was right and fair. There was no way she could lie to Norman. But caution prevailed. The whole truth could wait until they were in private . . . if she told him at all. Perhaps she’d change her mind about Ross when she saw him again.

  Fat chance! her mind mocked her. You’re in love with Ross and you know it. It’s a lot different from the way you feel about Norman. Norman’s a friend, a wonderful friend, and there’s no denying that you do love him. But, as you’ve thought so many times in the past, you don’t love him enough to marry him.

  Was she thinking clearly? Or was she deluding herself? She had to consider the fact that her mother’s wedding was very romantic. Just seeing Delores and Doc together had made her long for someone she could love the way that they loved each other. There was also the romantic atmosphere of Las Vegas to consider. She had been on vacation and alone in a hotel room. Ross had been in a suite only a few steps down the hall. It was possible that what she was feeling for Ross was a vacation fantasy that had no part in the reality of everyday life. She should wait to tell Norman until she was sure that her feelings for Ross were real.

  Nice job of rationalization, her mind said sarcastically. Are you going to tell him, or not?

  Not, Hannah’s inner voice answered. I won’t tell him everything until I find out if it’s real.

  Hedging your bets?

  Hannah made a conscious decision to stifle her sarcastic mind. She would refuse to listen and go with her heart.

  “I didn’t meet anyone that interesting,” she responded, hoping her answer hadn’t taken too long, “with the exception of Doc’s best man. That was a complete surprise.”

  “Who was it?”

  Norman didn’t know, and Hannah drew a deep breath of relief. “Ross Barton,” she answered. “You remember him, don’t you?”

  “Sure I do. What happened to the friend from medical school that Doc was going to ask?”

  “He was doing something for Doctors Without Borders and couldn’t get back to the States in time.”

  Norman looked thoughtful. “Was Ross working on a project in Vegas?”

  “I’m not sure, but he did have a meeting with someone while he was there. He told us he wasn’t happy in Hollywood and he was looking for something else.”

  “Then he was probably flying to Vegas anyway for that meeting. What’s he looking for anyway?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t go into specifics with us. But I do know he’s coming to Lake Eden for an interview at KCOW Television.”

  “Good. He’s a nice guy, and I’d like to see him again. How long is he staying?”

  “I don’t know that either,” Hannah answered quite truthfully since Ross hadn’t told her . . . yet. And then she said something off the top of her head that she wished she could call back the instant the words left her mouth. “Michelle’s making dinner on Thursday night and we invited Ross. Would you like to join us?”

  “Sure. I haven’t seen Ross since he shot that movie here in Lake Eden. And if there’s food involved, Mike will probably show up, too. It’ll be like old home week.”

  Not exactly, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. What on earth had gotten into her, extending the invitation to Norman?!

  “What time is dinner?” Norman asked her. “And do you want me to bring Cuddles?”

  “Come at six o’clock and yes, please bring Cuddles. That’ll make Moishe very happy.”

  “Now I have an invitation for you,” Norman said, smiling at her. “Will you come to dinner with me at the Lake Eden Inn tonight? I already invited Michelle and Lonnie, and I’m going to invite Andrea and Bill. I thought it would be fun to celebrate the fact that your court case was dismissed.”

  “How nice!” Hannah was genuinely touched at Norman’s thoughtfulness. “Are you going to invite Mike?”

  “I’d better. After all . . .”

  “There’s food involved!” Norman and Hannah said together. And then they shared a laugh.

  Hannah was just slipping the last pan of cookies in the oven when Michelle came into the kitchen from the coffee shop. “Did Norman invite you to dinner at the Inn?”

  “Yes. And I invited him to dinner Thursday night.”

  “Then Ross isn’t coming?”

  “Ross is coming. He thought he’d finish his interview by four at the latest and then he’s coming to my place.”

  “So Norman is coming and Ross is coming.”

  “Yes. And Mike will probably show up. He usually does . . .”

  “When food is involved,” Michelle finished Hannah’s sentence with a laugh. But then she quickly sobered and a worried expression crossed her face.

  “What’s the matter?” Hannah asked her.

  “I was just thinking about dinner with Norman, and Mike, and Ross. Won’t it get ugly with all three of them there at the same time?”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment and then she shook her head. “I don’t think so. Norman likes Ross and so does Mike. Norman even said that it would be like old home week.”

  Michelle didn’t say anything. She just stared hard at Hannah.

  “What?” Hannah asked her, puzzled by that reaction.

  Michelle gave a little sigh. “Sometimes Hannah, you’re a babe in the woods, especially when it comes to men. You really don’t know what you’re doing, do you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re clueless. I can tell. You’re getting the three rivals together in one place at the same time. That means what you’re doing is comparison shopping!”

  Hannah blinked. And then she blinked again. Finally she said, “Maybe you’re right, but I never meant to do that! Really I didn’t.”

  “I believe you. I said it before, you’re clueless.”

  “Can’t you at least say guileless? It sounds much b
etter.”

  “Okay, you’re guileless. I think I knew more about men in high school than you do now.”

  Hannah was silent for a long moment. Perhaps she had made a big mistake. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to correct it. “What do you think I should do, Michelle?”

  “There’s nothing you can do to reverse things. My advice would be to sit back and let it all play out between Norman, Mike, and Ross.”

  “But you said it might get ugly!”

  “It might. That depends on how you act and how Ross acts. I think Ross will be fine. I’m sure he’s been in situations like this before.”

  Hannah caught her sister’s inference. “But you’re not so sure about me.”

  “That’s right. I think we need a distraction. So far it’s just you and me and the three guys. I’ll invite Lonnie. That’ll help. And I’ll give Andrea a call at the office and ask her to come over here to discuss it.”

  “I’ll do it,” Hannah said. “I have to talk to her anyway. I want Tracey to run out to the mall with me when she gets out of school.”

  “Going comparison shopping?”

  Michelle eyes were twinkling and Hannah knew she was kidding. “I think I’ve done enough of that, at least for today! I’m going out there to pick up a new phone.”