Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18)

by Fluke, Joanne

  “The one he made for the day he was murdered. It was a little strange. He placed the call himself instead of having his clerk do it. And he reserved a table for two, but he didn’t mention who the other party would be.”

  Hannah felt her interest rise. “And he usually tells you?”

  “Yes. It’s almost always his son. Seth loves to have lunch here. He’s crazy about my bleu cheese–stuffed burgers. I even asked the judge if Seth was joining him, but he said no, he was lunching with someone else.”

  “And he didn’t say who it was,” Hannah repeated, just to make sure.

  “No, but I think it was someone important because he asked if they could park by the back door. When he comes with Seth, they always park in the lot.”

  “Could it have been someone with mobility issues?” Ross asked.

  “It could have been, but I think he would have mentioned that up front. He might have even asked if someone could help them with a wheelchair or a walker.”

  “But he didn’t say anything like that?” Hannah reached for the steno pad she carried in her purse and jotted it down when Sally shook her head.

  “He did ask for a private booth, though. And he said he was coming earlier than usual, at eleven instead of when I open at eleven-thirty. I got the feeling he didn’t want to be seen, or maybe whoever he was taking to lunch didn’t want to be seen. It was a little curious, that’s all.”

  Hannah nodded. “And of course he never showed up because he was dead by then.”

  “That’s right. It was this booth, the one you’re sitting in. I saved it through the whole lunch hour for him.”

  When Sally left to check on her sous-chef, Hannah turned to Ross. “I wonder why Dave didn’t tell me about Judge Colfax’s lunch plans.”

  “Maybe he didn’t know about them. If you have his home number, why don’t you call him and ask?”

  Before Hannah could reach for her phone, Dot arrived again. Hannah waited until they’d given her their order and then she placed the call. It only took a few moments and she had her answer. Dave hadn’t known about Judge Colfax’s lunch plans because the judge, usually meticulous about letting Dave know precisely where he’d be, hadn’t written the luncheon on his calendar.

  “My curiosity is prickling,” Ross told her when she’d related what Dave had told her. “How about yours?”

  “It’s doing a little more than prickling. It’s nudging me hard. There’s something very strange about these lunch plans.”

  “Because they don’t fit Judge Colfax’s pattern?”

  “Exactly right. It feels like another piece of the puzzle, a big one. I just have to figure out where it fits.”

  “No, we have to figure out where it fits,” Ross corrected her. “I’m helping you on this one, remember?”

  “I remember. And I’m very glad,” Hannah said, closing the little gap Dot had left in the curtains and reaching for his hand.

  Hannah had just taken her last bite of Sally’s excellent Beef Wellington when a text message came in. She retrieved it, read it, and then looked up at Ross. “It’s Andrea. She said the phone call urging Bill to hurry and make an arrest came from Senator Eric Worthington’s office. Whoever called said that the senator and Judge Colfax became friends when the senator clerked at Worthington Law and Judge Colfax was a junior partner. Bill thinks that the senator is eager for justice for his old mentor.”

  “Did you say Senator Eric Worthington?” Ross asked.

  Hannah checked the text message again. “Yes. That’s what Andrea wrote. Why?”

  “I knew Mr. Worthington had gone into politics, but I didn’t realize that he’d become a state senator. I should have guessed he’d follow in his father’s footsteps.”

  “His father?”

  “Yes, Governor Clayton Worthington. My family lived across the street from the Worthingtons when I was growing up. Their youngest son, Clay, was my best friend all the way through high school. Clay’s father, that’s Senator Eric Worthington, used to take us to Twins games and Vikings games. Clay’s older brother, Ray, was the high school quarterback when Clay and I were in junior high, and he earned an athletic scholarship and quarterbacked for the Cougars in college.”

  “The Brigham Young, Houston, or Washington State Cougars?”

  “Washington State.” Ross looked a bit surprised that she knew.

  “I follow college football,” Hannah told him. “The pros are more practiced athletes, but college football is more fun.” She paused and took a sip of her champagne cocktail. “Tell me more about the Worthington family.”

  “Everyone was an athlete except Clay. His grandfather, the governor, played competitive tennis. He was always after Clay to take up a sport. And Clay’s father was a third-round draft pick for the Vikings when he finished his junior year in college, but he decided to finish his degree and go to law school instead of going pro. I think he always regretted it, because he really enjoyed the Vikings games and knew a lot about football strategy.”

  “Was Clay’s mother an athlete, too?”

  “Yes. She was a long-distance runner. She competed in college and ran marathons all over the country after she married the senator. Clay and I watched the whole Boston Marathon so we could see her reach the finish line. As far as I know, she still runs marathons.”

  “What does Clay’s older brother do now?”

  “Ray ended up coaching college football. The last I heard, he was with the Gators.”

  “Gainesville, Florida?” Hannah was surprised. “He’s a long way from Minnesota. Where did your friend Clay end up?”

  “He stayed in Minnesota and lives in Mankato. He’s an economics professor at the state university there. He married his college girlfriend and they’ve got two daughters. I get a Christmas card from them every year. And Clay’s sister lives in Duluth. She went to college up there and liked it so much, she stayed.”

  “Is she an athlete, too?”

  “A swimmer. She almost made it to the Olympics her first year in college.”

  “So Clay’s older brother is the only one who moved away from Minnesota?”

  “That’s right. I think it was because of the court case. Nobody remembers it now, but people were talking about it when Clay and I were growing up.”

  Hannah leaned forward, all ears. “What court case is that?”

  “Ray was out with his girlfriend the night of the senior prom. They were driving past Lady Lake on their way back to town when Ray swerved to avoid a deer. The car went out of control and ended up in the lake.”

  “That’s scary,” Hannah said.

  “It was a lot more than scary. Ray wound up with lacerations and bruises, but he managed to get out of the car and walk home. His girlfriend wasn’t so lucky. They pulled her out of the car the next morning.”

  Hannah shuddered. She couldn’t help but remember the car in Miller’s Pond with Doctor Bev’s body inside.

  “There was a lot of speculation about it at the time,” Ross went on with the story. “The town newspaper called it another Chappaquiddick.”

  “Ray’s girlfriend drowned?”

  “No one’s sure. The autopsy report was inconclusive. Her family brought suit against Ray, claiming that he had been drinking, but the case was dismissed before it even got to trial for lack of evidence. There was no proof that he had done anything wrong.”

  “Did you keep in touch with the Worthington family?” Hannah asked him.

  “Just with Clay. Why?”

  “I’d really like to talk to Senator Worthington. Perhaps he could tell me something about Judge Colfax’s background that might relate to his murder. Do you think you could presume on that old acquaintance and convince him to see me?”

  “I’m almost sure I could. I’ll call him tomorrow and see what I can do.”

  “Thanks, Ross. If they worked in the same law office, they’ve known each other for a long time. Sometimes old friends know things about each other that not even their families know.”
/>   “You’re trying to find something in Judge Colfax’s background that connects to his murder?”

  “Exactly. I’ve struck out with everyone who was in Judge Colfax’s current life. Maybe an old friend from the past like Senator Worthington can help.”

  It had been one of the happiest evenings of Hannah’s life and she didn’t want it to end. “Will you come in for a while, Ross?” she asked, when he opened the car door for her.

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  They walked up the stairs arm in arm, and when they came to the landing, Hannah stopped. “Do you remember what Moishe does when I open the door?”

  “I remember. Do you want to catch him or shall I?”

  “You can. He’d like that. But brace yourself. He was twenty-four pounds the last time Doctor Bob weighed him.”

  Hannah unlocked the door and opened it to release the flying orange and white blur.

  Ross grunted when he caught Moishe in midair, and then he chuckled. “You are a big boy, aren’t you?”

  “Just put him on the back of the couch,” Hannah instructed. “It’s his favorite perch.”

  Once Moshe was settled, she shut and locked the door. Then she went to check on Michelle and found that her youngest sister wasn’t back from her dinner with Lonnie. “Would you like coffee?” she offered when she came back to the living room.

  “Sure,” Ross said. “Michelle’s not home yet?”

  “Not yet.” Hannah turned to go to the kitchen, but strong arms caught her and warm lips nuzzled her neck.

  “I don’t think I want that coffee after all,” Ross said.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Hannah woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and a purring cat nestled on her head. She dislodged the cat, thrust her arms into her robe and her feet into her slippers and went in search of the coffee. She found Michelle standing at the kitchen counter, similarly dressed and sipping a cup of the aromatic brew.

  “Here you go,” Michelle said, pouring another cup for Hannah. “Go sit. I’ll bring it.”

  “Good thing. I’d probably drop it,” Hannah mumbled, sinking down onto one of her favorite vinyl-covered antique kitchen chairs. It was a clone of the other three chairs arranged around the Formica-topped table, but it was exactly where she wanted to sit.

  The other chairs had views that did not lend themselves to work mornings. Two faced the wall between the kitchen and the laundry room that was hung with an array of collectible plates Delores had placed there when Hannah had first moved in. Hannah had never bothered to change them to something she liked better. They were pretty and were probably expensive, but she didn’t want to even pretend to assess their value before she’d consumed at least a whole carafe of coffee. As far as she was concerned the plates were a nice, innocuous wall decoration, nothing more.

  The third chair faced the wall phone, hanging above her favorite chair. Hannah didn’t want to look at the phone. If she faced the phone, it could possibly encourage it to ring. And the last thing she wanted to do when she got up at the crack of dawn was to deal with an early telephone call.

  Her favorite chair faced the clock shaped like an apple, and that was perfect for morning viewing. It reminded her that she didn’t have to go to work quite yet, but it wouldn’t let her tarry too long. It ticked off the seconds in a predictable manner that only a dead battery could halt. It moved very slowly when she trained her eyes on it and it granted her time to sip, stare, and cogitate until the little hand neared the numeral five and the big hand halted at the numeral nine. Two more sweeps of the red minute hand and it was time to rise from the chair, walk down the hallway, and take her morning shower. Ten minutes later, she would finish her shower, dress, feed Moishe, and arrive at work on the dot of five-thirty.

  “You got a text. I heard Big Ben,” Michelle told her.

  “Thanks,” Hannah said. It was time. The little hand was nearing the five, the big hand was on the nine, and the red minute hand had finished its second sweep and was well on its way to the third.

  It only took a moment to retrieve the text. Hannah read it, smiled, and put the phone in her purse. Ross loved her, he was going to work, and he’d meet her at The Cookie Jar before five-thirty tonight. When he called Senator Worthington, he’d text her again and tell her what time the senator could see them.

  Twelve minutes later Hannah had finished her shower, toweled off and dressed, and was walking down the hall toward the kitchen for one last cup of coffee.

  “Hurry up, Hannah!” Michelle called out. “He’s got another one!”

  Hannah covered the last five feet of the hallway in two steps and burst into the living room, only to see Michelle holding a pink, frilly baby bonnet in her hand.

  “Moishe?” Hannah asked, staring at the baby bonnet.

  “Yes. He had it in his mouth when I came out of the guest bedroom. Andrea never had anything like this for Bethie, did she?”

  “No. Bethie was a winter baby. She wore knit hats. That’s a summer bonnet. Look at the flowers on the side.”

  “Do you think it could have been Tracey’s?”

  “I doubt it. Tracey’s birthday is in September and it was already getting cold when she was born. Andrea bought her hoodies made of sweatshirt material, and Tracey had one in almost every color.”

  “Then it’s the cat burglar,” Michelle said with a sigh. “Do we have time to look at the tape?”

  “We’ll make time,” Hannah decided. “I don’t know about you, but this is really bothering me. It’s almost as frustrating as trying to solve Judge Colfax’s murder.”

  Of course there had been nothing on the tape and by the time Hannah and Michelle got to work, they were an hour late.

  “The cat burglar?” Lisa guessed when they came in the kitchen door.

  “Yes. We repositioned the camera in the kitchen. It’s the only room we haven’t tried,” Hannah sighed deeply, “but I really don’t have much hope.”

  “You can’t give up now,” Aunt Nancy told them. “Grandma Knudson thinks you’re close to the answer. She was listening yesterday and we got to talking later. Between the two of us, we came up with an idea about what you should do next.”

  “You did?” Hannah was delighted. Grandma Knudson was a wise woman and Aunt Nancy had a good head on her shoulders. “What do you think I should do?”

  “We want you to hold a yard sale next Saturday, but not a yard sale for money. Just make a display, right here at The Cookie Jar of all the items Moishe has appropriated. Lisa says everybody comes in here on Saturdays and somebody is bound to recognize something. If they do, you’ll know at least one place Moishe went when he got out.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea! I wonder why I didn’t think of it myself.”

  “Because you’re too close to the problem. And you’re too busy with other things. Will you do it?”

  “Yes, I’ll do it.”

  “Good. We’ll start telling people about the yard sale that isn’t a yard sale to display the cat burglar’s loot.”

  It was eleven o’clock when the text came in. Hannah heard her phone chime and hurried to take it out of her purse. Just as she expected, it was a text from Ross.

  Senator Worthington will see you at the Winnetka County Courthouse at five-thirty this evening. Worthington Law has rented it for the evening to hold their annual reunion and he’s the guest speaker. The reunion dinner begins at six. If we get there promptly at five-thirty, he’ll give us thirty minutes of his time.

  While Hannah was reading Ross’s text, another text message came in. Again, it was from Ross.

  Correction. It’s just going to be you, Cupcake. I have to work until eight. I’ll meet you at your condo later. Give the senator my regards. I’ll text him to let him know I won’t be with you. Love, Ross.

  “What’s the matter?” Michelle asked, coming into the kitchen just in time to see the disappointment on Hannah’s face.

  “Nothing, really. It’s just that Ross was going to go
with me to see Senator Worthington, but he has to work late.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “No, that’s okay. If you really want to help, start something for dinner. Ross should be at the condo by eight-thirty.”

  Hannah was dressed and ready to go. She’d had another phone lesson from Tracey, baked several more batches of cookies, and rushed back to the condo to change into an outfit that was appropriate for meeting a state senator. As she dressed, she thought of something that Howie had mentioned months ago, some rumors about how Judge Colfax had done a favor for someone powerful and gained his judgeship in the process. She knew that Howie was in his office on Saturdays so she glanced at the clock, saw that it was not yet five, and dialed Howie’s office number, hoping that he hadn’t left early.

  “Levine Law,” Howie answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, Howie. It’s Hannah. Are you going to the dinner at the courthouse?”

  “What dinner?”

  “Worthington Law is having their annual reunion and they rented the courthouse for a catered dinner. Senator Worthington is the guest speaker.”

  “Hmmm! This is the first I’ve heard about it. Of course, I never worked for Worthington Law so I guess I wouldn’t be invited.”

  “Well, I’m glad I caught you. I have a meeting out there with Senator Worthington and I remembered something you told me a couple of months ago. You said there were rumors about Judge Colfax getting his judgeship in return for doing a favor for a powerful person.”

  “That’s the rumor I heard. It’s just a rumor, though. Nobody seems to know what the favor was or who asked him to do it.”

  “Oh.” Hannah was disappointed. She’d hoped that Howie would know more than that. “I did find out that Judge Colfax was the senator’s mentor when he was a law clerk at Worthington Law. It’s entirely possible that Senator Worthington might know something about that old favor.”