Christmas Cake Murder Read online

  Books by Joanne Fluke

  Hannah Swensen Mysteries

  CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER

  STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MURDER

  BLUEBERRY MUFFIN MURDER

  LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER

  FUDGE CUPCAKE MURDER

  SUGAR COOKIE MURDER

  PEACH COBBLER MURDER

  CHERRY CHEESECAKE MURDER

  KEY LIME PIE MURDER

  CANDY CANE MURDER

  CARROT CAKE MURDER

  CREAM PUFF MURDER

  PLUM PUDDING MURDER

  APPLE TURNOVER MURDER

  DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE MURDER

  GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER

  CINNAMON ROLL MURDER

  RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER

  BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

  DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE MURDER

  WEDDING CAKE MURDER

  CHRISTMAS CARAMEL MURDER

  BANANA CREAM PIE MURDER

  RASPBERRY DANISH MURDER

  CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER

  JOANNE FLUKE’S LAKE EDEN COOKBOOK

  Suspense Novels

  VIDEO KILL

  WINTER CHILL

  DEAD GIVEAWAY

  THE OTHER CHILD

  COLD JUDGMENT

  FATAL IDENTITY

  FINAL APPEAL

  VENGEANCE IS MINE

  EYES

  WICKED

  DEADLY MEMORIES

  THE STEPCHILD

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER

  JOANNE FLUKE

  KENSINGTON BOOKS

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One - Hannah Comes Home From College

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Christmas Cake Murder Recipe Index

  Baking Conversion Chart

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2018 by H.L. Swensen, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2018932859

  ISBN: 978-1-6177-3232-4

  ISBN-10: 1-61773-232-X

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-233-1

  ISBN-10: 1-61773-233-8

  This book is dedicated to my dear friend, Trudi Nash.

  Thank you so much for the Bundt cake concept! I had so much fun with it.

  Acknowledgments

  Big hugs to my family and my neighbors for their willingness to test recipes for me. TWO fresh-baked Raspberry Danish for everyone!

  Thank you to Mel & Kurt, Lyn & Bill, Gina, Jessie & the boys, Dee Appleton, Jay, Richard Jordan, Laura Levine, the real Nancy and Heiti, Dan, Mark & Mandy at Faux Library, Daryl and her staff at Groves Accountancy, Gene and Ron at SDSA, and everyone at Homestreet Bank.

  Grateful hugs to Richard Jordan for being a great cruise buddy and for helping me with book tours.

  Hello to my Minnesota friends: Lois & Neal, Bev & Jim, Lois & Jack, Val, Ruthann, Lowell, Dorothy & Sister Sue, and Mary & Jim.

  Kudos to my patient and brilliant editor, John Scognamiglio.

  Thank you to all the wonderful folks at Kensington Publishing who keep Hannah sleuthing and baking up a storm.

  Thanks to Meg Ruley and the staff at the Jane Rotrosen Agency for their constant support and their wise and knowledgeable advice.

  Thanks to Hiro Kimura, my incredible cover artist, for his delicious cover art.

  Thank you to talented Lou Malcangi at Kensington for designing Hannah’s beautiful book covers.

  Thanks to John at Placed4Success.com for Hannah’s movie and TV placements, the cruise ship signings he organizes for me, his presence on Hannah’s social media platform, the countless hours he spends helping me, and for always being there to help.

  Thanks to Rudy for managing my website at www.JoanneFluke.com and for supporting Hannah’s social media. And thanks to Annie for her help with social media and related projects.

  Big hugs for Kathy Allen for the final testing of the recipes. And thanks to Kathy’s friends and family for taste testing.

  A big hug to JQ for helping Hannah and me for so many years.

  Hugs to Beth for her wonderful embroidery work at Up In Stitches.

  Thank you to food stylist, media guide, and friend, Lois Brown.

  I wouldn’t dream of having a book launch party without you!

  Hugs to the Double D’s and everyone on Team Swensen who help to keep Hannah’s Facebook presence alive and well.

  Thank you to Dr. Rahhal, Dr. & Cathy Line, Dr. Josephson, Dr. Koslowski, and Drs. Ashley and Lee for answering my book-related medical and dental questions.

  Grateful thanks to all of the Hannah fans who share their family recipes, post on my Facebook page, Joanne Fluke Author, and read Hannah mysteries.

  Try one of the Ultimate Bundt Cakes. They’re easy and yummy!

  Chapter One

  Hannah Comes Home From College

  Hannah Swensen took her mother’s potholders off the hook by the stove and removed a sheet of cookies from the oven. Since her mother only had a single oven, Hannah set the cookie sheet on a cold stovetop burner to let the cookies cool for a minute or two. Then she used a metal spatula to take them off the cookie sheet and move them to the wire rack she’d set on the counter.

  The familiar scent of the cookies cooling brought tears to Hannah’s eyes. These had been her father’s favorite cookies. She brushed the tears that threatened to fall away with the back of her hand and sighed. Lars Swensen’s funeral had taken place three weeks ago, and Hannah was worried about her mother. Delores was upstairs in the bedroom she’d shared with her husband and she was napping again. She’d taken a lengthy nap every day since the funeral and hadn’t come downstairs until Hannah had called her for dinner. Even though Hannah had made some of her mother’s favorite foods and Delores had complimented her on her wonderfully tasty meals, she hadn’t eaten more than a few small bites. And when Hannah had dashed upstairs to straighten the bed after her mother’s lengthy afternoon naps, she’d found her pillow wet with tears. Delores was crying in private, unable or unwilling to share her feelings with anyone. She had cut off all efforts her friends had made to see her by claiming that she was too tired to visit with them.

  Of course Hannah had discussed this worrisome situation with her sisters, and all three of them had attempted to pull their mother out of her self-imposed isolation. Hannah’s youngest sister, Michelle, was still in high school, and she had tried to engage their mother’s help in learning her lines for the lead she’d landed in the junior play. Michelle had even talked about cheerleading tryouts and how she hoped she’d get a spot on the cheerleading team, but Delores just didn’t seem interested
in her youngest daughter’s high school life.

  Andrea, Hannah’s middle sister, was married to Bill Todd, a deputy sheriff with the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Department. They had purchased a house only blocks from Delores, and Andrea was expecting her first baby. She had attempted to engage their mother’s interest by inviting Delores to help her decorate the baby’s room, an invitation that normally would have delighted their mother. But instead of jumping at the opportunity to help by doing something she loved, Delores had claimed that she was simply too exhausted to help Andrea.

  All three Swensen sisters had tried every way that they could think of to get their mother into some activity that would get her involved in small-town life again, but everything they’d tried had failed.

  Hannah looked down at the cookies she’d baked. They were almost cool enough to eat and for one brief moment, she considered taking some up to her mother for an afternoon treat. Then she’d discarded that notion, fearful that the sight of her father’s favorite cookies might remind Delores of Lars.

  Hannah gave a weary sigh as she realized that all three Swensen sisters were walking on eggshells around their mother, afraid that anything they tried might make things even worse. They knew that they had to do something to help their mother, but they were fresh out of ideas.

  The doorbell rang, pulling Hannah away from the dilemma, and she hurried to answer the door. It was snowing again, a regular occurrence in Minnesota winters, and the temperature outside was well below zero. Hannah pulled the door open and began to smile when she saw Grandma Knudson, the unofficial leader of the Lake Eden Holy Cross Redeemer Lutheran Church. She was the current pastor’s grandmother and everyone in Lake Eden called her “Grandma” as a term of affection and respect.

  Standing next to Grandma Knudson was another one of her mother’s friends, Annie Winters. Annie was the current head of the Lake Eden Children’s Home, an orphanage situated just outside of town in a large, rambling brick mansion.

  “Hello, Hannah. How are you?” Grandma Knudson greeted her.

  “I’m okay,” Hannah answered, giving her a smile before she turned to Annie. “Hi, Annie.”

  “Hello, Hannah. We came to call on your mother.”

  “Please come in,” Hannah said, opening the door a little wider. Perhaps Grandma Knudson and Annie would know what to do to help Delores. Grandma Knudson always gave everyone wise advice, and Annie had her doctorate in psychology.

  “Would you like tea?” Hannah asked them, leading the way to the living room.

  “That would be lovely, Hannah,” Annie answered. “Will your mother join us?”

  Hannah shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Mother is napping upstairs.”

  “Again?” Grandma Knudson asked, looking more than a little distressed. “I’ve been here four times and it’s the same story.”

  “Yes,” Hannah admitted. “She’s been taking long naps every afternoon.”

  Annie and Grandma Knudson exchanged glances and then Annie spoke. “You look troubled, Hannah. Tell us why and perhaps we can help.”

  Hannah took a deep breath and blurted out her worries. “It’s Mother. Andrea and Michelle and I have done everything we can think of to coax her out of her bedroom, but she still spends more time in there with the door closed than she does in the rest of the house. And when I go up to straighten the bed, her pillow is wet with tears. We’re afraid that she’s going to withdraw from life completely and we don’t know what to do about it!”

  Grandma Knudson gave a sad little smile. “It’s a common reaction, Hannah,” she said. “Some wives just don’t want to go on with their lives when their husbands die.” She turned to Annie. “Isn’t that right, Annie?”

  “Yes, and sometimes husbands feel the same way when their wives die,” Annie added. “They think that getting involved in life again is a betrayal in some way.”

  “That’s it exactly!” Hannah confirmed, feeling slightly relieved just telling them about it. “What can we do to convince Mother to start living her life again?”

  “We have to come up with a project that only Delores can accomplish, a project that she can’t refuse to accept,” Grandma Knudson told her.

  “That makes sense, but . . .” Hannah paused and wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “Andrea and Michelle and I have tried everything we could think of, but . . . nothing has worked.”

  “Did you try things that your mother would enjoy doing?”

  “Yes. Michelle was chosen for the lead in the junior play and she asked Mother to help her learn her lines. I know that, normally, Mother would have loved to do that, but she claimed that she was too tired to help Michelle.”

  “That’s because she would have enjoyed helping Michelle,” Annie explained. “And she didn’t want to enjoy anything without your father. What did Andrea try?”

  “Andrea asked her to help decorate the baby’s room. And you know how Mother loves to decorate.”

  “Of course she does.” Grandma Knudson gave a little smile. “And your mother claimed that she was too tired to help Andrea?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what she said.”

  “And what did you do, Hannah?” Annie asked her.

  “I made all of Mother’s favorite meals for dinner, but she just pushed the food around on her plate and said she just wasn’t hungry. And when I asked her if she’d go antiquing with me to find some unusual Christmas gifts, she told me that she wasn’t interested in antiquing anymore.”

  “All right then,” Annie said. “Grandma Knudson and I discussed the problem, Hannah, and we think we have a solution for you and your sisters.”

  “What is it?” Hannah leaned forward, eager to hear what two of the women she respected most in Lake Eden wanted them to try.

  “We came up with a project that your mother won’t really want to do, but one that she’ll feel guilty about refusing,” Annie explained. “Delores won’t want to help us, but she’s going to feel obligated.”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment and then she gave a little nod. “Yes, I can see how that could work. And you have a project like that?”

  “Yes,” Grandma Knudson said. “We think we have the perfect project. You know Dr. Kalick’s niece, don’t you?”

  Hannah began to smile. “Of course I know Essie. She was married to Alton Granger, the owner of the Albion Hotel. I used to go to there for Essie’s story-time on Saturday afternoons, and so did Andrea and Michelle. Essie’s story-time was really popular in Lake Eden.”

  “So popular that they bussed in all the kids from the Children’s Home,” Annie added. “Everyone loved to hear Essie’s stories, and it gave every mother in town a break for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoons.”

  “That’s right.” Hannah began to smile. “And I think I see exactly where you’re going. Mother used to say that everyone owed Essie a debt of gratitude for telling those wonderful stories and entertaining all the children in Lake Eden. Mother used to drop us off there and go to yard sales and farm auctions.”

  “Perfect!” Grandma Knudson declared. “I think our idea is going to work, Hannah. We went to see Essie at the hospital last week.”

  “At the hospital?” Hannah felt a stab of fear. “Is Essie all right?”

  “Not really,” Annie responded. “We had a long talk with Doc Knight, and he says that Essie can’t live alone in those two rooms at the hotel any longer. He said that she wasn’t eating right and the flight of stairs to her rooms is simply too much for her to handle. She doesn’t have running water, you know, and Essie has to go up and down the stairs to use the bathroom at the café.”

  “But the café closes at nine at night!”

  “That’s why Rose gave Essie a key. She can get in if she needs to.”

  “But you said that Essie can’t handle the stairs any longer.”

  “That’s right,” Annie agreed. “She’s fallen a few times, and the last fall was the worst. She was planning to go to your father’s funeral, but she fell
halfway down the stairs and broke her hip.”

  Hannah felt tears come to her eyes again. “That’s awful! What can I do to help her?”

  Grandma Knudson smiled. “That’s exactly the reaction I hope your mother will have when we tell her about Essie. Doc Knight has her in the hospice ward at the hospital.”

  “You mean . . . Essie’s dying?”

  “No,” Annie was quick to correct her. “Essie’s not terminal, but she can’t go back to living alone, especially with the stairs and the fact that she doesn’t have electricity or running water. It’s going to take her a couple of months to heal, and that’s why he’s keeping her in the hospice ward.”

  “I understand, but what, exactly, do you think Mother could do for Essie?”

  “She can make Essie very happy,” Grandma Knudson said. “You told me that Delores feels she owes Essie a debt of gratitude for inviting you girls to her story-time. That’s why we think we know the perfect way for your mother to pay Essie back.”

  “How can she do that?”

  “We’ll tell both of you when your mother gets down here,” Annie said. “Go get her, Hannah. Tell her she’s got to come downstairs, that we need her help and we won’t take no for an answer.”

  “I would . . . but . . .” Hannah stopped and gave a little sigh. “She’ll just say she’s too tired.”