Christmas Cake Murder Read online

  “Then we’ll go up and get her,” Grandma Knudson declared, springing up from her chair. “Go put on the tea, Hannah. Annie and I will have your mother down here in less than five minutes.”

  Hannah watched the two women climb the stairs to get her mother. If anyone could get Delores out of her bedroom, it would be Annie and Grandma Knudson. She watched them until they’d reached the top of the stairs and then she made a beeline for the kitchen to heat the water for tea.

  Chapter Two

  Hannah was setting out the tea tray and a platter of cookies when she saw her mother coming down the stairs with Grandma Knudson and Annie. It had been five minutes since she’d heard them knocking on her mother’s bedroom door and here was Delores, walking down the stairs with them.

  Delores smiled when she saw the tea tray on the living room coffee table. “Oh, good!” she said to Hannah. “I’m so glad you made tea, dear. Do you happen to have any cookies that we can have with it?”

  “I have Cocoa-Crunch Cookies,” Hannah responded, lifting the napkin she’d placed over the platter of cookies.

  “Perfect!” Delores turned to Grandma Knudson and Annie. “Lars used to say that they were like little bites of heaven. He loved those cookies and so do I.”

  Hannah began to smile. After three weeks of picking at whatever Hannah had made for her, Delores was finally enthusiastic about eating. This definitely reinforced her belief that Grandma Knudson and Annie were miracle workers.

  Grandma Knudson picked up the cookie platter and passed it to Delores. “Have one, dear.”

  “Thank you,” Delores said politely, selecting a cookie and taking a bite almost immediately. “These are wonderful cookies.”

  Hannah felt like turning cartwheels on the living room rug, and if she’d been more athletic, she might very well have been attempting it. “Thank you, Mother,” she said as she filled the cups and passed the tea.

  “As I mentioned upstairs, Annie was the one who found Essie,” Grandma Knudson said, turned to Annie. “Tell Delores about it, Annie.”

  Annie drew a deep breath and Hannah could tell that the memory still upset her. “Essie and I had dinner every Sunday at the Children’s Home. Essie always met me at the café and that night, she was late. I sat there for a while, waiting for her, but then I began to worry that she was sick, or she’d forgotten, or . . . worse.”

  “I had a key to the hotel.” Annie stopped speaking and cleared her throat. “I used it and opened the door. And there was Essie at the foot of the stairs, just lying there and not moving.”

  “So Annie called the paramedics,” Grandma Knudson reached out to pat Annie’s hand continued with the account. “They were there in less than fifteen minutes and they took Essie’s vital signs, loaded her onto a stretcher, and took her to the hospital.”

  Annie nodded. “I followed them and when we got there, Doc Knight told me that Essie had broken her hip. He took her into surgery immediately and I waited until he came back to say that she was going to be all right.”

  “That must have been awful for you!” Delores said.

  “It was . . . especially when she wasn’t moving and I couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not.” Annie stopped again to take a sip of her tea. “I’m just so glad I was there that evening. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if it hadn’t been our night to have dinner. Essie has been almost like a mother to us at the Children’s Home. And she’s like a grandmother to the children now.”

  “Annie grew up at the Children’s Home,” Grandma Knudson explained.

  “Yes, and Essie was a volunteer. Then, after she married Alton and moved into the hotel, she started her Saturday story-time. She invited me and two of my best friends to come to the hotel after school every day. She always fixed us an after-school snack, and we sat at a booth in the Red Velvet Lounge.” Annie stopped to smile at the memory. “You have no idea how special we felt, being in a grown-up place like that! Essie helped us with our homework and then Alton would give us a ride back to the Children’s Home. It’s a good place, Delores, and I’d like to think that, because of my background, I was able to make it into an even better environment for the children.”

  “You’ve done that, Annie. No question about it,” Grandma Knudson said.

  “Thank you. The point of all this is that I loved to take Essie out to the Home. Having her there was a chance for me to make sure she had a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

  “That was kind of you, Annie,” Delores responded.

  “Perhaps, but it was also self-serving. Essie was wonderful with the children. They called her Grandma and they all looked forward to seeing her.”

  “It’s so sad that Essie didn’t have any children of her own,” Delores said.

  “That’s not the saddest thing,” Grandma Knudson told her. “Doc Knight says that Essie won’t be able to go back to her home at the hotel again. I know that almost everybody in Lake Eden would be happy to help Essie out, but you do know how proud she is, don’t you?”

  Delores nodded. “Yes, she’s never accepted help from anyone. Lars found out that there was no running water or electricity in those two rooms she had on the second floor, so he found her a battery-operated electric blanket.”

  “How nice!” Annie commented.

  “Yes, but Essie insisted on paying him for it. He tried to give it to her, but she wouldn’t have it. He ended up telling her that it was a sample from the company and all she had to do was pay for the shipping and keep a record of any problems she had with it.”

  “Oh, that was really clever!” Annie exclaimed.

  “Thank you. It was my idea,” Delores beamed, and Hannah realized that she hadn’t seen her mother look happy in weeks. “Just a little thing like that made both of us feel good. It’s so rewarding to help someone you like.”

  “Exactly!” Grandma Knudson agreed. “That’s why we came here today, Delores.”

  “What can I do?”

  “We went to see Essie this morning and we had a very sad conversation with her. She was talking about the past and we could hear the longing for those days in Essie’s voice.”

  “What did she say?” Delores asked.

  “She told us about the first Christmas Ball she attended at the opening of the Albion Hotel. That’s where she met Alton, you know.”

  “Of course,” Delores responded. “He built the hotel.”

  “Essie was so excited when she described the Christmas Ball,” Annie continued. “And for the very first time since her accident, she actually looked happy.”

  Grandma Knudson nodded. “She said she wishes she could go back in time just to see the splendor of that first Christmas Ball and something she called the Christmas Cake Parade.”

  “Yes,” Annie continued. “We talked about it on the way over here to see you. Both of us wished that we could recreate that Christmas Ball for Essie again, just the way it was back then. It would mean so much to her. Of course it would be a huge project. Grandma and I would help all we could, but it would take a real community leader to organize such a large event.”

  Hannah watched her mother closely. It was clear that Delores was intrigued by the idea. “So you came here to ask me to spearhead this event?”

  “Yes,” Grandma Knudson admitted. “You’re the only one we know who could pull it off in time.”

  “What time limit would I have to accomplish such a massive project?” Delores stopped speaking and gave a little sigh. “And I’m not promising I’ll do it, but I need to know the time constraints?”

  “Two and a half weeks,” Annie responded. “The first Christmas Ball, the one Essie remembers, was held two weeks before Christmas.”

  Delores hesitated for a moment or two and then she squared her shoulders. “If I take on this project for you, how many people would be willing to help me?”

  “You’d have everybody in the congregation at Holy Redeemer,” Grandma Knudson promised. “We have carpenters, masons, painters, plu
mbers, you name it.”

  “And if you need muscle to unload things and carry things, I know the teenage boys at the Home would be happy to help,” Annie offered.

  “Well?” Grandma Knudson asked, giving Delores the look Hannah had always thought was made of pure steel wool. It was slightly flexible, but only to a certain degree. It reminded Hannah of a bundle of sharp-edged steel filaments that could wear anything . . . or in this case, anyone . . . down in seconds flat.

  It was so quiet in the living room that Hannah could hear the old-fashioned windup alarm clock in her bedroom ticking off the seconds. That was when she realized that she was holding her breath, waiting for her mother to answer.

  “Yes,” Delores said, at last. “But only if Hannah will help me.”

  “Me?” Hannah was completely perplexed by her mother’s request. “But, Mother . . . you know that I’m not very good at decorating and things like that. What could I do?”

  “You can do what you do best, dear,” Delores told her. “You can bake the cakes for the Christmas Cake Parade. I remember my parents talking about how beautiful it was when they shut off the lights in the ballroom and carried in the Christmas cakes. Each one was decorated with candles, and some of the older people in Lake Eden still talk about how stunning it was to see all those cakes when they were carried in and placed on the buffet table.”

  Hannah began to smile. “Of course I’ll help bake the cakes, Mother. How many were there?”

  “I’m not sure. I was too young to go to the ball since champagne was served and I was underage. I’d be happy to help you with the cakes, dear, but you know that I don’t bake.”

  “Everybody in Lake Eden knows that, Delores,” Grandma Knudson said, smiling to show that she was teasing.

  Delores gave her a long-suffering look, but then she laughed. “You and Annie wouldn’t want any cake that I baked,” she said. “But both of you know that Hannah is an excellent baker. Tell me about the Albion Hotel Ballroom. Is it in good enough shape?”

  “I’m not sure,” Annie admitted. “I’ve never been up to the second floor.”

  “Then the first thing we have to do is talk to Essie and ask her to describe exactly what she remembers about that Christmas Ball. Do you think she’s willing to see us this afternoon?”

  Annie and Grandma Knudson exchanged triumphant glances. “I think she’d be delighted to see us,” Annie said.

  “And especially to see you,” Grandma Knudson added. “She asked about you this morning.”

  Delores looked pleased. “How sweet of her!” Then she turned to Hannah. “Could you pack up some of those cookies, Hannah? We could take them with us when we visit Essie. I’m sure she’d love to have some.” Then she turned back to Grandma Knudson and Annie. “I’ll meet you at the hospital in forty-five minutes. That’ll give me time to take a quick shower and freshen up. And after we visit Essie, we should go over to the Albion Hotel and find out which type of elevator is there. I’ve heard that the Otis Elevator people will fix any of their elevators. And if I talk to them and tell them about Essie and her situation, perhaps I can convince them to fix it for no cost to us.”

  “But, Delores . . .” Grandma Knudson began to frown. “What about the electricity? Elevators run on electricity, don’t they?”

  “Don’t worry about the electricity. I’ll talk to Mayor Bascomb about it. Recreation of the Christmas Ball is a project that the whole community should get behind. If enough people agree to help us, we can figure out some way to hook up the electricity. After all, Essie has lived in Lake Eden for most of her life and she’s always been involved in charitable work. Now it’s time for the community to give back to her, and I intend to make certain that they do just that.”

  COCOA-CRUNCH COOKIES

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

  1 and ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound, 12 ounces)

  1 and ¼ cups white (granulated) sugar

  2 large eggs

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)

  2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  1 and ½ cups finely crushed plain regular potato chips (measure AFTER crushing. I used Lay’s, put them in a plastic zip-lock bag, and crushed them with my hands)

  1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestlé)

  ____________________

  ⅓ cup white (granulated) sugar for dipping

  Hannah’s 1st Note: Use regular potato chips, the thin, salty ones. Don’t use baked chips, or rippled chips, or chips with the peels on, or kettle-fried, or flavored, or anything that’s supposed to be better for you than those wonderfully greasy, salty, old-fashioned, crunchy potato chips.

  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, salt, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy. (You can do this by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.)

  Add the quarter-cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. Mix it in thoroughly.

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

  Add the crushed potato chips and mix well.

  Take the bowl out of the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips by hand. Stir them in so that they are evenly distributed.

  Form one-inch dough balls with your hands and place them on an UNGREASED cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. (As an alternative, you can line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.)

  Place the sugar in a small bowl. Spray the flat bottom of a drinking glass with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, dip it in the sugar, and use it to flatten each dough ball. (Dip the glass in the sugar for each cookie ball.)

  Bake your cookies at 350 degrees F., for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are starting to turn golden at the edges. (Mine took the full 12 minutes.)

  Let the Cocoa-Crunch Cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. (If you used parchment paper, all you have to do is pull it over to the wire rack and let the cookies cool right on the paper.)

  Yield: Approximately 6 to 7 dozen crunchy, chocolate, shortbread-like cookies, depending on cookie size.

  Chapter Three

  “Where’s Mother’s car?” Michelle asked as she came into the kitchen from the garage.

  “Mother has it. She’s at the hospital with Grandma Knudson and Annie Winters.”

  “At the hospital?” Michelle looked anxious. “Is Mother all right?”

  “She’s more than all right. Mother’s back!” Hannah gave a happy smile. “Mother’s meeting them there and they’re going to see Essie.”

  “You mean . . . Mother actually left the house?”

  “She certainly did. Right after her visit with Grandma Knudson and Annie, she took a quick shower, got dressed, and went off to the hospital to visit Essie to find out about the first Christmas Ball at the Albion Hotel. Grandma Knudson and Annie asked her to recreate the ball for Essie, and Mother agreed to take on the project.”

  “Wow!” Michelle looked thoroughly shocked and it took a moment for her to digest this startling news. When she did, a huge smile spread over her face. “I don’t know what you did, but it worked!”

  “It wasn’t me. Grandma Knudson and Annie Winters deserve all the credit for that.”

  Michelle noticed the cookies on the cooling racks and began to look puzzled again. “You baked Dad’s favorite cookies?”

  “Yes. And Mother grabbed a plateful to take to Essie in the hospital. She said they were going to have cookies and coffee while Essie told them all about the Christmas Ball.”

  “You said Essie was in the hospital. Is she sick?”

  “Not exactly. She has a broken hip and there was no way she could go back to the hotel. Doc Knight put her in the hospice ward at the hospital.”

  “But Essie’s not dying, is she?”

  “No, it’s just that she can’t
go back home yet and Doc decided to use the hospice ward as a temporary solution.”

  “Oh, good! When you said she was in the hospice ward, I was thinking the worst. Let me see if I’ve got all this straight. Mother took a shower, got dressed, and she drove to the hospital to visit Essie with Grandma Knudson and Annie.”

  “That’s right and there’s more. Essie’s going to tell them about the night she met Alton Granger, and Mother’s going to spearhead a community project to recreate that Christmas Ball for Essie.”

  Michelle blinked a couple of times and sat down in a kitchen chair. “Wow!” she said again. “A lot happened while I was at school today!”

  “Yes, it did.”

  “And this means everything’s getting back to normal again with Mother?”

  “That’s exactly what it means.”

  “Oh, good!” Michelle turned to look at the cookies again. “Can I have a cookie, Hannah?”

  “Of course.”

  “And is it okay if I call Lisa and invite her over tonight? She said she’d help me learn my lines for the junior play.”

  “Go ahead. You can invite her to stay for dinner, too. Mother likes Lisa and it’ll be good for her to have company. Andrea’s going to be here, too. Mother called to invite her right before she left for the hospital. She told Andrea that she’d be happy to help decorate the baby’s room if Andrea would help her decorate the hotel for the Christmas Ball.”

  “And Andrea said yes?”

  “Of course she did. You know that Andrea loves to work on decorating projects with Mother.”

  Michelle’s smile grew even wider. “This is wonderful, Hannah! It just gets better and better. I can hardly wait to tell Lisa that Mother’s getting back to her old self!”

  “When you do that, you’d better warn Lisa.”

  “Warn her about what?”

  “About Mother. She’s in a recruiting mood and she’ll probably try to recruit both of you to help her with the ball.”