Coconut Layer Cake Murder Page 24

  “Yes, still photography and video.”

  “And Ross had plenty of money when he was a student?”

  “He was always treating us to dinner, or breakfast,” Hannah said. “And he bought Lynne some beautiful jewelry.”

  “Then my guess is that forging fake identification cards paid for most of that. He didn’t work, did he?”

  “Not that I know of, but you can ask Lynne. She’d know.” Hannah was silent for a moment, thinking about how drastically she’d misjudged the man she’d loved, and then she glanced at the ID card that Mike was holding. “Did Ross use his real name on that?”

  “No.”

  “Which name did he use?” Norman asked.

  “Roy Benson,” Mike began to frown. “And that’s unusual.”

  “Why?” Hannah asked him.

  “Because one of the big mistakes that most criminals make is that they keep their initials.”

  “I think I know why he kept his initials,” Hannah told them. “Ross really loved to change into his design sweat suits when he came home from work. They were made of velour, and he had a whole wardrobe of them. His initials were embroidered on the jackets in gold thread.”

  “So every jacket had the initials R.B. on the front?” Norman asked her.

  “Yes, he told me he never went anywhere without them, and he even wore them to work sometimes.”

  “You could be right,” Mike said, pulling the suitcase with the clothing over to him and going through the garments inside. He checked the stacks of shirts, pants, and jackets, and gave an affirmative nod. “He’s got four colors of velour sweatshirts, pants, and jackets. And all of the jackets have R.B. embroidered on the front.”

  “Which other names did he use?” Norman asked.

  Mike pulled the suitcase with the forged identification cards closer and picked up a stack of passports. “Ralph Black, Rudy Blaine, Roman Booker, Ronnie Barnes, and Robert Brown. There are some other names here with photos of other men.”

  “You mean they don’t all have photos of Ross?” Hannah asked.

  “No, and that makes me even more convinced that part of the money Ross made came from forging pieces of identification.”

  Hannah swallowed with difficulty. “That . . . that does make sense, I guess.”

  “I’m going to call Bill when we’re through here, and have him pick up these suitcases. I want him to take them down to the station and put them in the evidence locker.”

  “But . . . why?” Hannah asked him.

  “They could contain important evidence in several pending fraud cases. Do you mind if I do that, Hannah?”

  “I . . . I . . . no, I don’t mind,” Hannah said, struggling to keep her equilibrium.

  Norman reached out to take her arm. “I’m going to take you back to my car, Hannah. Just sit there for a while and try to relax. Mike and I will store your things in the locker.”

  “Right,” Mike agreed immediately. “Drive Hannah back to The Cookie Jar, Norman. Just drive the trailer down here and unhook it. When Bill gets here, we’ll take care of the unloading, and we’ll lock up the storage unit before we leave.”

  “But how about Lonnie’s trailer?” Hannah asked.

  “I’ve got a trailer hitch and I’ll take the trailer back to Cyril’s garage. That’s where Lonnie got it. Just take care of Hannah, okay? It’s been a rough day for her so far.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “Thanks for asking me to come along, Hannah.” Andrea was all smiles as they pulled up in front of Danielle Watson’s dance studio.

  “Thank you for coming with me,” Hannah countered. “I need you on this one, Andrea. Danielle and I are friends, but you’re much closer to her than I am.”

  “That might not be true after Danielle tastes your Pear and Apple Pie,” Andrea said, but one glance at her sister’s face told Hannah that Andrea was very pleased. “I just hope that Danielle will tell me if she can alibi Benton on the night that Darcy was killed.”

  “So do I!” Hannah picked up the pie she had baked and walked toward the door with Andrea. “This pie is heavy. Will you open the door for me?”

  “No problem.”

  Andrea opened the door, and they both stepped in. Almost immediately, strains of music wafted down the staircase to meet them.

  “Is that a waltz?” Andrea asked, starting to climb up the stairs to Danielle’s dance studio.

  Hannah listened for several seconds. “It sounds like it to me. I think it’s the ‘Anniversary Waltz.’”

  “The only song that Dad would dance to?”

  “That’s right. Mother said the first time she danced with Dad was at his parents’ silver wedding anniversary party. And they started dating right after that.”

  “Dad really didn’t like to dance, did he.”

  It was a statement rather than a question and Hannah laughed. “He hated it. Mother said he was a pretty good dancer, but Dad was convinced that he had two left feet.”

  “Mother was wrong.” Andrea said. “Dad danced with me once when I was learning how to waltz and he stepped on my toes.”

  As they climbed upward, the music increased in volume and Hannah could tell that the waltz was almost over. “Someone must be having an anniversary party,” she commented.

  “Right.” Andrea reached the top of the stairs and entered the area Danielle had set aside for a waiting room. “Here we are,” she said, taking a seat on one of the couches.

  “Good,” Hannah agreed, sitting down on the couch across from her sister and doing her best not to breathe heavily. If she was out of breath from climbing Danielle’s staircase, perhaps it was time to consider that four-letter word she hated.

  “I’m a little out of breath,” Andrea confessed, breathing in deeply. “That’s a really steep staircase.”

  “It certainly is!” Hannah responded, but her spirits lifted a notch. Andrea wasn’t an ounce overweight and she kept herself in tip-top condition. It might not be time for a diet after all!

  The two sisters didn’t have long to wait. After less than five minutes, two older couples that Hannah didn’t recognize came out of the interior. They smiled and nodded at Hannah and Andrea, walked through the waiting area, and left.

  “Who were they?” Hannah asked, when she was sure that the couples were out of earshot.

  “I don’t know, and I thought I knew almost everyone around here.” Andrea looked puzzled. “I’m almost certain I’ve never seen them before.”

  “You haven’t,” Danielle said, coming into the waiting room just in time to hear Andrea’s comment. “They’re the Landsdown twins and they’re from Anoka.”

  “The men are twins?” Hannah guessed.

  “Yes, and so are the women.”

  “You mean . . . two sets of twins married each other?”

  “That’s right. They met at a twins convention in Minneapolis and they just moved to Long Prairie. They’re about to celebrate their wedding anniversaries and they wanted to learn how to dance for their joint anniversary party.” Danielle stopped speaking and stared at the pie in Hannah’s hands. “Something really smells great! What is it, Hannah?”

  “Pear and Apple Pie. You know Charlie Jessup, don’t you, Danielle?”

  “Everybody knows Charlie and his sled dogs.”

  “Well, Charlie has a brother in California and his sister-in-law, Lyn Jessup, makes a really incredible pear crisp. Charlie brought me some the last time they flew out to visit. Lisa’s Aunt Nancy tasted it and we came up with this recipe for Pear and Apple Pie. The crumble on top is almost the same as the one on Lyn’s pear crisp.”

  “I love apple crisp!” Danielle said with a smile. “And I bet I’d like pear crisp, too. I can hardly wait to taste this pie, Hannah.”

  “Well, you won’t have to wait for long.” Hannah got up from the couch and handed the pie to Danielle. “Do you have a little time before your next class, Danielle?”

  “Yes, fifteen minutes. Come in the back with me and I’ll make you
a cup of coffee.”

  Hannah and Andrea followed Danielle through the studio to the living quarters in the back. They waited at Danielle’s small kitchen table while she made coffee for them.

  “Shall I cut the pie for us?” she asked as she brought them cups of coffee.

  Hannah shook her head. “Save it for tonight, so you can share it with Benton.”

  “Thanks. Benton’s going to love it. He’s always asking me when I’m going to learn to bake, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

  Once Danielle had seated herself at the table, she turned to Hannah with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d get around to interviewing me.”

  “You were?”

  “Yes, I figured someone would tell you about Darcy and Benton, and I was prepared to call you tomorrow if they didn’t.”

  “What about Benton and Darcy?” Andrea asked, leaning forward.

  “You must have heard the gossip, Andrea.” Danielle gave a little sigh. “Darcy was always trying to pick up on Benton. She even left little notes in his pocket inviting him to come to her place.”

  “Did you see any of the notes?” Hannah asked her.

  “I saw all of them. Benton showed them to me and we talked about what he could do to discourage Darcy without being mean.”

  “What did you decide?” Andrea asked her.

  “We decided that nothing could discourage Darcy when she had her mind set on flirting with someone. We just . . .” Danielle stopped speaking and sighed again. “I kind of hate to say this, after what happened to Darcy, but it turned into a little joke between the two of us.”

  “But weren’t you jealous?” Andrea asked. “I don’t know how I’d feel if someone like Darcy came after Bill.”

  “If you were smart, you’d laugh about it. And that’s exactly what we did. To tell the truth, I was a little jealous at first, until I was convinced that Benton wasn’t interested in Darcy. You’d probably react the same way I did.”

  “Maybe,” Andrea said, but Hannah noticed that her sister didn’t seem all that convinced. “Did you ever confront Darcy? Tell her to back off?”

  Danielle shook her head. “No, I thought that might make her think she was making inroads.”

  “But she wasn’t?” Hannah asked.

  “Of course not. Benton spends every night he can over here with me.”

  “How about the night that Darcy was killed?” Hannah couldn’t help but ask.

  “Yes, and I’m really glad he did!” Danielle looked very relieved. “We were together all evening. We took Del with us to dinner at the Lake Eden Inn. We had six o’clock reservations and we were there until eight. Then we drove Del back to his place, and Benton came home with me.”

  Andrea looked concerned. “Was Benton with you the entire night?”

  “Yes. We had another glass of wine and watched a movie on television.”

  “Would you be willing to swear to that in a court of law?” Hannah asked her.

  “Yes, I would,” Danielle said quickly, “but I won’t have to.”

  It was clear that Andrea was puzzled. “Why not?”

  “Simple logic,” Danielle said, beginning to smile. “It’s because Hannah always catches the killer. And I know that Benton didn’t do it.”

  A few moments later, Andrea and Hannah took their leave so that Danielle would have a few minutes to herself before her next dance class. They climbed down the staircase and Andrea turned back to Hannah as she opened the street door. “That’s an awesome responsibility, Hannah.”

  Hannah was puzzled. “What’s an awesome responsibility?”

  “Danielle’s counting on you to catch the killer to clear Benton, Lonnie’s counting on you to do it to clear him, Michelle’s counting on you to save Lonnie, Cyril’s counting on you to save his son, Rick’s counting on you to save his brother, Mike’s counting on you to save his partner, and Bill’s counting on you to solve the case because he can’t use any of his detectives except the new guy.”

  Hannah gave a deep sigh. “You’re right, Andrea. It is an awesome responsibility.”

  “What are you going to do if you can’t find Darcy’s killer?”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment, and then she shrugged. “I think it’s best if I put that possibility right out of my mind.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  “I’m just going to concentrate on doing what everyone expects of me and keep at it until I do.”

  PEAR AND APPLE PIE

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

  Hannah’s Note: This pie was inspired by Lyn Jessup’s pear crisp and Mom’s Apple Pie.

  The Crust:

  One 8-inch or 9-inch frozen deep-dish piecrust (I used Marie Callender’s—you can also make your own if you wish)

  The Filling:

  ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar

  ¼ cup flour

  ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course)

  ½ teaspoon cinnamon (if it’s been sitting in your cupboard for years, buy fresh!)

  ¼ teaspoon cardamom

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  3 cups sliced, peeled apples (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Fuji or Gala)

  3 cups sliced, pared pears (I used fresh pears just barely ripe NOT overripe)

  1 teaspoon lemon juice

  ½ stick cold salted butter (¼ cup, 2 ounces, pound)

  If you use homemade piecrust, roll out enough for a 9-inch round and place it in a pie pan.

  If you are using a frozen piecrust, thaw it according to the package directions. Leave one right in its pan.

  To Make The Filling:

  Mix the sugar, flour, spices, and salt together in a small bowl.

  Prepare the apples and pears by coring them, peeling them, and slicing them into a large bowl. When they’re all done, toss them with the teaspoon of lemon juice. (Just sprinkle on the lemon juice and use your impeccably clean fingers to toss the apple and pear slices.)

  Dump the small bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the apples and pears. Toss them to coat the slices. (Again, use your fingers.)

  Place the coated apple and pear slices in the pan with the piecrust. You can arrange them symmetrically if you like, or just dump them in as best you can. There will probably be some leftover dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. Just sprinkle it on top of the fruit slices in the pie pan.

  Cut the cold butter into 4 pieces and then cut those pieces in half. Place the pieces on top of the apples just as if you were dotting the apples with butter.

  Next, you will top your pie with a crumble very like the one that Lyn uses on her pear crisp.

  Crumble Topping:

  1 cup all-purpose flour, (pack it down when you measure it)

  ½ cup cold, salted butter (4 ounces, ¼ pound)

  ½ cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  Put the flour into the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attached. Cut the stick of butter into 8 pieces and add them to the bowl. Cover with the ½ cup of firmly-packed brown sugar and sprinkle on the cinnamon.

  Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the resulting mixture is in uniform small pieces.

  Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it in a bowl.

  Pat handfuls of the Crumble Topping in a mound over your pie. With a sharp knife, cut several slits near the top of the dome to let out the steam that develops when your pie bakes.

  Choose a baking sheet with sides. Line the inside of the baking sheet, including the sides, with foil. (This is in case any juice from the pie flows out of the top during baking and drips down onto the baking sheet.)

  Place your pie in the center of the baking sheet.

  Bake your Pear and Apple Pie at 350°F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until the apples and pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife and the Crumble Topping is golden brown.
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br />   To serve: This pie is yummy either warm, room temperature, or cold straight out of the refrigerator. If you serve it at room temperature or warm, it’s wonderful topped with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. Make sure to accompany this pie with hot, strong coffee or tall glasses of milk.

  Yield: 6 to 8 slices of delicious pie.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  “Oh, good! You’re back.” Lisa greeted Hannah before she’d even had time to hang up her parka. “Kay Hollenkamp and her husband are out in the coffee shop and they say they really need to talk to you.”

  “Thanks, Lisa.” Hannah hung her parka on a hook, poured three cups of coffee from the kitchen pot, and hurried to her favorite stool at the work station. “I’m ready. Please send them in.”

  “I’ll get a plate of cookies for you.” Lisa filled a plate with Strawberry and Vanilla Pinwheel Cookies and brought it over with the cream and sugar. “Aunt Nancy just made these. They’re still a little warm.”

  Hannah reached out for a cookie, took a bite, and smiled in enjoyment. “They’re wonderful!”

  “I know. I had three. We took some out front, and I’ll make sure that Andrea gets one. Are you ready to see the Hollenkamps?”

  “I’m ready,” Hannah said, remembering that Kay Hollenkamp was the waitress that Lonnie had told her about. Since Kay had waited on Lonnie’s whole group, perhaps she’d remembered something that could help the investigation into Darcy’s murder.