Candy Cane Murder Page 5

  “Let me think, dear.” There was silence for a moment and then Delores spoke again. “We’re starting at noon and the awards are first. I think we should be through in ten minutes. Although…we do have a special award for Jenny Perkins, of course.”

  “Jenny who?” Hannah asked. She was almost certain she’d never met a Jenny Perkins at any of her mother’s club meetings.

  “You knew her as Jenny Bergstrom, but now she’s Jenny Perkins again. She took back her maiden name after the divorce.”

  Hannah hadn’t known that Wayne’s ex-wife was in town!

  “I’ll call her this morning to make sure she’s coming. I hope so. Poor Jenny will need the support of friends at this sad time in her life.”

  “What sad time? Haven’t Wayne and Jenny been divorced for at least five years?”

  “Six, to be exact. But Jenny married Wayne right out of high school and she was utterly devastated when he filed for divorce. He was her first love, and a woman never gets over her first love. Wayne’s death is bound to open old wounds for Jenny.”

  “Just as long as Jenny didn’t open new wounds in Wayne,” Hannah muttered just under her breath.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Mother. Just thinking out loud. You said you’d call Jenny this morning. Is she staying with friends?”

  “No, she didn’t want to put any of us out. We all offered our guest rooms, but she booked a room at the inn.”

  Hannah decided not to plumb for any more information. If Delores suspected that Jenny had just moved to the top of her eldest daughter’s suspect list, she’d go right back to being angry again.

  “Will you call me at the shop as soon as you know if Jenny’s coming?” Hannah asked.

  “Of course. But why?”

  So that I can watch her like a hawk and maybe even interrogate her while I’m serving the quiche, Hannah thought. But of course she didn’t say that to her mother. Instead she settled for, “I’ll pack up some chocolate cookies and send them back to the inn with her.”

  “That’s a good idea, dear. Chocolate always helps in times of stress. I was thinking of picking up some chocolate truffles at Fanny Farmer’s.”

  The lightbulb went on in Hannah’s mind and grew into a powerful halogen. Fanny Farmer’s was in the Tri-County Mall, and so was Bergstrom’s Department Store. Now was the perfect time to ask her mother to find out about the Santa costumes they sold at Bergstrom’s. “Chocolate truffles would be great, Mother. And since you’re going to the mall anyway, could you do one little thing for me?”

  “You want me to buy you that absolutely darling purse I told you about?” Delores guessed.

  Her mother sounded so hopeful, Hannah almost caved in. It was true that her huge shoulder bag purse was showing some serious wear. But the purse Delores had wanted to buy for her was one-fourth the size of her current bag. What would she do with all of the absolutely essential items she now carried?

  “That’s very sweet of you, Mother,” Hannah hedged. “Thank you for offering, but that’s not it. What I really want is for you to do a little sleuthing.”

  “Sleuthing? Does that mean you’re going to work with Mike on the case?”

  “Not exactly. Mike’s going to work on the case. And I’m going to work on the case. But we’re not necessarily going to work together. He was here last night to take our statements and he warned me to stay out of it.”

  Delores gave a laugh. “Oh, he always warns you to stay out of it! And we’ve never listened to him before. He gets his nose out of joint every time we come up with a good lead, but he knows how much he needs our help. He just can’t admit it, that’s all.”

  Hannah grinned. Her mother was using the plural personal pronoun and that meant she was ready to join in the hunt for Wayne’s killer. “You’re probably right, Mother.”

  “I know I’m right. On the other hand, there’s no sense in antagonizing him. He is the law, after all. We’ll just have to be very hush-hush about what we’re doing. Now what sleuthing can I do for you at the mall, dear?”

  “Could you go into Bergstrom’s and pick up one of those big tubs of miniature candy canes for me? I’ll pay you back later.”

  “Of course I can. But what does that have to do with Wayne’s murder?”

  “Absolutely nothing. But while you’re there, I’d like you to take a look at the Santa suits they sell. I need to know how warm they’d be if you wore one of them outside in the winter.”

  “Oh, my! I had no idea!”

  Hannah was confused. “No idea of what?”

  “That poor Wayne was wearing his Santa suit when he was murdered! Just wait until I tell the girls! Of course I have to be careful not to say anything in front of Jenny. I wouldn’t upset her for the world.”

  Hannah just shook her head. Delores had one foot on the end of the dock and the other in the rowboat. It would be interesting to see which foot won out. Would it be friendship? Or juicy gossip?

  “I have to hang up now, dear. I need to call Carrie and fill her in. I’ll take her out to Bergstrom’s with me. Her niece works in Fine Jewelry and we can pump her for information.”

  There was a click and the line went dead. Hannah shrugged, hung up the phone, and turned to glance at her kitchen clock. Her mother’s call had lasted less than five minutes. That was a new world’s record.

  “It’s okay. She’s gone now,” she said to the cat who was staring at the phone with deadly intent. He had taken an instant dislike to Delores and not even the shrimp she occasionally brought him had sweetened his opinion of her. “Come on, Moishe. Let’s get you some more breakfast.”

  Under normal circumstances the word breakfast would have resulted in an immediate dash to the food bowl. But this time the culinary magic of kitty crunchies didn’t work. Moishe continued to stare at the phone with his fur bristling and his tail swishing back and forth like a scythe.

  “Uh-oh,” Hannah breathed, wondering what she should do. She had to take a shower and get ready for work, but there was no way she could leave Moishe alone with the phone without risking a cord peppered with puncture wounds.

  “Okay. I’m calling in the big guns.” Hannah picked up the phone and dialed. A moment later she had Lisa on the phone.

  “Did I wake you?” she asked.

  “No, we were just sitting down to breakfast. I heard about Wayne Bergstrom on KCOW.”

  Hannah sighed. She should have known that Jake and Kelly, the wacky radio hosts of News at O’Dark-Thirty, would have the latest scoop. “Did they say anything about me?”

  “Oh, yes.” Hannah’s young partner gave a little chuckle. “They said you discovered Wayne’s body. And then they joked around about how Lake Eden’s Cookie Lady had murder on the menu again.”

  “We’re going to be packed today,” Hannah said with a groan. “And I’ve got the Regency club luncheon.”

  “That’s okay. I can handle the shop by myself.”

  “I know you can handle it on a normal day, but everybody and their cousin’s going to stop in to ask questions.”

  “And you won’t be there to answer them,” Lisa pointed out. “So I guess they’ll just have to sit there and buy more cookies and coffee while they wait for you to come back.”

  “Okay, but I’m still going to call around and see if I can get some help for you.”

  “It’s all taken care of. I talked to Marge and Dad and they’re going to help out.”

  “Great!” Hannah glanced down at her feline and remembered the reason she’d called Lisa in the first place. “Do you have time to do a quick favor for me?”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m going to hold the phone out and I want you to say hi to Moishe. Otherwise he’s going to hop up on the table and kill it while I’m taking my shower.”

  There was silence for a moment and then Lisa laughed. “Your mother called?”

  “That’s right. Just let him hear your voice and he’ll calm right down.” Hannah lowered the phone toward
her feline and held it out. “Listen to this, Moishe. It’s Lisa.”

  “Hi, Moishe.” Hannah could hear Lisa’s voice faintly as she held the phone at arm’s length. It sounded tinny and very small, the same sort of voice a mouse might use if mice could speak.

  Moishe pulled back, away from the sound at first. But then he seemed to realize that the voice was talking to him and he moved closer again.

  “How are you this morning?” Lisa continued the conversation and Hannah began to smile. Moishe had moved another step closer and he’d started to rub his cheek against the phone.

  “You’re such a good boy, Moishe,” Lisa said, and Hannah’s cat began to purr. “Did Mommy give you your breakfast yet?”

  Moishe turned and made a beeline for his food bowl. That surprised Hannah so much, she almost forgot to reclaim the receiver.

  “Are you still there, Moishe?” Lisa asked.

  “It’s me,” Hannah said with a grin. It was the first time she’d ever been mistaken for her cat! “Thanks for talking to him, Lisa.”

  “You’re welcome. Did he know it was me?”

  “Absolutely. When he recognized your voice, he started to nuzzle the phone and purr. And then you mentioned breakfast and he went straight to his bowl. I think he’s forgotten all about…”

  “Don’t say it and remind him!” Lisa cautioned, before Hannah could utter her mother’s name.

  “Right. I’ll see you at the shop in an hour.”

  Once she’d hung up the phone, Hannah poured herself another cup of coffee and carried it into the bathroom. It was the old carrot and the stick routine. Her mug of hot coffee would sit on the counter by the sink while she took her shower. If she hurried, it would still be hot and tasty when she emerged. If she took too long, it would be tepid. As she stepped in under the steaming spray, she thought about incentives and how well they worked. Money was a powerful incentive and it could act as a motive for murder. If she could find out the details of Wayne’s will and who would inherit his considerable estate, it could lead them to his killer.

  REGENCY SEED CAKES

  DO NOT preheat oven—this dough needs to chill.

  1 cup (2 sticks, ½ pound) butter

  2 eggs

  2½ cups white (granulated) sugar

  6 Tablespoons poppy seeds

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon orange extract

  ½ teaspoon orange zest (optional)

  5 cups flour (don’t sift it)

  ¾ cup orange juice (I used three-quarters cup Minute Maid)

  You will also need: ½ cup white (granulated) sugar in a small bowl for later, when you bake the cookies.

  Hannah’s 1stNote: You can mix up these cookies by hand, but it’s a lot easier with an electric mixer.

  Melt the butter in a pan on the stove, or in the microwave in a small bowl or measuring cup for 1 minute 15 seconds on HIGH. Let it cool while you mix up the following ingredients:

  In a large bowl combine the eggs with the white sugar. Beat them until they’re well blended.

  Add the poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix them in thoroughly.

  Add the orange extract and then the orange zest, if you decided to use it. (Orange zest is finely grated orange peel—just the orange part and not the white. The white is bitter and leaves a bad aftertaste.) If you can’t find orange extract in your store, you can use vanilla instead. Mix well.

  Cup your hands around the bowl with the melted butter. If it’s not too warm to hold comfortably, start your mixer and pour it slowly into your mixing bowl. (That’s so it doesn’t slosh over the sides!) If it’s still too hot to add and you think it might cook the eggs in your bowl, let it cool a little longer before mixing it in.

  Add two cups of the flour now. Mix it in.

  Add the orange juice to your bowl. Mix it in and then add the rest of the flour. (You should have three cups left to add.) Mix thoroughly. This dough will be quite stiff.

  Give the bowl a final stir by hand and cover it with plastic wrap. Stash it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Overnight is fine too!

  When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

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

  Hannah’s 2ndNote: If it’s snowing outside and you’re all out of parchment paper and your car won’t start for the trip to the store to get more, don’t worry about it. Just spray your cookie sheets with Pam or whichever nonstick cooking spray you have on hand. If you do this, you’ll have to let the cookies cool on the sheets for at least 5 minutes before you transfer them to wire racks, but that’s okay. It’s a lot better than trudging a mile through the snow to get to the store when you don’t have to.

  Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and make dough balls, about an inch in diameter, with your hands. Drop them in the small bowl with the sugar and roll them around to coat them. Then place them on the cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press them down slightly when you place them on the sheets so they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.

  Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 7 to 10 minutes. (Mine took about 9 minutes.) Let them cool on the pan for a minute and then pull off the parchment paper and transfer the paper and cookies to a wire rack.

  Hannah’s 3rdNote: If you didn’t use parchment paper, follow the cooling directions in my 2ndnote.

  If the dough begins to get sticky and you start to have trouble rolling it with your hands, return it to the refrigerator while the cookies are baking and take it out again when you need to make more dough balls.

  Yield: approximately 8 dozen tasty cookies.

  Chapter Five

  Hannah had just finished packing up everything she needed for the luncheon when Lisa came in through the swinging restaurant-style door carrying a tub of miniature candy canes, and a large shopping bag with Bergstrom’s logo emblazoned on the front. “Your mother was just here and she dropped these off for you,” she said.

  “I know about the candy canes. I asked her to pick them up for me. I’m almost afraid to ask, but…what’s in the shopping bag?”

  “Two things. The first is a Santa suit.”

  “But I wanted her to look at it, not buy it!”

  Lisa laughed. “That’s exactly what she said you’d say. She bought it for Bill so that he could play Santa at the sheriff’s department Christmas party. She says she’ll give it to him later, after you take a good look at it.”

  “Okay. What’s the second thing in the bag?”

  “A new purse. She says she just wants you to see it. You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to.”

  Hannah groaned. “So you think she’ll be insulted if I don’t keep it?”

  “She’s your mother. Of course she’ll be insulted. You’ll have to use it at least once, Hannah.”

  Hannah wanted to object, but Lisa was right. It was inevitable. Delores was determined to give her the purse and it might just be time to clean out her old one, although she hated to admit it. “Later,” she said, deciding to tackle that problem once she’d solved Wayne’s murder.

  “You’d better get going if you want to preheat those ovens down at the community center.”

  “I’m just going to crush some of those candy canes for the batch of Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies I’ve got in the cooler.”

  “I’ll do that while you’re gone. Do you need help loading your truck? Marge and Dad are out front taking care of the customers so I can carry stuff out for you.”

  “Not a problem. I’ve got it covered.” Hannah glanced at her partner. Lisa was wearing the frilly dress apron they used in the coffee shop and her light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She looked like what Hannah’s grandmother would have called “a slip of a girl,” but Grandma Ingrid would have been wrong to dismiss Lisa Herman
Beeseman so lightly. Not only did Lisa work full time at The Cookie Jar, she also kept what Hannah’s grandmother would have termed a “preacher-ready house,” cooked nutritious meals for her new husband every night, and visited her father, who had Alzheimer’s, at least five times a week. Lisa was on the go every second, and Hannah often wished she had that kind of energy. She told herself it was because a twenty-year-old possessed double the energy of women who’d passed the thirty-year milestone, but that probably wasn’t true.

  “Did you use the invisible waitress trick?” Hannah asked her, referring to the strange phenomenon she’d discovered the first day she opened her coffee shop. If two customers were having a private conversation, they kept right on talking about confidential matters while Hannah or Lisa refilled their coffee mugs, or delivered their cookie orders. It was as though the moment Hannah or Lisa picked up a coffee carafe, or a tray of cookies, they became incapable of overhearing anything that was said. Armed with the invisible cloak of a frilly serving apron, they ceased to exist as living, breathing human beings and turned into part of the woodwork.

  “You bet I used it,” Lisa replied with a grin. “When you first told me about it, I thought you were crazy, but it works every time I do it. I didn’t hear anything though, not unless you want to count Cyril Murphy’s crazy theory about what happened to Wayne.”

  “What’s Cyril’s theory?”

  “The part I heard had to do with alien abductions gone bad.”

  “I didn’t know Cyril believed in aliens!”

  Lisa shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me. It’s a lot like believing in the Little People. Cyril tells everybody he believes in them.”

  “He’s Irish. He has to say he believes in Leprechauns even if he doesn’t. It goes with the territory along with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, kissing the Blarney stone, and drinking green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. What did you hear Cyril say?”