Devil’s Food Cake Murder Read online

  It was eight o’clock in the evening, and time was passing so slowly Hannah thought she’d die. She glanced at her watch, hoping that no one would notice the sharp eye she was keeping on the time, and gave a little sigh. She was here at Doctor Bev’s birthday party, it was turning out to be an ordeal for her, and she couldn’t let anyone know it.

  Norman had rented the banquet room of the Lake Eden Community Center for the party. The room was jammed with guests, and it was clear that Mike had done a bang-up job of inviting people. More than fifty guests were milling around, laughing and talking, and sipping drinks from the full bar that Hank Olsen, the regular bartender at the Lake Eden Municipal Bar, was manning. The nondrinkers were availing themselves of soft drinks from the row of coolers on a long table that had been set up against the far wall, and everyone seemed to be having a marvelous time. Everyone but Hannah, that is.

  Someone had decorated the room with a ceiling of crepe paper streamers and metallic balloons that bobbed and swayed on strings attached to flowerpots filled with flowers. There was a six-piece band on an elevated stage, deli sandwiches brought in from the new deli out at the Tri-County Mall, and bowls of chips and dips. Hannah’s trifles, all five of them, were in bowls in the walk-in cooler, ready to emerge with candles on top when it was time for dessert.

  The band began to play. The party had officially begun. Hannah felt an unsettling pang as Norman took Doctor Bev into his arms. She smiled up at him as he led her gracefully across the floor and he looked down at her with obvious affection.

  It was more than a little pang. Hannah felt rotten to the core. She was having great difficulty keeping the pleasant expression on her face as she watched Norman and Doctor Bev dance. It reminded her of the first romantic dance at a wedding reception when the groom took his new bride in his arms and they danced for the first time as husband and wife.

  “Hannah?”

  A voice started her out of her unhappy contemplation, and Hannah tore her eyes away from what appeared to all the world like a happy couple. “Mike,” she greeted him, glad for the interruption.

  “Come on, Hannah. Let’s dance.”

  Mike held out his hand and Hannah took it. Dancing with Mike should keep her from dwelling on Norman and Doctor Bev. She knew from experience that it was impossible to think about anyone else when she was in Mike’s arms.

  Mike’s sexy charisma worked like a charm the moment she began to dance, and her mind settled down into a purring idle. Hannah was so grateful to Mike for rescuing her from her unwanted spectator role that she snuggled a little closer into his arms and smiled up at him exactly the way that Doctor Bev had smiled up at Norman.

  As their dance went on, Hannah was dimly aware that other couples had joined them on the area set aside as a dance floor. The song that the small band had been playing when they’d begun to dance had ended and the band had segued into another romantic tune. They’d played only a few bars before Mike stopped dancing and Hannah realized that someone else had tapped him on the shoulder to cut in.

  It was Norman, and Hannah followed polite convention and stepped into his arms. Doctor Bev did the same with Mike, and the two couples separated. “Having fun?” Norman asked her.

  “Fun,” Hannah repeated, hoping that he would take that for assent.

  “Good. I think Bev’s enjoying herself, too. Most of our patients are here. Your mother even showed up. She told me she might be too busy working on her new outline, but she’s here.”

  Hannah felt a rush of affection for her mother. Delores had come up with the perfect excuse, but she’d shown up to support Hannah. She was even on the dance floor with Doc Knight. As Hannah spotted them, Delores gave her the high sign. That meant her mother thought she was handling the situation well. It was probably a good thing Delores didn’t know how close Hannah had come to losing it when Doctor Bev had stepped into Norman’s arms.

  Luckily, there was no shortage of partners. The men in Lake Eden liked to dance. It wasn’t like some dances in other places like the Eagle, a sleazy, country-western bar and dance place in the country that everyone called a dive. There the men who didn’t have dates for the evening would arrive ten minutes before the last call for drinks. They’d survey the unattached women, ask one of them to dance, buy her one drink at last call, and then attempt to arrange an after-hours date that wouldn’t cost them a dime.

  Hannah stayed until after the refreshments were served and the birthday gifts were opened. The trifle recipe Sally had given her was a huge success, but that was little consolation. She said goodnight and happy birthday to Doctor Bev, and pleaded an early morning at The Cookie Jar to escape after two hours of smiling so constantly that her face felt as if it might crack.

  Once Hannah pushed open the door of the community center and stepped out into the subzero temperature, she gave such a big sigh of relief that her breath came out in a volleyball-sized cloud of vapor. At least that was over. She could hardly wait to get home, have a steaming cup of hot chocolate laced with at least a dozen miniature marshmallows, pet Moishe until her blood pressure returned to normal, and go to bed.

  “Hannah?”

  Hannah came close to groaning as she recognized Norman’s voice. She really didn’t feel like talking to Norman right now. She actually considered pretending not to hear him, but it was a still and silent night, and Norman knew she didn’t have a hearing problem. She told herself that she had maintained so far and she could maintain a bit longer. And then she turned around.

  “Hi, Norman,” she said, pasting the same smile on her face again. “Aren’t you cold without a coat?”

  “No. I wanted to catch you before you left, Hannah. I really appreciate you going the extra mile for Bev’s party. I was going to buy a cake because I know you’re busy with Valentine’s Day coming up and all. But then Mike said he’d asked you if you’d bake something and you said you’d make the dessert.”

  “Right,” Hannah responded, hoping he wasn’t going to offer to pay her for the work she’d done.

  “That trifle was so good, Bev said she’d like to learn how to make it. Unfortunately, she’s not a very good cook. Her talents in the kitchen are pretty much on a par with your sister Andrea’s.”

  “She’s that bad?”

  “Right after she moved here, she made cupcakes from a mix. They turned out like hockey pucks.”

  Hannah’s smile turned a bit more genuine. She was so glad that there was something Doctor Bev couldn’t do, she decided to be generous. “Maybe her oven isn’t calibrated correctly.”

  “It was my oven, and I know that works just fine.”

  Hannah’s heart sank. Doctor Bev was using Norman’s oven, the one Hannah had chosen for the house they’d designed together. She reminded herself that it wasn’t really her oven, not if she didn’t marry Norman and live in their beautiful house.

  “How about that trifle?” Norman asked. “Is it difficult to make?”

  The time to be generous was over. Hannah gave a little shrug. “It’s not difficult for me,” she said pointedly.

  “I didn’t figure it was. You can bake anything. I just want to know what sort of baking’s involved.”

  “It starts with a sponge cake,” she said quite honestly, but then temptation overtook her. “Do you think Doctor Bev could bake one of those?”

  “Not on a bet!”

  “Well…I could give you my recipe for sponge cake if you think she’d like to work on it,” Hannah offered, deliberately sounding doubtful. She certainly wasn’t about to tell Norman that the assembly time for the trifle was only fifteen to twenty minutes, there was no baking required, and you could buy the sponge cake along with all the other ingredients.

  “Never mind. Bev burns everything she tries to bake, and it would probably depress her. She just hates it if she can’t master something.”

  “Okay,” Hannah said, wondering how long Norman would stand here in his shirt sleeves. “Aren’t you cold?” she asked him again.

  “No
. It’s just good being alone with you, Hannah. How about if I drop by The Cookie Jar tomorrow?”

  “Sure. You’re always welcome at The Cookie Jar.”

  “Morning? Or afternoon?”

  “Right between the two.” Hannah decided quickly. “I’ve got a ton of baking to do in the morning, and then I have a couple of deliveries to make in the afternoon.”

  “Is noon okay? I’ve got a patient at eleven-thirty, but it’s just a quick checkup.”

  “Noon is fine. See you then.” Hannah took a few steps toward her cookie truck, but when she turned to give a final wave, she noticed that Norman was still standing there as motionless as a statue. “Go inside before you turn into an icicle, Norman. It’s below zero out here.”

  “Right,” Norman said with a quick bob of his head. He shivered once, as if he’d just noticed how cold it was, and then he walked quickly back to the door, pulled it open, and stepped into the heated interior.

  “Oh, boy!” Hannah breathed, opening her truck and sliding in on a plastic seat cover that seemed even colder than the air outside. Norman was really preoccupied if he hadn’t even noticed the cold. There was something else she’d noticed, too. A worry line he’d never had before was forming between his eyebrows. Something was very wrong and she didn’t have a clue what it was.

  Hannah started her truck, cranked the heat up all the way, and turned up the fake fur collar on her parka while she waited for the windshield to defrost. Yes, something was definitely wrong with Norman. Could that be why he wanted to see her alone tomorrow afternoon? Did he intend to tell her what it was?

  MINI MAC COOKIES

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: These cookies are called “mini” for two reasons. They’re made in small (mini) cupcake papers or mini muffin tins, and they have mini chocolate chips in them. “Mac” is appropriate because they’re macaroons.

  14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk—I used Eagle Brand)

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 seven-ounce packages flaked coconut (that’s approx. 5 and ⅓ cups)

  2 cups mini chocolate chips (12-oz. package—I used Nestle)

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: I always chop my coconut flakes a little finer in my food processor with the steel blade. If you don’t have a food processor, you can lay it out on a cutting board and chop it with a sharp knife.

  Prepare your baking sheets. You can use mini size paper baking cups (1 and 5/8 inches diagonally, the size that will fit into a mini muffin pan), the mini muffin pan without baking cups, or cookie sheets. If you use the baking cups, just set them in the muffin pan. If you use the mini muffin pan without baking cups, spray it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then flour it, OR use baking spray which already contains the flour. If you use cookie sheets, line them with heavy duty foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and flour it, or simply use a baking spray that contains flour.

  Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and empty the contents into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and stir it in.

  Measure out your coconut, chop it a bit finer with your food processor or a knife and stir it into the bowl. (It’s easier if you add the coconut a half-cup at a time.)

  Add your mini chocolate chips to the bowl, stirring them in as thoroughly as you can. (The goal here is to get some chocolate chips in every single Mini Mac Cookie.)

  If you’re using baking cups, drop some cookie dough inside with a teaspoon and press it down lightly with a wet fingertip. (This dough is sticky!) Since these cookies don’t rise, you can fill the baking cup very close to the top.

  If you’re using mini muffin tins without the baking cups, simply use a teaspoon to fill them up and press down slightly with a wet fingertip. They’ll look best if they’re a little mounded on top.

  If you’re using greased and floured (or sprayed with baking spray) cookie sheets, drop the dough by teaspoons onto the sheet and press them down slightly with a wet fingertip. Since these cookies don’t spread out, you can get 16 to 20 on each cookie sheet.

  Bake the cookies at 325 degrees F. for 15 to 18 minutes. (Mine took 17 minutes.) They’re done when the coconut is toasted to a nice golden color on the tops.

  Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets, in the baking cups, or in the mini muffin pans for 2 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you’re using the baking cups, don’t remove them from the paper. They’re easier to serve that way, and they’ll look much prettier.

  Store the Mini Mac Cookies in layers of wax paper in a box or in a storage container. Make sure the cookies don’t touch each other or they’ll stick together and be difficult to separate. They can be frozen, but again, don’t let the cookies touch each other.

  Earl Flensburg and Carrie really loved these cookies. Mother says she’s going to order some from me every time they come over for dinner and serve them with chocolate ice cream.

  PAPAYA MAC COOKIES

  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

  Hannah’s 1st Note: These cookies are called “Mac” because they’re macaroons.

  14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk—I used Eagle Brand)

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  2 seven-ounce packages flaked coconut (that’s approx. 5 and 1/3 cups)

  2 cups chopped dried papaya (chop it up to the size of raisins)***

  *** - Dried papaya isn’t always available 12 months out of the year. If you can’t find it, you can use any dried fruit. I’ve made this cookie with dried pineapple, dried apricots, and sweetened dried cranberries. I think it could very well be delicious with anything!

  Hannah’s 2nd Note: I always chop my coconut flakes a little finer in my food processor with the steel blade. If you don’t have a food processor, you can lay it out on a cutting board and chop it with a sharp knife.

  Prepare your baking sheets. You can use mini size paper baking cups (1 and 5/8 inches diagonally, the size that will fit into a mini muffin pan), the mini muffin pan without baking cups, or cookie sheets. If you use the baking cups, just set them in the muffin pan. If you use the mini muffin pan without baking cups, spray it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then flour it, OR use baking spray which already contains the flour. If you use cookie sheets, line them with heavy duty foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and flour it, or simply use a baking spray that contains flour.

  Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and empty the contents into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and stir it in.

  Measure out your coconut, chop it a bit finer with your food processor or a knife, and stir it into the bowl. (It’s easier if you add the coconut a half-cup at a time.)

  Add your chopped papaya to the bowl, stirring it in as thoroughly as you can. (The goal here is to get some chopped papaya in every single cookie.)

  If you’re using baking cups, drop some cookie dough inside with a teaspoon and press it down lightly with a wet fingertip. (This dough is sticky!) Since these cookies don’t rise, you can fill the baking cup very close to the top.

  If you’re using mini muffin tins without the baking cups, simply use a teaspoon to fill them up and press down slightly with a wet fingertip. They’ll look best if they’re a little mounded on top.

  If you’re using greased and floured (or sprayed with baking spray) cookie sheets, drop the dough by teaspoons onto the sheet and press them down slightly with a wet fingertip. Since these cookies don’t spread out, you can get 16 to 20 on each cookie sheet.

  Bake the cookies at 325 degrees F. for 15 to 18 minutes. (Mine took 17 minutes.) They’re done when the coconut is toasted to a nice golden color on the tops.

  Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets, in the baking cups, or in the mini muffin pans for 2 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you’re using the baking cups, don’t remove them from the paper. They’re easier to
serve that way, and they’ll look much prettier.

  Store the Papaya Mac Cookies in layers of wax paper in a box or in a storage container. Make sure the cookies don’t touch each other or they’ll stick together and be difficult to separate. They can be frozen, but again, don’t let the cookies touch each other.

  Claire and Bob loved these. They promised to bring back every type of tropical dried fruit they can find in Hawaii so that I can experiment with it.

  Chapter Eight

  When the alarm went off at four in the morning, Hannah had all she could do to squelch the urge to shut it off and pull the blankets over her head. It was Monday morning and the sun had not yet risen over the yardarm. They had fifteen batches of cookies to make for wedding receptions, two more batches for engagement parties, and one batch for a birthday celebration. And that didn’t count the dozens they’d have to bake to stock the display cookie jars at their coffee shop.

  Then there was Doctor Bev’s birthday party and the effort she’d made to maintain her composure. And the scimitar hanging over her head, swinging lower by the tiniest increments with each second that passed. Was Norman falling in love with Doctor Bev? Perhaps she’d find out today when she saw him at noon. Maybe he was planning to break up with her. He’d said once that he was lonely living in their house all by himself, but that was before he adopted Cuddles. Cats were lots of company. Without Moishe, she might be lonely, too.

  Hannah gave another heartfelt sigh. Whatever Norman was planning to tell her had to be important. She just hoped that he wasn’t going to say that he couldn’t date her anymore because he was going to marry his former fiancée!