Carrot Cake Murder (9 page)

“That would be great!” Hannah said. Norman was always so good to her. “Maybe I should loosen a little bit of that weather stripping and let some bugs in for him.”

“Don’t do that. I’ve got another idea that might work. They’re having a sale on Kitty Kondos at the pet store in the mall.”

“What are Kitty Kondos?”

“They’re three-story activity centers covered with carpeting. The base is the first story. It’s a big tub-like thing that supports the rest of the structure.”

“Tub-like?” Hannah gave a wry smile. “Moishe should like that!”

“True, but this tub is carpeted inside and out. He can race around the middle to his heart’s content and it won’t make any noise.”

“That sounds good, especially for Sue and Phil. What’s on the next tier?”

“It’s the second story of the tub with an opening on both sides. A covered plank juts out and leads to a frame covered in carpet with all sorts of toys on strings. The clerk said she has one at home, and her cats just love to walk the plank and bat at the toys. And on the other side, there’s a mesh hammock. She said it’s a favorite nap place for older cats because nothing from the floor can bother them.”

“And there’s another story above that?”

“That’s the penthouse, and there’s a little outside staircase leading down to the floor. It’s a faster exit than ducking down through the tubs.”

“So how much does all this grandeur coast?” Hannah asked the important question.

“A dollar.”

“What?!”

“That’s what Moishe’s will cost. I’m getting one for Cuddles, and if I buy two, I can get the second one for only a dollar. I was going to do that anyway and give one to Moishe for Christmas. But from what you’ve told me, I think he needs it right now.”

Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you’re buying one for Cuddles and you’re not just trying to help me out?”

“I’m positive. I’ve even got the color picked out. I thought blue would go best in the living room, and that’s where I want to put it. She’s already got the kitty staircase I built in the den.”

The one you built for Moishe, Hannah filled in the unsaid part of Norman’s answer. He’d built the kitty staircase hoping that she’d marry him. And from what he’d said earlier, he still loved her even though she’d turned down his proposal.

“Well…if you’re sure you’re getting one anyway…” she said.

“I am. What color would you like?”

“You decide,” Hannah told him, because it didn’t really matter to her. Coordinating colors in her condo was not a high priority. There was also the fact that almost everything she owned came from the Lake Eden Helping Hands Thrift Store, and if she had a décor at all, it was economical eclectic.

“Okay, where do you want to put it?”

“You can decide that, too.”

“How about right next to your desk in the living room? That way Moishe will have something else to do, and he won’t bother you when you use your computer.”

“Good idea,” Hannah said, not willing to admit that the only time she used her computer was when Norman came over to give her a word processing or Internet lesson.

Norman stared at her for a moment, and then he shook his head. “There’s something wrong, isn’t there,” he said, and it was more of a statement than a question.

“What could possibly be wrong? Didn’t I just agree with everything you suggested?”

“That’s just it. You agreed with everything I suggested. That’s not normal for you, Hannah. I think you’re still in shock.”

“Maybe I am,” Hannah said, and only after the words had left her lips did she realize that she was agreeing with him again. “I guess I must be,” she concluded.

“Then you need a dose of your own medicine. Hold on a second and I’ll get some.”

Hannah watched as he reached into the picnic hamper and pulled out a covered cake pan. “Dessert?” she guessed.

“Yes, and you’re going to love it. I had a piece while I was waiting for you to come out of the pavilion.”

“It’s chocolate!” Hannah started to smile as Norman removed the cover and she caught a whiff of the delightful aroma.

“It’s Marge’s Cocoa Fudge Cake.”

“She mentioned it last night. And she said she was going to bake it today.”

Norman dished it up on a paper plate and held it out to her. “I forgot forks. You’ll have to pick it up with your hands.”

“Not a problem.” Hannah picked up the cake and bit into it. She gave a little moan of pleasure as she tasted it, and then she took another bite, a bigger one than the first. Once that was gone, she gave Norman a smile that came straight from her heart. “It’s incredible!”

“Lisa gave it to me when she saw me packing up the picnic for you. She said you’d need chocolate.”

“Oh, I do. I do!”

“She also said to tell you that Marge wrote down the recipe in case you want it.”

“In case I want it? Of course I want it! Was there ever any doubt?”

“Lisa thought you’d like it. That’s why she gave me both cakes. Marge made two so she could give one whole cake to Gus.”

“Lisa thought we could eat two cakes?”

“No, but she thought seeing them out at the lunch buffet would make Marge sad.”

“She’s probably right,” Hannah said, thinking about what Gus had said at the dance last night and how he was looking forward to a piece of Marge’s cake.

Norman glanced at his watch and clamped the lid back on the cake pan. “Time to go, Hannah.”

“Go where?”

“To meet Mike and Bill at the yellow cottage. That’s where Patsy and Mac are staying. They volunteered to let Mike and Bill use it as a temporary headquarters to interview the relatives.”

“Now I get it.” Hannah started to smile. “Lisa probably wants me to dish up that second cake for Mike and his team.”

“That’s right. She figured the endorphins in the chocolate would put Mike in a good mood and he’ll be more likely to answer questions.”

“What questions? It’s the other way around. Mike’s going to interview me. He’ll be the one asking the questions.”

“Lisa knows that, but she also knows you. She told me she knows that you get all the information you can so that you can investigate. She spent some time with Marge and Patsy this afternoon, and they all want you to help them. They said that the sooner you catch the killer, the faster everyone can get back to normal and enjoy the family reunion again.”

“Then they’re going on with the reunion?”

“Absolutely. They all got together and took a vote on it. People came hundreds of miles to be here, and it would be heartbreaking if they had to turn right around and go back home again. Granny Truog’s here and she’s over a hundred. This could be the last chance she has to see some of her relatives.”

“Everything you said makes sense. It would be a real pity to call it off.”

“So are you going to help Lisa out and take the case?”

“Why not?” Hannah asked, grinning as she threw her hat, the imaginary straw hat with a ribbon around the brim that she’d worn to pose for Monet, into the ring once again.

COCOA FUDGE CAKE

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

Hannah’s 1stNote: Marge says to tell you that she got this recipe from two girls she met on the bus to Fargo, Sandy and Patricia. They used margarine, but since Marge is from a dairy state and she knows that there’s no substitute for butter, she uses regular salted butter in her cake. She says she made a couple of other changes too, but it’s been so long she doesn’t remember what they are.

Before you start, grease and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. (You can also spray with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then dust it lightly with flour.)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

2 cups flour (don’t sift—just level it off with a knife)

——————

1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)

1 cup water

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s)

——————-

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

In a large bowl, stir the sugar and the flour together. Set it aside on the counter.

Put the butter, water, and cocoa powder into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.

Pour the cocoa mixture over the sugar and flour, and mix it all up together. (You can do this on medium speed with an electric mixer, if you wish.)

Hannah’s 2ndNote: Marge says you shouldn’t be a neat-nik and wash your saucepan. If you make the frosting, you’ll use it again.

Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, baking soda and eggs together in a small bowl. (I used a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.)

Add the egg mixture to the large bowl. Stir it until it’s thoroughly incorporated.

Pour the batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch greased and floured cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. When the cake begins to shrink away from the sides of the pan, it’s done.

Hannah’s 3rdNote: This cake is delicious without frosting, or just lightly dusted with powdered sugar. If you want a frosting, try the one below. Start making it 5 minutes before the cake is due to come out of the oven and the frosting and the cake will be ready at the same time.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

½ cup (1 stick) butter

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used

Hershey’s)

1/3 cup milk

1 one-pound box of powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the butter, cocoa powder, and milk in a medium-size saucepan (The one from before that you didn’t wash.) Bring them to a boil, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar, a half-cup at a time, until the frosting is thickened, but still “pourable.” (If that’s not a word, it should be.)

Pour the frosting on the hot cake, and spread it out quickly with a spatula.

Hannah’s 4thNote: Interruptions happen and it’s not always possible to finish the frosting at the same time you take the hot cake from the oven. For that reason I’ve come up with an alternative fudge frosting, one that can be poured over a piping hot cake, a warm cake, or a stone cold cake. Here it is:

NEVERFAIL FUDGE FROSTING

½ cup (1 stick, ¼ pound, 4 ounces) salted butter

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

1/3 cup cream

½ cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Place the butter, sugar, and cream into a medium-size saucepan (You can use the one from the cake that you didn’t wash.) Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat to medium and cook for two minutes.

Add the half-cup chocolate chips, stir them in, and remove the saucepan from the heat.

Stir in the vanilla and the chopped pecans, if you decided to use them.

Pour the frosting on the cake and spread it out quickly with a spatula. If you’re pouring it on a warm cake or a cold cake, just grab the pan and tip it so the frosting covers the whole top.

If you want this frosting to cool in a big hurry so that you can cut the cake, just slip it in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a half-hour or so.

Hannah’s 5thNote: Marge says that this cake smells so good, you might have to keep it under lock and key until it’s cool enough to cut.

“Thanks, Hannah.” Mike snapped his notebook closed to show that their interview was over, but when Hannah made a move to rise to her feet, he reached out to stop her. “Just one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You mentioned that you spent some time with the victim last night at the dance.”

Through no choice of mine, Hannah wanted to say, but of course she didn’t. “That’s true. I told you I was sitting in a booth with Gus and his relatives.”

“And they were discussing things they remembered from their childhood?”

“Right.” Hannah glanced longingly at the cake that sat on the counter. She’d been closeted with Mike in the kitchen of the lake cottage for over thirty minutes. Normally, being closed up with Mike in an isolated cottage at Eden Lake might have been an opportunity for romance, but not today. Mike was all business. He was the detective, and she was the person who’d found the body. There were guidelines to follow, and Mike was following them.

“Would you like another piece of cake?” Hannah asked, hoping for the diversion of chocolate.

“No thanks. I gained half a pound yesterday and I’ve got to watch it. But you go ahead if you want to.”

Hannah sighed. She could have used another piece of Marge’s cake, but she didn’t want to admit it in front of the man who curtailed his calories if he gained an ounce. “I’m fine. Did you have anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“Just a couple of things. Let’s get back to the conversation you had at the dance last night. From what you told me, it sounds like it was a family discussion that didn’t have much to do with you.”

“That’s exactly what it was, at least most of the time. Marge tried to include me, and so did Gus, but we didn’t have a lot in common, especially when they started talking about the people they’d known in school.”