Wedding Cake Murder (17 page)

Ross looked slightly embarrassed by her praise. “Actually, it wasn’t my idea. Norman thought you wouldn’t want to deal with any more obligations once you got home. He told me he thought you’d want to relax and get some sleep before tomorrow’s practice session. As a matter of fact, he said he’d bring Chinese takeout for dinner.”

“That’s nice of him,” Hannah said, hoping the takeout meal wouldn’t turn into a dinner party.

“I can only stay long enough to help with your luggage,” Ross told her. “P.K. and I have to go back to the station to start editing our footage from New York. KCOW is going to run my interviews with the contestants and judges right before the competition begins. Then we’ll go to a live feed of the actual program from the Lake Eden Inn.”

“Oh. Okay,” Hannah responded, giving him a smile even though she wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved that she wouldn’t be spending another late evening with Ross.

“You, or me?” Michelle asked as Hannah unlocked the door to her condo.

“Or me?” Ross added. “I’ll drop these suitcases if you want me to do it.”

“I’ll do it,” Hannah said, stepping back a foot or two. “I’m his mommy.”

Michelle stood to the side and opened the door as Hannah braced herself. The moment the door opened, a ball of orange and white fur hurtled out to land squarely in Hannah’s arms.

“Oof!” she said, involuntarily. And then she leaned down to rub her nose against Moishe’s soft fur. “Were you a good boy while I was gone?”

“Rrrrow!”

Moishe looked up at her expectantly as she carried him to his favorite perch on the back of the living room couch, and she turned to head for the kitchen to get a few of his favorite salmon-flavored, fish-shaped kitty treats.

“He was very good,” Norman said, handing her the canister before she could take a step. “And so was Cuddles.”

Hannah glanced down at the middle couch cushion, the one that no one ever used unless they had a crowd of visitors. Cuddles was there, stretched out in comfort. Norman’s cat was looking up at her expectantly and she was purring loudly.

Hannah shook some treats out of the canister and doled them out to the two cats. Then she turned back to Ross, who was standing in the doorway with the suitcases. “Just put them down anywhere, Ross. Michelle and I will move them later. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to stay for something to eat?”

“I want to, but I can’t. P.K. and I have to put in at least another five or six hours to clean up that footage.” He walked over and took Hannah in his arms. “Have a nice meal and then get some sleep. You have to really nail it tomorrow in front of the hometown crowd.”

Hannah drew a deep breath. She hadn’t been a bit anxious before Ross had spoken. Now, all the uncertainties came rushing back, flying into her mind on strong wings of doubt. Was it too theatrical to wear the circlet of pearls and the short veil that Andrea had picked up for her in the bridal shop at the Tri-County Mall? Would the judges think she was using her upcoming nuptials to gain an unfair advantage over the other contestants?

“Here. I’ll put this back where it belongs,” Norman said, taking the treat canister from Hannah’s hand. “Go sit down, girls. The cats want to sit in your laps. I poured glasses of white wine for both of you. Your dinner is in the refrigerator and there’s plenty of shrimp for Moishe and Cuddles. I’ll be in the kitchen reheating our meal if you need me.”

Hannah glanced at the coffee table in front of the couch. Two glasses of wine were waiting for them. Suddenly she felt much better and her anxiety actually started to abate as she gave Ross a hug, sent him on his way, and walked over to take her customary place.

“Nice!” she said, taking a sip of the wine. “I don’t know much about wine, but I do know this isn’t Chateau Screwtop from CostMart. What is it, Norman?”

“I don’t remember, but I’ll bring the bottle to the table so you can look at it when you and Michelle have your dinner. I called to ask Sally what to buy, and she recommended it.”

“No wonder it’s good!” Michelle said. “Sally and Dick really know their wines.”

Hannah agreed. “Yes, they do, and so does Brooke. She was talking about the wine list at her brother’s restaurant last night.” Hannah stopped speaking as she remembered the curious way that Norman had worded his last comment. He’d said
when you and Michelle eat
, not
when we eat
. “Aren’t you joining us for dinner, Norman?” she asked.

“I thought you’d be too tired for company,” Norman said. “I was planning to take Cuddles home and fixing something for myself later.”

“But that’s ridiculous!” Hannah said immediately. “You’re right about how tired I am. And it’s true that I’m too tired for company, but you’re not company. You’re . . . well . . . you’re
family
.”

Norman looked a bit uncertain. “Are you sure, Hannah? I know you probably want to discuss tomorrow night’s competition with Michelle. Are you sure I won’t be in the way?”

“We’re sure,” Hannah turned to Michelle. “Aren’t we, Michelle?”

“Yes, we’re sure,” Michelle agreed quickly. “Set three places, Norman. Cuddles is going to be very disappointed if she doesn’t get at least three of those shrimp.”

Chapter Thirteen

T
he conflagration of butterflies was raging in Hannah’s stomach, causing a firestorm of nerve endings that made her feel as if she were teetering on the edge of a steep canyon with no way to save herself from tumbling into the abyss.

“Take a deep breath,” Michelle coached her. “Do it right now.”

Hannah took a deep breath. Perhaps it would help. The butterflies settled down a fraction, and that made her feel a bit better.

“Here.” Michelle handed her a bottle of water. “Drink just a little. Then take another deep breath.”

Hannah followed her youngest sister’s instructions. What could it hurt? She was going to fall off the edge and into oblivion anyway.

“Much better,” Michelle commented, smiling at her. “That particular shade of green didn’t go with your lipstick at all.”

It took Hannah a minute and then she laughed. “I was actually green?”

“You were. I’ve never seen anybody with stage fright that bad before. I thought you were going to pass out cold.”

“I
felt
like I was going to pass out cold.” Hannah took another deep breath and another swallow of water. “I’m a lot better now. Did you bring my veil?”

“It’s on the second shelf down, right by your left hand.”

“And the cake server?”

“It’s right next to the veil. Don’t worry, Hannah. Everything’s here. I checked it twice to make sure.”

Hannah gave a little sigh. “I suppose I have to wear the veil.”

“That’s right. You do. Lisa told me that if you didn’t wear it, Aunt Nancy would have a cow.”

Hannah smiled. And then she chuckled. And then she laughed. “Have a cow?” she asked.

“Yes. At least that what Aunt Nancy told Lisa. You’d better wear it, Hannah. If you don’t, who knows what might happen!”

“Thanks, Michelle,” Hannah said sincerely. “I’m not as nervous now.”

“And you won’t be nervous at all once you start to bake.” Michelle glanced at her watch. “Let’s arrange our bowls and pans, Hannah. It’s almost time to introduce the judges and the contestants.”

Michelle was right. Once the introductions were made and Alain Duquesne had started the clock, Hannah’s nervousness disappeared in a blanketing cloud of activity. They’d rehearsed their cakes in Sally’s kitchen early this morning, and everything had proceeded smoothly. Hannah wasn’t sure if that was because she’d baked so often with Michelle, or because they’d rehearsed this cake more than five times. It really didn’t matter in the giant scheme of things. They finished mixing the cake batter, coloring and flavoring it with the Jell-O powders, and were currently waiting for their oven timer to sound so that they could cool the cakes enough to frost them.

“The frosting’s ready,” Michelle said, carrying the bowl over to the center of their workstation. “Five more minutes before the cakes come out. Too bad we don’t have a kitchen coffeepot. I could use a cup.”

“We do,” Hannah said, motioning toward the coffeepot that was set up behind them. “I brought our kitchen percolator, and I just made a pot of church basement coffee.”

“You brought that big pot just for us?” Michelle asked.

“No. I’m serving church basement coffee with my wedding cake. I think it’ll be perfect to cut the sweetness.”

“You’re right. I wonder if they’ve ever heard of church basement coffee.”

“I doubt it. It’s hard to find percolators these days. Dad had a case of thirty-cup pots and another case of twelve-cup pots. I snagged them both before I sold the hardware store for Mother.”

“Smart thinking! I’ll get the coffee. Do you want a cup?”

“Yes, please. I need to keep my energy up for the judging.”

“Do you think I should offer a cup to Brooke?”

“I really don’t think we should disturb her right now. She looks a little frazzled. She told me last night that she was making three kinds of petit fours and she was afraid the time would expire before she’d frosted them all.”

When Michelle brought the coffee for them, both sisters climbed up on the tall, counter-height stools that were provided for each contestant and assistant. They had just finished their coffee when the stove timer rang. The cakes were ready to come out of the oven, and they had to cool the layers and frost them before the end of the competition.

It took only five minutes to cool the cake layers in the micro-chiller. Then Hannah removed them from the pans and passed them to Michelle to frost.

It was obvious to Hannah that Michelle had been practicing her cake decorating skills with Lisa. Her sister worked quickly and confidently, spreading frosting between the layers and stacking them expertly. Once the layers were stacked, she frosted the outside of the cake and then the top.

“Time?” she asked Hannah.

“Twelve,” Hannah said, glancing at the huge clock on the wall near the table where the judges were sitting.

“Plenty of time.” Michelle picked up the pastry bag and proceeded to decorate the cake with a white-on-white scroll-work design that looked like fine lace, a copy of the pattern that was on Hannah’s veil. She finished it with red roses around the layers and added a heart on the top.

“Done,” she said, stepping back to turn her cake slowly around on the carousel plate to make sure the design was perfect. “Do you want me to carry it to the judging table?”

“Yes. I’ll bring the tray with the coffee. It’s beautiful, Michelle. Thank you for learning how to frost it.”

“I had a great teacher. Lisa’s really amazing with the pastry bag. Are you nervous about cutting it?”

“Only because I hate to spoil perfection. I’m really looking forward to cutting this cake. It’s so pretty inside.”

Hannah glanced at the clock again. They still had three minutes. “Are we good to go?” she asked.

“We’re ready. I’ll push the cart with the cake, the cake knife, the server, the forks, and the plates. All you have to do is put on your veil and bring the cart with the coffee.”

Hannah felt silly as she clamped the veil on the top of her head. She felt as if she were making a spectacle of herself. But Aunt Nancy had been absolutely right, so far, and there was no reason to change the game plan at this late date.

When Hannah heard her name, she motioned to Michelle to deliver the cake. Then she pushed the cart with the coffee in her sister’s wake. The cake was the star, after all. It should be the first thing the judges noticed.

“What have we here?” Chef Duquesne asked her, looking highly amused.

“It’s a much smaller version of my wedding cake,” Hannah explained. “I wanted something different, and I decided to serve a Double Rainbow Swirl Cake.”

La Vonna Brach looked intrigued. “What’s that?”

“It’s a cake with all the colors of the rainbow inside. As you can see, it looks like a regular wedding cake from the outside.”

“Except it’s prettier than most,” Christian Parker commented. “Most wedding cakes are over-decorated. This one is elegantly simple.”

“But that’s the whole idea!” Alain Duquesne told him. “The real decoration for Miss Swensen’s wedding cake is her veil and what’s inside the cake.” He turned to Hannah. “Am I right?”

“You’re right, Chef,” Hannah told him.

“And you’re wearing your wedding veil because you’re going to cut the cake?” Jeremy Zales asked her.

“Yes, Chef.”

“Hold on a second, Miss Swensen,” Helene Stone said. “Is that coffee you have in that silver urn?”

“Yes, it is,” Hannah answered quickly. “I thought it would be the perfect complement to the sweetness of the cake. Would you care for a cup?”

“Yes!”

Three of the judges spoke in unison and Hannah motioned to Michelle, who poured cups of Hannah’s church basement coffee and passed the cream, sugar, and artificial sweetener.

“Oh. This coffee looks rather weak.” Chef Duquesne looked highly disappointed.

“It’s not weak, Chef Duquesne,” Hannah told him. “It’s church basement coffee and I used eggs and eggshells to clear the brew. Please taste it and see what you think of it.”

Chef Duquesne picked up his cup and tasted the coffee. He took a second sip. “It has a good, robust flavor. How did you make it, Miss Swensen?”

“I made it in an old-fashioned percolator, but you can also use a pot on the stove, or even one of those antique blue enamel coffeepots on a campfire. If you make it on the stove or a campfire, you wait until the water boils and then you dump in three eggs mixed in with the ground coffee.”

“Shells and all?” La Vonna Brach asked, looking surprised.

“Yes, shells and all. The shells and the eggs clear the dark brown coffee color. You put the pot back on the heat, wait until it just starts to boil, pull it off and, douse it with a cup of icy cold water. Then you just strain it into cups.”

“And how do you make your church basement coffee in a percolator?” Jeremy Zales asked her.

“That’s a lot easier because you have a basket to hold the coffee grounds and the cracked eggs. All you really have to do is let it perk until the coffee is the right color and serve it.”