1 cup peanut butter chips
1 package (approximately 18 ounces) chocolate cake mix, the size you can bake in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan (Andrea used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge)
? cup powdered (confectioners) sugar in a separate small bowl (you don’t have to sift it unless it’s got big lumps)
First of all, chill 2 teaspoons from your silverware drawer by sticking them in the freezer. You want them really ice cold. This will make it a lot easier to form the cookies after the dough has chilled.
If you haven’t done this already, whisk the egg until it is fluffy and of a uniform color.
Transfer the egg to a large mixing bowl.
Measure the Cool Whip and stir it in.
Measure and stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Measure and stir in the peanut butter chips.
Sprinkle the cake mix over the top and fold it in, stirring only until everything is combined. The object here is to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for an hour.
Hannah’s Note: Andrea said this dough is very sticky. It’s much easier to work with if you chill it.
When your cookie dough has chilled for an hour, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Take your dough out of the refrigerator, your spoons out of the freezer, and scoop the dough one teaspoon at a time into the bowl of powdered sugar. Roll the dough around with your fingers to form powdered sugar – coated cookie dough balls.
Place the powdered sugar-coated cookie dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 balls to each cookie sheet. (Andrea used parchment paper sprayed with nonstick cooking spray on top of a cookie sheet.)
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F., for 10 minutes.
Take the baked cookies out of the oven and place them on a cold stovetop burner or wire rack.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for no more than 2 minutes, and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. (This is easy if you line your cookie sheets with parchment paper—then all you have to do is grab the corner and pull it onto the wire rack.)
Yield: 3 to 4 dozen yummy cookies, depending on cookie size.
Chapter Thirteen
“I have to talk to you, Hannah,” Mike said, walking into the kitchen. “Where is Lily?”
“Sleeping. Sally found a room for her, and Doc gave her something to help her sleep. Come in, Mike. Would you like some coffee and a cookie?”
“I don’t know, Hannah. I don’t know what I need. A new head might help.”
Mike sounded so depressed, Hannah went over to give him a comforting hug. “Are you upset because of the way you told Lily about Sonny?”
“Yes, but that’s just part of it. There’s more, Hannah. There’s something really wrong.”
For the first time in her life, Hannah wished she’d taken more psychology classes. She poured a cup of coffee for Mike, set a plate of cookies in front of him, and sat down. “Tell me about it,” she invited.
“There’s an important question I have to ask you first,” Mike said, and Hannah noticed that he hadn’t even reached for a cookie.
“What is it?”
“Did you mention to Lily that I didn’t want anyone to know that her fiancé was dead?”
“Yes, I did. I asked her not to tell anyone, not even her father, until you said it was okay.”
“Does Lily know that he was murdered?”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “I think she probably guessed as much. She didn’t come out and ask me, so I’m not sure, but she did agree not to mention anything to anyone about Sonny’s death until you give her the okay.”
“Good! Thank you, Hannah.” Mike looked relieved as he reached for a cookie. “I was all set to question Lily tonight when you brought her over to our table. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, that’s why I brought her there. I didn’t want her to talk to anyone else until she’d talked to you.”
“That’s what I thought. And I was all ready to question her, but then I looked at her and . . . I’m not really sure what happened, but I realized that I was going to blow it if I tried to take the lead in interviewing her.”
Hannah felt a moment’s vindication. Her instinct had been right, after all. “Why was that, Mike?”
“I . . . This will probably sound crazy, Hannah. I’ve taken the lead in every interview I’ve ever done with a partner, but this time was different. This time I just couldn’t seem to get a handle on her.”
“A handle on Lily?”
“Yes. I knew she was a suspect. Family members always are. And I knew I had to ask her the right questions.”
Hannah gave a little nod. She wasn’t sure what else to do. “And . . . ?” she prompted.
“I had to back off, Hannah. I thought I’d be too tough on her and I knew that wasn’t fair. So I sat back and let Lonnie take the lead.”
“Did you tell Lonnie that you were going to do that?”
“No, I just hoped he’d pick up on it. We’ve worked together a long time, Hannah. I figured he’d know that something was wrong, and he’d ask the questions that I should have asked.”
“And did he?”
“Yes. He took over and his questions were probing and insightful. He did exactly what I should have done . . . if I’d been able to do it.”
Hannah winced as she realized that Mike had admitted that he hadn’t been able to question Lily.
“Why couldn’t you question Lily?” Hannah asked. “Do you know?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I do.” Mike took a big drink of his coffee, but Hannah noticed that the friend she’d previously referred to as The Cookie Monster put his cookie back down on the plate.
“Tell me why,” Hannah said, locking eyes with him. “Give me the reason why you couldn’t question Lily.”
“I’ve always been able to sympathize with the victim,” Mike said with a sigh. “This time, I just couldn’t do it, Hannah. As the chief investigator I am charged with the duty of finding who killed Sonny. And . . . this is very hard to say, Hannah. And this time, my heart’s just not in it.” Mike stopped speaking and took another sip of his coffee.
Hannah got up and refilled Mike’s coffee cup. She needed a moment to mull over his startling admission. “Mike, you haven’t even tasted a cookie yet! And it’s Andrea’s new recipe. They are chocolate and peanut butter.”
Mike let out a huge sigh. “Good idea, Hannah. I am feeling really down and maybe the chocolate will help. Right now all I want to do is give this case to Lonnie and walk away.”
Hannah felt like groaning. She had absolutely no idea what to say to Mike. Only one question occurred to her, so she asked it.
“Are you sure that you want to bow out, Mike?”
Mike reached for his cookie again, held it for a moment, and put it back down. “No, I’m not sure of anything right now.”
“Okay, then you need to take some time to think about this.”