Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Aweasel!” Michelle exclaimed. “No wonder Barbara was scared. They’re ugly.”
“That’s true and its shadow was huge. It was enough to scare me when I saw it.”
“And you’d seen weasels before,” Delores pointed out.
Lisa gave a little shiver. “I’m glad I wasn’t there. I’ve never seen a weasel and I don’t think I want to.”
“At least it’s all taken care of now,” Delores said. “Doc said Freddy replaced that screen at seven this morning. Barbara won’t have to worry about monsters anymore.”
Just the two-legged kind, Hannah thought, remembering what Barbara had said about her brother.
“I’d better start the coffee in the coffee shop,” Lisa said, carrying her coffee cup to the sink.
Michelle was right behind her. “I’ll get the tables ready,” she said.
“And I’d better go over to Granny’s Attic and get to work. Luanne brought in some items from an estate. I have to price them and put them out on the floor.”
Hannah sat there for a moment, wondering what she should be doing. Michelle and Lisa were taking care of the coffee shop, the baking was done, and the industrial dishwasher was washing all the bowls and utensils they’d used. There really wasn’t anything for her to do.
“Except to solve Doctor Bev’s murder case,” Hannah said aloud. “And figure out who attacked Barbara in the penthouse garden.”
“Hannah?” Lisa came through the swinging restaurant-type door that led to the coffee shop. “Oh! I thought your mother was still here.”
“No, she left right after you went out to the coffee shop.”
“But . . . I thought I heard you talking to someone.”
“It was no one important,” Hannah said with a laugh. “I was just talking to myself.”
“I do that all the time. But I’ve got Sammy so I can always use the excuse that I was talking to the dog.”
“Too bad he’s not here. I could have used that excuse.” Hannah pointed to the small padded envelope that Lisa was carrying. “What’s that?”
“I don’t know, but it’s for you. I stopped by the post office before I went home yesterday, and this was in our box.” Lisa handed it over. “What smells like chocolate?”
“Brownie mix cookies. I decided to use up the brownie mix that Andrea bought for me and I just threw them together as an experiment.”
“Can I have one?”
“Sure. Get it from the bottom rack. Those are the Fruit and Nut Brownie Cookies.”
Lisa went to get a cookie and Hannah looked at the address on the envelope. It was written in green ink and it read, Hannah Swensen, The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota. “No street address,” she said.
“I noticed that. There’s no zip code either.” Lisa took a bite of her cookie and smiled. “These are really good cookies, Hannah.”
“Thanks.” Hannah looked down at the envelope again. “Our box number’s not on here, either. It’s a good thing we live in Lake Eden and they know who we are at the post office. I wonder who sent it.”
“Maybe you should open it and see what’s inside. There could be a note or something.”
“Good idea.” Hannah pulled the tear strip on the padded envelope and peered into the envelope. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything inside.” She held the envelope open, turned it upside down, and shook it out on the counter.
There was a clink as something hit the countertop. Both Hannah and Lisa stared at it for a moment and then Lisa asked, “What is it?”
“It’s a button. And it’s shaped like a . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and grabbed Lisa’s hand as she reached for it. “Don’t touch it!”
Lisa pulled back quickly. “Why?”
“It’s a button from the blouse Barbara wore the night she jumped from the penthouse garden. There could be fingerprints on it. Do we have any paper bags?”
“Sure.” Lisa ran to the pantry to get out one of the wax-lined paper bags they used when someone bought one or two cookies to go. “Here.”
Hannah considered the bag for a moment and then she shrugged. It was lined with wax, but it would have to do. If she left the button out on the counter, someone would be sure to pick it up and destroy any potential fingerprints.
“Okay,” she said, grabbing a paper napkin and pushing the button into the bag. “I’d better call Mike.”
“I’ll do it,” Lisa said, heading back into the coffee shop to use the phone there.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on the back door and Hannah went to answer it. It couldn’t be Mike. Lisa had barely had time to pick up the phone and punch in the number for the sheriff’s station.
“Norman!” Hannah was pleased when she saw him standing there. “Come in and have coffee. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
“What did Bev send you?” Norman asked, noticing the envelope on the countertop.
“Doctor Bev?”
“Yes. That’s her handwriting.” He pointed to the padded envelope on the counter. “And she always used green ink, even years ago when we were in dental school.”
Hannah felt her knees turn weak and she leaned heavily against the counter. It was a package from a dead woman, a woman who had been murdered.
“What is it?” Norman hurried over and put his arms around her to steady her. “Take a deep breath, Hannah. You look like you’re about to keel over.”
“I’m okay now,” Hannah said, even though she wasn’t entirely sure she was. “It was just a shock, that’s all.”
“You still look kind of shaky. Do you want some water, or something?”
“Water would be good, but chocolate would be better.”
“Where is it?”
Hannah pointed to the baker’s rack where her experimental brownie cookies were cooling.
“I figured that around here chocolate would be easy,” Norman said, heading over to the baker’s rack and picking up a cookie. He carried it over to her and put it in her hand. “Eat this.”
Hannah took a huge bite and her eyes began to water. “Where was this cookie? Which rack?” she managed to gasp out.
Norman shrugged. “I think it was the top rack. Do you want me to check?”
“No, but water would be good now. Water would be very, very good! Second thought? Milk! Just bring me the carton. And please hurry!”
Norman was back in very short order with a carton of milk in one hand and a glass in the other. “Here you go,” he said, trying to hand her the glass. But Hannah waved the glass away and grabbed the carton. A second later, she was glugging down milk straight out of the carton, something she’d never been allowed to do when she was a child.
“Is there something wrong with this cookie?” Norman asked her, bending down to pick up the rest of the cookie that Hannah had dropped on the floor.
“No. It’s perfect. Mike’s going to love them when he gets here. Better dump the rest of that cookie in the garbage and wash your hands before you touch your face or rub your eyes.”
Norman examined the pieces of cookie he held in his hand, and started to laugh. “Chopped Jalapenos,” he said.
“Right. I made three batches of brownie cookies. One has raisins, chocolate chips, and walnuts. They’re called Fruit and Nut Brownie Cookies. The second batch has chopped green chilies. They’re called Hot Stuff Brownie Cookies. And the third batch has chopped jalapenos. I’m calling those Four Alarm Brownie Cookies.”
“And I gave you a cookie from the four alarm batch?”
“Right. And guess what?”
“What?”
“I don’t feel at all shaky any longer. I just feel like drinking more milk.”
By the time Norman left, Hannah felt much better. She’d told him all about Moishe’s encounter with the weasel and he’d shared her excitement over the fact that one of Barbara’s delusions hadn’t turned out to be a delusion after all. But Norman hadn’t been able to offer any reasonable explanation for the button that Doctor Bev had sent to Hannah. They’d gone through the possibilities and had come up with only one scenario that worked. The crime scene team had missed the button when they’d searched the penthouse and Doctor Bev had come across it when she’d moved some of her things to the penthouse on the morning of her death.
The oven timer rang and Hannah took the final batch of cookies from the oven. The Cookie Jar was crowded again today and she’d mixed up a batch of Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies just in case the dozens and dozens of cookies they’d already baked weren’t enough. Once the cookie sheets were on the racks and cooling, Hannah sat down with a cup of fresh coffee and thought about the package that Doctor Bev had sent her.
There were so many unanswered questions. Why hadn’t Doctor Bev written her name anywhere on the envelope? Was it because she had wanted to remain anonymous? Or had Doctor Bev simply dropped the envelope in a handy mailbox, intending to tell Hannah where she’d found it before it came in the mail? There was another possibility, a darker possibility that neither Norman nor Hannah had mentioned. Was Doctor Bev the person who had attacked Barbara? She hadn’t been a large woman, but neither was Barbara and Doctor Bev was younger and stronger. But then why had Barbara told them that her brother had attacked her? If Barbara was unable to remember Doctor Bev’s name, wouldn’t she have said her sister instead of her brother?
Hannah gave a sigh of pure frustration. She simply couldn’t explain why Doctor Bev had sent the button to her. That was the trouble with trying to devise a likely scenario when you were missing key pieces of the puzzle. There was only one person who could have filled in the gaps and that person, Doctor Bev, had been murdered before she could explain anything to anybody.
“Lisa called the station and said you needed me,” Mike said, walking into the kitchen from the coffee shop. “What’s up, Hannah?”
Hannah pointed to the padded envelope on the counter. “This,” she said. “It came in yesterday’s mail and I opened it this morning. The only thing inside the envelope was a button from the blouse Barbara was wearing the night she was attacked.”
“Did you touch the button?”
“No. I used a paper napkin to push it in here.” Hannah handed him the small paper bag.
Mike opened the bag and glanced inside. “It’s pretty small and it’s got a rough surface, but maybe they can recover some partials. You touched the envelope when you opened it, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and so did Lisa. She got it out of our box at the post office and she carried it in here to me.”
“I think we can forget about fingerprints on the envelope. It went through the mail and it must have been handled by several people including Lisa and you.” Mike walked over and picked up the envelope to examine it. “There’s nothing distinctive about the envelope. You can buy them at any stationary store. No return address?”
“None, but I know who it’s from.”
Mike looked surprised. “You do?”
“Yes. Norman recognized the handwriting. And the fact that it was addressed in green ink convinced him that it was from Doctor Bev.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re sure the button is from Barbara’s blouse? Maybe somebody else had the same outfit.”
“No. We noticed the buttons the night of the party. Barbara told us her outfit was a designer original from Beau Monde Fashions. Claire would never sell two outfits that were exactly the same.” When Mike looked perfectly clueless, Hannah laughed. “Never mind. It’s something a guy would never understand. Let’s just say that I’m almost positive no other woman in town has a button like that.”
Mike stared at the button for a moment and then he looked up at Hannah. “So what do you think? Was Doctor Bev trying to tell you that she attacked Barbara?”
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think so. That would mean that she felt guilty and wanted to confess. And I don’t think she ever felt guilty in her life.”
“You’re probably right about that.”
“There’s another reason I don’t believe she attacked Barbara. What possible motive could she have? She barely knew Barbara.”
“So you have any idea why she sent the button to you?”
“None whatsoever. Norman and I talked about it. It could be something as simple as the crime scene techs missed the button when they searched the penthouse and she found it later.”
Mike shook his head. “I’m almost sure that didn’t happen. I was there and I saw them go over every inch of the place.”
“How about the penthouse garden?”
“They raked all the dirt and vacuumed everything else. If that button was there, they would have found it.”
“How about outside in the rose garden where Barbara landed?”
“They raked that, too. I don’t believe Doctor Bev found that button in or around the hotel. I think she came across it somewhere else.”
“Okay, but why did she send it to me?”
“Because she knew you were Barbara’s friend and you’d visited her in the hospital.”
“How would she know that?”
“Roger may have mentioned seeing you there.”
“Why didn’t she just hand it to me on the Petersons’ front porch?”
“She might have mailed it already.”
Hannah was silent for a moment and then she shook her head. “Time for truth, Mike. You know and I know that none of this makes any sense. Agreed?”
Mike didn’t look happy, but he nodded. “Agreed.”
“Doctor Bev sends me a button from the blouse Barbara was wearing when she was almost killed, and then, right after she mails it, Doctor Bev is murdered. What does that tell you?”
“What does it tell you?”
“It tells me that Doctor Bev knew who tried to kill Barbara. And that person murdered Doctor Bev before she could tell anyone about it.”
Mike was silent for a long moment. “You could be right,” he finally said.
“I know I’m right. But that doesn’t get us any closer to identifying the killer, does it?”
“Not really. Did you find out anything new, Hannah? I know you’ve been working on this.”
“A few things, but I’m not sure where they fit. How about you?”
“Same here. I’ve got a bunch of unrelated facts that don’t seem to form any sort of a pattern.”
Hannah sighed and then she looked him straight in the eyes. “I’ll tell you if you’ll tell me.”
“Deal,” Mike said. “But if you tell anyone we shared information, I’ll deny it.”
“I’ll never tell. How about you?”
“I won’t tell either.” Mike reached out to take her hand and squeeze it. “Our secret?”
“Our secret,” Hannah agreed, squeezing back. “How about coffee, cookies, and clues in that order? I’ve got some Four Alarm Brownie Cookies you might like. They’ve got chopped jalapenos in them.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mike said. “I’ll pour the coffee.”
“And I’ll get the cookies.” Hannah headed to the baker’s rack to dish up the cookies. When she came back, Mike had already set their mugs of coffee on the stainless steel work island and he was taking his notebook out of his pocket.
Hannah set the plate of cookies in front of him, but she kept the shorthand notebook she called her murder book in her hand. “So we’re really going to do this?”
Mike opened his notebook and shoved it over to her. “Here you go. Get ready to read.”
“And here’s mine,” Hannah said, opening hers to the first page and handing it over.
THREE-WAY BROWNIE COOKIES
1. Fruit And Nut Brownie Cookies
2. Hot Stuff Brownie Cookies
3. Four Alarm Brownie Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position, for all three types of brownie cookies.
1. To make Fruit and Nut Brownie Cookies, follow the recipe below:
2. To make Hot Stuff Brownie Cookies, leave out the cinnamon, raisins, and chopped nuts. Add one small can of chopped green chilies, well drained and patted dry with paper towels.
3. To make Four Alarm Brownie Cookies, leave out the cinnamon, raisins, and nuts. Add one small can chopped jalapenos, well drained and patted dry with paper towels. (If you can find a can already chopped, use those. If you can’t, you’ll have to chop your jalapeno peppers by hand.)
1 box brownie mix (the kind that makes an 8-inch
square pan)
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
? teaspoon cinnamon
? cup chopped nuts (your choice—I used walnuts)
cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
? cup chocolate chips
? cup raisins
Spray cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper and spray that.
Pour the dry brownie mix into a mixing bowl. Add the 3 Tablespoons of flour and the cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. (I used a fork to do this.)
Add the chopped nuts and mix them with the dry ingredients to coat them.
In a separate bowl, whisk the oil and the eggs together.
Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the brownie mix. Stir until everything is combined, but DO NOT OVERSTIR.
Stir in the chocolate chips and the raisins.
Drop the cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you wet your fingers, you can shape these cookies into rounded mounds.
Bake these cookies at 350 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. (Mine took the full 10 minutes.) To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of a cookie. If it feels firm to the touch, they’re done.
Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: This recipe is so easy, I gave it to Andrea. It’s a first cousin to her “whippersnapper” cookie recipes. The only difference is that her recipes use cake mix, and this recipe uses brownie mix. My youngest niece, Bethie, adores these cookies. Her favorites are the Hot Stuff Brownie Cookies variation. She says they tickle her tongue and she calls them “Hot Chockitts”.