“What was his personal life like?”
“I don’t know. I only saw him once outside of the competition. He was in the bar when I walked through at the hotel in New York. It looked like he was trying to pick up one of the female . . .” Ross stopped and cleared his throat. “Wait a second. You wouldn’t be asking me all this unless . . . was he murdered?”
“Doc hasn’t made it official yet, but I’m pretty sure he was.”
There was silence for a moment and then Ross sighed. “I can’t say that I’m totally surprised. His comments to some of the contestants were a little out of line. I felt really sorry for Brooke Jackman that night in New York. He was really tough on her. And then, when you told me about what Gloria Berkeley did, I figured they deserved each other.” Ross paused and cleared his throat. “Are you okay, Hannah? I can come home early if you need me.”
“Thanks, but I’m okay.” And, the moment she said it, she realized that she was. “Michelle will be here really soon. She just stopped off at Mother’s house to paint a wall.”
“Are you sure? I can ask for time off.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. Michelle and I will be fine. Just maybe . . . possibly . . . come here early tonight?”
“I’ll see you at the condo at five. I love you, Hannah.”
“I love you, too,” Hannah said, and she was smiling as her kitchen timer began to ring and she hurried to take the first two pans of Butterscotch Sugar Cookies out of the oven.
BUTTERSCOTCH SUGAR COOKIES
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
2 cups salted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)
1 cup butterscotch chips (I used Nestle Butterscotch Chips)
2 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar (critical!)
1 teaspoon salt
4 and ? cups all-purpose flour (not sifted—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
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? cup white sugar in a bowl for coating the cookie dough balls that you will make.
Melt the butter and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl by putting the chips on the bottom of the bowl and the butter on top of that. Heat for one minute on HIGH, let the bowl sit in the microwave for one minute, and then try to stir it smooth. If you can, you’re done. If you can’t, continue to heat in 30-second increments followed by a standing time of one minute, until you can stir the mixture smooth. (You can also do this in a saucepan on the stovetop at LOW heat.)
After you have stirred the mixture smooth, set it on the kitchen counter or on a cold burner to cool.
When the mixture has cooled to slightly above room temperature, pour it into a mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.
Add the powdered sugar and the white sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla extract. Make sure it’s well combined.
Add the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. You don’t have to be precise—just divide your flour into roughly 4 parts. (One very important reason for adding the flour in increments is so that the whole mountain of flour won’t sit there on top of your bowl and erupt like a volcano all over your kitchen when you try to combine it with all the other ingredients.)
Once the dough has been thoroughly mixed, prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can line them with parchment paper.
Place a half-cup of white sugar in a shallow bowl.
Roll one-inch cookie dough balls with your fingers. (You can also use a 2-teaspoon scooper to form the dough balls.)
Dip the dough balls in the bowl with the sugar and roll them around until they’re coated.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Work with only two or three cookie dough balls at a time. If you put more than that in the sugar at a time, they may stick together.
Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet, 12 dough balls to a standard-size sheet.
Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula. This will make them bake evenly. If you leave them on the cookie sheet as dough balls, they will flatten out during the baking process, but the insides will be chewy instead of melt-in-your-mouth crispy.
Bake the Butterscotch Sugar Cookies at 325 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. (Mine took 14 minutes.)
Yield: approximately 5 to 7 dozen fudgy Butterscotch Sugar Cookies.