“Do you think she did it?” Michelle asked.
The question was ambiguous, but was Michelle referring to Brooke’s cookies, or something more ominous? Hannah thought she knew exactly what her sister was asking. But was it another case of sisterly telepathy, or was she reading more into the question than Michelle had meant when she’d asked it? There was only one way to find out, and Hannah turned to her sister. “Are you talking about Chef Duquesne’s murder?”
“Of course. What did you think I was talking about?”
“Chef Duquesne’s murder, but I didn’t want to assume that without asking. No, I don’t think she did it. I like Brooke. I don’t want to think she did it.”
“But you’re planning to question her anyway?”
“Of course I am. I can’t let my likes and dislikes get in the way of a murder investigation.” Hannah glanced at the screen and smiled. “Look at the judges, Michelle. All four of them are smiling. That’s a good sign for Brooke.”
There was a close-up of Brooke’s cookie platter, and Michelle glanced at Hannah. “Are those cookies deep fried?”
“Yes. Brooke used a rosette iron. Do you remember that metal, flower-shaped iron with a handle on the end that Great-Grandma Elsa used to make pretty cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar?”
“No. I guess I was too young to remember.”
“I’ll show you what it looks like when we get back to the condo. Great-Grandma Elsa gave me hers when she stopped making rosette cookies. I haven’t seen those cookies in a long time. They’re very fragile, and taking them off the rosette iron without breaking them is difficult.”
“Do you think Brooke’s cookies have a chance of winning?”
“I don’t know, but I think they’ll certainly place higher than her last entry.”
“Because no one makes cookies like that anymore?”
“That would be part of it. But Brooke’s cookies are unusual in another way. It looks to me as if they’re chocolate. The dough is a lot darker than the recipe that Great-Grandma Elsa used. If they’re chocolate, that’s a real advantage. I’ve never seen a recipe for chocolate rosette cookies before.”
“Brooke’s going back to her station and she’s smiling,” Michelle commented. “I think she’s pleased with what happened.”
“And Jeremy Zales just took another cookie. That bodes well for Brooke.”
Gloria Berkeley was up next, and Michelle turned up the volume on the monitor so that they could hear about her entry. After Gloria had finished describing her cookies, perfectly shaped rounds with colored bits of fruit on top, Michelle turned to Hannah. “LaVonna Brach just took a bite, and I don’t think she looks impressed.”
“Neither does Christian Parker. And look at Helene Stone. She put her cookie down after only one bite.”
“Maybe she’ll come in last this time,” Michelle said. And then, when she noticed Hannah’s expression, she began to explain. “I know it’s not very nice of me, but I haven’t liked Gloria ever since I found out about Brooke’s marshmallow sauce.”
The door to the greenroom opened and Brooke walked in. She was holding a plate with two cookies on it, and she was smiling. “I brought these for you,” she said, setting the plate down on the coffee table in front of Hannah and Michelle.
“Thanks!” Michelle said, reaching for one of the cookies immediately. “They looked great on the monitor and they look even more delicious in real life.”
“Chocolate!” Hannah exclaimed as she picked up the remaining cookie on the plate, took a bite, and confirmed her earlier speculation. “These are wonderful, Brooke! My great-grandmother used to make these, but she didn’t make chocolate. She just used the recipe that came in the box with the rosette iron.”
“That’s a good recipe. It’s the one I’ve always used in the past. And the only reason these are chocolate is because of Loren.”
“Loren Berringer?” Michelle asked.
“Yes. We were talking about the competition, and I told him I was going to make rosette cookies. Just like you, Loren knew what they were right away. He said his grandmother used to make them for Christmas. He told me he’d tried it once with his grandmother’s rosette iron, but he could never get them off the iron without breaking them. And then he asked me what recipe I was using.”
Hannah wiped her hands on one of the napkins Brooke had provided. The chocolate rosette cookies had been sprinkled with powdered sugar just like the vanilla ones that Great-Grandma Elsa had made. “What did you tell Loren?” she asked.
“I said I was using the recipe that came in the box, and I was a little worried about that. I mentioned that I wanted to make chocolate rosette cookies, but I wasn’t sure how to do it.”
“And he told you how to make them?” Michelle guessed.