Apple Turnover Murder Part 17

"They're Sesame Seed Tea Cookies. I got the recipe from Sally when she packed those lunches for the film crew."

Mike took a bite. "They're good, and they're different. I like that. And they go really well with coffee."

Hannah took a stool across from Mike and waited until he'd finished one cookie. Then she asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I just finished interviewing the victim's ex-wife. Did you know her?"

"I met her at an English department party, and I saw her around campus, but I really didn't know her. We said h.e.l.lo when we saw each other and that was about it."

"Would you say they had a good marriage?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Hannah looked up at Mike and sighed. "I told you all about it, how he said we'd always be together, and all the time he was engaged to her. It was painful for me when I saw them together. I avoided them the best I could, but the campus still wasn't big enough for the three of us."

"Do you think he told her about you?"

"I'm almost sure he didn't. I'm basing that a.s.sumption on the fact that he didn't tell me about her. She certainly didn't act as if she knew. Stacey was always quite friendly when we met."

"Stacey?"

"Yes. Her name was Stacey."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. As far as I was concerned, she was the other woman!"

"When did they get married?"

"Let me see..." Hannah thought back to that unhappy time in her life. "It was a little over four years ago, I think."

"Uh-oh," Mike said, rubbing his eyes. "The woman I interviewed wasn't Stacey. Her name was Marilyn Ramsey."

"But that's impossible unless...Marilyn must be another ex-wife."

"You're probably right." Mike flipped through his notebook. "I didn't ask her when they were married. Turns out I should have. I'll do a search for Stacey Ramsey and interview her, too. Two ex-wives in four years...the professor sure got around, didn't he?"

"I guess he did," Hannah admitted.

"You knew that about him?"

Hannah shook her head. "I trusted him completely."

"You did?"

"Yes. Isn't that what people in love are supposed to do?"

Mike thought that over for a long moment and then he got up, walked around the workstation, and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Yes. And that's probably why I love you so much," he said.

There was a buzzing in her ears like a thousand mosquitoes had descended on her arm. Hannah adjusted her cheek on the hard surface and decided that she was too tired to wave them away. After all, mosquitoes had to eat, too.

The buzzing continued, but her arm felt fine. It wasn't itching, or swelling, or feeling any other way than normal. Perhaps the mosquitoes didn't like her blood. That was the reason Norman always gave for the fact that mosquitoes didn't seem to bite him.

There was a breeze as a door opened. Hannah felt it, but she didn't open her eyes. And then she felt eyes staring at her. A giant mosquito who'd come to feast on her and leave her drained dry like an empty husk? The chorus of mosquitoes was still buzzing. Were they, perhaps, paying homage to their leader?

"Hannah? You're going to get a stiff neck sleeping like that," a voice said very close to her ear. "And your stove timer's ringing. Do you want me to take something out of the oven for you?"

Marge. It was Marge's voice. The giant mosquito sounded exactly like Marge. Hannah lifted her head from the stainless steel work surface and blinked groggily. It was Marge.

"Is there something in the oven?" Marge asked.

"Cookies," Hannah just barely managed to say.

"Just sit there. I'll get them. And then I'll pour you a cup of coffee so you can wake up. Norman's out front and he wants to see you."

"Norman," Hannah mumbled. The stainless steel surface of the workstation was beckoning. Who would dream that stainless steel could be so comfortable. But Norman was here and she had to wake up.

"Drink this," Marge said, much too soon to suit Hannah, as she plunked a mug of coffee down next to Hannah's head. "Wake up and smell the caffeine."

One sniff and Hannah felt almost alive. Another sniff and she sat up to reach for the mug. She took a sip of the scalding hot brew and gave a grateful sigh. "Coffee. Good," she said.

"You sound like Frankenstein's monster," Marge said, chuckling at her own joke. "You'd better have more coffee before I send Norman back here to see you."

Hannah took another sip. And then she took another. With each swallow, the curtain of sleep lifted slowly from her eyes. By the time she'd drained the coffee mug, she felt almost like her old self again.

"Ready?" Marge asked her.

"Ready. I didn't burn any cookies, did I?"

"No. Do you feel better after your sleep?"

Hannah made a quick a.s.sessment. She felt more alert than she had all day, and other than the soreness in her neck, she seemed to be just fine. "I'm a lot better now. It's amazing how refreshing a ten-minute nap can be."

Marge laughed. "It wasn't ten minutes," she said. "It was more like an hour and a half. I looked in twice through the window on the door and you were sleeping like a baby."

"I don't understand. I distinctly remember setting the timer for ten minutes. If I really did sleep for an hour and a half, the cookies would be incinerated."

"That's true," Marge said, and then she turned around to point to the sheets of unbaked cookies on the baker's rack. "But you forgot to put them in the oven!"

"Hi, Hannah." Norman walked into the kitchen. "I had an hour between appointments, and I thought I'd drop in to see you."

"That's nice. Do you have time for cookies and coffee?"

"Yes, thanks."

"Which kind of cookie would you like?"

"Whatever you have handy will be fine. All of your cookies are great."

Hannah went to the coffee pot to pour Norman a cup. They were being unbearably polite. It was almost as if they were strangers, and that was about as far from the truth as you could get.

"How's Cuddles?" Hannah asked as she handed Norman his coffee mug and went to the baker's rack to fill a small plate with cookies.

"She's fine. I think she was happy to get home, but I'm pretty sure she misses Moishe. When we went to bed, it took her a while to get comfortable. And maybe I'm imagining things, but I thought she looked a little lonely. I figured that was because both cats slept with you and she missed the company."

Hannah smiled as she delivered the plate of cookies. "You're right. They both slept in my bed and there was barely room for me. I was absolutely amazed how much s.p.a.ce two cats can take up when they're all stretched out."

"It's pretty amazing, all right. I'll bet you slept better last night."

"I was so tired last night, I went to sleep the minute my head hit the pillow. But I did notice that Moishe seemed a little restless. Maybe it was a dream, but I thought he kept going back and forth into the living room."

"That's what Cuddles did!"

"Do you think she was looking for Moishe?"

"Maybe. And maybe Moishe was looking for Cuddles." Norman gave a little chuckle. "We might have to arrange sleepovers for the cats. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and alternate Sundays, I get Moishe. And on Tuesday, Thursday, Sat.u.r.day, and alternate Sundays, you get Cuddles."

"Do we need Howie Levine to draw us up an order for joint custody?" Hannah joked. And she was rewarded with a big laugh from Norman. Hearing him laugh made her feel better immediately. He seemed almost like his old self again.

"You're going to investigate, aren't you?" Norman asked, biting into a cookie. "I like these, Hannah. They're not too sweet and they crunch. They'd be really good with a dish of ice cream."

"Thank you. They're Sesame Seed Tea Cookies. And yes, I'm going to investigate."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm sure there is, but I don't know what it is yet." Hannah stopped and thought for a moment. "You could help me put together my suspect list. You're good at things like that."

"I'd be glad to help."

"Good. Maybe we can do it at dinner before we go to the school."

"The school?"

"You know. For Casino Night. I've never been to a fundraiser like that, but everyone says it's lots of fun. You got the advance tickets, didn't you?"

"Oh. Sure I did."

"If you don't mind, let's not go all the way out to the inn for dinner. I really should help out for an hour on the apple turnover a.s.sembly line. If you pick me up at six-thirty, we'll still have time to grab a hamburger at the cafe and get over to the school by seven-thirty."

"Fine." Norman said, finishing his cookies and standing up. "I'll see you at six-thirty then."

Hannah watched as he carried his mug to the sink. He gave a little wave as he went out through the swinging door to the coffee shop and she smiled and waved back. But the moment the door had swung closed behind him, her smile disappeared like one of Herb's multicolored scarves. She supposed it was possible that she was mistaken, but she was almost positive that Norman had forgotten all about the plans they'd made for dinner and Casino Night before he'd left Lake Eden.

SESAME SEED TEA COOKIES.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it) cup white (granulated) sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt cup b.u.t.ter, softened (1 stick, 4 ounces, pound) 2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a gla.s.s with a fork) cup whole milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract cup whole milk in a bowl (not a misprint-you need cup total) cup sesame seeds Grease your cookie sheets or spray them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. You can also use parchment paper, if you prefer.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix them up until they're well blended.

Cut the b.u.t.ter into pieces and add them to the bowl. Blend them in with a pastry blender, or a fork, or two knives until the mixture resembles coa.r.s.e cornmeal.

Hannah's 1st Note: You can do the above in a food processor with the steel blade by putting in the flour, cutting COLD b.u.t.ter into 8 pieces and adding them, and then covering the b.u.t.ter with the sugar, baking powder, and salt. All you have to do is process with an on-and-off motion until the mixture resembles coa.r.s.e cornmeal. Then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and complete the recipe by hand.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the beaten eggs, cup milk, and the vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon until a soft dough forms.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. (Just eyeball it-this doesn't have to be perfect.) With your hands, roll each dough piece out into a long roll (resembling a snake) that's approximately inch in diameter. The rolls should be about 24 inches long.

Cut the rolls into 2-inch pieces with a sharp knife.

Put the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Dip each piece into the bowl of milk, and then roll it in the seeds. (The milk will make the seeds stick to the cookie dough.) Place the sesame-covered pieces one inch apart on greased or Pammed cookie sheets. (Parchment paper or baking paper works well also.) Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown.

Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheets for one or two minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Approximately 4 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Hannah's 2nd Note: These cookies are light, crispy, and not too sweet. Mother loves them with strawberry ice cream, and Carrie likes them with sweetened herbal tea.

Chapter Eighteen.

"So you knew him?" Norman asked, picking up his last French fry.

"He was an a.s.sistant professor when I was going for my masters," Hannah said, hoping that would be enough of an explanation to satisfy Norman.

"That's funny. He didn't act as if he knew you on Christmas Eve."

"It was pretty clear he didn't remember me. And I wasn't about to embarra.s.s a guest by reminding him we'd known each other years ago."

"Right." Norman nodded. "What do you know about him?"

"I don't know anything about his recent life, but there were rumors about him on campus. He had more than one girlfriend and it turned out that he was engaged at the time."

"Then he's got a wife or an ex-wife?"

"He's got one ex-wife that Mike interviewed, and that's not the same woman he married while I was on campus."

"Two ex-wives then. How about now? Is he married again?"

Hannah shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't think we have to worry about the wives, though. Mike's checking into those. He does seem to think it's a crime of pa.s.sion since the first stab wound was lethal and he was stabbed four more times."