Strawberry Shortcake Murder

his receding hairline endearing. While Mike was so sexy her stomach went thump, Norman was safe and comforting, like a favorite teddy. If she were a magician and she knew how to combine the two of them into one perfect man, she’d take her mother’s advice and get married tonight.

“Hi, Hannah.” Lisa walked past Hannah’s table, carrying an empty dessert plate. “Dad and Mrs. Beeseman asked me to get some more of your bars, but they’re all gone.”

“There’s a second pan in the kitchen. Just go help yourself.”

Lisa headed for the kitchen, and Hannah took another sip of her wine. Mike had ordered it especially for her as a way of saying thank you for helping them solve the murder case. Hannah knew it was a good vintage and very expensive, but she still preferred her own green gallon jug.

Herb came over to her table, looking distracted. “Where’s Lisa? Her dad just asked my mother to dance, and she won’t want to miss it.”

“She’ll be back any minute. She just ducked into the kitchen to get more bars.” Hannah grabbed his arm so he couldn’t leave. “Sit down for a second, Herb. I need to ask you a favor.” Hannah waited until he’d taken the chair next to her, then leaned close, so she wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you still go to those cowboy weekends, Herb? The ones where they have shooting competitions?”

“Every chance I get. Why?”

“I need to learn about handguns. Do you think you could teach me?”

“No problem. My shooting club has a range. I’ll take you out there some Sunday. Are you planning to buy a handgun for home protection?”

“Not exactly.” Hannah glanced around, but no one was listening. “Did Lisa tell you about how I pinned Mason down with his gun?”

“Yes.”

“It’s like this, Herb. I know how to shoot a shotgun. My dad taught me. But this wasn’t a shotgun and I… uh…”

“You didn’t know how to use it?” Herb interrupted her with a guess.

“That’s right. Of course I knew where the trigger was. Any fool would know that. But I wasn’t sure if I had to do anything first, before it would fire.”

“I’ll bring out my collection of handguns and teach you how to use them. Once you know the basics, you’ll be fine. I taught Lisa, and she took second place in our last cowboy shoot.”

“Good for her,” Hannah started to smile. It seemed Lisa had talents that she didn’t even know about.

After Herb had left, Norman came back to the table. They were sitting there talking about the computer program he’d just installed so that they could design their house for the contest, when Mike came back.

“Hi, Mike.” Hannah gave him a smile, then she turned back to Norman, to answer his question. “I don’t think we can get along with less than three bathrooms. We’ll need one that’s a part of the master suite, one between the kids’ rooms upstairs, and one downstairs for the guests.”

“How about one in the basement, next to the recreation room? We could put it in under stairs.”

“Good idea,” Hannah agreed, and then she happened to glance at Mike. He was staring at her in shock. “What is it, Mike?”

“You and Norman are buying a house together?”

“No, we’re designing a house together,” Norman corrected him. And then he clamped his lips shut and didn’t say another word.

Hannah stared from one to the other, reading the expressions on their faces. There was a gleam of triumph in Norman’s eyes. He was enjoying the fact that Mike was sweating. And Mike looked a little like the rancher who’d come out to his stable in the middle of the night to find a horse thief leading off his best mare.

Hannah knew she should explain before the situation could worsen, but she’d had an exhausting day. She’d almost been killed, and the fact that Norman’s and Mike’s collective noses had been pushed out of joint seemed rather unimportant in the giant scheme of things.

“Is there something you want to tell, Norman?” Mike asked in a belligerent tone.

“No. Is there something you’d like to tell me, Mike?”

Hannah didn’t stick around for the answer. Andreas would know exactly what to do in a situation like this, but Hannah decided she’d had it with jealous men. She pushed back her chair, rose to her full height, and faced them both. “I have to leave, I’ve got someone at home, warming up my bed for me.”

Mike stared at her in astonishment, and Norman looked equally shocked. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Hannah had an almost-uncontrollable urge to laugh.

“Who?” Norman asked, breaking the silence. He looked extremely upset.

“Yeah, who?” Mike echoed his question, and Hannah noticed that he didn’t exactly look happy either.

Hannah thought bout the old childhood taunt, That’s for me to know and you to find out, but she didn’t repeat it. Just because she’d reduced them to junior-high level didn’t mean that she had to reply in kind. She merely smiled sweetly and turned to walk away, but her conscience prodded her before she could take more than a step. She turned back and grinned. “Moishe. Who did you think I meant?”

And then she walked across the floor toward the door, making an exit that was almost worthy of her screen idol, Katharine Hepburn.

CHOCOLATE HIGHLANDER COOKIE BARS

Preheat over to 350 degrees F., rack in middle position.

1 cup softened butter (2 stick, 1/2 pound)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (make sure there’s no big lumps)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour (no need to sift)

4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)

1 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp (2 stick, 1/2 pound)

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour (don’t bother to sift)

2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (measure BEFORE they’re melted)

1/3 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar to sprinkle on top of the pan

FIRST STEP: Cream butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well. Pat it out in a greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan with your fingers. (That’s a standard cake pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. That makes the shortbread crust. Remove from oven. (Don’t turn off oven!)

SECOND STEP: Mix eggs with melted butter and white sugar. Add baking powder, salt and flour, and mix thoroughly. (A hand mixer will do the job if you’re tired of stirring.)

Melt the chocolate chips in a small double boiler, a pan over hot water on the stove, or nuke them for 3 minutes in the microwave on high. (Be sure to stir—chips may maintain their shape even after they’re melted.)

Add the melted chocolate chips to your bowl and mix thoroughly.

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and tip the pan so it covers all of the shortbread crust. Stick it back into the oven and bake it for another 25 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar.

Let it cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars. You can refrigerate these, but cut them before you do.