Fudge Cupcake Murder

    'Of course not. I promised Mike I'd stay right here and keep a low profile, but there's nothing in the rulebook about a suspended detective's family interfering in the case.'

    Hannah started to grin. 'You mean, like a certain sister-in-law?'

    'You got it. I can't actively follow any leads, but I can advise you. All you have to do is come to me with any clues you find and we'll put our heads together.'

    'Deal! Now let's concentrate on finding you an alibi. Did you get any phone calls between eight and nine- thirty last night?'

    'Only two and they won't do any good. They were both sales calls.'

    Hannah held up her hand. 'Hold on a second. Those sales calls could do some good. I worked for a telemarketing firm for about a week while I was on summer break at college.'

    'About a week?' Andrea looked confused. 'Did you get fired?'

    'No, I quit. It scared me that I was beginning to get good at it. I really didn't want to sell carpet cleaning for the rest of my life. But I remember that all of our calls were logged in automatically. The supervisor could get a printout of what time we called a certain number and how long we talked.'

    Andrea gave Hannah a thumbs-up before she turned to Bill. 'Do you remember what the telemarketers were selling, honey?'

    'I remember the first one. It was a timesharing thing. You know the type. They start out by telling you you've won a free weekend at a resort and then, when you get there, they try to sell you a timeshare. It was something about vacations in the tropics. I didn't listen to the whole sales pitch. I just told the girl that we weren't interested and hung up.'

    Hannah exchanged glances with Andrea. 'What time did the call come in?'

    'I'm not sure. I didn't look at the clock. But I don't think it was very long after Andrea left.'

    'Okay. How about the second call?'

    'It was from a roofing company, but I don't remember the name. They said they were working in the area. Of course they always say that.'

    'Maybe they were telling the truth this time,' Hannah pointed out. 'At least it's worth a shot. Just keep your eyes open for anyone who's getting a new roof.'

    'I can do that,' Andrea said. 'After I pick up Tracey at school, we'll drive around a little and see if we can spot someone getting a new roof. But how do we track down the timeshare?'

    'Gus York,' Hannah said.

    'Gus York bought a timeshare?'

    'Not that I know of, but Irma came to my class last night and she mentioned that Gus was staying home to take sales calls. She said he got a real kick out of bugging the telemarketers by listening to their whole sales pitch, asking a whole bunch of questions, and then saying he guessed he wasn't interested after all.'

    'Sounds like Gus has way too much time on his hands,' Bill commented.

    'You're right, but he might remember the name of the vacation timeshare company.' Andrea reached for a notepad that said Groceries in big green letters at the top and jotted a note. Then she jotted a second note, and as Hannah watched, she jotted a third, a fourth, and a fifth.

    'You filled up half a page reminding yourself to call Gus York?'

    Andrea shook her head. 'Don't be silly.'

    'Then what else did you write?'

    'My grocery list. I just remembered that we needed grape jelly, peanut butter, apple juice, instant coffee, and bread.'

    Cherry Winks

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

    1 cup melted butter (2 sticks)

    1 cup white sugar

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

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    3 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon baking soda

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

    2 cups flour (not sifted)

    approximately 2 cups corn flakes, crushed (measure before crushing)

    1 small jar of maraschino cherries for garnish

    Melt the butter and add the white sugar. Then add the eggs. Stir it all up with the vanilla, cherry juice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the chopped pecans and the flour, and mix well.

    Crush the corn flakes and put them in a small bowl.

    (I put them in a plastic bag, seal it, and then crush them with my fingers.)

    Roll dough balls with your hands about the size of unshelled walnuts. (If the dough is too sticky, chill it for a half hour or so and then try it again.) Roll the dough balls in the crushed corn flakes and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Smush them down a bit so they won't roll off.

    Cut the cherries into quarters and place one on the top of each cookie. Press the cherry down with the tip of your finger.

    Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

    Yield: 6 to 7 dozen, depending on cookie size.

    These are very pretty cookies. They're really popular at The Cookie Jar on Valentine's Day. I also make them at Christmas using red cherries to decorate some and green cherries to decorate the others.

Chapter Seven

    'I'm home, Moishe,' Hannah called out, opening the door to the condo and holding out her arms. True to form, her orange and white, furry medicine ball made a running jump into her arms, purring madly. Who needed a husband? Moishe's greetings were quite enthusiastic enough.

    'Are you hungry? Or did you miss me?' Hannah asked, knowing that both answers were yes. She kicked the door shut behind her, placed Moishe on top of the back of the couch, and shed her coat on the seat of the chair by the front door.

    Moishe yowled and bounded for the kitchen. Hannah followed, knowing exactly what he wanted. She gave him fresh water and then she opened the broom closet to get his regular crunchies. As she set the bowls down on the mat, she said, 'I didn't have time to stop by Doctor Bob's office and pick up another tip sheet. That means you get a reprieve tonight, but…'