Fudge Cupcake Murder

waited on all the passengers.'

    'Okay. I'll put it in the book.'

    'And I contacted all the names on Nettie's list. Every single one has an alibi.'

    Hannah was so astounded she gulped. 'Every name? But there were so many!'

    'No, there weren't, not when I weeded out all the sheriff's department personnel that Bill and Mike are checking.'

    'You're right,' Hannah said, giving her sister a thumbs-up she couldn't see over the phone. 'There's no sense in duplicating our efforts. So you wrote down the alibis and now you want me to verify them?'

    'No, I already did that.'

    'You did? But how did you find the time?'

    'It's a trade secret I learned in real estate school. Do you remember that old perfume ad, Promise her anything, but give her Arpege?'

    'Not really.'

    'Well, you would if you ever wore perfume. It's a little like that… only different.'

    'Okay,' Hannah said, dropping the discussion, since Andrea's explanation had raised more questions than it had answered.

    'So what's next? I'm chained to this couch, I've already done everything I can think of, and I'm going to go crazy just sitting here.'

    'I don't really have any…' Hannah stopped in mid-sentence as the perfection solution to her sister's boredom occurred to her. Andrea could type a lot faster than Hannah could. And ever since Hannah had agreed to meet Kurt Howe's new, shortened deadline, she'd been wondering how she'd ever find the extra hours to get all those recipes typed up.

    'What?' Andrea asked. 'You thought of something I could do, didn't you?'

    'Yes. Is your laptop handy?'

    'I've got it right here. What do you need?'

    'How about doing some typing for me? It's really important.'

    'What kind of typing?'

    'Recipes for the Lake Eden Cookbook, except it's not called the Lake Eden cookbook anymore. Now it's called something with Holiday and Buffet in the title, but we don't have to change the names of any recipes.'

    There was a long silence and when Andrea spoke again, she sounded worried. 'I think you'd better start from the beginning, Hannah. For a logical person, you're not making much sense.'

    It took a few minutes, but at last Andrea had the full story of Kurt Howe's call and how the deadline had been moved up. 'And it's actually going to be published in time for the holidays?' she asked.

    'That's what Kurt said.'

    'Then of course I'll type your recipes. Bring them over and I'll get started.'

    Hannah glanced at the clock. 'I'll leave here at eleven and I'll bring you lunch. What do you want?'

    'Pizza, but I can't have it. Too much salt.'

    'What can you have?'

    'I've got a list right here.' Hannah heard paper crinkling and then Andrea came back on the line. 'I'm looking at my diet sheet now. It looks like I can eat almost anything that doesn't taste good.'

    Hannah laughed. She couldn't help it. Sometimes Andrea was funny without even realizing it. 'How about a chef's salad with dressing on the side. I can stop by the cafй.'

    'That sounds good, but how about dessert? Will you bring me some cookies?'

    'Sure. What kind do you want?'

    'Something with chocolate and pecans. I'm dying for some chocolate and pecans are my favorite nuts. But you don't have time to make cookies just for me, do you?'

    'I've got time,' Hannah said, already planning out which ingredients to use to make some special cookies for her sister.

    Andrea's Pecan Divines

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position

    2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, one pound)

    3 cups white sugar

    1 l/2 cups brown sugar

    4 teaspoons vanilla

    4 teaspoons baking soda

    2 teaspoons salt

    4 beaten eggs

    5 cups flour (no need to sift)

    3 cups chocolate chips

    4 cups chopped pecans

    Melt the butter. (Nuke it for 3 minutes on high in a microwave-safe container, or melt it in a pan on the stove.) Mix in the white sugar and the brown sugar. Add the vanilla and the baking soda and mix. Add the eggs and stir it all up. Add half the flour, the chocolate chips, and the chopped pecans. Stir well to incorporate. Add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.

    Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard-size sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it slightly and try again. Bake at 350 degrees R for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned.

    Let cool two minutes, then remove cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

    Yield: Approximately 10 dozen.

    Andrea says these are the best cookies she's ever tasted and I saved her life by baking them.

Chapter Twenty-One

    Hannah felt good as she sat on the high stool behind the cash register at The Cookie Jar and surveyed her world. Every table was filled and all of her customers had been coffeed, teaed, and cookied. Now they were busy talking to each other as they munched and sipped, enjoying themselves. The glass serving jars had been replenished, the counter couldn't have been wiped down any better, and all the sugar, creamer, and artificial sweetener containers had been filled to the brim. She'd already delivered the recipes to Andrea, along with one of Rose's best chef salads, and there was nothing else she needed to do until Lisa came back from lunch.

    'Hi, Hannah!' Jon Walker stepped into the coffee shop and took a seat at the counter. 'Here's your prescription. Doc says you should take two right away and one more tonight before bed. From then on it'll be one pill, three times a day.'

    'Thanks, Jon.' Hannah took the white bag, stashed it behind the counter, and grabbed three of Jon's favorite Oatmeal Raisin Crisps. She placed them on a napkin and served them with a mug of hot, black coffee. 'It's on the house. And thanks for the personal service.'

    'No problem. The antibiotic Doc prescribed is expensive, but it should do the trick. I gave you a discount