Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18) (14 page)

 

S
he could hardly wait to hear his voice! Hannah was so busy thinking about Ross, she didn’t notice that the crisp September day had turned colder. A light wind was blowing and it was definitely sweater weather, but she didn’t feel the drop in temperature. She closed the back door behind her, walked over to lean against the side of her cookie truck, and took a deep breath of the chilled air. Then she dialed the number, her heart pounding in excitement.

Ross answered on the third ring. “Hannah!” he greeted her before she’d even identified herself.

“Yes. How did you know it was me?”

“I have caller ID.”

“Michelle said you might be coming to Lake Eden early.”

“That’s right. They moved up the date of my interview.”

“That’s great!” Hannah said, feeling like the sun had suddenly emerged from the gray clouds overhead to turn the colorless day into a spectacle of beauty. “What time do you think you’ll be through with the interview?”

“I doubt it’ll run more than an hour, or two at the most. I should be through by four.”

“Then dinner at six will work?”

“It’ll work.” Ross’s voice was warm. “Where shall we go?”

“My place. Michelle’s cooking dinner and I’m making dessert.”

“Your tangerine cake?”

“My thoughts exactly. I had Florence special order some tangerines and they should be in today. Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”

“No. I’m renting a car. I can hardly wait to see you again, Cupcake. I know it’s only been two days, but I miss you.”

“And I miss you.”

“I reserved a room at the Blue Moon Motel.”

“But you could have stayed with me.”

“I knew you’d offer, but I didn’t think that was a good idea.”

“You mean . . .” Hannah felt tears come to her eyes and she paused to wipe them away. “Do you mean you don’t want to stay with me?”

“Of course not! I want to stay with you! I want to spend every minute I’m in Lake Eden with you. But you have a reputation to protect. There’s no way I’d want to jeopardize your status in town.”

“Maybe I could drive out to see you at the Blue Moon?”

Ross laughed. It was a low sexy laugh that made Hannah catch her breath. “We’ll work out the details when I see you. Only fifty-six hours to go.”

He was counting the hours! Hannah’s smile was beatific. She’d never felt like this about anyone before and it thrilled her to the core.

“I’m counting the hours, too,” she admitted. “Do you want me to greet you at the door with a tequila sunrise? I called Sally at the Lake Eden Inn and she told me how to make it.”

“You liked it that much when we had them in Vegas?”

“I loved it! It was delicious, but the night that followed it was even better.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Hannah regretted them. Was she being too forward?

“I’m glad,” Ross said.

Hannah drew a deep breath and let it out in relief. She hadn’t been too forward. There was genuine caring in Ross’s voice. She could hear it and she felt warm all over from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “So would you like me to greet you at the door with that tequila sunrise?”

“I’d rather have a kiss from you.”

“I feel exactly the same way,” Hannah said, giving a little shiver of anticipation. She was about to tell him what they were having for dinner when she heard a voice calling her from the kitchen. “I have to go, Ross. I’m meeting with Howie in the kitchen.”

“But you told me last night that Judge Colfax dismissed your court case before he was murdered.”

“He did.”

“Then why are you meeting with your lawyer?”

“Howie’s worked with Judge Colfax in the past. I need to ask him some questions about the judge’s personal life and any high profile cases he might have tried.”

“That means you’re investigating again?” Ross waited until she confirmed it and then he laughed. “That was a really dumb question on my part. Of course you’re investigating. You found the judge’s body. Is Mike all bent out of shape about the fact you’re working on it?”

“He’s not happy. As a matter of fact, he’s investigating
me
.”

“
You?
Why?”

“Because I was the one to discover the body. And at that time, I didn’t know that Judge Colfax had dismissed my case. That means I had a motive to kill him.”

“But you didn’t. I can’t believe Mike thinks that! He should know that you’d never do something like that!”

Ross was clearly outraged with Mike’s attitude and Hannah hurried to explain. “I don’t think Mike really
believes
I did it. He suspects everyone with a motive until he proves them innocent. That’s just the way he is.”

“Well, that’s asinine! Think about it, Cupcake. If Mike’s your friend, he should trust you.”

Hannah didn’t say anything even though it was exactly the way she’d felt. She just waited to see what Ross would say next.

“I think he’s just trying to pull your chain. He’s probably jealous.”

“Of you?”

“Maybe. Does he know that we met in Vegas?”

“No. Mother and Doc and the girls know because they were there, but I didn’t tell anyone else.”

“Why not?”

“Because I wanted to keep it to myself and just enjoy the secret. It’s too new and too wonderful to share with everyone right away.”

“I agree. But I still think Mike’s jealous. He probably resents the fact that you’re so good at cracking his cases.”

Hannah felt a flush of pride. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. Solving murder cases is one of the things you do so well.” Ross paused for a moment and then he said, “Maybe there’s some way I can help you on this one when I get there.”

“Maybe,” Hannah said, her spirits lifting so high, they threatened to float away. Ross wanted to help her investigate. He wanted to be a part of her life. And she wanted to be a part of his.

They said their goodbyes and Hannah ended the call. She was glowing with good feelings as she opened the door and stepped back into the kitchen.

“Hi, Howie,” she said when she saw him sitting at the work island, a cup of coffee in his hand and half a slice of Applesauce Bread sitting on a napkin in front of him. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Not at all. It’s a nice break for me. I’ve got to file bankruptcy papers for a client later and that’s a royal pain. Can I talk you out of another slice of that Applesauce Bread? It’s really good.”

“I’ll wrap one for you to take home. I think your wife would like it.”

“I think
both
of us would like it. Kitty will probably want the recipe.”

“She can have it. I share my recipes.”

Howie gestured toward the door to the coffee shop. “Lisa’s really something, isn’t she? She had us all sitting on the edge of our seats. You lead an exciting life, Hannah.”

“That’s true.” Her thoughts turned to Ross and their secret romance. “But as far as finding murder victims goes, there are times that I wish my life were a little less exciting.”

“I know what you mean. Yesterday was a hard day. I didn’t like Judge Colfax that much, but I do feel sorry for him, especially because he did us a real favor before he died.”

“Me, too. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. He didn’t deserve to die like that and I want to help bring his killer to justice.”

“I figured that. Before we start delving into Judge Colfax’s background, can I have that second slice of Applesauce Bread? I was going to let this one cool to see if it was good that way too, but I can’t wait.”

“It’s good cold,” Hannah said, heading for the counter to cut another slice for Howie. “Michelle baked a loaf and I had it that way for breakfast. And she says it’s good toasted with butter on it.”

“It would be great for sandwiches. Just think about it, Hannah. A little mayo, a slice of Swiss cheese, some deli-cut smoked turkey slathered with cream cheese . . .” Howie stopped and swallowed. “That would be really good.”

“It sounds good,” Hannah agreed, setting a plate with two more slices in front of him. “Can we get started now?”

“We can. What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about Judge Colfax’s family.” She reached into her apron pocket for her Murder Book and her pen.

“Sorry, Hannah. I really don’t know that much about him. He’s married and has children. And he was with a law firm around here somewhere. He told me once that he’d tried a lot of cases in our courthouse.”

“Tell me about his children.”

“He has one son.”

“How old is he?”

Howie shrugged. “I don’t know. Since Judge Colfax had to be over seventy, his son’s probably married with kids of his own.”

Hannah jotted that down, but she knew she needed more information. “How can I find out more about him?”

“Try the Internet. He was a public figure and there’s bound to be something there. And maybe you could . . .” Howie stopped speaking for a moment and then he nodded. “Yes. That’ll work.”

“What will work?”

“You can go out to the courthouse with me to file those bankruptcy papers. We’re bound to run into Dave Johansen and you can ask him about Judge Colfax.”

“But he doesn’t really know me. Do you think he’ll tell me anything personal about the judge?”

“He will if you take him some cookies with chocolate. Dave’s crazy about chocolate.”

“Then I’ll take him some Double F Double M Crunch Cookies. It’s a new recipe I baked.”

“That should work. Okay. I will.”

Hannah was puzzled. “You will what?”

“I’ll test one for you. I know I ate all that Applesauce Bread, but I have enough room left to test a cookie.”

Hannah laughed and went to the baker’s rack to get a cookie for Howie. He loved her baking and that was gratifying. She brought him a cookie on a paper napkin and she watched as he took his first bite.

“Perfect!” Howie said. “I like these, Hannah. They’re crunchy and they have a lot of chocolate. What’s in them?”

“M&Ms and crushed Frosted Flakes.”

“So the hard candy coating on the M&Ms makes them crunchy?”

“Either that or the crushed Frosted Flakes. I’m not really sure if it’s the candy coating or the cereal. Maybe it’s both.”

“I’ll analyze it for you as long as I don’t spoil my supper tonight. Kitty’s making lasagna and she’ll be disappointed if I don’t have at least two helpings. I probably shouldn’t have had that Triple Threat Breakfast at the café this morning, but I think I could handle one more of those cookies for you . . .” he paused and grinned, “as long as it’s in the interests of research, of course.”

“Of course,” Hannah said, retracing her steps to the baker’s rack to fetch another cookie. She’d known Howie for years and as far as she could tell, he’d never been overweight. She wished she knew his secret of eating three eggs, three slices of bacon, three sausage links, and two biscuits smothered in gravy, followed less than three hours later by three slices of Applesauce Bread and two cookies, and not even counting the two helpings of lasagna he’d told her he was going to have at supper tonight, without ever gaining an ounce!

 

“These are great!” Dave Johansen said, reaching into Hannah’s distinctive bakery bag for another cookie. “Howie said you were a great baker, but I’ve never tasted anything like these before.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said, wondering how soon she could ask him what he knew about Judge Colfax.

Dave picked up the extra-large cappuccino that they’d stopped to purchase at Howie’s favorite coffee place and took a big swallow. “Okay. Go ahead and ask me your questions. Howie said you were investigating Judge Colfax’s murder.”

Hannah pulled out the list of questions she’d written on the ride to the courthouse. Her first set of questions concerned Chad Norton and a possible motive for killing his uncle. “When did you find the papers Judge Colfax signed dismissing the charges against me?”

Dave reared back in his chair. “Hold on there! Are you investigating
me
?”

“No.” She’d been expecting that reaction. “I just need to know the time line on those documents.”

“Okay then.” Dave seemed satisfied with her answer. “I found them right after the crime scene people left and I went in to straighten up the judge’s chambers. I noticed that there was something in his out-box and that’s when I found the papers. The minute I realized what they were, I called Howie from Judge Colfax’s office phone and told him about it. And then I hightailed down to file the papers so they’d get recorded.”

Hannah gave him a smile. “Thank you, Dave. That’s what I thought, but I had to ask. Do you think anyone else knew that Judge Colfax had signed those documents?”

“Not unless he told someone he was going to do it. Or unless the killer came into his office to talk to him, saw the signed papers in his out-box, and went into a killing rage.”

Hannah swallowed hard. She’d seen the crime scene with her own eyes and she could believe that whoever had bludgeoned Judge Colfax to death had been in a killing rage. “Do you know anyone who might fit that pattern?”

“Every lawyer who steps into the courtroom is capable of flying into a rage if the case he’s worked on for months is summarily dismissed just minutes before the trial is scheduled to begin.”

“I can understand how they might fly into a rage at a last-minute dismissal. But you said a
killing
rage. Is there anyone in particular that you were thinking of?”

Dave looked slightly embarrassed. “I should have known you’d pick up on that. And yes. There
is
one lawyer who’s legendary for having a hair-trigger temper and blowing his stack, even in the courtroom.”