Read Cinnamon Roll Murder Online
Authors: Joanne Fluke
Tags: #Romance, #Mystery, #Thriller, #Adult, #Chick-Lit
Cinnamon Roll Murder (7 page)
“Cuddles seems to be having a great time here,” Mike said, snapping his notebook shut.
“She’s fine.” Hannah knew the interview was over and she was relieved. Recalling the sight of the bus driver dangling above her had not been pleasant.
“Do you think she misses Norman?” Mike asked the same question that Michelle had earlier.
“Yes. I’ve seen her go to the window by the stairs and look out, as if she’s waiting for him to come and pick her up. She looks sad. And before you say anything, I don’t think I’m imagining things.”
“I believe you, and I think you’re right. Cuddles just adores Norman. Every time I went out there to see him, she was right there. If we went into the kitchen, she followed us. And if we went into the den, she tagged along. My sister has a cat and he doesn’t do that. How about Moishe? Does he follow you around?”
“Not unless it’s breakfast and he wants his food. Or dinnertime and he’s hungry. Moishe’s more independent. He’s not waiting for anybody to come and get him. He knows he’s home.”
Mike looked away for a minute. When he turned back, there was a sheen of moisture in his eyes. “It’s sad,” he said. “Cuddles really loves Norman, and Norman loves Cuddles. I’ve been out there a couple of times for dinner since Bev and Norman got engaged.”
Hannah was perfectly silent. She didn’t know if she wanted to hear what was coming next.
“Norman’s not happy. I think he’s making a big mistake by marrying her.”
Again, Hannah was silent. She agreed completely and there was nothing for her to say.
“They’re not good together. As much as Norman tries, his heart’s not in it. And she’s … clingy. I don’t know what she’s doing, what she’s up to. But I do know she’s not right for Norman.”
“Sour grapes?” Hannah asked, and then she regretted it. Mike had dated Doctor Bev, and she was prying.
“Not sour grapes. I wouldn’t go out with her again on a bet. There’s something wrong there, something that gets the cop in me anxious.”
“You think she’s a criminal?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just she’s not … real.”
“What do you mean?”
“My instincts tell me she’s playing a part. I thought I knew her. I really did. But she’s different with Norman than she was with me.” Mike’s eyebrows furrowed in a frown. “The way things are now, I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.”
Hannah wasn’t about to touch that one with a telephone pole. She just sat and waited for Mike to say more.
“I know why they’re getting married. Norman told me. We’re friends, good friends, and we talk. I’m all he’s got now. He needs someone to talk to, and Bev won’t let him see you anymore. Norman told me that every time he says he wants to see Cuddles, she begs him not to. She told him that the cat dander gets into his clothes and gives her a terrible allergic reaction.”
Oh sure!
Hannah thought sarcastically.
If she’s that allergic to cats, she couldn’t treat any of her patients who have cats. And she certainly couldn’t visit Norman at his place, because Cuddles once lived there.
Hannah thought sarcastically.
If she’s that allergic to cats, she couldn’t treat any of her patients who have cats. And she certainly couldn’t visit Norman at his place, because Cuddles once lived there.
“You don’t believe that?” Mike asked, noticing Hannah’s suspicious expression.
“Not really.”
“Well, neither do I. I think it’s just an excuse to keep him from coming out here and seeing you.”
Hannah thought back. Norman had come to see Cuddles a total of twice since he’d gotten engaged to Doctor Bev. On both of those occasions, he’d acted terribly guilty, and Hannah was convinced that Bev hadn’t know where he’d gone. “You could be right,” she said.
“Norman told me about Diana and how, after they broke up, Bev didn’t tell him she was pregnant. My question is … why didn’t she? Why didn’t she tell him? He would have married her back then. What was she waiting for? And why did she wait this long to find him and tell him? It just doesn’t make sense, Hannah. There’s something wrong there. And I don’t want to see my best friend hurt.”
BUTTERAMA CAKE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Cassandra told Mother she got this cake recipe from her aunt. They made it in a Bundt pan and called it Kentucky Butter Cake.
The Cake Batter:
1 cup softened butter
(2 sticks, 8 ounces,
½ pound)
2 cups white
(granulated)
sugar
4 whole eggs***
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
(pack it down in the cup
when you measure it)
1 cup buttermilk
(If you don’t have buttermilk on
hand, you can use cream. The cake will taste a
bit different, but it’ll still be wonderful.)
(2 sticks, 8 ounces,
½ pound)
2 cups white
(granulated)
sugar
4 whole eggs***
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
(pack it down in the cup
when you measure it)
1 cup buttermilk
(If you don’t have buttermilk on
hand, you can use cream. The cake will taste a
bit different, but it’ll still be wonderful.)
*** - If Andrea were making this cake, I’d have to tell her to crack the eggs and take them out of the shell before adding them to her mixing bowl.
Get out a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan
(metal or glass, either will do)
and either spray it with Pam or another nonstick baking spray or butter it generously on the inside.
(If
you use butter, this could bring the total butter count up to a pound!)
(metal or glass, either will do)
and either spray it with Pam or another nonstick baking spray or butter it generously on the inside.
(If
you use butter, this could bring the total butter count up to a pound!)
To make the cake batter:
By hand in a large bowl or with an electric mixer
(it’s easier with a mixer, of course)
beat the butter for a minute or two.
(it’s easier with a mixer, of course)
beat the butter for a minute or two.
Sprinkle in the white sugar, beating as you sprinkle. Mix the butter and the sugar together until they turn into a light, fluffy mixture.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Mix them in thoroughly.
Add 1 cup of the flour and beat it in.
Mix in half (½ cup) of the buttermilk. Mix it in thoroughly.
Add the second cup of flour and mix well.
Mix in the rest of the buttermilk (½ cup).
Add the remaining cup of flour and beat until the batter is smooth and without lumps.
Pour the cake batter into the 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan you prepared. Smooth out the top with a rubber spatula so that it’s evenly distributed in the pan.
Bake the cake in a preheated 325 degree F. oven for 50 minutes. Then take it out of the oven and set it on a cold burner on the stovetop or a wire rack to wait for its Butter Sauce.
The Butter Sauce:
1 cup white
(granulated)
sugar
¼ cup water
(I’ll just bet you could use Kentucky
Bourbon instead of the water here, but I haven’t
tried it yet.)
½ cup butter
(1 stick, 4 ounces,
¼ pound)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
(granulated)
sugar
¼ cup water
(I’ll just bet you could use Kentucky
Bourbon instead of the water here, but I haven’t
tried it yet.)
½ cup butter
(1 stick, 4 ounces,
¼ pound)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
To make the Butter Sauce:
Put the cup of sugar, the ¼ cup of water, and the ½ cup of butter in a medium-size saucepan.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: Don’t use a saucepan that’s black or brown on the inside. You’ll be using it again later when you make the frosting and you need to be able to see when the butter you’ll heat in it turns brown.
Heat the three ingredients on MEDIUM heat until the butter is melted, but DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: You can also do this in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 90 seconds. (I used a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) If the butter is not melted at the end of
that time, microwave it on HIGH in 20-second increments until it is.
that time, microwave it on HIGH in 20-second increments until it is.
Pull the saucepan over to a cold burner, shut off the hot one, and add the Tablespoon of vanilla extract.
(Be careful—it could sputter a bit)
(Be careful—it could sputter a bit)
Use a fork, food pick, or a thin wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of your cake. Don’t be too gentle. You want the holes to go all the way down to the bottom of the cake pan.
(I used a thin wooden skewer and poked about 45 holes in mine.)
(I used a thin wooden skewer and poked about 45 holes in mine.)
Pour the warm butter sauce over the top of the cake as evenly as you can. If you used a saucepan, don’t bother to wash it. You’ll be using it again when you make the frosting.
Hannah’s 4th Note: So far there’s
¾
of a pound of butter in this cake. Add it up if you don’t believe me. If you frost it with Great-Grandma Elsa’s Brown Butter Icing, it’ll be only a quarter cup shy of a whole pound!
¾
of a pound of butter in this cake. Add it up if you don’t believe me. If you frost it with Great-Grandma Elsa’s Brown Butter Icing, it’ll be only a quarter cup shy of a whole pound!
Let the cake sit out on the wire rack or cold burner for at least 10 minutes so that the Butter Sauce has time to soak into the holes you poked.
Refrigerate your Butterama Cake for at least 2 hours. At the end of that time, just leave the cake in the refrigerator and start the Brown Butter Icing.
Brown Butter Icing:
¼ cup butter (½
stick, 2 ounces,
pound)
2 cups powdered sugar
(confectioner’s sugar—pack
it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(you could also use Ken-
tucky Bourbon)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
(that’s whipping cream,
but you could also use half and half which is
light cream)
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
(optional—to
sprinkle over the top of the cake after you frost
it.)
stick, 2 ounces,
pound)2 cups powdered sugar
(confectioner’s sugar—pack
it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(you could also use Ken-
tucky Bourbon)
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
(that’s whipping cream,
but you could also use half and half which is
light cream)
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
(optional—to
sprinkle over the top of the cake after you frost
it.)
To make the frosting:
Put the ¼ cup butter into a medium-size saucepan.
(You already have one sitting on a cold burner if you made the Butter Sauce on the stovetop.
If you used the microwave instead, make sure that the saucepan you choose is not colored black or brown inside.
(I made that mistake and I couldn’t see when the butter had browned.)
(You already have one sitting on a cold burner if you made the Butter Sauce on the stovetop.
If you used the microwave instead, make sure that the saucepan you choose is not colored black or brown inside.
(I made that mistake and I couldn’t see when the butter had browned.)
Place the saucepan on the stovetop and heat it at MEDIUM-HIGH heat. The butter will melt and then it will brown. Continue to heat it until it has browned.
When the butter is a nice caramel color,
(this took about 5 minutes for me)
, remove it from the heat and shut off the burner.
(this took about 5 minutes for me)
, remove it from the heat and shut off the burner.
Stir in the 2 cups of powdered sugar.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Put the 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream in a small cup and drizzle them in, stirring as you go until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
This is another one of those wonderful no-fail frostings. If it turns out to be too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. If it turns out to be too thick and stiff, add a bit more cream. Continue to adjust these two ingredients until the frosting is the right consistency.
Take the Butterama Cake out of the refrigerator and frost it with Brown Butter Icing. If you like, you can sprinkle some chopped pecans or walnuts over the top to decorate your cake.
Return the cake to the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. Like revenge, this dish is best served cold.
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