Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(42)

“There was something there, but it was blurred and I couldn’t make it out.”

“Do you know the difference between a capsule and a caplet?”

“I think so. Caplets are solid, right?”

“Right. But this capsule you saw was one you could have pulled apart like your Mother’s gelatin capsules?”

“That’s right. Do you have any idea what it was?”

“I may have, if you described it accurately.” Jon leaned a little closer, even though the coffee shop wasn’t open yet and there was no one else at the tables. “Does this have anything to do with the murder out at the pavilion?”

“Uh…” Hannah dithered for about two seconds and then she decided to play it straight. “It may have. I don’t know for sure.”

Jon covered his eyes with his hands. “I wish you hadn’t said that, Hannah. You could be asking me to give you information that I should be giving to the sheriff’s department.”

“Have they asked you anything about green-and-white capsules?”

“No.”

“I don’t think they will, since I’m the only one who saw it and I flushed it down the drain so the frog couldn’t get it.”

Jon gave a little groan. “I’m not even going to ask you about the frog. It’s too early in the day. You’re going to owe me big time for this, Hannah.”

“How about a dozen Molasses Crackles?”

“You got it. But you don’t really have to give me cookies. As long as I’m not breaking any laws, I’ll be happy to tell you anything I know.”

“Great! Tell me, please?”

“It’s like I said before…if your description is accurate, it sounds like an amphetamine capsule to me.”

“Really!” Hannah began to frown. “What, exactly, does an amphetamine do?”

“It increases heart rate, decreases appetite, and makes you feel alert. It used to be prescribed as a diet pill, but it has addictive properties and some nasty side effects, like sleeplessness and occasional hallucinations. It’s more tightly regulated now.”

“Then the pill I saw couldn’t have been an over-the-counter antacid?”

Jon shook his head. “I don’t think so, not unless it’s something so new I haven’t seen it yet. I know I don’t have any antacids like that at the store.”

“Okay,” Hannah said. “Thanks, Jon. You’ve helped me a lot. Hold on a second and I’ll pack up some Molasses Crackles for you.”

A few minutes later, Hannah saw Jon and Skippy out the door with a dozen Molasses Crackles, two more dog biscuits, and the steak bone she’d been saving for the Malamute who lived next to Lisa and Herb’s neighbors. She still didn’t understand what Gus had been doing with an amphetamine and why he’d called it an antacid, but she didn’t have time to think about that right now. She had to bake another couple of batches of Red Velvet Cookies before the birthday party tonight, catch Gus Klein’s killer without alienating Mike in the process, go out to the lake to make three batches of Wanmansita Casserole to serve at Jack’s party, and check on her wayward cat to make sure he was still behaving. She knew she could do it, but it would take all the energy she had to give, and then some!

ROCKY ROAD BAR COOKIES (S’MORES)

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

24 graham crackers (12 double ones)

2 cups miniature marshmallows (white, not colored)

6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1 cup salted cashews

? cup butter (1 stick, ? pound)

? cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or other nonstick spray. (If you like, buy a disposable foil pan in the grocery store, place it on a cookie sheet to support the bottom, and then you won’t have to clean up.) Line the bottom of the pan with a layer of graham crackers. (It’s okay to overlap a bit.) Sprinkle the graham crackers with the marshmallows.

Sprinkle the marshmallows with the chocolate chips.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips with the cashews.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and brown sugar. Stir the mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

Turn off the heat, move the saucepan to a cool burner, and stir in the vanilla.

Drizzle the contents of the saucepan evenly over the contents of the cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden on top. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

When the Rocky Road Bar Cookies are cool, cut them into brownie-sized bars and serve.

If there are any leftovers (which there won’t be unless you have less than three people) store them in the refrigerator in a covered container. They can also be wrapped, sealed in a freezer bag, and frozen for up to two months.

Yield: 2 ? to 3 dozen yummy treats that will please adults and kids alike.





Chapter Fourteen


“This is a wonderful cookie, Hannah!”

“That’s what Lisa said. But do you think it’s anything like the cookies Iris told you about?”

Delores gave a dainty little shrug. “I’m not sure, dear. It certainly tastes like the cookie she described to me. But there’s no way to tell unless she tastes it. Isn’t that right?”