Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(59)

“Really.”

“You’d love the place, Hannah. It’s very relaxed, and you can practically live in your swimsuit.”

Swimsuits again. It was the second time in less than an hour that she’d been reminded of swimsuits. “Great,” she said, not mentioning that if she agreed to go anywhere with Norman, and the way she felt right now the odds of that happening were drastically reduced, it certainly wouldn’t be somewhere he’d vacationed with his ex-fiancée.

“I wonder what’s wrong with Lisa,” Norman said, changing the subject abruptly. “She looks worried.”

Hannah turned to look. Her friend and partner was making her way through the crowd toward the picnic table where they were sitting.

“I don’t know, but she’s definitely upset.” Hannah glanced around for Jack Herman and was relieved to see him smiling and laughing with Marge and a full table of relatives. Whatever the problem was, it wasn’t with Jack. But there was definitely something wrong.

“Oh, Hannah! I’ve got to talk to you!” Lisa said, rushing up.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Not here! Mac and Herb are waiting on the dock for us. It’s private there. I promised to come and get you right away. You too, Norman.”

Hannah and Norman exchanged glances as they got up to follow Lisa. Hannah’s glance said, Uh-oh. This is something big! And Norman’s answering glance said, You can bet the farm it is!

The sun had lowered in the sky, changing from a bright yellow ball high in the sky to a huge orange orb at the edge of the horizon. The surface of Eden Lake gleamed with color. Red, yellow, orange, and pink streaks rippled with the waves across its surface, forming a riotous canvas for the darker reflections of the pines that lined the shores. The dock protruded, a dark carpet rolled out to greet the approaching evening. Two motionless figures in silhouette stood at the end of the dock, and as they drew closer, Hannah could see their tense postures and serious demeanors.

“Norman,” Herb reached out for his hand. “You’ve met my Uncle Mac, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” Norman reached out to shake Mac’s hand.

“And thank you for coming, Hannah. You’ve met my Uncle Mac?”

“Yes, at the dance.” Hannah gave him a nod and a brief smile. “Nice to see you again.”

For several moments that followed the polite greetings, no one moved or spoke. It was as if they’d been turned into carved pieces on a chessboard, waiting for someone or something to move them.

“So what’s wrong?” Hannah asked at last, taking a step closer and breaking the grip of inertia.

“It’s Dad,” Lisa said, sounding tearful. “We’re afraid he killed Uncle Gus!”

CLARA & MARGUERITE HOLLENBECK’S MEXICAN HOTDISH

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

4-ounce can Ortega diced green chilies (with the juice)

2 cups shredded Jack cheese (approximately 8 ounces)

2 cans (14 ounces each) diced tomatoes (with the juice)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-ounce can sliced black olives (with the juice)

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cups UNCOOKED white rice

2 packages (approximately 1-ounce each) Taco seasoning (Clara buys Lawry’s)

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth

? cup cold butter (1 stick, ? pound, 4 ounces)

2 cups Fritos corn chips

2 cups (approximately 8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese *** (I used the kind with four cheeses mixed together)

***If the cheese selection at your grocery store is limited, just use shredded Monterrey Jack for the first cheese, and shredded sharp cheddar for the second cheese to melt on top of the Fritos. If you can’t find Monterrey Jack, use Mozzarella, or Swiss.

Spray a 6-quart roaster with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. (Clara buys disposable half-size steam table pans at CostMart and uses one of those. She says to be careful to set it on a cookie sheet before you fill it, though. The disposable foil could buckle and you could end up with uncooked Mexican Hotdish all over your kitchen floor!)

Hannah’s 1stNote: This hotdish is easy to make because once you’ve got the cubed chicken, all you have to do is open a bunch of cans. You don’t even have to drain them. Just dump them in your baking pan, juice and all!

In the bottom of the pan or roaster, mix together the diced green chilies, the Jack cheese, the two cans of diced tomatoes, the chopped onion, the can of sliced black olives, the chopped bell pepper, and the UNCOOKED white rice. (Marguerite told Norman that she washes her hands and then just mixes everything up with her fingers, but that’s only if no one’s around.)

Sprinkle the Taco seasoning over the top, add the chicken cubes, and mix again.

Add the chicken broth and stir everything up with a wooden spoon. (You can also get in there with your impeccably clean hands and mix it up that way.)

Cut the cold stick of butter into 8 pieces and put the pieces on top of the hotdish.

Cover the pan with heavy duty foil (or a double thickness of regular foil) and turn down the edges to seal them.

Bake the hotdish for 1? hours (90 minutes) at 350 degrees F.

Take the baking pan out of the oven BUT DON’T TURN OFF THE OVEN YET. Remove the foil carefully as steam may escape.