Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(87)

Add the finely chopped pecans to the top of the bowl and fold them in by the same method you used with the chocolate chips.



Give the mixing bowl one more very gentle stir with the spatula.



Place your prepared cookie sheet next to your cookie bowl and transfer the dough by heaping teaspoons to the parchment paper.



Hannah’s 4th Note: One standard-size cookie sheet will hold all the Forgotten Cookies if you place them about an inch apart.



If your oven has reached the proper temperature, quickly open the door, slip in the cookies, and close it again.



TURN OFF THE OVEN and DO NOT OPEN the oven door again until you get up in the morning.



Yield: 1 to 2 dozen melt-in-your-mouth cookies, depending on cookie size.





Chapter Twenty-four


Hannah was just cutting her newest creation, Butterscotch Chocolate Bar Cookies, and placing them on a platter when Lisa came through the swinging door from the coffee shop. “Lynne Larchmont’s on the phone for you, Hannah.”

“Thanks, Lisa. Take a pan of these out to the coffee shop and ask our customers to taste-test them for us.”

“They smell great!” Lisa said, coming over to grab a pan of bar cookies from the bakers rack. “What are they called?”

“Butterscotch Chocolate Bar Cookies.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about anyone not liking them,” Lisa said with a laugh. “Our customers adore bar cookies, the stickier and gooier, the better.”

“Then they’re going to love these. That butterscotch is sticky.”

Hannah licked her fingers and went to the sink to wash her hands before she reached for the phone. “Hi, Lynne,” she greeted her friend. “What’s new?”

“A lot, but I’ll wait to tell you when I see you. I called to ask you if you could have dinner with Tom and me tomorrow night.”

“Tom’s back?”

“Not yet, but he called me this morning to say that he’ll be back tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

Hannah thought about that for a moment. She really didn’t want to socialize right now. “I’m not sure I’d be very good company right now, Lynne.”

“I understand, but it might do you some good to get out. I’m going to stay out here for another week, Hannah.”

“I know. You’re going to be interviewed at the film festival, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but KCOW is going to postpone the festival until the first week in June.”

Hannah was surprised, but it did make sense. “Because of what happened to Ross?” she managed to say.

“I’m sure that’s part of it. They didn’t come right out and say that, but it’s got to be a factor, especially since Crisis in Cherrywood won the award for the most popular Minnesota film, and Ross won’t be here to be interviewed, or to accept his award.”

“That is a problem,” Hannah admitted. “Do you think they’ll ask Dean Lawrence to accept the award for Ross?” Hannah named the director of the film.

“That would be a logical choice, but Dean moved to England and he’s working full-time there. I doubt that he’d fly back to the States for a small, regional film festival.”

“How about Dom?” Hannah named the assistant director.

“I don’t know. It all depends on whether or not they can find him and if he’s free to come. Everyone on the cast and crew split up after we wrapped the film. I’ve stayed in touch with some of the actors, but everyone on the crew has scattered all over the place.”

“Then it’ll be a real problem?”

“Not necessarily. Since the award show will be covered on television, almost everyone in the cast will come. It’s like a paid advertisement for how good they are at their jobs.”

“I can understand that. How about you?” Hannah asked her. “You’re coming to the film festival, aren’t you, Lynne?”

“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve been invited to an award show and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Not only that, I love Lake Eden. I’ll jump at any excuse I get to come back here.”

“Did you tell the PR person at KCOW that you’ll come back?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then maybe they’ll ask you to accept the award for Ross.”

Lynne was silent for a moment and when she answered, she sounded hopeful. “It’s possible they’ll ask me. People accept awards for other people all the time.”

“I know.” Hannah thought back to the last award show she’d watched and how Mayor Bascomb had accepted his sister’s STAG statuette.

“If they didn’t mention Ross when they called you, what reason did they give you for postponing the festival?”

“They blamed it on weather. They told me that since more severe winter storms were predicted and it could be difficult for people to travel to Lake Eden.”

“That’s possible. KCOW’s counting on good ratings and they won’t get them if most of the big names bow out. And Mayor Bascomb was counting on a lot of people coming into Lake Eden and spending money.” Hannah stopped talking for a moment and began to frown. “I wonder if the mayor knows that they decided to postpone the festival.”