Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(9)

4 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) molasses

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups finely chopped pistachio nutmeats

4 cups flour (pack it down in the measuring cup when you measure it)



1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar for later

15 to 30 red or green maraschino cherries cut into quarters



Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. It’ll take about 90 seconds on HIGH. (You can also melt it in a pan on the stove if you prefer.)



Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and add the sugar. Mix well and let the mixture cool to room temperature.



Mix in the beaten eggs. Add the molasses and mix well. (If you spray your Tablespoon measure or your 1/8 cup measure with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, the molasses won’t stick to it when you measure.)



Add the salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir everything together and then mix in the finely-chopped pistachios.



Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.



Form the dough into 1-inch balls with your fingers and place them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Form 12 dough balls for each standard-size cookie sheet.



Spray the flat bottom of a water glass with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Dip the glass in a bowl of white sugar and flatten the balls on the cookie sheet. Dip the glass into the sugar after every ball you flatten.



Place a quarter cherry in the center of each cookie. Press the cherry down with the tip of your finger.



Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies set up on the sheet for one minute, and then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.



Yield: 8 to 10 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.





Chapter Three




“So how was it?” Hannah’s partner, Lisa Herman Beeseman, asked when Hannah came in the back door of The Cookie Jar at a quarter past eight.

“Not as bad as I thought it would be.” Hannah hung her jacket on the rack by the back door and headed for the minuscule shower enclosure that was attached to the bathroom. “As a matter of fact, it was almost fun once the class started.”

Lisa looked shocked. “I never thought I’d hear you say that exercise was fun!”

“I didn’t say fun. I said, almost fun. I’ll take a quick shower and then I’ll set things up in the coffee shop.”

“It’s all done,” Lisa called after her.

Hannah stopped in her tracks and turned around to stare. Lisa was diminutive, only five feet tall, and Hannah was willing to bet that she didn’t weigh in at much over a hundred pounds, but her young partner was tireless when it came to getting things done. “You finished the baking and set everything up in the coffee shop?”

“Yes.”

“What time did you get here anyway?”

“Five thirty. Herb had to run out to highway patrol headquarters for an early meeting, and I didn’t feel like sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee alone.”

“What kind of meeting?”

“I’ll tell you all about it right after your shower. You’re not going to believe what Mayor Bascomb is thinking about doing now!”

Hannah made short work of her shower. Lisa’s husband, Herb Beeseman, was their small town’s only law enforcement officer, and he reported directly to the mayor. If anyone knew what Mayor Bascomb was planning to do next, it was Herb.

When Hannah emerged wearing jeans that she thought might be a wee bit looser in the waist, a mug of strong black coffee was waiting for her at the stainless steel work island. She sat down on a stool, took a huge swallow of coffee, and gave a sigh of contentment. “Okay. Tell me what our esteemed mayor has up his sleeve this time.”

“Red-light cameras.”

“On what? There aren’t any stoplights in Lake Eden.”

Lisa just smiled. “You’re right. There aren’t any…yet.”

“He’s at it again!” Hannah groaned and put her head in her hands. “Don’t tell me he’s still fixated on putting in a light at the end of Main Street?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Well, thank goodness for that!” Hannah took another sip of life-enhancing caffeine, but before she even swallowed, a dreadful thought crossed her mind. “He’s given up the idea of having one at the end of Main Street, but he wants to put one somewhere else?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m afraid to ask, but…where?”

“Third and Main. Remember that traffic survey the varsity baseball team did last summer?”

Hannah had seen several members of the baseball team, equipped with folding chairs and beach umbrellas, staking out various corners in Lake Eden to count the cars that passed through the intersections. “I remember, but I thought it was just an excuse to pay for their new uniforms from the city budget.”

“So did everybody else, but it seems Mayor Bascomb had a double agenda. He asked Herb to tally up the results last week, and the most heavily trafficked corner in town is ours.”