Джоанна Флюк: Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

When Stroganoff Light has finished cooking, add the salt and pepper to taste and give it a final stir. You may add hot sauce (I used Slap Ya Mama) at this point.

Hannah’s 4thNote: You have a choice to make. You can either dish up your entrée in the kitchen on plates that you will carry to the table, or you can serve it in a bowl with a ladle and a separate bowl for the noodles so that your dinner guests can dish it up themselves.

Yield: This recipe makes at least 8 servings. If you have leftovers, refrigerate the main dish in a covered container and the noodles in a separate covered container.

Hannah’s 5thNote: To reheat noodles, simply put them in a strainer and dip the strainer in boiling salted water until the noodles are hot again.

Hannah’s 6thNote: If you have Stroganoff Light left and you’ve run out of noodles, you can reheat it as a casserole. Simply put a layer of frozen hash browns in the bottom of a pan that’s been sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and ladle on the leftover stroganoff. Cover your pan with foil and bake it at 350 degrees F. until it’s nice and hot. (Try it for 30 minutes and test it—the baking time will depend on how full your pan is.)

When your leftovers are hot enough, use a large spoon to serve your casserole and be sure to scoop up some of the yummy hash browns on the bottom.

Chapter Four

City Hall was only a block or so away and the street was deserted. Lonnie pulled into a parking spot directly in front of the building and immediately after they’d gotten out of Lonnie’s car, a squad car pulled up to the curb in front of them.

“I’m here,” Mike announced, motioning to Lonnie. “We’ll go in first. You two wait until we come out to get you.”

“No way!” Hannah objected, opening the car door and getting out of the back seat. “Andrea called me. I’m going in with you.”

“And I’m going, too.” Doc got out to join her. “If he’s not dead, there may be something I can do to save his life.”

“Did you alert Bill?” Lonnie asked Mike.

“Not yet,” Mike said.

“Why not?” Hannah asked. “He could have helped to calm Andrea down.”

“Because Andrea found the body,” Mike explained, “that makes her a suspect. Bill’s her husband, and he can’t be involved in any way with this investigation.”

Hannah gave a little gasp. “You think Andrea killed Mayor Bascomb?”

“No, but she had an altercation with him this afternoon and she went back to his office and now he’s dead. Do you know why Andrea went back to his office tonight, Hannah?”

Hannah shook her head. “No, I had no idea she was going back to see the mayor.”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No, Andrea was too upset to tell me any details on the phone.”

Mike nodded. “Andrea may have come back to apologize to Mayor Bascomb and try to placate him. He was really angry with her this afternoon and he said some very nasty things.”

“How do you know that?” Hannah asked.

“She called Bill at the station and told him all about it. And he told me. I was helping him with that ridiculous list the mayor wanted Bill to do.”

Once they’d climbed up the stone steps, Lonnie hurried forward and opened the door for them. Hannah went first. She wanted to get to Andrea to tell her that Mike knew all about her unhappy experience in the afternoon. Taking the steps two at a time, Hannah arrived at the second floor slightly out of breath. And there was Andrea, sitting in a chair at the top of the stairs.

“Oh, Hannah!” Andrea cried out, jumping up from the chair and rushing to intercept her. “It’s awful, Hannah. Just awful!”

“I know.” Hannah slipped her arm around Andrea’s shoulder and hugged her. “It’s going to be all right, Andrea. Mike, Lonnie, and Doc are here.”

“Not Bill?” Andrea looked crestfallen.

“No, Mike told him not to come. Mike and Lonnie will want to ask you questions about how you found Mayor Bascomb and what you think might have happened to him.”

Andrea’s eyes widened in disbelief. “They think I killed him?”

“Of course not, but you were the first one there. And anyone who finds the victim of a homicide is a suspect until they’re cleared.”

Myriad expressions crossed Andrea’s face. “But Mayor Bascomb was dead when I got there. At least I think he was dead. He didn’t move. And he didn’t say a thing. And . . . and there was blood. When I saw that, I was so scared, I . . . I dropped your cheesecake, Hannah!”

Tears filled Andrea’s eyes, and Hannah hugged her tight. “It’s okay. There’s more cheesecake where that came from.” And right after the words left Hannah’s mouth, she gave a little smile. “You were trying to sweeten up Mayor Bascomb by bringing him my cheesecake?”

“Yes, but not the whole cheesecake. I just took a piece for him. And then, when I saw the blood, it ended up on the floor!”

“I guess I’d better rename it Crime Scene Cheesecake,” Hannah said, and then she wished she hadn’t been so flippant when tears gathered in Andrea’s eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she said quickly.

“But I ruined your beautiful cheesecake!” Andrea wailed, starting to cry in earnest. “And I’ll never be able to eat your cheesecake again because it’ll always remind me of . . . of him !”

Hannah blinked once or twice, and then she wisely kept her silence. Andrea was being a bit irrational, but she certainly couldn’t blame her sister for being upset. From what Andrea had said, the scene in Mayor Bascomb’s office wasn’t pretty. Not many murder scenes were. But she knew that this scene would be bookmarked in her sister’s nightmares for weeks to come. “Did you have a piece of my cheesecake before you left home?” Hannah asked in an effort to change the subject.

“Oh, yes! It was delicious, Hannah. That’s why I decided to take a piece to . . . to him .”

“You can have another piece when we get to Mother’s place,” Hannah told her. “The chocolate will help to calm you down.”

“Okay, girls,” Doc said, coming out of the door. “Lonnie will be out any minute to give the three of us a ride back to the penthouse. Mike will come to the penthouse just as soon as the crime scene boys get here.”

“Then Mayor Bascomb is . . .” Andrea stopped speaking and looked a bit sick to her stomach.

“Yes, he’s dead. I’m going to give you something to help you relax, Andrea. Just sit in the garden with your mother and your sisters. When Mike and Lonnie finish taking your statement, Mike is going to call Bill to join you. He said to tell you that it won’t take long to interview you.”

“Oh, good.” Andrea looked very relieved. “I’m okay, Doc . . . really I am. I’m better every minute that I sit here. It’s just that at first, I was so . . . scared!”

“Of course you were.” Doc took a syringe from the bag he carried and turned away slightly as he filled it. “Look at Hannah please, Andrea. This will help you feel better.”

In no time at all, Doc finished treating Andrea and put the syringe back in his bag. “One glass of champagne, no more,” he said to Hannah. “She won’t need any more than that, and I don’t want her to fall asleep before Mike and Lonnie get a chance to interview her.” He looked up as Mayor Bascomb’s office door opened. “Good! Here’s Lonnie. He’ll give you a ride back to the penthouse.”

“But . . . I drove my car,” Andrea objected. “It’s parked across the street.”