Blackberry Pie Murder (15 page)

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WINNIE’S FRESH BLACKBERRY PIE

(“Blackbeard Pie”)

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

Hannah’s 1st Note: Winnie told me to decide which top
I wanted to have on my Fresh Blackberry Pie before I
started. There are THREE ways to top your pie.

The Latticework Crust on top (like the one pictured on
the cover) takes the most time and is the most difficult to
do. Written instructions are confusing. There is a lattice
cutter that you can order from cooking catalogues. That
looks nice, but it’s not woven. You can also use my friend
Trudi’s shortcut. She cuts little leaves out of piecrust and
arranges them in lines that crisscross on top of her pies. If
you choose to do a lattice top, you will need two rounds of
piecrust to make this pie.

The French Crumble is easy and you need ONLY ONE

round of piecrust if you decide to use it.

The Crust with the Slits cut in it is the easiest and fastest
as long as you buy ready-made frozen pie crusts. You will
need two rounds of piecrust for this top.

a package of 2 frozen 8-inch deep dish piecrusts
(or

make your own from your favorite recipe)

3 heaping cups whole blackberries
(approximately

3 grocery square berry boxes)

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3⁄4 cup white
(granulated)
sugar 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
(pack it down in the cup

when you measure it)

1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(freshly ground is best,

of course)

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
(if it’s been sitting in

your cupboard for years, buy fresh!—cinnamon

loses its flavor when it’s old)

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 stick cold salted butter
(1⁄4 cup, 2 ounces,

1⁄8 pound)

Prepare your crust(s) according to the following instructions:

If you decided to use homemade piecrust, roll out one round and use it to line an 8-inch deep-dish pie pan
(or a

9-inch regular pie pan)
.

If you bought frozen piecrusts, leave one right in its pan and let it thaw on the counter. You’ll use that for the bottom crust. If you decided to make the top Crust with Slits, loosen the second crust a bit in its pan, but leave it in the pan on the counter to thaw. If you decided to use the French Crumble top, return that second frozen piecrust to your freezer for the next time you bake a pie.

Rinse the blackberries, pat them dry with a paper towel, and put them in a large bowl.

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Mix the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.

Dump the small bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the blackberries and toss them to coat the berries.
(Again,

use your fingers and be as gentle as you can. You don’t

want the berries to break open so the juice runs out. There

will be enough juice given off when your pie bakes.)

Place a layer of coated blackberries in the bottom of the pan lined with piecrust. Arrange them with your fingers if there are any noticeable gaps.
(You want a nice founda-

tion for the rest of the berries.)

Place the rest of the coated berries in the pie pan. There should be enough to mound the top slightly.
(These berries

will fill in and settle during baking.)

There will probably be some leftover dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl you used to mix the berries. Just sprinkle the remainder of the dry ingredients on top of the blackberries in the pie pan.

Cut the cold butter into 4 pieces and then cut those pieces in half. Place the pieces on top of the blackberries just as if you were dotting the blackberries with butter.

Top your pie with your choice of the Latticework Crust, the Crust with the Slits, or the French Crumble.

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The Latticework Crust:

You’re on your own with this one!

The Crust with Slits:

If you used a frozen piecrust, simply tip the pan it came in upside down over the berries in the bottom crust.

Smooth it out with your impeccably clean fingers.

Squeeze the edges from the top crust and the edges from the bottom crust together.
(Use a little water for “glue” if

the crust just won’t cooperate.)

With a sharp knife, cut 4 slits in the top crust about 3 inches long, starting near the middle of the pie and extending down toward the sides of the pie.
(This is a very

important step. Not only does it let out the steam when

the pie bakes, releasing a delicious aroma that’ll have the

neighbors knocking at your door, it also provides a way to

sneak in those pieces of butter you forgot to put on the

blackberries before you covered your pie with the top

crust. Don’t laugh. I’ve done it.)

The French Crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 cup cold butter
(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1⁄4 pound)

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1⁄2 cup brown sugar
(pack it down when you

measure it)

Put the flour into the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attached. Cut the stick of butter into 8 pieces and add them to the bowl. Cover with the 1⁄2 cup of firmly-packed brown sugar.

Process with the steel blade in an on and off motion until the resulting mixture is in uniform small pieces.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it in a bowl.

Pat handfuls of the French Crumble in a mound over your pie. With a sharp knife, poke several slits near the top to let out the steam.

Winnie’s 1st Note: If you used the Latticework Crust or
the Crust with the Slits, you can make your pie look prettier by brushing a little water, milk, or cream on top of the
crust and then sprinkling it with a little bit of white sugar.

This will give it a sugary crunch with every bite.

Bake your Fresh Blackberry Pie at 350 degrees F. for 50

to 60 minutes
(mine took 55 minutes)
, or until the top crust or the French Crumble is a nice golden brown and the blackberries are tender when you pierce one with the tip of a sharp knife.

Cool your pie on a cold stove burner or a wire rack.

This pie can be served warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, or cold right out of the refrigerator.

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Be sure to refrigerate any leftover pie.
(I’ve made this

pie countless times and there have NEVER been any left-

overs!)

Winnie’s 2nd Note: My grandson calls this “Bluebeard
Pie” because he’s crazy about pirates.

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Chapter

!
Eleven
#

“All rise!” the bailiff called out in a loud voice, startling Hannah out of her worried thoughts.

Everyone in attendance in the small courtroom, not that many at eight o’clock on a Monday morning, rose as Judge Colfax walked in and took his place at the bench.

Hannah and Howie listened to the bailiff tell them that court was now in session, the honorable Judge Colfax presid-ing, and then they sat down again. Hannah felt the butterflies flutter wildly and churn into a miniature tornado in her stomach. What if Judge Colfax refused to give her bail? She’d be stuck in a cell until it was time for her trial. And Howie had told her that her trial could be delayed as long as six months, depending on the status of the court calendar. She could spend six months in jail. Or even worse, she could be found guilty of vehicular homicide and she didn’t want to know how long a sentence that charge might have!

Could she survive six months in jail? Or could she endure even more time if she were convicted of the charges against her? After two grueling days in the holding cell at the sheriff’s station, Hannah wasn’t at all certain she’d make it. It had been bad enough in the larger holding cell, just knowing that she wasn’t free to walk down the street, get into her truck, and drive anywhere she wanted to go. County lockup would be much worse. She’d heard horror stories about people BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

125

going stir-crazy in the county jail and trying to put themselves out of their misery by repeatedly banging their heads against the concrete walls, hoping that they’d injure themselves so badly that they’d be taken to the hospital and would at least have a window in the room.

There was a rustle in the back of the courtroom and Hannah craned her neck to see her mother and Andrea enter through the double doors and take seats in the rear. They looked very solemn and Hannah felt a lump grow in her throat. Were they also worried that Judge Colfax wouldn’t grant her bail?

Norman was already in the courtroom. He had been seated near the front when Howie had led Hannah in. Norman had smiled at her and given her the high sign, and Hannah had done her best to smile back.

The rustling of papers was loud in the silent courtroom as Judge Colfax read through the agenda. It was as if everyone was holding his or her breath, waiting for something to happen. A moment later, there was murmuring from the few spectators who were there and Hannah turned to see Mike enter the courtroom. A couple of the spectators glared at him, and Hannah suspected that Mike had been one of the officers who’d arrested their family member or loved one.

Hannah turned toward the front again. She’d looked at Mike, but he hadn’t met her eyes. Why was that? Did he know something that she didn’t know? Or was she simply being paranoid? She sent up a silent plea that the reason was her own paranoia.

Everyone who had told her they were coming was here.

She’d known that Doc Knight wouldn’t be here. He had surgery scheduled for seven this morning and it wouldn’t be over yet. Michelle and Lisa had come to see her yesterday and explained that they would be at The Cookie Jar, handling the morning customers, but that Delores would call them the moment the arraignment was over.

Howie motioned to her and Hannah leaned closer so that 126

Joanne Fluke

he could whisper in her ear. “Relax,” he said. “You look like a deer caught in the headlights.”

“That’s because I
am
a deer caught in the headlights,”

Hannah whispered back.

“Not for long. It’ll be over soon, Hannah. Just remember that when the judge asks you how you plead, you say,
Not
guilty, Your Honor.
Don’t say any more, and don’t say any less. Just say,
Not guilty, Your Honor
. Are we clear on that?”

“Yes,” Hannah said, and then she added, “Did you bring Judge Colfax his coffee this morning?”

“I did, and it was an extra-large mocha, exactly what he likes. Stop worrying, Hannah. We should be just fine.”

Hannah thought about saying,
That’s easy for you to say
.

Even if things weren’t fine, Howie wouldn’t be the one who was locked up in jail. That would be her, and she had a perfect right to be worried. And then the bailiff was calling her name and Howie was motioning for her to stand up and face Judge Colfax on legs that were suddenly trembling like leaves in a windstorm.

The bailiff read the charges and Hannah did her best not to listen. There were more than she’d thought there would be, ranging from misdemeanors to a final charge of vehicular homicide. And then Howie was prodding her. The judge must have asked her how she pled. And Hannah said, “Not guilty, Your Honor,” and clamped her lips shut.

Her words hung in the silent air and the room began to re-volve slowly around her. Hannah knew she was close to fainting as Howie asked for bail. There was a buzzing in her ears that made listening impossible and she gripped the edge of the defense table tightly to keep from falling back into her chair. The judge wouldn’t like that. She had to show the proper respect and keep standing and facing him with a polite and servile expression, even though she was weak-kneed and dizzy, and she’d never been so scared in her life.

The moment seemed to go on forever, as if the clock on the wall had stopped and everyone was frozen in place. And BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER

127

through the buzzing in her ears and the gulps of air she was taking so that she wouldn’t do anything foolish like faint dead away, she heard the judge say, “Bail in the amount of fifty thousand dollars is granted. See the clerk.”

His gavel banged loudly against the wooden surface, and then Howie turned to take her arm. “It’s over, Hannah. I told you it would be all right. An officer of the court will escort you to the clerk’s office and stay with you there while your mother makes bail. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to be handcuffed until your bail is paid. It’s not a secure area.”