Cherry Cheesecake Murder (9 page)

“A real cat?” someone asked.

“A real cat. Does anyone know someone who has a big orange and white tomcat, about twenty-five pounds or so, blind in one eye, and with a torn ear?”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open in surprise as everyone in the room swiveled to look at her. “I…you just described my cat!”

“I know,” Ross said, and everyone laughed. “Your sister told me and we thought we’d like to use him in the movie. You don’t have to bring him in to the high school to audition. I know cats aren’t fond of traveling. Have dinner with me tonight out at the inn and you can tell me all about him. And then, if everything’s a go, we’ll go back to your place so I can take a look at him. Is that all right with you?”

“That’s fine,” Hannah said, smiling at him. And then she happened to spot Mike’s scowling face. She turned slightly to glance at Norman and saw that he was scowling every bit as hard as Mike.

“Uh-oh,” Hannah breathed, gulping slightly. Unless she was terribly mistaken, Ross had just asked her for a date in front of the whole town, and she’d accepted.

The auditorium at Jordan High was crowded, but Hannah found a spot in the back row. The acoustics weren’t good here, because of the balcony overhang, so most people knew to avoid it. Hannah figured the back row would be perfect for her, since she was only here to watch Tracey. When it was her niece’s turn to audition, she could stand up and move out to the aisle where she could hear better.

“Hannah Fandana!”

Hannah whirled around as a well-known voice from the past greeted her. “Hi, Linda…except Ross told me not to call you that anymore. He said you’re Lynne Larchmont now.”

“I’m still Linda to you. It’s really great to see you, Hannah! You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You have. You were always pretty, but now you’re glamorous.”

“I’d better be!” The new, glamorous Lynne gave a little laugh. “I spent a lot of money to get this way. My dental bill was astronomical, not to mention what I paid to my plastic surgeon, and my makeup and hair stylists. You can purchase glamour, you know.”

“But you lost weight, too. You can’t buy weight loss with money.”

“That’s true. Weight loss is a perk you get when you’re poor. I was so broke when I got out to L.A., I couldn’t afford to buy food.”

“What did you do?”

“I asked my dates to take me to all-you-can-eat buffets, and I lined my biggest purse with a plastic bag. When the guy wasn’t looking, I shoveled in the food and then I went back for more. I don’t think I spent more than a dollar on food until I landed my first part. And by then, I’d lost twenty pounds.”

Hannah laughed, but she felt a little stab of envy as Lynne slipped into the seat next to her. They’d been able to borrow each other’s clothes when they were in college, but now Lynne was Andrea’s size. Instead of dwelling on the twenty or so pounds she should lose and probably wouldn’t anytime soon, Hannah decided to switch subjects. “I’m sorry you broke up with Ross. I always thought you two were a perfect couple.”

“So did I, for a while. But people grow up and they change. Ross and I wanted different things out of life and we grew apart.”

Hannah was silent. It didn’t seem like they’d wanted different things way back then. Lynne had wanted to be an actress and Ross had wanted to write and produce. And since that was what they were doing now, where did the bit about wanting different things come in?

“I’m really sorry about Bradford,” Lynne reached out to put a hand on Hannah’s arm as she mentioned the name of Hannah’s college boyfriend, the assistant professor who’d started to date her without mentioning that he was already engaged. “I know your father died and that’s the official story you gave for leaving college, but Ross and I figured that Bradford had something to do with it. He’s divorced now, in case you’re interested.”

“Not even on a very lonely night,” Hannah said, leaving it at that. “What did you think of my niece, Tracey?”

“She’s absolutely adorable! Talking to her is like talking to a little adult, and that’s exactly the quality we need in the actress who plays Amy as a child. I told Ross I thought she was perfect for the part.”

Hannah felt a big smile spread across her face. She loved to hear people sing Tracey’s praises.

“They should be holding tryouts for the speaking parts any minute now. Ross’s down to the last couple of walk-ons, and then he’ll probably do Amy.”

“How many kids are trying out?”

“Three. Ross introduced them to me and, you can trust me, Tracey doesn’t have any competition. For one thing, she has just the right demeanor. The other two are pretty and charming, but they don’t sell serious little girl. You know what I mean?”

“I’m not sure I do.”

“Okay. Let me explain it another way. You should get the feeling that there’s a brain working away behind those pretty blue eyes. The face might be laughing, but the brain behind it is always thinking, always planning, always very careful.”

“You just described Tracey to a tee, except for the last part. That sounds a little paranoid.”

“It is. Don’t forget that Amy lives with a manic-depressive father. And when he’s manic, he has anger issues. Amy and her brother are the only ones who see that anger. Amy’s just a child, but she’s very careful to assess her father’s mood and act accordingly. He’s never lashed out at her, but that’s because she’s careful not to antagonize him when he’s in anger mode.”

“Why doesn’t she tell someone about it?”

“She’s afraid that no one will believe her.”

“That sounds like a very bad situation.”

“It is. Anyway, those are the family dynamics and they’re just fascinating. I spent some time talking to Tracey, and I’m sure she can handle the part. I’ll stay and watch her audition with you. And then I’ll put in another good word with Ross.” Lynne stopped speaking and sighed dramatically. “Oh, look! There’s that gorgeous detective!”

“Mike Kingston,” Hannah told her, watching as Mike walked across the stage. He was in full uniform and he turned from side to side in response to an instruction they couldn’t hear from their position in the back row.

“You know him?” Lynne asked, and then she gave a little laugh. “Of course you know him. You’re bound to know him. Lake Eden is a pretty small town and you probably know everybody. I tell you, Hannah…if I didn’t love my husband, I’d be all over him.”

Hannah was about to make a wisecrack, something about how Lynne would have to get him on the rebound because he’d proposed to her and she’d just turned him down. But Hannah didn’t say that. For one thing, it would sound like bragging. And for another thing, they weren’t best college buddies anymore, and her love life, or lack of it, wasn’t any of Lynne’s business.

When Mike left the stage, Lynne turned to Hannah. “They’ll take a break now, and then they’ll audition for the speaking parts. That’s the way they always do it.”

“Maybe now would be a good time to meet Mr. Lawrence,” Hannah suggested. “Ross asked me to bake for him and I need to know what kind of cheesecake he likes.”

“Cherry.”

“I know that, but there are different kinds of cherry cheesecakes. Does he like the light and fluffy type with cherry swirled all the way through? Or would he prefer it dense and heavy with the cherries only on the top?”

Lynne shrugged. “I really don’t know. Let’s go ask him.”

A moment later, Hannah was being introduced to the most theatrical looking man in the room. Dean Lawrence wasn’t that tall, but what he lacked in stature, he more than made up for in rugged good looks. He reminded Hannah of a Bantam rooster, posturing next to the stage. The fact that his hair was tousled and stuck up slightly on the top of his head added to the rooster illusion, and the ascot he wore around his neck had a pattern that looked a bit like neck feathers.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lawrence,” Hannah said politely, after Lynne had introduced them.

“It’s Dean, Lovey. Only my enemies call me Mr. Lawrence.”

Lovey? Hannah did her best not to bristle. She really didn’t care to be tagged with pet names by someone she’d just met. “I’m baking your cheesecakes, Mr.…er…Dean. And I’d like to know your preferences.”

“Preferences?”

“Yes. Do you prefer your cheesecake light or dense?”

“Light or dense?”

“A light cheesecake is fluffy. A dense cheesecake is heavy.”

“Oh. I see what you mean. I like a dense cheesecake, very heavy. And it should be very smooth, too. When you take a bite, it should almost melt in the mouth.”

“Okay. Do you like it with a sweet crust, or a crust that tastes like toast crumbs?”

“Sweet. I have a sweet tooth, Lovey.”

There it was again, the unwarranted and unwanted term of endearment. Hannah did her best to ignore it and asked the next question. “How about the cherries? Would you prefer your cheesecake to have cherries all the way through, a swirl of cherries mixed in for color and flavor, or just cherries on the top?”

“Cherries on the top, with cherry sauce running over the sides. And I like the kind of cheesecake with sour cream spread over the top under the cherries. I think it’s called New York cheesecake. Do you think you can bake it?”

“I’m sure I can.”

“That’s the attitude, Lovey! Never say you can’t do it until you try, isn’t that right?”

“Right,” Hannah agreed. “I’ll deliver it to your trailer by nine tomorrow morning.”

“That’s just fine, Lovey. I’ll be waiting for you with a fork in my hand.” Dean switched his attention from Hannah rather abruptly and waved at Ross, who was just taking his seat in the front row. “Ready to roll, Duckie?”

“Ready,” Ross said, with no apparent reaction. Since Michelle had mentioned that they’d been in production for almost two months now, Hannah figured that Ross must be used to Dean’s nicknames.

“So…” Hannah said to Lynne, delaying the rest of her thought until they were out of earshot. “Does Dean give everyone nicknames?”

“Oh, yes. He calls all the women Lovey and all the guys Duckie. I don’t know why he does it. He’s not even English!”

“I think I know why.”

“You do?”

“It’s just a guess, but I’ll bet it’s so he doesn’t have to bother remembering their names.”

“Just wait until you see what’s on the dessert cart,” Hannah said, watching as Jordan High senior, Amber Coombs, pushed the lusciously laden serving cart their way. Even from this distance, Hannah could see Sally’s towering Neopolitan cake, a six-layer concoction with alternating layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry cake, each layer affixed to its neighboring layer with a matching frosting.

Ross gave a theatrical whimper as he eyed the contents of the cart, and Hannah knew exactly how he felt. It was close to impossible to choose one dessert when they all promised to enchant the taste buds.

“I want one of each,” Ross said.

“Me, too. But if we do that, Amber’s going to have to roll us out of the dining room.”

“We should have skipped the entrée and come straight here,” Ross remarked, pulling his gaze away from the decadent delights to smile at her. “I can still remember your motto in college. Always…”

“Eat dessert first,” Hannah joined in as he recited it.

“How about if we get two desserts and split?”

“That sounds perfect to me. It’s almost as good as getting two desserts apiece.” Hannah smiled up at Amber Coombs, who was trying not to laugh at their antics. “I’ll have a piece of Sally’s Flourless Chocolate Cake. With two forks.”

Ross had drawn a bead on the bowl of Apricot Bread Pudding, and he spoke without lifting his gaze. “And I’ll have the bread pudding. I’ve been dreaming about Hannah’s bread pudding ever since she packed up her recipes and left college. This looks a lot like one you used to make, Hannah.”

“That’s because it is,” Amber spoke up. “Mrs. Laughlin uses Miss Swensen’s recipe.”

“Well…that changes everything!” Ross said with a smile. “If it’s Hannah’s bread pudding, I’ll have a double helping.”

“Would you like that warmed?”

“Oh, yes.”

“With heavy cream, sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream?”

“Oh, yes.”

Amber cracked up, but she quickly sobered. “Would that be with all three of them, sir?”

“No, I’ll have the heavy cream. That’s the way Hannah used to serve it.” Ross glanced at Amber, who looked very pretty and trim in her flattering waitress uniform. “I wish you’d been at the auditions this afternoon, Amber. I would have cast you as one of the waitresses in the cocktail party scene.”

Amber, who up to this point had been the quintessential waitress, dropped her newfound maturity right along with her jaw. “Really, Mr. Barton?” she squeaked.

“Absolutely. Of course waiting on us tonight was just like an audition, wasn’t it?”

“If you say so, Mr. Barton,” Amber said, barely managing to hide her excitement.

“Then you’ve got the part if you want it. Do you think you can work it into your schedule?”

“Oh, yes!” Amber breathed. “Mr. Purvis, he’s the principal at Jordan High, told us we could take time off class if we got a part in the movie. All we have to do is make up the work later.”

Hannah watched Amber as Ross told her about the release form her mother would have to sign and when to report to wardrobe. Amber couldn’t seem to stop smiling and by the time she pushed the dessert cart away, she was practically dancing across the dining room.

“Maybe that was a mistake,” Ross said, watching the excited girl push the cart into the kitchen.

“You mean…you don’t want to use her in the movie?”

“Oh, no. I want to use her. It’s just that she’s so excited, she might forget about bringing my bread pudding.”

An hour later, Hannah was unlocking her condo door. Amber hadn’t forgotten Ross’s dessert and they’d devoured both of them with gusto.

“You’d better stand back,” Hannah said, her hand on the doorknob.

“Okay, but why?”

“Moishe has a greeting ritual when I come home at night.”

“Greeting ritual?”

“He jumps up into my arms. And since he weighs over twenty pounds, it knocks me back a step or two…especially if I forget to brace myself.”