“I know, and I’d like to provide a little of the financing. I’ll call him the minute I get back to the clinic and ask him to come in. Then I can take time off to help you.”

“That would be fun,” Hannah said, but she quickly sobered. “I guess fun is a strange word to use when we’re talking about murder. But I do like working with you, Norman.”

“And I like working with you.” Norman got up and carried his empty coffee mug to the counter by the sink. “If Doc Bennett can come in, I’ll see you later today, Hannah.”

“Wait!” Hannah hurried to the counter and packed up six Brownies Plus bars for Doc Bennett. “Doc Bennett loves Brownies Plus. Tell him I gave you a half-dozen for him and he’ll run all the way down to your clinic.”

BROWNIES PLUS

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

6 one-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate (or three-quarters cup chocolate chips)

1 cup butter (two sticks, 1/2 pound)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

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

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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

5 to 7 three-ounce chocolate candy bars (I’ve used Nestle’s Treasures Cappuccino Truffle Bars, Hershey’s Symphony Bars, and Nestle’s Crunch Bars—the number of bars depends on how many inches of your pan they cover.)

A SHORT CUT: Lisa got this recipe from Diana Dickerson. Diana says that if you don’t feel like making your brownies from scratch, use two packages of brownie mix, the kind that makes an 8-inch by 8-inch square. Use two bowls, one for each package, and prepare the brownie batter by following the directions on the box. Once the batter is mixed, use the contents of one bowl for the bottom layer and the contents of the other bowl for the top. Diana’s favorite candy bars to use are Hershey’s Symphony Bars.

Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by lining it with a piece of foil large enough to flap over the sides. Spray the foil-lined pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Microwave the chocolate squares (or chocolate chips) and butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl for one minute. Stir. (Since chocolate frequently maintains its shape even when melted, you have to stir to make sure.) If it’s not melted, microwave for an additional 20 seconds and stir again. Repeat if necessary.

Stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Feel the bowl. If it’s not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them now, stirring thoroughly. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Mix in the flour and stir just until it’s moistened.

Spoon half of the batter into your prepared pan. Smooth it out with a rubber spatula.