red velvet cupcake murder

8/14/2019 Red Velvet Cupcake Murder

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Chapter One

Y oure staring at me again! Hannah Swensen emergedfrom the bathroom in a cloud of steam, a towelwrapped around her unruly red curls. She grabbed her favo-rite robe, shrugged into it quickly, and turned to face the onlyother occupant of her bedroom. Its not polite to stare at mewhen Im not wearing anything and youre sitting there inyour fur coat.

When there was no response to her comment, Hannah satdown on the edge of the bed and picked up the package of panty hose shed purchased on her way home from TheCookie Jar, her coffee shop and bakery. She wasnt lookingforward to putting on her best formal clothing on the hottest,muggiest evening ever recorded in Lake Eden, Minnesotashistory. Actually, if she was completely honest, she neverenjoyed donning formal clothing, even when the weather co-operated. She was much more comfortable in jeans and abillboard T-shirt, or, as a concession to her family, a comfort-able pantsuit. She wasnt looking forward to tonights partyeither. Shed much rather spend the evening on her livingroom couch, sipping cold lemonade and watching a movie ontelevision with one of her boyfriends, either Norman Rhodes

or Mike Kingston. Unfortunately, her presence tonight wasmandatory since The Cookie Jar was catering dessert.Its not the heat, its the humidity, she told her room-

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mate, who was watching her intently. At least thats whatGreat-Grandma Elsa always used to say. But she also used tosay that nobody in Minnesota needed air-conditioning, that afan blowing over a block of ice was enough.

This comment was met with widened eyes and what sheinterpreted as an incredulous look.

I know, she reassured him. Great-Grandma Elsa waswrong. Or maybe it was cooler back in her time. Ill turn theair-conditioner on high just as soon as Im through gettingdressed.

Even though the sun would be setting while she was gone,Hannah knew that air-conditioning would be necessary. Insome areas of the country, the nights cooled off considerably,but not in central Minnesota. Perhaps the temperature woulddrop a few degrees as night approached, but that wouldntprovide much relief. The outside walls of her condo had beenbaking in the sun all day and they would still be warm to thetouch long after midnight.

It was hot in her bedroom. Shed opened the window to letin some outside air, but the curtains hung limp and lifeless.There was no breeze and the humidity was still sky high.Hannah could testify to that fact because even though sheddried off thoroughly after her shower, her skin felt moist andhot again.

Its not even summer yet, she told him, sighing a bit.The Summer Solstice isnt until June twentieth this year andtoday is only the ninth. Technically, its still spring and thisafternoon it was hot enough to fry an egg outside.

It was difcult to tell, but Hannah thought he looked im-pressed at this news. Earlier in the afternoon, when the mer-cury had reached its highest peak in the thermometer thathung outside the window in the coffee shop, her customershad decided that it was hot enough to cook an egg on the hood

of a car. Hannahs partner, Lisa Herman Beeseman, had vol-unteered her old black Ford for the test and the egg was dulycracked on the hood. After twelve minutes in the blazing sun,

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the yolk was still a bit runny, but the white was denitelycooked. Since no one wanted to stand around in the heat anylonger to wait for the yolk to solidify, the dozen or so cus-tomers whod trooped out to the parking lot to watch haddeclared the experiment a success.

Hannah rolled up one leg of the panty hose and glancedover at him again. It seemed to her that he was smiling.Watch it, she warned. I dont know if you can laugh ornot, but if you even look amused, Ill . . . Ill . . . She pausedto choose the most effective threat. Ill put you on a diet!

Rrrowwww! The twenty-three pound orange and whitetomcat, who was perched on top of her dresser, let out ahowl.

Thats right. A diet . And that means no more salmon-flavored, sh-shaped kitty treats. So if I were you, Id be verycareful!

Hannah gave a little nod of satisfaction as Moishe turnedhis head away. She wasnt sure if hed understood her words,or simply reacted to the tone in her voice, but the desired ef-fect was the same. As she looked down at the rolled sock inher hand, she thought about how much she hated to put onpanty hose. The way she saw it, she had two choices. Shecould stretch out on the bed on her back, raise the panty hoseup in the air, and try to thrust both feet into the sock parts atthe same time. That required coordination she wasnt sureshe possessed. The second method was to sit on the edge of thebed, lean over and place one foot in the sock part, pull thepanty hose up part way, and then try to get her other foot in.Either way required perfect balance and the skill of a contor-tionist.

Gotta do it, she said, deciding to try the second method.But just as she began to thrust her right foot into the toe of the sock, the doorbell chimed.

There was a ripping noise that sounded very loud to Han-nahs ears, and she let out an exasperated expletive that shewould never have used around her two nieces. Her toe had

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poked completely through the sock part and there was noway she could wear these pantyhose now. It was a good thingshed bought an extra pair.

Hannah reached for her slippers and glanced at the clockon her bedside table. It was only six-fteen and her sisterwasnt due to pick her up until seven. Barring some kind of family emergency or national disaster, there was no way An-drea would be forty-ve minutes early.

The doorbell pealed again and Hannah stood up. Sales-men werent allowed in her condo complex, but sometimesone slipped past the guard at the kiosk. It could also be aneighbor with a problem and now that she was a member of the homeowners association board, she had a duty to listen.As she hurried down the carpeted hallway with Moishe ather heels, she thought about how interruptions always seemedto come at precisely the wrong time. But was there a right timefor interruptions? She really wasnt sure.

Hannah glanced down at her cat as they arrived at thedoor. She was hoping that Moishe would give her some sortof clue to the identity of the person standing outside the door.Who is it? she asked him in a whisper.

If ever a cat could shrug, Moishe did. But there were othersigns that told Hannah something about their visitor. His earswerent back against his head, and he didnt seem agitated inany other way. That meant it couldnt possibly be her mother.Delores Swensen was not Moishes favorite person and hermother had several pairs of snagged silk stockings to prove it.

Okay, its not Mother, she whispered. And it cant beNorman. Hes my date for the party, but hes working late atthe dental clinic and he said hed meet me there.

Moishe moved closer to the door and the end of his tailbegan to ick in excitement. It was denitely someone heknew. Hannah was about to unlock the door to see for her-

self, when she remembered that she should check the peep-hole.

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One glance and Hannahs mouth dropped open. It wasAndrea! She unlocked the door in a rush and pulled it open.Whats wrong? she asked the second she saw her sistersworried expression.

Everything! Andrea exclaimed, stepping in.Bethies okay, isnt she? And Bill? Tracey?Theyre all ne. Mother called and told me to get right

over here. Andrea shut the door behind her. I didnt evenhave time to nish my French braid.

You can do it in the guest bathroom. The lights good andtheres a vanity in there. Hannah stopped speaking as a direpossibility occurred to her. Mothers all right, isnt she?

Mothers ne. Shes worried about you .Me?Yes. She wanted me to get right over here and give you

the news in person before anyone else told you about it.What news?Bad news.Is anyone sick? Or injured? Or . . . or dead? Hannah felt

her heart rate soar at the possibility.No. Nothing like that. Youd better sit down, Hannah.

Its shocking.Whats shocking?The bad news.Hannah sat down on the couch. Andrea was so agitated,

she wasnt making much sense, but if she sat down it mighthave a calming effect. Okay, Im sitting. Now tell me.

Youve got to promise not to get too upset.Why should I get upset? I dont even know what youre

talking about yet.All right then. Andrea took a deep breath. Shes back!Whos back?Her! Mother and I just dont know what to do! We never

thought wed see her again, but shes back and shes stayingout at the Lake Eden Inn with Roger Dalworth. Sally called

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to tell Mother. But thats not the worst part of it. Sally toldMother that shes coming to the grand opening with Rogertonight!

Sallys coming to the opening with Roger?No! Shes coming to the opening with Roger. And thats

why I had to get right over here to warn you.Thanks, but I still dont know who youre talking about.

Hannah grabbed her sisters arm and pulled her down on thecouch. Take a deep breath and calm down.

I cant! Tonight is going to be a nightmare. If I didnt haveto go, I wouldnt, but I have to go because Im selling thecondos for Roger. And itll be even worse for you. I just dontknow how were going to get through it with her there!

Whos her? Hannah asked, doing her best not to soundexasperated at Andreas overuse of pronouns.

Doctor Bev! Shes back in town! And Sally thinks shesdead set on revenge!

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red velvet cupcake murder

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