Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(51)

“How do you know that?” Hannah asked, remembering that when she’d checked the next day, the lights had been off.

“Because I saw light leaking out one of the shutters when I passed by the kitchen window on my way to the bedroom.”

“Okay,” Hannah said, flipping her notebook shut. “I’ve got it all down.”

“So what do you think? Do I have to tell Mike?”

“No. All you saw was a shadowy figure entering the pavilion and not coming out again. That’s not going to help in Mike’s investigation. He already knows somebody went inside to kill Gus, because Gus didn’t stab himself in the chest.”

Michelle looked very relieved. “Thanks, Hannah! I’m really glad Mother won’t know I was out so late. I’m too old to punish or anything like that, but she gives me that look.”

“What look?”

“You know the one. It’s her hurt look. And then she says, Oh, Michelle! I’m so disappointed in you! And then I know I’ve let her down, and it just about kills me.”

“That’s why she does it,” Hannah said, remembering the very same phrase with her name in the culprit spot.

The screen door opened, and Andrea hurried in, carrying a Jell-O mold. She headed straight for the refrigerator, opened the door, and found a place for it inside. “I hope my Lemon Fluff Jell-O Mold didn’t get hot and melt!”

“What’s in it?” Hannah asked her.

“Lemon Jell-O, lemon pie filling, crushed pineapple, and Cool Whip.”

“Cool Whip and not real sweetened whipped cream?”

“That’s right.”

“Then it should be fine. Cool Whip doesn’t break down as fast as whipped cream. And even if your mold got a little runny, it’ll firm up again before dinner. There’s plenty of time.”

“Oh, good. And you’ll help me unmold it? I’m not very good at that.”

“Of course I will,” Hannah promised her. “Michelle said you were out on the road talking to Bertie Straub?”

“That’s right. I was making an appointment for this weekend. She’s going to give me a full weave, and this time it’s going to be in four colors. I’ve never done more than three, but I want a reddish blond in the mix. And I’m having a layer cut to give my hair more body.”

“A four-color weave’s going to take all morning,” Michelle commented.

“You don’t know the half of it! I’m also booked for a manicure, a pedicure, and a full makeover. And when I’m all through with that, I’m heading down to Claire’s to try on some of her sexy summer sundresses. The next time you see me, I’ll be a new me.”

“But I like the old you,” Michelle said.

“So do I,” Hannah added. “I think you look just fine the way you are. I really don’t know why you want to be a new you, when…” her voice trailed off as the obvious reason occurred to her. Mike had mentioned it on the phone this morning. “Ronni Ward?” she guessed.

“Of course not! I just want to look good, that’s all. When you’ve been married for as long as Bill and I have, you have to work to rekindle the romance every now and then, and…” Andrea stopped speaking and gave a little sigh. “You’re right. It’s Ronni Ward. Bill told me she was back in town when he got home last night. How did you find out about it?”

“Mike. He called me this morning to give me the number for the Animal Channel for Moishe, and he mentioned it.”

“Did he also mention that Ronni rented the apartment across the hall from him?” Andrea asked.

“He did.”

“Are you jealous?” Michelle raised the question.

“Mike and I don’t have that kind of commitment. It’s true that I date him, but I go out with Norman, too. That means I don’t have any right to be jealous.”

Andrea gave a nod of concurrence. “That’s a perfectly reasonable point, but it’s not what Michelle asked. Are you jealous?”

“What do you think?” Hannah faced them squarely.

“You’re jealous.” Andrea spoke for both of them. “You just don’t know what to do about it, that’s all.”

LEMON FLUFF JELL-O

3 small (3-ounces apiece) packages of Lemon Jell-O

2 cups water

1 large can (20-ounces) crushed pineapple

2 cups cold water ***

1 small (2-cup) container Cool-Whip (or any other whipped, non-dairy dessert topping)

1 can (enough to make an 8-inch pie) lemon pie filling****

***This is approximate because it all depends on your can of crushed pineapple. You’re going to drain the crushed pineapple and save the liquid. Then you’ll add the cold water to the juice until it makes a total of 2 cups.

****If you can’t find lemon pie filling in a can (Andrea couldn’t—Florence didn’t have it at the Red Owl) you can use a 3.4 ounce package of lemon pudding and pie filling. Just follow the directions for pie filling and add it to your Jell-O mixture at the proper time.

Drain the can of crushed pineapple. Save the liquid to use later.

Boil two cups of water in a small saucepan. Take it off the burner.

Empty the three packages of Lemon Jell-O powder into the recently boiled water. Stir until the Jell-O is dissolved. This step should take about 2 minutes. (There’s nothing worse than Jell-O powder that doesn’t dissolve. It makes a layer of sweet lemon rubber at the bottom of your Jell-O mold and the mixture on top is runny. To tell if Jell-O powder is dissolved, reach in with your impeccably clean fingers and rub a bit of liquid between your thumb and your finger. If it’s not gritty, it’s dissolved.)