Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(49)

“Because I can’t tell Bill the real reason we’re going to see the Swartznagel house.”

“Cut to the chase, Andrea. We’re going in circles. What’s the real reason you’re taking me to see this house?”

“Because it’s right next door to Doctor Bev’s mother’s house, and we need to see Diana. Then we’ll go to breakfast, and then we’ll drop in at Club Nineteen at noon.”

“Are they open that early?”

“They are tomorrow. I just called and they’re holding auditions for new jazz bands starting at noon. They do it one Saturday a month, and this is the Saturday for April. The waitress I talked to said everybody’s welcome and the audience fills out comment cards on the band. I made a reservation for us. I’m pretty sure that between the sets, we can find a way to talk to the management and ask some questions.”

“Okay. That’s worth doing, but I have to be back right after that. Lisa’s still telling her stories tomorrow, and the second day is just as popular as the first. She’s going to need lots of cookies.”

“That’s not a problem. I called Lisa, and she said that Marge, Patsy, and Jack are coming down to help her. Pasty and Marge will take turns baking, and you know what great bakers they are. Michelle will be there, too, so Lisa says you don’t have to come in at all tomorrow.”

“That’s fine, I guess, but I’m still a little confused about something. I can understand talking to the people at Club Nineteen. They might know more about the woman with the brown hair that Lynette saw with Buddy backstage. We should ask them about Buddy’s background, too. Maybe he mentioned where he came from, or anything that might help us find out ...” Hannah stopped short. Perhaps Andrea wasn’t up to speed yet. “You do know that Buddy wasn’t Buddy, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. Mother called me right after she called you.”

“Good. What I don’t understand is why we need to see Diana. I don’t think it’ll do us any good.”

“It’ll do a lot of good! We can’t very well get a DNA sample if we don’t see her ... now can we?”

“But how are we going to get a DNA sample? I think her grandma might notice if we swabbed the inside of her cheek.”

“We’ll just ... .” Andrea stopped and frowned slightly. “I’ll think of something tomorrow, don’t worry. I’m good at subterfuge. All you have to do is be convincing as my real estate client.”

“How do I do that?”

“Look interested when I ask about the neighborhood. And be kid-friendly, especially if Diana’s right there with her grandmother.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“Not really, unless ... yes, a couple of things. Don’t wear jeans, whatever you do! Do you have any slacks?”

“One pair.”

“Pull-ons?”

“Yes, with an elastic waist.”

Andrea muttered something that sounded vaguely like, Great! Just great! to Hannah, and then she asked, “What color are they?”

“Dark grey. Claire picked them out for me.”

“Okay, then they’re fine. Wear them with a sweater under your parka. A nice sweater, not one that’s all stretched out.”

“I’ve got the sweater you gave me for Christmas last year. That’s a nice sweater, isn’t it?”

“Yes. That’ll do just fine. Do you have any dress boots?”

In Hannah’s mind the phrase dress boots translated into boots that wouldn’t keep the snow off your feet. “No,” she said.

Andrea sighed deeply. “All right, she said. “Wear those moose-hide boots of yours. If everything else is totally acceptable, you can have one fashion eccentricity.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said, chomping down on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

“Be ready at six. I’ll call you from my cell phone when I pull into the garage. And don’t be late.”

“Right,” Hannah said, grinning as she hung up the phone.

“What’s so funny?” Michelle asked.

“Andrea. She’s planning out this undercover operation, and she even told me what to wear.”

Michelle just shook her head. “That’s our Andrea. We love her, but she can be a royal pain. But you got off light.”

“What do you mean?”

“She could have told you to dye your hair!”





GERMAN PANCAKES

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



Prepare an 8-inch square pan by spraying it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or coating the inside with butter.



Hannah’s 1st Note: You can double this recipe if you like, so that it will serve 8 people. If you double this recipe, it will take approximately 55 minutes to bake.



Hannah’s 2nd Note: This dish works best if you use an electric mixer.





6 strips bacon (I used applewood smoked bacon)

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk (I’ve used heavy cream and that works also)

1 cup flour (Just scoop it up and level it off with a table knife.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt