Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(52)

After a quick glance in the mirror on the passenger side visor to make sure her wig was on straight, Hannah got out of Andrea’s Volvo and followed her up the front walkway. Once her sister had retrieved the key from the lockbox and opened the front door, they stepped inside.

“Gorgeous!” Hannah said, catching sight of the massive curved staircase that led up to the second floor. Then she turned to shut the front door, and noticed the round, faceted window that was at least fifteen feet above the front door. “Look at that window, Andrea.”

Andrea glanced up. “It’s beautiful and it must have cost a bundle.”

“Not that. I can tell it’s expensive. But it’s way up there. How do you clean it?”

“I should have known that would be the first question you’d ask.” Andrea gave a little laugh. “The answer is, you don’t clean that window. You hire someone to come in every month with a special ladder, and they clean that window.”

“But ... wouldn’t that be expensive?”

“Of course it would be expensive. But you don’t care about that because Phillip makes huge pots of money, and he needs to impress everyone with his expensive home.”

“Right.” Hannah trotted obediently after her sister as Andrea led the way to a massive kitchen that would be almost impossible for one ordinary housewife to keep clean, several powder rooms on the main floor, and a small bedroom, living room, and bathroom that Andrea called the maid’s suite.

The second floor was next, and Hannah counted six roomy bedrooms with walk-in closets and three full bathrooms. The master suite was behind doors and boasted a Jacuzzi in the massive bathroom, and a double fireplace that was built into the wall between the sitting room and the bedroom. There was even a refrigerator and a wine cooler in the sitting room, presumably there so that the master and mistress of the manor wouldn’t have to trek all the way down the stairs to get their late-evening libations.

Hannah was glad when Andrea locked the door behind them. All this luxury coupled with the enormous asking price of the house they’d just seen was making her head spin. It was a relief to go next door to the modest two-story home that belonged to Doctor Bev’s mother.

“If Diana’s not home, I’ll have to find something of hers to take with me,” Andrea said as she prepared to ring the doorbell. “I hope she invites us in.”

Hannah wasn’t sure what she expected when Mrs. Thorndike answered their knock on the door, but it certainly wasn’t the woman standing there. Bev’s mother was the polar opposite of Delores although they were roughly the same age. Doctor Bev’s mother was pleasantly plump, while Delores was sleek and svelte. And while Delores dressed in designer outfits, Doctor Bev’s mother was wearing pull-on slacks and an old University of Minnesota sweatshirt that had seen better days. Doctor Bev’s mother wore no makeup, and she’d had, in Hannah’s opinion, a total of zero facelifts.

“Hello,” she said cheerily. “I’m Judy Thorndike. I saw you looking at the house next door.”

“Grace Benson from Up-Front Realty,” Andrea introduced herself. “This is my client, Mrs. Newhall.”

“Call me Joyce,” Hannah held out her hand. “I’m glad to meet you, Mrs. Thorndike.”

“ Judy. So what did you think of the house?”

“It’s just beautiful,” Hannah said truthfully, “but I think it might be a little too large for us.”

“How many children do you have?”

“Two,” Hannah replied. But at almost the same time, Andrea said, “Three.”

Hannah’s mind went on red alert. Andrea had strayed from the script. She latched on to the first explanation that occurred to her, and gave a little laugh. “I’m afraid Grace is guilty of counting chickens before they’re hatched. Or in this case, counting babies before they’re born. Our third won’t be making an appearance until right after Christmas.”

“Joyce was wondering about the schools in this area,” Andrea said, returning to the script.

“Oh, they’re very good. There’s a private elementary school, Scott Academy, only three blocks from here. It has an excellent reputation although it’s not inexpensive, if you know what I mean. The public schools are also very good, but the nearest, Taft Elementary, is almost a mile away. There’s an excellent preschool called Ready-Set-Learn that’s only two blocks from here. My granddaughter, Diana, goes there and she absolutely loves it. I just know she’s going to be terribly upset when we have to leave.”

“You have to leave?” Hannah asked.

“Yes. My daughter’s marrying a dentist, and his clinic is over forty miles from here. She’s a dentist too, and she works there now. They’re getting married next weekend, and she wants me to move into his house with her to take care of Diana while they work. But Diana and I have made such a nice life for ourselves here, that I just hate to give it all up and start over.”

“Oh, dear.” Hannah gave her a sympathetic glance. “Have you lived here long?”

“Over forty years. It’s a wonderful neighborhood. I can tell you all the names of the neighbors and where the best grocery stores are, and ... would you like to come in and have a cup of coffee with me? I just put on a second pot.”

“We’d love to,” Hannah accepted quickly. It was exactly as they’d hoped. Doctor Bev’s mother was friendly, and she’d invited them inside the house where Diana lived.