Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(82)





Hannah’s 2nd Note: Lisa and I use a level 2-Tablespoon scooper to form these cookies down at The Cookie Jar.



Bake Doc’s Bran-Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.



Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.



Yield: 2 to 3 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.



Hannah’s 3rd Note: Doc had to warn the Lake Eden Memorial Hospital cooks not to let the patients have more than two cookies. Since they contain bran and bran is an aid to the digestive system, patients who eat a lot of these cookies could be spending a lot of time in the little room with the porcelain fixtures.





Chapter Twenty-Six


“I hate pantyhose!”

Michelle looked over at Hannah and laughed. “They’re a necessary evil. And they do keep your legs warm in the winter.”

“So do long woolen socks,” Hannah grumbled, but she was smiling as she got out of her cookie truck in the parking lot of the Lake Eden Inn. They were being treated to Sally’s brunch and that, by itself, was a reason to embrace the whole dress-up-and-wear-pantyhose thing.

“How about a ride, ladies?” Sally’s husband, Dick, asked them as he pulled up behind Hannah’s cookie truck.

“Thanks, Dick. We’ll take it,” Hannah said, glancing down at Michelle’s dress flats. “I forgot to drop her off at the door and she’ll never make it up the hill in those.”

“But you’d make it up the hill,” Michelle said, eyeing Hannah’s moose-hide boots. “We should drop by the mall this afternoon and get you a pair of dress shoes.”

“No way! I never wear anything I can’t run in. And I can’t run in dress shoes. Unless I’m locked in my condo, it’s boots, tennis shoes, and moccasins for me.”

Dick laughed. “Knowing you, you’d probably wear boots or tennis shoes to your own wedding.”

Hannah had an uncomfortable feeling as she got into his tram. The dream she’d had early this morning was still with her, but she knew she had to make light of it in front of Dick. He was a kind man and he’d never knowingly hurt her feelings. “Boots to my own wedding? Really Dick! I’d never do that!”

“Well, that’s a surprise.” Dick looked down at her scuffed, secondhand moose-hide boots and smiled as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“But tennis shoes to my own wedding? I might do that. They’d be a lot more comfortable than satin shoes. And most wedding gowns are so long, nobody can see the bride’s feet anyway.”





Luckily, Sally was mixing up a pitcher of mimosas at the bar. “Would you like a mimosa?” she asked.

“No thanks. I’m drinking plain orange juice today. Do you have a minute, Sally?”

“Sure.” Sally motioned for one of the waitresses to pick up the pitcher, and then she came out from behind the bar to slide onto the stool next to Hannah’s. “What gives?”

“I’ve got another mystery on my hands. The night you and Dick booked Cinnamon Roll Six at Club Nineteen, Buddy Neiman was seen arguing with a dark-haired woman.”

“And she figures into his murder somehow?”

“I don’t know. She could figure in, and that means I have to find out who she was. Did you or Dick happen to see a dark-haired woman with Buddy that night?”

Sally shut her eyes for a moment, and then she shook her head. “Not that I recall. Can you describe her?”

“Red sweater, black skirt, high-heeled boots, and a lot of makeup. She was sitting near the stage. I have a picture, but it’s not very good.”

“That’s the understatement of the year!” Sally said as she glanced down at the photo Hannah placed on the bar. “Her own mother couldn’t recognize her. But I did see the woman you described. She was sitting near the stage watching the show. I thought she was ... never mind.” Sally looked down at the picture again. “What is this glitter on her wrist?”

“It’s a bracelet with silver snowflakes. It was sold at ...”

“That’s where I saw her before!” Sally interrupted. “When Norman brought her out here to dinner the first time, I knew I’d seen her somewhere. But she was dressed so differently then, and I didn’t realize it was her until now.” Sally tapped the photo with her finger. “That’s Doctor Bev!”

There it was! The confirmation of all her suspicions! Hannah drew a deep breath and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I know because I recognized her bracelet. She wore it out here the first time they came to dinner with Carrie and Earl.”

“Doctor Bev was the woman you saw at Club Nineteen?” Hannah asked again, just to be sure.

“Yes, she was. Of course she looked a lot different then, and that’s probably why I didn’t put it all together until you showed me that photo. It’s like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Here in Lake Eden she’s Miss Goody Two Shoes. But that night at Club Nineteen, she was the Woman in Red.”

“Is it possible that you could be mistaken?”

Sally thought about it for a moment and then she shook her head. “No. It was Doctor Bev. I’m ninety-nine point nine percent positive of that!”

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