Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(7)

“Good thing I got here when I did,” Andrea said. “How did you do on your diet yesterday?”

“I had a small glass of orange juice, two scrambled eggs, and a piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast.”

“That sounds good. Did you scramble the eggs in butter?”

“No, I used a nonstick cooking spray. They couldn’t have had many calories. They were perfectly tasteless.”

“Excellent.” Andrea favored her with a smile. “How about the toast? Did you butter it?”

“Absolutely not,” Hannah said, grateful that Andrea hadn’t asked about the jar of apricot jam on the top shelf of her refrigerator.

“How about lunch?”

“I’d love to, thanks,” Hannah quipped, but she sobered when Andrea frowned at her. “I had a green salad with two tablespoons of diet dressing on it. I did have a cookie for dessert, though. Lisa wanted me to try a new recipe, and I baked a quarter batch at home. Her cousin Tiffany sent it to her.”

“What kind of cookie was it?”

“They’re called Pistachio Winks, and they’re really good. We’re going to bake them today and try them out on our customers.”

“I’ll have to try one when I come in later. I just love pistachios. But I’m getting sidetracked here. You only had one cookie for lunch, right?”

“That’s right.” Hannah decided not to mention the fact that she’d eaten several more cookies for an afternoon snack, along with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, just to see if the combination would work.

“How about dinner?”

“Sausage,” Hannah said, leaving it at that. She’d been thinking about her missed opportunity at Bertanelli’s and how she deserved a last meal before starting her new exercise regime. She’d sworn Ellie to secrecy over the phone, and she’d picked up a double order of garlic bread and a supreme pizza with everything on it to take back to her condo for dinner.

“Did you have any potatoes or rice with the sausage?”

“Of course not. I know better than that.”

“And you know that a dieter’s biggest downfall is late night snacking?”

Hannah could testify to that. She’d eaten every one of the candy bars she’d been saving to make Brownies Plus.

“Well,” Andrea turned to smile at her, “you didn’t do badly except for the cookie. I really think diet and exercise is going to work for you, as long as you stick to it.”

“Me, too,” Hannah said, hoping she could stick to it.

“Let’s go and I’ll show you your exercise routine.” Andrea pulled Hannah across the parking lot toward the back door of Heavenly Bodies. “Roger and I worked it out for you. We worked out one for Bill, too. He promised me he’s going to go in early and work out in the sheriff’s department gym every morning.”

Hannah nodded, but she had her doubts. Bill had once confessed to her that he liked to exercise about as much as Hannah did. Both of them had agreed that rowing on a river or riding on a bike path might be enjoyable, but performing the same activity on a stationary machine while staring at a cinderblock wall was about as boring as it got.

“Here we go,” Andrea said, marching up to the door. She punched in some numbers on the keypad, inserted her key card in the slot, and opened the door to what Hannah had always thought of as a torture chamber.

“You have to do the keypad and the key card?” Hannah asked, stepping into the hallway that led to another door.

“Yes. That way if someone steals your key card, they can’t use it unless they know your personal code.”

“It’s just like a bank machine. You need your P.I.N. and your card to make it work. Does it keep track of when people come and go?”

“It’s not that sophisticated,” Andrea told her. “Bill says that kind of setup would cost a lot more. The owner probably thought he didn’t need it since he’s got mall security and cameras on the entrances and exits.”

The first thing Hannah noticed when she stepped inside the inner door was the scent of oranges. The fragrance had the distinctive artificiality of room freshener, and Hannah suspected plug-in dispensers at strategic points throughout the spa. There was another scent under the citrus bouquet, a combination of damp towels, sweat, and chlorinated water. “There must be a pool,” she commented.

“Two. There’s a lap pool that runs the length of one wall. That’s for the serious swimmers. And there’s another pool for hydrotherapy and aquatic gymnastics. There’s a sauna, too. It’s coed so you have to wear a suit.” Andrea stopped and the corners of her mouth turned up. “Unless, of course, you come in at three in the morning with your husband, and there’s no one else here.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t help it. “You didn’t!”

“Not me. You know Bill. He’s not that daring, especially now that he’s sheriff. Just think of the headlines in the Lake Eden Journal!”

“THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT,” Hannah said with a grin. “SHERIFF TODD EXPOSES THE BARE FACTS.”

Andrea laughed as she flicked on the lights. “Bill would never even consider doing anything like that, but I can’t say the same about the rest of the members. I’ve heard some pretty racy rumors about a couple of them.”