Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(8)

“Ronni Ward?”

“Her name was mentioned. And that’s one of the reasons Bill is going to phase out her job at the sheriff’s department. But she’s not the only one.”

“Who else?” Hannah asked, following Andrea to a dressing room with the word WOMEN painted on the door. The door across the hall from it read MEN, and Hannah was slightly disappointed. She’d expected some designation to go with the name Heavenly Bodies, a pairing like STARLETS and COMETS, or perhaps even VENUS and MARS.

“Nobody’s really naming names, at least not to me,” Andrea went on with her explanation. “I think that’s because I’m the sheriff’s wife.”

Andrea sounded a bit disappointed, and Hannah grinned. “Bill’s job is a real handicap?”

“When it comes to gossip, it is. Nobody tells me anything anymore.” Andrea walked over to a bank of forest-green lockers with bright pink trim. “Put your things in my locker, and let’s get going.”

Once her purse and jacket were stashed away, Hannah glanced around the dressing room. It was a very attractive place. Hanging plants decorated one mirrored wall, and they were reflected in the mirrors on the opposite wall. Pink-and-white flowers were in abundance, and Hannah turned to her sister. “What are those flowers?” she asked.

“Begonias. The owner told me they’re perfect for the moisture level in here. See those lights above you?” Andrea pointed up to the bank of florescent lights. “There’s another bank that comes on after hours. They’re grow lights, and begonias just love them.”

“Very pretty,” Hannah said, following Andrea out of the dressing room.

“Good morning, ladies,” a male voice greeted them, and Hannah had all she could do not to turn around and rush back into the dressing room. Andrea had assured her they’d be alone, and some guy was standing there smiling at them.

“Hi, Tad. Meet my sister, Hannah.” Andrea turned to Hannah. “This is Tad Newberg. He’s one of the night security guards.”

Hannah shook hands with the short, chubby security guard. Tad had what she’d always thought of as a baby face, with round cheeks and freckles. He looked as if he belonged in junior high, but his sandy hair was thinning just a bit on top. He wasn’t as young as he looked, and Hannah was willing to bet he was about her age.

“Glad to meet you, Hannah,” Tad said.

“Same here,” Hannah replied.

“I’ll leave you two to your workouts, then.” Tad turned on his heel and headed for the door. “If you have any problems, just holler,” he called out over his shoulder.

“Tad’s a nice guy,” Andrea said, unlocking a door with her key. Hannah followed her into a room with stark black machines that looked highly threatening.

“We’ll start here.” Andrea led the way to something that looked like a bicycle that was fashioned out of the wrong parts. “Just watch me for a while and then you can try it.”

Oh, goodie! I can hardly wait! Hannah felt like saying sarcastically, but of course she didn’t. Andrea was trying to help her, and she should be more grateful.

“You put your hands here.” Andrea grasped the handlebars and placed her feet on the pedals. “And your feet here. And then you push back with your feet and pull forward with your arms.”

“Right,” Hannah said.

“It’s just like a rocking chair, except that you have to work at it.”

“Right,” Hannah said again, watching her sister push and pull to glide back and forth. It reminded her a bit of an animal in a zoo, mindlessly repeating the same behavior over and over again, hoping for some reward. Wasn’t there some way to tone up and lose twenty pounds without sacrificing her dignity in the process?

Andrea hopped off the machine and Hannah noticed that her sister wasn’t even breathing hard. “You try it now. It’s a great way to tone up, and it really stretches your muscles.”

Hannah had all she could do not to groan as she got into the proper position. The seat was too small, and it didn’t seem to conform to human anatomy. The handlebars were up too high, and she wasn’t sure she could pull herself forward on them. The pedals were set at an awkward height, and she knew her legs would cramp if she spent more than a few minutes riding the infernal contraption.

“All set?” Andrea asked her.

Hannah struggled to duplicate her sister’s actions. It had looked easy when Andrea had done it, but her sister’s seemingly effortless glide back and forth took real muscle to accomplish. She told herself that it would get easier once she got used to it, but she didn’t hold out any real hope that would be the case.

“That’s it. You’ve got it now.”

Hannah might have replied, but she was panting too hard from her efforts. Not only that, she didn’t trust herself to speak. She’d just glanced at her reflection in the mirrored wall and remembered the time their father had taken the whole family to the circus. They’d all laughed when the baby elephant had ridden a child-size tricycle around the ring, but it didn’t seem that funny at all in retrospect!





PISTACHIO WINKS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



1 cup butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound)

3 cups white (granulated) sugar