Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(85)

“Tad doesn’t come on until seven tonight, but I’d be happy to answer your question. Is it about Miss Ward’s murder?”

Andrea shook her head. “It’s about Heavenly Bodies. Do you know why it’s closed?”

“Sure do. They closed at noon because there was a problem with the thermostat. It’s fixed now. The industrial heating and air-conditioning guys just left.”

“Can we go in and do our exercises?” Andrea asked. “Hannah and I missed class this morning.”

Frank shrugged. “I don’t see why not. I’ll activate the locks for you. It might be pretty cold in some of the rooms, but you can always hop in the Jacuzzi if you get chilled.”

“Thanks, but no thanks!” Hannah shivered slightly. “The Jacuzzi is where Ronni was killed. I’m not overly superstitious, but I don’t really want to get in there again.”

“I can understand that. As a matter of fact, most of the other members feel the same way. That’s why the owner replaced the hot tub with a new one. He even took out the old bar and bar stools and replaced them with other furniture. The only thing that hasn’t been changed is the wallpaper, and they’ll probably get around to that one of these days.”

“They redecorated so fast?” It was clear that Andrea was impressed.

“That’s right. The owner said it was a shame that nobody was using it, and he wanted to change the whole look. Instead of all that latticework, it’s a thatched hut, now, with wooden shutters that fold down to make tables on the inside. Wait until you see it. It’s really nice.”



After Frank had let them into the gym, Hannah and Andrea stashed their coats in the dressing room and went straight to the exercise room they thought of as their own. Andrea chose to start with the cross-country ski simulator, and Hannah began her routine on the machine she called the Walk to Nowhere.

Ten minutes passed, and they switched to other equipment. Hannah was amazed at how much easier it was getting. At first she’d had trouble even using the machines. She’d forget which foot to push and which handle to pull. Now it was like second nature. If this was an example of the muscle memory the fitness gurus talked about, she was in favor of it!

Fifteen minutes into their routines, Hannah noticed that Andrea was shivering. It was cold in the exercise room, and even though they were moving, the chill seemed to seep through their skin and into their muscles and bones.

“Jacuzzi?” Hannah asked.

“Yes! I’m freezing!”

They hopped off the machines and walked at a fast clip to the recently renovated gazebo. Frank was right. The latticework frame was gone, and in its place was a thatched hut with open space for windows.

“Nice,” Andrea said, climbing up the stairs and stepping inside. “I think this is an improvement.”

Hannah was right behind her, and she was surprised at the amount of work that had been done. The area was completely different, and even the hot tub was a different configuration, octagonal instead of round.

Andrea reached down to feel the water. “It’s hot,” she said, smiling in anticipation. “I’m getting in. How about you?”

“I’m right behind you.”

It didn’t take long to slip out of the loose pants they’d worn over their leotards. The leotards could double as bathing suits, and that was one of the reasons they’d bought them. Andrea stepped in first and gave a sigh of pleasure. “It’s perfect. Turn on the jets before you get in, will you, Hannah?”

Hannah turned on the jets and joined her sister in the tub. There was nothing quite as nice as sinking into a tub of swirling, bubbling, heated water when you were shivering with cold. “Heaven,” she declared, sinking down until only her head was above the surface of the water.

The two sisters sat there smiling for several minutes, thinking their own thoughts and luxuriating in the warmth. Then reality intruded in the form of Andrea’s cell phone.

“Uh-oh,” Andrea groaned, clambering out of the tub. “I have to get that. Bill said he’d call.”

Hannah leaned back against one of the molded backrests built into the tub and half-listened as Andrea talked to her husband. It was obvious that Andrea was pleased about something. She was using words like wonderful, and marvelous, and fantastic as she listened to Bill talk. When she came back to the hot tub, she was smiling from ear to ear. “Bill’s got an alibi, and he’s back on the case. Isn’t that great?”

“It certainly is!” Hannah was just as delighted as Andrea and every bit as relieved that her brother-in-law was in the clear.

“Bill’s been doing a little legwork, going back to all the places he went on the night Ronni was murdered,” Andrea explained. “Three different people gave him alibis at three different times. That means there’s no way Bill could have driven out to the mall, killed Ronni, and still been at those places at those times.”

“Good for him for tracking them down,” Hannah complimented her brother-in-law.

“Anyway, he’s coming home early, and he wants to take me out for dinner to celebrate. I told him I’d be home in thirty minutes, so I’d better go get dressed. I hope you don’t mind that I won’t be having dinner with you and Norman.”

“Of course not.” Hannah wasn’t at all disappointed. She liked her times alone with Norman.