Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #14)(32)

“He’s not coming over for lunch?”

“Not right now. He’s not …” Hannah stopped. What could she say? She didn’t want to lie to Grandma Knudson, but neither did she wish to tell her friend the bad news over the phone.

“He’s not what?” Grandma Knudson asked.

“He’s…not hungry at the moment,” Hannah said, grasping at the first excuse she could think of. “You should turn the soup down to simmer, Grandma Knudson. I’m going to stay here with Reverend Matthew for a while, and then I’ll come back to the parsonage.”

“All right, Hannah.” Grandma Knudson gave a little chuckle. “Matthew must have had too much cake. That was a huge piece he took for breakfast this morning. He does love my cake.”

“I can tell that,” Hannah said, glancing down at the sticky goo that had once been a delicious slice of Red Devil’s Food Cake. There was no way she was going to let Grandma Knudson come here to the church office to see the horrific sight. “Just sit tight, and I’ll be there in less than ten minutes,” she promised. “Is that all right?”

“That’s fine, dear. I have to get dressed for my Bible study group anyway. Just let yourself in when you come back to the parsonage, and help yourself to more soup.”





JANELLE’S QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN SOUP

8 cups chicken broth OR





2 quarts water (that’s 8 cups) and 8 chicken bouillon cubes





6 and ? cups uncooked wide egg noodles





2 cans (10 and ? ounce each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted





3 cups cubed cooked chicken





1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream





minced fresh parsley





Bring broth OR water and bouillon to a boil in a pot that will hold 12 to 14 cups.

Add the noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender. (Read your noodle package for the time. Mine took about 9 minutes.) DO NOT DRAIN the noodles. They are now part of the soup.

Turn the heat down to medium.

Add the two cans of condensed cream of chicken soup. Stir them in well.

Add the cubed chicken and stir it in.

Heat everything through. This should take from 5 to 10 minutes.

When the soup is piping hot, remove it from the heat. If you’re serving it all at once and everyone’s ready to eat, stir in the sour cream, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and ladle into soup bowls.





Chapter Eleven

“No, don’t call them!” Grandma Knudson frowned at Mike. “I won’t let anything spoil their honeymoon.”

Hannah cast Grandma Knudson an admiring look. Her elderly friend looked a bit shaken from the bad news Mike had just delivered to her, but her voice was firm.

“Are you sure?” Clara Hollenbeck asked her. The Hollenbeck sisters, Clara and Marguerite, had arrived early for the Bible study group in order to help Grandma Knudson with the refreshments.

“Reverend Bob would come home in a flash if he knew,” Marguerite said. “He wouldn’t want you to be alone at a time like this.”

“I’m not alone.” Grandma Knudson paused and Hannah wondered if they were about to get an affirmation of her faith. “I have you, Clara,” she reached out to pat Clara’s hand, and then she reached for Marguerite’s hand. “And you, Marguerite.”

Both sisters looked proud to be counted as Grandma Knudson’s friends. “But will Reverend Bob be angry at us for not telling him?” Clara posed another possibility.

“I can’t see why he would be. It’s not like he can hop on a plane and get here right away. He’s on a ship sailing for Hawaii, and he won’t even get there for another three days. Don’t you think it would be a real shame for Bob and Claire to dock at such a beautiful island and have to go straight to the airport to come home?”

Clara nodded and so did Marguerite. “You’re right, Grandma Knudson,” Marguerite said, and Hannah noticed that the normally soft-spoken lady had picked up a bit of Grandma Knudson’s firmness. “If we all pull together, we can get along just fine until the seminary sends us another minister. In the meantime, I think our brother’s minister, Reverend Collins from Grey Eagle, might agree to perform some of the duties.”

“Hank Collins is a nice young man,” Grandma Knudson agreed. “I’m sure he’ll fill in as best he can. And there’s Tom Sherman from Little Falls. Bob helped him out once when he was on vacation.”

Mike cleared his throat, and everyone turned to look at him. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said. “I need to ask Grandma Knudson some questions.”

“Of course you do, son.” Grandma Knudson turned to Clara and Marguerite. “I’m putting the two of you in charge of the Bible study meeting. When the other ladies come, take them straight to the living room, tell them that there’s been an accident at the church, and get their input on who we can get to fill in until the seminary sends another minister to substitute for Bob. If you make a list of their suggestions, I’ll look it over when I join you and we’ll place some calls. I put on the coffee, so that should be ready, and Hannah brought a box of…what are they, Hannah?”