Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #14)(38)

Tonight her mother was dressed in a designer suit. Hannah knew that it was a designer suit even though she wasn’t a fashion expert like Andrea, because Delores never bought anything that wasn’t a designer creation. Tonight’s outfit was made of soft green wool in a superfine weave that reminded Hannah of luna moths with gossamer wings. It was a shade of green that was lighter than an avocado and darker than the sprout of a crocus when it poked its head above ground in the Spring. Only Delores could get away with wearing such an unforgiving material and style. The jacket was nipped in at the waist, setting any excess pounds on display for all to see. Delores, of course, had none. The skirt was pencil thin and would show any imperfections. Delores, of course, had none. In short, Delores Swensen looked ravishing. Her hair was perfect, her makeup was flawless, and her appearance was top of the line. She’d obviously taken time to get ready for tonight’s dinner, and Hannah was curious to see who her dining companion or companions would be.

While Norman was gone, their drinks arrived. Dot brought sparkling water with a wedge of lime for Norman, and what she said was Sally’s favorite Estate Melon wine from De Ponte Cellars in Dundee Hills, Oregon. Her eye to the crack in the curtains, Hannah sipped her wine and watched Norman talk to her mother.

Delores wasn’t getting up. Hannah decided that was a good sign. Norman would be escorting her back to their private booth by now if she’d accepted their invitation to join them. But something was definitely going on, because Norman left her mother’s table and headed out of the dining room.

Please don’t let it be a dental emergency, Hannah’s mind pleaded. And if it is, let him call Doctor Bev to take care of it. This is the first time we’ve been alone in ages, and I’m not willing to cut our time short.

Dot arrived with the bread basket before Hannah could speculate further. She lifted the napkin that covered the heated treasures inside and gave a little smile of contentment. There were three breads tonight. Nestled on the right side of the bread basket were two of Sally’s cornbread and honey muffins. Three Easy Cheesy Biscuits were on the right, and that also made Hannah smile. She’d gotten the recipe from a friend and passed it on to Sally.

It was the bread in the center of the bread basket that had caused Hannah to smile in delight. Sally’s Apricot Bread was delightful. Sally had given her the recipe months ago, but she hadn’t gotten around to baking it yet. Perhaps tonight would be the night. She could bake a batch with Norman when they got back to her condo. A batch made two loaves and if they baked a double batch, she could give one to Norman, one to her mother, who also loved it, and keep two loaves for herself.

Hannah was just spreading soft butter on her warm apricot bread when Norman pushed back the curtain and slid into the booth. “I take it Mother’s not going to join us for dinner?” she asked, her smile still in place.

“No, she’s waiting for her date.”

“Who’s her date?”

“She didn’t say. But she did ask me if you were investigating Reverend Matthew’s murder.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I said I thought you probably would, that I thought you felt a certain responsibility when you discovered a murder victim.” Norman leaned forward toward her. “Am I right?”

“Yes,” Hannah answered, although she hadn’t really decided until this very moment. “Will you help?”

“Of course. I’m already helping. I asked your mother if she’d known Reverend Matthew when he stayed with Grandma Knudson as a teenager.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she knew him slightly. But she also said her date for the evening knew him much better than she did.”

Hannah was silent for a moment, taking that in. It had already occurred to her that Reverend Matthew could have been killed due to an old grudge, or something that had happened in Lake Eden in the past. “That could be helpful, depending on what it is. I think we should all get together over coffee and dessert.”

“I’m ahead of you,” Norman said, looking quite satisfied with himself. “I invited them to join us for dessert. And I checked with Sally right after I talked with your mother. She said she’d save the rest of the pear pie for the four of us.”

“Great! Thanks, Norman.” Hannah took a bite of her apricot bread and made a little sound of contentment. And then she remembered what she had wanted to ask him. “How about later at my condo? Would you like to help me make a batch of Sally’s Apricot Bread? I’ll give you a loaf to take home.”

Norman reached out to take her hand. “Sounds like fun,” he said. “I really love to bake with you.”

“And I really love to bake with you,” Hannah said, putting down her half-eaten slice of bread so that she could lay her other hand over his.





BRISKET AND VEGGIES

Hannah’s 1st Note: Before she would give me this recipe, Sally made me promise to tell you that although this is the easiest recipe in the world, you have to pretend you’ve been toiling over a hot stove all day. She says it was her mother’s secret recipe, and now it’s yours, too.

4 to 5 pound beef brisket (not corned!)





2 cans (approx. 10 ounces apiece) condensed golden mushroom soup





3 medium potatoes (sweet, regular, it doesn’t matter)