Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #5)(16)

Yield: 6 to 7 dozen, depending on cookie size.



These are very pretty cookies. They're really popular at The Cookie Jar on Valentine's Day. I also make them at Christmas using red cherries to decorate some and green cherries to decorate the others.





Chapter Seven





"I'm home, Moishe," Hannah called out, opening the door to the condo and holding out her arms. True to form, her orange and white, furry medicine ball made a running jump into her arms, purring madly. Who needed a husband? Moishe's greetings were quite enthusiastic enough.

"Are you hungry? Or did you miss me?" Hannah asked, knowing that both answers were yes. She kicked the door shut behind her, placed Moishe on top of the back of the couch, and shed her coat on the seat of the chair by the front door.

Moishe yowled and bounded for the kitchen. Hannah followed, knowing exactly what he wanted. She gave him fresh water and then she opened the broom closet to get his regular crunchies. As she set the bowls down on the mat, she said, "I didn't have time to stop by Doctor Bob's office and pick up another tip sheet. That means you get a reprieve tonight, but…"

Hannah stopped speaking abruptly as the phone rang. She toyed with the idea of letting her answering machine get it, but she was in the mood to do battle with a salesman.

"Oh, Hannah! I'm so glad you're home!"

"Andrea?" Hannah flopped down in one of the aluminum tube chairs that had come with her second-hand kitchen table. "You don't sound good. What's the matter?"

"You've got to help me, Hannah!"

"Is the baby com…”

"No!" Andrea interrupted. "This doesn't have anything to do with the baby."

Hannah did her best to remain calm. Her sister sounded on the edge of a nervous breakdown. "Just tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

"You have to do something to clear Bill right away!" Andrea gasped, breathing hard.

"I'm trying, Andrea. What's got you so upset? You were fine when I was there."

"Deer stew."

"Excuse me?"

"Deer stew! While I was driving around with Tracey, looking for roofers, Bill's father came in from the farm. He brought some packages of meat from their freezer and a whole bunch of vegetables. Bill thawed some meat and he's making deer stew!"

"That's nice."

"No, it's not! Don't you understand, Hannah?"

Hannah took a deep breath and shrugged, even though she knew her sister couldn't see it. "No, I don't. What's wrong with deer… uh… venison stew?"

"It's a matter of principle. That's important, Hannah. There's just no way I'm going to eat Bambi!"

"You won't be eating Bambi. Bambi survived, right along with Thumper and Flower. It was Bambi's mother that got turned into stew."

"That's even worse! I'm just glad Tracey's not home."

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as a new subject was introduced. "Where's Tracey?"

"It's Karen Dunwright's birthday and they're having a sleepover at the farm. She invited all the girls in her class. Now about this stew, Hannah… what am I going to do?"

"Eat the vegetables and leave the meat. It's too bad you don't have a dog. Then you could…”

"I get it," Andrea interrupted her, "but we don't have a dog."

"Okay. All you have to do is wear an apron and line the inside of the pocket with plastic wrap. Drop the meat in the pocket when Bill's not looking and get rid of it when you clear the table."

"That should work," Andrea said, sounding very relieved. "I still need to get out of here, though. I don't dare stick around after dinner."

"Why not?"

"Since Bill's home all day now, he's decided to help me with the housework."

"That's nice," Hannah said, wishing that she had a man to help her with her housework.

"No, it's not. Bill cleaned the kitchen."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Tracey's science project was sitting in a dish on the windowsill. She was supposed to let a potato sprout and then plant it."

"Uh-oh," Hannah said with a groan, guessing the rest. "Bill threw it out?"

"That's right. I dug it out of the garbage, but the sprout broke off and now Tracey has to start all over again. She's not going to be happy when she comes home tomorrow."

"No, I guess she won't be. But it was a mistake that anyone could have made. I throw out potatoes with sprouts all the time."

"Even if they're on the windowsill in a little dish?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. Can you think of some reason to come and get me right after dinner? I'm ready to kill him."

"I understand," Hannah interrupted. "Maybe there's someone we can interview tonight. Just give me a second to check my notes and I'll see."

Hannah grabbed her notebook and flipped through the pages. She hadn't interviewed the family of the victim yet and she had no idea if Nettie had an alibi for the time of her husband's death. Tonight could be the perfect time to find out.