Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #5)(82)

Hannah parked the truck, got out, and grabbed the bag of cupcakes. The wind practically knocked her off her feet as she dashed to the office and opened the door.

"Hi, Hannah," Beatrice greeted her warmly. "What's in the bag?"

"Cupcakes. I think I got it, Beatrice."

"Really?" Beatrice's lips turned up in a delighted smile. "That's wonderful, Hannah. Ted will be so pleased."

"Go ahead. Try one." Hannah handed her the bag. "I really think that this has got to be it."

"I hope so. I'm going to gain twenty pounds if I keep on tasting your test batches." Beatrice grinned to show she was joking as she opened the bag and took out a cupcake. She peeled back the paper, took a small bite, and then she took a larger one.

Hannah didn't realize that she was holding her breath until Beatrice had eaten half the cupcake. She let it out again in a relieved sigh. "It's Alma's recipe?"

"This is it, Hannah! It's just like Alma used to bake. What's the secret ingredient?"

"Raspberry syrup. And that's what came in all those bottles you found in her basement."

"Well, I'll be!" Beatrice said, polishing off the cupcake and wiping her fingers on one of the napkins Hannah had tucked into the bag. "Just wait until Ted tastes these!"

"Speaking of Ted, where is he? I need to buy a taillight for Bill's car."

"He's out with the tow truck. That's why I'm here filling in for him. He should be back any minute, but I can probably help you if you've got the make, model, and year."

"I do," Hannah said, handing over the note she'd written with the information Andrea had given her.

Beatrice opened a thick parts book. "I'm sure Ted's got it. Once I get the part number, I'll type it into the computer inventory and it should tell us exactly where it is."

Hannah watched as Beatrice looked up the part and typed in the number. In just a moment, the answer appeared on the screen. "Here we go. Bill's taillight is in section seventeen, bin thirty-eight."

"Where's that?"

"Right here," Beatrice pointed to the section on the large map that hung on the wall in back of the counter. "Come with me. I'll take you over to the parts shed."

Hannah followed Beatrice to a large metal shed that took up almost a quarter of the salvage yard. Beatrice opened the door, flicked on the lights, and led Hannah down an aisle in the center. Each section was filled from floor to ceiling with metal shelving and Beatrice stopped when she came to section seventeen. "Bin thirty-eight should be right about… here."

"I see it," Hannah said, pointing up at the third tier of shelves. "But how do we get it? Do you have a ladder?"

Beatrice nodded and walked to the center aisle. A moment later, she came back pushing a rolling ladder, the kind Hannah had seen stock clerks use in home building stores. "Just watch. This is so easy with a ladder like this."

Before Hannah could offer to do it for her, Beatrice pulled on gloves, climbed up the ladder, reached into the bin, and came down with a taillight. "This is the one that'll fit Bill's car."

"Great," Hannah said, taking the part while Beatrice rolled back the ladder. "You don't happen to know where the cigarette lighters are, do you? I need one for my truck. It was missing when I bought it."

"They're in section twelve. But I didn't know you smoked, Hannah."

"I don't. It's just that you never know when you're going to need to light a candle."

"That's profound, Hannah. It's a metaphor, right?"

"I suppose it is, but I was just being practical. You never know when you'll have to light a candle to keep you warm when you're stranded in a snow bank. And, I really don't like that empty hole in the dash. It looks so unfinished."

Beatrice gestured for Hannah to follow her and headed toward the front of the shed. "Here they are," she said, pointing to a bin on the second tier and handing Hannah a pair of gloves. "Just reach in and get one. Almost all cigarette lighters are a standard size. Put on the gloves first, though. Ted got a nasty scratch on his arm when he forgot to wear his gloves last week. His shirt had so much blood on it, I had to throw it out."

"Jon Walker mentioned it. Ted and I are taking the same kind of antibiotics," Hannah slipped on the gloves and reached into the bin, "the really expensive ones."

Once Hannah had retrieved the cigarette lighter she wanted, Beatrice led the way back to the office. On the way, she pointed out a box-like structure about the size of a home garage. "That's our new crusher. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes," Hannah said, even though she didn't exactly know how a crusher could be wonderful. "How does it work?"

"It's open on top and Ted just hoists the car he wants to crush and drops it right in. The sides move in to crush the car and it ends up about the size of a breadbox."

A few moments later, they were back in the office. Beatrice was adding up Hannah's purchases when the phone rang. "Hold on just a second, Hannah. That might be Ted and I want to tell him you figured out the cupcakes."

"Ted's Salvage," Beatrice greeted her caller. "Oh, hello, honey! Are you and Krista all ready for your big performance tonight?"