Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(28)

Hannah hesitated. She'd never been any good at walking on eggshells and this situation had the earmarks of a giant omelet in the making. What if Delores really wanted the job as chief investigator and she'd resent it if Hannah took over? Was there any explanation Hannah could give for her change of heart that wouldn't lead to infanticide? Or was infanticide called something else when a mother killed her grown daughter?

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"Well?" Delores glared at her. "I'm waiting for an explanation, Hannah Louise."

Her mother only called her Hannah Louise when she was in big trouble and Hannah thought fast. "Norman told me that Mike and Bill roped off the entire Voelker house as a crime scene and he can't tear it down before they solve Rhonda's murder. That means he might have to delay building our dream house until spring, and ..."

"That's enough, dear," Delores interrupted her. "I understand perfectly and I think you made the right decision. It was a matter of priorities."

Hannah felt a bit guilty as she basked in her mother's approval. Delores thought their dream house had made all the difference. If Hannah weren't careful, her mother would be sending out invitations to a bridal shower that would never happen.

Norman looked eager as he turned to Hannah. "Does that mean that you're going to do it?"

"Of course it does," Delores answered for her. "And I'm glad we got all this settled. We'll all do everything we can to help you, Hannah. I made some calls this afternoon and I'm almost positive that Rhonda led a double life."

"Really?" Norman looked interested. "What kind of a double life?"

Delores leaned across the table and lowered her voice. "I think she had a boyfriend, perhaps even more than one. But let's not go into all that now. Why don't we order? Once we've eaten, we can discuss Rhonda's murder in detail over dessert.**

Hannah's dietary resolve wavered dangerously when their waitress wheeled up the dessert cart. Sally's delicious flour-less chocolate cake was sitting in the center of the display. Hannah started to salivate the moment she spotted it.

"I'll have the chocolate cake," Delores declared. "I ordered it the last time I was here and it was simply scrumptious."

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Joanne Fluke

"The same for me," Carrie echoed.

"Nothing for me." Norman glanced at Hannah. "How about you?"

"Just coffee." Hannah forced the words past her lips. She'd followed her diet to the letter so far, eating only her salad and her serving of coq au vin. She'd even ordered steamed broccoli in place of potatoes.

Once their coffee had been replenished and the cake had been served, Delores turned to Hannah. "Well? What do you want us to do first, dear?"

Eat your cake fast, before I cave, Hannah thought, her eyes glued to the rich confection on her mother's dessert plate, but of course she didn't say that. If Delores found out that she was on a diet, she'd have to listen to hours of unsolicited and unhelpful advice. "Just keep your ears open for any facts about Rhonda's private life that might have led to a motive for her murder."

"I think I can find out who her boyfriend was," Carrie volunteered. "When I get home tonight, I'll make some calls."

"How about the UPS man?" Delores asked.

"Sam?" Carrie sounded shocked. "Oh, he was Rhonda's cousin on her father's side. That's why he used to drop by to have lunch with her."

"Is Sam still in the area?" Hannah asked, wondering

about Rhonda's family history. If Rhonda's cousin was jealous over the fact Rhonda had inherited the Voelker place, he might have had a motive for murder.

"No, he went back to Utah a few months ago. Rhonda said his uncle was wealthy and they owned some high-tech corporation. Sam took over as president when the uncle retired."

Hannah sighed, mentally scratching Sam from her list of suspects. Not only was he several hundred miles away, he was now running a successful business. Sam wasn't likely to care that his cousin had inherited an old wreck of a house in Lake Eden, Minnesota.

"Would it help to talk to Rhonda's cleaning woman?" Norman asked.

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"Absolutely." Hannah beamed at him. Cleaning women often knew a lot more than they let on. "Do you know who she was?"

"Luanne's mother, Marjorie Hanks. She called and left a message on my answering machine at the clinic to see if I wanted her to keep on cleaning the house. I told her I didn't, but I hired her to clean the dental clinic."

Hannah took out her notebook and jotted down the information. Marjorie Hanks was no fool. She might have noticed something at the Voelker house that could provide them with a clue.

Delores pushed her partially eaten cake across the table toward Hannah. "Would you like to finish it, dear? My eyes were bigger than my stomach and I know it's one of your favorites."

Despite her best intentions, Hannah glanced down at the cake. It looked moist and delicious, and the scent of chocolate wafted dark and heady in the air. Hannah had the insane notion to utter the words, Vade retro, Satana, undoubtedly prompted by the fact that she'd watched a rerun of The Exorcist over the weekend. She reminded herself that it hadn't helped Max Von Sydow and it probably wouldn't help her, either. Her only solution was to move herself out of harm's way.