Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(29)

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Hannah said, rising to her feet before she could grab the remaining cake and stuff it into her mouth. "Excuse me. I need to find Sally to tell her how much I enjoyed the dinner."

After a fruitless search of the dining room, Hannah found Sally in the kitchen. She was sitting at the small desk in the comer, writing out the lunch specials for the next day.

"Hi, Hannah," Sally greeted her. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was delicious. Do you have any idea how many calories there are in .. .never mind. I don't want to know. I was just wondering if you'd served osso buco lately, like over the weekend?"

102

Joanne Fluke

Sally shook her head. "I haven't been able to get a good cut of veal in a month. Why? Did you want some?"

"I always want some, but that's not why I'm asking."

Sally looked slightly confused for a moment, and then she recovered. "I guess it must have something to do with Rhonda's murder. You're investigating, aren't you?"

"Yes, but keep it under your toque."

"It won't do any good. He's bound to find out."

"He who?" Hannah asked, feeling a bit like a Swiss yo-deler.

"Mike. He always finds out. He's mad at you for a day or so, and then he gets over it. Why don't you just tell him now and get it over with? That way he can't say you weren't up-front with him."

Hannah stared at Sally for a long moment. It was a good suggestion. "You're a wise woman, Sally."

"The jury's still out on that one. Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

"Thanks." Hannah turned and started for the door, but she reversed direction as she thought of something. "Do you know if Rhonda ever came in for dinner with a man?"

"Not offhand. I'm only in the dining room part of the time. The rest of the dinner hour, I'm here. Do you want me to ask my waitresses?"

"Yes, and call me if anything turns up."

"I will. Are you working on the jealous boyfriend angle?"

"It might be a bit premature. I don't even know if Rhonda had a boyfriend."

"You'll find out. You're good at this. If I wasn't so crazy about your cookies, I'd urge you to switch jobs."

As Hannah returned to the crowded dining room, she thought about Rhonda and she had to work to keep the smile on her face. She hadn't been very curious about Rhonda in the past, but now that she was dead, her life had taken on a new importance. It seemed that people could walk through life without causing a ripple, leading ordinary and unevent-

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 103

ful lives. It was only after they'd been murdered that people took notice of them. And that thought was depressing.

Hannah sighed as she approached the private booth where her mother, Carrie, and Norman waited. There was only one cure for depression and that was chocolate. If her mother's cake wasn't gone by now, it would be shortly.

Chapter Nine

TT Then Hannah reached her turnoff, she pressed the but-VV tons to close the windows in her truck, leaving only the driver's window open. She'd lowered them all to enjoy the night air while she drove home, but she had to stop to use her gate card to get into her condo complex, and a stationary vehicle was a prime target for the voracious blood-sucking insects that outnumbered the human population of the state of Minnesota by millions. Some people claimed that the mosquito was the state bird, but Hannah always denied it to the tourists who came into her cookie shop. She conceded that the mosquito might be the state insect, but that would be a close call with the competition from the moths that fluttered around every yard and porch light, the June bugs that flung themselves at the screens, and the deerflies that dive-bombed careless hikers who were foolish enough to wear shorts in the woods. Insects loved Minnesota with its ten thousand lakes. The climate was moist, the air was muggy, and they multiplied with wild abandon.

Once Hannahhad driven through the complex and parked hi her spot in the underground garage, she climbed up to street level and headed for the covered staircase that led to her upstairs unit. When she reached her door, she slipped her

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 105

key in the lock, set down her purse, stood firmly on both feet, and opened the door. Just as she'd anticipated, a flying ball of orange and white fur hurtled itself through the air.

"Hi, Moishe." Hannah caught her cat expertly, using both arms. After almost a year of this enthusiastic method of greeting, she was used to his antics. "You're glad to see me, right?"

Moishe started to purr as Hannah retrieved her purse with one arm and carried him inside with the other. She chucked him once under his chin, set him down on the back of the couch, and went straight to the kitchen to get him his nightly treat.

Hannah smiled as she dished vanilla yogurt into one of the expensive cut-glass dessert dishes that had been a Christmas present from her mother. According to Delores, the dishes had appreciated in value, and although her mother would certainly disagree, Hannah figured that Moishe deserved to eat from expensive crystal.

As she put the yogurt back into the refrigerator, Hannah eyed the green glass jug of white wine on the bottom shelf. She had been good tonight, forgoing the rolls and dessert, and eating only her salad, chicken, and vegetables. A glass of chateau screwtop was only eighty calories and she deserved a treat. Besides, she still had to call Mike to tell him she'd changed her mind about getting involved in Rhonda's murder investigation, and the argument they'd have was bound to burn a lot of calories.