Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(6)

"Good planning. They should be dry before you draw the purple hearts around them."

"Violet," Lisa corrected her, measuring the sugar into another bowl. "The bride wants the initials to be the same light blue as a summer sky just after daybreak. And the hearts are supposed to match the color of the first wild violets of spring."

Hannah's eyebrows shot up. "That's positively poetic, but it all boils down to light blue and light purple, doesn't it?"

"You're right," Lisa said with a grin, stirring in the butter and then reaching for the heavy cream.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 25

While Hannah mixed up another batch of cookies and began to bake them, Lisa finished the frosting and filled a pastry bag. Hannah glanced over at her several times as she piped the light blue initials on the face of the cookies. At first Lisa had been noticeably shaky in her attempt to decorate cookies, but she had practiced with a perseverance that Hannah envied. Lisa was now an expert and that meant The Cookie Jar could offer personalized cookies for any event they catered.

They completed their work at the same time and Harmah walked over to admire Lisa's handiwork. "They're perfect," she said, smiling at her young partner. "Follow me. I think we deserve a coffee break."

The first thing Hannah did when she stepped into the coffee shop was to turn on their new ceiling fans. They created a slight breeze as their blades revolved lazily, stirring the air and the red, white, and blue streamers that Lisa had hung from the ceiling in honor of the Fourth of July.

"Go sit down. I'll get our coffee," Lisa said, heading for the big urn behind the counter.

Hannah chose her favorite table. It was in the rear of the shop, but it still had a nice view of the street through the front plate-glass window. Sitting at a table in the rear had one big advantage. The shop looked empty unless someone approached and pressed a nose to the window. And if the customers couldn't see them, they wouldn't knock on the door and expect them to open early.

Lisa's streamers looked nice and Hannah was glad she'd decorated. Lake Eden residents took their patriotism seriously and the Fourth of July was one of their small town's biggest holidays. There would be a parade in the morning, political speeches and events throughout the day, a huge pot-luck picnic and barbecue on the shores of Eden Lake, and a fireworks display at night.

"What's wrong with that fan?" Lisa asked, setting their mugs of coffee on the table.

"Which fan?"

26

Joanne Fluke

"The one directly over your head."

Hannah glanced up and saw that the blades weren't turning on the fan in question. "I don't know, but Freddy and Jed are coming in this morning to install the new shelves in the pantry. I'll point it out to them."

"Freddy looks good," Lisa remarked, sitting down next to Hannah. "He told me that Jed makes him take a shower every morning and dress in clean clothes."

"That's a plus. I can remember a couple of times when I had to stand upwind."

As they sipped their coffee, Hannah thought about Freddy Sawyer. He was mildly retarded and he did odd jobs around town, supplementing the income from the small trust fund his mother had set up for him before she died. Freddy had to be in his early thirties, but his naive manner and boyish grin made him seem much younger than that. He lived just outside the Lake Eden town limits on Old Bailey Road in the house his mother had owned for years. His cousin, Jed, had moved in with him last month, and it seemed Jed had been a good influence on Freddy.

"People underestimate Freddy," Lisa said, looking rather fierce. "They think he can't learn new things, but they're wrong. Janice Cox told me that she taught him to tell time."

"That's good," Hannah said, turning to look as a car drove up and parked in front of the shop. "There's Andrea and she's early. She isn't supposed to meet Norman here until nine-thirty."

Lisa jumped up from her chair. "I'll go let her in. Just sit there and relax. I know you were up late last night catering that bridal shower."

Hannah sat. She was tired. The shower had been a big event, over forty guests. Andrea had been invited, but she'd stayed only long enough to deliver her gift, congratulate the bride-to-be, and give Hannah a message from Mike. Mike was out of town, attending a five-day conference in Des Moines on intervention techniques for youthful offenders. When he hadn't been able to reach Hannah on the phone, he'd called

27

Andrea to say he was staying over on Sunday night, but he'd be back in Lake Eden at noon on Monday and he'd drop by The Cookie Jar to see her.

The two sisters hadn't had time to exchange more than a few words before Andrea had to leave. She'd told Hannah that Bill had turned into a regular mother hen now that she was pregnant. He urged her to rest when she wasn't tired, he was forever bringing her afghans and pillows she didn't need, and just recently he'd taken to making her high-energy snacks that played havoc with her prenatal diet.

"Hi, Hannah." Andrea breezed in through the door, the picture of chic. She was wearing a light green skirt that swirled gracefully when she walked and a matching hip-length top. There was a turquoise scarf around her waist, a color combination Hannah would never have thought to attempt, and a silver and turquoise pendant around her neck. Andrea's light blond hair was pulled up in a complicated twist. She could have stepped from the pages of a glossy magazine.