Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(73)

"Yes, and I shouldn't. You've lied to me enough times."

"I never lied!" Hannah's eyes flashed a warning. "I just... omitted a few things and misled you."

"Water under the bridge," Mike said, looking amused as he took a stool at the work island. "So you needed another look at the crime scene?"

"That's right. I realized that after I spotted Rhonda's body, I really didn't look around at anything else."

"Okay. I'll buy that. But why didn't you just ask me if you could see the crime-scene photos?"

"If I'd asked, would it have done me any good?"

"Probably not." Mike laughed and suddenly he was much friendlier. "I'm sorry, Hannah. I'm just not used to sharing the details of an investigation with anyone. I work best alone."

"How about Bill?"

"He's got access to the case file. I don't cut him out of it deliberately, but I tend to keep things to myself, especially those crazy theories that come to me in the middle of the night. I've always been that way. I guess I'm just a loner by nature. We're really a lot different, you know? Maybe that's why I value you so much."

"I'm the yin to your yang?"

"Yeah." Mike chuckled. "So ... what did you find out?"

"Not a darned thing."

"Nothing?"

"Not really. Everything in that basement was just as I re-

memtaed it. It was probably a wasted trip."

Mike stood up and walked over to put his arm around her

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shoulders. "It's usually a wasted trip, but we have to keep on trying. That's one thing I'm sure of. Rhonda didn't deserve to die violently. We have to find her killer and punish him."

"I know." Hannah felt real warmth for this man who haunted her dreams. He had ideals, he was compassionate, and he'd said, WE have to find her killer and punish him. Mike had included her, and that meant he'd accepted her. "So are you going to tell me what you've found out so far?"

"No."

"No?"

"Maybe later, but not now. I've got something I've been working on and I'm not ready to tell anybody about it."

Hannah's mouth dropped open. "But you expect me to tell you all about my investigation?"

"Of course I do. You're the amateur and I'm the professional. That's not meant to put you down, Hannah. That's just the way it is."

"But..."

"I've got to run." Mike set down his coffee cup and pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. "See you later, okay?"

After Mike left, Hannah stared at the swinging door until it stopped wiggling. Then she turned back to her work with a scowl on her face. Either Mike hadn't noticed her lack of response when he'd hugged her, or he'd ignored her anger, intending to deal with it later. Neither possibility pleased her. There was still fire in her eyes ten minutes later when Lisa stuck her head into the kitchen again.

"Norman's here," Lisa announced before she noticed the expression on Hannah's face. "Oh-oh. Did you have a fight with Mike?"

"I did. He didn't. I don't think he even knew I was mad at him."

Lisa opened her mouth to respond, but she must have thought better of it because she just shrugged. "Do you want me to send Norman back here?"

"Yes. Thanks, Lisa. And if Mike comes back in, cut off

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his free coifee and cookies. He can pay just like everybody else."

"How about Norman?" Lisa asked.

Hannah's anger evaporated and she started to grin. "You can give him whatever he wants ... at least for now."

Orange Snaps

Don't preheat the oven yet— this cookie dough has to chill

1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks)

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (/ use

Minute Maid)

2 beaten eggs (just beat them up with a fork) 4 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt l/2 to 1 teaspoon orange zest* 4 cups flour (you don't have to sift it) 1/3cup white sugar for later

*The orange zest adds a burst of flavor. Zest is finely grated orange peel, just the orange part, not the white. You can use a grater to scrape peel from an orange, or a zester which removes thin layers of peel in strips. If you use a zester, you'll have to finely chop the strips of peel with a knife.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and orange juice concentrate, and stir. Let the mixture cool slightly. Add the eggs, baking





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soda, salt, and orange zest, stirring after each addition. Add the flour in increments and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours (overnight's even better).

When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees E, with rack in the middle position.

Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. Put 1/3 cup white sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. Place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet. Press the dough balls down just a little so they won't roll off on the floor when you put them in the oven.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The dough balls will flatten out all by themselves. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.