Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(8)

"It's good news and bad news," Lisa informed them. "Which one do you want to hear first?"

Hannah made an instant decision. "The bad news. We'll save the good for last."

"That was the caterer. Pamela's parents canceled the wedding. She had a big fight with Toby and she eloped with the boy she used to date in high school."

Hannah groaned. "I think you'd better tell us the good news now."

"I told the caterer we'd baked all the cookies and she promised to pay us for them. She said she'd send a check and we could keep them."

"That's nice. But what are we going to do with them? We can't sell cookies with the bride and groom's initials on them, unless..." Hannah reached out for a paper napkin and flipped it over so she had a perfectly blank square. "Do you have a pen?"

"I always have a pen." Andrea reached in her briefcase and pulled out her gold Cross pen.

Hannah drew a large circle and wrote Pam's and Toby's initials inside. She stared at it for a moment and then she turned to Lisa. "Will you get one of the wedding cookies for me? I've got an idea."

A moment later, a sample cookie was resting on a napkin in the center of the table. Hannah studied it for a moment, then looked up at Lisa with a grin. "Is there room to squeeze an 'H' and an 'A' in front of Pam's initials?"

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 31

'There's plenty of space. I had to leave room for the purple heart."

Andrea looked surprised. "Was the groom a war hero?"

"No, but he deserves to be for putting up with Pamela." Hannah turned to Lisa again. "How about a ' Y' at the end of Pain's initials?"

"That's easy. What are we doing to Toby's initials?"

"Not much. All we have to do is put a big number four in front."

"I get it!" Andrea said, sounding excited. "Then they'll say, 'HAPPY 4TH.' The cookies are white. If you do all the letters in blue and the number in red, they'll be Independence Day cookies."

Lisa pushed back her chair. "It's perfect, Hannah. FH'get started on them right now. I need to match that blue frosting before it dries."

"Won't the cookies get old before the Fourth?" Andrea asked. "It's five days away."

"Not if we decorate mem and pop them in the freezer. We'll thaw them the night before and give them out at the parade."

"Tracey can do that for you," Andrea offered. "She's almost five and that's old enough to be in the parade. She could ride on The Cookie Jar float and pass out the cookies."

Hannah shook her head. "That's a nice idea, but we don't have a float."

"No float?" Andrea looked shocked.

"We wanted to build one, but we didn't have time, not to mention the money it would have cost us."

"But you've got to have a float! Everybody's having a float. I'll build it for you, Hannah. It'll be a run project for me."

Hannah opened her mouth to say that "fun" was a noun, not an adjective, but she didn't have the heart to correct Andrea. Her sister was obviously serious about wanting to build the float. With Tracey in preschool and Bill at work,

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she must be at loose ends. "Have you ever built a float before?"

"Not exactly, but how hard can it be? Please let me do it, Hannah. Think of it as a favor. You'll be saving me from terminal boredom and it won't cost you a dime. Bill's dad has a hay wagon I can borrow and I've got tons of decorating supplies in the garage."

Hannah found it hard to resist the pleading look on her sister's face. Andrea hadn't looked this excited since she'd planned her own wedding. "But are you sure you want to tackle a rush project like this?"

"Of course. I've got loads of time. Just say the word and I'll get started right away."

Hannah knew she might live to regret it, but she nodded. "Okay."

"You're the best sister in the whole world!" Andrea jumped up and rushed around the table to hug her. "I'm going to run down to Kiddie Korner and tell Tracey. She'll be so excited."

"Don't forget about your meeting with Norman. You have to be back by nine-thirty with the house papers."

"I'll be here. Thanks again, Hannah. You've given me a whole new lease on life."

Hannah sighed as Andrea raced out the door, climbed into her Volvo, and drove away. She was glad her sister was happy, but giving her permission to build the float might have been a strategic mistake, especially since Bill was being so overprotective. How would he feel toward Hannah when his pregnant wife announced that she'd be working long hours designing and decorating a float for The Cookie Jar?

Lemon Meringue Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees R, with rack in middle position.

1 nine-inch baked pie shell FILLING:

3 whole eggs

4 egg yolks (save the whites in a mixing bowl

and let them come up to room temperature— you 'II need them for the meringue)

1 cup white sugar (granulated)

!/2 cup water

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8 cup lime juice

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest