Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(82)

It took ten minutes, but at last Hannah hung up the phone and walked back to the table to take a huge swig of coffee. The information she'd been given was startling, to say the least. Nothing Rhonda had told her was true. She'd booked a one-way ticket, not a round-trip. And she'd been flying to Zurich, not Rome.

Hannah stared out the window at the silent street. No

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wonder Rhonda had gone to Browerville Travel! She hadn't wanted anyone in town to know that she was leaving for good or where she'd gone.

Hannah thought about that to the faint sounds of pans clattering from the kitchen. A few moments later, she caught the hint of a delectable aroma and her mouth began to water. She didn't know what Lisa was cooking, but it certainly smelled delicious.

"Our float looks gorgeous," Lisa said, pushing the door open and sticking her head in the coffee shop. "Unless the judges are blind, we'll win first prize."

"I didn't know they were awarding prizes."

"Neither did I. Janice Cox said they decided to do it at the council meeting last night. The first-place float gets a hundred dollars, second place gets fifty, and third place gets twenty-five. Hold on a second. I have to flip something."

The door swung closed and Hannah was left with a gaping mouth. If they won, what would they do with the money? By the time the door opened and Lisa appeared again, she'd decided. "If we win, I think we should split the money between Kiddie Korner and the Senior Center. They did all the work."

"Perfect," Lisa said, smiling her approval. "That's exactly what I thought we should do. There's one more thing I have to tell you. Andrea said that more robbery money surfaced last night. It's only a little over four hundred dollars, but someone is definitely spending it in Winnetka County. Excuse me for a minute. I think these are ready."

Lisa disappeared again and Hannah leaned back in her chair. She still didn't know whether the robbery money had anything to do with Rhonda's murder case, but the possibility couldn't be dismissed out of hand.

"Breakfast is served," Lisa called out, coming through the swinging door with two plates in her hands. She served Hannah first, then sat down across from her.

Hannah glanced at her breakfast. "These look like pancakes with sliced peaches."

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"That's right." Lisa handed her the container with packets of non-calorie sweetener. "Sprinkle a little sweetener over the top. They're really good that way."

Hannah tore open a packet and sprinkled it on top of the stack. Then she cut off a piece of pancake and tasted it. "They're wonderful, Lisa. When you said low-cal, I thought I'd be getting cottage cheese for breakfast."

"You are."

Hannah blinked. "These have cottage cheese in them?"

"That's right. My Aunt Kitty used to make them every time somebody in the family was on a diet."

"They're delicious." Hannah took another forkful and smiled as she chewed and swallowed. "Thanks, Lisa. This is a real change from all those cold salads and bowls of plain' cottage cheese. Are you sure they're diet food?"

"I'm sure, but you can make them into regular food, too. Aunt Kitty used to serve them with sour cream and jam on the top. When she did that, she called them Poor Man's Blintzes. I'll give you the recipe if you want it."

"I'd love to have it," Hannah said, taking another bite.

They ate in silence for several minutes, polishing off the last of the pancakes. When they were through, Lisa pointed at the letter on the table. "What's this?"

"It's a letter to Mrs. Voelker that I found in Rhonda's apartment."

Lisa looked surprised. "Mike and Bill let you search Rhonda's apartment?"

"No, Beatrice Koester did. She told me to go through Rhonda's things to see if there was anything I needed. The relatives in Colorado didn't want anything."

"That was a lucky break for you," Lisa said with a grin. "Did you find anything else interesting?"

Hannah told Lisa about the receipt from Browerville Travel and Rhonda's one-way ticket to Zurich. "And that explains why Rhonda wasn't upset when Jon fired her. She wasn't planning to come back anyway."

"What does the letter say?"

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"I haven't read it yet."

"You'd better read it. It could be something important."

"I know. I just feel funny about reading someone else's private mail, that's all."

"Then throw it away."

"I can't throw it away without knowing what it says!"

"Then read it." Lisa looked amused. "You're making a mountain out of a molehill, Hannah, and mat's not like you at all. If the contents are private, don't tell anyone about them. But if it's important, you can turn it over to the right person."

"You're right, of course." Hannah drew the letter out of the envelope before she could dither about it any longer. She unfolded the single sheet of tablet paper and began to read. As she skimmed the words, she let out a little cry of distress.

"What is it?" Lisa leaned forward in concern.

"It's a tragedy," Hannah said, swallowing past the lump in her throat.