Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(86)

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family farm right next to the Voelker place. "You knew Mrs. Voelker, didn't you, Edna?"

"Sure, I did. She put up the best peach jam in the county. Everybody around was real sorry when she got in that accident and ended up in the wheelchair. No more peach jam for the neighbors."

Hannah nodded, wondering if people would speak of her that way when she was dead, mourning not her, but the loss of her cookies. "Do you remember a boy named Speedy that visited Mrs. Voelker?"

"Speedy?" Edna started to shake her head. "No, I don't think ... Yes, I do! He was some kind of shirttail relation and he spent a whole summer with her. That boy was a regular fishing fool. He used to race through his chores so he could get down to the lake to fish. That's why she called him Speedy. Half the time she ended up stripping the cows herself after the morning milking, but she told us he had a hard time at home and she was going to see he had fun for a change."

"Do you remember Speedy's real name?" ?·

Edna sighed. "Can't say as I do. I suppose I knew it back then, but that was a long time ago."

"Will you tell me if you think of it?"

"Sure will. So, is she?"

Hannah blinked. Edna had obviously switched to another topic of conversation. "Is she what?"

"Bringing her Jell-O mold. Andrea, that is."

"Oh!" Hannah switched gears. "Not this time. She's bringing chips and dip for the appetizer table."

"Well, heaven be praised! One less Jell-O bowl to contend with. Why don't you dump some ice in the bottom of some of those coolers we borrowed so we can refrigerate the things that we have to keep chilled. You didn't bring a dessert with whipped cream, did you?"

"Would I do something like that?" Hannah asked, grinning at Edna.

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"No, I don't guess you would. Marge Beeseman will though. You mark my words. And she'll put the whipped cream on at home, not leave it in the can the way it said to do in the flyer. And then she'll complain because it drooped!"





Chapter Twenty-Seven

4 6"|i /Tmm!" Hannah voiced her approval as she tasted the

IVJLbeef Norman had barbecued. "Delicious."

"Thanks, Hannah." Norman, who was sitting on her right side at one of the picnic tables, looked pleased by the compliment

"It sure is," Mike commented from his spot at Hannah's left side. "I used to do a little barbecuing, but my beef was never this good."

"It's all in the sauce. A cut like this has to be marinated overnight. That way the flavor gets all the way through. It's not too much garlic for you?"

"Just right," Mike said, cutting off another bite. "Any less would be lost and any more would be overdoing it. I'd sure like that sauce recipe if you're giving it out."

"I'll give it to you. It works on chicken, too. All you have to do is double the mustard and cut back on the grated onion by half."

Hannah glanced from one man to the other, trying to keep herself from chuckling. They sounded like a couple of housewives comparing notes and even though they'd both wanted to sit with her, they seemed content to talk to each other and ignore her. She let them talk on, comparing the merits of

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charcoal over gas and which wood chips were preferable, while she glanced around at the crowds of people who were contentedly stuffing their collective faces.

The sun was lowering in the sky and Hannah knew she'd have to run back to her truck to get her mosquito repellent. That reminded her that they never bit Norman, and she turned to Mike. "Do mosquitoes bite you?"

"Mosquitoes?" Mike looked startled, as if she'd pulled him out of the most intriguing conversation of his life. "Sure. They bite everybody."

"Not Norman."

"Is that right?" Mike leaned in front of Hannah to stare at Norman. "What's your secret, Norman?"

Oh-oh. She'd started an all-male conversation again. Hannah sighed and turned back to people-gazing. Freddy Sawyer, dressed in jeans and a blue pullover with a picture of an American Eagle on the front, was leaning against a tree at the edge of the picnic area. Hannah was glad to see him here. Freddy had once told Hannah that the Fourth of July was his favorite holiday and he loved to watch the fireworks. Jed was only a few feet away, talking to a group of people Hannah didn't recognize. He looked handsome tonight in a white cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a denim vest that was embroidered with stars and stripes. It looked expensive and Hannah wondered if he'd spent his whole paycheck on it.

A young woman in the group was flirting with Jed and he smiled at her as she reached out to put her hand on his arm. Although he was clearly flirting back, Hannah was glad to see him turn slightly, so that he could keep Freddy in sight. Jed was taking his responsibility toward his cousin seriously, keeping tabs on him in the crowd.

Several children in the crowd began to cheer and Hannah turned toward the source of the excitement. The Lake Eden volunteer fire department had arrived in their fire truck. The hook and ladder was followed by one of Cyril Murphy's dark green rental vans with light green shamrocks painted on the

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sides. Any child in the crowd old enough to remember the fireworks from the previous year knew that the van contained all the pyrotechnics for tonight's display.