Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(9)

1 tablespoon butter

(Using a double boiler makes this recipe foolproof, but if you 're very careful and stir constantly so it doesn't scorch, you can make the lemon filling in a heavy saucepan directly on the stove over medium heat.)





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Put water in the bottom of a double boiler and heat it until it simmers. (Make sure you don't use too much water—it shouldn 't touch the bottom of the double boiler top.) Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with the whole eggs in the top of the double boiler. Add the lh cup water and the combined lemon and lime juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until completely blended. Add this to the egg mixture in the top of the double boiler and blend thoroughly.

Place the top of the double boiler over the simmering water and cook, stirring frequently until the lemon pie filling thickens (5 minutes or so). Lift the top of the double boiler and place it on a cold burner. Add the lemon zest and the butter, and stir thoroughly. Let the filling cool while you make the meringue.





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MERINGUE: (This is a whole lot easier with an electric mixer!)

4 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup white sugar (granulated)

Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and mix them in. Beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Continue beating as you sprinkle in the sugar. When the egg whites form firm peaks, stop mixing and tip the bowl to test the meringue. If the egg whites don't slide down the side, they're ready.

Put the filling into the baked pie shell, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Clean and dry your spatula. Spread the meringue over the filling with the clean spatula, sealing it to the edges of the crust. When the pie is completely covered with meringue, "dot" the pie with the flat side of the spatula to make points in the meringue. (The meringue will shrink back when it bakes if you don't seal it to the edges of the crust.)

Bake the pie at 350 degrees F. for no more than 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then refrigerate it if you wish. This pie can be served at room temperature, or chilled.

(To keep your knife from sticking to the meringue when you cut the pie, dip it in cold water.)

(This is Lisa's favorite pie—she loves the zing of the lime juice.)





Chapter Three

Andrea pointed to a line marked with a blue checkmark. "You're next, Hannah. Sign here."

Hannah signed her name where Andrea indicated, right under the lines with the green, red, and purple checkmarks. Andrea had explained the color-coded system when they had first taken their seats at the tables in the rear of the cookie shop. Norman was green, Rhonda Scharf was red, Andrea was purple, and Hannah was blue. It seemed that Norman's first step into the world of home ownership began with a polychromatic autograph assembly line, but he didn't seem to mind. Hannah watched him smile as he signed his name on the next paper and when he looked up at her, she smiled back.

Howie Levine held his hand out for the paper she'd just signed and Hannah handed it over. Howie notarized the signatures and placed the paper on the stack of completed pages by his left elbow. The pile was growing with each passing minute. Hannah wondered how long it would take to top the one-inch mark.

Hannah glanced over at Rhonda Scharf and caught her checking her watch. It was clear Rhonda was pleased at selling her great-aunt's property, but they'd been signing papers

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Joanne Fluke

for the past fifteen minutes and the novelty had worn off. Rhonda had dressed for the occasion in a pink knit pantsuit with a cloud of iridescent butterflies appliqued on the front. The largest and most colorful butterfly was perched just below the vee of her low-cut neckline and called attention to her considerable cleavage. Rhonda, at fifty, still had a voluptuous figure and she liked to show it off. The only jarring note was her shoes, lime green tennis shoes that had been dyed to match the smock Rhonda wore behind the cosmetic counter at Lake Eden Neighborhood Drags.

"Only ten left." Andrea signed and passed another document to Rhonda. Rhonda signed and handed it to Norman. When Norman had signed with the Rhodes Dental Clinic pen that Hannah had located, he handed the paper to her. From Hannah it went to Howie, who notarized it and placed it on the top of the stack.

It seemed to take forever, but at last they were almost finished. The only thing left was for Rhonda to sign the deed.

"Excuse me ... Howie?" Rhonda hesitated, her pen poised over the deed. "Before I agreed to the sale, I asked Norman if I could go out there over the weekend to pick up a few family mementos. Do we need a separate agreement for that?"

Howie turned to Norman. "Is that all right with you?"

"Sure. I already told Rhonda that she could."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. A verbal agreement is fine for something like that."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure," Rhonda said and signed the deed.

Once the deed had joined the stack of completed papers and Rhonda was in possession of Norman's cashier's check, Howie pushed back his chair and stood up to shake hands with Rhonda and then with Norman. "I'll file these papers today, but since it's a Friday, you'll have to wait until Monday morning to take possession."

When Howie had left, Hannah turned to her sister. "Is that all?"