Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(35)

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” Andrea commented as the red Maserati convertible went past the house for the third time.

“It’s Doctor Bev’s car,” Tracey told them. “I asked and she said Mr. Dalworth gave it to her.”

Andrea turned to her eldest daughter. “When did you see Doctor Bev?”

“Remember when you were working in your office and you said I could walk down to Hal and Rose’s Café?”

“Yes. I gave you money to get a sandwich.”

“I did. I had a grilled cheese. Rose made it for me.”

“That’s Mrs. McDermott.”

“But she told me to call her Rose.”

“If she said to, then it’s okay.”

“I know. Anyway, I was almost done with my sandwich when Uncle Norman came in. He sat down next to me at the counter and asked if he could buy me dessert.”

“That was nice of him,” Hannah said with a smile. Norman was really good with kids and Tracey was one of his favorites.

“I said I couldn’t have dessert because we were going to go to meet Aunt Hannah and Lisa and have it later.”

“But did you thank him for offering?”

“Yes, Mom. That was the first thing I did. I said, Thanks, but I can’t. And then I told him why. And then Doctor Bev came in.”

Andrea and Hannah exchanged glances. Sisterly radar was about to take over. Andrea’s look said, Go ahead and ask her if you want to know more. And Hannah’s return glance answered, I will, thanks. Don’t worry. I won’t put her on the spot.

“You were nice and polite, Tracey,” Hannah complimented her. “And we did bring dessert so you won’t miss out. Did Doctor Bev have dessert?”

“No. All she did was ask Uncle Norman to come for a ride with her in her new Mister-rati.”

“Maserati,” Hannah corrected her and then she wished she hadn’t because she’d interrupted Tracey’s story. “Did Uncle Norman take a ride?” she asked the most important question.

“Not right away. Uncle Norman said he had to get back to the office, but Doctor Bev said no, he didn’t, that she’d talked to Doc Bennett and he said he’d stay longer so that Uncle Norman could go for a ride with her.”

Uh-oh! She’s scheming again! Hannah’s mind said and she totally agreed. But what she said out loud was, “So Norman went for a ride with her?”

“Not right then. Doctor Bev sat down on the stool next to me and asked me if I’d like to go for a ride in her brand new car as long as Uncle Norman came too.”

That’s despicable! Hannah thought, exchanging glances with Andrea. She was going to get Norman in that car any way she could, even if she had to use my six-year-old niece to do it!

“What did you say to that?” Andrea asked, looking anxious.

“I was going to say yes until I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to go for rides with anyone who wasn’t a relative or a friend. You told me that a long time ago.”

“So you said no?” Andrea quizzed her.

“Not exactly. That was when I remembered another thing you told me a long time ago, so I said yes.”

Andrea looked shocked. “What did I tell you?”

“You said, Don’t worry, Tracey. The dentist is your friend. And since Doctor Bev is a dentist and so is Uncle Norman, I said yes.”

“I guess that came back to bite me,” Andrea said under her breath to Hannah and Lisa. And then she turned back to Tracey. “Okay, honey. Tell us what happened on the ride with Doctor Bev.”

“Well . . . she wanted Uncle Norman to sit in front, but he said I should sit in front because I could see better up there. So I did and it was fun. We went up by the church and Grandma Knudson’s house, and then we went past the old lumber yard at the end of Main Street, and we turned on the street with the hotel to drive by that and the school. Her new car makes noise. It sounds like a roar. People heard us coming and they came out of their houses to see the car go by. They all waved so I waved back and Doctor Bev tooted the horn. It was so much fun!”

“I’m sure it was,” Hannah said, wondering whether Norman had gone along on his own volition, or whether he’d decided he should keep an eye on Doctor Bev with Tracey.

“Anyway, Doctor Bev wanted to go drive around the lake, but I thought you might worry if I was gone too long, so I asked her to drop me off on the corner by the real estate office. And she did.”

“And Uncle Norman stayed in the car and went out to the lake with her?” Andrea asked.

Tracey gave a little shrug. “I guess. The last thing I saw, he was climbing into the front seat, and they were driving off.”

The next question was Hannah’s. “Toward the dental clinic?” she asked.

“No, the other way. That’s all I know. Could I have one of your new bar cookies now, Aunt Hannah? Especially since I missed dessert with Uncle Norman?”
RAZZLE DAZZLE BROWNIES

For the Brownies:

Make a double batch of your own favorite brownie recipe in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan OR use the shortcut below:

1 family-size box of brownie mix (enough to make a

9-inch by 13-inch pan of brownies—I used Betty

Crocker) and the rest of the ingredients listed on