Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(38)

“I bet they are,” Lisa said. “I think the whole town is here.”

“Do you think Mrs. Watson can see it from her studio windows?” Tracey asked, and Hannah wondered if she’d skipped summer dance class to be here.

“I’m almost sure she can see it from there,” Lisa answered her. “Danielle’s on the second floor over the Red Owl, and the only building that’s as tall as the hotel is City Hall.”

Hannah looked at Lisa in surprise. “City Hall’s only two stories high.”

“You’re forgetting the cupola on the roof. Herb’s watching from there. Rod Metcalf is with him and he’s taking pictures for the Lake Eden Journal.”

“Can Grandma see it from her shop?” Tracey asked.

“Yes,” Hannah answered. “She can see perfectly from the windows on the second floor. Mrs. Beeseman and Lisa’s dad are there and so are some members of the Lake Eden Historical Society. They’re having a tea party up there.”

“We baked a Double Whammy Lemon Cake for your grandma to serve,” Lisa said. “We did a lot of baking this morning!”

“But . . . doesn’t it have vodka in it?” Andrea asked.

“The original recipe does,” Hannah said.

“So you changed it for Mother and her guests?”

“Yes, and no.” It was Lisa’s turn to answer. “We made two cakes, one with the vodka and the other with cream. Your mother’s guests can choose which cake they want.”

“But does the name fit when it’s made with cream instead of vodka?” Andrea wanted to know.

Hannah bit back an amused smile. For some reason Andrea was fixating about recipe titles today. “The one with vodka is the Double Whammy Lemon Cake. The one with cream is Lemon Cream Cake.”

“Oh. That’s okay then.” Andrea’s eyes widened as the dome rose up even higher than the penthouse. “What are they doing? It’s too high!”

Lisa shook her head. “No it’s not. They have to stabilize it over the penthouse garden and then lower it. And they need maneuvering space for that. Herb explained the whole thing to me. They’ll bring it straight down and once it stops swaying, the workmen up there will grab the handholds on the inside and guide it down. Once it’s in place the crane operator will release the cables and the job is done.”

“That sounds like precision work,” Andrea said.

“Oh, it is. The people who sold Roger the dome brought their own crew with them to do it.”

There was a tense moment as the dome began to lower and the men standing in the penthouse garden reached up for the handholds. For the first time in her life Hannah wished she had a cell phone with a camera instead of the stripped-down model she’d insisted was all she needed.

“They got it!” Lisa exclaimed, pointing up at the dome. “The crane operator just released the cables. The penthouse garden is finished.”

“I wish it had been finished on Saturday,” Tracey said. “Then Aunt Barbara wouldn’t be in the hospital and she’d still be Daddy’s secretary.”

Hannah didn’t say a word. It was readily apparent that Andrea hadn’t told Tracey that Barbara had jumped off the roof to get away from someone who was attacking her.

Andrea reached out to give her daughter a hug. “So do I, honey. But Aunt Barbara will be back. Doc Knight says she’s getting better every day.”

“That’s good. Daddy gets crabby when he has a temp. Remember when Aunt Barbara was on vacation and he couldn’t find anything in his office? He yelled at everybody.”

“That’s true,” Andrea said with a smile. “He was terribly frustrated. What do you say we watch the crane drive off and then we hurry over to Granny’s Attic to see if there’s any cake left?”

“Two desserts in one day!” Tracey breathed, smiling as she turned to her mother. “I’d like to see Grandma and I want to taste the Double Whammy Lemon Cake. I bet Bethie has already had some!”

“I hope not,” Andrea said and then she turned to Hannah and Lisa to explain. “Bethie is with Grandma watching the crane.”

“Why can’t Bethie have the cake?” Tracey asked.

“Because the Double Whammy Lemon Cake is the one with the vodka in it, honey. Grandma wouldn’t let her have that.”

“I’d better not have any either, otherwise Daddy could arrest me for . . . ,” Tracey stopped for a moment and then she started to laugh. “I wouldn’t be drinking, so Daddy couldn’t arrest me for underage drinking. I guess he’d have to arrest me for underage eating!”
DOUBLE WHAMMY LEMON CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Zest from 2 small lemons (approximately

2 teaspoons)

1 box white cake mix (the size that makes a 9-inch

by 13-inch cake)

1 box vanilla instant pudding mix (NOT sugar-

free—the size that makes 4 half-cup servings)

? cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

cup vodka (I used Tito’s Handmade Vodka)

4 large eggs

6-ounce package white chocolate chips

(approximately 1 cup)

Hannah’s 1st Note: When I first made this cake I bought a white cake mix with pudding in the mix. I used it and it was a disaster. The cake browned too fast and stuck to the bottom of the Bundt pan. DO NOT USE A CAKE MIX WITH PUDDING IN IT!