Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(5)

“What kind of surprise?”

Hannah smiled. “If we tell you, it won’t be a surprise. Take a big bite. You’ll like it, I promise.”

Andrea didn’t wait for a second invitation. She peeled off the cupcake paper and took a giant bite. “Mmmmm,” she said and took another big bite. “Mmmmmm!”

“So what do you think?” Lisa asked her.

Andrea held up her hand for a timeout and popped the rest of the cupcake in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and smiled. “It’s great! I just love the chocolate and . . . apricot?”

“That’s right. They were Hannah’s idea. Everybody makes red velvet cupcakes and when we got the order for the party, we wanted to make ours different.”

“And better,” Andrea added. “I’ve eaten a lot of red velvet cupcakes and these are the absolute best!”



Hannah glanced down at the price sheet in her hand. The two-bedroom condo she’d just seen was double the money she’d paid for her condo. “Do you really think you can sell these? My complex is a lot cheaper.”

“Your complex isn’t convenient to downtown Lake Eden. If you lived here, you wouldn’t have to drive to work every morning and drive home every night. And your condo doesn’t have a view like this.” Andrea walked to the windows and pointed. “Every room on this side has a view of the Lutheran church, Granny’s Attic, and the Red Owl.”

“This is a nice balcony,” Hannah said, walking to the sliding glass doors.

“If you lived here, you could see The Cookie Jar from your balcony. I could probably cut you a deal, Hannah. And I know I could sell your place for more than you paid for it. You’d be trading up.”

“No thanks,” Hannah said quickly. “I like where I live.”

“Well . . . just think about it. Your cookie truck is getting old and if you bought this unit, you could walk to work.”

“I’ll think about it,” Hannah said, knowing that she wouldn’t, but also knowing that her sister wouldn’t stop her sales pitch until every single one of the condos were sold. “Why don’t you show me the penthouse?” she suggested, by way of diversion. “I know I could never afford it, but I’d love to see it.”

The penthouse had a private elevator that Roger Dalworth had installed. Hannah and Andrea rode down to the lobby and used Andrea’s key to activate the private elevator.

“The penthouse takes up the entire top floor,” Andrea informed her as they stepped out of the elevator and directly into the penthouse foyer. “The view is spectacular and it has a huge tropical garden with its own Jacuzzi and grotto swimming pool.”

“A Jacuzzi and a swimming pool? That’s not very practical for Minnesota.” It was all Hannah could do not to gasp as she walked into the penthouse living room. There were wall-to-ceiling windows on three sides and Andrea was right, the view was spectacular. “This is gorgeous, but I’m still thinking about the hot tub and the swimming pool. They’ll have to be drained and covered all winter and that means the owner can’t use them for six or seven months out of the year.”

Andrea shook her head. “There’s a climate-controlled dome that fits over the whole rooftop. It was supposed to be here and installed by tonight, but there was a delay and it hasn’t arrived yet. That means we can go out in the middle and look, but that’s it. Roger’s got the rest blocked off with sawhorses because it’s not safe.”

When they stepped out into the penthouse garden, the June air was balmy and sweet. There was a slight breeze, but not enough to be uncomfortable. They were above the noise of the party, the passing cars on the street, and even more important, the mosquitoes. It was heavenly and Hannah took a deep breath of the perfumed night air.

“Just look at this pool,” Andrea said, leading her over to the grotto pool and Jacuzzi area. There was even a thatched roof bar with padded bar stools. Low-level Malibu lights gave the whole area a romantic glow, and the ambiance was intimate and inviting. “Beautiful!” Hannah breathed, feeling a small stab of envy for the lucky people who would live here.

“I shouldn’t do this, but I will,” Andrea said. “Help me move this sawhorse.”

Between the two of them they muscled Roger’s barrier to the side, and Andrea led Hannah toward the edge of the roof. “That’s far enough,” she said, stopping about four feet from the edge. “I want you to see the lake from here.”

Hannah peered off into the distance where the lake was shining silver in the moonlight and the surrounding pines were dark sentinels stretching up toward the sky. “Beautiful!” she breathed again.

It didn’t take long to go through the rest of the penthouse: multiple bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, a home gym, and a huge gourmet kitchen. There were closets galore, views from windows in abundance, and the total impression was the essence of opulence.

“We’d better go,” Andrea said, glancing at her watch. “The guests should be starting to arrive by now and I’ve got six condos and a penthouse to sell.”

Hannah was silent until they were in the elevator on their way down to the lobby. “Do you think anybody in Lake Eden can afford to buy a condo here?” she asked; the question had been bouncing around in her mind since Andrea had opened the first condo door.