Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(15)

The moment she was on her feet and fully awake, Hannah smelled the enticing scent of berries. She wasn’t sure whether the berries were raspberry, strawberry, or something else, but she knew that Michelle was baking. Her sister must be making breakfast, and it smelled delicious.

A quick shower later, she put on the fluffy robe Delores had given her as part of her trousseau. Then she found her slippers under the bed and padded down the carpeted hallway to investigate.

She found Michelle taking something from the oven, something that caused her taste buds to wake up and beg for a bite. “What is it?” she asked, bypassing the usual good-morning greeting.

“Which is it?” Michelle replied, gesturing toward the kitchen counter. Two wire racks were in evidence, one of them filled with something that looked like muffins. The other was waiting to hold the pan that Michelle had just taken out of the oven.

“Some kind of muffins, and . . . cheese and eggs?” Hannah hazarded a guess.

“Close. I made Mixed Berry Muffins and Chili-Cheese Omelet Squares. Mike called to say he was coming over to talk to you before you left for work, and I invited him to breakfast. I hope that’s all right.”

“It is, but that was a lot of work for you. How long have you been up?”

“Since two. I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about P.K. and how unfair everything is. I really liked him a lot, Hannah.”

“More than you thought you did?”

“I . . . yes.”

A tear ran down Michelle’s cheek, and Hannah wished she hadn’t asked the question. She hurried over to her sister and hugged her gently. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“It’s okay.” Michelle’s voice was shaking slightly. “It’s true, but I didn’t know it until . . .” she stopped and swallowed hard, “. . . until he was gone and I realized I’d never see him again. I wasn’t in love with him, but I loved him. And I’ll miss him, Hannah.”

“I’ll miss him, too. What time is Mike coming?”

Michelle glanced at the apple-shaped kitchen clock on the wall. “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“And he’ll be on time because you promised him breakfast and he knows what a good cook you are.” Hannah turned toward the doorway. “Please pour me a cup of coffee, Michelle. I’m going to go get dressed and I’ll be back here before it cools.”

“But don’t you want me to wait until you’re back here?”

“No. That cup of coffee will be like the carrot in front of the donkey. I’ll hurry so that I can get back here to drink it.”

True to her word, Hannah was back in the kitchen in less than five minutes. She’d already chosen her outfit for the day, and it was a simple matter to slip into her clothes and run a brush through her hair.

“That was fast!” Michelle commented, as Hannah came into the kitchen.

“That’s because I had an incentive.” Hannah headed straight for the kitchen table and the mug of coffee that was waiting for her. “Thanks,” she said, picking up the mug and taking her first sip of the bracing brew.

“Would you like a muffin to go with your coffee?” Michelle asked.

Hannah thought about that for the space of a nanosecond. “Yes, please. They smell wonderful!”

Michelle plucked a muffin from the cooling rack and brought it to Hannah. Then she brought soft butter and a knife. “Let me know how you like them,” she said.

“I will.” Hannah peeled the paper from the muffin and bit into it without benefit of butter. It had just the right amount of berries, and it was fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg. She gave Michelle a nod and a smile, took another bite, and finished the muffin in no time flat.

“My guess is you liked it,” Michelle commented.

“It was wonderful, Michelle. I want another one right away, but I’m going to hold off until Mike gets here. Do you have any idea what he wants besides breakfast?”

“Not really. He just said he needed to talk to you, but he didn’t go into detail.”

“Okay.” Hannah drained her coffee mug and got up to pour another. She’d just seated herself again when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Michelle volunteered.

“Thanks. Don’t forget to look through the peephole. Mike’s a real stickler for that. If you don’t, he’ll lecture you about it.”

“Something sure smells good,” Hannah heard Mike say as he stepped inside. A moment later, he came into the kitchen. “Hi, Hannah,” he greeted her, and then he turned back to Michelle. “What did you make for breakfast?”

“Chili-Cheese Omelet Squares and Mixed Berry Muffins. Sit down and I’ll get you some coffee and a muffin to start. The omelet squares need to cool for another couple of minutes.”





“Wow!” Mike commented, twenty minutes later when his plate was empty for the second time. “That was the best breakfast I’ve had in years!”

Hannah exchanged amused glances with Michelle. Mike said that every time he finished a breakfast that one of them had made for him. But even though they’d heard it before, they knew it was sincere. The proof was in the eating and both sisters had been watching as Mike had eaten his breakfast. He’d wolfed down five muffins and four Chili-Cheese Omelet Squares that were more than liberally slathered with Slap ‘Ya Mama hot sauce. Mike had eaten like he’d been starving, and both of them knew that wasn’t true. It was a wonder that his uniform still fit him!