Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(35)

Florence nodded and began to wrap the salmon in butcher paper. “Then things are going well, Hannah?”

“Oh, yes!” Hannah replied. “Everything’s just wonderful, Florence.”

“That’s good,” Florence said as she handed the package to Hannah. “I think you two make the perfect pair.”

The scene shifted again, and Hannah was the perfect pear, a lovely golden color with a slight rosy tint that proved that she was ripe for the picking. She was hanging from a branch on a lovely little pear tree in a beautiful garden. It must have been night because there were colorful Japanese lanterns hung from the other trees, and little twinkling lights decorated the trunks and branches. There was a stamped concrete square in the very center of the carefully manicured garden and it appeared to be a dance floor for balls and parties. An orchestra played on the far side of the square, and Hannah could see beautifully dressed couples dancing in the night.

One couple caught Hannah’s eye. The man was Ross, and he was dancing with a lovely woman who looked exactly like Grace Kelly in The Swan. Her hair was golden, her white ball gown fit her perfect figure like a glove, and the image they presented was utterly breathtaking.

Even though the stellar couple was far away, Hannah found that she could hear their conversation. It was as if they were speaking directly into her ear.

“I love you with all my heart,” Ross said. “I would move heaven and earth to make you happy. Your wish is my command.”

His lovely partner smiled at him and held him close. “There’s only one thing I really want.”

“Anything,” Ross promised. “What is it, darling?”

“The perfect pear. I’d like to have the perfect pear.”

“If I knew where to find it, I’d get it for you,” Ross said, smiling down at her.

“I see it. It’s there on that little pear tree.” The woman pointed to Hannah’s branch. “Right there. Do you see it?”

“I do. I’ll pluck it for you, my dearest. Just wait and you’ll have it as a gift from me.”

Hannah felt cold, as if something dreadful were about to happen. And then she began to tremble, but it was not from fear. Ross was standing directly below her branch, reaching up toward her. Since she was on the highest branch, he couldn’t quite reach her, but he was shaking the branch, trying to make her fall right into his hand.

“Nooooooo,” she screamed, terrified that she was about to lose the safe haven of her branch. “No, Ross! Please don’t hurt me!”

But he didn’t seem to hear her because he shook even harder. Her branch, her safe and secure home, began to sway back and forth, threatening to break. But her branch and her stem were strong. She had a fighting chance. If only he would stop trying to shake her down, she would be safe.

And then it happened. The heart of her, her strong and resilient stem, could not withstand such abuse. With a snap, it gave way and she was hurtling toward the ground, toward Ross and his waiting hand.

“Here you are, darling,” Ross called out, carrying her to the beautiful woman who was waiting at the edge of the dance floor. “Let’s eat this perfect pear together and pledge our love. You first.”

Hannah screamed as the woman bit into her tender flesh. Her life was over. Ross had betrayed her with another woman. He cared for her no longer. She was completely dead to him.

“Hannah? Hannah, wake up!”

The voice was familiar, and Hannah came out of her hideous dream with a gasp. “Wha . . . ?” She tried to speak, but tears were choking her throat.

“That must have been one heck of an awful nightmare,” Michelle said, sitting down on the edge of Hannah’s bed. “I should have realized that something was wrong when the cats came racing into the kitchen and tried to hide under the table. Cuddles was shaking, and Moishe’s ears were flat against his head. Then I heard you screaming and I ran all the way to the bedroom to see what was wrong.”

“Sorry,” Hannah gasped as she sat up and began to breathe again. She hadn’t been aware that she’d been holding her breath. “You’re right,” she said. “It was a nightmare and it was awful.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Not really, but it was about a pear tree.” Hannah stopped speaking and realized that she smelled something wonderful. “Do I smell pears baking?”

“You do. I’ve got two Upside Down Pear Coffee Cakes in the oven and another two cooling on the racks. Aunt Nancy and Lisa found the recipe in one of Heiti’s mother’s old cookbooks.”

“It smells great!” Hannah said, chasing away the last vestiges of her nightmare. “No wonder I dreamed about perfect pears!”

“Maybe I’d better stop baking with fruit,” Michelle said, still holding Hannah’s arm. “First you dreamed about strawberries, then peaches, and now pears. I’d hate to think of what might happen if I baked a fruitcake!”

“You don’t have to bake one,” Hannah told her. “If I keep on having nightmares like this, I’ll be one.”

Michelle stood up. “Tell me about your dream later if you feel like it. My psych professor says that sometimes, if you tell someone about a nightmare, you don’t dream the same one again.”

Hannah considered that for a moment, wondered if it was true, and decided that she’d have to try it sometime. “Thanks, Michelle. I’ll take a shower and be right out. That coffee cake smells so good, my stomach is growling.”