Cream Puff Murder (3 page)

Hannah stepped carefully on the sidewalk between the buildings and took the stairs down to the garage. It was underground, stretching the length of her four-condo building and extending across to serve the four units in the building next door. Hannah hurried down the steps. She had to rush to meet Andrea on time, and as she reached the bottom step, she came very close to running into her downstairs neighbor, Phil Plotnik, who worked nights at DelRay Manufacturing.

“Whoa!” Phil said, reaching out to grab her arms. “What are you doing here this time of morning? Did you sleep late?”

“Not really. Lisa’s handling the baking this morning, and I’m meeting Andrea at the mall.”

“I thought the mall didn’t open until ten.”

“It doesn’t, but Andrea’s a member at Heavenly Bodies and she’s got a key to their outside door. We’re going to work out before anyone else gets there.”

Phil looked surprised, but he didn’t say anything and Hannah gave him credit for that. Silence was definitely golden when it came to the topics of losing weight and exercising. In lieu of asking questions or offering his opinion, Phil simply walked her to her cookie truck and opened the driver’s door for her. “Will you be at The Cookie Jar later?”

“I should be there by the time we open at nine,” Hannah told him, and that was when she noticed that he looked worried. “Is something wrong?”

“Sue’s been really depressed lately, and I thought I’d stop by this afternoon and get something nice for her.”

“That’s sweet of you, Phil. But why is she depressed?”

“I think it’s because she’s dreading the winter cooped up in our condo with Kevin.”

Hannah tried to remember how old Kevin was. He had been born at the beginning of the winter, and she was almost sure it was two years ago. This meant that Sue and Phil’s son was in his terrible twos. “Kevin just turned two, didn’t he?”

“Yes, on November third. It wasn’t so hard on Sue when he was little. He slept a lot then, but now he’s really active and Sue has to watch him all the time.”

Hannah did her best to imagine raising a toddler. It must be difficult to be closeted with the responsibility of a child for twenty-four hours a day. “I’ll bet Sue doesn’t get much free time.”

“You said it! The only time she has is when Kevin’s napping, and he never naps for long. She gets time for a shower and maybe a quick flip through the paper before he wakes up, but that’s about it.”

“How about at night when he goes to bed?”

“We get an hour alone, just the two of us, and then I have to get ready for work. I’m on the swing shift now. After I leave at nine thirty, Sue’s usually so exhausted she goes straight to bed.”

Hannah was silent. That didn’t sound like much of a life at all. “She worked at DelRay before Kevin was born, didn’t she?”

“Yes, in the office.”

“Did she like it?”

Phil shrugged. “It was okay and the money was good, but what she really wanted to do was teach. As soon as Kevin’s old enough for school, she’s going to go back to college and get her degree. She’s only got a couple of courses to go.”

A dim light began to flicker in the back of Hannah’s mind, and in less time than it took her to realize that she had to hurry or she’d be late meeting Andrea at the mall, she had an idea. She wouldn’t mention it now. She didn’t want to raise hopes and then dash them.

“You can relax, Phil,” she told him. “I’ve got something that’ll perk Sue right up. What’s your schedule like today?”

“It’s like every other workday. I play with Kevin for a while so Sue can get some work done, and then I sleep from about eight to three.”

“Can you drop by the coffee shop when you wake up?”

“Sure. Are you going to make something special for Sue?”

“You bet. It’s impossible to worry about anything when you’re eating chocolate, and I’m going to come up with a cookie for Sue that’ll cheer her up for the whole week.”

It was almost bright enough to drive without headlights when Hannah pulled into the parking lot at the Tri-County Mall. She passed Bergstrom’s Department Store, locked up tight until it opened at ten, and headed to the north end of the shopping center where the street door for Heavenly Bodies was located. The parking lot was completely deserted, and Hannah pulled into the space at the right of the door. Andrea wasn’t here yet, which didn’t surprise Hannah. It had taken a blaring alarm clock, several none-too-gentle shakes on the shoulder, and threats of dire bodily harm to get Andrea out of bed when they were in high school.

The inside of her windshield was beginning to fog up, and Hannah opened her window a crack. There was a delightful scent in the air, a sugary, chocolaty scent with undertones of cinnamon and maple that set her mouth watering and her mind flipping through the sweet possibilities. She knew this scent. She’d smelled it before. But where?

When speculation didn’t lead to an answer, Hannah zipped her knee-length jacket and stepped out of her truck. She started to the right, but the scent faded. It was something to her left, and she was going to find it!

When she walked around the corner of the building, she encountered the back doors of several closed shops. There was no way Bianco’s could be the origin of this delightful scent. It was an Italian shoe store, and it smelled of leather and packing material. The next store was an upscale kitchen boutique. Unless they were doing a cooking demonstration, which was unlikely since there were no other cars in the parking lot, it couldn’t be coming from there either.

Hannah walked on until she came to a likely prospect. It was a small space that had previously belonged to a flower shop. It had changed hands and the new name was stenciled on the door. It read, DORO’S DOUGHNUTS, in thick gold script, and Hannah had all she could do not to knock on the door and demand entrance.

“Hannah?” A voice called her name, and Hannah turned to see Andrea. “You’re not going in there, are you?”

Hannah stepped away from the door. “Of course not. I just smelled the doughnuts and wondered where they were.”

“Good thing I got here when I did,” Andrea said. “How did you do on your diet yesterday?”

“I had a small glass of orange juice, two scrambled eggs, and a piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast.”

“That sounds good. Did you scramble the eggs in butter?”

“No, I used a nonstick cooking spray. They couldn’t have had many calories. They were perfectly tasteless.”

“Excellent.” Andrea favored her with a smile. “How about the toast? Did you butter it?”

“Absolutely not,” Hannah said, grateful that Andrea hadn’t asked about the jar of apricot jam on the top shelf of her refrigerator.

“How about lunch?”

“I’d love to, thanks,” Hannah quipped, but she sobered when Andrea frowned at her. “I had a green salad with two tablespoons of diet dressing on it. I did have a cookie for dessert, though. Lisa wanted me to try a new recipe, and I baked a quarter batch at home. Her cousin Tiffany sent it to her.”

“What kind of cookie was it?”

“They’re called Pistachio Winks, and they’re really good. We’re going to bake them today and try them out on our customers.”

“I’ll have to try one when I come in later. I just love pistachios. But I’m getting sidetracked here. You only had one cookie for lunch, right?”

“That’s right.” Hannah decided not to mention the fact that she’d eaten several more cookies for an afternoon snack, along with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, just to see if the combination would work.

“How about dinner?”

“Sausage,” Hannah said, leaving it at that. She’d been thinking about her missed opportunity at Bertanelli’s and how she deserved a last meal before starting her new exercise regime. She’d sworn Ellie to secrecy over the phone, and she’d picked up a double order of garlic bread and a supreme pizza with everything on it to take back to her condo for dinner.

“Did you have any potatoes or rice with the sausage?”

“Of course not. I know better than that.”

“And you know that a dieter’s biggest downfall is late night snacking?”

Hannah could testify to that. She’d eaten every one of the candy bars she’d been saving to make Brownies Plus.

“Well,” Andrea turned to smile at her, “you didn’t do badly except for the cookie. I really think diet and exercise is going to work for you, as long as you stick to it.”

“Me, too,” Hannah said, hoping she could stick to it.

“Let’s go and I’ll show you your exercise routine.” Andrea pulled Hannah across the parking lot toward the back door of Heavenly Bodies. “Roger and I worked it out for you. We worked out one for Bill, too. He promised me he’s going to go in early and work out in the sheriff’s department gym every morning.”

Hannah nodded, but she had her doubts. Bill had once confessed to her that he liked to exercise about as much as Hannah did. Both of them had agreed that rowing on a river or riding on a bike path might be enjoyable, but performing the same activity on a stationary machine while staring at a cinderblock wall was about as boring as it got.

“Here we go,” Andrea said, marching up to the door. She punched in some numbers on the keypad, inserted her key card in the slot, and opened the door to what Hannah had always thought of as a torture chamber.

“You have to do the keypad and the key card?” Hannah asked, stepping into the hallway that led to another door.

“Yes. That way if someone steals your key card, they can’t use it unless they know your personal code.”

“It’s just like a bank machine. You need your P.I.N. and your card to make it work. Does it keep track of when people come and go?”

“It’s not that sophisticated,” Andrea told her. “Bill says that kind of setup would cost a lot more. The owner probably thought he didn’t need it since he’s got mall security and cameras on the entrances and exits.”

The first thing Hannah noticed when she stepped inside the inner door was the scent of oranges. The fragrance had the distinctive artificiality of room freshener, and Hannah suspected plug-in dispensers at strategic points throughout the spa. There was another scent under the citrus bouquet, a combination of damp towels, sweat, and chlorinated water. “There must be a pool,” she commented.

“Two. There’s a lap pool that runs the length of one wall. That’s for the serious swimmers. And there’s another pool for hydrotherapy and aquatic gymnastics. There’s a sauna, too. It’s coed so you have to wear a suit.” Andrea stopped and the corners of her mouth turned up. “Unless, of course, you come in at three in the morning with your husband, and there’s no one else here.”

Hannah’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t help it. “You didn’t!”

“Not me. You know Bill. He’s not that daring, especially now that he’s sheriff. Just think of the headlines in the Lake Eden Journal!”

“THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT,” Hannah said with a grin. “SHERIFF TODD EXPOSES THE BARE FACTS.”

Andrea laughed as she flicked on the lights. “Bill would never even consider doing anything like that, but I can’t say the same about the rest of the members. I’ve heard some pretty racy rumors about a couple of them.”

“Ronni Ward?”

“Her name was mentioned. And that’s one of the reasons Bill is going to phase out her job at the sheriff’s department. But she’s not the only one.”

“Who else?” Hannah asked, following Andrea to a dressing room with the word WOMEN painted on the door. The door across the hall from it read MEN, and Hannah was slightly disappointed. She’d expected some designation to go with the name Heavenly Bodies, a pairing like STARLETS and COMETS, or perhaps even VENUS and MARS.

“Nobody’s really naming names, at least not to me,” Andrea went on with her explanation. “I think that’s because I’m the sheriff’s wife.”

Andrea sounded a bit disappointed, and Hannah grinned. “Bill’s job is a real handicap?”

“When it comes to gossip, it is. Nobody tells me anything anymore.” Andrea walked over to a bank of forest-green lockers with bright pink trim. “Put your things in my locker, and let’s get going.”

Once her purse and jacket were stashed away, Hannah glanced around the dressing room. It was a very attractive place. Hanging plants decorated one mirrored wall, and they were reflected in the mirrors on the opposite wall. Pink-and-white flowers were in abundance, and Hannah turned to her sister. “What are those flowers?” she asked.

“Begonias. The owner told me they’re perfect for the moisture level in here. See those lights above you?” Andrea pointed up to the bank of fluorescent lights. “There’s another bank that comes on after hours. They’re grow lights, and begonias just love them.”

“Very pretty,” Hannah said, following Andrea out of the dressing room.

“Good morning, ladies,” a male voice greeted them, and Hannah had all she could do not to turn around and rush back into the dressing room. Andrea had assured her they’d be alone, and some guy was standing there smiling at them.

“Hi, Tad. Meet my sister, Hannah.” Andrea turned to Hannah. “This is Tad Newberg. He’s one of the night security guards.”

Hannah shook hands with the short, chubby security guard. Tad had what she’d always thought of as a baby face, with round cheeks and freckles. He looked as if he belonged in junior high, but his sandy hair was thinning just a bit on top. He wasn’t as young as he looked, and Hannah was willing to bet he was about her age.

“Glad to meet you, Hannah,” Tad said.

“Same here,” Hannah replied.

“I’ll leave you two to your workouts, then.” Tad turned on his heel and headed for the door. “If you have any problems, just holler,” he called out over his shoulder.

“Tad’s a nice guy,” Andrea said, unlocking a door with her key. Hannah followed her into a room with stark black machines that looked highly threatening.

“We’ll start here.” Andrea led the way to something that looked like a bicycle that was fashioned out of the wrong parts. “Just watch me for a while and then you can try it.”

Oh, goodie! I can hardly wait! Hannah felt like saying sarcastically, but of course she didn’t. Andrea was trying to help her, and she should be more grateful.

“You put your hands here.” Andrea grasped the handlebars and placed her feet on the pedals. “And your feet here. And then you push back with your feet and pull forward with your arms.”