Key Lime Pie Murder (37 page)

Five minutes passed, and Hannah counted the seconds off in her mind. In the interim, three people tried to hit the bull’s-eye. Drew Vavra, the new coach of the Lake Eden Gulls, was the first to make the attempt. He’d pitched for the Gulls baseball team when he was in high school, but Mike whispered something in his ear and the three balls Drew threw missed the target by a country mile.

Florence Evans was up next, and she told Hannah that she was just showing her support by eating up the time. Florence wore glasses and everybody knew she was terribly nearsighted. But there was the phenomenon of beginner’s luck to consider, and Hannah held her breath until Florence’s last ball had fallen harmlessly several feet in front of the target.

The third pitcher was Doc Knight, and Hannah thought she might be a goner. He was a crackerjack surgeon, and surgeons had to aim carefully or they’d take out somebody’s gall bladder instead of their appendix. But Doc wasn’t wearing his surgical greens, and he winked at Hannah before his first throw. That tipped her off that he was missing deliberately, but he came satisfactorily close to hitting Delores with his third throw, which went wild.

The clock had almost run out. There were only two minutes to go when Michelle’s cell phone rang. She listened for a moment and then she approached Hannah’s stool. “No-No’s on his way,” she said. “Sorry, Hannah.”

Oh, well, Hannah thought. She’d survived a lot in her life, and one dunking wouldn’t kill her. Actually, she should be grateful that she was here to be dunked. She could have been killed in the tilt-a-whirl if things had turned out differently. She’d had a series of near misses and she should be grate…

Near-misses, Hannah’s train of thought hit a junction and went off in a new direction. Didn’t near mean that the goal hadn’t been achieved? If something was a near-success, that meant it wasn’t a success at all. It was the same as if someone said, He nearly made it. That meant he hadn’t, but he’d come close. So was a near-miss a miss?” Or was it near-miss a hit because it had nearly missed?

These and other similar thoughts engaged Hannah’s mind until she caught sight of a grinning baseball player wearing a Twin’s uniform. “Hi, No-No,” she said, accepting the inevitable.

“Hi, Hannah. Guess what? I’m going to the show!”

Hannah knew a bit of baseball lingo. Her father had followed the Twins for years and he’d never tired of talking baseball to his daughters. “They moved you up and you’re pitching for the Twins now?” she asked.

“That’s right. But I’m really worried about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you struck out a killer last night and I’ve never done that. I figured that maybe I should let you have a shot at the best rookie pitcher the Twins are ever gonna have.”

“You mean…” Hannah didn’t dare voice what she was thinking. It was almost too good to be true.

“That’s right. I want to take your place and have you throw three balls at me. If you dunk me, you’re the best amateur pitcher in the state. And if you don’t, I’ll take a crack at you. Fair enough?”

Hannah glanced out over the crowd. There was Wingo Jones and his cameraman. Delores would love this publicity for the Lake Eden Historical Society. And that gave her a really great idea.

“Sure,” she said, giving a big grin for the camera, “but I’m not the best amateur pitcher around.”

No-No looked surprised. “You’re not?”

“Oh, no. My mother is. She’s Delores Swensen, the president of the Lake Eden Historical Society, and she told me all about it. She used to play softball when she was in high school, and she was terrific. If my mother can’t dunk you with three pitches, you can have a crack at her. Is that a deal?”

“It’s a deal,” No-No said, and Hannah almost laughed out loud as she caught sight of her mother’s shocked face. Delores was caught, and she knew it. If she refused to honor Hannah’s bet, she’d fail to support her favorite cause. And if she did honor Hannah’s bet, she’d probably get dunked, but she’d also get a lot more airtime to promote the Lake Eden Historical Society. Hannah figured she’d done what a good daughter should do and helped her mother achieve her goal. Delores deserved it. Oh, boy, did she ever deserve it!

“Did you wait until the third ball on purpose?” Andrea asked, when one of Sally’s waitresses had served their entrees.

Delores shrugged. She’d gotten at least three minutes of airtime on KCOW television, and she was pleased. And to make her time on camera even sweeter, she hadn’t been dunked. “Of course I waited until the third ball,” she said. “I had to build up the suspense. That’s very important in the television world.”

Hannah, who was sitting between Norman and Mike again, despite her protests that she felt like the mustard in their ham and cheese sandwich, just smiled. Her mother had dunked No-No fair and square and it would probably become a family legend. And when it came to family legends, she had one she had to correct.

“You can stop eating oatmeal,” she said, leaning across the table to speak to Andrea. “You fooled me when you were a kid, and I was just getting even.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“I knew that day. But I felt guilty for fooling you, and I figured it was my penance.”

“Well, you don’t have to be penitent any longer.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll still eat oatmeal.”

Hannah stared at her for a moment and then she began to smile. “Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right,” Andrea interrupted. “I discovered I really like it!”

“Hannah?” Lisa motioned to Hannah and Hannah leaned back to talk to her behind Mike’s back. “I just wanted to tell you I really like your earrings. They match your pendant perfectly.”

“Thank you,” Hannah said and left it at that. The earrings had arrived that morning, a special delivery from the jeweler who’d designed her pendant. They were a gift from Ross Barton, the producer of Crisis in Cherrywood. There had been little gifts, or flowers, every week since he’d been gone. When they’d spoken on the phone, he’d told her that he was “fanning the flames to keep them alive.”

“So how’s Cuddles?” Michelle asked Norman. She was sitting between Norman and Lonnie, but Hannah was willing to bet that she didn’t feel like anyone’s sandwich.

“She’s great.” Norman passed her the picture he’d taken of the gray tabby curled up with Moishe in their father’s desk chair. “Cuddles adores Moishe, so we’re going to let them visit at least three times a week.”

Hannah glanced at Mike. He didn’t look happy.

“So…” he said. “Do you think they’ll have any kids? I’ve been thinking about getting a kitten.”

Good heavens! Hannah thought. She had to end this before Mike and Norman tried to out-feline each other.

“Cuddles is spayed,” Hannah explained. “She can’t have kittens. And even if she could, Moishe’s been neutered.”

“Oh, Hannah! How could you?!” Mike looked horrified.

“I didn’t,” Hannah told him. “He was already neutered when he arrived on my doorstep. But if he hadn’t been, I would have taken him to the vet. It’s part of being a responsible pet owner. There are too many homeless dogs and cats.”

“But…” Mike floundered in the face of Hannah’s determination, but he was given a reprieve as Delores began clinking her fork against her champagne flute.

“Could I please have everyone’s attention?” Delores asked. It was designed in the form of a question, but given the force of her personality, of course she had it in no time flat.

“First of all, Lisa and Herb need our help,” Delores said, startling Hannah and causing her to almost stab her napkin instead of the anchovy on her salad.

“I knew I should have told you first,” Lisa said, leaning back to talk to Hannah around the rear of Mike’s chair. “It was just that you were so busy. And all I asked her was if she’d let some of my relatives rent her cabin on Eden Lake for the last week in August.”

“Lisa and Herb are having a family reunion,” Delores went on, “and they need places to rent on Eden Lake. You can help them with that, can’t you, Andrea?”

“Of course,” Andrea said, pulling out some kind of an electronic device and making a note. “The last week in August?”

“Right,” Lisa said, glancing over at Herb, who nodded. “We thought that might be a good time because it’s right before school starts.”

“I’ll take care of it for you. How many people are coming?”

Lisa looked at Herb, and Herb looked at Lisa. Hannah thought both of them seemed a little stunned that their plans were being made so public so soon.

“Maybe three dozen?” Lisa ventured. “We’re doing RSVPs so we can let you know.”

“And maybe a dozen or so more,” Herb added. “Lisa comes from a big family, and so do I.”

“That’s okay. I can handle it. Most people are shutting their cabins down about that time, and they’ll be happy about the extra rental. I can probably get you a deal.”

“In any event, we’ll start the ball rolling for you,” Delores said, smiling at Lisa and Herb. “And now, I’d like to propose a toast to my daughter Michelle for winning the Miss Tri-County Beauty Pageant.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Michelle said, clinking her glass with her mother’s. “And I’d like to propose a toast to Andrea and Tracey, who came in first in the Mother-Daughter contest.”

“And I’d like to…” Tracey paused and turned to her mother. “What did Grandma call that?”

“Propose a toast,” Andrea said.

“Right. I’d like to propose a toast to Bethany, who would have come in first in the Beautiful Baby contest if she hadn’t pulled off the head judge’s hair.”

“It was a toupee,” Andrea explained. “Everybody there thought it was really funny, but Bethie got disqualified for misbehavior.”

Delores shook her head. “They should have given her an award for good taste. It was the worst toupee I’ve ever seen. He must have gotten it used from Digger.”

“Mother!” Hannah gasped, laughing in spite of herself.

Delores laughed right along with her daughters. “I’m a little giddy tonight because I finally finished the project I’ve been working on for months.”

“Tell us about it,” Hannah said, hoping that her mother would reveal what she’d been doing every night in her home office.

“Not quite yet, dear. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years, and we’ll have another family celebration if it actually flies.”

Orville and Wilbur beat you to it, Hannah thought, but of course she didn’t say it.

“I’d like to congratulate Norman for winning first place in the photography exhibit,” Delores went on, “and Herb for being the best amateur magician. And I want to thank Mike for saving Hannah from that dreadful man. I’m through talking now. Let’s have dessert!”

The waitress must have been listening, because the dessert cart appeared immediately. There were Hannah’s Blonde Brownies to celebrate the fact that Willa’s killer was behind bars, and a round silver platter that was totally empty.

“Here, Hannah,” Norman said, passing a second photograph to her.

Hannah glanced down at the photo, and a broad smile spread across her face. “It’s perfect, Norman. How did you do that?”

“With my photo program. That’s the beauty of digital photography. I could have changed your dress to any color, but I thought dark green looked better with your hair.”

“It does look better,” Hannah uttered the understatement of the year and gave silent thanks to whoever had designed Norman’s photo program. “Is this the picture that’s going to be in the paper tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Norman,” Hannah said, already thinking of other ways she could show her appreciation. And then the waitress approached her, and Hannah noticed that empty silver plate again.

“Why do you have…?” Hannah started to ask, but she stopped as she saw Ruby walking up to their table with a plate liner to fit that silver platter. The glass liner contained at least a dozen deep-friend goodies.

“Milky Ways are on the left, and Snickers are on the right,” Ruby said, placing the liner on the silver platter and smiling at Hannah. “Your mother arranged it, and Sally let me make them right here.”

Ruby left the platter and came around the table to give Hannah a big hug. “Thank you for saving Brianna from making the biggest mistake of her life!”

Hannah hugged her back and accepted the deep-fried Milky Way that Ruby put on her plate. As she took her first bite and came very close to moaning in pleasure, she thought about how lucky she was. It was wonderful to be here with her family and friends, enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime treat. And then she caught her mother’s eye. And she wondered exactly what project her mother had finished. And whether that secret project was going to affect all of their lives.

BLONDE BROWNIES

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

4 one-ounce squares white chocolate (or the equivalent—3/4 cup white chocolate chips will do fine.)

3/4 cup butter (one and a half sticks)

11/2 cups white (granulated) sugar

3 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)

1 teaspoon coconut extract (or vanilla)

1 cup flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by lining it with a piece of foil large enough to flap over the sides. Spray the foil-lined pan with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray.

Microwave the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl for one minute. Stir. (Since chocolate frequently maintains its shape even when melted, you have to stir to make sure.) If it’s not melted, microwave for an additional 20 seconds and stir again. Repeat if necessary.

Stir the sugar into the white chocolate mixture. Feel the bowl. If it’s not so hot it’ll cook the eggs, add them now, stirring thoroughly. Mix in the coconut extract.

Mix in the flour and stir just until it’s moistened.

Put the pecans, coconut and white chocolate chips in a food processor. Chop them all together with the steel blade. (If you don’t have a food processor, you don’t have to buy one just for this recipe—just chop everything up as well as you can with a sharp knife.)