Apple Turnover Murder, Key Lime Pie Murder, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Tomorrow would be another full day of filming. There would be a scene with Erica in her blue-and-white bedroom, a scene with Burke and Lynne visiting their “father’s” grave, and a third scene as they attended their “aunt’s” funeral. On Friday they would shoot a scene at the high school with the actor playing Jody as a teenager, the skating scene with Tracey in the park, and the final scene of the movie where an adult Amy, played by Lynne, said good-bye forever to Cherrywood and drove off to return to her husband and family.

  Hannah finished the tray of stuffed celery and started to arrange the chilled Mini Cherry Cheesecakes. She’d also learned that there was no good time to deliver cheesecakes to Dean’s trailer. After that first morning, when she’d heard someone who’d sounded suspiciously like Erica leave by the rear door, she’d taken the precaution of calling Dean’s office before she left The Cookie Jar. But that hadn’t helped a speck. Every time she called, she got the answer machine and it was clear that Dean hadn’t heard even one of her messages. And each time she’d knocked on the trailer door, she’d heard a female voice and then a muffled curse from the Bad Boy Director. Several minutes later, Dean would open the door looking rumpled and very crabby, Hannah would step in, and then she’d hear the rear door open and close.

  So far, in the course of her cheesecake delivery experience, she’d heard five women leaving Dean’s Winnebago. She couldn’t swear to it in a court of law, but she’d thought about the women’s voices she’d heard and come to some tentative conclusions. The first voice had sounded like Erica. There were just too many giggles for anyone else. And the voice on the second morning had sounded a whole lot like Lynne. After lunch, when she’d delivered the second cheesecake, Hannah was almost positive she’d heard Jeanette, Erica’s mother. Then there was the voice this morning, the voice that she really hadn’t wanted to recognize. She’d denied it at first, but now Hannah had to admit that the woman with Dean had sounded exactly like Andrea. It all tied in with what Dean had said as they’d left the school after Tracey’s spelling bee scene. Hannah sent up a silent prayer that she was dead wrong and her sister wasn’t involved with the Bad Boy Director.

  This afternoon, when she delivered Dean’s second cheesecake, Hannah had recognized the woman’s voice. She was almost positive that it had been Honey, the head beautician. Even though Sharyn was now in town, his wife’s presence didn’t appear to be modifying Dean’s behavior one bit.

  In spite of all this, Dean was a gifted director. Everyone in the cast agreed about that. What Burke had said in his interview was partly true. If Dean wasn’t getting the performance he wanted from an actor or actress, he was quick to step in and demonstrate what he wanted them to do. While he didn’t actually get dressed up in their costumes, he did occasionally use a hat, or a scarf, or some prop to enhance the illusion.

  Only a few people were allowed in to watch the scene that was being filmed, and Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted Winnie Henderson.

  “Hi, Winnie,” Hannah said, rushing up to her. “I need to talk to you after all this is over. Will you stop by The Cookie Jar?”

  “Sure, but only if you promise not to mention the park. I’m sick and tired of people trying to talk me into signing off so those movie people can use it.”

  “I can’t promise you that,” Hannah said truthfully. “But if you listen to what I have to say and you still say no, I’ll shut up and I won’t say another word about it.”

  Winnie laughed good-naturedly. “Okay then. That’s fair enough. I’ll stop by if you save one of those little cherry cheesecakes for me. They look mighty tasty.”

  “It’s a done deal,” Hannah agreed, borrowing Andrea’s favorite phrase. And then she excused herself and hurried off to check the extra coolers she’d brought to hold the little cheesecakes, in case the ones on the platters began to droop under the lights.

  “We’re here!” a voice shouted out, and Hannah turned to see Michelle coming in with the cast and crew. Everyone who was in the scene was in full costume, including the extras, and Hannah watched her youngest sister and several other movie people as they helped the extras find their places and coached them on what to do.

  They were all ready and waiting to go when Dean strolled in. He moved a few people, stepped back to look at the result, and nodded. While he was giving some last-minute instructions to Burke and Lynne, Michelle came over to stand with Hannah.

  “Am I late?” Andrea asked, coming up to join them.

  “No, it’ll be at least another ten minutes, maybe fifteen,” Michelle told her. “Where’s Tracey?”

  “At home, doing her homework with Grandma McCann. When she’s through, they’re going to watch a movie.”

  The three sisters stood there gazing at the scene for a moment. It was strange to see so many Lake Eden people dressed in fancy evening clothes in the middle of the afternoon. Hannah was the first to turn away and as she did, she noticed that both of her siblings were watching Dean Lawrence with identical hungry looks in their eyes.

  Hannah shrugged slightly. She guessed she could understand their fascination with the director. He was handsome and as long as her sisters were just “window shopping,” that was fine with her. Dean looked slightly disheveled and wickedly charming. He would have been right at home in a pirate’s costume, ravishing women left and right.

  Her attention shifted to a familiar figure who’d just walked in. It was Ross and as far as Hannah was concerned, he was much more appealing than Dean. It was true that he wasn’t quite as handsome, but her Grandma Ingrid used to say, Handsome is as handsome does, and Hannah thought she was right. Ross was a much nicer person than Dean and he cared about people other than himself.

  “Hey, Shelly. Mike and I are here.”

  Hannah turned to see Lonnie Murphy, Michelle’s significant Lake Eden other, standing behind them in full-dress uniform. It was dark blue instead of tan and maroon, the colors of the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Department, and there was a patch sewn on the shoulder that read CHERRYWOOD P. D.

  Lonnie was smiling and Hannah smiled back. He was the only person who could get away with calling her sister, Shelly, a name Michelle absolutely despised. And the fact that Michelle didn’t seem to mind at all when Lonnie said it told a lot about their relationship.

  Michelle turned and a big smile spread across her face. Hannah was relieved to notice that the look in Michelle’s eyes when she shifted her attention to Lonnie was at least a hundred watts brighter than the look she’d given Dean. Michelle had her priorities straight, but did Andrea? Hannah’s middle sister was still focused entirely on the Bad Boy Director.

  Then something happened that caused Hannah to relax slightly. Sharyn Lawrence stepped onto the set and wove her way through the extras to greet her husband. Andrea stared at her for a moment and then she turned to Hannah.

  “That’s Sharyn,” she said. “She’s Dean’s wife.”

  “I didn’t know you’d met her.”

  “I haven’t, but who else could it be? Dean said his wife had raven hair.”

  “You’ve been talking to Dean about his wife?”

  “Not really. He just happened to mention her, that’s all. We were talking about Tracey’s part in the movie.”

  Hannah decided to take the bull by the horns. “Was that this morning when I knocked on the door at the Winnebago?”

  “Uh…yes. Look, Hannah. Nothing happened.”

  “Then why did you go out the back way?”

  “He asked me to. He wanted to avoid any gossip, you know? I mean, since I’m married and all.”

  That hasn’t stopped him in the past, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. She remained perfectly silent and waited for her sister to get uncomfortable enough to go on with her explanation.

  “It’s just like I told you, Hannah. Nothing happened! Dean talked to me about Tracey’s part in the movie. He’s been just wonderful about advising us.”

  Again, Hannah remained perfectly silent. It wasn’t easy, bu
t the ball was in Andrea’s court.

  “He said he called me in so early because he needed to talk to me privately. And that’s when he told me that he’s already chosen his next movie script and I’m perfect for one of the parts.”

  “You?” Hannah asked, too startled to remain silent any longer.

  “Yes, me. And he even offered to fly me to Hollywood for a screen test.”

  Hannah stared at her sister in absolute shock. “Don’t tell me you fell for that old line! My married sister who’s totally in love with her husband, even though she’s momentarily ticked off with him for going off to Miami without her, wouldn’t be that naïve…right?”

  “Of course not! I’m almost certain I’m not star material, and I recognize a line when I hear one. But it really was flattering, and I was tempted to say yes for a split second or two.”

  “But you said no.”

  “Of course I did. But Dean was very persuasive and now I can understand why so many women would do almost anything he asked them to do.”

  “I’m just glad you’re not one of those women,” Hannah said. But before she could say anything else, the assistant director called for quiet on the set.

  Some of the prop men hurried up to the set carrying champagne glasses and handed them to some of the guests at the cocktail party. Others didn’t get glasses and Hannah assumed that they would be approached by waitresses in the scene with their trays of filled glasses.

  “Are they really drinking champagne?” Hannah asked her youngest sister.

  Michelle shook her head. “It’s cream soda. We’ll do a couple of second unit inserts later with glasses being filled with real champagne.”

  “Like the inserts Clark shot of Moishe?”

  “That’s right. Excuse me a second, Hannah. Ross needs me.”

  Michelle rushed onto the set and up to Ross, who’d motioned to her. A second later she headed for the door and came back with Mike in tow.

  “Oh, boy!” Hannah said under her breath. Mike was a sight for sore eyes in his full-dress Cherrywood P. D. uniform. Actually, he was a sight for sore eyes in anything he wore, but she didn’t want to think about that right now.

  Mike, his brass gleaming under the lights, followed Ross and Lloyd, the head prop man, as they led him to an ornate white desk trimmed with gold that sat in the corner of the room. It was a double desk, the kind Hannah had always wanted but wasn’t sure why, with room for two people to sit on either side and use it together. Hannah watched as Mike pulled out one of the center drawers and examined what was inside. Then he closed it again, exchanged a couple of words with Lloyd and Ross, and went back out through the living room doorway.

  “What was he doing?” Hannah asked Michelle, who’d come back to stand by Andrea.

  “He was checking the gun to make sure it was unloaded and Lloyd had removed the firing pin.”

  “Is that the gun they use in the suicide scene?” Andrea wanted to know.

  “That’s right.”

  Hannah started to frown. “But it won’t make any noise at all without a firing pin.”

  “That’s right. We’ll add the sound of a gun firing in post production.”

  “Why not use blanks?” Andrea asked.

  “Blanks are only safe if your target is a few yards away,” Hannah answered, remembering the way Ross had described the suicide scene. “Burke has to put the gun right up to his temple.”

  “So?”

  “Blanks have a primer and gunpowder inside a casing. It’s sealed with a wad of something that looks like shellac. When the gun’s fired, the wad can exit the barrel with enough velocity to kill Burke.”

  “I didn’t know that!” Andrea breathed, shivering a bit.

  “A lot of people don’t know that. The only reason I know is that Lisa told me.”

  “How did she find out?” Michelle wanted to know.

  “Herb teaches a class in gun safety.” Hannah was about to tell them about the television actor who was killed with blanks while pretending to commit suicide on a set, when she saw Delores giving her the high sign. “The Cream Cheese Puffs must be ready. Either that or Mother is trying out for the part of a windmill.”

  Chapter

  Nineteen

  “I never wanted you to figure it out, but it really doesn’t matter anyway. He looked at me right before I shot him and I keep seeing that look in my dreams. It’s haunting me and I just can’t take it anymore.”

  Burke pulled out the center drawer and reached for the gun, but before he could grasp it, there was an angry shout from Dean.

  “Cut!” Dean shouted again. “What’s with you, Burke? You’re supposed to make people weep for you! Get up. I’ll show you what I want here.”

  Burke looked very embarrassed as he rose to his feet. “I’m sorry, Dean. I don’t know what’s wrong, either. I just can’t seem to get the motivation right. I know Jody’s supposed to be at the end of his rope, but it’s just not working for me.”

  “Why not? He’s been dealing with guilt for years and it’s taken its toll. He’s also sloshed to the gills. All you have to do is sell drunk and guilty.”

  “I know. We talked about that, and I thought I could do it, but…” Burke stopped speaking and sighed. “My back hurts and I just can’t seem to get it right.”

  Dean rolled his eyes at the rest of the cast. “Fine. I’ll show you how it should be done.”

  “Thanks, Dean.” Burke moved to the edge of the set and watched as Dean walked toward the desk. But before he got there, the director stopped and turned to his cameramen. “Make this a three-shot. I’ve got the feeling we’re going to need it. The way Burke’s going today, I might have to put it on a loop and screen it for him all night.”

  “That was nasty,” Hannah whispered to Michelle.

  “And how! Dean’s not about to get nominated for the nicest guy in the movie business,” Michelle whispered back. “When this scene’s over, I’ll tell you what he said to me this morning!”

  Hannah glanced at Delores and saw she was doing her windmill impression again. Hannah was about to head up the stairs to fetch more Cream Cheese Puffs when Andrea grabbed her arm.

  “I’ll go,” Andrea offered. “I have to make a call anyway. I’ll bring the tray back down when this take’s over.”

  “That’s fine with me.” Once Andrea had left, Hannah turned her attention back to the scene. Dean was getting a glass of cream soda champagne from one of the waitresses and when he turned around to face the camera, she had all she could do not to gasp. He looked glassy-eyed, as if he’d been indulging in strong spirits for hours. The illusion of extreme inebriation was embellished even further as he made his way unsteadily through the crowd to approach the antique partner’s desk where Lynne was sitting.

  The adult Amy was deep in thought, staring down at the tray of Mini Cherry Cheesecakes that a waitress had left on the top of the desk without really seeing them. Hannah knew Lynne was supposed to be remembering what had happened on the night of her father’s suicide.

  “Well, how about that…it’s Li’l Sis,” Dean said, stumbling slightly and catching himself on the corner of the desk. “Mind if I sit down?”

  “Oh, Jody. You’re drunk! You’re just as drunk as Dad used to get whenever he threw a cocktail…” Lynne stopped and put both hands to her head, as if she could stop the memories from emerging. It was a perfect gesture and Hannah was impressed.

  “You’re thinking about the night he did it?” Dean asked, slurring his words.

  “Yes.”

  “He was drunk that night, too. And you know what always happened whenever he was drunk.”

  Hannah watched as Lynne gave a delicate shudder. Her face actually paled and Hannah could see the tears well up in her eyes. “I know, Jody. I remember.”

  “I couldn’t let him do that again, Li’l Sis. No way. You understand that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Lynne said and she looked profoundly sad. “It’s all right, Jody. Nobody else has to know what h
appened that…”

  “But I know!” Dean interrupted, and Hannah almost jumped as he leaned forward over the desktop, coming very close to touching Lynne.

  “I’ll never tell,” Lynne promised, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I promise, Jody. I’ll never tell a soul.”

  “’Course not. Wouldn’t expect you to. But that doesn’t help a whole lot, Li’l Sis. I never wanted you to figure it out, but it really doesn’t matter anyway. He looked at me right before I shot him and I keep seeing that look in my dreams. It’s haunting me and I just can’t take it anymore.”

  Dean pulled out the center drawer of the desk and grabbed the gun. He rose to his feet and was raising the revolver to his head when Lynne started to scream. Her scream wasn’t audible over the sound of the music and laughter from the merrymakers at the cocktail party. No one reacted in the slightest.

  “No!” Lynne sounded positively panic-stricken. “I love you, Jody! Don’t do this to me!”

  “I’m not doing it to you, Li’l Sis. I’m doing it for me.”

  Once he’d delivered that line, Dean raised the gun to his temple and squeezed the trigger. The instant the hammer flew forward, there was a loud explosion. The earsplitting blast prompted several screams from the extras, and Hannah stood there staring, barely able to believe what she was seeing. Dean Lawrence, Hollywood’s Bad Boy Director, was lying facedown in the tray of Mini Cherry Cheesecakes, his legs slumped against the front of the desk and his arms dangling limply at his sides. There was no doubt in Hannah’s mind that he’d suffered the same fate as the character he’d been playing. The fake suicide of the movie had turned out to be all too real. The empty revolver without its firing pin had fired!

  Chapter

  Twenty