Red Velvet Cupcake Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “I want to know about the first time,” Hannah yelled out between claps of thunder. “How did you get her up here alone?”

  “That was easy. She was already here. I just moved a barricade and told her that since she was with me, she was perfectly safe and I’d show her the view.”

  Hannah waited until the rumble of thunder had faded away. “The view of her house?”

  “Of course.”

  “But why did you try to kill her?”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now, Hannah. Everyone says you’re smart. It’s because she’s my half-sister and she was going to get part of my inheritance. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  “So you attacked her?”

  “Yes, with a hammer. Move closer, Hannah,” Roger said, noticing that she’d stopped the forward motion of the cage. “You’re delaying.”

  “It’s just because I want the whole story. Did your father actually write a will that gave Barbara half?”

  “Of course not. He gave her a fourth. He knew how hard I’d been working for him and he knew I deserved the lion’s share.”

  “Of course you did,” Hannah appeased him. “But why kill Barbara when you got so much more than she did?”

  “Because she didn’t deserve anything!” Roger howled above the sound of the wind and the rain. “She’d done nothing! I gave my life for Dalworth Enterprises!”

  “Really?” Hannah asked, knowing full-well she had nothing to lose. “I thought you made a good living from your father’s corporation.”

  “Oh, I did, but not good enough. I’m worth much more. I’m worth more than a hundred percent and Barbara was cutting into my share.”

  “I see,” Hannah said, hoping that the door would crash open and Mike would arrive.

  “Come closer, Hannah. And then I’ll tell you more. I know you want to know everything.”

  “I do want to know,” Hannah said, sliding the control knob to forward. The cage moved slowly a few feet toward Roger and then she stopped it. “Why did you need so much money?”

  “Because I had debts! It’s not easy running Dalworth Enterprises. You have to pay off everybody to get the permits you need. My father never understood that, so I had to play some games with the books. Everybody does it. And then there were expenses. You have to look like you have money when you’re playing with the big boys.”

  He cooked the books, Hannah’s mind said, and I’ll bet most of those mythical payoffs were for him. But Hannah didn’t say that. Instead, she tried to sound very sympathetic. “I understand,” she said.

  “Good.” Roger sounded pleased that she understood. “Come here, Hannah. I don’t think there’s anything more you need to know.”

  “Oh, but there is!” Hannah said, moving another foot or two closer. “I have to know why you killed Doctor Bev.”

  “She was a leech! And she was a cheat! She was blackmailing me once she found out I tried to kill Barbara. She came up in the elevator and she saw me hit Barbara. And then she saw Barbara jump off the roof.”

  Suddenly the fact that Lisa had heard the penthouse elevator squeal shortly before Barbara jumped made sense. Doctor Bev had gone up there. She’d sent Barbara’s button to Hannah as insurance, intending to explain it if Roger failed to give her what she wanted. But Roger had killed her before she could explain and Hannah had been left with a mystery.

  “She was smarter than you are,” Roger said. “She figured it all out and she demanded millions from me.”

  “And of course you didn’t want to give her those millions.”

  “Why would I? I could have anyone I wanted, not a run-down forty-year-old broad who thought she was hot stuff.”

  Hannah felt a moment’s pity for Doctor Bev. She’d picked the wrong guy. “But you lost your Maserati when you killed her.”

  “It was insured and there’s plenty more where that came from. And now I’m tired of talking. You’ve got time for one more question before I come out there and haul you in.”

  “Where did you get the tranquilizers you used to kill Doctor Bev?”

  Roger laughed so loud that it boomed in her ears almost louder than the thunder that was rumbling overhead. “I know where to go and I’ve got connections. I can get anything for a price. Are you going to come closer, Hannah? Or do I have to come out there and kill you?”

  “You have to come out here,” Hannah said, sounding a lot more confident than she felt. Where was Mike? Where was Bill? Where were Lonnie and Rick? Had she been left to deal with a homicidal maniac all by herself?!

  And then Roger smiled the most terrible smile she’d ever seen. It was a smile born of monsters, just the way Barbara had described him. He stepped out of the hinged pane and onto the track that led to her cage, and he moved like an acrobat toward her.

  Hannah acted by pure instinct. She grabbed the bottle of window washing fluid and when he was close enough, she sprayed it directly into his eyes.

  Roger bellowed and Hannah watched in disbelief as he reached up to rub his eyes. He staggered on the track and lost his balance, reaching out to brace himself against the dome, but the panes were slick with rain and he lost his balance. He screamed as he toppled from the track and his voice faded into the distance as he fell three stories into the parking lot.

  Hannah didn’t look. She couldn’t. She just huddled in the bottom of the cage and trembled as Mike and three deputies came through the door and rushed to the open window.

  “Hannah!” Mike yelled. “Bring the cage here.”

  “I . . . I . . . okay,” Hannah managed to say, pushing the lever.

  “Shut it off,” Mike instructed, and Hannah wondered how he knew that she might very well have kept going. “Give me your hand.”

  Hannah reached out and Mike grabbed her hands to help her out of the cage. She might have lost her balance and collapsed to the floor in shock if he hadn’t gathered her into his arms and held her.

  “Good job, Hannah,” he said. “We got his confession on tape.”

  “You mean . . . you were here all along?” Hannah managed to ask, beginning to gather her wits about her.

  “Yes, but we had you covered. The minute he tried to get in the cage with you, we would have grabbed him.”

  Hannah drew back and slapped him hard. “I was terrified that you wouldn’t make it here in time. Don’t ever do anything like that to me again!”

  “What are you talking about? You were perfectly safe.”

  “But I didn’t know that!” Hannah began to tremble with anger and then she started to cry. “You’re awful! And I hate you!”

  Mike gathered her back into his arms and held her. “No, you don’t. You were just scared. And if there were some way we could have let you know we were there, we would have.”

  “Is he . . . dead?” Hannah asked, feeling slightly appeased.

  “The boys are down there now, but it looks bad from up here. He landed in the parking lot with nothing to break his fall.”

  “Then I . . . I killed him?”

  “Not you. Circumstances killed him and it’s what he deserves. He almost murdered the best secretary we ever had at the sheriff’s station. We all love Barbara. And even worse, he was about to kill the woman I love. I do love you, Hannah. You know that, don’t you? I know I don’t always act like it, but I do.”

  Just then the stairwell door burst open and Lonnie ran in. “He’s dead,” he announced. “His head hit the parking lot like a ripe . . .” He glanced at Hannah and stopped speaking. “Never mind.”

  “Good,” Mike said. “That’ll save the taxpayers the expense of a trial.”

  “Andrea and Norman are down in the penthouse. Is it okay if they come up?”

  “Sure. They can take Hannah home. We’ve got work to do here.” Mike gave Hannah another hug and then released her. And when Lonnie left he said very quietly, “I’m glad we talked this afternoon, Hannah. I went to see Warren and I was already on my way back to you when Barbara and Andrea called.”

/>   “You were?” Hannah was confused. “What took you so long?”

  “It wasn’t very long. I got the call from Barbara and I’d just hung up when Andrea called. It took me another ten minutes to get here, but that’s all.”

  Hannah stared at him in shock. “Really? It seemed like much longer than that!”

  Mike hugged her again. “Have you heard that time flies when you’re having fun?”

  “Yes,” Hannah said.

  “Well, I guess it must be just the opposite when you’re not having fun.”

  Chapter Thirty

  One week had passed since Hannah’s harrowing experience in the window washing safety cage and she was smiling as she arrived at the Lake Eden Inn with Norman.

  “I think it’s nice that your mother always gives these congratulatory dinners for you,” he said as they made their way to the dining room.

  “I do, too. I wonder if she’d invite us to a consolation dinner if I didn’t catch the killer.” Norman gave her a shocked look and she laughed. “Just kidding. Come on. Let’s see if we’re the first ones here.”

  As they approached the table they saw that there were four early arrivals sitting at the table. “Too late to switch Mother’s place cards,” Hannah said under her breath. “I’ll bet I’m the bologna again.”

  “The what?”

  “The bologna in a Norman and Mike sandwich. Mother always seats me between the two of you. Sometimes I feel like roast beef, or peanut butter, or even tuna salad. Tonight I feel like bologna.”

  Norman was laughing as he greeted Michelle and Lonnie. Seated opposite them were Lisa and Herb, and Hannah went over to greet them. “Hi, guys,” she said. “Where’s your Cupcake Security blazer, Herb?”

  “I’m off tonight, but I’ve got my best three guys working at the mall.”

  From the way Lisa was grinning, Hannah sensed breaking news. “What are they doing at the mall?”

  “Protecting Stephanie Bascomb. She’s out there picking up a few things at the jewelry store. Lisa and I think it might have something to do with that ride the mayor took in a certain expensive convertible.”

  “I see.” Hannah exchanged amused glances with Lisa. “And will they make sure that Mrs. Mayor gets home safely?”

  “Yes, but not right away,” Lisa told her. “Claire’s opening Beau Monde Fashions at seven, just for her. And after Mrs. Bascomb selects a few things she desperately needs, Herb’s boys will bring her out here to meet the mayor for dinner.”

  “Your staff has nice duty tonight,” Hannah said, nodding at Herb.

  “The guys think so,” he said. “They get to eat an expensive dinner on the mayor’s tab.”

  Andrea and Bill walked in and when everyone had greeted them, Hannah turned to Bill. “Mother said that Barbara was back at work. How is she doing?”

  “Great. She works mornings and spends the afternoons with her real father at the hospital. She told us they’re making up for lost time.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Lisa said. “I’m so glad to hear she’s doing all right.”

  “Barbara’s a lot better than all right,” Mike told her. “She’s already found everything the temporary secretary misfiled.”

  “That’s right,” Andrea said. “Best of all, she even found Bill’s umbrella and that’s been missing since last fall.”

  As they chatted and found their places, the rest of their party arrived. Soon everyone was seated, including Hannah, who was the bologna just as she’d expected. Sally had opened champagne and sparkling white grape juice for the table and everyone was in a celebratory mood.

  “I’ve got a question for you,” Andrea said, turning to Hannah. “How did you ever have the courage to get into that window-washing cage?”

  “Remember when you said you’d rather die than step into something that hung outside the dome above the third floor?”

  “I remember.”

  “Well, that was my choice. So I got in.”

  Delores shivered a little. “You were very brave, dear.” Then she raised her glass. “Let’s have a toast to Hannah and everyone here who helped to catch another killer.”

  Their glasses were filled and presented to them by Sally and two of her best waitresses. Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip.

  “Hear, hear!” Doc Knight said, smiling at Delores. “And now I think that Lori has an announcement to make.” He gave her a little nudge. “Come on, Lori. It’s time for your speech.”

  Delores stood up, rather reluctantly Hannah thought, and cleared her throat. “There’s a second reason I asked all of you to join us here tonight. I need to announce . . . I mean, I want to announce that . . . well . . .” She stopped speaking and cleared her throat again.

  “Just tell them, Lori,” Doc encouraged her. “Everyone here loves you. They’ll understand.”

  “I hope so. Anyway . . . the second reason we asked all of you to join us here is because . . .” She faltered again and turned to Doc. “I just can’t do it. The girls loved their father.”

  “So did you, Lori, but time has passed, and you don’t look all that good in black.”

  Delores turned to look at him. “Thank you . . . I think.” Then she turned to address them all again. “Doc and I are getting married.”

  Doc got up to put his arm around her. “Well done!” Then he turned to them. “The thing is, Lori and I need your help. We don’t want a lot of hoopla or anything like that, but my patients and Lori’s friends are going to feel cheated if they don’t get to come to the wedding. And that’s where you come in, if you approve, that is.”

  “Of course we approve,” Bill said.

  Mike nodded. “You bet we do.”

  “Tell them what we need, Lori.” Doc gave her another hug.

  Delores took a deep breath. “If you girls don’t mind, I really need you to plan the wedding for us. We’ll help you with the guest list, but whatever else you decide is fine with us. Will you help us?”

  “I will,” Lisa said quickly, “and I’m not even your daughter.”

  “Thank you, Lisa.” Delores beamed at her.

  “I’ll help you, Mother,” Michelle said. “I’m really glad you’re marrying Doc. He’s perfect for you.”

  “And I’ll help,” Andrea offered. “I think it’s just wonderful!”

  Delores turned to the only daughter who hadn’t spoken, the one who had been old enough to grow up with her father and love him the most. “Hannah?”

  Hannah winked at her mother to show she was kidding and then she gave a shrug. “I don’t know, Mother. On one hand, I like the idea of getting our flu shots for free.”

  There was a burst of laughter around the table and the tension dissipated. Hannah waited until everyone was silent again, and then she continued. “On the other hand, Doc’s going to be our stepfather and we don’t even know his first name. You call him Doc. Everybody calls him Doc. That’s like calling the president of a company Prez. I don’t know if I can help you with the wedding plans if I don’t know the groom’s first name.”

  Delores exchanged an amused glance with Doc. “I told you before, dear. His name is Doc.”

  “I know that’s what everybody calls him, but what’s his real first name?”

  “Doc!” Delores said again, dissolving into a cascade of laughter. “It was Murdoch, but he shortened it to Doc. I’m going to marry Doctor Doc!”

  RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER RECIPE INDEX

  Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes 17

  Chocolate Apricot Surprises 17

  Red Velvet Cupcakes 18

  Cream Cheese Frosting 22

  Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookies 50

  Frosting for Pink Lemonade Cookies 51

  Chicken Tetrazzini Hotdish 72

  Easy Fruit Pie 82

  Coffee and Cream Cookies 99

  Berried Treasure Bar Cookies (Raspberry Bar Cookies) 108

  Razzle Dazzle Brownies 120

  Double Whammy Lemon Cake 132

  Double Whammy Lem
on Frosting 134

  Mom’s Bran Muffins 153

  Oatmeal Apple Pancakes 166

  Pineapple Coconut Whippersnapper Cookies 176

  Jamboree Muffins 192

  Chocolate-Covered Peanut Cookies 202

  Monkey Bread 239

  Snappy Turtle Pie 253

  Snappy Turtle Cookies 255

  Easy Chocolate Frosting 257

  Guac Ad Hoc 273

  Three-Way Brownie Cookies 292

  Fruit And Nut Brownie Cookies 292

  Hot Stuff Brownie Cookies 292

  Four Alarm Brownie Cookies 292

  Baking Conversion Chart

  These conversions are approximate, but they’ll work just fine for Hannah Swensen’s recipes.

  VOLUME:

  U.S. Metric

  ½ teaspoon 2 milliliters

  1 teaspoon 5 milliliters

  1 tablespoon 15 milliliters

  ¼ cup 50 milliliters

  cup 75 milliliters

  ½ cup 125 milliliters

  ¾ cup 175 milliliters

  1 cup ¼ liter

  WEIGHT:

  U.S. Metric

  1 ounce 28 grams

  1 pound 454 grams

  OVEN TEMPERATURE:

  Degrees Fahrenheit Degrees Centigrade British (Regulo) Gas Mark

  325 degrees F. 165 degrees C. 3

  350 degrees F. 175 degrees C. 4

  375 degrees F. 190 degrees C. 5

  Note: Hannah’s rectangular sheet cake pan, 9 inches by 13 inches, is approximately 23 centimeters by 32.5 centimeters.

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2013 by H.L. Swensen, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.