Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Epilogue

The bar at the Lake Eden Inn was packed with people, and the final wrap party was turning out to be rousing success. The winner of the Hartland Flour Dessert Bake-Off was holding court at the center table. It was the same lady who’d made the lemon tarts the first night of the contest, and all of the judges had agreed that her entry tonight a mouth-watering apple pie, was the best they’d ever tasted.

Just after the party had started. Mr. Hart had announced that he planned to make Lake Eden the permanent site of the Hartland Flour Dessert Bake-Off. Now he was smiling with Mayor Bascomb and Rod Metcalf at the far end of the bar, and Hannah suspected that they were talking about how to make the most out of the publicity.

Claire Rodgers was at a table with Reverend Knudson and his grandmother. Hannah had pulled her aside, before the party had started and given her an envelope with Lucy’s incriminating photos and negatives. Neither the revered not Priscilla was known for scintillating conversation. Perhaps Claire was doing penance for past misdeeds. But she looked happier than she’d looked in months, and Hannah suspected that she’d broken it off with the mayor.

Mr. and Mrs. Avery were sitting with a crowd of other bake-off contestants. Hannah had returned the money, along with Lucy’s prints and negatives, to them. Mrs. Avery had told her that they were donating the cash to charity, and Mr. Avery hadn’t objected. As Hannah watched, Mrs. Avery reached out to pat her husband’s hand. Apparently, all had been forgiven, but Hannah was willing to bet that Mr. Avery wouldn’t make a mistake like that again.

Danielle was still in the hospital. Hannah had dropped by to see her on the way to the party and together, they’d torn Lucy’s evidence into pieces and flushed them away. No one chose to talk. Hannah didn’t think that she would. Boyd’s students still idolized him, and it was a shameful thing that was better kept secret.

Hannah was sitting alone at a four-person table. Mike and Norman had gone back for a seconds from the huge buffet that Sally had put out for the guests. She picked up one of the bar cookies she’s baked in Sally’s kitchen to celebrate the fact that Mason Kimball was behind bars, and tasted it. It was a recipe she’d just perfected, and she’d named her creation Chocolate Highlander Cookie bars. The bars had a shortbread crust with a creamy, dark chocolate topping, and they were so delicious, Hannah decided to add them to her menu at The Cookie Jar.

Norman and Mike were laughed as they helped themselves to Sally’s Lasagna Verde, and Hannah smiled as she watched them. They were a study in contrasts. Mike was so handsome, he could have played the lead in any romantic movie. Norman wasn’t. His appeal didn’t come from the outside, but Hannah found his solid stockiness and his receding hairline endearing. While Mike was so sexy her stomach went thump, Norman was safe and comforting, like a favorite teddy. If she were a magician and she knew how to combine the two of them into one perfect man, she’d take her mother’s advice and get married tonight.

“Hi, Hannah.” Lisa walked past Hannah’s table, carrying an empty dessert plate. “Dad and Mrs. Beeseman asked me to get some more of your bars, but they’re all gone.”

“There’s a second pan in the kitchen. Just go help yourself.”

Lisa headed for the kitchen, and Hannah took another sip of her wine. Mike had ordered it especially for her as a way of saying thank you for helping them solve the murder case. Hannah knew it was a good vintage and very expensive, but she still preferred her own green gallon jug.

Herb came over to her table, looking distracted. “Where’s Lisa? Her dad just asked my mother to dance, and she won’t want to miss it.”

“She’ll be back any minute. She just ducked into the kitchen to get more bars.” Hannah grabbed his arm so he couldn’t leave. “Sit down for a second, Herb. I need to ask you a favor.” Hannah waited until he’d taken the chair next to her, then leaned close, so she wouldn’t be overheard. “Do you still go to those cowboy weekends, Herb? The ones where they have shooting competitions?”

“Every chance I get. Why?”

“I need to learn about handguns. Do you think you could teach me?”

“No problem. My shooting club has a range. I’ll take you out there some Sunday. Are you planning to buy a handgun for home protection?”

“Not exactly.” Hannah glanced around, but no one was listening. “Did Lisa tell you about how I pinned Mason down with his gun?”

“Yes.”

“It’s like this, Herb. I know how to shoot a shotgun. My dad taught me. But this wasn’t a shotgun and I… uh…”

“You didn’t know how to use it?” Herb interrupted her with a guess.

“That’s right. Of course I knew where the trigger was. Any fool would know that. But I wasn’t sure if I had to do anything first, before it would fire.”

“I’ll bring out my collection of handguns and teach you how to use them. Once you know the basics, you’ll be fine. I taught Lisa, and she took second place in our last cowboy shoot.”

“Good for her,” Hannah started to smile. It seemed Lisa had talents that she didn’t even know about.

After Herb had left, Norman came back to the table. They were sitting there talking about the computer program he’d just installed so that they could design their house for the contest, when Mike came back.

“Hi, Mike.” Hannah gave him a smile, then she turned back to Norman, to answer his question. “I don’t think we can get along with less than three bathrooms. We’ll need one that’s a part of the master suite, one between the kids’ rooms upstairs, and one downstairs for the guests.”

“How about one in the basement, next to the recreation room? We could put it in under stairs.”

“Good idea,” Hannah agreed, and then she happened to glance at Mike. He was staring at her in shock. “What is it, Mike?”

“You and Norman are buying a house together?”

“No, we’re designing a house together,” Norman corrected him. And then he clamped his lips shut and didn’t say another word.

Hannah stared from one to the other, reading the expressions on their faces. There was a gleam of triumph in Norman’s eyes. He was enjoying the fact that Mike was sweating. And Mike looked a little like the rancher who’d come out to his stable in the middle of the night to find a horse thief leading off his best mare.

Hannah knew she should explain before the situation could worsen, but she’d had an exhausting day. She’d almost been killed, and the fact that Norman’s and Mike’s collective noses had been pushed out of joint seemed rather unimportant in the giant scheme of things.

“Is there something you want to tell, Norman?” Mike asked in a belligerent tone.

“No. Is there something you’d like to tell me, Mike?”

Hannah didn’t stick around for the answer. Andreas would know exactly what to do in a situation like this, but Hannah decided she’d had it with jealous men. She pushed back her chair, rose to her full height, and faced them both. “I have to leave, I’ve got someone at home, warming up my bed for me.”

Mike stared at her in astonishment, and Norman looked equally shocked. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Hannah had an almost-uncontrollable urge to laugh.

“Who?” Norman asked, breaking the silence. He looked extremely upset.

“Yeah, who?” Mike echoed his question, and Hannah noticed that he didn’t exactly look happy either.

Hannah thought bout the old childhood taunt, That’s for me to know and you to find out, but she didn’t repeat it. Just because she’d reduced them to junior-high level didn’t mean that she had to reply in kind. She merely smiled sweetly and turned to walk away, but her conscience prodded her before she could take more than a step. She turned back and grinned. “Moishe. Who did you think I meant?”

And then she walked across the floor toward the door, making an exit that was almost worthy of her screen idol, Katharine Hepburn.