Joanne Fluke - Gingerbread Cookie Murder

GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER
JOANNE FLUKE

THE DANGERS OF GINGERBREAD COOKIES
LAURA LEVINE

GINGERBREAD COOKIES AND GUNSHOTS
LESLIE MEIER

A big thank you to Kathy Allen for testing lots of Hannahs recipes. And thanks to John and Kathys friends for critiquing them.

T wenty-four reindeer burned to a crisp and it was all her fault! Hannah Swensen pulled the smoking cookie sheets from her oven and dumped the contents in the kitchen waste-basket. She should have known shed never hear her stove timer over Ernie Kusaks deafening Christmas music.

To bake, or not to bake. Hannah pondered the decision for several seconds. Shed left work early to come home to bake, and if she quit now, shed have to get up very early tomorrow to finish the cookies shed promised to deliver to her niece Traceys first grade class in time for their morning snack. On the other hand, shed probably burn several more herds of reindeer unless she stood with her ear to the oven. And Tracey had promised her classmates that Aunt Hannahs gingerbread reindeer cookies were the best cookies in the whole world.

Later, she said with a sigh, covering the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and sliding it into the refrigerator. The cookies could wait. Earplugs, however, could not.

Hannah hurried to her bedroom, pulled out the top drawer of her dresser, and took out a small plastic pouch. The last time shed worn earplugs was when shed watched her business partner, Lisa, compete in a pistol match. Ernies music was certainly as loud as a gunshot, and that meant they ought to work just fine.

The earplugs were the squeezable kind and fairly comfortable, but even after shed put them in place, she could still hear the refrain of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus quite clearly. They didnt completely drown out the racket, but they did make it bearable.

Hannah was about to turn to go back into the living room, when she spotted a lump under the covers of her bed. Her feline roommate had also made an effort to escape the musical assault.

Smart boy! she complimented the twenty-three pound, orange and white cat who cohabited her condo. It was clear that Moishe shared her opinion of Ernies music, because hed tunneled under a quilt, two blankets, a sheet, and a feather pillow.

At least it wasnt the same song, over and over. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas had been blaring away when Hannah had come home from The Cookie Jar, her bakery and coffee shop in town. The previous evening shed been subjected to the strains of We Wish You a Merry Christmas when shed climbed up the stairs to her second-floor home. The night before that it had been a dozen verses of The Twelve Days of Christmas . Twice. There was nothing wrong with Christmas music. Hannah loved Christmas music. But this was way too early, a whole month before Christmas, and Ernie turned it up way too loud. Lisa had suggested that Ernie might have a hearing problem, and Hannah agreed. If Ernie had no hearing loss now, he was bound to have one before the holiday season was over!

Hannah gave a little sigh. Shed done her best to solve the problem today when Ernie had come into The Cookie Jar for coffee. With unprecedented tact for one who had none to speak of, Hannah had asked him very nicely if he would please lower the volume of the music. Ernie had agreed immediately, promising to reduce the decibels right after his kids came home from school and saw the newest addition to his Christmas display. Hannah had been so grateful, shed given him a dozen gingerbread Santa cookies to seal their bargain.

Everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota, had reeled in shock when Ernie Kusak had divorced his wife Lorna in June. As far as the founders of the Lake Eden gossip hotline knew, the Kusak marriage was rock solid. They didnt have financial worries. Lorna worked as a legal secretary for Howie Levine, Lake Edens most popular lawyer, and Ernie made good money as the manager and head driver for Cyril Murphys Shamrock Limousine Service. The couple had two teenage children who earned high grades in school and appeared happy and well adjusted. Their son, Christopher, was a senior at Jordan High and their daughter, Lindsay, was a junior. Lorna had never complained to any of the local women about Ernie, and on the infrequent occasions that Ernie had time off and joined the crowd in the back room at Hal and Roses Cafe to play a hand of poker, he had nothing critical to say about Lorna. No one was sure why their twenty-year marriage had suddenly dissolved, and neither Lorna nor Ernie was talking.

Once the Kusak divorce was final, Hannahs sister, Andrea, had sold their house to Gary Jenkins, one of Ernies coworkers, who wanted to move from a neighboring town and reduce his commute time. Shed found a condo in Hannahs complex for Lorna to buy with her share of the proceeds, and Gary had invited Ernie to live in what had formerly been Ernies own basement bedroom. Hed been living there for four months when fortune smiled on him and he purchased the winning ticket in the Super-Six Lottery with a jackpot of over eight million dollars.

The lottery changed Ernies life. When he moved out of his old basement and used some of his newly found riches to buy a condo in Hannahs complex, speculation ran wild that Ernie had come to his senses and was attempting to get back into Lornas good graces. But Lorna wasnt convinced she wanted to re-marry Ernie, even though he was now a wealthy man.

Hannah was the first to admit that establishing a college fund for Chris and Lindsay was a good first step toward restoring Lornas affections. Buying both kids new cars, however, was a bit much. Of course the kids liked to hang out at Dads condo with their friends. Ernie had equipped it with the newest video games, there were always cold drinks and snack foods on hand, and Ernie had programmed the takeout number for Bertanellis Pizza on his phone. A giant-screen television in the media room was set up to receive first-run movies and sports events via satellite, and Chris and Lindsays friends were always welcome. According to Lorna, the only part of the three-bedroom condo that Ernie had set aside for his own pleasure was the master bedroom. That said, Lorna had snapped her mouth shut and refused to say anything further.

Even though now, with her earplugs in place, Ernies music was borderline tolerable, Hannah supposed a member of the homeowners association should go down and caution Ernie again. But Ernie had promised her hed turn down the volume right after his kids came home from school. Perhaps theyd had a late afternoon activity at Jordan High and they werent home yet.