she must be at loose ends. "Have you ever built a float before?"

"Not exactly, but how hard can it be? Please let me do it, Hannah. Think of it as a favor. You'll be saving me from terminal boredom and it won't cost you a dime. Bill's dad has a hay wagon I can borrow and I've got tons of decorating supplies in the garage."

Hannah found it hard to resist the pleading look on her sister's face. Andrea hadn't looked this excited since she'd planned her own wedding. "But are you sure you want to tackle a rush project like this?"

"Of course. I've got loads of time. Just say the word and I'll get started right away."

Hannah knew she might live to regret it, but she nodded. "Okay."

"You're the best sister in the whole world!" Andrea jumped up and rushed around the table to hug her. "I'm going to run down to Kiddie Korner and tell Tracey. She'll be so excited."

"Don't forget about your meeting with Norman. You have to be back by nine-thirty with the house papers."

"I'll be here. Thanks again, Hannah. You've given me a whole new lease on life."

Hannah sighed as Andrea raced out the door, climbed into her Volvo, and drove away. She was glad her sister was happy, but giving her permission to build the float might have been a strategic mistake, especially since Bill was being so overprotective. How would he feel toward Hannah when his pregnant wife announced that she'd be working long hours designing and decorating a float for The Cookie Jar?

Lemon Meringue Pie Preheat oven to 350 degrees R, with rack in middle position.

1 nine-inch baked pie sh.e.l.l FILLING: 3 whole eggs 4 egg yolks (save the whites in a mixing bowl and let them come up to room temperature- you 'II need them for the meringue) 1 cup white sugar (granulated) !/2 cup water 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/8 cup lime juice 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon b.u.t.ter (Using a double boiler makes this recipe foolproof, but if you 're very careful and stir constantly so it doesn't scorch, you can make the lemon filling in a heavy saucepan directly on the stove over medium heat.)

33.

Put water in the bottom of a double boiler and heat it until it simmers. (Make sure you don't use too much water-it shouldn 't touch the bottom of the double boiler top.) Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with the whole eggs in the top of the double boiler. Add the lh cup water and the combined lemon and lime juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until completely blended. Add this to the egg mixture in the top of the double boiler and blend thoroughly.

Place the top of the double boiler over the simmering water and cook, stirring frequently until the lemon pie filling thickens (5 minutes or so). Lift the top of the double boiler and place it on a cold burner. Add the lemon zest and the b.u.t.ter, and stir thoroughly. Let the filling cool while you make the meringue.

34.

MERINGUE: (This is a whole lot easier with an electric mixer!) 4 egg whites 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup white sugar (granulated) Add the cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites and mix them in. Beat the egg whites on high until they form soft peaks. Continue beating as you sprinkle in the sugar. When the egg whites form firm peaks, stop mixing and tip the bowl to test the meringue. If the egg whites don't slide down the side, they're ready.

Put the filling into the baked pie sh.e.l.l, smoothing it with a rubber spatula. Clean and dry your spatula. Spread the meringue over the filling with the clean spatula, sealing it to the edges of the crust. When the pie is completely covered with meringue, "dot" the pie with the flat side of the spatula to make points in the meringue. (The meringue will shrink back when it bakes if you don't seal it to the edges of the crust.) Bake the pie at 350 degrees F. for no more than 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack, and then refrigerate it if you wish. This pie can be served at room temperature, or chilled.

(To keep your knife from sticking to the meringue when you cut the pie, dip it in cold water.) (This is Lisa's favorite pie-she loves the zing of the lime juice.)

Chapter Three.

Andrea pointed to a line marked with a blue checkmark. "You're next, Hannah. Sign here."

Hannah signed her name where Andrea indicated, right under the lines with the green, red, and purple checkmarks. Andrea had explained the color-coded system when they had first taken their seats at the tables in the rear of the cookie shop. Norman was green, Rhonda Scharf was red, Andrea was purple, and Hannah was blue. It seemed that Norman's first step into the world of home ownership began with a polychromatic autograph a.s.sembly line, but he didn't seem to mind. Hannah watched him smile as he signed his name on the next paper and when he looked up at her, she smiled back.

Howie Levine held his hand out for the paper she'd just signed and Hannah handed it over. Howie notarized the signatures and placed the paper on the stack of completed pages by his left elbow. The pile was growing with each pa.s.sing minute. Hannah wondered how long it would take to top the one-inch mark.

Hannah glanced over at Rhonda Scharf and caught her checking her watch. It was clear Rhonda was pleased at selling her great-aunt's property, but they'd been signing papers

38.

for the past fifteen minutes and the novelty had worn off. Rhonda had dressed for the occasion in a pink knit pantsuit with a cloud of iridescent b.u.t.terflies appliqued on the front. The largest and most colorful b.u.t.terfly was perched just below the vee of her low-cut neckline and called attention to her considerable cleavage. Rhonda, at fifty, still had a voluptuous figure and she liked to show it off. The only jarring note was her shoes, lime green tennis shoes that had been dyed to match the smock Rhonda wore behind the cosmetic counter at Lake Eden Neighborhood Drags.

"Only ten left." Andrea signed and pa.s.sed another doc.u.ment to Rhonda. Rhonda signed and handed it to Norman. When Norman had signed with the Rhodes Dental Clinic pen that Hannah had located, he handed the paper to her. From Hannah it went to Howie, who notarized it and placed it on the top of the stack.

It seemed to take forever, but at last they were almost finished. The only thing left was for Rhonda to sign the deed.

"Excuse me ... Howie?" Rhonda hesitated, her pen poised over the deed. "Before I agreed to the sale, I asked Norman if I could go out there over the weekend to pick up a few family mementos. Do we need a separate agreement for that?"

Howie turned to Norman. "Is that all right with you?"

"Sure. I already told Rhonda that she could."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. A verbal agreement is fine for something like that."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure," Rhonda said and signed the deed.

Once the deed had joined the stack of completed papers and Rhonda was in possession of Norman's cashier's check, Howie pushed back his chair and stood up to shake hands with Rhonda and then with Norman. "I'll file these papers today, but since it's a Friday, you'll have to wait until Monday morning to take possession."

When Howie had left, Hannah turned to her sister. "Is that all?"

"That's it" Andrea looked relieved. "Congratulations on LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 39.

the sale, Rhonda. And congratulations to you, Norman. You bought a great piece of property."

Hannah started to get up from the table, but Norman beat her to her feet. "The cookies are on me," he announced, grinning at all the patrons in the shop. "I just bought my first house."

"And I just sold my first house." Rhonda stood up next to Norman. "I'll pay for the cookies. Thanks to Norman, I'm the one with all his money."

There was a burst of laughter from her customers and Hannah headed off to the counter, leaving Norman and Rhonda to hammer out the details. The Cookie Jar was packed with dozens of people who'd already paid, but Hannah didn't know of a single one who would turn down the chance to have a free cookie. She called that phenomenon "buffet mentality." You could be full to bursting, but if the food was all-you-can-eat, you'd pig out way past the point of comfort. It was the same mind set that caused women to fill their purses with free perfume samples they'd never try, and that gave guests at fixed-price New Year's Eve parties champagne hangovers for the bowl games the next day.

Lisa was carrying coffee refills from table to table when Rhonda came up to the counter. "I won," she said, looking pleased. "I'm paying for the first free cookie and Norman's going to pay for the second."

Hannah added up Rhonda's bill. Once it had been settled; she expected Rhonda to leave, but Rhonda slid onto a stool at the counter.

"The house isn't much," she confided. "I don't blame Norman for wanting to tear it down. It'd cost more to remodel than it'd ever be worth. It's a nice piece of property though, and you'll love the view. I hope you and Norman will be very happy in your new home."

Warning bells rang in Hannah's head. She knew she had to tread carefully. Rhonda wasn't the biggest gossip in town, but she was definitely a contender. "It won't be my home, Rhonda. All I did was design it with Norman."

40.

"But I thought..." Rhonda stopped speaking and began to frown. "When Norman told me he was building the house you designed for the contest, I just naturally a.s.sumed that... You aren't going to marry him?"

"No."

"But you'll never find anybody nicer!"

"That's probably true."

"Then why won't you marry him?"

Hannah sighed. Rhonda had the persistence of a door-to-door salesman. "Norman hasn't asked me."

"He hasn 't? " Rhonda looked shocked, but she covered it quickly and reached out to pat Hannah's hand. "Don't lose heart, dear. I know you're nearly thirty and all of your friends are married, but I'm sure Norman's just waiting until the house is built. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that's what he's doing."

Hannah decided that it was best to change the subject. She was tired of being on the defensive about Norman's failure to pop the question. "Congratulations on the sale, Rhonda. Are you planning to do something special with the money?"

"Yes. I'm taking a real vacation for the first time in my life and it's a dream come true. Thanks to Norman I can afford it now and I booked the ticket last night. I leave Monday morning for Rome!"

Rhonda's eyes lit up and Hannah caught some of her excitement. "That sounds wonderful. How long are you staying?"

"Two glorious weeks! That should give me enough time to see everything I've always wanted to see." Rhonda reached for her purse and slung it over.her shoulder. "I've got to run or I'll be late to work. If I don't see you before I leave, bon voyage"

Hannah bit back a grin as Rhonda slid off the stood and walked toward the door. Bon voyage meant "good voyage" and she should have said it to Rhonda, not the other way around.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 41.

Once Norman and Andrea had left, Hannah manned the counter in the cookie shop while Lisa went back to the kitchen to work on their Independence Day cookies. When the predictable lull came at eleven-thirty, Hannah stepped back to the kitchen to see the results.

"What do you think?" Lisa asked, putting the finishing touches on the last tray of cookies.

"They're perfect. No one would ever know they're recycled."

"I gave a couple of my mistakes to Freddy and Jed." Lisa motioned toward the pantry where Freddy and his cousin were hanging the new shelves that Hannah had bought. "I'll deliver our cookie orders if you want to stay here."

"That's fine with me. Did you mention that ceiling fan?"

Lisa shook her head. "No, I forgot all about it."

"I'll tell them. This would be a good time to fix it."

A few minutes later, the ladder had been set up in the cookie shop and Freddy steadied it while Jed climbed up to look at the defective fan. He yanked the pull cord, but the blades didn't move. Then he loosened the screws on the hub and peered inside.

Freddy looked anxious as he watched Jed overhead and Hannah put her hand on his arm to rea.s.sure him. "Don't worry, Freddy. I'm sure Jed can fix it."

"But I'm the one that did that fan," Freddy sounded every bit as upset as he looked. "I must have done it wrong."

Jed looked down at his cousin. "No, you did it right. The wires came loose, that's all. It could have happened to anyone. I'll fix it and it'll work just fine."

"But I should fix it," Freddy insisted. "It's my fan and a man's got to stand behind his work."

Jed smiled and Hannah could tell that he approved of what Freddy had said. "You're right, buddy. I'll come down and you can fix it. Hold the ladder like I taught you, okay?"

"Okay. I'm holding it, Jed."

42.

As Freddy gripped the ladder tightly, Hannah realized that he looked different. His hair was shorter and his clothes were clean, but there was another change. Freddy was dressing better now that Jed had moved in with him. Instead of donning the baggy green trousers and old work shirts that had belonged to his father, Freddy now had jeans that fit him and cotton knit shirts with a pocket in the front. He even had new work boots that had replaced his battered old tennis shoes.

"Good job, Freddy." Jed stepped off the ladder and patted Freddy on the back. "That ladder didn't move an inch."

"Nope. I held it real tight, just the way you taught me."

Jed walked over to his toolbox and removed a rubber-handled screwdriver and a roll of black electrical tape. "Where's your tool belt, Freddy?"

"Gotta think..." Freddy stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "It's in the pantry, Jed. You told me to take it off when it b.u.mped you."

"Right. Go get it, then. You're going to need it to carry tools up the ladder."

Hannah waited until Freddy had gone back to the kitchen and then turned to Jed with concern. "Are you sure Freddy should be working with electricity? It's pretty dangerous."