Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Author:Joanne Fluke [Joanne Fluke]
Language: eng
Format: epub

* * *

At precisely eight-thirty, there was a knock on the back kitchen door. Hannah gave a little sigh. It was her mother’s knock, and she hoped it didn’t mean that she’d have to bake extra cupcakes again.

“Hello, Mother.” She ushered Delores in, and took her parka to hang on one of the hooks by the back door. “Would you like to have coffee with me?”

“Oh, yes!” Delores responded immediately, making a beeline for the work station and her favorite stool. “Thank you, dear. I didn’t have time for coffee this morning.”

Hannah was just about to sit down across from her mother when there was another knock at the door. This was a tentative knock, a knock that said, Sorry to disturb you when you’re working, but I hope you’re not too busy to see me. “It’s Andrea,” she told her mother.

Delores looked puzzled. “How do you know?”

“I recognize her knock. I’ll go let her in.” Hannah hurried to the door, unlocked it, and ushered in her sister. “Just hang up your coat and I’ll get you some coffee.”

When Hannah came back to the work station with Andrea’s coffee, she didn’t sit down across from her mother and Andrea. Instead, she picked up her coffee and took a big sip.

“Aren’t you going to join us, dear?” Delores asked her.

“I will, but I figured I’d better answer the door first.”

It was Andrea’s turn to look puzzled. “But I didn’t hear a knock.”

“Neither did I,” Hannah admitted, “but the third person should be here any minute.”

“You’re expecting someone else?” Delores asked.

“Yes, but I don’t know who it’ll be.”

Don’t say it! the rational part of her mind urged, and Hannah gave a little smile. Of course she wouldn’t repeat one of her father’s favorite superstitions, which was Bad luck always came in threes. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother would ask for some of her time, or that Andrea would ask for a favor that would also take her away from her work. This wasn’t technically a bad thing. She didn’t mind helping her family when they needed her, but holiday season was a very busy time, and she had little time to spare. She was working long hours with the baking and catering holiday parties, and when she got home at night, she was completely exhausted.

“What do you mean?” Delores asked, and for a moment, Hannah wasn’t quite sure what to say. Then she remembered her remark about not knowing who her third visitor would be and responded, “I don’t know who my third visitor will be, but there’s an old saying that visitors always come in threes.”

Not a bad cover, the rational part of her mind declared. I wonder if your mother will buy it.

“I think I remember hearing something like that,” Andrea said, “but I thought it was something about bad news coming in threes. And Digger Gibson always says that death comes in threes.”

Delores shook her head. “I wouldn’t put much stock in that, dear, especially since Digger’s a mortician.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.