by Joanne Fluke
Maura turned to look over her shoulder. Jan was getting out of the car. She stopped and stared up at the front of the house. Jan had spotted her, clinging to the trellis.
“Get back! All of you!” Maura shouted out, praying they’d hear her. “The house is wired! If you set off the motion lights, it’ll blow!”
The next few moments were a nightmare. No one could get close enough to help her for fear of setting off the motion lights. And Maura knew she had to be very careful not to touch a window on her way down. The middle of the trellis was very close to the glass, and that forced her to stay at the very edge, where the wood jutted out in a diamond shape, held only by glue and tiny decorative nails.
Cappy wiggled once and almost threw her off balance, but she told him to stay quiet and he obeyed her instantly. And then she was down, racing over the lawn toward the waiting cars, crying and laughing at the same time.
“Mom!” Jan hugged her tightly. And then she took Cappy out of the bag and gave him a hug, too. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you up there. I thought you were afraid of heights.”
Maura nodded, and gave her a trembling smile. “I am. But I think I’m getting used to it. Maybe I’ll try mountain climbing next year. And while I was climbing down, I thought of the perfect sleeve for my tennis outfit.”
“Calm down, Mom.” Jan turned to Steve. “I think she’s a little hysterical. Maybe you’d better give her something, Uncle Steve.”
Maura shook her head. “I’m fine. Did they get David? He tried to kill me!”
“I know.” Steve wrapped his arms around her. “They picked him up at his apartment. Jan and Hank figured it out, and they called the police.”
Maura nodded, and then she reached up to kiss him, in front of Jan, and Hank, and the police. And then she pulled him away from the others, so she could speak to him privately. “Do you think we can retire now?”
“That’s a very good idea. We’ve closed the books on the drug cartel.” Steve smiled, and hugged her a little tighter. “Will you miss the excitement? Or did you have another career in mind?”
“I know exactly which career I want to try next, but I need your cooperation. Will you marry me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Steve laughed, and kissed her. “But what about your new career?”
Maura smiled. It was a smile full of promise and contentment, a smile that she hadn’t felt like smiling for a long, long, time. “Wife sounds exciting enough to me.”
Christmas normally descends on Lake Eden, Minnesota, as gently as reindeer alighting on a rooftop—but this yuletide season the only thing coming down Hannah Swensen’s chimney is a case of murder . . .
The holidays have arrived, and Hannah and her good pal Lisa have agreed to provide all the goodies for the town’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. But before anyone can say “Bah, humbug!” a Santa-sized sackful of trouble ensues. Like the fact that Lisa’s husband will be playing Mr. Claus to his ex-girlfriend Phyllis Bates’ Mrs. Claus. Or that before the curtains even go up Phyllis is found dead in the snow—wearing a costume that the real Mrs. Claus would put on the naughty list. Soon after the suspects pile up faster than snowdrifts in a blizzard, while a merry murderer remains on the loose. With clues even harder to find, it might take a visit from ghosts of Christmas past to wrap up this mystery in time for the holidays . . .
Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of Joanne Fluke’s newest Hannah Swensen mystery
CHRISTMAS CARAMEL MURDER
now on sale wherever print and e-books are sold!
PROLOGUE
The dining room at the Lake Eden Inn was festive with corn shocks, hay bales, pumpkins, and giant beer steins made of papier-mâché. It was clear that the owners, Sally and Dick Laughlin, were getting ready for their Oktoberfest celebration over the weekend.
It was Thursday night, and Hannah Swensen smiled at Ross Barton as she finished the last delicious bite of her dinner. “That was wonderful. Thank you, Ross.”
Sally, who was waiting on them personally, must have had a version of dessert radar because she approached just as soon as Hannah placed her flatware on the plate.
“I’ve got a new dessert for you to try,” Sally announced, motioning to the nearest busboy to clear their plates. When there was room to display it, she placed a large silver dessert tray on the table.
“Something for Oktoberfest?” Hannah asked her.
“No, for Christmas. I decided to feature chocolate and caramel, the way you did in the children’s gift bags last year. That’s why I’m featuring chocolate flan with caramel whipped cream.”
“I’ve never heard of caramel whipped cream before,” Hannah told her.
“It’s easy to make. I couldn’t find a recipe, but I followed your advice. We were talking about recipes and you said, ‘If you can’t find a recipe, make one up.’ So that’s exactly what I did.”
“And it worked?”
“Not the first time, and not the second time, either. But I revised it again, and the third time was the charm. I tried it out on Dick first, and he said he loves it. The only problem is, Dick has a sweet tooth and he loves everything I bake. I’d really like to try it out on you if you’ll promise to tell me exactly what you think.”
“It looks wonderful!” Hannah said, watching as Sally cut two slices from the flan that was sitting in the center of the silver tray and placed them in crystal dessert dishes. She added several dollops of caramel whipped cream, and placed the dessert dishes in front of Hannah and Ross.
“Be honest,” she warned them. “And be critical, too. Tell me if I need to add something to make it better.”
Hannah and Ross picked up their dessert spoons and took bites almost simultaneously. Then both of them smiled.
“Delicious!” Hannah declared.
“Oh, yes!” Ross concurred, taking another bite. “The chocolate is really rich, and it’s perfect with the caramel whipped cream.”
“Thanks!” Sally said, looking relieved as she turned to Hannah. “I’m still trying to figure out how to decorate this flan to make it even more Christmassy.”
“It looks great just the way it is,” Hannah told her, “but it could be more festive for Christmas. I’ll let you know if I think of anything. And I’ll ask Lisa. She’s my decorating expert.”
“Just one more thing,” Sally said, picking up the platter. “What do you think I should call it?”
“Call it exactly what it is,” Hannah suggested. “Chocolate Flan with Caramel Whipped Cream. If you call it something else, your wait staff will have to answer questions about what it is.”
Sally nodded. “That’s a really good point. Thanks for the help and enjoy the rest of your dessert.”
When Sally had left their table, Ross turned to Hannah. “I’ve never tasted your chocolate caramels. Are you making them for Christmas this year?”
“Only if you really want me to,” Hannah said, frowning slightly. “I know it’s silly to be superstitious, but . . . well . . . they were bad luck last year.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, last Christmas was . . . pretty strange in the giant scheme of things. You weren’t here, so you wouldn’t know, but something bad happened with the caramels.”
“Something bad?”
“Yes. I found some of them at a murder scene.”
“Tell me all about it.” Ross leaned forward and covered Hannah’s hand with his.
“Well . . .” Hannah drew a deep breath. “This is going to take a while. It’s a really long story.”
Ross glanced at his watch. “That’s okay. It’s only six-thirty. What time does Sally close the dining room?”
“She’s open until ten.” Hannah was silent for a moment, and then she looked amused. “It could take almost that long to tell you. Are you sure you want to listen to a long story now?”
“I’m positive. You’ve got me curious, Cookie. Tell me.”
“Okay.” Hannah gave a mock sigh.
“Just remember, you asked for it. But first, we’ll need more coffee.”
Hannah waited until one of the waitresses had brought a fresh carafe of coffee, and then she began her story.
“It was the first Monday in December, and Lisa and I were in the coffee shop at The Cookie Jar. It was early, an hour before we were due to open, and we were decorating for Christmas. We were almost finished when everything started to happen. . . .”
