Apple Turnover Murder, Key Lime Pie Murder, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Ross waited until Tracey had left and then he mopped his brow with his handkerchief. “Whew! She’s a real pistol. I bet you were just like her at that age.”

  “Not at all. I was a shy, retiring child.”

  Hannah’s smile belied her words and Ross laughed. “Right. I just can’t get over how bright Tracey is. When I introduced her to the head of the makeup department, she asked about the differences between stage makeup, movie makeup, and street makeup.”

  “That’s Tracey,” Hannah replied, proud that her niece could phrase intelligent questions. “Did Lynne like her?”

  “Lynne was crazy about her. They talked for a couple of minutes and then Lynne said if she ever had a daughter, she’d want her to be just like Tracey.”

  “What did they talk about?”

  “Lynne’s career. Tracey said she’d seen her in one of her TV dramas and she wanted to know if Lynne was really crying in one scene. Lynne said no, she was acting, and Tracey could hardly believe it. She said it looked so real to her that she started to sniffle.”

  Smart move, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. Actors always loved to hear their work praised.

  “Then she asked Lynne to please not mention it to her mother, because the program was on after her bedtime and she sneaked downstairs to watch it.”

  “And Lynne promised?”

  “Of course.”

  Hannah just shook her head, remembering a psychology class she’d taken in college. The professor had said, “Get someone to do a favor for you, and their opinion of you will rise.” At first that hadn’t made sense to Hannah, but then she’d thought long and hard about it. She believed that she was a good judge of character and if she took the time and the trouble to grant a favor to someone, then that someone must be worthy. Asking for a promise from Lynne was a favor, and Lynne had granted it. That meant her opinion of Tracey had risen. Tracey might not know the psychology behind manipulating people, but she’d accomplished it with amazing acumen. Of course she’d learned from a master, her mother. And also from the grand master of manipulation, her grandmother Delores.

  “So Tracey charmed everyone?” Hannah asked, certain that Ross’s answer would be in the affirmative.

  “Even Erica and her mother, and they were sitting there glaring at each other before Tracey came on the scene. She had both of them eating out of her hand and smiling at each other within two minutes. If she does a good job of reading for the part, I’m going to cast her.”

  “You won’t be disappointed,” Hannah promised. “Tracey’s a talented girl with a sunny personality, and she gets along with everybody.”

  “I can see that.”

  Hannah smiled as they walked over to the table where Delores and Carrie were sitting. As coincidence would have it, she’d watched a documentary about stage mothers on television last night and they’d mentioned several who’d been positively spiteful when the demands they made for their child stars weren’t met. And as Ross greeted Delores and Carrie, Hannah couldn’t help thinking, I just hope Andrea isn’t like that!

  “Just between the four of us, I think she’s perfect for the part,” Ross said, glancing over at Tracey, who sat two tables away with her friend, Karen Dunwright. “I wish I’d brought a copy of the script with me. Her mother could read it to her.”

  “You mean, she could read it to her mother,” Hannah corrected him. “Tracey reads on a fifth-grade level.”

  “I thought Tracey was in kindergarten!”

  “She is. She taught herself to read about a year and a half ago, and she’s been checking out library books ever since.”

  “Maybe I should run back to the trailer and get her a copy of the script.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Delores said, and a bit of guilty color rose in her cheeks. “Carrie and I gave Andrea our script. She’s upstairs in the library, copying it.”

  Ross didn’t look upset at this news, and Hannah figured he didn’t mind at all that Tracey’s family had banded together to give her an edge at the auditions. “How are you ladies coming along with the props?”

  “Just fine,” Delores answered for both of them. “We’ve spent the past several weeks going through farmhouse attics and storage sheds. I think we have everything on that list your prop man gave us. We have to talk, though. We found a couple of discrepancies for something that’s set in the fifties.”

  “Like what?”

  “Your prop man wanted us to find a period cable box for the television set. Small towns in Minnesota didn’t have cable in the fifties.”

  “Good for you for catching that!”

  “That’s not all, but we can go into it later,” Carrie spoke up. “Delores and I were around back then, and we remember what it looked like.”

  Delores flashed Carrie a dirty look. “What Carrie means is, people in Lake Eden don’t redecorate until things wear out. That means the fifties look stayed around for at least twenty years.”

  Good save, Mother! Hannah thought silently, hiding a most unladylike snort of laughter by coughing into her napkin. Delores was an expert at thinking on her feet, and she’d crawl through a field filled with cow pies before she’d divulge her true age.

  Ross exchanged a glance with Hannah and she thought she saw an amused twinkle in his eyes. Then he turned back to Delores. “Michelle told me how you decorated your store to look like the first mayor’s house for the Winter Carnival.”

  “That’s right. We didn’t have pictures, of course, but there were letters from the first mayor’s wife to her sister back east and she didn’t stint on words describing the new house that her husband built for her. With a little more research, Carrie and I were able to replicate that house. It was a showplace for its day, built shortly before the turn of the century.” She gave a little laugh. “The last century, that is. Eighteen ninety-three, to be exact.”

  “Very impressive. I know it’s a lot to ask, but Michelle thought you might be able to do it again, but this time make it a house in the nineteen fifties.”

  “We could do it, Delores!” Carrie spoke up excitedly.

  “Well…I’m sure that we could, but…” Delores stopped to give a little sigh, but Hannah, who was watching her mother closely, saw the gleam of avarice in her eyes. “It would be a lot of work. And we’d have to store the antiques from other periods.”

  “I have a whole crew at my disposal and my carpenters can build you a temporary storage facility. Actually, we could do it according to code and make it permanent. That way, you’d be able to keep it for future use.”

  “That would be nice. We could always use more storage.”

  “Of course my crew would be at your beck and call for painting, wallpapering, moving furniture, whatever you’d need. It would be a matter of just dressing the downstairs. Michelle showed me pictures of the inside and we won’t need any structural changes. We might have to take out a window or two to get a particular shot, but naturally we’d replace those.”

  “How long would we have to decorate it?”

  “That’s part of the problem. I’d need it by Wednesday afternoon.”

  Ross turned to look at Carrie, who was wise enough to realize who was running the show. “That’s up to Delores,” she said.

  “Delores?” Ross gave her a smile. “Did I mention that you’d be paid very well for your trouble? And that after we’re through shooting, my crew will put everything back exactly the way it was?”

  “No, you didn’t mention that.”

  Cut to the chase, Hannah thought, but both Ross and her mother remained silent. Perhaps it was time for her to take the initiative and get this thing settled before the whipped cream on top of Edna’s Jell-O parfait turned into a milky lake.

  “How about screen credit?” Hannah threw out her suggestion.

  “Good idea! Screen credit for both you and Carrie. And there may be a part in the movie for you. Just a small walk-on with one line apiece, but that might be fun for you. Do we have a deal?”

  D
elores glanced at Carrie, who was nodding like one of the old-fashioned dipping birds that Doc Bennett used to set up on his windowsill to keep his young patients occupied while he drilled.

  “We have a deal,” Delores said.

  “Thank you all for inviting us here this afternoon,” Ross stood in front of the crowd at the podium Mayor Bascomb usually used to open town meetings or call everyone to the table at potluck dinners. “You’ve shown real hospitality by inviting the cast and crew to brunch. I’ve got to tell you that if this movie is half as good as the food we had here today, it’ll be a huge box office success.”

  There was laughter and Ross waited until it had died down. Hannah was impressed. When she’d first known him, he’d been shy around people, but he’d certainly gained a lot of self-confidence in the years they’d been out of touch.

  “Michelle Swensen is my local production assistant, and she tells me that in a town the size of Lake Eden, all you have to do is mention something to one person and before the day’s out, everybody in town knows about it. Does everyone know that we need extras for the crowd scenes and we’re hoping you’ll help us out?”

  There was more applause and a couple of whistles from some of the high school crowd. “And do you know that we’re holding auditions at the school this afternoon for some walk-on parts in the movie?”

  “We know!” someone shouted out, and Ross laughed.

  “I figured you’d know all about it, because Michelle said if I told one person that would do it. And I told Michelle.”

  This time the whole room exploded into laughter, and Michelle stood up and took a bow.

  “Auditions are at Jordan High auditorium from two to four. There’ll be sign-up sheets for extras, and a half-dozen or so walk-on parts we need to fill.” He turned to Michelle to confirm it, and she shook her head. “Okay, I’m wrong. How many parts, Michelle?”

  “Twelve, counting the plumber.”

  “I stand corrected. It’s twelve parts. I hope you’ll all drop by to sign up to be an extra in the crowd scenes and to try out for the bigger parts. We need…” Ross stopped speaking and held out his hand to Michelle. “Do you have that list?”

  Michelle walked up to the podium to hand it to him, and Ross began to read. “We need a plumber, two waitresses for a cocktail party, a grade school teacher, a florist, a caterer, a bus driver, a party planner, a pianist, a filling station attendant, a mailman, and…” Ross paused to let the tension build, “…a really lousy driver who’s just been in an accident. But don’t go out and wreck your cars or anything like that. We never get to see this person drive on screen. All he has to do is go to makeup so our talented team can outfit him with fake bruises, a couple of bandages, and a pair of crutches.”

  Ross referred to the sheet again. “There are also a couple of larger parts we need to fill. We need two policemen, two local women who come for the cocktail party, someone to play the female lead as a child, and a mayor. That’s it, except…we also need a cat.”

  “A real cat?” someone asked.

  “A real cat. Does anyone know someone who has a big orange and white tomcat, about twenty-five pounds or so, blind in one eye, and with a torn ear?”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open in surprise as everyone in the room swiveled to look at her. “I…you just described my cat!”

  “I know,” Ross said, and everyone laughed. “Your sister told me and we thought we’d like to use him in the movie. You don’t have to bring him in to the high school to audition. I know cats aren’t fond of traveling. Have dinner with me tonight out at the inn and you can tell me all about him. And then, if everything’s a go, we’ll go back to your place so I can take a look at him. Is that all right with you?”

  “That’s fine,” Hannah said, smiling at him. And then she happened to spot Mike’s scowling face. She turned slightly to glance at Norman and saw that he was scowling every bit as hard as Mike.

  “Uh-oh,” Hannah breathed, gulping slightly. Unless she was terribly mistaken, Ross had just asked her for a date in front of the whole town, and she’d accepted.

  Chapter

  Seven

  The auditorium at Jordan High was crowded, but Hannah found a spot in the back row. The acoustics weren’t good here, because of the balcony overhang, so most people knew to avoid it. Hannah figured the back row would be perfect for her, since she was only here to watch Tracey. When it was her niece’s turn to audition, she could stand up and move out to the aisle where she could hear better.

  “Hannah Fandana!”

  Hannah whirled around as a well-known voice from the past greeted her. “Hi, Linda…except Ross told me not to call you that anymore. He said you’re Lynne Larchmont now.”

  “I’m still Linda to you. It’s really great to see you, Hannah! You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “You have. You were always pretty, but now you’re glamorous.”

  “I’d better be!” The new, glamorous Lynne gave a little laugh. “I spent a lot of money to get this way. My dental bill was astronomical, not to mention what I paid to my plastic surgeon, and my makeup and hair stylists. You can purchase glamour, you know.”

  “But you lost weight, too. You can’t buy weight loss with money.”

  “That’s true. Weight loss is a perk you get when you’re poor. I was so broke when I got out to L.A., I couldn’t afford to buy food.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I asked my dates to take me to all-you-can-eat buffets, and I lined my biggest purse with a plastic bag. When the guy wasn’t looking, I shoveled in the food and then I went back for more. I don’t think I spent more than a dollar on food until I landed my first part. And by then, I’d lost twenty pounds.”

  Hannah laughed, but she felt a little stab of envy as Lynne slipped into the seat next to her. They’d been able to borrow each other’s clothes when they were in college, but now Lynne was Andrea’s size. Instead of dwelling on the twenty or so pounds she should lose and probably wouldn’t anytime soon, Hannah decided to switch subjects. “I’m sorry you broke up with Ross. I always thought you two were a perfect couple.”

  “So did I, for a while. But people grow up and they change. Ross and I wanted different things out of life and we grew apart.”

  Hannah was silent. It didn’t seem like they’d wanted different things way back then. Lynne had wanted to be an actress and Ross had wanted to write and produce. And since that was what they were doing now, where did the bit about wanting different things come in?

  “I’m really sorry about Bradford,” Lynne reached out to put a hand on Hannah’s arm as she mentioned the name of Hannah’s college boyfriend, the assistant professor who’d started to date her without mentioning that he was already engaged. “I know your father died and that’s the official story you gave for leaving college, but Ross and I figured that Bradford had something to do with it. He’s divorced now, in case you’re interested.”

  “Not even on a very lonely night,” Hannah said, leaving it at that. “What did you think of my niece Tracey?”

  “She’s absolutely adorable! Talking to her is like talking to a little adult, and that’s exactly the quality we need in the actress who plays Amy as a child. I told Ross I thought she was perfect for the part.”

  Hannah felt a big smile spread across her face. She loved to hear people sing Tracey’s praises.

  “They should be holding tryouts for the speaking parts any minute now. Ross’s down to the last couple of walk-ons, and then he’ll probably do Amy.”

  “How many kids are trying out?”

  “Three. Ross introduced them to me and, you can trust me, Tracey doesn’t have any competition. For one thing, she has just the right demeanor. The other two are pretty and charming, but they don’t sell serious little girl. You know what I mean?”

  “I’m not sure I do.”

  “Okay. Let me explain it another way. You should get the feeling that there’s a brain working away behind those pretty blue eyes. The face might be l
aughing, but the brain behind it is always thinking, always planning, always very careful.”

  “You just described Tracey to a tee, except for the last part. That sounds a little paranoid.”

  “It is. Don’t forget that Amy lives with a manic-depressive father. And when he’s manic, he has anger issues. Amy and her brother are the only ones who see that anger. Amy’s just a child, but she’s very careful to assess her father’s mood and act accordingly. He’s never lashed out at her, but that’s because she’s careful not to antagonize him when he’s in anger mode.”

  “Why doesn’t she tell someone about it?”

  “She’s afraid that no one will believe her.”

  “That sounds like a very bad situation.”

  “It is. Anyway, those are the family dynamics and they’re just fascinating. I spent some time talking to Tracey, and I’m sure she can handle the part. I’ll stay and watch her audition with you. And then I’ll put in another good word with Ross.” Lynne stopped speaking and sighed dramatically. “Oh, look! There’s that gorgeous detective!”

  “Mike Kingston,” Hannah told her, watching as Mike walked across the stage. He was in full uniform and he turned from side to side in response to an instruction they couldn’t hear from their position in the back row.

  “You know him?” Lynne asked, and then she gave a little laugh. “Of course you know him. You’re bound to know him. Lake Eden is a pretty small town and you probably know everybody. I tell you, Hannah…if I didn’t love my husband, I’d be all over him.”

  Hannah was about to make a wisecrack, something about how Lynne would have to get him on the rebound because he’d proposed to her and she’d just turned him down. But Hannah didn’t say that. For one thing, it would sound like bragging. And for another thing, they weren’t best college buddies anymore, and her love life, or lack of it, wasn’t any of Lynne’s business.

  When Mike left the stage, Lynne turned to Hannah. “They’ll take a break now, and then they’ll audition for the speaking parts. That’s the way they always do it.”