Part 30 (2/2)
The door swung closed and Hannah was left with a gaping mouth. If they won, what would they do with the money? By the time the door opened and Lisa appeared again, she'd decided. ”If we win, I think we should split the money between Kiddie Korner and the Senior Center. They did all the work.”
”Perfect,” Lisa said, smiling her approval. ”That's exactly what I thought we should do. There's one more thing I have to tell you. Andrea said that more robbery money surfaced last night. It's only a little over four hundred dollars, but someone is definitely spending it in Winnetka County. Excuse me for a minute. I think these are ready.”
Lisa disappeared again and Hannah leaned back in her chair. She still didn't know whether the robbery money had anything to do with Rhonda's murder case, but the possibility couldn't be dismissed out of hand.
”Breakfast is served,” Lisa called out, coming through the swinging door with two plates in her hands. She served Hannah first, then sat down across from her.
Hannah glanced at her breakfast. ”These look like pancakes with sliced peaches.”
LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 275.
”That's right.” Lisa handed her the container with packets of non-calorie sweetener. ”Sprinkle a little sweetener over the top. They're really good that way.”
Hannah tore open a packet and sprinkled it on top of the stack. Then she cut off a piece of pancake and tasted it. ”They're wonderful, Lisa. When you said low-cal, I thought I'd be getting cottage cheese for breakfast.”
”You are.”
Hannah blinked. ”These have cottage cheese in them?”
”That's right. My Aunt Kitty used to make them every time somebody in the family was on a diet.”
”They're delicious.” Hannah took another forkful and smiled as she chewed and swallowed. ”Thanks, Lisa. This is a real change from all those cold salads and bowls of plain' cottage cheese. Are you sure they're diet food?”
”I'm sure, but you can make them into regular food, too. Aunt Kitty used to serve them with sour cream and jam on the top. When she did that, she called them Poor Man's Blintzes. I'll give you the recipe if you want it.”
”I'd love to have it,” Hannah said, taking another bite.
They ate in silence for several minutes, polis.h.i.+ng off the last of the pancakes. When they were through, Lisa pointed at the letter on the table. ”What's this?”
”It's a letter to Mrs. Voelker that I found in Rhonda's apartment.”
Lisa looked surprised. ”Mike and Bill let you search Rhonda's apartment?”
”No, Beatrice Koester did. She told me to go through Rhonda's things to see if there was anything I needed. The relatives in Colorado didn't want anything.”
”That was a lucky break for you,” Lisa said with a grin. ”Did you find anything else interesting?”
Hannah told Lisa about the receipt from Browerville Travel and Rhonda's one-way ticket to Zurich. ”And that explains why Rhonda wasn't upset when Jon fired her. She wasn't planning to come back anyway.”
”What does the letter say?”
276 ”I haven't read it yet.”
”You'd better read it. It could be something important.”
”I know. I just feel funny about reading someone else's private mail, that's all.”
”Then throw it away.”
”I can't throw it away without knowing what it says!”
”Then read it.” Lisa looked amused. ”You're making a mountain out of a molehill, Hannah, and mat's not like you at all. If the contents are private, don't tell anyone about them. But if it's important, you can turn it over to the right person.”
”You're right, of course.” Hannah drew the letter out of the envelope before she could dither about it any longer. She unfolded the single sheet of tablet paper and began to read. As she skimmed the words, she let out a little cry of distress.
”What is it?” Lisa leaned forward in concern.
”It's a tragedy,” Hannah said, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
Aunt Kitty's Cottage Cheese Pancakes (Poor Man's Blintzes) 2 cups cottage cheese 4 eggs !/2 teaspoon salt ]/2 cup flour Mix cottage cheese, eggs, salt, and flour together in a small bowl. Let the mixture ”rest” in the refrigerator for an hour (overnight is fine, too).
Heat a nonstick griddle to 350 degrees R, or use a frying pan that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (The frying pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles and ”dances ” across the surface.) Spoon pancake batter in pan or on griddle and fry until the bubbles on the surface of the pancake remain open. (You can check to see if the bottom side is done by lifting the edge with a spatula.) When the bottom side is a nice golden color, flip the pancake over and cook until the bottom color matches the top.
277.
Place the finished pancakes on a plate, sprinkle artificial sweetener over the tops and add sliced fruit of your choice.
278.
Poor Man *s Blintzes Mix up the pancakes as directed and fry them. When they're done, spread each pancake with b.u.t.ter and sprinkle with sugar. Top with spoonfuls of jam, add a generous dollop of sour cream, and enjoy.
Yield: 8 medium-sized pancakes.
279.
Chapter IWenty-Six.
Hannah cleared her throat and began to read the letter aloud. ”I wish I was back in Lake Eden with you right now. They say I'm not going to make it and the guy next to me is going to find someone to take this letter out and mail it to you*”
”He's dying?” Lisa whispered as Hannah looked up.
”That's right. What makes you think this letter is from a man?”
”It sounds like he's in a hospital and they don't usually put a man and a woman together in one room.”
”Good point,” Hannah said and turned back to the letter again. ”Thank you for being nice to me when I was a kid. You were the only one who played games with me. Remember the one where you hid those notes and sent me all over the house to find them? You always started with the cookie jar and that sent me to the grandfather clock, or the Bible. You taught me to read with those clues. I never would have learned in school. And you always made sure I found the prize at the end.”
”I know that game,” Lisa said. ”Go on, Hannah.”
”I just wanted to tell you that I love you. If you get this letter, I didn 't make it. Keep putting up that peach jam of LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER.
<script>