Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke Read Free Book Online Page A

delectable, chocolaty cookies that taste silky smooth and rich.
     
    Hannah’s 3rd Note: I’d say that Sinco de Cocoa Cookies are so rich that nobody can eat more than one or two, but the last time I took a baker’s dozen (that’s 13 cookies) to Granny’s Attic as a special treat for Mother and Carrie, they finished them all at lunchtime and called to ask me for more!

Chapter Five
    “ T hese are really good, Hannah.” Lynnette popped the last bite of cinnamon roll into her mouth and gave a sigh of satisfaction. “I don’t even feel guilty for breaking my diet.”
    “Uh-oh.” Hannah went on red alert. She’d dieted before, more times than she wanted to count, and she certainly didn’t want to tempt anyone to stray from their weight-loss plan. “I’m sorry, Lynnette. I should have asked if you could have a cinnamon roll. I just assumed that everyone wanted one, and …”
    “And I did want one,” Lynnette interrupted her. “It was delicious. If I had one of these every morning, I’d probably ditch my diet for good.”
    “Is it a weight-loss diet?” Michelle asked.
    “Not really, but how much tofu can you eat? It’s just something my friend Cammy talked me into trying when we started traveling with the band. Maybe it’s time for a change, anyway. I’m sick of eating nothing but tofu and vegetables. You don’t happen to have an extra one of those cinnamon rolls, do you?”
    After leaving another roll with Lynnette, Hannah and Michelle went up the corridor, dispensing their delectable wares. When they came to the end, they still had one pan of cinnamon rolls left, and Hannah turned to Michelle. “Why don’t you find the nurses and give them some? A lot of them came in early, and they probably didn’t have time to eat.”
    “Good idea.” Michelle looked down at the cart and assessed the contents. “I think I’ve got enough,” she said.
    “If you don’t, go back to the kitchen and get the cookie bags. That’s why we brought them in. There should be enough to give cookies to everyone in the waiting room.” Michelle turned to go, but Hannah called after her. “Just don’t bring the box with the Sinco de Cocoa Cookies. They’re for later.”
    Hannah watched as Michelle pushed the cart down the hall. After her sister had disappeared around the corner, Hannah stood there in the middle of the corridor, unsure of exactly what to do next. She supposed she could check on Buddy to see if he’d enjoyed his cinnamon roll, or perhaps she could go back to the emergency room to ask Bertie if she needed any help with the patients. She was just considering her options when the decision was made for her.
    “Hannah?” One of the nurses came bustling up. “Your mother wants you. She’s in treatment room seven. By the way, those were great cinnamon rolls.”
    “Thanks,” Hannah said, walking down the hall toward the adjoining corridor. She had no idea what her mother wanted, but it was bound to involve something that would keep her from her condo and her bed when that was the only place she really wanted to be. She turned the corner at the end of the corridor, started down a second corridor that veered off at a ninety degree angle, and spotted Delores about twenty feet ahead, just emerging from one of the treatment rooms.
    “Mother?” Hannah rushed forward to put her arm around her mother as Delores slumped heavily against the wall. Her mother’s complexion was the same color as the all purpose flour that Hannah used at The Cookie Jar, and the makeup on her face stood out in sharp relief.
    “Hannah,” Delores said in a trembling voice. She shook her head as if to clear it and took a deep breath. “I need you, Hannah.”
    Alarm bells went off in Hannah head. Something was drastically wrong. “What is it, Mother? Are you ill?”
    “No.”
    “Then what is it? You’re shaking.”
    “He’s dead,” Delores said, giving a sigh that seemed to go on forever. “I just looked in at him to see if I could