Peach Cobbler Murder Read Online Free Page A

better. I talked to a lot of people, and everyone said they were there to try it out so they could tell you. You have some good friends, Hannah.”
    Hannah sighed and an old saw flashed through her mind. With friends like that, she didn’t need enemies.
    â€œWhat’s the matter? You don’t look happy.”
    â€œThink about it, Andrea. All those friends, the ones who were helping to check out our rivals, were buying their baked goods and paying for them. How much do you think our friends put into the till at the Magnolia Blossom Bakery?”
    â€œI…don’t know. A lot, I guess. I didn’t think about that.”
    â€œLisa and I took in a total of twenty-six dollars and thirty-five cents today. We still have to bake, pay our bills, and keep up on the rent while our friends are across the street stuffing their faces at our competitor’s.”
    â€œHannah’s right,” Norman said, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “I can see going in there once, just to look around and taste something, but a real friend wouldn’t abandon you the way they’re doing.”
    â€œThat’s what I mean!” Hannah exclaimed. “How many servings of Southern Peach Cobbler do they have to eat to critique it? We’ve been operating in the red ever since Shawna Lee and Vanessa opened their doors and our friends are going to put us right out of business.”
    Andrea was silent for a moment, and then she sighed. “You’re right. But Shawna Lee and Vanessa’s desserts aren’t that good. At least I don’t think they are.”
    Hannah glanced down at Andrea’s plate. She’d only taken one bite of blueberry pie and it was one of her favorites. Another of her favorites, a chocolate cupcake, was intact except for a tiny little nibble mark on the top.
    â€œAndrea’s right,” Lisa spoke up. “I just tried one of their molasses cookies and they taste like the ones they have at the hospital in the vending machines. I don’t think they’re fresh-baked.”
    Hannah reached for a chocolate chip cookie and tasted it. Lisa was right. The cookie part was dry with no discernible flavor, and the chips tasted more like carob than chocolate. “It’s not the cookies, or the pies, or the cupcakes,” she said, glancing around at the partially eaten pastry.
    â€œMaybe it’s the Southern Peach Cobbler,” Norman suggested, pointing to the only dessert they hadn’t tasted.
    â€œMaybe,” Hannah said, and turned to her sister. “Do you know if they serve it hot? Or cold?”
    â€œHot. They scoop it out into a bowl, stick it in the microwave to heat it up, and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I watched Vanessa do it before she served it to Bonnie Surma.”
    Hannah gave a little whimper. Bonnie Surma was one of her biggest supporters, ordering cookies for her Scout troops, and desserts for every party and group meeting she hosted. And now Bonnie had defected to the Magnolia Blossom Bakery for a bowl of their signature dessert!
    â€œWe should serve it the way they do, or it won’t be a fair test,” Lisa said as she picked up the pan and stood up. “I’ll go heat it and put on some ice cream.”
    Once Lisa left, Andrea reached out to take Hannah’s hand and give it an affectionate squeeze, a rare occurrence for sisters who’d been raised not to be overly demonstrative.
    â€œWhat?” Hannah asked, noting the suspicious moisture in Andrea’s eyes.
    â€œDo you really think you might lose The Cookie Jar?”
    â€œI hope not, but it doesn’t look good.”
    â€œThen you’re worried?”
    â€œOh, yes. I just don’t want to say much in front of Lisa. She’s about to marry the man she loves. I don’t want her to have to worry about business.”
    Norman slipped his arm around Hannah’s shoulders. And then he said something he’d never said