Free Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

the baby, Dot?” Norman asked her.
    “Growing like a weed. My mother has her hands full on the nights I work, I can tell you that!”
    “But she doesn’t mind . . . right?” Hannah asked her.
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    “That’s right. Mom rocks him to sleep every night and Jimmy says she sings silly little songs to him about what a fine big boy he is.”
    Hannah hid a guilty grin. On several occasions she’d sung silly little songs to Moishe and told him what a fine big boy he was!
    “Would you care for wine tonight?” Dot turned to Norman.
    “Hannah?” Norman referred the answer to her.
    “Not tonight,” Hannah answered, and then she qualified it. “At least not for me. But Mother and Doc might want wine when they get here.”
    “I’ll check back then. A mixed drink from the bar? Or water?”
    “I’d like iced tea, please. And could I have a wedge of lemon with it?”
    “Of course.” Dot turned to Norman. “How about you?”
    “I’ll have the same.”
    “Shall I bring the bread basket now? Or wait until they get here?”
    “Now.” Hannah made a quick decision. She was really hungry, probably because she had been too upset to eat anything except the lime bar cookies Michelle and her mother had made this morning and one Cocoa Snap Cookie this afternoon.
    “Give us a minute before you bring the bread,” Sally said, arriving at their table as Dot was about to leave. “I want them to taste this first.”
    Hannah looked down at the plate Sally placed between them.
    On it were two very thin slices of pie. “Is this your Buttermilk Pie?” she asked.
    “Yes. It’s just a sample to see if you like it.”
    Norman laughed. “I’ve never had dessert as an appetizer before.”
    “I don’t think I have, either,” Hannah said.
    “Sure you have. Haven’t you ever had cookies for breakfast?”
    BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER
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    “I did this morning,” Norman admitted. “I didn’t have time for breakfast, and Hannah gave me cookies when I came to see her at work.”
    “No wonder we’re so hungry!” Hannah admitted. “I did exactly the same thing.”
    The pie was calling out to her and Hannah took a bite.
    “Smooth, simple, and sweet with a little tang. It’s absolutely delicious, Sally.”
    “The nutmeg is the perfect spice,” Norman declared, cutting off another bite. “It’s just wonderful, Sally.”
    “Thank you.” Sally waited until the samples she’d brought were gone and then she handed the plate to Dot. “You can bring the bread basket now,” she said. “If all they’ve had all day is dessert, they’ll need something a bit more filling.”
    When the bread basket came a minute or two later, Hannah and Norman attacked it like starving wolves. The little taste of pie had definitely sparked their appetites. They split a muffin, devoured two slices of Sally’s peach bread, and ate two mini scones apiece.
    “It’s empty,” Hannah said, staring down at the red and white checked napkin that lined the bread basket. “I guess we’d better ask Dot to bring us another basket of bread before Mother and . . .”
    “It’s here,” Dot interrupted her, setting a full basket on the table and whisking away the empty basket to hand to her busboy. “And so are your mother and Doc Knight. Sally’s bringing them over right now. And here’s the wine. Your mother called ahead to order it. She said something about the fact that they’d need it.”
    Hannah glanced at Norman, who looked every bit as clue-less as she was. “I wonder what that means,” she said.
    “I don’t know, but I think we’re about to find out. Here they come and they don’t look happy.”
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    GRANDMA’S BUTTERMILK PIE
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the center position.
    Before you start, prepare one of the following: Graham cracker crust (either make your own, or buy
    one at the store)
    Shortbread cookie crust (either make your own, or buy
    one at the store)
    9-inch deep-dish pie shell baked according to