Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke Page A

three of them. She wasn’t that wild about using food coloring, but she had to admit that the combination of drizzled chocolate and pink cherry icing was pretty.
    â€œAny more questions?” Pam asked after they’d tasted their sample. When Hannah and Willa shook their heads, she passed them the numbered scorecards. “Let’s mark our scores and go on.”
    Hannah had just turned in her scorecard when she had a thought. Delores loved the combination of chocolate and cherries, and Pam had said they could take some of the baked goods home. “If nobody else wants it, I’ll take the rest of that chocolate cherry coffeecake.”
    â€œFine by me,” Pam said.
    â€œYou got it, Hannah,” Willa agreed. “I’m taking the rest of the raised cinnamon doughnuts. I thought they were great.”
    Hannah didn’t comment. She hadn’t given the doughnuts a high mark. She’d thought they were a bit greasy, and the contestant had used too much cinnamon for her taste. “What are you taking, Pam?”
    â€œThe sticky buns. They’re George’s favorites. And I think I’ll take one of the apple coffeecakes, too. George’s sister loves apple coffeecake. I’ll just pop it in the freezer and take it with me the next time we visit.”
    The next few minutes were spent tallying scores. Hannah read them off, Willa punched them into the calculator that had been provided for them, and Pam marked them down on the master score sheet. They were nearing the end when Pam gave a little gasp.
    â€œGood heavens!” she exclaimed, staring at the master score sheet as if it couldn’t possibly be right. “Mrs. Adamczak only got an honorable mention?”
    Hannah was every bit as shocked as Pam looked. “You’ve got to be kidding! She’s never come in lower than second place!”
    â€œAnd that was right after she had her hip replacement and she couldn’t stand for more than five minutes at a time,” Pam said with a frown. “There’s got to be some mistake.”
    â€œWhich entry was hers?” Willa asked.
    Hannah glanced down at the master sheet. “Number thirty-two, the cinnamon raisin bread. It was the only one entered. Nobody wants to put their cinnamon raison bread up against Mrs. Adamczak’s.”
    â€œAre you sure you tallied her score right?” Pam asked Willa. “I didn’t think Mrs. Adamczak’s bread was quite as good as last year, but I still gave her nines across the board.”
    â€œAnd I gave her almost all nines,” Hannah said.
    Willa looked highly uncomfortable. “Her score’s right. I gave her threes and fours. When I added all the marks together, her score averaged out to a little below seven, and there were three other entries higher than hers.”
    â€œYou gave her threes and fours?” Hannah had trouble believing that Willa hadn’t liked Mrs. Adamczak’s bread. “But that’s below average.”
    â€œI know. I thought it had too many raisins. And I didn’t like the golden ones mixed in with the regular.”
    â€œOkay,” Pam said. “What else was wrong with it?”
    â€œThere wasn’t enough cinnamon and it was mixed with some spice I didn’t care for. I think it was…cardamom?”
    â€œThat’s right,” Hannah said, glancing quickly at the list of ingredients. “Was there anything else you didn’t like?”
    â€œI thought it was overbaked.”
    â€œI agree that it was a bit too brown on top,” Pam said, turning to Hannah.
    â€œSo do I. I gave her an eight on presentation for that. But it was still moist, so it didn’t hurt the texture or the internal appearance.”
    Willa looked a bit regretful. “I suppose Mrs. Adamczak’s going to be really disappointed.” And when Pam and Hannah nodded, she gave a deep sigh. “She’s the lady that lives in the yellow house