“Let’s see. You could say, I caught sight of it almost immediately. It was red and black, and that’s when I realized it could be…” Lisa stopped and frowned. “No, make that, and that’s when I realized it had to be one of the exercise outfits the female staff wore. But what was it doing in the Jacuzzi? Was one of the instructors using the hot tub as a washing machine? Had someone accidentally dropped it there as they passed by on their way home? Or had someone tossed it in there deliberately to play a prank on an instructor?”

“That’ll have them sitting on the edges of their chairs,” Hannah complimented her partner. “What next?”

“I still felt that prickling sensation. As a matter of fact, it was getting stronger. But I just had to find out what was going on, so I stepped right up to the rim of the tub and grabbed it to haul it out. Now this is when you pause for a minute to build up the suspense. And then you say, I came very close to screaming when my hand encountered something I wasn’t expecting, something that had once been living, and breathing, and teaching classes at Heavenly Bodies. And even though I didn’t really want to, I grabbed that someone, whoever she was, and rolled her over. One look at her still beautiful but lifeless face, and I realized it was my very own fitness instructor, Ronni Ward!”

Hannah just stared at Lisa for a long moment. And then she asked, “Have you been reading a lot of murder mysteries lately?”

“Well…actually, I have. Marge drops them off from the library. When Herb works late, I read. It keeps my mind off missing him.”

“Well, you ought to try writing one. You’re pretty good. I have only one suggestion to give you.”

“What’s that?”

“You tell that story for me. You’re much better at it than I am. Just say I’m in the kitchen baking, but I told you everything, and I said it was okay for you to repeat it.”

Lisa began to smile. “I can do that. It’ll be fun for me, and besides, it’ll give you a break to bake and think about the case. If you take it, that is. You are going to take it, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. I don’t want the killer to get away with something like this!”

“You’re right, Hannah. Murder is awful.”

“Oh, it’s not murder that’s the problem.” Hannah gave a little grin to show Lisa that she was kidding. “Whoever killed Ronni smashed my cream puffs. And to add insult to injury, since I’m on a diet for Mother’s book launch party, I didn’t even get the chance to taste one!”