“I know that.”

  “Don’t interrupt. Now, when he gets to be a hundred years old, he and his wife, Sarah, have their first child. They name him Isaac. One day God decides to test just how loyal Abraham is. So He orders him to take his son and go to the land of Moriah. When he gets there, he’s supposed to offer the boy as a burnt offering.”

  “You mean, a human sacrifice?” said Bram. “He was supposed to kill his own son? I don’t remember that part.”

  “That’s exactly what I mean. But Abraham doesn’t tell his son what’s going to happen — at least not right away. After they place the wood on the altar and get everything all set up, Isaac asks his dad where the ram is, the one that’s going to be sacrificed. That’s when Abraham explains to him that he, Isaac, will be the offering. God has commanded it. So Abraham ties him up, places him on the wood, and then pulls out this big knife. But as he’s about to plunge it through his son’s chest, he hears God’s voice telling him to stop. Because Abraham was willing to obey, to sacrifice his only child, God says He believes now that Abraham truly fears Him. The upshot is, God says he will bless Abraham by making his descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven.”

  “Okay,” said Bram, patting Ethel’s stomach. She was lying on her back next to him now, all four paws thrust limply into the air. “So how did you put that together with Ginger’s last words?”

  “Well,” said Sophie, pausing to collect her thoughts, “the night Ginger died she mumbled something about a ram. And then she said, ‘The fire and the wood.’ All of this pointed to an Old Testament sacrifice. The word Moriah was another tip-off. It suggested a specific sacrifice. The next thing she did was cry out for Isaac. Back then, we all thought she was referring to Isaac Knox, that she was sick and in pain and wanted a minister to come and pray over her. As the dean of students, Isaac was a logical choice. The problem was, we had no context in which to place her words. We didn’t have a clue that she’d just had an abortion. But now I betieve that in her feverish state, she was mixing up two different stories.”

  “You mean hers, and the bibdcal story of Abraham and Isaac.”

  “Exacdy. I think, in her mind, she’d conjured up the image of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac, because, in a very real sense, that’s just what she’d done. The emotion was genuine. She wanted her chdd back. Putting Hugh first, protecting him at all costs, doing what Isaac Knox probably convinced her was the only honorable thing to do, had been the wrong choice. You have to understand, most of her words were garbled. But when I read in my notes that she’d said, ‘I don’t care about the stars,’ it finally struck me what she meant. She didn’t care about God’s promise to Abraham if it meant losing her child. The parallel between the two stories is striking, except in her mind, she was making the opposite choice from the one Abraham had made. She wanted to put her child first — before obedience to the dictates of God’s ministry. Unfortunately, it was too late. I believe it was that struggle, that realization — that agony — which consumed her final hours.”

  “How awful for her,” said Bram, stroking Ethel’s ear.

  “Actually, there was one other comment Ginger made in her diary that I wondered about when I read it. She said that she called the man she loved ‘Lord.’ After I began to form the theory that Hugh might have been her lover, and not Isaac, it all fit. Hugh’s middle name was Abraham. There’s a verse somewhere in the New Testament — don’t ask me where anymore — that says Sarah, Abraham’s wife, called him Lord. Ginger probably fantasized about marrying Hugh. If she was a normal human being, she was no doubt impressed by his rank within the church. Calling him Lord probably occurred to her because of that verse. I think it’s also fair to say that she may have envisioned the two of them as modern-day versions of Abraham and Sarah. From the words she spoke the night she died, she certainly saw her child as Isaac. It all makes sense.”

  “Poor kid,” said Bram. “But, as a guy, I’ve got to say I feel kind of sorry for Hugh. If your church hadn’t had all these do’s and don’ts associated with marriage — who you could marry, what age your potential partner had to be, how your future wife had to look — somebody might have simply told the poor schmuck the truth, and then he and Ginger could have tied the knot. In the end, all the cover-up got any of them was death and ruined lives.”

  “Then, as well as now. By the way, since we’re on the subject, I should tell you I got a phone call from Lieutenant Riley before we drove over here tonight.”

  “Where was I?”

  “Cleaning the garage. I didn’t want to disturb you on the off chance you might actually be throwing something out. I knew we’d have a chance to talk about all this later.”

  “So talk,” said Bram. “I’m all ears.”

  “Well, Riley said that, after consulting an attorney, Adelle has now decided to cooperate. They’ve already interviewed her a couple of times. Her lawyer is negotiating some sort of plea bargain.”

  “As long as she’s put away.”

  “She will be.”

  “Say, did Riley say where Adelle got the oleander flower?”

  A frown formed on Sophie’s face. “Yes.”

  “The hotel garden?”

  “Afraid so. It was a convenient — and quiet — murder weapon. Adelle found out the make and model of Lavinia’s rental car, and then, the night she drove to that bar in northeast Minneapolis to meet with her, she slashed a tire before she went in. That way, she could drive by later and offer Lavinia a ride home.”

  “So it was Adede who came by when Lavinia was on the phone with you.”

  “That’s right. And when they got back to the hotel, Adelle suggested they have a nightcap together in Lavinia’s room. Surprise surprise. She even had a snack to offer, one she knew Lavinia couldn’t resist.”

  “The cheese balls.”

  “Exacdy. Thanks to that old codege recipe book I handed out at the reunion, she had the recipe right at her fingertips.”

  “But,” said Bram, thinking it over, “what about the wake-up cad? Why did Adelle come back the next morning?”

  “Simple. She promised Hugh that she’d be back by midnight. He was going out with friends that night himself. He told her he was being dropped back at the hotel around twelve-fifteen. She wanted to be in bed with the lights off by the time he got home. That way, she could Ue about what time she got back from the bar. Since she didn’t have time that night to search the room, she called down for the noon wake-up cad so that she could come back the next morning and finish the job. Her big mistake was picking up the morning newspaper. The police never could quite figure that out.”

  “Neither could we. But, I mean, are you teldng me Hugh never suspected what she was up to?”

  “I guess not. At least, not at first. He pretty much bought the rumor circulating around the hotel that Lavinia’s husband was responsible for her death. Then, when Isaac turned up dead with a suicide note that named him as Lavinia’s murderer, I guess Hugh finally smeded a rat. He knew Isaac was on the verge of readzing one of his greatest dreams — becoming the head of his own church. It simply wasn’t logical that he’d commit suicide. I suspect,” said Sophie, slipping her hand over Bram’s, “that right from the beginning Hugh wondered about Adelle’s involvement. I’ll bet he feels guilty that he didn’t do more to prevent a tragedy.”

  “The story of his life.”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “What about Isaac?” said Bram, prying the tennis ball out of Ethel’s mouth.

  “You mean how did she poison him? Well, she informed him sometime Wednesday afternoon that if he wanted Hugh’s support in the fight against Howell Purdis, he needed to talk to her. She was the real power behind Hugh’s throne.”

  “And he had no trouble believing that?”

  “From what Adelle told the police, none. She suggested they meet at Boom Island Park. It was far away from the hotel, easy to find, and provided them with complete anonymity. After he arrived, she joined him in his car with a thermos and some food she was snacking on. Being the polite sort, she offered him some. He was dead in a matter of minutes. She knew Hugh’s laptop computer was the same as Isaac’s, so she’d typed the message onto a disk before she left the hotel. She slipped it into his pocket along with the jewelry she’d taken from Lavinia’s room. Before she left, she grabbed a gun from his glove compartment.”

  “The awful thing is,” said Bram, examining the tennis ball for teeth marks, “Adelle might have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for Morton.”

  “That’s true. I guess you could say he saved the day.”

  “I think you saved the day, sweetheart,” said Bram, bringing her hand up to his lips. “You were the one who kept pushing to discover the truth. However, I hope this is the last time you’ll get mixed up in anything this dangerous. My nerves can’t take any more of your unpaid detective work.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Sophie with a sigh. “I’m just a boring old innkeeper now.”

  “Good.”

  “You know,” she said, reflecting a moment more. The alcohol had taken the edge off some of her more painful emodons, and yet nothing could dull the enormity of what had happened to her this past week. “These last few days have been the biggest roller-coaster ride I’ve ever been on. From inheriting the hotel, to losing Lavinia, then Isaac, and then Adelle. Cindy nearly jumps off the roof. And finally, to top it off, Rudy’s big announcement.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He and John are moving in together. They’re planning a commitment ceremony next Christmas.”

  Bram tossed the tennis ball in the air. “I know “

  “You know?”

  “Sure. Rudy tells me lots of things before he tells you. I think he figures if he has me on his team, he’s got a better chance convincing you.”

  “Am I that hard to deal with?”

  “Your love, and your approval, mean a great deal to him. Sure, he gets nervous sometimes. He’s just a kid.”

  “That’s my point.”

  “Give him some credit, Soph. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s a lot like you.”

  She could hardly argue the point.

  Catching Ethel’s attention, Bram bounced the tennis ball a few times in front of her face and then tossed it into the dining room.

  Ethel lurched to her feet and glared down at him as if he’d lost his mind.

  “You don’t throw tennis balls anymore, honey,” said Sophie, giving Ethel’s head a sympathetic pat. “They’re only for chewing, guarding, and falling asleep in front of. Not chasing.”

  “Since when?” he said indignandy.

  “Since we were at the park two weeks ago. We were playing fetch in the bushes and somehow or other the ball disappeared down a hole. I doubt I will ever be forgiven my cavalier approach to tennis-ball ownership.”

  “Life is full of peril.”

  Ethel raised her eyes with great dignity and smacked her dps. Her thoughts exactly.

  “Well, all I can say is, I hope the worst problems we have in the next few years revolve around lost tennis balls.” Bram drained his martini glass.

  “Here’s to that.” Sophie drained hers as well. “I think running this hotel will be a lot of fun.”

  “You’re not worried about owning a hotel that has … you know. A curse on it?” he asked.

  “Hey. I’d forgotten about that.”

  “So had I. Until just this minute.”

  She turned to look at him. “I don’t believe in curses.”

  He turned to look at her. “Me neither.”

  “Howell Purdis doesn’t have the power to curse a hotel.”

  “A bed-and-breakfast, maybe, but nothing this large.”

  “Well put.”

  They stared at each other.

  “I wonder how you get a curse removed,” asked Sophie.

  Bram thought about it for a moment and then leaped to his feet. “I’ll get the Yellow Pages,” he said, hurrying into the kitchen.

  Excerpts from the Terrace Lane Cookbook

  Sophie’s Infamous Cheese Ball

  The Original Cheese Ball:

  2 8-oz. packages cream cheese

  1 cup shredded cheddar

  1 cup minced green top (spring) onions

  1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

  1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

  Mix all together in a bowl. Shape into a large round ball, or small walnut-sized nuggets, or one long cheese log. Roll in chopped walnuts. Serve with crackers and crudités.

  The Olive Cheese Ball:

  2 8-oz. packages cream cheese

  1/2 cup chopped pimento-stuffed (green) olives

  1/2 cup chopped black (ripe) olives

  Mix all together in a bowl. Shape into large round ball, or small walnut-sized nuggets, or one long cheese log. Roll in chopped almonds.

  The Date-Nut Cheese Ball:

  2 8-oz. packages cream cheese

  1 cup chopped dates

  1/2 cup crushed pineapple (remove as much juice as possible)

  Mix all together in a bowl. Shape into large round ball, or small walnut-sized nuggets, or one long cheese log. Roll in chopped pecans.

  Bunny’s Favorite Chicken-Stuffed Mushrooms

  The chicken salad:

  3 cups chopped roasted chicken, white meat only fa cup chopped toasted walnuts

  1/2 cup chopped celery

  1/2 cup sweet red seedless grapes, slivered or chopped

  1/8 cup chopped green top (spring) onions

  1 tsp. Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Recipe Ranch Salad Dressing Mix (dry)

  Mayonnaise

  Mix ingredients in a bowl and add enough of your favorite mayonnaise to bind all together. Some may like more mayo, some less. The amount is up to you. Prepare at least a dozen large stuffable mushrooms by removing the stems and cleaning out the interior carefully with a spoon. Heap the chicken salad onto the prepared mushroom and sprinkle with paprika and fresh chopped parsley. Can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.

  Tahtinen Family Cold Torsk Salad, Northern Minnesota Style

  1 16-oz. fillet of torsk (or cello cod) baked, cooled, and flaked

  3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

  1/2 cup celery, chopped

  1/4 cup green top (spring) onion, chopped

  1/4 cup chopped watermelon pickle with juice

  1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

  Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

  Mayonnaise

  Mix ingredients together in a bowl and add enough mayonnaise to bind (can use low-calorie mayo). Chill at least three hours to blend flavors. Serve salad in a large bowl decorated with lemon sdces and fresh parsley. The Tahtinen famdy often served this on hot summer nights accompanied by dark pumpernickel crackers and ice-cold beer.

  Spinach & Boursin Cheese in Phyllo

  2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid

  1 5.2-oz. Boursin cheese 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1 egg, raw

  1/4 cup chopped green top (spring) onions

  Fresh ground pepper

  Mix ingredients together in a bowl.

  Thaw one package of phyllo dough. Use according to package directions. Cut dough into two sections. Place a rounded tablespoon of the spinach mixture at the bottom. Brush thin sheet of phydo with butter. Fold both sides over the center. Brush with butter again. Roll into cylinders. Brush the outside of the rolls with butter.

  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

  Serve hot with mustard dill sauce if desired.

  Mustard Dill Sauce

  1 cup sour cream (or low-fat sour cream

  1 1/4 cup stone-ground mustard

  1 tsp. dried dill weed

  Mix together and chill.

  Oriental Chicken Salad

  For the dressing, combine and mix well:

  3 T. sugar

  1/2 cup vegetable oil

  3 T. white-wine vinegar

  3 T. water

  1 T. sesame oil

  2 T. light soy sauce

  1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

  For the salad:

  1 3-oz. package Ramen soup noodles, uncooked

  4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

  2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

  2 T. thinly sliced green top (spring) onions

  2 cups cooked shredded chicken (1 whole breast)

  1 1/2 cups toasted, slivered almonds

  2 cups pea pods, blanched 1/2 cup shredded carrots

  3oz. rice (Mai Fun) noodle/oil

  Open Ramen noodles and save envelope of seasoning for a future use. Marinate the noodles in the dressing until tender (about 2 hours). In the meantime, combine the cabbage with die onion, carrots, chicken, and almonds in a bowl. When noodles are tender, pour noodles and dressing over salad and mix together. Place in the center of a decorative plate. Arrange pea pods around the edge.

  Heat oil until hot. Toss rice noodles into oil a litde at a time until puffed and light. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel. Crumble and spread over salad.

  Milk-Chocolate Raspberry-Jam Torte

  1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

  4 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar

  1/4 lb. milk chocolate

  1 cup cake flour

  1/4 cup soft raspberry jam

  Icing:

  1/4 cup milk chocolate

  2 T. butter