Mason Kimball

Mason Kimball is the main antagonist of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries novel Strawberry Shortcake Murder. Mason is a local crew volunteer on a national baking competition setting up in Lake Eden, Minnesota, with a son named Craig in sports. Mason would secretly provide Craig with steroids to enhance his performance. Coach and domestic abuser Boyd Watson found this out and was prepared to report the two and have Craig kicked out of sports.

Mason went over to he Watson house to try and incentive Boyd again, but the refusal led to the two scuffling and Mason killing Boyd by bludgeoning him with his own ball peen hammer. Danielle, Boyd's widowed wife, was the prime suspect, but snooping reporter Lucy Richards had pictures of Mason's crime and tried to blackmail with the photos. Mason retorted with shooting her execution-style, leaving her corpse n her car, and destroying all the evidence he could find, missing a roll of film that showed his horse cuff links.

Hannah Swensen, local baker and sleuth, went to question him on the cuff links, but she found them right at his desk and realized he's the murderer. Appearing by the doorway, he voices he's ready to killer, then holds her at gunpoint to force her to the stage. Swensen discreetly turns on a camera to get his confession and hostage-taking on tape. He admits to everything, then reveals his plan to kill Swensen on a tarp and have her shop assistant, Lisa Herman, find her dead. Then after the final straw of calling her cookies "overrated", when he lowers his gun slightly, Swensen throws flour in his face, knees his crotch, and slams his wrist three times to break it, then snatching his gun and holding it on him while he screams in pain. Her brother in law, Officer Bill Todd, and crush Detective Mike Kingston rush up to arrest Kimball, shocked Swensen got the confession on take. Local doctor Knight sets Mason's wrist while he's in custody.