Cream Puff Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Ready?” Andrea said, pushing back her chair.

  “Ready,” Hannah answered. It was going to be another long night, just like the previous several nights. As she followed Andrea out of the alcove, she felt a little silly for even hoping that maybe, perhaps, possibly she might get a full night’s sleep.

  If anyone had asked Hannah to describe Detective Stella Parks in one word, that word would be formidable. She was tall, perhaps even an inch or two taller than Hannah. Although her hair was gray and she was clearly a woman in her fifties, she looked to be in excellent physical shape, and Hannah added the phrase fit as a fiddle to the list of clichés that Bill had ascribed to her. She wasn’t beautiful, and Hannah doubted that most people would call her pretty, but she was striking with her silver hair, deep blue eyes, and strong features.

  “I’m glad to meet you, Hannah.” Stella reached out to shake Hannah’s hand. It was a no-nonsense grip, and Hannah added down to earth to her list of clichés. “Bill’s told me that although you’re not officially sanctioned, you’ve helped the department solve several homicide cases in the past.”

  “Well…yes, that’s true,” Hannah said, wondering exactly what Bill had told her.

  “Are you working on Miss Ward’s murder?”

  Cuts straight to the chase. Hannah’s list of clichés grew longer. She attempted to think of an answer that wasn’t an outright lie, and came up with, “You don’t have to worry, Detective Parks. I’d never interfere in an official investigation.”

  “Call me Stella.” Her deep blue eyes bored into Hannah’s, and Hannah had the fleeting thought that being interrogated by Detective Parks would not be a pleasant experience. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you working on Miss Ward’s murder?”

  “Well…yes. Yes, I am. Unofficially, of course.”

  “Of course. I’m the detective. You’re not. I think we’re going to get along just fine, Hannah, as long as you keep that distinction clear. Do you think you can do that?”

  “I know I can do that,” Hannah assured her.

  “Good. Now let’s get down to business.” Stella took another sip of her coffee, but her eyes never left Hannah’s. “I’m at a disadvantage here. I don’t know the people or the area, and I’m shorthanded. My staff consists of two boys who couldn’t find their…” Stella stopped and cleared her throat. “Who couldn’t find their feet in a dark room with both hands. I’d like to know that I can count on you, Hannah. How about it?”

  “You’ve got it,” Hannah said quickly. “Is there anything in particular you want me to do?”

  “Do what you usually do. Talk to people. Listen to people. Bill’s told me that information just seems to land in your lap. I want you to share that information with me, even if you don’t think it’s important. Let me be the judge of that.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Good. Just call me every day and tell me what you’ve learned. I’ll be out in the field most of the time, so I’ll give you my personal cell phone number. You can always leave voice mail if you can’t speak to me personally. Are we clear on that?”

  “We’re clear.”

  “Good. Thank you, Hannah. You’re a valuable resource and I’m going to enjoy working with you.”

  Hannah’s mind was still spinning when they got back to her condo. She felt as if she’d been co-opted by a master, but she didn’t really mind. The important fact was that Detective Parks actually wanted her help.

  “The Kitty Valet is empty again,” Michelle reported after a quick trip to the kitchen. “How can one cat eat that much?”

  “I don’t know. And I’m beginning to think it’s impossible.”

  “You think Moishe’s carrying off his food and stashing it somewhere?”

  “I don’t know what else to think. He still jumps up in my arms when I come home, and it doesn’t feel as if he’s gained any weight. He doesn’t look any heavier, either.”

  “How much food is he going through?”

  “Two complete food tubes a day, sometimes three. That’s enough to feed a dozen cats. All that food can’t just disappear off the face of the earth, so he’s got to be hiding it. I just haven’t been able to discover where.”

  “Do you want me to fill up the Kitty Valet again?”

  “Might as well. Maybe we can catch him in the act. In the meantime, I’ll put on the coffee.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Michelle went to answer it. Norman and Andrea had arrived together. She ushered them in while Hannah brought out a carafe of coffee and four cups, and they all sat down in Hannah’s cozy living room.

  “Okay,” Hannah said, yawning widely. “I think you’d better give me your notes really fast before I fall asleep in my coffee.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  She was exhausted, but her eyes were wide open and her mind was whirling like a top. She had four sets of investigative instructions to assimilate.

  At least Stella Parks hadn’t told her how to investigate. The only thing the Minneapolis detective wanted Hannah to do was talk to people and listen to people, something Hannah always did anyway. Too bad Mike, Bill, Lonnie, and Rick didn’t have the same faith in her!

  There were the books on procedure to read. Mike believed that if she read them and followed the correct investigative procedure, it would lead her to Ronni’s killer. But she didn’t have time to read all those books, and that wasn’t the way she worked anyway.

  Bill wanted her to focus on the forensics, and he was providing Andrea with crime scene photos, transcripts of some interviews, and the autopsy report. The report from the Crime Scene Investigator’s unit was still to come on fingerprint, hair, and DNA evidence, and they’d have that as soon as it arrived.

  Lonnie’s take on the proper way to investigate was totally different. He thought that psychology was the most important factor and that Hannah should delve into Ronni’s background. Since no one knew quite what that was, he’d suggested that Hannah interview Wade Hoffman at length to see what he knew about Ronni’s childhood and her relatives.

  Rick had other ideas. He felt that Hannah and her friends should concentrate on the men Ronni had dated, especially if they were married or involved with other women. Rick was candid when he told Michelle that if he’d had the opportunity, he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t have killed Ronni for almost wrecking his marriage. But it wasn’t just the men Rick wanted them to investigate. He thought they should focus on the women and families who’d been hurt by Ronni’s flirtations. He said that if Jessica had been physically capable of doing Ronni in, he wouldn’t put it past her. And although he was sure that his mother hadn’t taken matters into her own hands, Bridget certainly had a motive, and so did any other mother who’d been embarrassed and hurt by her married son’s betrayal.

  Four methods to follow to the killer, and Hannah knew there was no way they could accomplish them all. She had to choose which paths to explore and which to set aside. But Mike and Bill were veteran detectives, and they were supposed to know what they were doing. Rick and Lonnie didn’t have quite as much experience, but they’d worked on more cases than she had! She had to prioritize. There was no way she could spread herself that thin. But whose advice should she follow? No one had suggested going out to the gym and talking to the members of Ronni’s classes. Was that a waste of her time? Or were there clues to be found at Heavenly Bodies that would lead her to Ronni’s killer?

  Hannah knew she had to stop thinking and get to sleep. It was twelve thirty in the morning, and she had to get up at five. Moishe never seemed to have any trouble getting to sleep. He was stretched out at the foot of the bed, snoring peacefully, making soft little noises. It was a peaceful sound, a familiar sound that usually sent her right off into the Land of Nod, but it wasn’t working tonight. She was too busy trying to figure out how she could accomplish everything that people expected of her.

  She wasn’t really prepared for the phone to ring at twelve thirty-five, but she wasn’t terribly surprised eithe
r. She reached out to pluck the receiver from the cradle and answered, “Hello, Mike.”

  “Hannah!” He sounded surprised. “How did you know it was me?”

  Because you’re the only person who’d call me this time of night when you know I have to get up at five in the morning, she thought, but of course she didn’t say it. Mike had troubles of his own. “Just guessing,” she said instead. “What is it?”

  “Did Norman give you my notes?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “How about the books? Did you read them?”

  Hannah glanced over at the thick book on the table by her bed. “I took Principles of Investigation to bed with me.”

  “But did you read it?”

  She should have known she couldn’t get away with an ambiguous answer. “I flipped through it,” she said, not untruthfully.

  “Well, make some time and read it tomorrow. It’s the best of the bunch I sent.”

  “Right,” Hannah said. Unless they changed the length of a day to thirty hours, she wouldn’t have much time for reading.

  “Anyway, I’m down in your garage again. I’m in your truck. Come on down and talk to me. And bring some coffee if you’ve got it.”

  “Right,” Hannah said again, not bothering to argue the time or the fact she’d have to go out in the dead of winter at night in the cold. “I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

  “Mike’s in the garage again?” Michelle called out as Hannah passed the open door to the guest room.

  “Who else? I’m going to take him a thermos of coffee. He’s waiting in my truck.”

  “But you lock your truck, don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then how did he get inside?”

  “He’s a seasoned law enforcement professional. I’m sure they teach them how to break into a truck in cop school.”

  “You’re probably right. Do you want to take him some cookies?”

  “No. This isn’t a twenty-four hour diner. He’s lucky to get fresh coffee.”

  “Let me guess…somebody just moved to the top of your list? And that somebody starts with an m and ends with annoying?”

  Hannah laughed. “That would be Mike, all right. He should know better than to call me this time of night.”

  “Do you want me to get up and put on a second pot of coffee? I’m awake anyway.”

  “More coffee’s the last thing I need. Go to sleep, Michelle. One of us has to be awake and alert tomorrow morning.”

  “Thanks for coming down, Hannah,” Mike said, leaning over to open the passenger door for her. “Is that a thermos of coffee?”

  “It is.” Hannah slid into the passenger seat. It felt strange to be on this side of her truck. She didn’t think she’d ever been in the passenger seat before. “What’s so important that you had to get me out of bed?”

  Mike stared at her for a moment, taking in her old sweatpants and sweatshirt partially covered by the faded chenille robe she’d picked up at Lake Eden’s only thrift store, Helping Hands. “You really wear that to bed?”

  “Yes. Without the robe and slippers, of course.”

  “Somehow I never imagined you wearing something that…never mind. I just came to ask you if you’re making any progress on the case.”

  “It’s too early to say,” Hannah said, giving him nothing except a hard stare.

  “How’s Moishe doing with his Kitty Valet?”

  Hannah’s mood improved slightly. Mike really did care about Moishe. “He loves it. There’s only one thing…he’s going through two and three full food tubes a day.”

  “That’s way too much! He’s going to be as fat as a pig if he keeps that up.”

  “I don’t think he’s eating it. It doesn’t look as if he’s gained any weight, and with that much food, he would have. I think he’s taking out the food and hiding it somewhere.”

  “That makes some kind of sense, especially since he was a stray. He probably hid food as a survival tactic.”

  “That’s what I thought, but I can’t figure out where he’s hiding it. There’s got to be quite a pile by now.”

  “Well…you can’t keep an eye on him twenty-four-seven. What you should probably do is install a surveillance camera.”

  “A surveillance camera for my cat?” Hannah was amused.

  “I think it’s a good idea. They have nanny-cams. You need a kitty-cam.”

  Hannah laughed. “You’re probably right, but I’m on a limited budget. I really can’t afford to buy an expensive surveillance camera to discover where my cat is hiding his food.”

  “You don’t have to buy one. I’ve got a state-of-the-art model in the car. I test out products for a company that makes security devices. All I have to do is rate them, and then the department gets to keep them. It’s a great way to get free equipment.”

  Hannah thought about that for a moment. “It’s also a great way to save the county some money.”

  “You bet. The security staff at the mall tests them, too. They don’t have much of a budget out there.”

  “Uh-oh. Is this camera going to break down like the one outside the back door at Heavenly Bodies?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. For one thing, it’s inside. And for another thing, it’s a brand-new, improved model. Some of the older models are affected by temperature and moisture, but this new one is supposed to be completely reliable. I can install it in your kitchen right now if you want me to. All I have to do is put in a bracket and two screws, and that won’t take more than a minute or two. Then, when we find out which direction Moishe goes with the food, we can move the camera to that room and track him to wherever he’s hiding it.”

  “Okay,” Hannah said. “That sounds like a sensible solution to me. I’ll drive you to your car to get it. Where did you park?”

  “Right next to you.” Mike gestured toward the car that was parked in the slot next to Hannah’s cookie truck. It was an old, faded green sedan with a fake convertible top that had ripped and was spewing out fiberglass stuffing.

  Hannah just stared at the wreck in surprise. “Where did you get that?”

  “It was Ronni’s new car.”

  “Did you say…new?”

  “Well, it was new to her. She bought it for five hundred dollars from someone at the bar where she used to work.”

  “And it runs?”

  “So far, so good. Ronni could never get it to run right. She was always asking for rides because it was broken down. It’s been sitting on the street outside the apartment complex for at least two weeks now, and I figured I’d better move it before it was towed away. But the funny thing is, it runs like a champ for me. I haven’t had a single problem with it.”

  Surprise, surprise, Hannah thought, wondering how such a bright guy could be so naïve when it came to the excuses a sexy woman gave him.

  “Anyway,” Mike went on, “I decided to use it after I came to see you last night and I had to park way out on the road. My Hummer’s too distinctive. There aren’t that many around town. But if somebody sees this car parked next to you in the garage, they’ll never guess it’s me.”

  “True,” Hannah said, but she didn’t add the rest of the comment that ran through her mind. One look and they’ll think somebody abandoned it here, and they’ll have it towed away.

  “All done,” Mike said, stepping back with Hannah’s screwdriver in his hand. He glanced down to see Moishe gazing up at him and turned to Hannah. “Do you think he knows we’re on to him?”

  “Maybe. Moishe’s a really bright cat.”

  “It’s for your own good, Big Guy,” Mike said, reaching down to pet Moishe’s head. Then he straightened up to face Hannah again. “Just flick that red switch on the base of the camera when you leave in the morning, and it’ll record six hours of activity.”

  “Activity?”

  “It’s state-of-the-art. It won’t record if there’s no activity at the food bowl. It’s motion activated.”

  “So I won’t hav
e to sit through hours of tape showing the food bowl and the doorway, and nothing else.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Thanks, Mike,” Hannah said, leading him to the door. “You really have to go now. I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a rough day.”

  “You have a lot of baking to do?”

  “I don’t have to do any baking. Lisa and Michelle are taking care of that. I have to meet Andrea out at Heavenly Bodies.”

  “So you’re still doing your early-morning exercises,” Mike said, looking pleased.

  “Of course. We work out first, and then both of us go to Roger’s Classic Body Sculpting class.”

  Mike eyed her appraisingly. “You look like you lost a little weight, Hannah.”

  “I do?” It was Hannah’s turn to look pleased.

  “Definitely. Your face looks thinner.”

  Her face? Hannah had all she could do not to groan. If her face was the only place she’d lost weight, she’d never get thin enough to fit into her Regency dress!

  “It takes a while to start losing,” Mike said, the man who was all muscle, no fat. “How long is your class?”

  “Half an hour. But I’ve got classes in the afternoon, too.”

  “Good for you! Which classes are you taking?”

  “Every one of the ones that Ronni used to teach.”

  Mike looked puzzled. “Why are you doing that?”

  “To find out if any of the other class members had a grudge against her. I’m exercising, but I’m listening, too. Ronni wasn’t exactly complimentary toward some of the ladies she taught, and they’re still talking about the things she said.”

  “Oh, but that was just Ronni. I don’t think anybody thought that much about it. Do you really think that some woman she insulted in class got mad enough to kill her?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  “Maybe, but it’s a real long shot. Seriously, Hannah…it won’t do you any good to nose around out at Heavenly Bodies. There’s nothing to learn out there, and you’re just wasting time. You’d be a lot better off reading those books I gave you and improving your investigative techniques.”