by Joanne Fluke
"Go ahead and laugh. I can just imagine how ridiculous I look. I'm afraid I'll crush something if I move, and I think Moishe is in here somewhere."
"Hold on, Janie. I'll help you," Hannah chuckled as she approached the walk-in closet. All she could see were Janie's feet. The rest of her body, including her head, was covered by mounds of old clothing that Hannah had been vowing to take to the Helping Hands Thrift Store for the past two years.
"Do you see Moishe?" Janie asked, her words almost swallowed by the old Navy peacoat Hannah had worn during her first year in college.
"Not yet." Hannah was ready to start extricating Janie from the clothing when she heard a meow. It came from above her, and when she looked up, she saw two round yellow eyes peeking out at her. "He's on the top shelf, hiding behind a box. I'll coax him down right after I get you out of the closet."
"I'm glad my mother didn't hear that!" Janie started to giggle.
Hannah stepped into the closet and grabbed an armful of clothing. She carried it out, tossed it into a corner of the bedroom, and went back for another load. It took several trips, but at last Janie could move.
"Oh, no," Janie groaned as she stood up and shook off the rest of the clothing.
"What's the matter? Are you hurt?"
"Only my pride. I'm sorry, Hannah. I crushed the velvet hat you wore to Andrea's wedding."
"That's okay. It looks awful on me and I haven't worn it since. What happened?"
"I don't know. Moishe was in the closet and I tried to get him out so I could shut the door. I was just bending down to pick him up when the closet pole gave way and everything crashed down on us."
"That pole was loose. I should have warned you. And Moishe does have a way of getting people into trouble," Hannah remarked, remembering the time she'd stepped out to retrieve the morning paper and Moishe had batted the door shut behind her. Of course it had been locked, and she'd had to run down to her neighbor's in her slippers and robe to call a locksmith.
At that moment, the subject of their conversation jumped down from the top shelf and walked over to them. He glared at them for a moment, as if the whole thing had been their fault, and then stalked off down the hallway.
"I'm just glad he didn't get hurt," Janie said. "He was after something in the closet, Hannah. Do you think it was a mouse?"
"It could have been. He's a good mouser. Sit down, Janie. I've got some great news for you."
Janie sat down on the edge of the bed. "What is it?"
"You're off the suspect list. Kristi Hampton saw you pull into the parking lot at the inn, and a maid spotted you when you left with your suitcases. That gives you an alibi, and Mike said to tell you that you're in the clear."
"That's wonderful!" Janie's face lit up in a smile. "Now I can go back out to the inn and see Paul. I didn't think I should talk to him while I was still a suspect, but I'd really like to offer my condolences and see if there's anything I can do to help."
"I've got some other good news, too. You're not the only suspect that Mike and Bill cleared."
"Norman?" When Hannah nodded, Janie's smile grew even wider. "I'm glad. I really like him, Hannah."
"I like him, too. We'd better get a move-on, Janie. Andrea will panic if I'm late for the contest."
"I'm ready. Or at least, I was. Just let me brush my hair again."
Hannah watched as Janie went over to the dresser and began to brush her hair. "Did you happen to think of anything special we could do with our snowman?"
"Yes. I forgot to tell you in all the excitement, but I think you should build a snow-woman."
'A snow-woman?"
"That's right. I thought it might catch the judge's eye if it was a snow-woman instead of a snowman."
Hannah turned to stare at the piles of clothing with a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe we could straighten out that hat from Andrea's wedding and use it."
"Bad idea." Janie shook her head. "She'll think you didn't like it."
"I didn't."
"I know, but she chose those hats especially for us. You have others, don't you?"
"Oh, yes," Hannah said, thinking about the old adage, Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. "I've been in enough weddings to start a whole collection."
Armed with two shopping bags of snow-woman paraphernalia, Hannah and Janie arrived at Lake Eden Park. Hannah spotted Lisa and Jack Herman standing on the sidelines and she turned to Janie.
"I told Lisa that you were coming and she wanted you to watch with them."
"Great." Janie smiled. "Mr. Herman's an old family friend. He used to work with my Dad. It'll be good to see him again."
"Did Lisa tell you that he has Alzheimer's?"
"Yes. Don't worry, Hannah. I'll understand if he doesn't remember me."
When they arrived at the spot where Lisa and her father were standing, Janie greeted Lisa and then she turned to Jack Herman. "Hi, Mr. Herman. I'm. . ."
"Janie Burkholtz." Jack supplied the name, reaching out to take her hand. "I remember you from a long time ago. Your father and mother were good friends of mine, but I don't think I've seen them for a while."
"They moved to Florida a few years ago."
"Smart," Jack said, smiling. "Garland always said he wanted to get away from this. . . uh . . . white stuff on the ground."
Lisa smiled at her father. "The snow bothers a lot of people, especially when it's deep, like this year."
"Maybe Garland was smart. He always hated to shovel snow. Is there a lot of it in. . .where was it again?"
"Florida," Janie responded "It's warm all year 'round down there. Mom likes it a lot. She practically lives in shorts."
"Isobel always did have pretty legs, but they couldn't hold a candle to my wife's legs. I used to tell her she should insure them with Lloyd's of . . . whatchamacallit. That's what Betty Grable did, you know."
Janie laughed. "That's exactly what my Dad used to tell my mother!"
"Doesn't surprise me. Your father always stole my best lines. We all had fun back then. They lived right next door before they bought that place on Elm Street. We already had . . . our first baby."
"Tim," Lisa prompted.
"That's right. I think Timmy was about a year old, because he was already walking. Garland and Isobel just loved him. They used to try to get us to go out, just so they could babysit. I remember the day they got you, Janie. They were so happy to get a baby of their own."
"It's cold, Dad." Lisa noticed that her father was shivering, and she reached into his jacket pocket to pullout a pair of wool gloves. "You'd better put these on. How about a hot cup of coffee? I can go get you one."
"That sounds good, honey. How about the rest of you? It's my treat."
"Thanks, Mr. Herman. Coffee would be great," Hannah said.
"I'd like some, too." Janie turned to Lisa. "I'll come along and help you carry it, unless. . ."
Hannah knew exactly what Janie was thinking, and she reached out to take Jack's arm. "I'll stay with Mr. Herman to keep him company."
"I'm sorry, Miss . . ." Jack sighed, turning to Hannah after Janie and Lisa had left. "I forgot your name again. It starts with an 'H,' doesn't it?"
"That's right. I'm Hannah Swensen and I'm Lisa's partner at The Cookie Jar."
"Of course you are. I don't know why I can't remember your name. It just slips away from me sometimes."
"That's okay. Just ask me and I'll tell you." Hannah motioned to the gloves he was holding in his hand. "Better put those on before you get frostbite."
Jack laughed and slipped on his gloves. "You sound just like my daughter. When Garland and I were boys, we never wore gloves unless it was twenty below. It was some kind of crazy idea we had. We thought the girls would like us better if we proved how tough we were. I wonder if they still do things like that."
"I think they do," Hannah said, remembering that Craig Kimball and several of his friends had been gloveless when they'd helped her carry her cookies to the warm-up tent.
"It's good to s
ee little Janie again," Jack smiled. "She's all grown up now, but I remember the day Garland and Isobel got her just like it was yesterday."
Something about Jack's word choice puzzled Hannah. This was the second time he'd referred to the day that Janie's parents got her. She'd noticed that Lisa often supplied the word that her father couldn't remember, and she decided she'd do the same. "I think it's nice that you remember the day that Janie was born."
"Oh, I don't remember that."
"You don't?" Now Hannah was thoroughly puzzled. "But you do remember the day they got her?"
"'Course I do. Garland got the call at work and he drove to that hospital in Minneapolis to pick up Isobel and the baby. But maybe I shouldn't have told you that. It's a big secret."
"What's a secret?" Hannah asked, even more confused.
Janie's 'adopted, but her mother never wanted her to know. You won't tell her, will you?"
"I promise I won't," Hannah said, reaching out to take Jack's hand. "Will you tell me about it?"
Jack sighed. "Guess it can't hurt, now that I let the cat out of the bag. You see, Isobel had trouble having babies. She lost two in the first two years, and it just about killed both Garland and her. Then she got pregnant again and she had to stay in bed with her feet up. She was fine for months, but it happened anyway. Garland had to call for the ambulance one night and they took Isobel to the hospital."
"That's very sad," Hannah said, patting his hand.
"I know. Isobel lost the baby, and the doctors told her she couldn't get pregnant again. It upset her so much, she went into a . . . what do you call it when you can't eat or sleep, and you cry all the time?"
"Depression?"
"That's the word. Isobel went into a depression and they kept her there in the hospital. There was a girl in the next bed and she was in trouble, too. They got to be friends, Isobel and this girl, and the girl told her she wasn't married and she was going to give up her baby for adoption. And then she asked Isobel and Garland if they wanted to take it."
"And they did?"
"The girl didn't want any money or anything like that. She just wanted to make sure her baby had a good home. There was only one condition. She never wanted her baby to know about the adoption."
"And that's what happened?"
"Yes. The girl had her baby the next day and she signed Janie over to Garland and Isobel. Her name was Janie when they got her, you know. The girl named her after her grandmother, who'd just died. I know they kept in touch with the girl. Isobel sent her letters and pictures, and the girl sent back gifts for Janie. She asked them to say the gifts were from them, and they did."
Hannah's mind was spinning. It was a great story, but she couldn't help wondering if it was a figment of Jack's imagination. "How do you know all this?"
"Garland told me. He was so excited about being a father at last. He said he had to tell someone. And he knew he could trust me."
"And you never told anyone else?"
"Not even my wife. I figured it was nobody's business."
"Did Garland tell you the girl's name?"
"No, and I didn't ask."
"How about Janie's biological father?" Jack shrugged. "I don't know his name, and I don't think Garland or Isobel do, either. The girl said that he got married before she found out that she was pregnant, and so she never told him. You're not going to tell Janie about this, are you?"
"No." Hannah shook her head. "It's your secret, and I promise I'll never tell her."
"That makes me feel a whole lot better. Say, Miss? Lisa said you were going to build a snowman. Aren't you a little old for that?"
Hannah laughed. "I'm much too old, but I'm helping my sister and my niece, Tracey."
"That name's familiar. Do I know her?"
"You met her yesterday morning and you showed her your animal collection. You even taught her about opposable thumbs."
"I did?" Jack smiled. "Well, good for me! She must have been that pretty little blond girl that asked me all those questions."
"That's Tracey."
"My daughter use to ask questions nonstop. I hope she didn't catch on that I made up the answers half the time."
"Here she comes now," Hannah said, gesturing toward Lisa and Janie, who were walking across the park toward them.
"I see her. They grow up fast, don't they? Who's that other girl with her?"
"Janie Burkholtz," Hannah said, waiting for some kind of reaction from Jack.
"Oh, yes. Did you know that her parents used to live right next door to me? They moved away from the . . . white stuff a couple of years ago. Somewhere in the south, I think she said."
"Florida." "That's right. I remember now. Let's go meet them, miss. Looks like they're bringing hot coffee."
-22- Hannah walked over to meet Andrea and Tracey, who were just getting out of their car. Tracey was dressed appropriately in a bright-pink snowsuit with a matching ski cap and mittens, but Andrea had worn an outfit that was geared more toward a fashion magazine photo shoot. Her coat was made of powder blue suede. It was decorated with white fur around the collar and the hemline, and she wore matching gloves of thin powder blue leather. Her designer boots matched her gloves, and the only concession she'd made to the contest they were about to enter was a white fur hat that barely covered her ears.
"What's wrong?" Andrea asked, realizing that her sister was staring at her.
"Your outfit. There's a snowdrift in our spot and we're going to be up to our . . ." Hannah paused and glanced at Tracey, who was hanging on her every word. ". . . you-know-whats in it. Tell me you've got Bill's snowmobile suit and choppers in the trunk."
Andrea shook her head. "Don't you like my new coat? I made a special trip out to the mall this morning to pick it up."
'It's gorgeous, and it'd be just fine if you were trying out for the part of the winter fairy.'
'I know it's not exactly practical,' Andrea conceded. 'I just thought there might be photographers here and I wanted to look my best.'
'Well, don't blame me if you catch a cold while we're building our snow-woman.'
'Snow-woman?' Tracey asked, tugging at Hannah's sleeve. 'I thought it was a snowman contest, Aunt Hannah.'
'It is, but snowman is generic. It's like when they said all men were created equal in the Declaration of Independence. They meant both men and women.'
'Right,' Andrea murmured to Hannah, taking Tracey's hand and starting out across the snow. 'Tell that to Bill. I made more money than he did last month, and he still calls my career a little hobby.'
Once they'd said hello to Lisa and her father, and Andrea had given Janie a big welcoming hug, Hannah picked up the two shopping bags and they headed to their designated spot. They'd just figured out who should roll which ball when the whistle blew and the contest began.
'You're shivering,' Hannah commented, lifting the snowball that Andrea had rolled for the torso and settling it on top of the one she'd rolled for the base.
'I know, but I look good,' Andreas said with a grin, sticking out her tongue at Hannah.
'Careful,' Hannah warned, picking up the ball Tracey had rolled for the head and plopping it down on top of the torso. 'If you leave your tongue out for too long, it'll freeze and crack off.
'Are you fighting with Mommy?' Tracey asked, sounding a little worried.
'No,' both Andrea and Hannah replied at once, and then they laughed.
'Aunt Hannah was just teasing,' Andrea explained. 'Sisters do that sometimes. It doesn't mean that we don't love each other.'
Hannah reached out to tweak the pom-pom on the top of Tracey's pink knitted cap. 'Kids always squabble when they're growing up. You'll understand when you have a brother or a sister.'
"Will you get the shopping bags, honey?" Andrea said to Tracey, and the minute that Tracey had gone to collect them, she turned to Hannah with a frown. "I wish you hadn't said that. Now she's going to be bugging me about having a baby brother or sister, and Bill and I want to wait for at least a year."
"Sorry," Hannah said, turning away to hide her grin. She was sure she knew something that Andrea didn't. Bill would be tickled pink and so would Andrea, once she'd gotten used to the idea.
"Let me see what's here." Andrea began to rummage through the bag that Tracey brought her. She plucked out a straw hat decorated with chiffon ribbons and silk flowers and held it up. "This looks like it came from a wedding."
"It did. I was a bridesmaid when my college roommate got married."
"It's almost a shame to use it. It's really rather nice." Andrea gave Hannah a sharp look. "I won't find the velvet hat from my wedding in here, will I?"
"Of course not," Hannah told her, silently thanking Janie for saving her from that particular blunder.
"Good. You really ought to wear it again, Hannah. It's still fashionable and it looks wonderful on you."
Hannah nodded and decided to change the subject, since the hat in question was as flat as a pancake. "If you don't mind, I thought I'd put one of my Cookie Jar aprons on our snow-woman."
"That's a good idea. It never hurts to advertise." Andrea turned to Tracey, who was digging through the second shopping bag. "Did you find anything you like, honey?"
Tracey held up a long rope of fake pearls. "I like these, Mommy. Now I'm looking for earrings to match."
"There aren't any," Hannah told her, walking over to glance at the contents of the bag. "But that's okay, because our snow-woman doesn't have ears. I think there's a pair of big sunglasses in the bottom. They're from a store display and they ought to fit her."
By the time the final whistle blew, their snow-woman was dressed and ready. The three of them walked over to the sidelines to chat with Janie, Lisa, and Jack Herman while the judges were deliberating.
"Do you think we'll win, Aunt Hannah?" Tracey asked her.
"I don't know, but we made a good snow-woman. I think she's just perfect."
"So do I." Tracey gave a little sigh. "I wish we could keep her, but I know we can't. She'll melt down into a puddle and go belly-up."
Andrea overheard her daughter's comment and her eye- brows shot up in surprise. "Belly-up?"