by Joanne Fluke
“Good. You should be. I’m armed.”
He reached out to give her a little pat on the back and Hannah managed a smile. “Which arm will you use?”
Mike laughed. “You cracked a joke and I can tell that you’re better now. You had me scared, Hannah. Your face was so pale, I thought you were going to faint.”
“I might have,” Hannah admitted. “There was a kind of reddish haze over everything when I got back inside, and I put my head down. I don’t know how long it was before Lisa came in the front door.”
“You had a panic attack,” Mike decided, patting her back again. “I’m assuming you ran into Ross?”
Hannah nodded. “He knocked on the back door and I thought it was a delivery. I opened it without asking who was there. I should have known better.”
“Yes, you should have. And I’m having Lonnie install a peephole as soon as he gets to the station.” Mike pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Lonnie. Then he turned to Lisa. “Do you have any orange juice? She still looks a little rattled.”
“That’s from the loose screws in my head,” Hannah quipped. “I should have known better than to open the door, especially since I didn’t recognize the knock.”
“True, but we all make mistakes.” Mike watched Lisa pour a glass of orange juice and walk over to hand it to Hannah. “Can you hold this glass?” he asked her.
“Yes. I’m not shaking as much now.” Hannah grabbed the glass and took a big swallow of orange juice. “I’m feeling better, Mike.”
“That’s what all the ladies say around me. Drink more, Hannah. You need the sugar.”
“It’s the first time in my life that anyone’s told me I need sugar.” Hannah took another swallow. “He said he’d hurt me if I didn’t give him the money that was in the safe deposit box.”
Mike nodded. “That figures. Where’s the money?”
“Back in his bank account. Doug deposited it for me. And I put back the money Ross deposited in my account, too.”
“That must have made him mad, especially since the bank won’t be open today.”
Hannah just stared at Mike in shock. “It won’t?”
“No.”
“Why not? It’s not a bank holiday, is it?”
“No, but the wind was so strong, it blew in a couple of windows and there’s glass all over the floor and the counters. Doug and Cliff managed to get down there to board up the windows, but there was a lot of damage done. They’ve been working on it, but they don’t expect to open for business again until Monday morning.”
Hannah began to frown. “I didn’t know anything about the damage and I didn’t drive past the bank when I came in to work this morning. I told Ross he’d have to go there today if he wanted to get his money. And now he won’t be able to do that! He’s going to think that I was lying to him and he’s going to be even more furious with me!”
Hannah felt herself begin to shake with fear again, and she did her best to stop. Even though she knew she was safe now with Mike and Lisa here, she couldn’t help thinking about what might happen if she encountered Ross alone.
“You’re okay, Hannah,” Lisa said, sitting down on the other side of Hannah and giving her a hug. “You’re safe with both of us here, and maybe it’s a good thing that the bank is closed. Since he can’t get his money, Ross won’t be back before Monday.”
“But how will Ross know that the bank is closed today?” Hannah asked. “He could be standing outside the building right now, waiting for the bank to open.”
Mike shook his head. “Doug posted a sign on the door saying the bank won’t be open until Monday. Ross will see it and he’ll know he can’t get his money until then.”
“This could turn out to be good for you,” Lisa pointed out. “At least you won’t have to worry about Ross coming back to Lake Eden until Monday morning.”
“Not necessarily,” Mike pointed out. “Ross may decide to stay in the area until the bank opens on Monday.”
Hannah felt her anxiety begin to rise again. “Then I’m not safe anywhere in Lake Eden!”
Mike put his arm around her. “Yes, you are. It’s the best place you could possibly be. We’ll take care of you, Hannah. I promise.”
“I just want him gone!” Hannah said, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m afraid of him!”
“You’d be a fool if you weren’t afraid,” Lisa said.
“That’s right.” Mike reached into his pocket and drew out his pen and notebook. “Okay, Hannah. I want you to tell me everything that happened from the time you first opened the door and saw Ross. Don’t leave anything out. I need to know everything he said and everything that you said until you locked the kitchen door behind you.”
“I’ll get coffee,” Lisa said, hurrying to fetch two cups of Hannah’s favorite beverage. She added a generous spoonful of sugar to Hannah’s cup and carried the coffee back to the work station.
“Thanks, Lisa,” Hannah said, raising the cup to her lips and taking a sip. A startled expression crossed her face as she swallowed. “I don’t take sugar!”
“You do today,” Lisa insisted. “You’re still shaking and it’ll help. And I’m willing to bet that you didn’t have breakfast before you came in this morning.”
“I . . .” Hannah stopped objecting and sighed instead. Lisa was right. She hadn’t bothered to eat breakfast. “You’re right, Lisa. I didn’t fix any breakfast this morning.”
“That’s what I thought. Drink the coffee,” Lisa ordered. “Your blood sugar’s probably low. Take a couple of swallows right now and then I’ll get you a plate of cookies that you can share with Mike. Tell him everything, Hannah. It doesn’t matter how small and insignificant you think it is. I’m going to go out to the coffee shop and get things ready to open in there.”
“Concentrate,” Mike ordered, once Lisa had left. “Tell me everything you remember, Hannah.”
Hannah took another swallow of coffee and a bite of her cookie, and began to recite the events that had happened after she’d heard the knock on the back kitchen door. It took quite a while and she was surprised at all the small things she remembered, even facts like how Ross had been dressed, the boots he’d been wearing, and how his appearance had changed in the weeks that had gone by since he’d left her.
“Very good, Hannah,” Mike said, closing his notebook and sliding it back into his pocket.
“I’m back,” Lisa announced, coming through the swinging door again. “Aunt Nancy and Marge are here and I’m going to start the baking.”
“I’ll help,” Hannah said, rising from the stool.
“No, just sit there, Hannah,” Lisa ordered. “You’ve been through an emotional morning already and I can handle the baking. Drink coffee, eat cookies, keep me company, and do your best to relax. That’s all I need from you right now.”
“Lisa’s right,” Mike told her. “You’ll be okay, Hannah. And just to be on the safe side, I’m going to assign a couple of my deputies to stay with you wherever you go. There’s no way we’re going to take any chances with your safety.”
“The minute he hears about this, Herb will offer to help,” Lisa told Mike. “Herb can watch the entrances to Lake Eden, and we can make sure Hannah is safe while she’s here at The Cookie Jar.”
“Thanks, Lisa. And tell Herb thanks, too. My detectives will make sure Hannah is escorted everywhere she goes,” Mike promised, and then he turned to Hannah. “You’ll have constant protection, Hannah. I’m going to order round-the-clock security for you.”
Hannah was about to tell him that she didn’t need bodyguards, but before she opened her mouth, she remembered the menacing look on Ross’s face when he’d tried to grab her and keep her from going inside. Perhaps she did need bodyguards.
Mike looked surprised when Hannah didn’t voice her objections to round-the-clock security. “You’re not going to argue with me about this?”
“No,” Hannah said, and then she ga
ve a long, drawn-out sigh. “I don’t like it, but you’re right. Ross really scared me when he threatened to hurt me, and I know that I might need protection.”
Chapter Seven
“I’m really glad you’re here, Lisa,” Hannah said once Mike had left. “Where were you when the blizzard hit us?”
“At home with Herb. He’d just gotten off work. He was only home for a half hour or so when it started to snow, and we heard the blizzard warnings on KCOW. We just stayed in the house until the snow stopped blowing. How about you?”
“I was taking a nap at the condo. I slept for most of the afternoon.”
“I can understand that. You must have been exhausted after dealing with all the people at church.”
“I was. Moishe was sleeping with me and when I woke up, I looked out the window and it was a solid wall of swirling snow.”
“You were alone?”
“Yes, except for Moishe. I think the howling of the wind woke me up, either that or the fact that Moishe was restless. He was scared, so I petted him to calm him down, slipped on my robe, and went out into the living room. That’s when I looked out the living room window and realized that I couldn’t see Clara and Marguerite’s condo across the outside landing.”
“Did your electricity go off?”
Hannah shook her head. “When they built the condo complex, they ran everything underground. I had cable television for the entire time, too. I was just watching the weather warning on KCOW-TV when Norman knocked on my door with Cuddles.”
Lisa looked shocked. “Norman made it all the way out to your place?”
“Yes. He started before the blizzard got really bad, but it took him almost an hour and a half. And it’s only a twenty-minute drive.”
“Where was Michelle?”
“At Mother and Doc’s penthouse with Lonnie. Mother called Michelle on her cell phone, told her that it was too dangerous to drive back to my place, and invited them over to ride out the blizzard.”
“But Michelle was with you when I called.”
“I know. Earl Flensburg came by with his snowplow and brought Michelle, Lonnie, and Mike out to my place.”
“So you had Norman, Cuddles, Mike, Lonnie, and Michelle with you for the whole time?”
Hannah smiled. “Yes, and I was glad for the company. The guys camped out in the living room and Michelle and I cooked and baked a lot. It kept our minds off what was happening outside. I think we came up with some good recipes for Valentine’s Day and I brought samples for you.” Hannah walked over to the kitchen counter, picked up the box she’d packed that morning, and carried it over to give to Lisa.
Lisa took the box and set it down on the stainless-steel surface. “It’s really heavy. You must have baked the entire time!”
Hannah laughed. “Michelle and I had to do something. We were getting a little stir-crazy. The guys tested cookies, pies, and cakes for us and so did Clara and Marguerite Hollenbeck. It was something productive for us to do.”
“It sounds like you didn’t mind the blizzard at all.”
“Not true. I can tell you this, Lisa. I’m really glad it’s over and I can get out again! I never thought I was claustrophobic, but I guess I am. I felt anxious knowing that I couldn’t get out of the condo if we had an emergency.”
“I know what you mean, but at least you had people with you. Herb and I were stuck in the house and the only time we left was to step outside and walk the dogs around the inside of the fence.”
“You must have felt terribly confined.” Hannah walked to the kitchen coffeepot and poured herself another cup. “What did you and Herb do to pass the time?”
Since Lisa didn’t answer immediately, Hannah turned to look at her. That’s when she realized that her partner was blushing. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I guess I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“That’s okay. I did have time to come up with a couple of new recipes we can use for Valentine’s Day.”
“Great! What are they?”
“One is Pink Grapefruit Cake. The glaze is pink and it’s pretty. And another is White Chocolate Brownies. I’ve got a White Chocolate Fudge Frosting, too, and I thought we could color that pink and put Valentine candies on top of each brownie.”
“Good idea! Did you hear the news about the movie festival?”
“Yes. Mayor Bascomb called Herb to see if he knew anyone he could hire for extra security. The mayor said that there were going to be a lot of extra people coming to town for that.”
“He’s probably right.”
Lisa began to look slightly worried. “You don’t think Ross will come back for that, do you?”
“I’m almost sure he won’t. Once he gets his money, he’ll be long gone. Mike told Ross that he couldn’t guarantee his safety, and that’s probably why Ross drove all night so that he could arrive so early this morning.”
“You mean he wanted to get here before anyone in town was awake?”
“Yes. And he wanted to get here while I was alone at The Cookie Jar.”
“That’s scary,” Lisa said, but she was clearly relieved that Hannah didn’t think Ross would come back for the movie festival. “I really hope he won’t be back here. Herb was pretty hot under the collar about how Ross treated you, and Aunt Nancy said that Heiti felt the same way. Everyone’s on your side, Hannah. And they all think that what Ross did to you was horrible.”
Hannah frowned slightly. She really didn’t want to talk about Ross anymore. It was best to change the subject, so she gestured toward the box. “Take a look at what Michelle and I baked.”
Lisa lifted the cover on the large box and her eyes widened as she saw what was inside. “You two must have baked the entire time!”
“It was something to do and it made us feel better. Between the two of us, we came up with quite a few new recipes.”
“What are these cookies?” Lisa pointed to a row of cookies in the middle of the box.
“We’re calling them Chocolate Mint Cookies. Grab a cup of coffee and try one. I want to find out what you think of them.”
Lisa got up and headed for the coffeepot. In less than a minute, she was back with her coffee.
“Go ahead,” Hannah invited. “I already had one when we baked them, but I think I’ll have another.”
“They smell nice and minty,” Lisa remarked, choosing a cookie from the box and taking a bite. “Mmmm!”
“That sounds like you approve.”
Lisa nodded and took a sip of coffee. “I love the combination of chocolate and mint. They’re wonderful, Hannah!”
“Thank you. Do you think we should offer them on our takeout list of cookies for Valentine’s Day?”
“Yes, but only after you let people sample them today. You know everyone who comes in likes to critique our cookies. And not just because they get a free cookie. I think our customers really like it when we ask for their opinion.”
“I’ll bake more this morning and we can test them out on the customers today. How about your Pink Grapefruit Cake and the White Chocolate Brownies?”
“We can test those, too. I brought in the rest of the Pink Grapefruit Cake and the brownies. You test those and if you like them, I’ll bake the cake when I take my lunch break.”
“But then you won’t get lunch.”
“Yes, I will. I can order a hamburger and fries from Rose at the café and run down to get it while the cake is baking. And after I eat, I can bake the brownies.”
There was a knock at the back door and Hannah got up from her stool. “It’s Mother,” she told Lisa. “I’ll go let her in.”
“Four knocks in rapid succession, polite, but insistent,” Lisa said. “I can recognize her knock now, but I still have problems with Norman’s knock.”
“That’s because he changes it deliberately. He likes to try to fool me, but I’m right more often than I’m wrong.”
“Oh, good! You’re in this morning!” Delores greeted Hannah the moment she opened the door. Then she stepped in, wiped her
boots on the rug Hannah kept by the door in the winter, stepped out of her boots and replaced them with slippers, and handed Hannah her parka to hang from a hook just inside the door. “How are you, dear?”
“I’m fine. Lisa and I were just having coffee. Would you like to join us?”
“That would be lovely.” Delores followed Hannah to the work station, took a stool next to Lisa, and noticed the box of cookies. “What are these? They look divine!”
“They’re Chocolate Mint Cookies,” Hannah told her.
“I haven’t had these before, have I?”
Hannah shook her head. “No, Michelle and I came up with the recipe and we baked them yesterday, just in time to invite Earl for coffee and cookies before he plowed us out. Try one, Mother. I’d like to know what you think of them.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Delores said with a laugh, reaching for a cookie and taking a bite, “I absolutely love the combination of chocolate and mint. These are fabulous, dear! You’re going to serve them here, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Lisa answered, reaching for another cookie. “Our customers are going to love them.”
Delores turned to Hannah. “What did you think of the mayor’s news, Hannah?”
“It’s exciting. They’re going to do the interviews with the movie people right here at The Cookie Jar. It’ll be fun to see some of the movie people again, and they’re even going to interview some of the locals who were in Crisis in Cherrywood.”
“Will they interview Tracey?” Delores asked.
“I think so. She had a big role in the movie.”
“How about you, Hannah?” Lisa wanted to know.
“I doubt it. My part wasn’t that big. I’m hoping that Lynne and Tom will fly in for the festival. It would be good to see them again.”
“Stephanie Bascomb told me that she’s keeping a list of the people who are coming in for the festival,” Delores told them. “I’ll ask her if Lynne and Tom are on it.”
“Thanks, Mother. I really would like to know. I tried calling Lynne last night to ask her if she was coming, but she wasn’t home.”