Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swensen #9.5)(41)

Dozens of frozen trees were stacked by the far wall, far away from the nearest space heater. They were still in their protective netting and they looked like cone-shaped green carrots. Employees would take them into the thawing and flocking tent, a large area draped with heavy construction plastic that held in the heat from several space heaters. The trees would thaw and their branches would loosen so that prospective buyers could see their real shapes.

The delivery door was right in front of her. Hannah grabbed the handle to jerk it open, but the corrugated metal door didn’t budge. It was locked. The stacked trees she’d seen CANDY CANE MURDER

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must have been the Douglas firs and they’d been delivered already.

Hannah eyed the wall. It was at least twelve feet high.

Even if she could somehow manage to climb it, the sliding roof was closed. There was no escape there. Her only chance of surviving was to hide and hope that Cory hadn’t seen her dash into the annex. He couldn’t search the whole store. It would be impossible. She might be able to elude him until time for the store to open in the morning.

Attempting to think positive thoughts was difficult. It was cold in the annex and although she was dressed for winter, a parka wouldn’t protect her all night. If Rayne Phillips on KCOW television was right, and Andrea had reported it accurately, it was going to be a bitterly cold night.

The warmest place in the annex would be the thawing and flocking tent. Hannah lifted the flap, dashed into the tent, and gave a huge sigh of relief. The large area was filled with thawed trees and their branches would hide her from view.

And it was at least twenty degrees warmer than it had been in the main part of the annex.

Hannah chose a spot in the very center of the group of trees waiting to be flocked because those had the fullest branches. The tree in front of her bore a tag saying that it had been purchased by Doug Greerson for the lobby of the Lake Eden First Mercantile Bank. The word “white” was written under Doug’s name and Hannah knew that he always ordered a tree flocked in white, and Lydia Gradin, his head teller, trimmed it with blue lights and decorations.

At least there was no snow on the ground. Hannah shifted from foot to foot, trying to stay warm. She judged it to be several degrees above freezing in the warming tent, but the frozen ground beneath her feet seemed to send up cold waves through the soles of her boots, and she shivered. It would help if she could move closer to the space heater, but the trees surrounding it were just starting to thaw and their branches weren’t full enough to hide her.

142

Joanne Fluke

Hannah glanced at the tree on her left. It was for Bertie Sraub, the owner of Lake Eden’s beauty parlor, the Cut ’n Curl. Naturally Bertie’s tree would be pink. Two cans of pink flocking sat on the ground under her tree, caps already loosened, all ready to be used in the morning. The former owner of the Cut ’n Curl had decorated the shop with pink flamingoes. While Bertie wasn’t as wild about the huge birds as the former owner had been, she did like pink and she’d left the walls and the shades that color.

Hannah’s heart leapt into her throat as she heard heels clicking against tile. Someone was coming! The door to the annex opened, letting in a bright burst of light, and Cory stood there in silhouette.

“I know you’re here, Hannah. I saw you run in the door.”

Hannah’s heart raced, thumping so loudly she was almost afraid he’d hear it. Cory knew she was here! But perhaps he was just faking, hoping that she’d panic and give away her position.

“Guess the cat’s got your tongue, but that’s fine. We can do this the hard way. I haven’t played Hide ’n Seek since I was a kid. You can change hiding places if you like. I’ll be right back.”

The door closed, cutting off the bright light. Hannah wasn’t sure whether Cory had left, or not. It didn’t really matter. She had chosen the optimal spot and she wasn’t going to move unless she had to.

A weapon. Hannah glanced around in the dim light and cursed neat employees. There was nothing useful on the ground, no carelessly dropped screwdrivers, hammers, or metal Christmas tree stands. Except for the two cans of pink flocking under Bertie’s tree, the area was as spotless as an army barracks right before an inspection.

Hannah moved quickly, flipping off the caps and shaking the cans of flocking. She didn’t have much in her arsenal, but she planned to use what she had. If she could hide here until CANDY CANE MURDER

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Cory lifted the flap and came into the tent, she could hit him in the face with …

There was an explosion of lights and sound that made Hannah’s senses reel. Cory had turned on the bright lights and music. Santa’s Winter Wonderland tree lot was in full swing. Through Hannah’s slightly blurred perspective behind the plastic sheeting, the red and green Christmas train chugged its way around the perimeter of the area, the colored lights on the huge Christmas trees in the corners flashed on and off, and the loudspeakers blared the strains of “ We Wish You a Merry Christmas ” sung by a chorus of penguins with red and green stocking caps next to the cash register.

For one long moment, Hannah just stood there, too shocked to do more than blink. And then she saw Cory coming straight toward the thawing and flocking tent with an ax in his hand, and her survival instinct kicked in. When in doubt, attack. It was one of her father’s favorite phrases. She’d always thought it was original with him until she’d heard it in an old movie. But it seemed appropriate now, and Hannah wasted no time thinking about it. She just waited until Cory lifted the flap and stepped inside, and then she hurtled forward and blazed away with double-barreled spray cans, covering his face with pink flocking before he could even raise his arms.