Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(43)

“That’s right. Lisa took a few out to the reunion. I’m waiting for her to call and tell me what Iris thinks.”

Hannah got up to refill her mother’s coffee mug. They were sitting in the kitchen at The Cookie Jar, and Delores looked as fresh as the first daffodil of spring in a bright yellow linen suit with a lacy white shell. If Hannah were wearing the same suit, in a larger size of course, she’d look as wilted as an old banana skin.

“What is it, dear? You’re staring at me.”

“Sorry. You look wonderful this morning, Mother.”

“Thank you, Hannah.”

“I was just wondering if your suit is real linen.”

“Of course it is. You know I don’t like to wear synthetics.”

“I know that, but…” Hannah stopped and sighed.

“But what?”

“I can’t figure out how you can wear a linen suit when it’s this hot and humid outside and still not get it wrinkled.”

“I’m careful, dear. And I take off the jacket and hang it up on the hook in the back of the car when I drive.”

“But your skirt isn’t wrinkled, either.”

“Well, I don’t take it off and hang it up in the car, if that’s what you’re thinking!”

Delores gave a little laugh and Hannah joined in. Her mother was quick-witted this morning. “I’m careful about how I sit,” Delores explained. “Your grandmother used to say, Ladies don’t wrinkle unless they assume unladylike positions.”

Hannah nodded. Her maternal grandmother had been a stickler for proper etiquette, impeccable grammar, and a ladylike demeanor.

“You said you wanted to ask me some questions about Gus,” her mother opened the discussion.

“I do. Did you manage to find a picture of him about the time the two of you were dating?”

Delores reached for one of four Jordan High yearbooks she’d stacked on the stainless steel surface of the workstation and flipped it open to a page that was marked with a pink strip of paper. “This is his formal senior picture.”

Hannah stared down at the yearbook photo. Gus looked every bit as handsome as Marge and Patsy had claimed he was. She could understand why the high school girls had been wild about him.

“What happened to him after high school? I was going to ask Marge, but I forgot. Did he go on to college?”

Delores shook her head. “Good heavens, no. His grades weren’t good enough. He got drafted.”

“Into the Army?”

“No, into the minors. Didn’t anybody tell you that Gus played baseball?”

“Marge and Patsy mentioned it, but I thought it was just in high school.”

“No, Gus was really very good, and he was a first round draft pick. He still holds the Minnesota state record for the highest batting average.”

“Did he ever make it to the majors?” Hannah asked.

“I don’t think so. I’m sure Marge would have mentioned it to me.” Delores stopped and looked thoughtful. “Or maybe not. I was already engaged to your father by then, and she might have thought it wasn’t appropriate to bring it up.”

“Was Gus still playing baseball when he came back to Lake Eden to stay with Marge and his parents?”

“No. I know that for a fact. Gus came into the hardware store one day and he told your father he’d quit the farm team.”

“Did he give a reason?”

“He said that life on the road with a baseball team just wasn’t for him, that he wanted to get a good job and settle down. But I never believed that!”

“Why not?”

“Because it was his chance for a great career if he’d worked at it. I don’t think he did. It just wasn’t in his nature. For one thing, there were the women. I’m sure he had plenty when he was with the team, and he probably didn’t treat them well. He certainly didn’t in high school! And then there was the gambling. The Gus I knew when we were in high school made his spending money by cheating at cards and making rigged bets.”

“Didn’t he ever lose?” Hannah was curious.

“Only when he ran into someone who was a bigger cheater than he was. And when that happened, he just borrowed money from his sisters, or his current girlfriend, and kept right on gambling. He drank a lot, too. It was easy for him to buy liquor, because he looked older than most of the other boys.”

“Did you ever lend him money when you were dating him?”

Delores gave a little sigh. “More often than I should have. And he didn’t always pay me back. As a matter of fact, I think he still owed me twenty dollars when he left Lake Eden. Gus was a louse, pure and simple.”

“Maybe he changed,” Hannah suggested, playing devil’s advocate.

“A leopard doesn’t change its spots.” Delores gave a little snort for emphasis. “I’m willing to bet that he was kicked off the team for drinking, or gambling, or romancing the wrong woman, or something like that.”

Hannah bit her tongue and didn’t say anything about sour grapes or a woman scorned. This was her mother, after all. Instead, she pulled the Jordan High yearbooks closer and smiled at her mother. “Show me the pictures?” she asked.

For long moments, Hannah looked and Delores pointed, giving a brief explanation for each photo she’d marked. The collection of Gus Klein pictures was extensive. There were at least a dozen photos in each book. It appeared that Gus had been awarded almost every high school athletic trophy, although Hannah didn’t notice any academic honors.