Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(75)

“What do you mean?”

“I could have killed him. I was out there walking. Mac saw me from their cottage.”

Hannah’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”

“Mac told me. He didn’t know what to do about it. He said he didn’t tell the cops, but he had to tell me.”

Hannah was caught off guard. Mac hadn’t mentioned anything about telling Jack. She regrouped quickly and asked her own question.

“Do you remember going out for a walk after the dance?”

Jack shook his head. “Marge took her sleeping pill, and we went to bed, the same as we do when we’re at home. But I don’t sleep very well if it’s a different bed. I could have gone out for a walk. That’s what I do when I can’t sleep.”

“You really don’t remember walking that night?”

Jack shut his eyes and bowed his head. He kept that position for a long moment and then he raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes. “No, I don’t remember,” he said. “But there’s no reason Mac would say it if I didn’t. Will I go to jail if I killed Gus?”

“You didn’t kill anybody,” Hannah said, purely on instinct. And then, after giving it thoughtful consideration she confirmed it. “I know you didn’t.”

Jack looked grateful, but dubious. “I hope you’re right, my dear. Anyway, I didn’t know anything about this Gus getting fresh business until he threatened to tell lies about Emmy.”

Hannah felt something niggling in her memory. It was something she heard, and Gus was there. Jack was there, too. It was something from the night of the dance.

“He said if I didn’t give him our savings, he’d tell everybody in town that Emmy had…Emmy had…I can’t say it.”

“Been unfaithful to you that afternoon?” Hannah guessed, and suddenly she remembered part of the conversation she’d heard in the booth between Jack and Gus.

“Yes! But that wasn’t the worst. The worst was…was…I’m sorry. I forget.”

Hannah almost gasped as the section of dialogue between Jack and Gus came back to her in its entirety. Gus had said, I met another pretty girl today, Jack’s oldest daughter, Iris. And then he’d turned to Jack and said, She doesn’t look at all like you, so I guess she must take after her mother.

“What is it?” Jack asked, looking confused.

“I just figured it out.”

“Figured what out?”

“What your fight with Gus was about. Did Gus claim Iris was his baby?”

Jack’s eyes widened, and he clenched his hands into fists. “Yes! That’s exactly what he said! I knew he was lying, and I told him so, but he just laughed. And then he said that if I didn’t give him our savings, he’d tell everyone in town!”

“So you punched him?”

“You bet I did! Nobody can lie about Emmy like that! Emmy’s my wife! I hit him, and I hit him, and I hit him, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the clinic. Doc was stitching up the cut on my face so I wouldn’t scare Emmy.”

“And Tim was born that night,” Hannah said, hoping to bring him back to a more pleasant memory.

“That’s right.” Jack started to smile. “I was right there. I held her hand until Doc told me to go outside and walk around. And when I came back, there he was! My son, Timmy!”

Hannah knew she should try to bring Jack back to the present. Reliving the memories of his fight with Gus had been painful for him, and it was time to move on. “Timmy’s here, you know.”

“Timmy’s here?” Jack looked disoriented for a moment and then he smiled. “I know that. He came with his wife and my three granddaughters. They’re in that big house thing…what’s it called?”

“A motor home?”

“That’s right. Timmy and his family are in that big motor home parked down by the picnic grounds. He drove it all the way from Chicago for our reunion.”

“Actually…they’re not in the motor home right now. Timmy and his family are at the pancake breakfast with Iris and Marge, and everybody else. Lisa’s probably back by now, too. Would you like me to walk you down there?”

“Good idea. I’ll join them for breakfast. I hope I didn’t eat too many of these cookies and spoil my appetite. What did you call them again?”

“Red Velvet Cookies.”

“That’s it. Just like the ones Emmy used to bake.”

Hannah got up and pushed in her chair. What she’d known all along was confirmed. The only way to clear Jack was to catch the real killer. She motioned for Jack to join her, and when he did, she took his arm.

“Say…” Jack said. “Did Emmy give you the recipe?”

Hannah smiled. “Emmy gave me the recipe,” she replied. And, in a manner of speaking, she had.





Chapter Twenty-Five


“Good pancakes!” Hannah declared, forking up another bite. “What’s the recipe, Patsy?”

“It’s just the basic recipe you can find in almost any cookbook. There’s nothing special about it.”

“But they taste a lot better than that.”

“It’s because we age the batter,” Marge explained. “We mix it up the day before and keep it in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight. Then all the flavors blend together, and all you have to do is give it a stir the next morning.”