Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(89)

“Grandfather wouldn’t be happy about that,” Hannah said with a sigh. “Did you find the ice pick?”

“Not yet. We got a bad break on that. If the killer was smart, he ditched it in the lake. That’s almost impossible to drag.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too big, and the murder weapon is too small. It would take months, and if it’s under a submerged branch or buried point down in the mud, we’d never find it anyway.”

“So where did you look?” Hannah asked him.

“We went through the dumpsters at the pavilion in case the killer dropped it there, but we didn’t find it. And then we used a metal detector in the bushes surrounding the building.” Mike chuckled slightly. “We found nine beer can openers, too many bottle caps to count, a rusted license plate from nineteen-fifty, and eleven dollars and forty-eight cents in change.”

“How about the cottages? Did you search them?”

“Only the one Gus was staying in. I knew getting search warrants would be tricky since we didn’t have probable cause, and I decided it would be wasting my team’s time to search any of the other cottages. The killer would have to be crazy to hang onto the murder weapon.”

“You’re probably right,” Hannah said, but she wasn’t so sure. While it might be true that a cold-blooded killer would get rid of the murder weapon immediately, it might not be true for someone who struck out in the heat of the moment and then panicked when he saw what he’d done.

There was another series of electronic beeps, and Mike sighed. “I’ve got to take that. It’s Rick Murphy from the crime lab. He’s observing.”

Hannah said goodbye and snapped her phone shut to end the call. There was no longer a reason to search for the baseball card, but they could search for the ice pick. Mike wasn’t going to do it, and they didn’t need search warrants, not if they did it while everyone was at the children’s talent show.

The dark shadows from the pines loomed overhead as dusk turned into night. Hannah watched the reflection of the moon on the water and mulled over everything she’d learned until she felt the vibration of footsteps on the dock.

“We’re back,” Michelle announced, dropping down into a sitting position next to Hannah. “Everyone from the cottages you want us to search is in line to get into the pavilion.”

“Let’s review to make sure,” Hannah said. “Marge and Jack?”

“They’re with Herb and Lisa,” Andrea reported.

“How about Patsy and Mac?”

Michelle nodded. “They’re a little farther back in line, ahead of Edna and her sister.”

“Mother and Carrie?”

“They were…we’re not going to search Mother’s cabin, are we?” Michelle sounded thoroughly shocked.

“No. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.”

In the next minute or two, Hannah cited six more names. When she’d been assured that her sisters had spotted all of them in line at the pavilion, she turned Andrea. “Did you bring the flashlight from your car?”

Andrea patted the Red Owl Grocery bag she’d placed next to her on the dock. “Got it. And we got the two mag lights from your cookie truck. So the search is on, right?”

“It’s on, but the objective has changed.” Hannah felt a bit like a general, giving instructions to his troops. “We’re not going after the Honus Wagner baseball card anymore. I talked to Mike, and he told me it was in Gus’s suitcase, and it’s locked up in the police evidence room. What we’re going for now is an ice pick with a red-and-green painted handle.”

“Like the antique ones Grandpa Swensen gave out in his hardware store?” Andrea asked.

“Exactly like that. Doc Knight found flecks of red and green paint and we’re pretty sure that one of Grandpa’s ice picks is the murder weapon.”

“Searching is boring work when you don’t find anything,” Michelle grumbled as they came out of the pink cottage.

“I know,” Hannah said. They’d found two ice picks, but one had a metal handle, and the other one had an orange plastic handle.

“We’ve searched five places already, and the only even vaguely interesting thing I found is that one of Lisa’s brothers and his wife use different brands of toothpaste,” Michelle complained.

Andrea shrugged. “It’s not that bad. Don’t forget that we could be suffering through the children’s talent show.”

“You’ve got a point,” Hannah said, glancing over at the pavilion, which had been released as a crime scene this morning and reopened for Lisa and Herb to use. “Only two cottages to go.”

“Let’s get it done,” Andrea said, opening the door to the cottage where Patsy and Mac were staying and stepping inside.

Hannah headed straight for the kitchen. “Remember to keep your flashlights pointed down below window level. We don’t want anyone to see a light and decide to check it out while we’re here.”

She didn’t turn around to look, but she knew that Michelle was going to the bedroom and bathroom, while Andrea searched the living room. They’d developed a routine, and it was working well for them. Hannah pulled open the drawers, one by one, and examined the contents. Most of the rental cottages had similar items in their kitchens. One drawer held mismatched silverware that had been moved to the summer cottage when the owner had purchased a new set for the house in town. Another drawer contained cooking utensils that had been relegated to the cottage when better ones had replaced them. The pots and pans were from yard sales or closeouts at CostMart.