Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(94)

They’d spotted him! Hannah saw someone dive into the water and haul him to the boat. She was safe. And Michelle and Patsy were too, since the speedboat had stopped at Sandy Point and whoever was on it must know that they were okay.

“Hannah!” an amplified voice called across the surface of the water, and Hannah recognized Mike’s voice. “Hannah!”

It was like Marlon Brando yelling “Stella!” in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Hannah responded to the anguished cry. “I’m here in the water lily garden.”

“Hannah!” Mike yelled again. And this time it was a joyful cry.

Hannah took that as her cue, and she dove down under the garden, deep enough to bypass the roots, stems, and blossoms that had served her so well. This time when she surfaced, there was a smile on her face, and she gave a little wave as she swam out into the bright path of the searchlight that seemed as welcoming as sunlight.





Chapter Thirty-Two


It was Sunday evening, the Beeseman-Herman family reunion was over, and they were gathering in the lobby at the Inn, waiting until they’d all arrived to be seated in the dining room. Andrea, Hannah, and Tracey were sitting on a couch by the mammoth stone fireplace when Michelle walked in.

“Wow!” Michelle said, gazing at Andrea. “You look absolutely fantastic!”

“Thank you,” Andrea gave her a smile.

“I love your hair. That four-color weave is amazing. And your outfit’s gorgeous, too.”

Hannah felt the pangs of guilt begin. Andrea had mentioned she was having a complete makeover this weekend. It was time for a sisterly act of contrition.

“I’m sorry, Andrea,” Hannah apologized. “You do look wonderful. I just didn’t notice.”

“Neither did Bill,” Andrea said, and she didn’t look happy.

“Maybe that’s because you always look like you just walked out of a modeling session,” Michelle told her, covering the situation smoothly. “I’m sure that’s why Bill didn’t notice.”

“Well…maybe.” Andrea looked slightly mollified. “You like the dress then?”

“Gorgeous,” Hannah said, seizing the opportunity and jumping in quickly.

“Hello, darlings!” Delores breezed in with Carrie and Norman. “Bill and Lonnie just pulled into the parking lot, and Lisa and Herb were right behind them.” She turned to smile at all of them and her gaze stopped on Andrea. “You look lovely, dear. Is that a new dress?”

“Yes.” Andrea began to smile.

“Well, it’s perfect for you. And I like your new hairstyle.” Delores turned to Tracey. “Doesn’t your mother look wonderful?”

“Mommy’s always beautiful,” Tracey replied, earning a hug from Andrea.

Once Bill, Lonnie, Lisa, and Herb had joined them, they made their way to the largest table in the dining room of the Lake Eden Inn. As usual, Delores had arranged place cards, and Hannah found hers. She was seated between Mike and Norman again. She gave a little sigh, decided it wasn’t worth making a fuss about, and pulled out her chair to sit down. But before she could take her place at the table, Tracey rushed up to her.

“Aunt Hannah?” Tracey looked anxious. “Will you go to the ladies’ room with me?”

Hannah nodded and slid her chair in again. There was more to this request than met the ear. Tracey was one of the most independent very-soon-to-be first graders in her class. If she’d needed to visit the ladies’ room, she would have told Andrea where she was going, and gone by herself.

Hannah waited until they got out into the carpeted hallway outside the dining room, and then she asked, “Okay, what is it?”

“I want to get three more Girl Scout merit badges before the awards program, and one of them is for cooking. You have to make lunch all by yourself. The only part I can’t do is dessert, and I want to have cookies.”

Hannah thought she knew what was coming. “And you want me to teach you how to bake cookies?”

“Yes, Aunt Hannah. Will you, please? I can’t ask Mom. You know why. I can’t ask Grandma Delores, either. I know she doesn’t bake. And if I ask Grandma McCann, I might hurt Mom’s feelings.”

“And you don’t think it’ll hurt your mom’s feelings if I teach you to bake?”

“Why would it?” Tracey shrugged, and it was a miniature duplicate of Andrea’s shrug. “You’re the professional, Aunt Hannah. Everybody knows that.”

Flattery will get you everywhere, Hannah thought, and that’s something you did get from your mother! But of course she didn’t say that. She said instead, “I’ll be happy to teach you to bake, Tracey. It’ll be fun.”

“Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies?” Tracey asked her. “They’re Mom’s favorites and then I can bake them for her.”

“Good idea. Do you want to go on to the ladies’ room? Or was that just a ploy to get me alone to ask me?”

“It was just a ploy. Let’s go back in, Aunt Hannah. I want to use Mom’s cell phone to talk to Bethany. She couldn’t come because she’s too little for one of Grandma’s dinner parties, but I promised I’d call and tell her good night.”

It was a lovely meal. Delores had ordered something new on the menu. It was called “A Taste of the Lake Eden Inn,” and it was a meal of ten small samples of Sally’s best dishes.