Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(88)

“You’re very quiet, Hannah.” Judith’s lips twisted up in a parody of a smile. “Aren’t you going to ask me any more questions?”

Hannah shook off all thoughts that weren’t useful and latched on to another question. It was good that Judith wanted to talk about Max and what she’d done to him. “Why didn’t Del get a loan from the bank? It would have been a lot safer than going to Max.”

“The bank refused him. They said that he was overextended and they were right. I advised Del to close the doors, but all he could think about was how it would affect his work force. Those people would have found other jobs. And even if they hadn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered to me!”

Hannah tried not to let her emotions show. Judith was totally self-centered. Her only concern was for her home, not for the hundreds of Lake Eden workers who would have lost their jobs. “I assume that Max called in Del’s loan and that’s why you felt you had to…to act.”

“That’s exactly right. I warned Del to be careful about hidden clauses when he signed the loan papers, but he’s never been proficient at reading legal documents. Max took advantage of his naivete.”

“He didn’t have a lawyer read over the loan papers?”

“There wasn’t time. Max told him that the deal was off if he didn’t sign right away. Del was desperate and that made him vulnerable. Max counted on that. The man had no scruples!”

Hannah took a deep breath. From what she’d learned about Max, she could agree with Judith completely on that point. “You’re right, Judith. And you’re not the first person that Max tried to ruin. Was he really going to foreclose on your home?”

“Yes, and I couldn’t let that happen. Del built this house for me. It was a condition of our marriage. I had the architect follow the blueprints for my father’s house. This is an exact replica and I couldn’t bear to lose it. Surely you can appreciate that.”

“Your home means that much to you?”

“It’s my life!” Judith looked fiercely protective. “How could I stand by and do nothing while Max Turner was threatening to take my life away?”

Hannah bit back the urge to remind Judith that she had taken Max’s life away in a much more tangible and permanent fashion. “Is that the reason you called Benton home?”

“Of course it is. But Benton doesn’t love this house the way I do. He actually told me that I had to accept it, that his father had signed those loan papers voluntarily and there was no recourse we could take.”

“So you decided to kill Max and get the loan papers back?”

“What other choice did I have? I couldn’t stand by and let Max Turner evict me from my lovely home!”

“No, I guess not.” Hannah saw that Judith’s hand was trembling slightly and she asked another question to calm her down. “Wasn’t Max suspicious when you called and said you wanted to see him?”

Judith gave a cold little laugh. “Max wasn’t bright enough to be suspicious. I told him I’d sold some family heirlooms and that I was prepared to pay off Del’s debt. When I arrived at his office, I demanded to see the loan papers before I gave him the money.”

“So he took you into the old dairy and got them out of the safe?”

“Yes, but I had to show him the money first. You should have seen the greed on his face. It was appalling!”

Hannah was confused. “Then you had enough money to pay off the loan?”

“Of course not. I simply let him glimpse a sheaf of thousand dollar bills. Max was too stupid to realize that only the top five were authentic. And after he handed me the loan papers, I took a great deal of pleasure in ridding the world of Maxwell Turner!”

Judith’s eyes turned hard and Hannah knew she should do something to appease her anger. “There are a lot of people who’d thank you, Judith. If the other people that Max tried to ruin knew what I know, they’d probably erect a statue of you in Lake Eden park.”

“But they don’t know.” Judith wasn’t so easily taken in. “And they won’t know.”

“Of course they won’t. Nobody will ever figure it out. But why did you kill Ron?”

“He saw me with Max.” Judith sounded sad. “I didn’t want to do it, Hannah. It was nothing personal and I do feel a great deal of remorse about ending his life. It’s important that you believe that.”

“Then Ron’s only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Judith sighed. “That’s right. I do wish that he hadn’t come into the dairy, but once he saw me, I had to act. When Max’s body was discovered, he would have mentioned seeing me there. It wasn’t pleasant, Hannah. I liked Ron. He didn’t deserve to die.”

“Do I deserve to die?” Hannah held her breath, waiting for Judith’s answer. Perhaps, if Judith felt guilty enough, she might reconsider.

“No. I like you, Hannah. Your candor is refreshing. And that’s precisely why this whole situation is so difficult. At least it’ll be over quickly. I wouldn’t want you to suffer. I have everything all planned out.”

“Really?” Hannah attempted to sound interested, but talking about her impending death was frightening. “What have you planned? You won’t want to slip up now, when you’re so close to getting away with the perfect murders.”