Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(31)

“Oh boy!” Lynne gave a little gasp. “Ross must have been furious when he found out. Did he come back to confront you?”

Hannah shook her head. “No. Mike was there by that time and if Ross came back, he didn’t come inside.”

“He probably saw Mike’s cruiser and decided that flight was the better option,” Sally offered her opinion. “Have you heard from him again, Hannah?”

“No, and I hope I don’t. He was really nasty and I was actually afraid that he might hurt me.”

“That’s a possibility,” Lynne told her. “He wasn’t exactly gentle with me when he stormed out of our apartment. I had bruises for weeks from where he grabbed me.”

Hannah drew a deep breath. “In that case, I’m glad Mike decided to detail some bodyguards for me.”

Sally looked puzzled. “But you’re here alone tonight,” she pointed out. “Where’s your bodyguard?”

“Right here,” the voice came from outside the booth.

Sally reached out to pull back the curtain. “Norman?”

“Hi, Sally.” Norman turned to Lynne and Hannah. “I’m detailed to Hannah tonight. Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Not at all!” Lynne said quickly. “Please join us for dinner, Norman. It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you, too, but I didn’t mean to intrude. I just wanted Hannah to know that I’m here and I’ll take her back to the condo.”

“But I drove and I don’t want to leave my cookie truck here.”

“You won’t have to. Lonnie and Michelle rode out here with me. They’re going to have dinner and then they’re going to drive your truck back to the condo. Lonnie’s going to stay there with Michelle because Mike doesn’t want to take any chances that Ross might show up there.”

“That makes sense,” Sally said. “From what Hannah’s told us, Ross could be dangerous.”

“That’s what Mike thinks, too.” Norman turned back to Lynne. “Thank you for the invitation, Lynne, but I’m going to join Michelle and Lonnie for dinner. I’ll come back here to have dessert with you and Hannah if that’s okay.”

“That’s just fine!” Lynne told him. “Sally’s going to join us for dessert too, and she’s got something new for us to try . . . right, Sally?”

“Right, and it’s a surprise so I’m not going to tell you what it is.”

Norman smiled and slid out of the booth. “I’ll be thinking about your dessert all through my dinner, Sally. Can you give us just a little hint about what it is?”

“It’s a cake,” Sally said, also sliding out of the booth. “And it was inspired by Hannah’s Bundt cakes. Wait for me, Norman. I’ll walk you to Lonnie and Michelle’s table.” She turned back to Lynne and Hannah. “Bye, girls. I’d better leave now because you’ll be hungry soon and I want you to try my new appetizers.”

“I love your appetizers!” Hannah said quickly. “What are they tonight, Sally?”

“Rusty’s Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms. Rusty was one of Dick’s friends in college, and he used to make these every time they watched football on television.”

“I love stuffed mushrooms!” Lynne said, taking another sip of her lemonade. “How long do we have to wait, Sally?”

“No more than fifteen minutes. And in the meantime, I’ll have Dot bring you tonight’s menu. We have quite a few specials. Would you two like wine with dinner?”

“I would,” Lynne said.

Hannah smiled. “So would I. I don’t have to worry about drinking, now that I’m going to be riding with Norman.”

“And I don’t have to worry about drinking because all I have to do is take the elevator upstairs,” Lynne added.

Sally gave a little wave. “I’ll be back with your appetizers.”

Once Sally and Norman had left and the curtains were back in place, Hannah turned to Lynne. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to see Tom. He came with you, didn’t he?”

“He did. But he’s gone . . . again.”

Uh-oh! Back off! Hannah’s mind warned her. Lynne didn’t sound happy about the fact that her husband wasn’t with her tonight. But Lynne was her friend and this time around, Hannah ignored her mind’s warning. “Is there something wrong, Lynne?”

Lynne nodded and a tear slipped down her cheek. And even though Lynne was an actress and Hannah knew that her friend could cry on demand, this tear was no act. “What’s wrong? Can you tell me?”

“I . . . just a minute,” Lynne said, pointing to the curtain, which was being pulled back by a feminine hand.

“Hi!” Dot, Sally’s receptionist, head waitress, and dining room manager, stuck her head inside. “Are you two ready for menus?”

“Yes, we are,” Lynne said, smiling the sunniest smile that Hannah had ever seen. Lynne was, indeed, an excellent actress, and Hannah felt almost as if she’d imagined that tear and the quaver of distress in Lynne’s voice.

“Good to see you again, Mrs. Larchmont,” Dot said, pushing the curtain back and stepping in. “We have several specials tonight and I’ll let you read all about them. And please, if you have any questions, just ring for me and I’ll be glad to answer them.”