Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #24)(36)

“Lois Brown gave you the recipe for the lemon cookies that you serve in The Cookie Jar, didn’t she?” Norman asked Hannah.

“Yes, and they’re a favorite with the morning crowd. We bake them every Tuesday.”

Once everyone tasted Lisa’s cake and agreed that it was wonderfully delicious, Hannah realized that her cell phone was ringing. She pulled it out of her purse and said, “This must be important. Not that many people have my cell phone number. Will you all excuse me while I answer it?”

Everyone nodded and Hannah slid out of the booth to step outside the privacy curtain. “Hello?” she said, grateful that she could get reception outside the booth.

“Hannah!”

The voice on the other end of the line was icy cold and Hannah gave a little shiver when she recognized who was calling. “Ross,” she said, keeping her voice deliberately low so that no one else could hear.

“Just what are you trying to do to me!?”

Hannah felt herself tense. Ross must have found out that the bank was closed, and it was clear by his tone that he was furious with her.

“What do you mean?” she asked, hoping that he wasn’t anywhere near the Lake Eden Inn.

“You knew the bank was closed, but you tried to send me there anyway! Are you trying to set me up?”

“I . . . no, of course not,” Hannah said quickly. “I had no idea that the bank was closed. This was the first day I got back to work after the blizzard and I didn’t drive past it on my way to The Cookie Jar.”

Ross gave a derisive laugh. “That’s a lie! You’re trying to get even with me, aren’t you, Hannah!”

It was a comment, not a question, and Hannah gulped involuntarily. Ross sounded livid with anger. “No! Really, Ross! I had no idea the bank wasn’t open.”

Hannah stopped speaking and took a deep breath as she realized that Ross had put her on the defensive. It would be useless to try to convince him that she hadn’t lied. And there was no way she owed him an apology for not knowing that the bank was closed. “So what are you going to do?” she asked him.

“Wouldn’t you and your boyfriend cop like to know!?” Ross retorted. And then he called her a word that Hannah hoped her nieces would never hear.

You owe him nothing, the rational part of her mind reminded her. Don’t react. He’s trying to get you off guard. Don’t let him do that to you! Just try to get as much information about his whereabouts as you can so that you can tell Mike.

“Where are you?” Hannah asked, keeping her tone deliberately neutral in a manner that she hoped Ross would interpret as nonthreatening.

“I’m very close. I know where you are and who’s with you. I told you this morning, I would hurt you, Hannah.”

Even though she tried her best to be calm, Hannah felt her knees begin to shake. This was not the man she had thought she’d married. This was a stranger, a cold, calculating stranger.

“You don’t scare me, Ross,” she said, even though she was beginning to feel terribly frightened. “Why are you calling? What do you want from me?”

“My money. I told you this morning, I need it. Look, Hannah . . .”

Hannah’s eyes widened as she heard the change in his voice. Instead of a threatening thug, Ross was now sounding like a reasonable person.

“I’m sorry if I scared you, Cookie. I didn’t really mean to. It’s just that this is so important to me. I love you. You know that. I’ve loved you for years and all you have to do is get that money for me and we can be together again. Just do it, Cookie. Do it for me. Remember how good it was when we were together. It was great for me and I love you with all my heart. It was good for you too, wasn’t it, honey?”

She had to say yes. She knew she had to. For the first time in her life, Hannah wished that she’d taken acting lessons. Somehow, through sheer force of will, she managed to choke out her assent.

Ross seemed to buy her assurances of love because he said, “That’s my girl! You’ve always been my girl, and you know Doug really well. If you ask him, he’ll open the bank for you and give you the cash. And then, once I pay my wife off, we can be happy together. You love me. You know you do. Just think about our honeymoon and how much fun we had. We’ll do that again and it’ll be even better this time.”

Hannah felt slightly sick to her stomach. Ross was obviously crazy if he thought that he could win her over again by claiming he loved her. This wasn’t the Ross she’d known in college. This wasn’t the Ross she’d married. This was a dangerous stranger, and Hannah wasn’t sure what she should do.

You’re right, Hannah, her rational mind said. Ross is crazy, but not about you! The only person he’s crazy about is himself and the power he thinks he has over you. Don’t be a fool! Pretend to go along with him and find out where he is so that you can tell Mike.

Hannah gave a little nod, even though there was no one to see it. Mike had called Ross a loose cannon and he was right. Ross was definitely dangerous and he’d do anything, break any law, and even kill to get his money. The wisest course she could take was to think of a way to trick him into telling her where he was so that Mike and his deputies could take him into custody before he hurt her or anyone else in Lake Eden who got in the way of his plans.

“I remember how it was when we were together,” she said, forcing out the words and hoping that she sounded sincere. “But do you really love me, Ross?”