Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(75)

“Stalked?” Hannah asked. “Did she get a look at the person stalking her?”

Delores shook her head. “No, but she told the bartender that she’d stopped using the Jacuzzi at night when she was alone. She said she was sure someone was spying on her in there.”

“You don’t think she was actually stalked, do you?” Andrea asked Hannah.

“I don’t know. Unfortunately, it’s a little late to ask her, but I think I’d better add a possible stalker to my suspect list.” Hannah pulled out her steno pad and flipped to the suspect page, but before she could start to write, she heard Michelle give a little gasp.

“What is it, dear?” Delores asked her.

Michelle swallowed hard, and Hannah noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. “It’s…it’s…the stalker! I just remembered where I saw Tad Newberg before!”

“Where?” Hannah leaned closer. Whatever Michelle had remembered had upset her.

“He was a night security guard at Macalester when I was a freshman. I used to see him outside the Fine Arts building on Wednesdays when I went to my night class.”

“So you knew him?” Hannah asked.

“Not really. He was one of those familiar strangers, like a person you see on the bus every day or a checker at the grocery store. A couple of weeks before midterms, our professor told us there was a stalker, and he warned us to walk in pairs on campus at night. And then, the next time the class met, he said they caught him and it turned out to be one of the security guards.”

“And you think the stalker was Tad?” Andrea asked her.

“I don’t know. He didn’t give us a name. All I know is, I never saw Tad in front of the Fine Arts building again.”

“We have to find out who the stalker was,” Hannah decided. “I’ll call Detective Parks in the morning and see if she can find out. If the stalker was Tad, I’ll add him to my suspect list.”

“That reminds me,” Carrie said to Hannah. “You can cross Vonnie Blair and Immelda Giesse off your list. Vonnie spent the night at her mother’s house.”

Delores nodded. “And Immelda’s sister came for a visit. Father Coultas said they sat up talking until all hours of the morning.”

“Great,” Hannah said. “Michelle eliminated Bridget. And Carly said her mother and Trudi hosted a sleepover for a dozen of her little sister’s friends.”

“Serena Roste couldn’t have done it, either,” Carrie told them. “My friend in Elk River read her wedding notice in the paper. She got married last week and they’re on a two-week honeymoon in Jamaica.”

“And I found out that Babs Dubinski was at Marvin’s babysitting all night,” Andrea said. “You know Babs. She’s crazy about her grandsons. She’d never leave the boys alone at night.”

“Did you get the listing?” Hannah asked, remembering that Andrea had intended to ask Babs about her rental property.

“Of course I did, and I think I already have a buyer. But let’s get back to business. I called my friend in Duluth, and she said Betty Jackson couldn’t have done it. She was at a bridal shower the night that Ronni was killed.”

“Cross off Gail Hansen, too,” Norman told Hannah. “She drove to the airport in Minneapolis to meet her husband. His plane was delayed, and they didn’t get back here until almost three in the morning.”

“That’s it, then,” Hannah said with a sigh. “The only suspects I’ve got left are the ones I know didn’t do it, the mysterious stalker Ronni told the bartender about, who might or might not turn out to be Tad, and the unknown suspect with the unknown motive that we haven’t discovered yet.”



The drive back to Norman’s was uneventful, and Hannah had all she could do to keep from nodding off. She was profoundly tired, and she wondered how in the world she’d be able to stay awake on the trip home, especially now that Michelle wouldn’t be riding with her. All she really wanted to do was crawl into a warm cocoon and pull the covers over her head.

“Hannah? We’re here,” Norman said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

For one brief moment Hannah was disoriented, but then she realized that she was sitting in the passenger seat of Norman’s car and they were in the driveway in front of his house.

“I’d better get home,” Hannah said, fishing in her purse for her car keys.

“You have to get Moishe,” Andrea reminded her.

“Right. It completely slipped my mind. Will you help me get his leash on, Norman?”

“Sure,” Norman agreed quickly. “Just sit there for a second, and I’ll walk Andrea to her car. I’ll be right back for you.”

Hannah was about to say that she was perfectly capable of getting out of Norman’s car by herself, but why argue? She’d just use the few minutes it took Norman to walk Andrea to her car to shut her eyes and take a brief rest before starting on the drive home. She’d have to fight to stay awake, perhaps roll down the window to let the cold air in or turn the radio up so loud it hurt her ears.

It was peaceful here in the country. She heard the soft whistle of the wind in the distance, the low hooting call of an owl, and the rustling of small animals in the brush at the sides of Norman’s driveway. She was toasty warm. Her parka was pulled up to her chin, and although the fur tickled her, it felt cozy and comforting.