Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(90)

She heard him give orders for someone to go after Frank. And then he was carrying her out, out where she could breathe again.

“I’ve been such a louse,” he said, placing her on a gurney. “I am such a louse. But I love you, Hannah. I love you more than anyone else in the world.”

He leaned over her as they pushed the gurney to the ambulance. “Just a quick checkup with Doc Knight,” he said.

“I need to go home,” she said, and her voice was weak and scratchy. “Don’t let Doc keep me. Come with me and take me home.”

“I will.”

“Promise?” she whispered, just to make sure.

“I promise,” Mike said.





Chapter Thirty-One




Hannah felt like doom was imminent as she opened the door at the Lake Eden Community Center. She was no longer worried about Ronni’s killer. Frank Hurley had fled shortly after the smoke alarm activated, but the sheriff’s department had caught him and taken him into custody. With one count of murder and a second count of attempted murder, Hannah figured it would be years, perhaps a lifetime, before Frank saw the outside world again.

When Mike’s team had searched Frank’s house, they’d found the tape from the parking lot camera, which had functioned perfectly, showing everyone leaving the birthday party before Ronni was killed. They’d also discovered the tapes from the hidden camera at the Jacuzzi, including the one that contained footage of Frank knocking Ronni unconscious and deliberately leaving her in the tub to die.

Tad Newberg had been the stalker at Macalester, but he hadn’t really done anything illegal. It was just that the romantic attentions he’d paid to one of the young teaching assistants had been both obsessive and unwelcome. She didn’t appreciate the flowers he’d left on her doorstep in the middle of the night, or the way he’d called her several times a day to ask for a date. When the head of security at the college had confronted Tad about his actions, Tad had been so embarrassed that he’d resigned.

Hannah opened the inner door and walked across the lobby. Today she faced the real danger, the menace that turned her mouth as dry as dust and caused her legs to tremble as she walked down the hall to the dressing room that brides and bridesmaids used to freshen up before their wedding receptions. It was time to try on the Regency dress that Delores had ordered for her, the same dress that had been much too tight to button only two weeks ago!



“Oh, dear!” Claire Rodgers made a little sound of distress. “It’s too large in the waist!”

“Too large in the waist,” Hannah breathed, taking immeasurable delight in saying the words. Never, in her wildest imaginings, had she ever thought anyone would use that phrase to describe an article of clothing that belonged to her!

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Claire patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll just tie the apron strings tighter. No one will even notice.”

“No one will even notice,” Hannah breathed, and this time the words took on the character of a dirge. She’d lost so much weight that her dress was too large in the waist. And no one would even notice!

It was the big day, and Claire was there to help them dress. The actual launch party and book signing would be held in the community library with volunteer librarian, Marge Beeseman, handling the sale of their mother’s book.

“I’m so proud of you, Hannah,” Andrea complimented her. “I knew you could do it, but I had no idea that diet and exercise would work this well. Your dress really is too big.”

Michelle nodded. “She’s right. You must have lost almost twenty pounds!”

“I think it was the sauna,” Hannah said, making light of her harrowing experience. “I was in there so long, I must have sweated off ten pounds.”

“Are you girls ready?” Claire came back with a digital camera. “Your mother asked me to take a picture. She’s going to put it up on her Web site.”

“The Web site for Granny’s Attic?” Michelle asked, and Hannah could tell she was wondering how a picture of the three of them in Regency dresses would go with photos of collectibles for sale at the mothers’ antique shop.

“Mother has a new site,” Hannah told her. “Norman’s creating it for her. It’s just for her books.”

“Books, as in more than one book?” Andrea asked.

“That’s right. She says she likes writing so much she’s already working on the next one. And even more people from Lake Eden are in it!”

Andrea gave a little groan. “I just hope that Mother was complimentary when she wrote about her friends and neighbors.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “Remember the night that Mother told us about the book?” When both sisters nodded, she continued, “I write the people the way they truly are, Mother said, the way someone who didn’t know and like them the way I do would describe their flaws and their strengths.”

“Uh-oh,” Andrea breathed.

“Uh-oh is right!” Michelle gave a little groan. “But maybe we’ll get lucky and people won’t recognize themselves.”

Hannah looked doubtful. “Maybe, but I still wish Mother had set her romance in medieval England.”

“Why’s that?” Andrea asked.