Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #5)(30)

Luanne took a deep breath. "The when was Monday night, and the where was the school parking lot. The what is that Nettie called me and offered me the other half of their duplex. Sheriff Grant found out about it and he was waiting for me when I pulled in the lot."

"Okay," Hannah said, remembering the altercation that Kate Maschler had overheard between Nettie and Sheriff Grant "Did you accept Nettie's offer?"

"No. I wanted to, but I was worried about how Sheriff Grant would react. I told Nettie that we'd love to move in, but only if the sheriff said that it was okay."

Hannah already knew that Sheriff Grant had objected vehemently and that he'd fought with Nettie about it. "Tell me everything that happened that night in the parking lot," she instructed.

"I wanted to go to your class that night, but a customer came in right before I was ready to lock up. I took care of him as fast as I could and then I drove straight over to the school. Sheriff Grant was there in the parking lot and he motioned me over to his car. He looked really mad."

"How could you tell that by just looking?"

"Well… his face was all red and he was moving in that impatient way he has. You know… jerky. I didn't really want to talk to him, but I figured I couldn't walk right past him and ignore him."

"I understand," Hannah said. "Go on."

"I walked over to his car. He was eating something… I think it was a cupcake… and he put it in a bag on the seat. He said he knew that Nettie had offered me the duplex."

"What did you say?"

"I tried to explain that I hadn't accepted, but he yelled at me and accused me of taking advantage of Nettie because she missed Jamie so much. And then he said that for all they knew, Jamie wasn't even the father and Suzie was somebody else's baby. And then he called Suzie a… a…"

"Never mind," Hannah interrupted quickly. "I can imagine what he said. How did you react to that?"

"I couldn't say anything. I was too choked up. He was just so horrible and he said such awful things to me. I knew I was going to cry, so I just ran back to my car and drove off as fast as I could."

"Where did you go?"

"I drove back to Granny's Attic and just sat there for a while. I didn't want to face anybody until I calmed down. When I was through crying and I'd washed my face, I drove home."

"What time did you get there?"

"A little before nine. I looked at the kitchen clock when I came in."

"And Sheriff Grant was still alive when you drove out of the school parking lot?"

"Oh, yes," Luanne said, shivering slightly. "I saw him in my rearview mirror, standing next to his car and shaking his fist at me."

"What time was that?"

"I'm not sure. I know I drove into the lot at five minutes after eight. I remember looking at my watch when I got out of the car to see how late I was going to be for your class. I don't think I talked to Sheriff Grant for more than a couple of minutes, so it must have been about ten after eight."

"Close enough," Hannah said, making a mental note to add Luanne's information to her notebook. "Did anyone else see you with Sheriff Grant?"

Luanne frowned and shook her head. "I don't think so. If they had, they would have said something by now. There were lots of cars in the lot, but as far as I know, everyone else was inside the school."

"That's all I need for now, Luanne." Hannah slid down from her perch on the counter. "Thanks for being so honest with me."

"Do you… uh… have to tell anybody else about Suzie's father?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure Mother's figured it out."

"That's what I was afraid of." Luanne looked sick. "I knew she was going to the Pink Giraffe and your mother could get information from a rock if she wanted to. The rock wouldn't even know it had talked."

"True," Hannah agreed with a grin. Delores could get information effortlessly. Andrea had inherited that same ability, and Hannah wished that she had, too.

"Do you think she'll tell anyone?"

"Mother?" Hannah didn't say anything else. She just stared at Luanne in disbelief.

"Never mind." Luanne looked a bit embarrassed. "I know better than to ask that. If your mother hasn't told anyone yet, it's only a matter of time."

"I told her not to say anything until she heard from me and that should hold her for a couple of hours. If I were you, I'd call Mother and Carrie and tell them yourself. Maybe none of this will have to get out, but it couldn't hurt to get them on your side, just in case."

"You're right. That would be the smart thing to do. Do you think they'll fire me when they find out who Suzie's father is?"

Hannah stared at Luanne in amazement. "They hired you without knowing who Suzie's father was. Why would knowing make a difference?"

"Then you don't think they'll care?"

"Oh, they'll care. They'll probably bend your ear right off, trying to convince you to move in with Nettie."

"Because she's all alone now?" Luanne looked a little sad at that thought.

"No, because if you live right here in town, they can get you to work longer hours."