Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(72)

"Exactly. As a matter of fact, that's where it came from. I know I didn't take it off, so the band must have broken. It's probably on the floor in one of the rooms."

The moment Rick disappeared around his side of the house, Hannah made a beeline for the basement windows on the other side. She pulled Lisa's camera out of her purse and clicked off a dozen fast shots, alternating between the four basement windows. By the time she was finished, Rick was rounding the back of the house and Hannah quickly stuffed the camera back into her purse. "Hi, Rick. Any luck?"

"No. You didn't spot it, either?"

Hannah shook her head, doing her best to appear disappointed. "I'm not even sure I lost it out here, but I thought it was worth a look."

Once she'd chatted with Rick for a few more moments, Hannah walked back to her truck. She didn't think he'd been suspicious about her request, but she didn't put her watch back on until she pulled up in front of the Rhodes Dental Clinic, ten minutes later.

"Hi, Norman," Hannah called out when she came through the door. "I've got a photographic emergency."

"A what?" Norman slid aside the little glass doors at the reception desk and peered out.

"A photographic emergency. I just took some pictures and I need to have them developed as fast as I can."

"Let me check my schedule." Norman flipped the page in his appointment book. "Okay. I've got Mrs. Walters coming in at nine, but Mayor Bascomb canceled his ten o'clock. If I don't have an emergency, I'm free from ten to twelve-thirty."

"Then you'll develop my film?"

"That depends," Norman said. "I assume it has something to do with Rhonda's murder?"

"Photos of the crime scene. I ran out there this morning and took them through the basement window. Don't mention that to anybody. I had to pull a fast one to do it."

"Okay. Did you use a flash?"

"No. I taped over it so it wouldn't glare against the glass."

Norman looked pleased. "I should have known you'd think of that. How about the light? Was it dark in the basement?"

"Yes, but there was some light coming in through the windows. The disposable camera I used didn't have any way of changing the settings."

Norman took the camera Hannah passed through the window and glanced at it. "It'll be okay. I can push the negatives."

"What's that?"

"It's like baking your cookies at a higher temperature to make them crisper."

"If I did that, I'd burn them!"

Norman laughed. "I never claimed to be a baker. Don't worry about it, Hannah. I'll play some tricks in the darkroom and get all I can for you."

"Thanks, Norman. Do you think you can have them ready by noon and drop them off at The Cookie Jar?"

"Yes, but I didn't say I'd do them yet."

"You didn't?"

"No. When you asked me, I said, It depends"

"On what?"

242 Joanne Fluke

"On your Orange Snaps. Would you bake a couple dozen for me to give to my mother? She's almost forgiven me for not consulting her about the house and your Orange Snaps are her favorites. I figure they ought to get me back in her good graces."

"I'll mix them up the minute I get back to the shop." The street door opened and Mrs. Walters walked in. Hannah greeted her and then she headed back out to her truck. She'd bake the Orange Snaps because Norman had asked her to, but his plan wouldn't work. Carrie was every bit as stubborn as Delores and there wasn't a cookie in the world that could pull either mother out of a snit.

"Mike's here, Hannah," Lisa said, poking her head into the kitchen. "He says he has to talk to you about something important."

"Okay. Will you give him a cup of coffee and send him back here?"

Hannah sighed as she finished packaging the Orange Snaps for Norman. Mike had probably found out about her early morning trip to the Voelker place and he'd come to find out what she'd really been doing.

"Hannah," Mike greeted her when he came into the kitchen. "What's all this about a watch you lost at the crime scene? Didn't you have it on last night when we got together at your mother's cottage?"

Hannah sighed and decided to tell the truth. "The watch was just an excuse. I needed to take another look at the basement and I didn't have time to call you or Bill for permission."

"So you made up that story and Rick bought it?" Mike looked absolutely incredulous.

"Yes, but I didn't go inside. I just looked in through the windows to see if the basement was the way I remembered it."

Mike shook his head, "Rick's going to have to develop a

basic mistrust of people or he'll never be a good detective."

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER

243

"Is that what you have? A basic mistrust of people?"

"I guess so."

"Isn't life a lot harder that way?"

Mike opened his mouth and Hannah could tell he was ready to deny it, but then he shrugged. "I guess it is. That's a big difference between us. You trust almost everybody and I don't trust much of anybody."

"But you do trust me, don't you?"