Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(85)

“Hello,” Hannah said, after she’d switched it on.

“Hi, Hannah. It’s Jenny again. I tried Paul as her father’s name, and Barbara said that wasn’t right. Then I asked her if she had a mental picture of her father and she told me that he was sitting underground in a cave or a cavern. Does that mean anything to you?”

“Not really, unless you can think of something that rhymes with spelunker.”

Jenny laughed. “Somehow I don’t think that’s it.”

“Neither do I. Any other ideas?”

“Not at the moment. I’ll think about it though.”

“How about Barbara’s brother? Does she have any mental pictures for him?”

“No. She says it’s just a blank in her mind.”

“Call me back if Barbara comes up with anything new. I’ll have my cell phone with me.”

“I really hate to bother you like this, Hannah.”

“You’re not bothering me. Barbara’s my friend and I want to help in any way I can.”

Once she’d ended the call, Hannah sat down on her stool again. Barbara pictured her father in a cave or a cavern. That was a new development and at least she had a mental image now. Perhaps it would become clearer as the swelling in her brain abated and then the mystery would be solved.

“Thanks, Andrea,” Hannah said as they parked in the reserved section for the penthouse. “I really appreciate this.”

“That’s okay. I’m curious, too. I want to find out what things Doctor Bev moved.”

Hannah got out of Andrea’s Volvo just as huge drops of rain began to fall. They hit the dusty pavement sending up little puffs of dust as she followed her sister into the lobby of the hotel. “Why do you want to see what Doctor Bev moved?” Hannah asked.

“Because the last time I moved, I took the most important things first. I’m just curious to see if she did the same thing.”

Hannah thought about that as they walked through the beautiful lobby to the penthouse elevator. “I’ll bet she did. I know I did. When I moved from Mother’s house to my condo, I brought my books and my boxes of recipes first.”

“Oh.” Andrea gave a little sigh.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m embarrassed.”

“Why?”

“Because the first things I moved were my nail polish collection and my makeup. Do you think I’m terrible?”

“No, I think you’re Andrea. Don’t ever change. I love you just the way you are.”

Andrea smiled the most beautiful smile Hannah had ever seen. “Thank you, Hannah. I hope you never change either.”

As the two sisters approached the elevator, there was a loud crack of thunder that made both of them jump, and the lights flickered several times. A bright flash of lightning lit the lobby with an almost iridescent white light, and Hannah blinked several times in response to the brightness. When she could see normally again, she noticed that the lights had dimmed to pale amber. A moment later they were back to full luminescence.

“Uh-oh,” Andrea said, pulling Hannah back from the elevator doors. “No way we’re taking the elevator. The power might go out.”

Hannah agreed wholeheartedly. The last thing she wanted to do was get stuck in the penthouse elevator while an electrical storm raged overhead. “I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” she said.

“Wrong. Follow me.” Andrea led Hannah to a door several feet from the elevator. “We’ll take the stairs.” She unlocked the door, switched on the lights, and beckoned Hannah inside. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the flashlight on my phone if the lights go out and the emergency generator doesn’t work.”

“They installed the new one?” Hannah asked, remembering that Andrea had mentioned replacing the old generator.

“Yes. Roger told me they put it in yesterday, but I’m not sure it’s hooked up yet. And I don’t want to go down there to look because it’s scary down there.”

“How is it scary?”

“It’s a full basement, but you have to know which hallway to take to get where you want to go. They’re really narrow hallways, almost like tunnels, and I’m always afraid I’ll get lost and I’ll never be able to find the stairway to get out. You almost have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel, you know?”

“I understand. I’m not fond of old basements myself.”

“It’s just that it smells damp and musty, and you know that you’re under the ground. Every time you come around a corner, you expect to see a mole, or a rabbit, or a groundhog.” Andrea reached out for the railing. “Come on, Hannah. Let’s go. This staircase goes up to the third floor.”

Up to the third floor? Hannah repeated her sister’s words in her mind and added a question mark. Perhaps climbing up to the third floor would be easy for Andrea, but she wasn’t looking forward to the climb. “Is this the servant’s staircase you told me about?”

“Yes. It was really a single-person staircase when it was built, but Roger had the contractors widen it and it’s a lot better now. Now it’s big enough for two to climb up together.”

“Two what?” Hannah asked, dropping behind her sister after the first few steps. “Two anorexic toddlers?”