“Why didn’t Lucy turn her film over to Bill and Mike? If I got close enough to a murderer to take his picture, I’d head for the sheriff’s station as fast as I could.”
“So would I. But Lucy didn’t do that. What’s your point?”
“That roll of film was with her other blackmail stuff, right?”
“Extortion stuff,” Hannah corrected her.
“Okay, extortion stuff. But it was there in the secret drawer.”
“Right.” Hannah shut off the engine and turned to stare at Andrea. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that maybe Lucy is planning to blackmail Boyd’s killer.”
Hannah’s mouth dropped open. That possibility had never even crossed her mind. She didn’t think it had occurred to Norman either. He would have said something.
“It was just a thought.” Andrea sounded very defensive. “I’m just throwing things out for you to consider.”
Hannah was silent for a long moment and then she let her breath out in a whoosh. “That’s not as weird as it sounds, Andrea. I think you could be on to something.”
“You do?” Andrea looked very surprised. “But Lucy ought to know that blackmailing a murderer is too dangerous.”
“Maybe, but her confidence level has got to be high right about now. She’s got a new car, a new wardrobe, a bunch of money, and Norman is doing her caps for free. Lucy may figure it’s time to move on to something bigger that’ll net her a lot more profit.”
“But that’s… crazy!”
Hannah just nodded and left it at that.
Andrea stared at her a moment, then she sighed. “You’re right. We both know Lucy’s crazy for sneaking around and taking those pictures in the first place. But do you really think she’s that crazy?”
“I don’t know.” Hannah opened her door and motioned for Andrea to get out of the truck. “But I think we’d better find Lucy. I don’t’ know how we’re going to warn her off without mentioning that stash of evidence we confiscated, but we’ve go to try. If she puts the bite on Boyd’s killer, she’ll be in more trouble than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Sorry, Hannah. I haven’t seen Lucy since last night. If she shows up, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”
“And you’ve been here all day?” Andrea asked.
“Right here.” Herb patted his chair. “I took a break a couple of minutes ago, but I locked the door before I left. Do you want me to take those boxes in for you, Hannah?”
“That would be great. Thanks, Herb.” They set down the boxes they were carrying, and Hannah handed Herb the bag of cookies she’d brought for him. “This is Lisa’s new recipe. She calls them Cherry Winks.”
Herb opened the bag and peered inside. “It’s a good name. The cherries on top look like they’re winking. What are you baking tonight, Hannah?”
“Hawaiian Flan.”
“What’s that?”
“Baked custard with pineapple,” Andrea explained. “Hannah learned to make it when we were in high school, and it’s my favorite dessert.”
“Sounds good. I like pineapple. Say… why don’t you ever use it in your cookies?”
“I don’t know.” Hannah thought about it. She’d made cookies with raisins, dates, and bananas, but she’d never considered using pineapple. Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea. “Thanks for the suggestion, Herb. I’ll have to see what I can come up with.”
“I think pineapples cookies would be really popular, especially if they tasted like pineapple upside-down cake. Do you think I should mention it to Lisa? Her pineapple upside-down cake is even better than Mother’s.”
“Good idea.” Hannah stifled a grin. If Marge Beeseman ever found out that her youngest son liked Lisa’s cake better than hers, there’d be a full-scale war in Lake Eden. “We’ve got to run, Herb. It’s turning out to be a full day. I promised to go out to the hospital to see Danielle. Then we have to make a flying stop at the Lake Eden Inn and get back to the shop in time to bake for the Regency Romance Club meeting this afternoon.”
“Mother told me they’re doing a reading in costume, and Lucy’s supposed to be there to take pictures for the paper. I just hope she shows up.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“When I saw her at the bake-off last night, she said she was working on a big assignment.”
Hannah was almost afraid to ask, but she did. “Did Lucy tell you anything about it?”
“Not really”—Herb shook his head—“but she did say that if it worked out the way she thought it would, she’d earn enough money to pay off that new car she’s leasing.”
They said their good-byes and walked back out to Hannah’s truck in silence. Hannah was hoping that Lucy’s big assignment didn’t have anything to do with confronting Boyd’s killer, and she suspected that Andrea was hoping the same.
* * *
After a brief stop at the hospital, they got back on the road again. Hannah had replaced the offensive cross- stitch sampler with a picture she’d cut out of a magazine. Cows grazing in a field might not be fine art, but they were innocuous.
The Lake Eden Inn was only two miles from the hospital, and they made good time. When they walked into the rustic bar, the second day in a row, Hannah felt a sense of deja vu. The lunch buffet was out, the guests were at the same tables, and Sally was sitting on the same barstool, with her feet propped up in exactly the same position. The only difference was the color of her maternity top. Sally’s choice today was electric blue with white block letters proclaiming, “MOTHER AT WORK”.
“Hi, Sally.” Hannah walked over to her with Andrea in tow. “We didn’t come to free-load again, I promise.”
Sally laughed. “Help yourselves. I always make a ton of food, and that beef Stroganoff won’t stand up to reheating. It’s got too much sour cream.”
“Does your beef Stroganoff have mushrooms?” Andrea asked, tearing her glance away from the buffet table.
“Four different kinds.” Sally ticked them off on her fingers. “Champignon, shiitake, oyster, and kikurage.”
Hannah noticed that Andrea was listing in the direction of the beef Stroganoff. Andrea never ate breakfast, and she was probably starving by now. “Speaking of mushrooms, when is the last time you made your stuffed mushrooms with bread crumbs and sausage?”
“I served them on Wednesday for the five o’clock happy hour,” Sally told her, “but I don’t think I’ll do it again. They’re just too much work at the last minute.”
Hannah filed that away for future reference. “Stuffed mushrooms aren’t a regular item on your menu?”
“No, I only make them for special occasions. They don’t hold up very well on the warming table, and they have to be served while they’re hot. I probably won’t make them again until my annual Christmas cocktail party. You’re coming, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Hannah said.
“Me, neither.” Andrea started to smile. “You always throw such a great party, and your food is just incredible.”
“You sound hungry. Why don’t you hit the buffet table?” Sally suggested.
Hannah glanced at Andrea. Her list toward the food table had grown more pronounced. “Okay, but are you sure you have enough?”
“I’m sure. Go fill your plates and come back here, just like yesterday.”
“With one difference.” Hannah was insistent. “You have to let us pay.”
Sally shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You’ll be doing me a favor by taking my mind off Dick Junior. He’s kicking up a fuss today. Dick says he thinks I’m going to give birth to a black-belt karate expert.”
* * *
