<10>
Once she’d told Edna what had happened and sworn her to secrecy, Hannah went back into the banquet room and tapped Mike on the shoulder.
“Hi, Hannah,” Mike said, smiling up at her. “How are the desserts coming?”
“The desserts are fine. The dessert knife isn’t. You need to come with me. there’s something you have to know.”
“Now?” Mike asked, looking down longingly at his helping of Sauerbraten.
“Right now,” Hannah said, practically dragging him from his chair. “I’ll have Edna save your plate for you. Take your jacket.”
“We’re going outside?”
“Just smile, Mike. I don’t want anyone to think there’s something wrong.”
“But there is something wrong?”
“Oh, yes,” Hannah confirmed it, leading him into the kitchen and handing his plate to Edna. “Will you save this for Mike? And can I borrow your parka?”
“ ‘Course,” Edna said, slipping Mike’s plate into the microwave and gesturing toward the stool that held her parka.
“Another murder in the pantry?” Mike asked, as Hannah opened the pantry door.
“No.”
“Good! For a second there, I thought history was repeating itself. So there’s no dead body this time?”
“I didn’t say that.” Hannah opened the delivery door and grabbed Mike’s arm. “There’s a dead body, but this time it’s in the parking lot.”
Things moved fast once Mike took charge of the crime scene. He used Hannah as an errand girl, sending her in for Doc Knight, who was just finishing a double helping of Esther’s Meatloaf.
Doc took his time examining the body, and then he looked up at Mike. “Okay. I’m through for now.”
“Time of death?” Mike asked, flipping open this notebook.
“I’d say no longer than thirty minutes ago, give or take ten.”
“Is it murder?” Hannah asked, moving slightly closer. She’d been standing as far away as she could while Doc examined Brandi’s body.
Doc looked over at her and raised his eyebrows. “Well, it’s certainly not a suicide.”
“Why’s that?”
“A woman who intends to kill herself doesn’t usually choose to do it with an antique cake knife on the coldest night of the year in a parking lot.”
“Too bad it’s snowing,” Mike said, staring down at the drift that was beginning to pile up around Brandi’s body. “Any tracks the killer left are long gone by now. At least we know one thing for certain.”
“What’s that?” Doc Knight asked.
“The killer went back inside after he stabbed Brandi.”
Hannah’s jaw dropped open for a second and then she closed it with an audible clack. “How do you know that?”
“There’s no way anybody drove over that snowdrift at the exit. It’s just too deep. And if they’d tried to walk over it, they would have sunk down to their eyeballs. I’m almost positive that nobody has come or gone from this lot since I got back.”
“But how do you know for certain that Brandi was alive when you got back here?” Hannah posed the important question.
“I was looking around for you and I noticed her.”
Hannah wasn’t sure whether she should be flattered, or angry. Mike had just admitted he’d been looking for her, but he’d noticed Brandi. Was that a plus or a minus in the grand scheme of things?
“Uh-oh,” Doc Knight said, reaching for the cell phone in his pocket. “They weren’t supposed to call me unless it was an emergency.”
Hannah and Mike stood there trying to pretend they weren’t listening as Doc Knight took the call. Of course they couldn’t help but hear what he said. Other than the occasional whoosh as the wind picked up and blew snow against the parked cars, nothing else was happening out here in the parking lot.
“Appendectomy,” Doc said, returning his phone to his pocket. “I’ve got to go. Do you want me to send my paramedics for the body?”
“Yes,” Mike said. “We’ll preserve the crime scene until they get here.”
“I’ll send them just as soon as I get back to the hospital. I don’t want her to freeze before the autopsy.”
Hannah shuddered and it wasn’t from the cold. Even though she knew that Brandi was dead, she’d prefer not to think about her freezing.
“Thanks, Doc,” Mike reached out to clap him on the shoulder. “You’re not parked back here, are you?”
“I double-parked in front. I figured that if I had to get out, it would be a medical emergency. And it is. Gonna give me a ticket?”
“No way,” Mike said, deferring to the Winnetka County coroner. “You’ve got a county exempt placard on your dash. That entitles you to park wherever you want.”
“But I don’t park illegally unless I really need to. That would be misusing the power of the office. I take it you want me to keep mum about what happened out here?”
“That would be best until I get it sorted out. Do you want me to come with you to make sure your car starts? Hannah can stay here with the body.”
Hannah bit her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything. There was no way she wanted to stay here with the body, but it was pretty clear she didn’t get a vote.
“No, that’s all right. My truck can get through just about anything, and I’ve got my cell phone if I run into trouble. Earl Flensburg’s on call with his tow truck, and he’ll come right out to get me.”
Hannah waited until Doc Knight had left, and then she turned to Mike. “Would you really have made me stay out here with . . . .with her? All by myself?”
“Why not?” Mike asked, clearly puzzled. “You were out here with her before. And you were by yourself.”
“I know, but I didn’t know she was dead then. It’s different when you know they’re dead.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Mike said, but he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “Sorry, Hannah. Sometimes I forget you’re not one of the guys.”
The arm around the shoulders was nice, and the squeeze was nice. But forgetting she was a woman wasn’t nice at all. Still, two out of three wasn’t that horrible, and Hannah snuggled a little closer. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“You bet. Could you go back inside and tell Rick Murphy to come out here?”
“Sure.” Hannah shoved her hands in Edna’s parka pockets. The wind was starting to blow harder and her fingers felt numb. “Anything else?”
“Find Lonnie and put him in charge of securing the perimeter, one guard for every outside door. No one leaves, not without running it past me.”
“Got it,” Hannah said, resisting the urge to salute.
“Actually . . .nobody should leave anyway.”
“Why not?”
“The wind’s picking up. This could turn into a real blizzard and it’s just not safe. Some of these folks have a long ways to go on country roads.”
“You’re right,” Hannah said. Strong winds whipping up snow from flat stretches of landscape could make the roads impassible in the space of a few minutes. The snow could swirl so fiercely, a driver could lose sight of the road. Sense of direction was the next thing to go, and that was when people ended up in the ditch. “I’ll tell Lonnie not to let anyone leave. Anything else?”
“I want only the essential people to know that Brandi’s dead. If the killer doesn’t know that her body’s been found, he may do or say something to give himself away.”
“You mean . . .you really think the killer’s still here, sitting around waiting for dessert?!”
“I’m almost positive he is.”
“But how do you know he wasn’t parked in front? He could have waltzed back inside, made some excuse about having to leave early, and gone out through the front door as big as you please.”
“Maybe, but when I came back in after seeing Kurt on his way, I noticed that Lisa and Herb were sitting at a table in the lobby eating their dinner. They would have seen anyone who left.”
“Do you want me to ask them?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. How about Bill? Are you going to try to contact him?”
“Of course. I’ll call dispatch and they’ll find him.” Mike took his arm from Hannah’s shoulder and turned her to face him. “Now do you want to go inside and take care of all those things for me? Or have you changed your mind and do you want to stay here with . . . “
“I’m going, I’m going,” Hannah said, heading for the kitchen door at a pace that would have done a runner proud.
* * *
“Excuse me, Lonnie.” Hannah tapped him on the shoulder. “Could I speak to you for a minute? You too, Rick.”
Once she’d pulled the Murphy deputies to the side and delivered Mike’s messages, Rick headed out to the parking lot to relieve his superior, and Lonnie quickly found enough personnel to man the exits. Since Lonnie had decided to take the front door himself, Hannah headed up the stairs with him to quiz Herb and Lisa about anyone who’d gone out or come in.
“Just Mike and Kurt Howe,” Lisa responded to Hannah’s question. “Kurt drove away, Mike took his parking spot, and then he came back in.”
“And Doc Knight,” Herb reminded her. “He left about ten minutes ago. What’s going on, Hannah? Lonnie’s trying to be discreet about it, but I can tell he’s guarding the front door.”
Hannah thought about it for a moment and came to a decision. Mike had said to tell only the essential people and as far as Hannah was concerned, Lisa and Herb were essential. Besides, Herb was a sworn law enforcement officer. It didn’t matter that it was only parking enforcement. Herb could still help in a situation like this.
“It’s murder,” Hannah said, motioning them closer so that she could tell them all about it.
Less than ten minutes later, everything was under control. All of the exits were staffed with deputies, Herb had gone to find Mike to see if there was anything he could do to help, and Hannah and Lisa had helped Edna carry out the last few desserts. Norman had taken pictures and Hannah was about to give Mayor Bascomb the okay to invite people for dessert, when she saw Mike make a beeline for the mayor.
Mike and Mayor Bascomb conferred for long moments. Then the mayor walked over to Kirby Welles and the jazz ensemble stopped playing abruptly, right in the middle of “The First Noel.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mayor Bascomb sounded very serious as he took the mike and addressed the crowd. “I’ve got some news you’re not going to like.”
Lisa looked surprised as she nudged Hannah. “I thought you said Mike didn’t want to tell anyone.”
“That’s what he said, but maybe he changed his mind.”
Mayor Bascomb looked around the room, and a grin spread over his face. “I know how tough this is going to be, but I’m afraid we’re stuck here for at least a couple more hours, maybe longer, with all this good food and music.”
There were several hoots of laughter from various tables and the mayor acknowledged them with a smile. “It’s a good thing we’re having fun in here, because it’s not fun outside. The national weather service is predicting a blizzard and I believe they’re right, for once. I was just outside, and the wind nearly knocked a big guy like me off his feet.”
Laughter rang out from several tables again. It was no wonder that Mayor Bascomb was serving his fourth term. He really knew how to talk to a crowd.
“Anyway, you’re a lot safer here than you would be out on the roads and the community center can accommodate everyone until the winds die down and it’s safe to go home. If you absolutely must leave, tell me or one of the sheriff’s deputies I’ve stationed at the doors, and we’ll arrange for a snowplow escort to get you wherever you need to go. Barring an emergency, I want everyone to sit tight. I value each and every person here, and a winter storm as bad as this one isn’t anything to fool with.”
Many heads nodded at the mayor’s last statement. Minnesotans who’d survived other blizzards weren’t about to take the chance of getting caught alone and exposed to the elements.
“While we’re waiting for the weather to clear, Janice Cox is going to open Kiddie Korner for the little ones. She’s got games, books, and toys. She’s even got blankets and cots, if this ends up being a long night. I think we’ve got some high school student aides here tonight, don’t we?”
There was a cheer from a table near the back where a crowd of Lake Eden teenagers were sitting together.
“I thought so! Well, this is your big chance to get some more on-the-job training. If some of you want to help Janice entertain the kids, she says she’d appreciate it.”
Hannah wasn’t surprised when the table emptied and a dozen teenagers headed over to the stairs where Janice was waiting. Many Lake Eden kids grew up taking care of younger siblings, and they enjoyed helping.
“Herb Beeseman checked and the cable’s out, but if some of you older kids want to watch a movie, there’s a whole shelf of them up in the senior center. And down here, we’ll have dancing and” — Mayor Bascomb paused and let the tension build until everyone was leaning forward, just waiting for the word — “dessert! And speaking of dessert, Edna wants me to read you this list. It says, Candied Pecans, Christmas Date Cake, Poppy Seed Cake, Chocolate Fruitcake, Lady Hermoine’s Chocolate Sunshine Cake, Coconut Green Pie, Pumpkin Pie for a Thanksgiving Crowd, Pecan Pie for a Holiday Crowd . . . . Do I need to go on?”
“No!” several people shouted in unison, and laughter filled the air.
“Well, I could go on. I haven’t even started in on the cookies, and we’ve got at least a half-dozen different kinds. And for those who want to be healthy, there’s whole box of oranges that were shipped here from California with a cluster of kumquats on top. You know what a kumquat is?”
the no’s outnumbered the yes’s and Hannah could understand that. A kumquat was rather exotic, and not many were seen in Minnesota.
“Hannah? Tell them what it is!”
Hannah wanted to tell the mayor to buzz off, but all eyes were on her and she had to answer. “It’s a small citrus fruit that’s not worth the trouble of peeling. But you should try one and make up your own mind.”
Laughter erupted at Hannah’s answer, and Mayor Bascomb looked pleased. “Edna says to tell you that the dessert table’s all ready. There’s enough to feed an army so you can get right up and help yourselves.”
“He did a wonderful job!” Lisa breathed, staring at Mayor Bascomb with a mixture of shock and admiration. “I guess I never realized that he was so . . . so . . .”
“Diplomatic?”
“Maybe, but what do you mean by that?”
“I mean, he told people that they were locked in and they couldn’t go home. And they love him for it.”
“I guess that is diplomatic. But how does he pull that off?”
“Years of practice,” Hannah said, and she didn’t add, lying to his wife. “Come one, Lisa. We need to find Mike and tell him that nobody left while you and Herb were upstairs.”
“Hannah!” Delores called out, swooping down on her eldest daughter.
“Hello, Mother. Where’s Winthrop?”
“In the necessary, dear. Need I say more to someone who’s familiar with Regency England?”
It took a moment for the memory banks to attain warp speed, but then Hannah remembered that necessary in Regency England was a men’s room in today’s terms. “Okay, Mother. I understand.”
“Did you use the knife to cut your cake, dear?”
“I certainly did,” Hannah said truthfully, not mentioning that it had also been used to cut certain parts of Brandi’s anatomy. “Norman took pictures and Kurt wants to use one in the cookbook.”
“Wonderful! Winthrop will be so proud.”
Hannah’s mind did a quick backstep. “You mean Winthrop’s family has something to do with the cake knife?”
“No, it’s just that it’s old English, and Winthrop reveres things that are old English.”
“Right,” Hannah said, wondering why, if that were true, Winthrop wasn’t involved with the duchess of someplace-or-other, rather than her mother.
“So do you think we could leave soon, dear? I know what Ricky Ticky said,” Delores used the nickname she’d given Mayor Bascomb the summer she’d been his babysitter, “but it’s not really that serious, is it?”
“It’s that serious.”
“You mean . . .they won’t even let us go home?”
Hannah shook her head. And all the while she was asking herself, Where’s home? Would that be Mother’s place? Or Winthrop’s? “You can’t leave, Mother. I’d really worry if you did.”
“You would?” Delores looked pleased.
“Oh, yes,” Hannah gave her heartfelt response. Of course she’d worry, but not about the blizzard. She’d be worrying about Winthrop.
“Well . . . I guess we’ll just stay then. Winthrop said he wanted to taste Lady Hermoine’s cake. And perhaps we can get Kirby to play something a little more upbeat for dancing.”
Lisa waited until Delores was far enough away and then she turned to Hannah. “So . . . ? Should I tell Herb to start heating up the tar? And do you want me to start plucking birds for feathers?”
“Not quite yet. I’m tempted, but he could be exactly what he says he is, an English lord on vacation.”
“But you don’t think he is.”
“No. But I’m naturally protective when it comes to my mother. And I’m naturally paranoid by nature. So . . . Winthrop could be okay, but I’ll be the farm that he isn’t.”