Читать книгу Key Lime Pie Murder - Joanne Fluke - Страница 13

She had to wait in line for several minutes because there were at least a half-dozen people in front of her, but at last she reached the counter. And since there was no one in line behind her, she had time to chat with Ruby for a moment.

“This is for you, Ruby.” Hannah handed over the cinnamon raisin bread she’d snatched up at the last minute. “It only took an honorable mention, but it should have placed higher. I’ve had it before, and it’s great for toast in the morning.”

“Well, that’s really nice of you,” Ruby said, sounding both surprised and pleased.

“It’s just a little thank-you for defusing the situation with my mother.”

“No problem. Parents are always pulling their kids away from my booth.”

“Yes, but I’ll bet those kids are usually a lot younger.”

“That’s true. But some mothers just can’t seem to let go, even when their kids are grown up. I’m that way myself.”

Hannah stared at Ruby in surprise. She’d assumed Ruby was about her age, but if she had a grown child, she had to be older. “I can’t believe you have a child that old!”

“She’s not really my child. She’s my half-sister, but I raised her when our mother died.”

“How old were you?” Hannah couldn’t help asking.

“Almost eleven.”

Hannah gave a little sigh. When she was eleven, she’d done something similar. Michelle had been a cranky baby and she’d helped to take care of her when Delores had needed a break. But that had been only for an hour or so, a couple of times a week. Hannah couldn’t even imagine shouldering the sole responsibility of motherhood at that age. “How old was your sister?”

“Two and a half. It wasn’t easy, but all the rodeo wives helped. The ones who had kids used to invite Brianna over to play so that I could get some of the housework done. And they were always inviting us over for meals. There was one barrel rider, Missy Daniels, who used to bring us tuna casserole.”

“That was nice.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was the worst tuna casserole I ever tasted. My stepfather, Sam, said we had to be polite and tell her we liked it, so we did. But that backfired.”

“She brought you even more of it?” Hannah guessed.

“That’s right. We had it every Friday night. I still can’t stand the sight of a can of tuna. Anyway, between the wives and the single gals who wanted to pick up on Sam, we got along all right. Of course when we wrapped up the season, it was a lot easier.”

“Why?” Hannah asked, curious about what it would be like to travel with a rodeo.

“We wintered in Florida with Sam’s parents. Bri and I lived with them in Fort Lauderdale. Gram took care of Bri so I could go to school, and Sam spent the winter booking skeleton shows.” Hannah must have looked as confused as she felt, because Ruby hurried to explain. “It’s a pared down show, just the bones. That’s why we call it a skeleton show. It’s really more of a demonstration, and you can put it on in a park, or even a vacant lot.”

“So your stepdad was the booking agent for the show?”

“That and everything else. Sam owns the Great Northwestern Rodeo and Carnival. He finally gave up Brahma riding last year after he broke his arm twice, but he still keeps his hand in by doing some trick riding. See that Winnebago parked at the edge of the trees?”

Hannah looked in the direction Ruby was pointing. There was a large Winnebago parked behind the midway, just to the left of the Ferris wheel. “I see it.”

“That’s where I grew up. Of course I don’t live there now. Riggs and I have our own trailer. But Sam still lives there with Brianna. She just got engaged to one of the cowboys. He’s a Brahma rider and his name’s Tucker Smith.”

“It must be a very different sort of life,” Hannah mused, wondering how it would feel to travel with a rodeo.

“Oh, it is. We don’t stay anywhere for more than a week, and that means we have to be really self-sufficient.” Ruby stopped talking and gazed over Hannah’s shoulder. “So how about that deep-fried Milky Way? Your mother’s nowhere in sight.”

Hannah laughed. She didn’t know how she could possibly manage it after all the sweet dough breads they’d tasted, but the thought of getting to taste one at last made her mouth start to water. “Well…I really shouldn’t but I guess…” Hannah stopped in midsentence when a voice called her name. She turned to see Norman hurrying across the food court toward her, and she gave a little sigh. She was glad to see him. It wasn’t that. But this was the second time she’d been thwarted in her attempt to taste a deep-fried candy bar.

“You can’t eat one right now?” Ruby guessed.

“You got it,” Hannah said, and then she turned to give Norman a smile as he arrived at her side. It had been several days since she’d seen him, and it felt good to be with him again.

“Are you going to eat one of those?” he asked, as he arrived at her side.

“No,” Hannah replied. Norman didn’t sound censorious, the way her mother had, but it would be wise to play it safe.

“I need your help, Hannah.” Norman took the pan from her arms and steered her away from the booth, barely giving Hannah time to wave goodbye to Ruby. “I’ve got a problem with my dishwasher.”

Hannah was confused. “‘I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t know anything about fixing dishwashers.”

“I know you don’t. And I wasn’t asking you to. All I want you to do is help me pick it out. The brochures for the kitchen appliances came today, and I can’t make up my mind between two models.”

“No problem. I’ll be glad to help you.”

“Thanks, Hannah. I was afraid I’d pick the wrong one.” Norman looked down at the pan he was carrying. “I heard you were filling in for Edna. Is this tonight’s winner?”

“No, it’s part of the third-place entry, a chocolate cherry coffeecake. I’m taking it to Mother.”

“Now?” Norman asked, looking disappointed.

“Now. I’m going to deliver the coffeecake, congratulate Michelle on her win in the evening gown competition, and then I’m going straight home. I think Moishe might be getting sick.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know. It’s probably the heat, but I’m a little worried. He didn’t touch his breakfast.”

“How about dinner?”

“Only a sniff and a lick. And I made him a Denver sandwich without the onions and the bell peppers. I even put in double ham and he still wouldn’t touch it.”

“That sounds serious. How about if I stop at my house to pick up the brochures, and head over to your condo to check on Moishe? Maybe I can get him to eat. When you get home, you can take a quick look and tell me which model is the best.”

Hannah didn’t have to think twice about that. “Great,” she said, giving Norman a grateful smile. He always came through when she needed him. And that was one of the things she loved most about him.

“Hi, Hannah!” Michelle greeted her oldest sister at the door. Her face was devoid of makeup, and she was wearing cut-off jeans and a Macalester College T-shirt. “What have you got?”

“Chocolate cherry coffeecake. Where’s Mother?”

“In Dad’s old office. She’s using it now. She said she had some work to do on her computer.”

“What work?”

“I don’t know. I asked, but she said it was personal.”

Hannah frowned as visions of e-mail romances with prison inmates danced through her mind. “Is she on-line yet?”

“No. The cable company’s going to have free installation on their high-speed Internet access next month. She told me she’s waiting until then.”

“Good! I mean…I just didn’t want her to start something with…” Hannah stopped, not quite sure how to phrase what she’d been thinking.

“Weirdos, perverts, and creeps?” Michelle asked. “With a few con artists thrown in?”

“Exactly.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much. I think Mother learned a lot from what happened last spring.”

“I hope so! It just makes me so mad that somebody tried to take advantage of her!”

“Me, too. But it’s over now, and Mother’s smart enough not to fall for somebody like that again.” Michelle gave Hannah a little shove toward the office that Delores was using. “Do me a favor, okay?”

Hannah knew better than to agree without knowing what Michelle wanted. “That depends on what it is.”

“It’s snooping. I tried to see what Mother was working on, but she’s got one of those privacy screens. One keystroke and all you can see is a bouquet of flowers, or pine trees in a snowy forest. See if you can find out what she’s working on. I just hate it when people say that it’s personal and they won’t tell you what it is.”

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Hannah agreed. And then she headed down the hallway to see if she could figure out what secret their mother was hiding.

“Mother?” Hannah called out, tapping on the door and then opening it without waiting for an invitation.

“Hello, dear.” Delores looked up when Hannah came into the room. “Sit down and wait just a moment, will you? I really need to finish this paragraph.”

“Sure. Michelle said you were working on something personal.” Hannah sat down in the old leather chair that had been moved to a spot near the window. It had been her dad’s desk chair, but Delores had replaced it with a smart-looking model upholstered in blue tweed. It was clear at a glance that her mother’s new chair rolled, reclined, and swiveled, while the old leather chair merely sat there.

“That’s right.”

“I’m curious. What is it?”

“Nothing you’d be interested in, dear.”

Delores went right back to typing, and Hannah gave a little sigh. She’d struck out. So much for being forthright. She’d have to think of some other way to find out.

“You were always the best speller in the family,” Delores said, pausing with her fingers poised over the keyboard. “Recommendation has one c and two m’s, doesn’t it?”

“Recommendation?” Hannah repeated, not sure she’d heard her mother correctly.

“That’s right. Yes or no, dear.”

“Yes,” Hannah said, and then she spelled it out. “Are you writing a letter of recommendation for someone?”

“No, dear. Just give me a moment more and I’ll be through.”

Hannah’s curiosity reached new heights. Her mother had told Michelle it was “personal,” and it wasn’t a letter of recommendation. Asking politely hadn’t worked, and she’d promised Michelle that she’d snoop if she got the chance. Feeling a bit like someone cheating on an exam, Hannah craned her neck to try to see her mother’s computer screen. Unfortunately she was off-axis, and all she saw was a faintly lighted screen. She inched slightly to the side to get a better view, not an easy task with a heavy desk chair that didn’t roll, but the only thing she could make out was faint lines of double-spaced type. It was definitely not a letter. Letters were single-spaced.

“Almost through, dear,” Delores said, her fingers beating a staccato rhythm on the keys.

Hannah gave a lurch, and the chair slid another inch to the side. That was better! She could almost read something! She was leaning forward, squinting to make out the words, when a huge bouquet of flowers replaced the words on the screen.

“It’s time for a break,” Delores stated, leaning back in her chair. “You looked a bit upset when you came in the door, dear. Does it make you sad to see me using your father’s office?”

“A little,” Hannah admitted.

“That’s what I thought. You spent a lot of time in here with him.”

“You got a new desk chair.”

“Yes. I tried using his, but it just wasn’t right for me. So I ordered a new one, and then I kept thinking of what he’d say if he saw me replacing his desk chair. I was going to give it to charity. It’s really too big for this small room. But…I couldn’t just throw it away. He spent so much time in here, sitting in that chair. Sometimes when I’m working late, I’ll turn, and for just a second I think I can see him there. Is that crazy?”

“No, that’s love. And memories.”

Delores blinked several times, and then she gave a little smile. “You’re right. But I really do need to put a file cabinet in here, and there won’t be room with that chair. Would you like to have it?”

Hannah was tempted. She’d always associated that leather desk chair with her father. Then she thought of her condo and how it was already full to the brim with other things that Delores had given her. “I don’t think so, Mother. I’d like it, but I don’t have anywhere to put it.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ll ask Andrea and Michelle, but I don’t think they’ll want it, either. And I really hate to just…toss it.”

“I don’t want you to just toss it, either. Do you think it’d help if we found it a good home?”

Delores thought about that for a moment. “I think it would. Do you have any prospects in mind?”

“Not really, but I’ll think about it and…Norman!”

“Norman?”

“He might want it. His new house has an office, and as far as I know, he doesn’t have any furniture.”

“Oh, that would be perfect!” Delores looked delighted. “I’d like to give it to Norman.”

“Even if I don’t end up marrying him?” Hannah couldn’t help asking.

“Even if you don’t. When can you ask him if he wants it?”

“I’ll ask him tonight. He’s waiting for me at my condo. I’m going to help him pick out a dishwasher.”

“That’s wonderful, dear.”

Delores gave another smile that rang alarm bells in Hannah’s mind. Her mother seemed much too pleased about the fact that she was helping Norman pick out kitchen appliances. “It’s just a dishwasher, Mother. It’s not any more than that.”

“That’s all right, dear. Good marriages aren’t made overnight. Your father and I dated for several years before we married.”

Hannah bit her tongue. Sometimes it was better not to say anything.

“Is that for me, dear?” Delores asked, glancing at the foil-wrapped package Hannah still held in her arms.

“Yes. It’s the chocolate cherry coffeecake that took third place at the baked goods competition tonight.”

“It sounds marvelous! I’ll have some when I take my next break. And that reminds me…you don’t have anyone staying in your guest room, do you?”

“No.” Hannah readied herself for a major imposition. Her mother had mentioned something about a cousin three times removed who’d wanted to visit Lake Eden.

“Oh, good. Would you mind terribly if Michelle stayed with you?”

“You mean…our Michelle?”

“Yes. It’s just that I’m so busy right now. I really don’t have much time to spend with her, and poor Michelle must be lonely with only the television for company. I thought it might be more fun for her if she…”

“That’s fine, Mother,” Hannah agreed, before Delores could continue. “I’d love to have Michelle stay with me.”

“Wonderful! Go out there right now and have her pack up her things. Tell her she can use my car for the week. Then she’ll have her own transportation, and you won’t have to drive her around.”

“But won’t you need your car?”

“No. The only place I’m going is out to the fair, and I can ride with Carrie. We signed up for the same hours at the booth.”

“All right, Mother.”

“Tell her to come in and say goodbye before she leaves. I’d come out, but I still have several more pages to write before I’m through, and then I need to get some sleep. I’m burning the candle at both ends to get everything done.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her.” Hannah stood up, but before she could take a step, her mother stopped her.

“It’s not that I don’t want her, dear. Make that clear, will you? It’s just that with working at Granny’s Attic and supervising the booth at the fair, I don’t have time to get things done around here. And that reminds me…you are going to be at the Historical Society booth from eight to closing on Saturday night, aren’t you?”

Hannah took a deep breath and stifled the complaints she wanted to make. She’d agreed to help out in the Lake Eden Historical Society booth when her mother had asked, assuming she’d be passing out literature and taking contributions. But Delores had tricked her. What Hannah had really agreed to do was sit on a stool in a frilly dress while contributors threw balls at a target that would open a trapdoor and dunk her into a vat of cold water.

“Hannah?” Delores prodded.

“Yes, Mother. I said I would and I’ll be there.”

“Thank you, dear. And thank you for the coffeecake. I’ll have a piece when I take my next break. Chocolate and cherries are my favorite combination.”

“I know,” Hannah said. And then she headed out the door to tell Michelle that she was being transplanted from her mother’s guest room to Hannah’s guest room in the condo, and she didn’t have the slightest idea what their mother was writing.