Читать книгу Christmas Cupcake Murder - Joanne Fluke - Страница 12

Chapter Four

“You’re coming out to the Lake Eden Inn with us, aren’t you, Hannah?” Carrie asked as they drove into Lake Eden and turned down Main Street.

“Well . . .” Hannah said, wondering how she could politely refuse. She was tired and all she really wanted to do was go home, get into her warmest pajamas, and go to sleep with Moishe purring beside her.

“Doc Knight specifically invited you, Hannah,” Delores reminded her.

“I know, but . . .”

“Carrie and I will take my car and you can drive your cookie truck. Then, if you get really tired, you can excuse yourself right after dinner and drive home.”

Hannah sighed. She knew when she had been beaten. Doc Knight wanted her to go, Carrie wanted her to go, and Delores wanted her to go. “All right,” she said, doing her best to be cheerful. “Let’s drive past Al’s office first to see if he’s still here. We should stop in and put him on the lookout for an antique storage place for you. ”

It didn’t take long to get to town. Lake Eden Realty was directly across from The Cookie Jar, and when Hannah noticed that the lights were off and her bakery and coffee shop were closed for the evening, she gave a little sigh of disappointment. She’d been hoping to check in with Lisa to make sure that everything had run smoothly. Obviously it had, or Lisa would still be inside, mixing up cookie dough for the next morning.

Hannah hadn’t been planning to go into the real estate office with her mother and Carrie, but now she had no excuse. She told herself that it might be for the best, that Al, who had a reputation as a fast talker, might convince them to rent something totally unsuitable for their needs.

“Oh, good. You’re going with us,” Delores said when Hannah got out of her cookie truck. “Carrie and I were hoping you would since you’ve seen how many antiques I have in that old shed your father built for me.”

Hannah smiled. It was nice to be needed and flattering to know that her mother valued her opinion. She pulled open the door and held it open so that Delores and Carrie could precede her inside.

“Hello, Al,” Delores greeted him. “I’m glad you’re working late. We have something we need to discuss with you.”

“Let me guess,” Al said, motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk and pushing a third chair into place for Hannah. “You want to buy three adjacent mansions. . . is that right?”

Delores laughed and so did Carrie. Hannah managed a smile. Al always joked around with potential clients. “Tell Al what you need,” Hannah said to Delores.

“It’s like this, Al . . .” Delores began. “I have all the antiques I’ve been buying for the past twenty years stored in an old shed that Lars built for me when we bought our house.”

“And I have way too many antiques in my house,” Carrie added.

Both women turned to look at Hannah and Hannah knew they wanted her to describe what they needed. “What they really need to rent is a vacant storefront, a large one with a back room to use for refurnishing the antiques and another area to place the antiques that are already in good condition. Of course, it has to be heated and air conditioned, and have excellent lighting, especially in the area where they’ll be working. It should definitely have a bathroom, and it would be wonderful if the plumbing would support a large utility sink in the workroom.”

“Anything else?” Al asked, and Hannah noticed that he looked amused. This made her slightly nervous, but she went on with her explanation.

“Yes. It would be a nice bonus if it had a small kitchenette where they could make coffee and have lunch. And the door to the workroom should be large enough to bring in big pieces of furniture and handcarts.”

“That’s it?” Al asked, and Hannah noticed that he looked even more amused.

“Yes, that’s it,” Hannah replied. “We just wanted to stop in and give you a heads-up so you could keep your eye out for a property like that.”

“Got it,” Al said, nodding as he pulled out a drawer on his desk. “I think I have the perfect place for you.”

“Wonderful!” Delores clapped her hands.

“This is so exciting!” Carrie looked as if she wanted to jump out of her chair and hug Al.

“This property isn’t too far away, is it?” Hannah asked him.

“Oh, no. It’s very conveniently located.”

“Perfect.” Delores began to smile. “You’re a real magician, Al. When can we see this property?”

Al glanced up at the clock on his wall. “Unfortunately, I can’t take you there tonight. My daughter and her husband have invited us over for dinner, and my wife will be in a snit if I don’t get home in fifteen minutes or so.”

“So Mother and Carrie can see it tomorrow?” Hannah asked him.

“No, they can see it now.” Al handed a key ring to Delores. “All three of you can go to look at it. The heat is on and so is the electricity. Take a look around and come back in the morning to tell me if you think it’s suitable for you.”

“Perfect!” Delores said, taking the key ring.

“Maybe, but we’re supposed to meet Doc Knight for dinner,” Hannah reminded her, and then she turned to Al. “How far away is this place?”

“Not far at all. It’s right across the street, next to Bertie’s Cut ’n Curl.”

Hannah’s jaw dropped. She snapped it back closed so that she wouldn’t resemble a fish on a hook, and blinked several times. “You mean . . . two doors down from me?!”

“Exactly right,” Al said, chuckling at the look of shock on Hannah’s face. “It’s just two doors down from The Cookie Jar. That’ll be nice and close to you, Hannah. Go take a look.”

“Let’s go!” Carrie said, jumping to her feet. “It sounds wonderful!”

“It certainly does!” Delores echoed her excitement. “Come on, dear. Let’s go.”

Right across the street, Hannah’s mind echoed Al’s words as she followed Delores and Carrie out the door. Very convenient. Next door to Bertie’s Cut ’n Curl. Just two doors down from The Cookie Jar. What would her day be like if Delores and Carrie stopped by every morning for coffee? Or even worse, came by to use the restroom because the one in the antique storage building didn’t meet their needs? What if . . .

Hannah gave herself a mental shake. She was being silly. They were storing the antiques in the building they wanted to rent. Her mother and Carrie wouldn’t be down here every day, refinishing tables or upholstering chairs and davenports. It was silly for her to feel that her “at work privacy,” if there was such a thing, was being invaded. She should be glad if the vacant building turned out to be perfect for them.

“Here we are,” Delores said, inserting the key in the front door. She attempted to turn it to unlock the door, but nothing happened. “This must be the wrong key,” she remarked, and tried the second key on the ring. Again, nothing happened. The key went into the lock, but it wouldn’t turn. “We can’t get in!” she said, sounding very upset. “Al must have given us the wrong set of keys.”

Hannah turned around to look at Al’s office. The lights were off and his car was no longer parked in front of the building. She remembered hearing a car start up and drive away when her mother was trying the second key. “Al’s gone already,” she said.

“Oh, drat!” Delores exclaimed, coming as close to swearing as she ever did. “What are we going to do now?”

“Try the back door?” Hannah suggested. “There are two keys on the ring. Neither one works on the front door, but one of them might work on the back door.”

Even in the dim light from the streetlight on the corner, Hannah could see her mother roll her eyes. “Of course,” she said, sounding exasperated that she hadn’t thought of it herself. “Let’s go try the back.”

Since the snow wasn’t shoveled on the walkway that led around the building, they walked to the corner and went down the alley to the back. Once there, Delores tried the first key again.

“It works!” she said, all smiles. “Let’s go see what’s inside.”

Hannah let her mother lead the way and she followed Carrie inside. “I can’t find the light switch.”

“Wait a moment, Mother,” Hannah said. “I’ve got the flashlight on my cell phone.”

Hannah, who had followed her mother and Carrie into the back room, switched on the light on her cell phone. She shined the light on the left of the back door, but there was no light switch. “Here it is,” she said, spotting it to the right. She flicked the switch on, but absolutely nothing happened. “I think the bulb’s burned out,” Hannah said, beginning to frown.

“Hannah, we’ll be all right as long as your light holds out. Did you remember to charge your phone this morning?”

“I think so,” Hannah said, hoping she had.

“Then walk beside me and shine the light ahead,” Delores suggested. “We’ll walk through here and go to the front room to check that out.”

Hannah did as her mother requested, hoping that she wouldn’t run out of battery power before they’d finished. If that happened, it might be difficult navigating the back room and getting outside again.

“Wait!” Delores grabbed Hannah’s arm. “I thought I saw something over there.”

“Over where?” Carrie asked her.

“Over by that pile of rags in the corner,” Delores said, pointing to the corner of the back room.

Hannah shined her light in that direction and illuminated the rags. They watched carefully for several moments, but there was no movement.

“It must have been your imagination,” Carrie said.

“It could have been a rat,” Delores said. “This store went out of business at least two years ago. It was a little lunch place that served sandwiches, so there must have been food around.”

Carrie drew her breath in quickly, and Hannah knew that her mother had made Carrie nervous again. “I’ll go check it out,” Hannah promised.

“But . . . you’ll have to take your light with you,” Delores said, and Hannah noticed that she also sounded a bit nervous.

“Do you have your phone with you, Carrie?” Hannah asked her.

“Why, yes. It’s right here in my purse. Shine your flashlight over here and I’ll get it out.”

With the aid of Hannah’s cell phone flashlight, Carrie opened her large purse and located her phone. “It’s not as new as yours is,” Carrie said, holding it out to Hannah. “If you’re thinking about turning on my flashlight, I’m not sure I have one.”

“Let’s see,” Hannah said, turning on Carrie’s phone and examining the apps. “You have one,” she said, turning on the flashlight and handing it back to Carrie.

“Oh, good. Delores and I will stay right here then.”

Hannah was grinning as she walked over to the pile of rags. It was clear that Carrie was still nervous about marauding rodents. As she approached the pile, she realized that the rags were covering something large and bulky. Did the owner leave some piece of equipment behind when they left Lake Eden? “There’s something under here,” she reported. “Hold on a second and I’ll take a look.”

“Bu . . . bu . . . but be careful, Hannah,” Delores warned, quite unnecessarily. “You don’t know what’s under there!”

The rags were tucked around something and Hannah managed to pull one corner free. She couldn’t loosen it without using both hands, and that meant that she couldn’t hold her phone flashlight. “Shine your flashlight over here, Carrie,” she instructed. “I’ll need both hands to see what’s here.”

Carrie aimed the light at the pile of rags, Hannah put her cell phone down on the floor, and pulled on the largest piece. It was a remnant of a blanket, and it was tucked around something large. “I got it,” she said, pulling the edge loose and flipping it back.

“What is it?” Carrie asked her.

“It’s . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and swallowed hard. “It’s someone’s leg.”

“You mean . . . a person?” Carrie asked.

“Yes.” Hannah pulled the blanket up higher. “I think so. . . .”

“You mean it’s a body!?” Delores sounded horrified. “Get away from it, Hannah! We have to call someone.”

“Yes,” Hannah agreed. And then she spotted something that made her draw in her breath sharply. “It’s moving. ”

“Are you sure?” Carrie asked her.

“Yes, I hear . . .”

“Oh, my!” Carrie sounded very upset. “What should we do?”

“Wait,” Hannah said, holding up her hand. “Call Doc! It’s the homeless man I saw this morning! And he’s still alive!”