Cream Puff Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  “Stalked?” Hannah asked. “Did she get a look at the person stalking her?”

  Delores shook her head. “No, but she told the bartender that she’d stopped using the Jacuzzi at night when she was alone. She said she was sure someone was spying on her in there.”

  “You don’t think she was actually stalked, do you?” Andrea asked Hannah.

  “I don’t know. Unfortunately, it’s a little late to ask her, but I think I’d better add a possible stalker to my suspect list.” Hannah pulled out her steno pad and flipped to the suspect page, but before she could start to write, she heard Michelle give a little gasp.

  “What is it, dear?” Delores asked her.

  Michelle swallowed hard, and Hannah noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. “It’s…it’s…the stalker! I just remembered where I saw Tad Newberg before!”

  “Where?” Hannah leaned closer. Whatever Michelle had remembered had upset her.

  “He was a night security guard at Macalester when I was a freshman. I used to see him outside the Fine Arts building on Wednesdays when I went to my night class.”

  “So you knew him?” Hannah asked.

  “Not really. He was one of those familiar strangers, like a person you see on the bus every day or a checker at the grocery store. A couple of weeks before midterms, our professor told us there was a stalker, and he warned us to walk in pairs on campus at night. And then, the next time the class met, he said they caught him and it turned out to be one of the security guards.”

  “And you think the stalker was Tad?” Andrea asked her.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t give us a name. All I know is, I never saw Tad in front of the Fine Arts building again.”

  “We have to find out who the stalker was,” Hannah decided. “I’ll call Detective Parks in the morning and see if she can find out. If the stalker was Tad, I’ll add him to my suspect list.”

  “That reminds me,” Carrie said to Hannah. “You can cross Vonnie Blair and Immelda Giesse off your list. Vonnie spent the night at her mother’s house.”

  Delores nodded. “And Immelda’s sister came for a visit. Father Coultas said they sat up talking until all hours of the morning.”

  “Great,” Hannah said. “Michelle eliminated Bridget. And Carly said her mother and Trudi hosted a sleepover for a dozen of her little sister’s friends.”

  “Serena Roste couldn’t have done it, either,” Carrie told them. “My friend in Elk River read her wedding notice in the paper. She got married last week and they’re on a two-week honeymoon in Jamaica.”

  “And I found out that Babs Dubinski was at Marvin’s babysitting all night,” Andrea said. “You know Babs. She’s crazy about her grandsons. She’d never leave the boys alone at night.”

  “Did you get the listing?” Hannah asked, remembering that Andrea had intended to ask Babs about her rental property.

  “Of course I did, and I think I already have a buyer. But let’s get back to business. I called my friend in Duluth, and she said Betty Jackson couldn’t have done it. She was at a bridal shower the night that Ronni was killed.”

  “Cross off Gail Hansen, too,” Norman told Hannah. “She drove to the airport in Minneapolis to meet her husband. His plane was delayed, and they didn’t get back here until almost three in the morning.”

  “That’s it, then,” Hannah said with a sigh. “The only suspects I’ve got left are the ones I know didn’t do it, the mysterious stalker Ronni told the bartender about, who might or might not turn out to be Tad, and the unknown suspect with the unknown motive that we haven’t discovered yet.”

  The drive back to Norman’s was uneventful, and Hannah had all she could do to keep from nodding off. She was profoundly tired, and she wondered how in the world she’d be able to stay awake on the trip home, especially now that Michelle wouldn’t be riding with her. All she really wanted to do was crawl into a warm cocoon and pull the covers over her head.

  “Hannah? We’re here,” Norman said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

  For one brief moment Hannah was disoriented, but then she realized that she was sitting in the passenger seat of Norman’s car and they were in the driveway in front of his house.

  “I’d better get home,” Hannah said, fishing in her purse for her car keys.

  “You have to get Moishe,” Andrea reminded her.

  “Right. It completely slipped my mind. Will you help me get his leash on, Norman?”

  “Sure,” Norman agreed quickly. “Just sit there for a second, and I’ll walk Andrea to her car. I’ll be right back for you.”

  Hannah was about to say that she was perfectly capable of getting out of Norman’s car by herself, but why argue? She’d just use the few minutes it took Norman to walk Andrea to her car to shut her eyes and take a brief rest before starting on the drive home. She’d have to fight to stay awake, perhaps roll down the window to let the cold air in or turn the radio up so loud it hurt her ears.

  It was peaceful here in the country. She heard the soft whistle of the wind in the distance, the low hooting call of an owl, and the rustling of small animals in the brush at the sides of Norman’s driveway. She was toasty warm. Her parka was pulled up to her chin, and although the fur tickled her, it felt cozy and comforting.

  “Hannah?”

  It was Norman again, and Hannah opened her eyes. She must have nodded off. “Yes.”

  “You’re too tired to drive home tonight.”

  He was right. She was. But propriety must be observed. “Can’t,” she said, forcing her tired mind to work again. “You’re here alone. What would people think?”

  “Do you care?” Norman asked her.

  “Yes. Maybe”

  “How much do you care, Hannah?”

  “Not enough,” Hannah said and let him escort her into the house and up the stairs. They stopped at the doorway to the master bedroom.

  “You take the master,” Norman said. “I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

  “But it’s your bedroom.”

  “It’s our bedroom, but I don’t think you’re up to discussing that now. Here’s a sleep shirt. Go put it on.” Norman handed her a folded bundle of clothing and pushed her off toward the master bathroom. “While you’re changing, I’ll light a fire and turn down the covers for you.”

  Her limbs felt like lead, but somehow she managed to get out of her clothes and into the red flannel sleep shirt. Red was her favorite color and it was brand-new. Even though her brain felt like overcooked oatmeal and she was too tired to figure anything out, she knew that he’d bought it for her.

  She opened the bathroom door, wondering what would await her, and found Norman sitting on the side of the bed. “Climb in and get warm, Hannah,” he invited, patting the blankets. “I’ll go get the cats.”

  “Cats,” Hannah said, slipping under the eiderdown coverlet and resting her head against the most comfortable feather pillow she’d ever encountered. The fire flickered, its light was golden, and the room was exactly the right temperature.

  “Here you are, Big Guy,” Norman’s voice was soft as he brought the two cats into the room. “Go ahead, Cuddles. You can sleep with Hannah, too.”

  There was a thump as Moishe landed and padded up to lick her cheek. A second later, there was another thump, a less heavy one, and Hannah heard Cuddles start to purr. As she drifted off to sleep, Hannah knew that life was good and everything was almost perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  She was sleeping on a cloud, and it was incredibly soft and fluffy. That meant it was a dream cloud, not a real cloud. Real clouds were cold and damp, a thick mist that glommed together in a semi-amorphous shape to hang in the air above people’s heads. She’d learned that in grade school science, but it was so contrary to the image clouds presented from the ground that she’d chosen to ignore the fact and embrace the misconception.

  She was awake…almost. Hannah rolled over and dislodged the cat who’d been sleeping next to her on the pillow.

&nbs
p; Cuddles. And Moishe was right next to Cuddles on the neighboring pillow. But what was Cuddles doing in her bed?

  Not her bed. And these were not her pillows. She had two expensive goose down pillows on her bed, and this bed had four. It also had an eiderdown coverlet, something she’d priced but couldn’t afford.

  Not her room. Hannah realized that the window was in the wrong place. And so was the door to the bathroom. And the fireplace…the fireplace!

  Hannah sat up with a gasp. She was in Norman’s bedroom! She blinked, concentrated, and tried to remember what had happened the previous night. It was just starting to come back to her when she realized that there was a border of sunlight around the heavy curtains at the window.

  What time was it?! Hannah glanced at the clock on the bedside table and gave a loud groan. Eight o’clock. Too late to meet Andrea at Heavenly Bodies. Too late for Roger’s Body Sculpting Class. She’d overslept by almost four hours, and she had to go home right away!

  One step inside the luxurious master bathroom and Hannah changed her mind. Perhaps she didn’t have to go home immediately. Ever since they’d designed this wonderful room, she’d wanted to try out the surround shower. It had jets on all four walls, and it was reputed to be the closest thing to a massage you could get without a masseuse.

  Two fluffy red towels awaited her on the warming rack. The letter H in a flowing script was embroidered on each towel, and Hannah gave another little groan. Towels with her monogram. When Norman had built this house, he really had planned for her to share it with him.

  No time for regrets now. She had to take a shower and get on the road. Norman was probably gone already, and she had to take Moishe home and change clothes before she could show up at The Cookie Jar.

  The shower was heavenly, and Hannah took longer than she knew she should. She stood in the center of the enclosure on the sunburst made out of multicolored tile to get the full benefit of the massaging jets.

  “Incredible,” Hannah breathed, letting the water wash her exhaustion away. She started to feel halfway human, and then fully human, and then so good that she smiled and hummed a little tune.

  She really didn’t want to get out, but she did. She could have stayed in the rejuvenating enclosure all day. But there were places to go, people to interview, tapes to watch, and killers to catch. Hannah toweled off, delighting in the thick richness of the towels, and then she dressed quickly, brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush Norman had left for her on the counter, and brushed her hair with a brush that was a clone of the one she had at home.

  Hannah felt so good she almost skipped down the stairs. It was amazing how invigorated she felt after a full eight hours of sleep, and a massage in the surround shower. She burst into the kitchen, hoping that Norman had left some coffee in the pot for her, and stopped short as she saw that he was sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Norman!” she said, completely surprised. “I thought you’d left by now.”

  “And miss the chance to show off my cooking skills by making your breakfast?” Norman laughed and rose from his chair.

  “But I can’t eat anything good.”

  “You mean you can’t eat anything fattening,” Norman corrected her.

  “Same thing.”

  “No, it’s not. Hold on for a second and I’ll show you. Everything’s ready, and it’s in the warming oven. While I’m dishing it up, have some coffee. I just made it fresh, and your mug’s on the counter next to the coffeepot.”

  Hannah honed in on the coffeepot and poured some coffee for herself. Then she took a seat at the table and hoped that what Norman had made for her wouldn’t irretrievably blow her diet. She was going to eat it, even if it meant she’d gain weight today. Having breakfast served to her in the morning was a real luxury. It made her feel special, and pampered. The clock on the kitchen wall read eight-thirty, and Hannah gave an exasperated sigh.

  “What’s the matter?” Norman asked her.

  “I really ought to call Andrea on her cell phone. I’m sure she’s wondering what happened to me.”

  “No, she’s not. I talked to her last night when I walked her to her car, and she urged me to keep you here. Both of us agreed that you were too tired to drive home by yourself.”

  “So Andrea knows I spent the night with you?” Hannah asked, a bit nervously.

  “She knows you might have spent the night with me, but I told her that if you insisted on going home, I’d drive you there.”

  “Oh.”

  “So nobody knows, not even Michelle, because she stayed with your mother. You can say anything you like about where you spent the night, Hannah.”

  Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Hannah thought that Norman looked a bit disappointed. Perhaps it was a guy thing, and it would be a blow to his ego if she lied about spending the night with him. “If anyone asks, I’m going to tell them exactly where I spent the night,” Hannah said, “unless you don’t want me to, that is.”

  A smile spread over Norman’s face, and Hannah knew she was right. It was definitely a guy thing.

  “Whatever you decide is fine with me,” Norman said, walking over to set the plate on the place mat in front of her.

  Hannah glanced down at the plate. “A popover!” she said, and immediately, her mouth began to water. “It looks delicious.”

  “That’s not all,” Norman told her. “Take off the top and see what’s inside.”

  Hannah removed the top, which had been sliced off and then replaced, almost like one of her cream puffs. “Eggs. And bacon. And…” Hannah stopped and took another sniff. “Parmesan cheese?”

  “That’s right. There’s a little freshly chopped parsley in there for color, too. You’ll see when you start to eat it. Do you want to know the calorie count?”

  Hannah was almost afraid to ask, but obviously Norman had totaled it up. “Yes, I want to know. How many calories for the whole thing?”

  “I’ll break it down for you. Seventy calories for the popover, one-ten for the egg, thirty-seven for one slice of crumbled bacon, and seven for the sprinkling of fresh parmesan. The parsley is negligible. That’s a grand total of under two hundred and twenty-five calories. And it’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Mmmmph,” Hannah said, even though she could have swallowed and then answered his question.

  Norman laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Hannah was amazed at how fast she ate the breakfast that Norman had prepared. It really was good, and she was hungry. When her plate was empty, she got up to refill their coffee cups and sat back down again. “That was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time! You’re wonderful, Norman. You thought of everything to make me comfortable; my own sleep shirt, a fire in the bedroom fireplace, warm towels for my shower, a new toothbrush, and on top of it all, a gourmet breakfast. I could get used to being treated like this.”

  “That’s the general idea.”

  He was smiling at her in a way that let Hannah know he was about to say something about sharing their dream house again. It was time to change the subject unless she wanted to say yes. And she did…at least part of her did. But the other part still wasn’t sure she wanted to give up her independence. “I still can’t believe you went to all the trouble of figuring out the breakfast calories.”

  “It wasn’t any trouble. I just looked up the ingredients online. There are a couple of Web sites with free calorie counters.”

  “Well…thanks. I really appreciate it. The breakfast was great, and the shower was heavenly, and the towels were splendid, and your bed is magnificent. I think I got the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years!”

  “Under any other circumstances that last comment might not be a compliment.”

  Hannah laughed. And then she blushed slightly. It was best to change the subject again. “What are your plans for today?”

  “I’m going to see if I can farm out the tapes. Another night of staring at empty hallways and closed doors is going to drive us crazy. What are your plan
s?”

  “I’m going to avoid getting any more instructions from anybody,” Hannah said. “I’ve been thinking it over, and the advice I’ve been getting from Mike, and Lonnie, and Rick, and Bill just isn’t very helpful. It’d be fine if I had a whole team of detectives to send out for this and that, but I don’t. I can’t run their investigation, so I’m going to concentrate on my investigation. I’m just going to trust my instincts about what to do next and hope I end up catching Ronni’s killer.”

  She hadn’t been home for more than five minutes when the phone rang. Hannah said a few choice words she’d never utter around her young nieces and plucked it from the cradle. “Yes?”

  “Hannah!” It was Mike’s voice and he sounded worried. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you every hour since midnight!”

  He’d called her at midnight. Again. Mike wasn’t concerned that she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since Ronni was murdered. He’d probably wanted her to meet him in the garage again with a thermos of coffee and cookies so that he could give her more instructions on investigative procedure.

  “So where were you?” Mike asked, sounding more than a little irritated.

  Here was the acid test, and it wasn’t even difficult. “I spent the night at Norman’s,” she said.

  “At Norman’s?”

  “Yes.”

  “I should have known somebody would tell you, but I didn’t think you’d run to Norman on the rebound.”

  You should have known somebody would tell me what? Hannah felt like asking, but she didn’t. It was better to let Mike hang himself with his own rope.

  “It didn’t mean anything, Hannah. It was just…convenient, you know? She was right there across the hall from me and…these things happen. You’re an adult. You know that.”

  So that’s what an adult was. She had to remember to share that little gem of knowledge with her sisters.

  “Well, anyway…now we’re even, and we can start over. I’ll call you tonight, okay? I’ve got to get off the phone now. Herb’s going to call and tell me where to meet him. He said he needs to talk to me about something important. Talk to you later, Hannah.”