Chapter Seven
When Doc filled a wineglass with her favorite white wine and handed it to Hannah before he served anyone else, Hannah knew that whatever they had to tell her wasn’t good. She waited until everyone else had been served and then she spoke. “Something’s wrong. What is it?”
Delores looked at Doc and Doc looked at Delores. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Delores gave a slight nod and Doc cleared his throat. “This isn’t really appropriate conversation for dinner,” he said. “We should wait until after we’ve eaten.”
“No,” Hannah said. “Whatever it is, I want to know now.”
“It’s that man you hit with your truck this morning,” Delores said, and Hannah noticed that her mother wasn’t quite able to meet her eyes. “Doc just finished the autopsy and . . . and . . .”
Delores stopped speaking, clearly unable to go on, and Hannah knew that whatever it was, it was deadly serious. “What?” she asked, turning to Doc.
“With the exception of a cracked cheekbone, the rest of his injuries were consistent with the damage to the front of your truck,” Doc said.
“Did the cracked cheekbone cause his death?” Norman asked the question that Hannah was afraid to ask.
“No. He died almost instantly from massive trauma and an obstructed airway.”
“So when I hit him, I broke his neck,” Hannah said.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Hannah. I was hoping that there was some other explanation, but there isn’t. When you hit him with your truck, you broke his neck and killed him.”
Hannah swallowed hard and put down her wineglass without taking a sip. Even though she’d known that it was a long shot, she’d been hoping that Doc’s autopsy would reveal that the man had died of something else. Of course it hadn’t. She had killed him and now that Doc had performed the autopsy, it was official.
“It was an accident, dear.” Delores reached across the table to pat Hannah’s hand. “Nobody blames you.”
“That’s right,” Norman said, reaching out to cover her other hand with his. “It was a terrible storm. You couldn’t see him. And then there was the tree branch in the road when you came around the bend. You certainly didn’t mean to hit him. Everyone knows that.”
“There’s more, Hannah,” Doc said looking sad. “There are times when I hate some aspects of my job and this is one of them. I have a responsibility as the Winnetka County Coroner. I’m sorry, but I had to report it to the authorities.”
“To the authorities,” Hannah repeated, still not understanding exactly what Doc was trying to tell her. “Which authorities?”
“I had to file a report with the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Department.”
“But . . . why, Doc? It was an accident!”
“No one doubts that, Hannah. We know that you didn’t intend to hit him, but you did hit him and he died as a result. Unfortunately in this case, whenever that happens there are consequences.”
“Wha . . . what do you mean?” Hannah forced out the words.
“Excuse my language, but I’m very much afraid all hell is going to break loose.”
Hannah reached for her water glass, but her hands began to shake. She was afraid she’d spill it if she picked it up so she didn’t even try. Her mouth felt as if it were filled with sawdust and her throat was parched when she attempted to swallow. She needed to explain, to tell Doc that her truck had skidded on the wet gravel when she’d swerved to avoid the tree branch, that the pounding rain had reduced her visibility to almost zero, and the blinding flashes of lightning had made it impossible for her to see him standing there at the side of the road. She opened her mouth to tell him all that, but before she could even try to utter a word, she saw Mike rushing toward her across the dining room floor.
“I got here as soon as I could,” he said, pulling Hannah to her feet and hugging her. “I’m so sorry, Hannah!”
He was holding her so tightly, she could barely move, but she managed to gasp out a question. “Sorry?”
“I’ll try to delay them. Just go out through the kitchen and we’ll figure out what to do later. Go now, Hannah! I called Michelle. She’s coming to get you!”
“But, why should I . . .” Hannah started to ask, but then she spotted Andrea running through the dining room, dodging waitresses and busboys as if the meanest bull in Winnetka County were after her.
“Hannah!” Andrea gasped, jerking Hannah away from Mike and turning on him with fire in her eyes. “Get your hands off my sister! I’ll never let you take her!”
Mike stared at her in surprise. “But I wasn’t going to!”
Andrea made a sound that sounded a bit like a growl to Hannah’s ears. “Oh, yes you were! Don’t lie to me, you . . . you cop!”
Hannah stepped back, staring at one and then the other as they hurled accusations at each other. What in the world was going on?! And that was when Michelle came racing up to grab Hannah’s hand.
“Quick! Come with me! Lonnie’s in back and he’s got the car running!”
“But . . . what in the world is . . . ?”
“No time!” Michelle interrupted her. “I’ll explain later. He’ll be here any minute and then . . . oh no! It’s too late!”
Hannah glanced over Michelle’s shoulder to see Bill striding toward their table looking grim.
“Go!” Andrea ordered Hannah and then she rushed to intercept her husband, grabbing his arm and attempting to slow his progress.
“Get away!” Hannah heard him say in a tone she’d never heard him use before. It was an officious tone, a commanding tone, a tone that brooked no nonsense.
“Don’t you dare!” Andrea clung to his arm.
“I have to. It’s my job. Get away or you’ll go, too!”
Andrea just hung on harder. “I’m warning you, Bill. If you do this . . . if you even try to do this, I’ll never speak to you again!”
“I have to do it. It’s my job,” Bill repeated, finally managing to shake her off. He made a beeline for the table and stopped in front of Hannah. “Hannah Louise Swensen,” he continued in that same no-nonsense tone as he thrust an official-looking paper into Hannah’s hand. “You have been served with a warrant for your arrest.”
There was total silence for moment. Everyone at their table and the surrounding tables was completely quiet and motionless. It reminded Hannah of the game of statues they’d played in grade school on rainy days when they couldn’t go out to the playground. They’d walked around the room until the teacher blew a whistle. That was the signal for everyone to freeze in place as if time had stopped. The best “statue” was awarded the whistle for the next round and the game resumed until recess was over.
“Mike!” Bill’s voice broke what had, for a brief moment, seemed like a wicked witch’s spell to Hannah. “Arrest her!”
Mike looked at Hannah and then he turned to face Bill squarely. “No,” he said.
That threw Bill for a loop. He simply stared at Mike as if he couldn’t believe his ears and then he repeated his order. “I said arrest her!”
“No.”
Bill drew a deep breath and let it out again. “Michael Kingston, are you refusing my direct order?”
“Yes. I refuse to arrest her.”
Hannah stared at Mike in shock. He was a by-the-book cop. Everyone in town knew that. Mike understood his duty and he did it regardless of his personal feelings. If his superior told him to jump, Mike asked How high? Hannah was almost positive that Mike had never refused a direct order in his whole career in law enforcement. Up to this point she’d been convinced that if there was a warrant for Mike’s mother’s arrest, he’d drive to the Kingston family home and fulfill his duty. And yet here Mike was, refusing to arrest her!
“If you refuse my direct order again, I am going to suspend you without pay. Do you understand?”
Mike nodded. “I understand.”
“I’m ordering you to arrest Hannah Louise Swensen.” Mike looked Bill straight in the eye and shook his head. “No. I re
fuse to arrest her.”
Bill uttered an oath under his breath that Hannah had never heard before. “Then I’ll do it,” Bill said, turning toward Hannah.
“Arrest me, Mike,” Hannah said before Bill could utter the words. “Go ahead. The end result is going to be the same. There’s no sense in losing your job when Bill’s going to arrest me anyway.”
“No. I won’t be a part of it, Hannah. It’s just not right. There are some things I’ll do and some things I won’t. And this is something I won’t. There’s no way I’m going to be the one to arrest you on this trumped up charge.”
“Trumped up charge?” Hannah asked, even though Bill was right behind her.
“It’s all politics, Hannah. These ridiculous charges won’t stick. Ask Howie when he comes in to see you tonight. I called him and he knows all about it.”
“You called Howie?” Hannah was doubly amazed. What happened to the one phone call people who were arrested were allowed to make? Cops weren’t supposed to jump the gun and do it for them.
At that exact moment, Hannah realized that it was deathly quiet in the dining room of the Lake Eden Inn. There was no murmuring from the surrounding tables, no clink of silverware as diners enjoyed their food, not even a whisper or a rustle of clothing as people shifted in their chairs. Everyone around them was silent and still, staring in shock at the spectacle that was taking place right before their very eyes.
Oh boy! Hannah thought. If Mother thinks today’s article was mortifying, just wait until she sees tomorrow’s Lake Eden Journal. Rod’s going to have a heyday with this one!
“Hannah Louise Swensen,” Bill said, his voice loud in the silent dining room. “I have a warrant for your arrest on the charge of vehicular homicide. Come with me quietly, please.”
Hannah glanced at the others at the table. Delores looked every bit as shocked as the other diners and Doc resembled a fish out of water with gaping mouth and a face drained of color. Michelle was staring at her with tears running down her cheeks, and Norman looked sick at heart and highly frustrated that he could do nothing to help her. Even Sally, who had come over to their table, looked as if she wished she were anywhere else but there. The only person who didn’t look shocked, or sad, or completely helpless was Andrea. Andrea was staring at Bill with blazing eyes and a venomous look.
Better hide your service handgun tonight, Hannah thought as Bill marched her through the quiet dining room, across the lobby, and out the front door. If Andrea finds it, I might not be the only Swensen sister charged with a homicide.
Chapter Eight
Less than thirty minutes later, Hannah was being processed at the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Station. Bill had taken her in, and ordered Lonnie’s brother, Rick Murphy, to book her and lock her up in a cell. After informing Rick that he would be personally responsible for the prisoner for the night, Bill had turned his back on Hannah and gone out the door. Hannah suspected that Bill would be heading straight home to attempt to appease his angry wife. Of course, there would be nothing Bill could say or do that would work, at least not tonight. Hannah had grown up with Andrea and she had never seen her sister this angry before. There was no way Andrea would forgive Bill right away.
“I’m so sorry, Hannah,” Rick said as he finished the paperwork and took her to the holding cell. “I really don’t want to do this, you know.”
“I know you don’t. It’s okay, Rick. You have to do your duty.”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Rick walked her past the small cells they kept for prisoners who were serving short sentences or waiting for the next morning’s arraignment in court. “At least the holding cell is empty tonight. It’s a whole lot bigger than these cells and you’ll have room to walk around. Not only that, you can see the desk from there and that’s where I’ll be. You can just call out to me if you need anything.”
A few minutes later, Hannah was incarcerated in the holding cell. Rick had apologized again for having to lock Hannah up, and Hannah knew he felt awful about it. He said he wished he could leave the cell door open, but he didn’t dare do that because Bill might come back to check on him. Rick had clanged the cell door shut behind her, told her that he was going to make some phone calls to see if he could learn more about her situation, and left her alone in the holding cell with nothing but bars and concrete walls to look at.
The only thing she could do was pace across the floor, and that’s what Hannah did until Rick came back ten minutes later. He was carrying a chair and he placed it right outside the cell door. “I’ve got some news,” he said, sitting down to keep her company. And that was when Hannah learned that there was good news and there was bad news.
One piece of good news was that Howie Levine was on his way. Hannah’s lawyer had been at the Guthrie in Minneapolis attending a play with his wife when he’d gotten Mike’s phone call. Howie and Kitty had left the theater immediately and they were on their way back to Lake Eden. Howie told Rick that the traffic was horrible, but they should be back in town in less than an hour. Right after he dropped Kitty at home, Howie would come straight to the sheriff’s station.
The other good news was that Delores was going to bring her dinner from the Lake Eden Inn. Hannah wouldn’t go hungry tonight.
There was only one piece of bad news, but it was very bad. Since it was Friday night, Hannah would have to stay in the holding cell until she was arraigned on Monday morning. That meant she would spend three nights in jail. And even though the holding cell was large and there was room to move around, just knowing that she was locked in and couldn’t get out left her feeling claustrophobic.
Hannah glanced at the clock on the wall outside her cell and sighed deeply. She’d only been in jail for fifteen minutes and time was passing much too slowly to suit her. She wished she were home on her couch in the living room, watching a vintage movie on television, munching buttered popcorn with Moishe purring beside her. She wished she were in her condo kitchen with Michelle, baking treats and laughing. She wished she were back at the Lake Eden Inn, enjoying her coq au vin with Norman, Doc, and her mother. She wished she were anywhere but here in this cell with steel bars between her and freedom.
“If wishes were horses, beggars could ride,” she said aloud, repeating one of her Great-Grandmother Elsa’s favorite sayings. She was in a cell at the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Station and she had to try to make the best of it. Perhaps the time would pass more quickly if she had something to read, something to take her mind off this horrible situation.
“Rick?” she called out. “Is there anything around here to read?”
“I’ll go see. Sometimes the secretaries leave magazines in the break room.”
Hannah watched as he got up from behind the desk and left. She heard the sound of his footsteps echoing down the corridor and then stopping. She imagined him opening the door of the break room, switching on the lights, and checking to see if there were any magazines on the long wooden table in the center of the room. All too soon, she heard the door close and the sound of his footsteps increasing in volume as he walked back.
“Sorry, Hannah.” Rick came up to her cell. “No one left any magazines. I’ll check in Barbara’s office. Maybe there’s something to read in there.”
Again Hannah waited, hoping that there was something, anything to get her mind off the events of this horrible day. It didn’t really matter what it was. She’d settle for a book on police procedures, or a drivers manual, or a copy of the county statutes. Even a phone book would do although there weren’t that many pages in the Lake Eden phone book.
Rick was coming back. Hannah listened eagerly as his footfalls approached. He simply had to have found something!
“Not much to choose from here,” Rick said, arriving with several choices in his hand.
“That’s okay. I’ll take anything.”
Rick laughed. “That’s good.” He reached through the bars to hand her part of a calendar with daily tear-off pages. “It’s last year’s, but it’s
got a knock-knock joke at the top of every page. Since it starts in November, it must have belonged to that temporary secretary we hired last year when Sandy was on maternity leave.”
“Thanks, Rick,” Hannah said, even though she wasn’t very fond of knock-knock jokes. “What else have you got?”
“A booklet on . . . never mind. I shouldn’t have brought that.”
“What is it?”
“Something you probably don’t want to read.”
Now Hannah’s curiosity was aroused. “Come on, Rick. Hand it over. I’ll decide if I want to read it, or not.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Rick passed a slim booklet through the bars and Hannah read the title aloud. Symptoms and Treatment of Venereal Disease?”
Rick’s face colored slightly. “I don’t know who brought that in. Actually, I don’t think I want to know who brought that in.”
“Me, either,” Hannah said, handing it back to him. “Better put it back where it was.”
“Good idea. Here’s the other thing I found, Hannah. It looks pretty dull.”
Hannah took the thick volume and began to smile. “A Chronology of Minnesota Weather,” she read the title aloud. “This is absolutely perfect, Rick!”
“Really?” Rick sounded shocked. “Then you want to keep it?”
“You bet I do! That cot on the wall doesn’t look very comfortable and I was afraid I’d be up all night. A couple pages of this and I’ll be so bored, I’ll go right to sleep.”
Hannah was on her fourth week of bad knock-knock jokes when she heard her mother’s voice. She looked up to see Delores and Andrea standing at the front desk. Andrea was carrying two large bags of food, and Delores was equally burdened.
“This one’s for you, Rick,” Delores said, handing him one of her bags. “Sally said you liked her prime rib dinner so she sent it for you.”
“Thanks!”
Hannah couldn’t see Rick’s face but she knew he was wearing a big grin.
Blackberry Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery) Page 7
