Raspberry Danish Murder

by Joanne Fluke

  Hannah was taken aback slightly. When Mike was investigating a murder, it was more difficult to read his intent. And perhaps that was what made him such a good interrogator. Her great-grandmother’s phrase popped into her mind. You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. She smiled at Mike. “Sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”

  “You didn’t. I just wanted to give you a hard time before I told you anything. I figure you’ll appreciate it more now.”

  Hannah bristled. “That was . . .” She paused as she recalled the phrase she’d remembered and decided to change what she’d originally intended to say. “That’s understandable, I guess. It’s just that I’m emotionally involved in this case. Not only was P.K. my friend, but if Ross were going to contact anyone at KCOW, it would have been P.K. I know P.K. would have told me if he’d heard from Ross. And now . . . P.K. is gone.” Hannah felt tears come to her eyes and she blinked them away. “It’s a little like I lost my last link with Ross.”

  “I’m sorry, Hannah.” Mike reached out to pat her hand. “I didn’t think of it that way. I’ve had people accuse me of not being empathetic enough and maybe they’re right.”

  “It’s okay,” Hannah told him, wondering if she’d gone a bit overboard. She’d told Mike the truth, but she didn’t want to be the type of person who played on someone’s sympathy.

  “Anyway,” Mike continued, “Lonnie and I spent the day driving to all the candy company’s retail outlets in a fifty-mile radius. They don’t keep the names of their customers, but they do have a code for the type of boxed candy that P.K. ate. We found some hits, but if the customer pays cash, the store isn’t required to keep a record of the name.”

  Norman looked sympathetic. “So you didn’t find anything useful?”

  “No, not a thing. We worked all day on a wild goose chase, and we still don’t have any idea who purchased that candy and when it was sent.”

  “This case is incredibly frustrating,” Hannah stated the obvious. “We’ve got the method and the time of death, but we can’t alibi anyone the way we usually can by knowing where a suspect was when the victim was killed.”

  Mike looked a bit surprised. “That’s exactly right, Hannah! There’s no sure way to clear anyone.”

  “So what can we do?” Norman asked him.

  “We have to just keep at it until we get a break. Either someone says something to incriminate himself, or points us to someone else. Sooner or later, something’s going to lead us to the killer.”

  “We can do that,” Hannah promised. “Can you take time to relax with a beer, Mike? I’ve got some in the refrigerator.”

  Mike nodded. “Just one, though. And I’d better follow it with coffee. Lonnie and I are on call.”

  “I’ll ask Michelle to get it,” Hannah said, getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen doorway. Their backs were to her and they couldn’t see that she hadn’t stepped into the kitchen yet.

  “Is she holding up okay?” Hannah heard Mike ask Norman.

  “She’s okay,” Norman responded. “To tell the truth, Mike, I don’t know how she does it. I was a wreck when I was in Seattle and Bev left me.”

  “Was I too hard on her?” Mike asked, and Hannah thought he sounded a bit contrite.

  “No. She was baiting you a little.”

  “And I took the bait,” Mike admitted. “But I was serious, Norman. Is she really okay?”

  “I think so. There’s a harder edge to Hannah lately, and I think it’s because she doesn’t dare let her emotions show. She’s got to be devastated about Ross.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. So help me, Norman, if I ever find that guy and he doesn’t have a good reason for leaving the way he did, I’m going to beat him to a pulp.”

  “Not without me, you’re not,” Norman said. “After what he did to Hannah, I dream about using him as a punching bag.”

  Hannah stepped into the kitchen. She really didn’t want to overhear any more. On one hand, it made her feel special and loved to have two men ready to defend her. On the other hand, she loved Ross and didn’t want to listen to anyone talk about causing him harm.

  Michelle and Lonnie were standing by the coffeepot talking, and she gave them a little wave before she opened the refrigerator. The beer was on the bottom shelf, and she grabbed a bottle. She retrieved the magnetic opener that was stuck to the side of the refrigerator, opened the bottle and replaced the tool that the boys in her class had called a church key, wondered about that for a split second, and went back into the living room.

  “Thanks,” Mike said, taking the beer when she handed it to him. “Look, Hannah . . . I guess I was a little hard-nosed tonight. That’s because I’m not getting anywhere with this case. Will you please tell me if you get any kind of a break?”

  “Of course I will,” Hannah promised. “Maybe it’ll help if we go at this investigation from different directions and contribute any leads we get. Something we discover might fit with something you discover and add up to a clue.”

  Mike nodded. “It could help,” he agreed. “The ball’s in your court, Hannah. I still don’t have any idea who put the drugs in that candy.”

  “Neither do we, but I do have a couple of suspects. Let me get my list, and you can tell me if you investigated them already.”

  A few minutes later, Michelle and Lonnie emerged from the kitchen with pie and coffee. Michelle looked surprised when she saw Mike reading Hannah’s suspect list. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Since we’re not getting anywhere with our investigation and Mike and Lonnie aren’t getting anywhere either, we decided to try sharing information. We’re hoping that something that we discover and something that Mike and Lonnie discover will combine into an actual clue to the killer’s identity.”

  “You’re sharing our information with them?” Michelle was clearly shocked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Well, this is a first!” Lonnie exclaimed, looking as shocked as Michelle did. “Mike and I have never really worked with you before.”

  “Sometimes it takes a radical move to get results,” Mike told him. “This case is so complicated, it just might take all five of us to solve it.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Hannah and Michelle dabbed at their eyes when the funeral service ended.

  “No wonder he went by P.K.!” Hannah said to Michelle.

  Michelle dabbed at her eyes again, and then she managed a smile. “He told me he didn’t want to be called a cross between a steak and a vacuum cleaner.”

  Hannah smiled back, even though she still felt like crying. They’d gone out to Hannah’s cookie truck to compose themselves after the formal service was over. The burial at the graveside was private, attended only by P.K.’s parents and his aunt and uncle.

  “Ready?” Hannah asked Michelle.

  “Ready,” Michelle responded. “We’d better go in and find Mother and Doc.”

  Hannah retrieved the platter of cookies they’d baked for the funeral buffet. It was always held after the formal church service, and it was a tradition in Lake Eden. Usually, it was held in the church basement, which was equipped with a kitchen and a large reception area.

  Both sisters walked to the side door that led to the basement of St. Jude’s. Michelle pushed it open and they began to descend the stairs.

  The sound of subdued voices greeted them as they reached the bottom of the staircase and opened the inner door to the largest basement meeting room. It was the venue where church suppers and potluck fundraisers were held. The scents of coffee and a mixed bouquet of casseroles, salads, breads, and desserts were compelling, and Hannah realized that she was hungry. She really didn’t feel like going through the buffet line and eating at one of the long tables where she would be obligated to make polite and meaningless conversation with the other mourners.

  “What’s wrong?” Michelle asked, noticing the frown on Hannah’s face.

  “I really don’t want to stay long e
nough to eat,” Hannah told her. “I’d rather find Mother and Doc and see if they need our help to get the information we need. Then I’d like to leave.”

  “I’m with you,” Michelle said. “I’m hungry, but I don’t want to socialize for very long either.”

  Hannah looked around at the crowd of people who had taken seats at the tables. “Everyone else must have come straight down here after the church service.”

  “There’s Mother and Doc.” Michelle gestured toward one of the tables. “It looks like they saved places for us.”

  “That’s good. Most of the tables are already filled. Let’s drop off these cookies and go sit with them.”

  They gave Doc and Delores a wave to indicate that they had seen them, and then the two sisters headed straight for the kitchen in the rear to deliver the cookies they’d brought.

  “Hello, girls!” Father Coultas’s long-time housekeeper, Immelda Griese, greeted them. “What did you bring?”

  “Raisin Almond Crunch Cookies,” Hannah told her.

  “Sounds great. I might just have to eat one or two as I put them out,” Immelda said, smiling at them. “Thank you, girls. I’m sure everyone will enjoy the cookies.”

  Hannah and Michelle backed out of the kitchen as quickly as they could. The ladies were rushing around, and they didn’t want to get in the way of the food preparation. They entered the meeting room again and dodged the women who were carrying platters, bowls, and covered casserole dishes to the table that had been moved to the front of the room to hold the after-service buffet.

  “Hello, Mother,” Hannah said, sitting down next to her. “Hi, Doc,” she greeted Doc Knight, who sat across from Delores.

  “Hi, girls,” Doc said to both of them. “Are you two all right?”

  “Yes,” Michelle answered for both of them. “Thank you for asking, Doc.”

  “Funerals are always a strain,” Delores said, looking properly solemn. “I thought Father Coultas gave a lovely eulogy, didn’t you?”

  “Very nice,” Doc agreed, “but I wish he hadn’t given P.K.’s full name. No wonder he went by his initials!”

  “He said that he didn’t want to be known as a cross between a steak and a vacuum cleaner,” Michelle told him.

  Delores gave one sputter of startled giggles, but she composed herself again quickly. “I shouldn’t have done that,” she said. “This is a grave occasion.”

  Both Hannah and Michelle began to shake with silent laughter, even though they tried to hold in their mirth and look serious.

  “What is the matter with you two girls?” Delores asked them.

  “They’re trying to keep from laughing,” Doc explained.

  “But why?”

  “This is a grave occasion?” Doc repeated. “Please stop with the puns, Lori. You know they crack me up. I’m having enough trouble maintaining after the cross between steak and the vacuum cleaner.”

  “I did say that,” Delores admitted. “I just never thought that . . .” she paused and took a deep breath. “It was totally unintentional, but I’d better not say another word.” She slapped her hand over her mouth to show that she was serious, and there was a very determined look in her eyes. When she removed her hand, her lips were closed tightly.

  Hannah, Michelle, and Doc exchanged glances. They all knew that Delores would never be able to hold her tongue for long.

  There was silence at their end of the table. No one spoke, including Delores. Her promise of silence lasted for at least twenty seconds, fifteen seconds more than Hannah had expected. Then Delores turned to Hannah and opened her mouth.

  “When Edith gets here, I’ll take you girls over to meet her and we’ll offer our condolences.”

  “Do you have a plan to get the information we need?” Hannah asked her.

  “Yes, and I’m almost certain it will work.”

  “Do you want us to do anything to help you?” Michelle asked.

  “Yes. Michelle, you should just stand there and look solemn.”

  “But what should I do if P.K.’s mother or father asks me a question?”

  “Respond politely, of course. And Hannah?” Delores addressed her. “I’ll take the lead, but I’ll need you to play along with my plan. You’re exactly the right age for it.”

  “What is your plan?” Hannah asked.

  “We don’t have time to go into it now. P.K.’s parents are back. You’ll catch on, I’m sure.”

  Everyone quieted as P.K.’s parents, accompanied by his aunt and uncle, stepped into the meeting room. Father Coultas led them to the private table that had been reserved for the family, and two of the parishioners rushed over with coffee for them. Hannah noticed that P.K.’s mother was shaking slightly, but she couldn’t tell if it was from grief, or from the exposure to the cold weather at the graveside. Hannah had attended enough local funerals to know that Digger Gibson, their local funeral director, always made sure that his driver delivered the family to a spot that was as close to the gravesite as possible. In the winter and in any other inclement weather, a long runner of all-weather carpeting was stretched down a shoveled walkway, all the way to the graveside. Even though a canopy was always erected over the grave and surrounding area, the wind was blowing today and heavy, wet snow was falling. Although P.K.’s family had been standing under the canopy, it would not have completely protected them from the elements.

  “Let’s go,” Delores said, once P.K.’s parents and relatives had warmed themselves with the coffee. “I want us to be first in the condolence line. Follow me, girls.”

  Hannah and Michelle stood up obediently and followed their mother past tables of people who were eating the funeral food. Hannah glanced at the buffet table as they walked by and spotted the cookies she’d brought. She didn’t have to squelch the urge to reach out and take one, an urge she usually felt when she took sweets to a buffet. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t even hungry any longer. Perhaps that was because she was anxious about responding incorrectly when her mother broached the subject of P.K.’s high school and spoiling their chances of following that line of inquiry.

  “Edith? Arnold?” Delores sounded very solemn. “I know I’ve said this before, but I am so terribly sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” P.K.’s mother responded. “It was so kind of you to come out to see us the day after we received the news. You have been a great comfort to us.”

  Mother’s been a comfort? Hannah’s mind inquired incredulously. How ever did she pull that off?

  Hannah shut off the critical part of her mind and gave a polite smile. But perhaps smiling was not a polite thing to do at a funeral. She wiped the smile off her face and assumed a solemn expression again and did her best to concentrate on what Delores was saying.

  “This is my oldest girl, Hannah.” Delores gestured toward Hannah. “And this is my youngest, Michelle.” She turned to them. “Girls? I’d like you to meet Edith Alesworth, P.K.’s mother, and Arnold Alesworth, P.K.’s father.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Hannah said quickly.

  “And I’m sorry, too,” Michelle said. “P.K. made the commercials for the plays I’m directing. He was wonderfully talented.”

  “Thank you,” P.K.’s mother said.

  “I think Hannah went to high school with P.K.,” Delores told his mother, giving Hannah a look that said, Pay attention! This is important!

  It was her cue and Hannah took it. “He would have been a year behind me,” she said. “I thought I knew everyone at Jordan High, but I don’t remember P.K.”

  “No wonder, dear,” P.K.’s mother said. “P.K. attended Clarissa High. We didn’t move to Lake Eden until the year after he graduated.”

  Bingo! Hannah’s mind chimed in. You got it!

  Delores cleared her throat. “We really must go. People are starting to line up behind us, and I know they all want to offer their condolences. The next time you’re free, please do drop by to see me. I’m in the penthouse at the old Albion Hotel. There’s a lovely little ga
rden under that dome on top. It’s climate controlled, and we can sit there in comfort and watch the snow fall.” She turned to Hannah and Michelle. “Come along, girls. This is a very trying day for Edith and Arnold, and we mustn’t take up any more of their time.”

  When they got back to their table, Hannah remained standing and motioned for Michelle to do the same. “We have to go, Mother. We have to get back to work. We have tons of baking to do.”

  “Of course, dears. But you didn’t get anything to eat.”

  “We’ll pick up something on the way,” Hannah told her. “Don’t worry about us, Mother. And thank you very much for the opening you gave me with P.K.’s parents.”

  “It worked, didn’t it!” Delores said proudly.

  “It certainly did!” Hannah agreed. “You’re a real genius, Mother. I never would have thought to do that.”

  “You’re wonderful at situations like that, Mother,” Michelle complimented her.

  “Why thank you, dears,” Delores said graciously, and then she turned to Doc. “Would you like to get in the buffet line, dear? Or would you rather go somewhere else to eat?”

  Since their mother was busy, talking to Doc, Hannah nudged Michelle, gave a little wave to Delores and Doc, and they made their escape.

  * * *

  “Did you mean what you said about going for something to eat?” Michelle asked as Hannah pulled out of the church parking lot.

  “Yes. I thought we’d run out to the Corner Tavern for a hamburger.”

  “And fries.”

  “And maybe even onion rings.”

  “And just so we don’t feel that we’re ignoring our vegetables, we could always order a small dinner salad,” Michelle added.

  “Only if we get our blue cheese dressing on the side,” Hannah told her.

  “So we can dip our fries and onion rings in the dressing?”

  Hannah smiled. “Exactly.”

  They rode a few miles in silence, and then Michelle spoke again. “You have something you want to check out at the Corner Tavern, don’t you?”

  Hannah laughed. “I should have known I couldn’t put anything past you. Of course I do. That comment Sally made about Pinkie just keeps running through my mind.”