by Joanne Fluke
Andrea looked proud. “Tracey’s doing very well in math,” she said quite needlessly. “Tell your aunt Hannah your idea, Tracey. She might let us do it.”
“Mom and I want to take care of your cookie booth for an hour while you and Aunt Michelle go to the lunch buffet,” Tracey said. “We already went, and we really want to do it, Aunt Hannah. I need the practice.”
Hannah didn’t dare look at Michelle. She was almost sure her youngest sister was biting her lip, trying not to laugh. “Why do you need the practice, Tracey?”
“Because it’s a career path. I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, but I like to bake and maybe I can open a cookie shop someday. If I do that, it’ll be good practice for me to wait on your customers today.”
“I see.” Somehow, Hannah managed to maintain a straight face. Tracey was unique. She’d never met any other second-graders who wanted to practice for a career path. “Well . . .”
“Mom says you have to eat, so it’s a perfect opportunity for me. And you and Aunt Michelle don’t have to worry that I’ll do something wrong because Mom will be right here with me.”
“What do you think, Michelle?” Hannah asked, hoping that Michelle had recovered at least part of her equilibrium.
“I think we should help Tracey out with this,” Michelle said. “And I am hungry.”
“So am I,” Hannah said, silently praising Michelle for her serious demeanor. “If it’s okay with your mom, it’s fine with us, Tracey.”
“Oh, goody!” Tracey turned to Andrea. “I told you they’d let us, Mom.” Then she turned back to Hannah. “I bought something for Grandma McCann for an early Christmas present. I’m going to give it to her as a consolation prize when we hold the gumdrop Christmas tree contest. Bethie and I are going to do it together this year, so we’re bound to win.”
“You have a gumdrop Christmas tree contest?” Michelle asked.
“Yes. It’s really fun. Mom bought us a plastic gumdrop tree with little protru . . . portrus . . .” Tracey struggled for the word and Hannah decided to help her.
“Protrusions?” Hannah asked her.
“Yes! That’s it. Good for you for knowing such a big word, Aunt Hannah. Anyway, Bethie is going to hand me the gumdrops and I’m going to put them on the pro-tru-sions on the ends of the branches. Grandma McCann has a plastic tree too, and she’s going to race against us.”
“That sounds like fun,” Michelle commented.
“It will be if Bethie doesn’t eat all the gumdrops when she takes them out of the bag. She won’t eat the purple ones. She doesn’t like those, but I don’t think we can win with a tree that’s all purple. Take a look at Grandma McCann’s consolation prize, Aunt Hannah. I want to know if you and Aunt Michelle think she’ll like it.”
Hannah took the bag that Tracey held out to her and peeked inside. Then she lifted the tissue-wrapped contents from the bag.
“It’s a cookie ornament for our real Christmas tree,” Tracey told them. “I thought it was supposed to be a raisin cookie at first, but the man in the booth told me that it’s a chocolate chip cookie. Grandma McCann bakes those for us, and they’re really good. . . .” Tracey stopped speaking and looked a bit anxious. “They’re not as good as your cookies, Aunt Hannah, but that’s to be expected because you’re a professional.”
Hannah was careful not to laugh. “I’m sure they’re very good, Tracey.” She unwrapped the ornament and held it up so Michelle could see it. “It’s pretty, Tracey.”
“Yes, and it’s handmade in Minnesota. The man who sold it told me that handmade things are even more valuable.”
Hannah held the ornament in her hand and turned it from side to side. She happened to look at the bottom as she was turning it and she noticed something that made her curious. There was a tiny label stuck on the bottom of the cookie ornament. She pulled it off, assuming that it was the price tag, but it wasn’t. The label read Made in China in tiny red letters. “Where did you buy this, Tracey?” she asked.
“From your neighbor, over there.” Tracey pointed to Gary’s booth. “He was really nice to me, and he gave it to me for half-price when I told him it was for Grandma McCann.”
“That was nice of him,” Hannah said, sticking the label deep in her apron pocket. Tracey was clearly delighted with her purchase, and Hannah wasn’t about to disillusion her. She’d decide what to do about the sticker later.
“All the ornaments he sells are handmade right here,” Tracey told her. “He said his sister sells them in her shop on consignment. That means the person who makes the ornament agrees to let her sell it in her shop and to give her a commission, doesn’t it?”
“That’s exactly right.” Hannah rewrapped the ornament in the tissue, put it in the bag, and handed it to Tracey. “You can keep it on the shelf behind the counter while you’re working.”
“Thanks.” Tracey turned to Andrea again. “Let’s take their aprons and let them go to lunch, Mom. All the prices are on the whiteboard and we know which cookies they are.”
Several minutes later, after some basic instructions and tying a towel around Tracey’s waist because the aprons were too big, Hannah and Michelle walked away to go to lunch.
“I saw you take something off that ornament,” Michelle said when they were far enough away so that Tracey and Andrea couldn’t hear her. “What was it?”
“A label that read, Made in China. Gary did tell us that all his sister’s ornaments were handmade in Minnesota, didn’t he?”
“He did.” Michelle began to frown. “I wonder why he lied about that?”
“I don’t know. I wonder about that, too. But that’s not all that concerns me.”
“What else concerns you?” Michelle stepped inside the dining room, and led the way to an empty table.
“I’m wondering what other things he’s lying about. People who lie generally have something to hide. So even more important, what does Gary have to hide?”
* * *
Only seconds passed until Dot, who was working in the dining room, saw them and came rushing over. “How’s it going in the convention hall, girls?”
“It’s going well,” Michelle told her. “We’re close to running out of cookies. We had to send Norman back to The Cookie Jar for more.”
“Who’s taking care of your booth?”
Hannah smiled. “Tracey and Andrea. Tracey said she needed a career path and it was a good opportunity for her.”
Dot laughed. “That sounds like Tracey. I really enjoy it when they come out here for dinner. She’s precious and so is Bethie. Are you two here for the buffet?”
“We are,” Michelle told her.
“Plates are up there and I’ll get you silverware and napkins. Just help yourselves when you’re ready. What would you like to drink? Drinks are included unless it’s wine or beer. Then it costs extra.”
“I’ll have club soda with a wedge of lime,” Hannah told her.
“The same for me. I’ve had enough coffee to float a battleship.”
“Is Sally around?” Hannah asked Dot.
“She’s around here somewhere. Would you like me to locate her and tell her you want to see her?”
“Yes, please. I have a question to ask her and it may be important.”
Dot’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean it’s about the . . .” She stopped speaking. “Never mind. I think I know what it’s about. I’ll go find Sally while you fill your plates.”
* * *
Sally came up to their table just as they had almost finished their lunch. “Dot said you had something important to ask me?”
“We do.” Hannah glanced around. The people at the table closest to them had finished their lunch and left, and there was no one else within earshot. “It may have to do with P.K.’s murder, but we’re not sure yet.”
“What is it?”
“Gary mentioned that his sister was in the hospital in the Cities. You don’t happen to know which hospital that is, do you?”
Sally shook
her head. “Gary didn’t say when he called to reserve the booth for his sister.”
Hannah stored that information away for future reference. “So you’ve never spoken to Gary’s sister?”
“No. I do know her name and the name of her store, though. Gary gave it to me over the phone. Will that help?”
“Yes,” Michelle told her.
“Her first name is Violet and her store is called Many Hands. Violet sells local handmade items on consignment.”
“Is Violet’s last name the same as Gary’s?” Hannah asked.
“I think Gary said she was married and when they divorced, she kept his last name. I don’t remember it, but I might have written it down on the booth application. Do you want me to look it up for you?”
“Yes, please,” Michelle answered. “You don’t know where Many Hands is located, do you?”
Sally started to shake her head, but then she stopped. “It’s in Minneapolis, but Gary didn’t give me the street address. I could ask him if you want it.”
“No, that’s okay,” Hannah said quickly. “If we need it, we can get it from directory assistance. It sounds like an interesting store, and I was thinking of dropping by there the next time I get to Minneapolis.”
“Does Gary run Many Hands with Violet?” Michelle asked Sally.
“I asked him that and he said no, that Violet has an assistant who comes in part-time and the assistant was keeping the store open for Violet until she got out of the hospital.”
“Thanks, Sally,” Hannah said. “You’ve helped a lot already.”
Sally looked a bit uncomfortable. “You don’t suspect Gary of sending that drugged candy to KCOW, do you?”
“Gary’s not on my suspect list,” Hannah said quite truthfully. “Michelle and I were just interested in learning more about him.”
“Yes,” Michelle said. “Both of us think it’s very nice of him to come here and run his sister’s booth.”
“He seems like a nice enough guy,” Sally said.
“Nice enough?” Hannah questioned Sally’s choice of words. “Do you have some reservations about Gary?”
“Well . . . not really. It’s just that . . . some things about him are slightly . . .” She stopped and began to frown. “I was going to say odd, but that’s not really the right word. Curious is closer to what I mean.”
“What do you find curious?” Hannah asked her.
“Well . . . he came here a week before I asked my vendors to arrive. He said he just wanted a little respite before he began to unload his sister’s ornaments and prepare her booth for the convention.”
“Did you ask him why he needed a respite?” Michelle asked.
“No, I didn’t want to pry into his personal life, but when I thought about his situation, I could understand why he might need a respite.”
Hannah thought she knew what Sally’s reasoning was, but she was silent, waiting for Sally to explain.
“I think Gary wore himself out staying with his sister in the hospital. And now that she’s recovering, he needed a little time to himself.”
“Was Gary his sister’s only visitor?” Michelle asked.
“Heavens no, but I think Gary felt obligated to be there. He told me that all her friends and clients came to see her, and she had so many visitors that the charge nurse had to limit the time they could spend in her room.”
Hannah nodded. “I can understand that. Too many visitors can exhaust a patient. How about Gary and Violet’s parents? Did they visit her, too?”
“No. They were in Europe, visiting his aunt, and since Violet’s injury wasn’t life-threatening, Gary didn’t want to tell them and spoil their overseas visit.”
“What was Violet’s injury?” Michelle asked.
“She fell on the ice and broke her leg. Gary told me that he didn’t leave her until she was moved to the rehabilitation center. Then she told him that everything was okay and she had plenty of people who would come to visit. She said she wanted him to take some time for himself before the convention started and he had to take care of her booth.”
“So he came here early,” Hannah concluded.
“Yes. I gave him a nice suite with a view of the lake, and he stayed to himself for the first day or two, ordering meals from room service and just sitting in an easy chair by the window.”
“He was probably tired from taking care of Violet,” Michelle said.
“Yes, I think so. But then he seemed to recover and he started coming down to the restaurant for meals. He’s fine now that he got his energy back. And he calls his sister at the hospital every day.”
“From the phone in his suite?” Hannah asked, hoping that she could get the number of the hospital from the phone records.
“No, there are no charges to his room for phone calls, so he must use his cell phone.” Sally paused and looked at her watch. “Go get some dessert, girls, and I’ll tell Dot to clear your table and bring you coffee. I’ve got several things on the dessert buffet that you might want to try.”
Hannah laughed. “I might want to try them all, but I don’t think I’d better do that. I’ll limit myself to three samples.”
“A wise decision. We’ll have the same choices tomorrow and you can try another three. I’ll run back to the office to get a copy of Violet’s booth application and bring it out to you. That way, if I wrote it down, you’ll know her last name.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
“Thanks for packing up, Norman,” Hannah said, as Norman came back to The Cookie Jar booth. He’d carried the leftover cookies out to Hannah’s cookie truck for them and left two dozen behind in case there were last minute sales to handle.
“It’s almost five o’clock,” Michelle told them after checking the time on her cell phone. “Let’s throw out the trash on our way to our cars.”
“I’ll do it,” Norman offered, lifting the bag out of the container under the counter. “Do you two have any plans for dinner?”
Hannah shook her head. “Not really. I thought we’d pick up some takeout on the way home. Would you like to join us, Norman?”
“Yes, but let’s not do takeout. I have another idea. I’ve never eaten in at Lan Se Palace. All we ever do there is pick up Chinese takeout. Instead of takeout tonight, let’s actually eat in their dining room.”
“That sounds good,” Hannah said, and then she turned to Michelle. “Do you want to have dinner there?”
“Yes. I’ve never been in their dining room, either. Andrea described it, and it sounded nice.”
Norman looked pleased. “Then I’ll meet you there in a few minutes, unless you have to go home first and feed Moishe?”
Hannah shook her head. “Moishe doesn’t expect his dinner until after six at night. That’s the earliest I usually get home from work.”
“Okay then. I’ll drive straight there and get us a table. Do you want me to put in an order for an appetizer?”
“Yes!” Michelle looked delighted. “Let’s have shrimp rolls. I’ve always wanted to order those, but the woman at the takeout desk told me they don’t travel well.”
“Hannah?” Norman turned to her.
“I’ll have a shrimp roll, too,” Hannah told him.
“How about drinks? Shall I order those for you?”
“That would be nice. Iced tea for me if they have it,” Hannah decided. “And if they don’t, I’ll have lemonade or any other fruit drink.”
“Same for me,” Michelle told him. “We’ll just wipe down the counters, and then we’ll close up and meet you there.”
* * *
Hannah pulled up in front of Lan Se Palace less than fifteen minutes later. Traffic had been light and it had stopped snowing, so visibility was good.
“I think it turned colder,” Michelle commented as she got out of Hannah’s Suburban.
“It does feel colder than it did this morning,” Hannah agreed. “I’d better plug in my cookie truck.”
Michelle waited, stomping her feet to stay warm, as Hannah at
tached the cord she’d wound around her front bumper to the electrical strip that ran all the way around the side of the building. Then the two sisters walked to the entrance and opened the outside door.
“I love the blue mirrors on the front,” Michelle said, stepping into the warmer area between the outer door and the door to the interior of the restaurant.
“So do I,” Hannah said, chuckling a bit as she hung up her parka in the classroom and switched her boots for the moccasins she’d carried in with her. “Do you remember when Andrea told us that she’d been here when she was in high school and it was called the Watering Hole?”
“Yes, and Mike asked her why she was there when she was underage, and Andrea had to make up that ridiculous story about just coming in to call for help because Bill’s car had broken down.”
Once Michelle had switched to her street shoes, they walked into the toasty warm interior of the restaurant itself. They spotted Norman sitting at a booth by the window and went over to join him.
“Just in time,” Norman said as they slid into the horseshoe-shaped booth. “Adam came by to say the shrimp rolls would be here in a minute or two.”
As they sipped their drinks and waited for the shrimp rolls to arrive, Hannah told Norman about the ornament that Tracey had shown her and how they’d gotten Gary’s sister’s name from Sally.
“Are you going to call Violet at the hospital and ask her why she has ornaments in her store that aren’t handmade?” Norman asked.
“No,” Hannah said. “That’s not really the important thing. The real question is why Gary lied to Tracey and to us when he mentioned the ornaments.”
“Did you ask him about that?”
Michelle shook her head. “We decided not to. Hannah didn’t want him to know that we’d stumbled on his lie.”
Norman’s eyes narrowed slightly as he turned to Hannah. “So Gary’s about to join the other suspects on your list?”
Hannah shrugged. “Maybe. I have a couple of things to check out first.”
“Like what?”
“Like whether his sister is really in the hospital. But first, we have to find out which hospital it is. All we know is that it’s in the Cities.”
