Double Fudge Brownie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 18)

by Fluke, Joanne

  “Tread carefully, Hannah.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “What if the favor was for the Worthington family?”

  “Oh. Yes, I see what you mean. That would be putting my foot in it, wouldn’t it?”

  “I’ll say. I’ve got to go, Hannah. Kitty’s making sauerbraten tonight and that’s one of my favorites. I don’t want to be late.”

  “Tell her hi from me,” Hannah said and hung up the phone. She glanced at the clock, picked up her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and headed down the outside staircase to the garage. There was no way she wanted to be late, not when Senator Worthington had so generously worked her into his busy schedule. She just hoped that their meeting would be productive and she’d discover something that would lead to the identity of the person who’d killed Judge Colfax.

  Chapter Thirty

  Hannah found a parking spot right in front of the courthouse. There were no other cars on the street. She thought that was odd until she remembered that almost all of the guests coming to the Worthington Law reunion would be lawyers, and lawyers had preferred parking in the underground garage.

  She glanced at her phone to check the time. It was five-twenty so she texted Ross.

  I’m here at the courthouse ten minutes early. I’ll see you later. Love, Hannah.

  Something prickled at the back of her mind as she climbed the courthouse steps. She was inside, heading up the first set of stairs when she realized what it was. She hadn’t seen any caterer trucks. They’d better get here in a hurry if dinner was at six.

  Her footsteps echoed hollowly on the marble staircase that led to the courtrooms on the second floor. The courthouse had a deserted feel and it made her a bit uneasy. Had she gotten the wrong day? Ross had said she should meet Senator Worthington tonight, hadn’t he?

  Hannah stopped and pulled out her phone to check Ross’s earlier text message. Yes, her appointment with the senator was tonight. She was to meet him in Judge Colfax’s chambers on the third floor at five-thirty. He would give her thirty minutes of his time before the six o’clock dinner. But how could there be a dinner at six o’clock if the caterers weren’t here yet? They would need time to set up and she’d seen no one hurry past with trays of food or linens.

  Something was wrong and she didn’t like it. Hannah felt a sense of dread as she stared at the railing that ran all the way up the staircase to the second floor and then curved around in an arc to start the down staircase on the other side. She tried to tell herself that everything was all right, that she was simply nervous at the prospect of meeting such an influential person. That didn’t work, not even for an instant. Every fiber of her being was vibrating with the sense of danger. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. There had to be a reason why her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding like a caged bird in her chest. Silly or not, overactive imagination or not, she was getting out of the courthouse right now!

  Hannah turned around on the step and that was when she saw a tall figure standing near the heavy oaken doors. He had dark hair, carefully styled and streaked at the sides with silver. He had the well-muscled body of an athlete who had stayed in shape, and he looked even more imposing than he had in the newspaper photos she’d seen. There was a smile on his face, a smile that was knowing and threatening, a smile that made her knees start to shake. Hannah was certain that the gloating expression on Senator Eric Worthington’s face was one his constituents had never seen.

  “So you finally figured it out,” he said in an impassionate voice. “Unfortunately for you, it’s a little too late.”

  “Figured what out?” Hannah asked, hoping her voice didn’t reveal how terrified she was.

  “That there is no reunion and that I lured you here. You may even have figured out that I killed Geoffrey.”

  “You . . . did?” Hannah asked, taking a step back up the stairs so that she could put more distance between them. “But how did you murder him without being seen?”

  Senator Worthington laughed and it was not a pleasant laugh. “I didn’t kill him personally. I’d never do that. Geoffrey was a friend. As a matter of fact, we were going to have lunch together. That’s how my man got into the courthouse. Geoffrey sent me a one-time pass for the parking garage.”

  Hannah moved back until she felt the next step up behind her heels. “If he was your friend, why did your man kill him?”

  “Geoffrey had become a very dangerous liability. He was losing his mind, you know. For periods of time, he was living in the past. And that was not a good thing for me.”

  “I . . . didn’t know that his mind was going. I never noticed that.”

  “But I did. You wouldn’t notice. You didn’t know him when his colleagues claimed that he had a mind like a steel trap.”

  “He was a brilliant lawyer?” Hannah asked, hoping he wouldn’t notice when she took another step upward.

  “Oh, yes. He made junior partner at Worthington Law before he was thirty. That’s a rarity. But years passed, and his mind weakened so much that I couldn’t depend on him to keep my secret any longer.”

  “But wouldn’t people have thought that anything he said was the product of his confused mind?” Hannah asked, moving back until her heel was against the next step up.

  “Perhaps. But somebody would have looked into it. You know how the media operates. Ever since the evening news began to get ratings, they’re on the lookout for good, juicy stories, the more scandalous, the better.” The frozen smile on his face as he moved forward was chilling.

  Keep him talking! her mind told her, and Hannah knew that it was good advice. If she were lucky, Ross or Howie or Michelle would check on the Worthington Law reunion and discover that it wasn’t being held tonight. Ask him a question, her mind prodded. Hurry!

  “You were afraid Judge Colfax would slip and tell the secret about your son?” she asked, rising another step.

  “You’ve done your homework.” He took a step forward. “Too bad it won’t do you any good.”

  “What do you mean?” Hannah took another step up. She was almost halfway up to the second floor.

  “It’s a pity, but now that you know, I’ll have to kill you. And I’ll do it personally this time. You see, my dear, you know too much. Contrary to most teachings, too much knowledge is a very dangerous thing.”

  Hannah wondered if she could whirl and run. But he still had the body of an athlete and she had no doubt that he could take the marble staircase with a speed that would far exceed hers. She had to climb a bit higher to give herself an advantage. “I haven’t told anyone,” she said, moving up another step.

  “I’m glad to hear that. And I’m very glad that Ross didn’t come with you. I wouldn’t have liked getting rid of that boy. He was a good friend to Clay.”

  “I won’t say anything,” Hannah said, gaining another step upward. “No one’s found out about it and no one needs to.”

  “Oh, my dear,” he said in mock sympathy. “It’s very generous of you to offer to protect me, but I can’t take that chance. I’m declaring my candidacy for governor next Monday. If the press finds out that I influenced the autopsy and toxicology reports, it could keep me from winning the election. You see how that could happen, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “The local papers compared it to Chappaquiddick at the time, but they backed down when the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.”

  “And now everyone’s forgotten about it,” Hannah said in a way she hoped would he would find reassuring.

  “But you could change all that.”

  Hannah knew she had to keep him engrossed in telling her the story. “I don’t understand. How could you have influenced the autopsy and toxicology reports when they’re done by outside labs?”

  “Everyone has a price. It was simple. My father was the governor. He could help their careers. He bribed them all with promises and they did whatever he asked. That’s how politics works.”

  “Did your father keep those promises?�
�� Hannah asked, taking another step toward the landing on the second floor.

  “Of course he did. My father was an honorable man.”

  It would have been funny in any other context, but this situation had no humor in it. Hannah rose another step and asked another question. “I still don’t understand why you had to kill Judge Colfax.”

  “Of course you do. I just told you.”

  “Tell me again. I guess I didn’t understand.”

  “My father bought him for me, just like he bought the medical examiner and the head of the police lab. He bribed them with political favors because he had big plans for me. My father knew that if they learned that Raymond was drunk and he left that girl in the car to drown, it could be the death of his dream and my political career.”

  “But how about Judge Colfax? Did your father bribe him, too?”

  “Of course he did. There was a judgeship available and he promised to give it to Geoffrey.”

  “And did he?” Hannah asked, even though she already knew the answer to her question.

  “Of course he did. My father always kept his word. That’s the reason I was forced to silence Geoffrey. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but it was necessary. He knew and his judgment was becoming impaired.”

  “I understand now,” Hannah said, gaining another step up.

  “I have to govern this state. My father knew that. It’s why he made sure that there were no impediments to my rise in politics. The governorship is my legacy. I must fulfill it!” He took another step forward in tandem with her step upward and the dying rays of sunlight spilling from the high windows built into the rotunda illuminated his features. His eyes were glittering with a consuming zeal and Hannah realized that Senator Eric Worthington was completely mad. He would kill her. There was no doubt in her mind. The time for talking was over. She had to escape now!

  Without hesitation, Hannah hurled her heavy purse at the man who was advancing toward her. Then she whirled and took the last steps at a run. She dashed down the hallway and through a door at random. It was the courtroom where her bail hearing had been held. She had to hide before Senator Worthington saw her!

  She headed for the raised judge’s bench and that’s when she saw it, the hidden door in the paneled wall behind the bench. She was in the courtroom with the handicapped elevator and she could use it to escape!

  Where was the call button for the elevator? It stopped her for a brief moment, but she realized that it had to be within easy reach. She dashed behind the bench and found it almost immediately, under the center of the bench. Hannah pressed it and the hidden door in the wall slid silently and smoothly open.

  The elevator it revealed was small and reminded Hannah of a cage. Even though she’d never liked tight, closed spaces, she forced herself to get inside. She had no other choice and there was no time to waste. She wanted to go down to the garage, but the outside gates would be locked and closed. She couldn’t get out of the building that way and there would be nowhere to hide in the deserted concrete space. He would expect her to go down so she would go up to the third floor. As she pressed the third-floor button, she heard Senator Worthington running down the hallway in her direction. A door slammed in the adjacent courtroom and she held her breath as the door in the wall slid closed and the elevator began to rise.

  Text someone! her frenzied mind gave her instructions. Do it now, before it’s too late. They have to know where you are!

  Thank goodness her phone was in her pocket! Hannah pulled it out and pressed the button that Tracey had shown her. It was something her niece had called broadcast and Tracey had explained that it sent a group text message to everyone on Hannah’s contact list.

  For one panicked moment, Hannah wondered if Tracey had gotten around to entering the cell phone numbers on the list she’d made. But there was no way to ask and all she could do was hope that Tracey had done it. With shaking fingers, Hannah typed in a terse message.

  Help! Worthington killer. In courthouse elevator. Hurry!

  She hit the send button and sent up a silent prayer that she’d done everything right.

  The elevator opened on the third floor and Hannah gasped as she stepped out and realized it had taken her to Judge Colfax’s chambers. Senator Worthington was responsible for one murder that had taken place in this very spot. Would he find her there and accomplish another murder with her as his victim? Would he guess that she used the handicapped elevator to come up here? Howie had told her that the elevator had been installed less than a year ago. Perhaps Senator Worthington didn’t know that the elevator existed and she would be safe.

  He’s a state senator, Hannah’s mind vetoed that possibility. He’s bound to know. He probably voted on the proposal. But there wasn’t time to consider that. She could hear him running up the stairs to the third floor. She had to find a safe hiding place!

  There was nowhere to hide. He would find her and kill her! Hannah’s frantic eyes searched the room and focused on the elevator door. That was it! She’d seen the emergency button that would stop it between floors. She’d be inside and he couldn’t get to her. She’d be safe!

  Hannah made a lunge for the elevator and threw herself inside. The hidden door slid closed and just as she pressed the button to go down, she heard the door to Judge Colfax’s chambers bang open. He was there! But she was no longer within reach. She was traveling downward, away from Senator Worthington and danger.

  The indicator dial showed the second floor, and she held her breath as the elevator continued to descend. She was almost down to the garage when the light for the second floor began to glow and the elevator slowed. He must have realized that she was in the elevator and he’d pressed the call button. Senator Worthington was attempting to bring his victim back up to him for the kill!

  There was only one thing to do and Hannah did it. She hit the emergency stop button. It took a heart-stopping second or two, but the elevator halted just short of the garage. She sent a silent thank you to Mr. Otis and everyone else who’d developed the first elevator and breathed a big sigh of relief.

  The emergency bell began to ring loudly, pushing all other thoughts from her mind. Had anyone received her cry for help? Was there anyone coming who would hear it?

  There was another sound, a high-pitched wail that she heard over the noise of the clanging emergency bell. A police siren!

  Hannah looked down at her phone and saw a text message appear on the screen.

  Stay put. I’ll text you when it’s safe.

  The return cell phone number was Mike’s.

  She realized that her knees were trembling and would no longer hold her upright. She sank to the floor of the elevator and relieved tears filled her eyes. She was still there when the clanging bell ceased and Big Ben chimed with another text message from Mike.

  Ross tackled him in parking garage. We got him. Come down now. It’s over.

  Somehow she managed to get to her feet and push in the emergency button. The elevator descended, the door opened, and she went straight into Ross’s arms.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  It was late Sunday morning and Hannah and Ross were standing in front of the security checkpoint at the Minneapolis airport. Their arms were around each other and Hannah couldn’t decide if she was sad or happy. The employment director at KCOW had offered Ross the job and Ross had accepted. He would become the head of original programming at KCOW Television next Monday. That meant he had only a week to pack up his things in California and arrange for a moving company to bring them to Lake Eden.

  Ross was holding her like he never wanted to let her go, but at last he released her. “I almost forgot to tell you that some of your detective skills must have rubbed off on me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I solved the mystery of the cat burglar.”

  Hannah was shocked. “You discovered how Moishe was getting out?”

  “Not exactly. I discovered how Moishe was getting in. He’s not going out anywhere, not really.
I put it all together this morning when I was sitting at your kitchen table and you went back to your room to get your jacket. I saw Moishe jump down to the top of the refrigerator.”

  “Down? Don’t you mean he jumped up to the top of the refrigerator?”

  Ross shook his head. “No, he jumped down. There’s a hole in your ceiling, and I think it goes into the attic.”

  “That’s exactly where it goes! They had to cut a hole when they installed my refrigerator. It was too big for the space and there was no other way to vent it. But there’s a grate over the hole.”

  “Not anymore. The cat burglar managed to claw it loose and it’s laying there on the top of your refrigerator. I used your stepstool to look. Do you know that the attic covers the entire length and width of the building? The people with upstairs units in your building use it for storage.”

  “I know that, but I don’t have that many things and I’ve never needed to use it. The access is through the master bedroom closet, but Moishe obviously found another way. I may have to rename him Houdini! He escaped and none of us knew how he did it . . . except for you. Please don’t tell anybody about it. It has to be our secret for now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Lisa, Aunt Nancy, and Grandma Knudson are so excited about holding the yard sale that isn’t really a yard sale on Saturday at The Cookie Jar. There’s no way I want to spoil their fun and if I let the cat burglar get into the attic for another week, we’ll have even more stolen items to display.”

  Ross laughed and pulled her into his arms again for another hug. “That’s one of the things I love about you, Hannah.”

  “I let my cat steal things?”

  “No, you think of other people’s feelings first. And speaking of others’ feelings, please tell Doc and your mother that I’m sorry I can’t come to their party tonight.”