Carrot Cake Murder (35 page)

Hannah used an expression she would not have considered around her two nieces, but half of it came out underwater. She was being dragged down to the bottom by Jordan High’s champion swimmer.

If you get dumped in the water with all your clothes on, the first thing to do is get rid of your shoes. The words of Hannah’s first swimming teacher came back to her in a rush. It was good advice. Hannah hated to lose her favorite sneakers at the bottom of Eden Lake, but it was better than losing her life at the bottom of Eden Lake.

If a drowning person gets you in a stranglehold, don’t hold back. Pinch, gouge, bite, do anything you can to get out of it.

The moment that second piece of advice came to mind, Hannah started to fight. She dug her elbow into Mac’s ribs, gouged at his eyes, pinched in a place she hoped would do real damage, and bit down on his arm.

The result was explosive. There was a yelp she could hear underwater, and suddenly she was freed. Hannah didn’t stick around to see what would happen next. She kicked out with all her might and shot away several feet. After two deep breaths to restore her oxygen, and kicking all the while, she dove underwater, changed directions ninety degrees, and swam as far as she could.

When she came up, she saw she’d been successful. Mac was looking for her about ten feet from where she’d emerged. He hadn’t expected her to change directions, but she couldn’t play this hide-and-seek game for long. It was like rolling dice and betting on the outcome. She’d keep changing direction, he’d keep guessing where she would surface, and eventually he’d be right. It was the law of averages, and nobody could break that law. And then he’d grab her again and hang on, prepared for her to put up a fight. The element of surprise would be gone, and she’d end up at the murky bottom of Eden Lake with no air in her lungs.

“I see you!” His voice floated across the water to her. “You’re a sitting duck, Hannah.”

He’d spotted her! Hannah almost groaned. The moon reflecting off the water was just too bright tonight. She waited until he was about six feet away and then she ducked under the water again. She’d run the same pattern she’d run before. He wouldn’t expect that…she hoped.

Her lungs were burning when she came up for air and discovered that she’d won another round. Mac hadn’t expected her to make exactly the same ninety-degree turn underwater. But he would the next time she dove down. And he’d be waiting for her when she surfaced.

“Ah! There you are! Why don’t you just give it up, Hannah? You’re in lousy shape, and I’m not.”

He was trying to distract her. Hannah knew she shouldn’t listen. She had to plan out what to do next.

“I can keep this up all night. You know I’ll get you eventually. And then I’ll get her. And your sister. But you won’t be around to see that.”

Straight line. Try it, her mind shouted out. What have you got to lose?

My life, Hannah answered. But it was a good idea, and she decided to go with it.

A curious thing happened as she dove beneath the surface of the water. She thought she heard something droning in the distance, something like a motor. Was someone coming to help her? Or was she so scared that she was imagining things?

She snagged something with her hand, and for a moment, Hannah thought he’d come under the water to grab her. But it was something slippery like the stem of a plant or…

She was on the edge of the water lily garden! Hannah hadn’t realized that she was so close. And then she remembered something that she’d said to Norman in what now seemed like eons ago. I could always be a floating face in the middle of any of Monet’s water lily paintings. It would be like Where’s Waldo? and nobody would even spot me.

A quick mental picture of the water lily garden the way she’d seen it that afternoon with Norman, and she knew it was about twenty feet across. Could she dive down even further to get under the shallow roots and swim ten feet in to come up in the middle?

What do you have to lose? her mind asked again, and this time she didn’t bother to answer. She had something to gain if she made it. And if she didn’t, what she’d lose would be lost anyway.

Her lungs felt like they were bursting, but she forced her feet to kick as she propelled herself under the surface, straight for what she hoped was the middle of the water lily garden. She had to surface without a sound. No gasp for breath or splash allowed.

Hannah forced her body on until she knew she couldn’t swim another stroke. And then she wound her body through the maze of floating roots, tangled stems, and blossoms. Once she was close to the surface, she willed herself to remain perfectly stationary and silent, and not to gulp at the air her lungs needed so desperately.

She floated and her nose came up. She breathed the beautiful slightly sweet-smelling air. She took two breaths, and then she let her face just break the surface. There were plant stalks around her, taller than her head. That was very good. She straightened her body and let the top part of her head emerge. Carefully, cautiously, she surfaced up to her nose, no further. And nothing, absolutely nothing, happened!

Of course he was looking for her. Hannah expected no less. But he hadn’t spotted her here in the middle of the water lily garden. She was part of a Monet exhibit, and he wouldn’t think to look for her here.

As she remained there, grabbing roots around her with her legs to keep herself stable, she watched for any sign of him. If he started to swim toward Sandy Point, she’d dive down out of her cover in the water lily garden and grab the nearest canoe. She knew how to right it, and she’d head off after him. A canoe paddle could be a lethal weapon, and she wouldn’t hesitate to use it.

But she could see him there, his head bobbing about the surface of the moonlight-clad water, looking for her in all directions. And then she saw something else coming from Sandy Point. It was a speedboat, and the motor was loud across the surface of the lake. There was a searchlight skimming the water, and Hannah knew that help had arrived.

They’d spotted him! Hannah saw someone dive into the water and haul him to the boat. She was safe. And Michelle and Patsy were too, since the speedboat had stopped at Sandy Point and whoever was on it must know that they were okay.

“Hannah!” an amplified voice called across the surface of the water, and Hannah recognized Mike’s voice. “Hannah!”

It was like Marlon Brando yelling “Stella!” in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Hannah responded to the anguished cry. “I’m here in the water lily garden.”

“Hannah!” Mike yelled again. And this time it was a joyful cry.

Hannah took that as her cue, and she dove down under the garden, deep enough to bypass the roots, stems, and blossoms that had served her so well. This time when she surfaced, there was a smile on her face, and she gave a little wave as she swam out into the bright path of the searchlight that seemed as welcoming as sunlight.

It was Sunday evening, the Beeseman-Herman family reunion was over, and they were gathering in the lobby at the Inn, waiting until they’d all arrived to be seated in the dining room. Andrea, Hannah, and Tracey were sitting on a couch by the mammoth stone fireplace when Michelle walked in.

“Wow!” Michelle said, gazing at Andrea. “You look absolutely fantastic!”

“Thank you,” Andrea gave her a smile.

“I love your hair. That four-color weave is amazing. And your outfit’s gorgeous, too.”

Hannah felt the pangs of guilt begin. Andrea had mentioned she was having a complete makeover this weekend. It was time for a sisterly act of contrition.

“I’m sorry, Andrea,” Hannah apologized. “You do look wonderful. I just didn’t notice.”

“Neither did Bill,” Andrea said, and she didn’t look happy.

“Maybe that’s because you always look like you just walked out of a modeling session,” Michelle told her, covering the situation smoothly. “I’m sure that’s why Bill didn’t notice.”

“Well…maybe.” Andrea looked slightly mollified. “You like the dress then?”

“Gorgeous,” Hannah said, seizing the opportunity and jumping in quickly.

“Hello, darlings!” Delores breezed in with Carrie and Norman. “Bill and Lonnie just pulled into the parking lot, and Lisa and Herb were right behind them.” She turned to smile at all of them and her gaze stopped on Andrea. “You look lovely, dear. Is that a new dress?”

“Yes.” Andrea began to smile.

“Well, it’s perfect for you. And I like your new hairstyle.” Delores turned to Tracey. “Doesn’t your mother look wonderful?”

“Mommy’s always beautiful,” Tracey replied, earning a hug from Andrea.

Once Bill, Lonnie, Lisa, and Herb had joined them, they made their way to the largest table in the dining room of the Lake Eden Inn. As usual, Delores had arranged place cards, and Hannah found hers. She was seated between Mike and Norman again. She gave a little sigh, decided it wasn’t worth making a fuss about, and pulled out her chair to sit down. But before she could take her place at the table, Tracey rushed up to her.

“Aunt Hannah?” Tracey looked anxious. “Will you go to the ladies’ room with me?”

Hannah nodded and slid her chair in again. There was more to this request than met the ear. Tracey was one of the most independent very-soon-to-be first graders in her class. If she’d needed to visit the ladies’ room, she would have told Andrea where she was going, and gone by herself.

Hannah waited until they got out into the carpeted hallway outside the dining room, and then she asked, “Okay, what is it?”

“I want to get three more Girl Scout merit badges before the awards program, and one of them is for cooking. You have to make lunch all by yourself. The only part I can’t do is dessert, and I want to have cookies.”

Hannah thought she knew what was coming. “And you want me to teach you how to bake cookies?”

“Yes, Aunt Hannah. Will you, please? I can’t ask Mom. You know why. I can’t ask Grandma Delores, either. I know she doesn’t bake. And if I ask Grandma McCann, I might hurt Mom’s feelings.”

“And you don’t think it’ll hurt your mom’s feelings if I teach you to bake?”

“Why would it?” Tracey shrugged, and it was a miniature duplicate of Andrea’s shrug. “You’re the professional, Aunt Hannah. Everybody knows that.”

Flattery will get you everywhere, Hannah thought, and that’s something you did get from your mother! But of course she didn’t say that. She said instead, “I’ll be happy to teach you to bake, Tracey. It’ll be fun.”

“Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies?” Tracey asked her. “They’re Mom’s favorites and then I can bake them for her.”

“Good idea. Do you want to go on to the ladies’ room? Or was that just a ploy to get me alone to ask me?”

“It was just a ploy. Let’s go back in, Aunt Hannah. I want to use Mom’s cell phone to talk to Bethany. She couldn’t come because she’s too little for one of Grandma’s dinner parties, but I promised I’d call and tell her good night.”

It was a lovely meal. Delores had ordered something new on the menu. It was called “A Taste of the Lake Eden Inn,” and it was a meal of ten small samples of Sally’s best dishes.

“That was great!” Bill said, putting down his fork after eating the last morsel of Sally’s Flourless Chocolate Cake. And then he turned to Andrea. “That tasted almost as good as you look tonight. I’ve got the most beautiful wife in the world.”

For one brief second Andrea looked shocked, but then she started to smile. “Thank you, honey,” she said.

Thank you, Bill, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. She was glad Bill had taken her advice when she’d cued him in about Andrea’s makeover. “Thank you, Mother,” she said instead. “That was a wonderful meal!”

Everyone else jumped on the bandwagon, thanking Delores for inviting them and complimenting her on her menu choice. When the thanks had died down, Delores rose to her feet and gestured toward Carrie. “We have some very good news, but I’ll let Carrie tell you. And after she does, I have some personal good news of my own.”

Delores sat down, and Carrie stood up. Hannah had a feeling they’d rehearsed this. “I’m not sure you know this, but Marge and Patsy asked us to hold a silent auction for the Honus Wagner baseball card that belonged to their brother, Gus. We sent out notices yesterday morning, and as of two o’clock this afternoon, our Granny’s Attic Web site had received five firm offers.”

“Tell them about the minimum opening bid,” Delores prompted.

“The minimum opening bid for the card was one million, five hundred thousand dollars,” Carrie said. “That’s the least it could sell for. And the fact that we’ve received five bids in less than forty-eight hours shows that there are a lot of interested parties out there. I wouldn’t be surprised if the winning bid is over two million dollars.”

“When does the bidding close?” Andrea asked.

“Next Saturday morning at ten. We gave them a week to discuss it with their clients and enter a bid.”

“That’s wonderful!” Hannah clapped her hands. And then she asked the question she knew was on everyone’s mind. “Who gets the money?”

“It’ll be divided evenly between Marge and Patsy,” Delores told them. “Gus never married, and he had no children. Marge and Patsy are his only surviving siblings.”

Herb gulped so loudly, they all heard it. “You mean Mom and Aunt Patsy could each inherit almost a million dollars?”

“That’s right,” Carrie told him, “minus our commission, of course. And now Delores has something to tell you.”

“It’s the real reason we’re celebrating tonight,” Delores said, smiling at all of them, “but not even Carrie knows why.”

Carrie nodded. “It’s true. She wouldn’t tell me. She said she wanted to tell everyone all together.”

All eyes were on Delores, and she clearly reveled in the moment. Hannah decided to ask the critical question. “What are we celebrating, Mother?”

“Remember when we all got together at the Inn the last time?” Delores asked.

“I remember.”

“And I said I was working on a secret project, and I’d tell you if it actually happened?”

“I remember,” Hannah said.

“Well…it happened.”

“What happened?” at least four of them asked at once, and Delores laughed.