it must have been after nine.”
“How do you know that?”
“I grabbed a quick sandwich and then I came back to test my fill lights. I saw Connie Mac and Janie through your window when I left to go home.”
“You’d better tell Mike and Bill.”
“I will. I’m sorry you were the one to find her, Hannah. It must have been awful.”
“It was.” Hannah nodded. Then she took a deep breath and managed a shaky laugh. “After all the others, you’d think I’d be used to it by now.”
“I don’t think you ever get used to something like that.”
“Maybe not, but if I keep on finding dead bodies, I’d better put the sheriff’s number on speed-dial.”
Norman chuckled. “Your sense of humor is coming back. You’re going to be fine, Hannah.”
“Of course I am.”
The back door of The Cookie Jar opened and Mike stepped out. He frowned when he spotted Norman, but then he put on a polite smile as he strode forward across the snow. “Hi, Norman. It’s a good thing you’re here. Hannah shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. I would have stayed with her myself, but I’ve got a job to do inside.”
“Go ahead,” Norman responded. “I’ll stay with Hannah.”
That comment earned another frown from Mike, and Hannah’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Norman and Mike were facing off like two banty roosters, and she was no spring chicken.
“I’ve got some bad news for you, Hannah.” Mike didn’t look happy as he turned to her. “Your shop is a crime scene. We’ll be securing it in a couple of minutes.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. When it did, Hannah groaned. She’d seen enough cop shows and movies to know that only authorized personnel were allowed past the barrier of yellow crime scene tape. “You mean I can’t go back inside?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ll send Bill out with your purse. I really shouldn’t do it, but since it wasn’t here when the crime was committed, I’m willing to bend the rules a little.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” Hannah asked him.
“Go home, get some rest, and try to forget about this. The forensics guys are on their way and we’ll take care of everything.”
Hannah’s thoughts were so jumbled, it was difficult to think clearly. If she couldn’t get into her kitchen, how could she bake the cookies she needed for the Winter Carnival? “I know I have to wait until the forensic team is through, but I can get back in soon, can’t I? I’ve got to bake cookies for this afternoon.”
“Sorry, Hannah.” Mike looked glum as he shook his head. “I can’t let anyone disturb the scene until the lab results are in.”
“How long does that take?”
“It depends. Our lab’s not set up for DNA testing and we have to send it out. And depending on the results, our guys may have to come back in to collect more samples. I know it’s an inconvenience, but I can’t let you contaminate possible evidence.”
“Just a minute,” Norman said, stepping up to face Mike squarely. “You didn’t answer Hannah’s question. How long could she be locked out?”
“It’s not up to me, Norman. If I had my way, I’d let Hannah back in just as soon as we collect all the samples. Unfortunately, it’s not up to me.”
“How long could she be locked out?” Norman repeated his question. “At least give Hannah a ballpark figure. She’s got to make plans.”
Mike sighed and turned to Hannah. “Worst-case scenario, it could be as long as it takes us to catch the killer.”
“What happens if you don’t catch the killer?” Hannah frowned at the man who had recently been the subject of her romantic fantasies.
“We will. I just spoke to Sheriff Grant and he’s putting every available man on this. You have to be patient. It could take a while.”
Hannah’s frown turned into a glare. “But I don’t have a while! If my shop is locked up for long, I’ll go bankrupt.”
“Let’s not borrow trouble.” Mike reached out to take her arm, but Hannah snatched it back out of his reach. “I’m not the enemy here, Hannah. It’s police procedure and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”
Hannah glared at him. “Is it fair that I should lose my business because a killer committed murder in my pantry?”
“Of course it’s not fair, but I have to follow procedure here.”
Hannah knew that Mike was a by-the-book cop. When it came to procedure, nothing would budge him. “Could you bring out my muffins? They’re on a shelf in the pantry in plastic containers, and I need to deliver them this morning.”
“Sorry. There could be prints on some of the containers.”
Hannah gave a resigned sigh. Her muffins would be history by the time the crime scene guys got around to lifting the prints. “How about the cookie dough I mixed up last night?”
“That depends. Where is it?”
“In the cooler, and that’s completely separate from the pantry. Since Connie Mac brought her own ingredients, there was no reason for her to go in there.”
“If we don’t find any suspicious prints on the cooler door, I’ll release your cookie dough. In the meantime, try to find an oven you can use temporarily.”
Once Mike had left to go back inside, Norman pulled Hannah close again. “It’s not the end of the world. All we have to do is find you another oven to use. Let’s go to the clinic and I’ll help you make some calls.”
“It won’t be that easy.” Hannah was about to explain the difference between a home oven and a commercial oven when she saw another car pull into the alley. “Oh-oh! There’s Mother. She’s convinced I’m on a perpetual safari for dead bodies just so I can embarrass her.”
Delores fishtailed to a stop when she noticed the sheriff’s cruiser. She rolled down her window and called out to Hannah. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but Connie Mac’s dead.”
With no regard for any other traffic that might come along, Delores left her car in the center of the alley and got out. When she arrived at Hannah’s side, she was breathless. “Did you say dead?”
“That’s right,” Norman said, moving close to Hannah. “Someone killed her last night while she was baking the Winter Carnival cake.”
“In my shop,” Hannah added. “Now it’s a crime scene and Bill and Mike are going to close it down.”
“That’s terrible!” Delores gasped.
“Yes,”
