into the dark, frigid morning that still looked like the middle of the night.
The security lights on the side of the building went on as Hannah descended the outside staircase. Because of the Northern latitude, they got a real workout during the winter, when the days were short and the sun shone for less than eight hours. Most Lake Eden residents drove to work in the dark and came home in the dark, and if they worked in a place without windows, there were days at a stretch when they never caught a glimpse of the sun.
Hannah blinked in the glare of the high-wattage bulbs, designed to ensure a crime-free environment, and held onto the railing as she went down the steps. Once she arrived at ground level, another set of stairs led to the underground garage. Hannah was about to descend them when a tough-sounding male voice rang out behind her.
“Put up your hands and face the wall, lady. Do exactly what I say, or I’ll blow you away!”
Chapter Two
Hannah wasn’t sure whether to be frightened or angry as she raised her hands in the air. There’d never been any sort of crime in her condo complex before, and it was the last thing she’d expected. Mike Kingston, head of the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Detective Division, had promised to teach her some self-defense moves, but he hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Hannah dated him occasionally, and after two separate occasions when she’d found herself in imminent danger of occupying one of Doc Knight’s steel tables at the morgue, Mike had suggested she learn what to do if someone threatened bodily harm.
Even though she didn’t appreciate being waylaid only a few feet from her door in a condo complex that had been gated to keep out intruders, Hannah knew she shouldn’t take foolish risks. She took a deep breath and dutifully recited the phrase that her father had drummed into her head when she’d gone off to college. “Take anything you want, but please don’t hurt me.”
“Hug the wall and don’t move a muscle. Keep your hands up where I can see them.”
Hannah frowned as she followed his orders. His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. She was still trying to identify it when a snowball splattered harmlessly over her head, raining snow down on the top of her stocking cap.
“Gotcha!”
The moment the man laughed, his voice was paired with a freckled face in Hannah’s mind and she whirled around angrily. “Greg Canfield! Of all the idiotic, senseless…”
“Sorry, Hannah,” Greg interrupted her tirade. “I saw you walking to your truck and I couldn’t resist. Are you mad at me?”
“I should be. You scared me half to death!” Hannah gave him a reluctant smile. When they’d been in third grade, Greg Canfield had made a practice of lying in wait and pelting her with snowballs on her way home from school. Not one to take things lying down, Hannah had fought back. She’d landed her share of cold missiles that had dripped icy snow down Greg’s neck, and their snowball battles had lasted all winter, despite dire warnings from both mothers. When fourth grade had begun, Greg and Hannah had called a truce and they’d become friends. Hannah had been very disappointed when Greg’s parents had moved to Colorado, pulling Greg out of school before they entered the ninth grade.
All through high school, Hannah had thought about Greg and how much easier her social life would have been if she’d had a friend of the opposite sex. She’d even imagined that they might have been a lot more than just friends until she’d heard that Greg had married his high school girlfriend right after graduation.
“It’s good to see you again, Hannah.”
“Same here…I think,” Hannah responded, wondering why Greg was here. His grandmother, Mrs. Canfield, was one of her downstairs neighbors, but it was too early for a visit. “You’re not going to wake up your grandmother, are you?”
“Of course not.” Greg stepped forward to brush the snow from her cap. “Grandma always sleeps until nine.”
Hannah was even more confused. “Then what are you doing out here so early?”
“I woke up when the furnace went out and I went down to the basement to fix it. It was simple, just a loose connection. I didn’t want Grandma to wake up to a cold house.”
“You’re living with your grandmother now?”
“It’s just temporary. I had to stick around to tie up some loose ends and the house sold a lot faster than I expected. You never got out to my store at the mall, did you?”
Hannah felt a twinge of guilt. Her former classmate had moved back to the area a little over a year ago. He’d bought a house in a neighboring town and opened an import store at the Tri-County Mall. “I’m sorry, Greg. I really meant to drive out to see it, but the time was never right.”
“You should have come for my closeout sale. I had some incredible bargains.”
“I heard. Andrea was there and she said she practically bought you out. I’m sorry your store closed, Greg.”
“Water under the bridge,” Greg said with a shrug. “Retail really wasn’t my thing anyway. The hours were too long, and dealing with my suppliers was a nightmare.”
Hannah felt a bit uncomfortable. She really didn’t know what to say to someone who’d lost his business. “How about your wife? Is she living with your grandmother, too?”
“No. Annette flew to Denver right after the house sold. That’s where her parents live.”
Hannah nodded, wondering if Greg’s wife had bailed out on him. She’d met Annette only once, and she’d been left with the impression that Greg’s wife spent money as fast or faster than he could make it. It hadn’t taken Annette more than three minutes to inform Hannah that she’d been a classmate of Greg’s at one of Colorado’s most prestigious private schools, and that her parents lived on an estate in an exclusive suburb of Denver.
With a start, Hannah realized that Greg was gazing at her expectantly, and she responded with the first thing that popped into her mind. “Will you be staying in town for the Winter Carnival?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Greg started to grin, the same friendly grin Hannah recalled from her childhood, and the one she’d hoped would be smiling down at her in her senior prom picture. “It’s a great chance to see some of the kids I used to know. Maybe we can all get together for dinner at the Lake Eden Inn.”
“That would be great,” Hannah agreed. The inn’s owners, Dick and Sally Laughlin, had agreed to stay open for the Winter Carnival crowd. Between the Hartland Flour Bake-off last November and the party crowds at Christmas, the inn had generated good winter business. Sally had told Hannah that if the Winter Carnival turned into an annual event, they might be able to stay open year-round.
Greg glanced at his watch and frowned slightly. “Let’s try to get together later, Hannah. I’d love to stand here and chew the fat, but it’s almost time for me to go to work.”
“You’re working in Lake Eden?” Hannah was surprised that Greg had taken a temporary job. Perhaps his closeout sale hadn’t gone very well.
“I’m working out of Grandma’s condo and it’s going just great. I’ve made more money in the past three weeks than I ever made in retail.”
“Really?”
