She was almost there. Hannah pulled off at the next exit and took the access road to the turnoff that led to Cyril’s garage. It was two miles down a gravel road and even though it was bumpy, she was glad to be off the highway. She pulled in past the gas pumps, past the metal shed where the limousines were kept for Cyril’s second business, Shamrock Limo, and pulled up close to the door that led to the customer waiting room.

Lisa must have been watching for her because she dashed out the door almost before Hannah’s truck stopped, holding a newspaper over her head as an umbrella. “We’re going to be late,” she said, climbing into the passenger seat. “It’s almost nine.”

“No problem. Andrea and Michelle are opening for us and Mother offered to fill the cookie jars. Everything’s under control.”

“Oh, good!” Lisa buckled her seatbelt. “Cyril thought he’d be finished by now, but they sent the wrong fuel pump and he had to order a new one. He promised to have my car ready by five and I can pick it up when I get off work today.”

“I’ll give you a ride out here,” Hannah offered, glancing down at the newspaper that Lisa had dropped to the floorboards. “Is that the Lake Eden Journal?”

“Yes. I think you should buy up all the copies so your mother doesn’t see the article.”

“Too late. Mother came in this morning waving the paper and spitting nails.”

“I can understand that. But everybody knows that Rod tends to go too far when he tries to be funny. Did you manage to calm her down before you left?”

“I think so. She ate four Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies.”

“And that did it?”

“It seemed to. Before I left The Cookie Jar, she actually smiled and made me promise not to find any more dead bodies.”

“Okay then.” Lisa frowned slightly. “I’m sorry I missed the wedding planning meeting, but maybe it’s a good thing I did. I just don’t have any more ideas for the wedding cake and the table decorations. It’s hard to plan when she hasn’t settled on the wedding colors yet.”

“That’s okay. We didn’t have time for the meeting anyway.” Hannah came to the entrance that led to the highway, but she bypassed it to continue down the gravel road.

“Aren’t we taking the highway?”

“No. My windshield wipers need replacing and I was practically blinded every time someone passed me. I figured we’re better off taking the back roads to town.”

“Fine with me.” Lisa rolled down her window and breathed in the cool air.

“You’re going to get wet,” Hannah warned her.

“I know, but I’ve got another blouse at the shop. And it’s like a sauna in here. It’s too bad you can’t get your climate-control system fixed.”

Hannah laughed. “What climate-control system? They didn’t call it that when my cookie truck was built. And even if I had one, it probably wouldn’t work. At least Mike had the heater fixed . . . sort of. And the air-conditioning has never worked right. Cyril says I need a whole new unit and it’s just not worth sinking the money into something this old.”