“It feels better.” Danielle removed the towel and managed a small smile. “I never even thought about using frozen peas before. I guess it’s true when they say that vegetables are good for you.”

Danielle’s sad attempt at humor made Hannah see red. Danielle had said she’d never thought about using frozen peas before. This obviously wasn’t the first time that Coach Watson had battered his wife. Hannah thought about trying to convince Danielle to press charges, or offering her advice about how she could get out of her abusive situation, but that could wait until later. Right now she had to find out if Boyd Watson was a murderer, as well as a wife beater.

“It looks a lot better,” Hannah assured her. “Have some tea and then hold it there for another couple of minutes.”

Danielle nodded and took a sip of her tea. “You put a lot of sugar in.”

“Sugar’s good for shock.” Hannah retrieved the bag of Black and White cookies she’d brought in from her truck. “Have a cookie. They’re chocolate.”

Danielle reached for a cookie and nibbled at it. “These are good, Hannah.”

“Thanks. Do you have a headache?”

“It’s not a concussion, Hannah. I know the symptoms.”

I’ll bet you do! Hannah thought. If she remembered correctly, Danielle had been in the hospital several times in the past—once for a broken leg and other times for less serious injuries. She’d always claimed that she’d been clumsy and fallen on the ice, or broken something skiing, or been in a boat accident while she was fishing with her husband. Hannah remembered her sister’s comment about Danielle’s clothes and how they always covered her completely. That should have set off alarm bells in Hannah’s mind, especially since Luanne had already told her that Danielle used theatrical makeup for facial blemishes. The only thing that erupted on Danielle Watson’s face was her husband’s bad temper!

Danielle took another sip of her tea and then held the improvised ice pack back up to her cheek. “You won’t tell anyone about this, will you, Hannah?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Hannah promised, evading a direct answer. She certainly wouldn’t gossip about it, and that was really what Danielle had meant. “If you ever want to talk to anyone about it, I’m here. All you have to do is call me or jump in the car and come over. I’ve got a guest room and you can use it anytime you need to get away.”

“Thank you, Hannah.”

There would never be a better opportunity and Hannah seized it. “There’s something else, Danielle. If you want to press charges, I’ll help you.”

“No, I could never do that!”

It was the answer that Hannah had expected. She knew that most battered women mistakenly protected their abusers, at least until the problem got so severe that someone else noticed. Unless Danielle pressed charges, or someone actually saw Coach Watson hitting Danielle, there was nothing that the authorities could do. Hannah decided she’d give it one more try and then move on. “If you press charges, Boyd will get some help.”