“And that’s it?” Hannah asked, gazing at the two men in surprise. “That’s all you’ll do?”

“That’s all we can do,” Mike corrected her.

“So she’ll just stay in the Winnetka County Children’s Home until they decide she’s eighteen?”

Mike shrugged. “That’s the way it happens sometimes. But don’t forget that there’s a reason she ran away from home in the first place. Maybe she’s better off in the county home.”

Hannah had done volunteer work at the Winnetka County Children’s Home. The children were well cared for and the staff tried their best to make it cheerful, but the old granite building was an institution, not a real home.

“Gotta run,” Mike said, standing up and reaching out for Hannah’s hand. “How about Saturday night? Do you want to go have a burger and take in a movie or something?”

“I’d love to,” Hannah said, glad that her voice hadn’t squeaked, or quavered, or done anything to show how excited she was that he’d asked her for another date.

“See you at six, then. If you’re ready to leave now, I’ll walk you to the front door.”

“We’ll both walk her to the front door,” Bill said, getting to his feet. “It’s the least we can do for all those cookies.”

Hannah felt a little strange as Bill took her left arm and Mike took her right. And she felt even stranger as they walked down the hallway toward the desk at the entrance. If anyone had been waiting in the plastic chairs in the lobby, she might have felt the need to explain that she wasn’t under arrest, that the detective on her left was her brother-in-law and the man on her right was her date for Saturday night.

BUTTER-SCOTCHIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter (2 sticks, ½ pound—melted)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white (granulated) sugar

2 eggs—beaten (just beat them up in a glass with a fork)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour (don’t sift—pack it down in the cup)

2 cups butterscotch chips (an 11-ounch package will do just fine)

1 ½ cups rolled oats (uncooked oatmeal—I used

Quaker’s Quick 1-Minute rolled oats)

Melt the butter in large microwave-safe bowl. (About 90 seconds on HIGH.) Add the sugars and let it cool a bit. Then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the flour and then the butterscotch chips. Add the rolled oats and mix in thoroughly. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes to allow the butter to solidify.

You can either drop this dough by rounded teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet, or roll the dough in balls with your hands and place them on the cookie sheet, pushing them down just a bit so they won’t roll off on their way to the oven. (I prefer rolling the dough balls—the cookies turn out nice and round.)