Hannah winced as she remembered the last shopping trip she’d taken with her mother. Delores had wanted her to buy a dress coat instead of her all-purpose parka. “That’s all right, Mother. I know how busy you are. And that reminds me, how’s your tooth?”

“My tooth?” Delores appeared startled, and Hannah bit back a grin. Did her mother think that the news on the gossip grapevine traveled in only one direction? “It’s fine now, dear. Norman’s a marvelous dentist. Did I tell you that I saw Ron LaSalle driving away?”

“No, but Norman did. You didn’t talk to Ron, did you?”

“He was pulling out when I drove up and all I saw was the back of his truck. For all I know, it wasn’t even Ron.” Her mother looked very flustered. “Do you think that I should report it to Bill?”

“Definitely. Bill’s trying to account for Ron’s actions on the morning that he died, and what you saw might help.”

Carrie shivered slightly. “It’s frightening to think that someone we all knew could be shot down in broad daylight on our streets.”

“I know.” Delores sighed. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s Herb Beeseman’s fault. That boy spends all his time writing tickets and he’s never where he’s really needed. If he’d stuffed that citation book in his pocket where it belongs, he might have been there in time to save Ron’s life!”

Hannah knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t do it. “Herb was hired to enforce Lake Eden’s traffic regulations, not to patrol the streets hunting for would-be killers.”

“She’s right, Delores,” Carrie said and then she turned to Hannah. “It must have been terrible for you, dear. Imagine something like that happening right in back of your shop!”

Delores didn’t look very sympathetic. “Hannah can handle things like that. She’s always been strong. She gets it from me. Isn’t that right, Hannah?”

Hannah managed to keep her lips pressed firmly together. This from the woman who’d fainted when she’d found a dead squirrel on her back doorstep!

“We’d better move along, Delores.” Carrie nudged her. “You know how upset these older women get when someone holds up the line.”

Hannah came very close to losing it. With the exception of Mrs. Priscilla Knudson, the Lutheran minister’s grandmother, Carrie was the oldest lady in the group.

After Hannah had served the remaining women in line, she picked up her cookie tray and stepped out to mingle. She had quite a few takers. Her Regency Ginger Crisps were going over big. She’d just finished serving Bertie Straub, the owner-operator of the Cut ’n Curl, when she overheard part of a conversation that Maryann Watson, Coach Watson’s sister, was having with one of the secretaries at DelRay, Lucille Rahn.

“You have no idea how generous my brother is when it comes to Danielle,” Maryann confided. “He paid an absolute fortune for her birthday present.”

Lucille took a dainty bite of her cookie. “Really? How could he afford to buy something that expensive on a teacher’s salary?”