“And if he wants us to join them for coffee afterward, that would be nice,” Hannah jumped in, even though it meant that she had to admit she’d been following what was supposed to be a private conversation.

“Nice touch,” Michelle said, patting Hannah on the shoulder.

Hannah smiled. “I thought so. I want to meet her.”

“But does she want to meet you?” Michelle countered.

Andrea shushed them both by holding up her hand. “Bill says that’ll be fine. She wants to meet us all anyway. They’re leaving the sheriff’s station now, so they’ll be only fifteen minutes or so behind us.”

Michelle waited until Andrea had ended the call, and then she tapped her on the shoulder. “Have you met her yet?” she asked.

“No. I just hope she’s not…”

“Really attractive?” Michelle guessed.

“That, too. But I was thinking more about the department. I hope she’s not critical of the way Bill’s been running things.”

“Right,” Hannah said.

“I understand,” Michelle added. “Maybe we should point out that Bill has no unsolved murder cases on the books.”

Hannah gave a nod. “That’s good. We could all sing Bill’s praises, but if his cliché is true and her mind really is like a steel trap, she’ll see right through it. Maybe we ought to give her some cookies for her office instead. That usually brings people around.”

“Good idea.” Michelle turned to look at the cookies Hannah always carried in the back. “Do you have anything good to give her?”

“Do I have anything good?” Hannah did her best to sound outraged.

“You know what she means,” Andrea gave a little laugh. “Do you have anything that a tough-as-nails, brave-as-a-lion, mind-like-a-steel-trap visiting detective would like?”

“I’ve got Blueberry Crunch Cookies. I packed them up for Mother, but I’ve got enough for Detective Parks, too.”

“Perfect,” Andrea pronounced. “They ought to sweeten her up.”

“In more ways than one,” Hannah said.

BLUEBERRY CRUNCH COOKIES

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

1 cup melted butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound)

2 cups white (granulated) sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons baking soda

2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up with a fork)

2½ cups flour (no need to sift—pack it down when you measure it)

1 cup dried sweetened blueberries (other dried fruit will also work if you cut it in blueberry-sized pieces)

2 cups GROUND dry oatmeal (measure before grinding)

Hannah’s 1st Note: Mixing this dough is much easier with an electric mixer, but you can also do it by hand.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute on HIGH. Add the white sugar and mix it in thoroughly.

Add the vanilla, salt, and the baking soda. Mix it in well.

When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the beaten eggs. When they are fully incorporated, add 197 the flour in half-cup increments, stirring after each addition.

Mix in the dried blueberries.