Delores thought about that for a moment, and then she shook her head. “Perhaps not. Just let me finish this cookie, and then we’ll talk.”

Hannah waited, her mother chewed, and the second cookie disappeared. “What else do you want to know?” she asked.

“Was there much blood?” Delores gave another little shiver and raised her coffee cup to her lips.

“No, Mother. She was facedown in the water, and the wound was washed clean.”

“Do you think she…suffered before she died?”

Hannah gave a little shrug. “I hope not, but I really don’t know. Only Doc Knight would be able to tell that.”

“I wonder how he could tell.”

“I think it would be pretty simple. If she didn’t die instantly or bleed out, she probably drowned. If she bled out, he could tell by the amount of blood left in her body. If she drowned, there would be water in her lungs.”

“That’s enough, dear. Let’s not talk about it anymore.” Delores took another sip of her coffee. “Will you let me know when you find out?”

“What makes you think I’m going to find out?”

Delores looked shocked. “Well, you’re going to investigate, aren’t you? You simply have to, Hannah!”

“Why do I have to, Mother?”

“Because we all have to work to catch Ronni’s killer before my launch party!”

I should have known it had something to do with you, Hannah thought, but she remained silent. Verbalizing that sentiment would only hurt her mother’s feelings. The book launch party, the very first for Delores, was an important event in her mother’s life. “Okay, Mother,” Hannah said instead. “I’ll do my best to catch Ronni’s killer. But I don’t really understand how it could possibly hurt your party if the case is still open.”

“Use your head, dear. Everybody will be talking about Ronni’s murder and how the killer hasn’t been caught yet. And no one will pay the least bit of attention to my book!”

So it was competition for the limelight. Now Hannah understood. Everyone should be focused on Delores’s book and nothing else. She was about to say that people were coming because they liked Delores and wanted to read her book, but her mother had a point. Everyone would be speculating about Ronni if her killer hadn’t been apprehended.

“You see what I mean, don’t you, dear?”

“I do, but don’t worry, Mother. I’ll catch him long before then.”

“You’re certain you can?”