”That’s enough Todd family history for now,” Hannah said, holding up her hand in a gesture that meant halt in any language. “I think I might have come up with something that’ll please everybody, you included.”

“What?” Andrea asked, looking hopeful.

“Bethany.”

“That’s one of my favorite names! But … do you get Bethany out of Regina Anatolia and Delores Elizabeth?”

Hannah grinned, feeling rather proud of herself. This had taken some fast brainwork. “Beth is a nickname for Elizabeth. And Annie could be a nickname for Anatolia. Combine the two and you get Beth-Annie or Bethany.”

“Perfect,” Andrea said, reaching out to give her older sister a hug. “You did it, Hannah. Mother’s going to be pleased, and so is Bill’s mother. You’re a miracle worker, especially if you can find me some chocolate somewhere in this hospital.”

<21>

Due to a stroke of good fortune, Hannah just happened to have her emergency stash of three Chocolate Chip Crunch cookies in plastic wrap in her coat pocket, and she turned them over to Andrea without a whimper. Then she hurried off to the nursery to have a peek at Bethany. She was about to leave in search of Mike so that she could return the keys to his Hummer, when Mike found her at the nursery window.

“Is that her?”

There was something close to reverence in Mike’s tone and Hannah smiled. “That’s Bethany. Andrea just named her.”

“I like it. It was one of the names on our list when … “

Mike stopped in mid-sentence and Hannah reached out to squeeze his arm. She knew his wife had been killed by a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting when she was pregnant with their first baby. “So, do you think she’s pretty?”

“She’s the most beautiful baby in the nursery,” Mike said with a smile. “Of course she’s also the only baby in the nursery, but that doesn’t count.”

Mike’s arm tightened around her, and Hannah did her best to switch gears. They had unfinished business. Since Shawna Lee had already landed in Georgia, they were no longer engaged in the brownie wars. She needed Mike to return the pan of Hot Brownies before he tasted them.

“You know those brownies I brought out to the sheriff’s station this morning?” Hannah dived right in. “I hope you haven’t tasted them yet, because I think I might have made a mistake and left out an ingredient. If you’ll give them back, I’ll dump them and bake you another batch.”

“No way!” Mike said, staring at her with a frown.

“Why not?”

“Because I tasted them, and they’re terrific. They’ve got jalapeños, right?”

“Uh … right,” Hannah said, and she swallowed hard. Mike didn’t look all that angry, but you could never tell about a guy who was used to hiding his emotions in an interrogation room.