“Fine with me!” Hannah gave a little laugh. “Have you ever been through a tornado, Norman?”
“Not outside, but Mom used to rush me down in the basement every time the tornado warning siren went off. Actually, I’m not sure which one would be worse—the tornado or the cellar. The cellar smelled musty, and except for one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, it was dark down there.”
“My mother did the same thing,” Hannah said, remembering how she’d hated going down the stairs into the gloom. “It always seemed to take forever for the siren to sound an all-clear.”
They rode in silence for several minutes until Hannah spotted another boat in the distance. It was moving, too, but there was something strange about it. The boat looked as if it were making big circles in the water, following some sort of pattern. It was a strange way to troll, and she decided to ask Norman about it.
“Look at that boat ahead of us, Norman. I think it’s going in circles. Is that some new kind of trolling for Walleyes?”
“Where?”
Hannah pointed off in the distance. “It’s fairly close to the water lily garden.”
“I see it,” Norman said when he’d located the other boat. “There’s a pair of binoculars in back of my seat, Hannah. They’re in a green case with a strap. Can you get them for me so I can take a closer look?”
Hannah leaned back in her seat and located the bag with the binoculars. She took them out of the case and handed them to Norman. “Here you go, Norman.”
Norman slipped the strap around his neck and slowed the progress of his boat. Then he adjusted the binoculars and nodded. “Okay. I can see it better now. It looks like . . . hold on a second. I’m going to adjust the magnification.”
“Is there something wrong?” Hannah asked as Norman made a distressed sound.
“I think so. I’ll have to get a little closer to see for sure, but it looks like someone’s bent over the wheel and that’s why the boat is going in circles.”
Hannah took the binoculars when Norman handed them to her and watched as he drove toward the other boat. “Hand me the binoculars again, Hannah. I don’t want to disturb one of the other contestants if there’s nothing wrong.”
They had gotten close enough so that Hannah could see the other boat clearly now. Norman was right. There was someone draped over the wheel and that’s why the boat was circling. “Should we go closer?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. Just let me . . . no! Do you have your cell phone with you, Hannah?”
“Yes. It’s right here in my purse. Is something wrong, Norman?”
“Yes, I think there may be. Do you have Mike’s number? He told us all that we could reach him at any time during the contest.”
“Even out on the lake?”
“Yes. Wally arranged for a cell phone tower right next to the Inn. Call Mike and tell him where we are and then I’ll talk to him.”
Mike’s number was on Hannah’s speed dial, and she got him on the phone almost immediately.
“What’s up, Hannah?”
“I’m out here with Norman and he wants to talk to you.” Hannah handed her phone to Norman. She listened as Norman quickly explained the situation with the other fishing boat.
“I didn’t want to get too close,” Norman said, “but I thought you should know there may be something wrong.” He listened for a moment and then he gave a nod. “Okay. Hannah and I will wait until you get here. We’re fairly close to the water lily garden, if you know where that is.” He listened again and then he said, “Thanks, Mike. It’s probably nothing, but we’ll see you in a few.”
“Mike knows where we are?” Hannah asked, dropping her cell phone back into her purse.
“Lonnie does. Mike said the Murphy boys fished this lake every summer with Cyril.”
“What do you think is wrong?” Hannah asked, hoping she wouldn’t regret asking the question.
“I don’t know, but it’s odd. Hand me the binoculars again, Hannah. I’m going to keep an eye on that boat until Mike arrives.”
“Do you think the fisherman who’s bent over the wheel is sick?”
“Maybe.” Norman adjusted the binoculars again. “It doesn’t look like he’s moved at all.”
“Do you think he could be . . . really sick?” Hannah asked, not wanting to ask the dire possibility that was running through her mind.
“Don’t think about it now, Hannah. We’ll find out exactly what’s wrong when Mike and Lonnie get here.”
BREAKFAST ENCHILADAS
DO NOT preheat the oven yet—you can make these ahead of time, put them in the pans, and refrigerate until you wish to finish this dish.
Ingredients:
1 ounce (2 Tablespoons, ? stick) salted butter
12 large eggs (Yes, that’s a whole dozen!)
1 pound shredded pepper Jack cheese (use regular Jack cheese if you don’t want it spicy)
2 pounds pork breakfast sausage (I got the kind in the chub, 1 pound each)
1 pound bacon (regular and NOT thick sliced)
2 cups frozen Potatoes O’Brien (if you can’t find those, you can use ? cup chopped onions with round hash browns or tater tots cut in half)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese (I used Kraft Finely Shredded Mexican Four Cheese)
2 four-ounce cans chopped green chilies, drained (I used Ortega green chilies)
Hot sauce, optional (I used Slap Ya Mama brand hot sauce)
24 soft-taco sized flour tortillas
1 can or jar (28 ounces) red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
1 can or jar (28 ounce) green enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
1 jar (15.5 ounce) medium-heat salsa (I used Tostitos)
Directions:
Prepare your pans. You will need two 9-inch by 13-inch cake pans sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you’re having company for breakfast, you can prepare the pans of ingredients the night before, cover them with foil, and put them in the refrigerator overnight. Then all you have to do in the morning is take out the pans, let the contents warm up to room temperature, and pour on the enchilada sauce.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you can’t find shredded pepper Jack cheese, just buy it in a block and grate it when you get ready to use it. Pepper Jack cheese is difficult to shred because it’s a soft cheese, so keep it in the ’fridge until you are ready to grate it.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: if you can’t find shredded Mexican cheese, you can use shredded Italian cheese or shredded cheddar.
Place the ounce of salted butter in the bottom of a large frying pan.
Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat them up with a wire whisk.
Put the shredded (or grated) pepper Jack cheese in a second bowl.
Heat the frying pan over MEDIUM heat, moving the ounce of salted butter around with a spatula so that the entire bottom of the pan is covered with melted butter.
Pour in the eggs you’ve whisked and move them around with the spatula. Make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Continue to stir and add the pepper Jack cheese to the frying pan. Make sure the cheese and the eggs don’t stick to the bottom of the frying pan.