“So Sonny had Lily completely fooled about his personality?” Hannah asked.
“That’s a nice way to put it,” Janette said, giving a humorless smile. “Lily was completely under Sonny’s spell, and I know that she wouldn’t have believed anything bad about him. My hands were tied when it came to talking to her about Sonny. I had to be very careful that I didn’t say anything bad about him and alienate her. It’s true that I didn’t want her to marry him, but I couldn’t come right out and tell her that. I simply kept hoping and hoping that she’d see his faults for herself.”
Hannah gave a little sigh. “And that never happened?”
“No, at least, not that I know about. Lily was always so bright and creative. She saw through people almost immediately. But there was something about Sonny that blindsided her.”
“It sounds as if you were walking a tightrope between trying to guide your daughter and fearing you’d alienate her,” Andrea said.
“That’s right! And that’s exactly the way I felt.” Janette looked grateful that someone seemed to understand. “I probably shouldn’t say this, and I know that Lily would be horrified to hear it, but . . . I’m not sorry that Sonny is dead!”
Chapter Sixteen
Sally glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, and turned to Janette. “We have to go, Janette. I promised to take you in to see Mike.”
“I know he’s going to want to ask me all sorts of questions.”
“Take some bar cookies with you, Janette,” Andrea invited, getting up to prepare and package some of her cookies for Lily’s mother.
“You’d better prepare a box for Mike, too,” Hannah warned her sister. “That way, Mike won’t eat all of Janette’s cookies.”
“You’re right,” Andrea said, hurrying to prepare another box of cookies. “If I were you, Janette, I wouldn’t let Mike see that you have two packages. He might eat them all!”
“I’ll take yours up to your room,” Sally said. “That way, Mike won’t be tempted!”
Hannah waited until Sally and Janette had left and then she turned to Andrea. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Well, what did you think of what Janette told us.”
“I thought it was . . . sad. I think she really loves Lily and she wants the best for her. And she told us, straight out, that she didn’t think that Sonny was the best for her daughter.”
“That’s all true.” Hannah was silent. She wanted Andrea to think about what they’d heard.
“She came right out and told us that she didn’t think the fact that Sonny was gone was a bad thing for Lily.” Andrea stopped and began to frown. “You don’t think that . . .”
“Everyone’s a suspect until they have an alibi,” Hannah told her.
“But Janette said she was at the St. Cloud store, going over their books.”
“I know. Are you going to take her at her word?”
“Well . . . maybe not. Do you think we should check with someone at the store?”
“I think we should,” Hannah replied. “You’re better at that than I am. You make the call to them.”
“Really?” Andrea looked surprised and then a big smile spread over her face. “You’d trust me to do that?”
“Absolutely. Just let me know what happens. In the meantime, let’s mix up another batch of your Apricot, Coconut, and Milk Chocolate Bar Cookies for the lunch buffet.”
“Okay, but I already baked two batches.”
“I know you did. They’re wonderful, Andrea! And I think they’re going to be a huge hit. Your two batches will be gone in a flash, and they’re going to want more.”
“Really?” Andrea looked very pleased. “I hope you’re right, Hannah. Otherwise we’re going to have another couple of batches left over.”
“Not necessarily,” Hannah told her with a laugh. “You’re forgetting about Mike. The minute he tastes them, he’s going to want even more for himself.”
Once Andrea and Hannah had baked another batch of Apricot, Coconut, and Milk Chocolate Bar Cookies, they cleaned up the kitchen and left. Sally had gone to see Mike and Lonnie with Janette, and there was nothing else to do until they served the lunch buffet for the fishermen after the noon weigh-in.
“You can leave early if you want to, Andrea,” Hannah told her sister. “I can handle the lunch buffet.”
Andrea shook her head. “Grandma McCann is taking Tracey and Bethie out to her farm right after she picks up Bethie from preschool. They’re going to plant a little flower garden.”
Hannah began to smile. “That’s really nice. I know how much Tracey loves flowers.”
“Yes, and I’m hopeless when it comes to planting anything,” Andrea admitted. “I can’t even grow nasturtiums and they’re the easiest flower in the world to grow.” Andrea led the way to the elevator and held the door for Hannah. “Do you want to take a nap?”
Hannah considered that for a moment, and then she shook her head. “No. I probably should be tired, but I’d rather do something else before the fishermen come in.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I’d like to . . . go out on the lake. The weather’s nice and it’s relaxing to be on the water. It’s too bad we don’t have a boat.”
“I bet we can borrow a boat. Let’s ask Dick if there’s an extra boat we can use. I know how to handle an outboard motor.”
“So do I, and I’m okay in a rowboat, too. We could even take one of the Inn’s canoes if you promise that you won’t stand up and wave at someone.”
Andrea rolled her eyes at the ceiling as they got into the elevator. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
Hannah laughed. “No, you’re not. You dumped both of us in the lake when you saw Bill’s boat ahead of us.”
“I didn’t mean to. And we managed to right the canoe and bail out all the water,” Andrea pointed out.
“And we also managed to get absolutely soaked.”
“True,” Andrea conceded. “Maybe a rowboat is a better idea, but let’s ask Dick anyway. He’s probably cleaning and restocking the bar.”
“Okay. Let’s pick up our jackets and go back down,” Hannah suggested, getting off the elevator when it stopped at the second floor and leading the way to their room.
It didn’t take long to get into warmer clothing and grab their jackets. In less than five minutes both sisters were ready for an outing on Eden Lake. They rode the elevator back down to the ground floor, walked down the long hallway, and went straight to Dick’s bar.
“He’s here,” Andrea said, stating the obvious.
“Hello, ladies!” Dick called out, as they entered the bar. “You know that I’m closed . . . right?”
“We know,” Hannah said, walking up to the bar and taking a seat on a barstool. “We just came by to ask you if you had a boat that we could borrow. Andrea and I would like to go out on the lake for a while before the lunch buffet.”
“You can use mine,” Dick told them. “Do you know how to operate an inboard motor?”
“I do,” Hannah spoke up.
“So do I,” Andrea added. “I went with Bill when he took his new boat out on the lake, and he let me drive.”