“I love these!” Delores told Carrie, and they both reached out for a cookie. Delores and Carrie had met at Lake Eden’s Regency Romance Club more than twenty years ago and they had been best friends ever since.
“They’re delicious, as usual,” Delores told her, finishing her first cookie and reaching for a second.
“Yes, they are!” Carrie echoed her business partner’s sentiment. “Thank you for bringing them, Hannah.”
“There’s coffee or tea if you want it, dear.” Delores gestured toward the counter of the break room, where the coffeepot and electric teapot sat.
“I just bought a box of Florence’s best peppermint tea,” Carrie told Hannah. “I know you don’t usually drink tea, but it’s really delicious.”
Even though Hannah preferred coffee to tea, she fixed herself a cup. It was a way of subtly connecting with Carrie. Then she sat down at the round oak table that sat in the center of the break room.
“Carrie has a problem, dear,” Delores said, the moment Hannah had taken her first sip of tea and complimented Carrie on her choice.
“Tell me,” Hannah said, giving Carrie an encouraging smile. “I’d be happy to help, if I can.”
“I think you can,” Delores declared, and then she nodded to Carrie. “Go head, Carrie. Tell Hannah what’s going on.”
“Well . . . it’s Earl,” Carrie admitted in a voice that trembled slightly. “I’m afraid he’s going to . . . to do something violent!”
“What makes you think he might?” Hannah asked.
“It’s his background, Hannah. Most people don’t know this, but Earl was sent overseas when he was in his twenties. I don’t know where he went or what his job was because he never talks about anything that happened there. All he’ll tell me is that it was very hard and he did some things that he’d never do again unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“What do you think he did?” Hannah asked her.
“I don’t know. I asked him if he was ever in the military and he told me he wasn’t. When I mentioned it to your mother, she had an idea that might explain what he was talking about.”
“Mother?” Hannah turned to her. “What do you think Earl did?”
Delores cleared her throat. “Of course I don’t actually know, but Earl has a background in repairing and operating heavy machinery. He comes from around Lake Eden and I can remember my mother telling me that Earl went away to take construction courses somewhere in Florida. She was friends with Earl’s mother and I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but I’m sure it’s true. After all, Earl works for the county and he keeps the snowplows and bulldozers running.”
“And he told me that all the county equipment is as old as the hills,” Carrie added.
“It all makes sense if you think about it,” Delores continued. “I think that Earl could have been a civilian contractor who took a job overseas. If he found himself in a dangerous situation, Earl may have had to defend himself and his equipment. A job like that might place him in jeopardy without actually having been in the military.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “You’re right, Mother. That could explain everything. There’s only one other explanation that occurs to me.”
“What is it?” Carrie leaned forward expectantly.
“Perhaps Earl was in some kind of government organization like the CIA or something similar. Then perhaps he isn’t allowed to talk about what happened.”
“I didn’t even think of that!” Delores said. “It’s certainly possible, though.” She turned to Carrie, “I think we’ve thought of all the reasonable explanations, Carrie.”
Except, of course, that Earl is lying through his teeth about everything because he thinks it’ll make him seem more important, Hannah’s suspicious mind suggested, but she kept that thought to herself. Thinking it was one thing. Saying it was another. If she even suggested it to Carrie, it might make her worry even more. “What are you afraid Earl might do?” she asked Carrie instead.
It took Carrie a moment before she answered. Then she took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’m afraid that if Ross comes back to Lake Eden again, Earl will kill him! He was furious when he found out that Ross confronted you at The Cookie Jar.”
“But do you really think that Earl might resort to something like that?” Hannah asked.
Carrie wouldn’t meet Hannah’s eyes. “Yes, I do. Earl carries a gun and a rifle on his snowplow. He told me it’s just in case he runs into a bear or another dangerous animal and it attacks. And he told me that he killed a wildcat once when he got out to move a big tree branch from one of the isolated country roads at night.”
“Where is Earl plowing today?” Hannah asked, hoping that Carrie wouldn’t ask why she wanted to know.
“He’s out on the roads around Eden Lake. Jessie Pillager called this morning and asked if Earl could plow the road that runs past his lake cabin. It’s been snowed in since the blizzard and Jessie wants to go out to check the pipes.”
Hannah drew a deep breath in relief. Earl was nowhere in town and if Ross did show up to try to get his cash from the bank, Earl wouldn’t find out about it until after Ross had left.
“Jessie’s got a problem on his hands if he didn’t wrap those pipes,” Delores commented. “It was really cold last week.”
Carrie shrugged. “That’s Jessie. Earl says he likes to roll the dice when it comes to going out to winterize his cabin. He had to replace all his pipes year before last because he waited too long to wrap them and they burst.”
“What would you like me to do about this?” Hannah asked Carrie.
“Talk to Earl and tell him to be careful. The big problem is that Earl thinks the sun rises and sets on Norman. He adores my son. And he knows that Norman is in love with you. He also knows that Ross wronged you and he likes you a lot, Hannah. I wouldn’t put it past Earl to want to get even with Ross for hurting you.”
Hannah nodded even though she thought that Carrie was probably borrowing trouble. “I’ll talk to Earl,” she promised.
“Oh, good! He’ll be coming in The Cookie Jar sometime in the late morning or early afternoon. I told him I wanted him to pick up some cookies for tonight’s dessert. Will you tell Lisa to keep an eye out for Earl and tell you when he gets there?”
“Of course I will.” Hannah finished her peppermint tea, even though she didn’t really want it, and carried her cup to the sink. “I’d better get back to work now. Lisa probably needs more fresh cookies in the coffee shop.”
“I’ll walk you partway down,” Delores said, rising from her chair. “I want to reset the grandfather clock on the landing. I heard it chime earlier this morning and it’s five minutes slow.”
Delores put her hand on Hannah’s arm as they reached the landing. “Thank you for coming right over, dear,” she said in a voice that couldn’t be overheard from above. “I think Carrie is worried for no reason, but she knows Earl a lot better than I do.”
“I’ll take care of it, Mother,” Hannah assured her. “Tell Carrie I’ll talk to Earl the minute he comes in.”
TORTILLA SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 package containing 10 taco-sized (8-inch) flour tortillas (You will use 6 of these flour tortillas in this recipe.)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
? cup white (granulated) sugar ? cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound) salted butter
Prepare a baking sheet or a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Cut each tortilla into 8 equal pieces.
Hannah’s 1st Note: The easiest way to do this is to cut the circle in half, cut each half in half to make quarters, and cut each quarter in half to make 8 pieces.
Place the cinnamon in a shallow bowl on the counter.
Add the white granulated sugar to the bowl and mix them together with a fork.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: We usually place the cinnamon and sugar in a sealable plastic bag and shake it to mix the two ingredients.
Place the half-cup of salted butter in a second shallow bowl that is microwave-safe.