“Did they steal anything?” Hannah asked the obvious question.
“Not that I could tell. Of course we didn’t go through every closet and drawer to catalogue the contents.”
“Then why would they . . .” Hannah stopped speaking and assumed a shocked expression. “You think I did it?”
“The possibility did cross my mind. You don’t have a key, do you?”
“Of course not. I barely knew Tori. There’s no way Mother would go down there, not after finding Tori’s body, but she has a key, doesn’t she?”
“Not anymore. I asked her to give it to me on the night that Tori was murdered. And she did.”
“But you locked it up after the crime scene people left, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. It’s police procedure.” Mike stared at her with the same expression that Hannah assumed he used to interrogate suspects. “Are you sure you didn’t have a key?”
“I’m absolutely positive. And I can’t believe you suspect me. Do you want me to take a lie detector test?”
“No.” Mike sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Hannah, but I had to ask. Somebody was in there and we need to find out who. And they were smart enough to replace the crime scene tape.”
“How can you tell if nothing was taken?”
“It didn’t smell vacant anymore when I went in there this morning.” Mike noticed the disbelief on Hannah’s face. “I know. That sounds a little crazy, but there’s a certain . . .” he stopped, at a loss for words.
“Smell?”
“Yeah! That’s part of it. When you go into a place that’s been vacant for a day or two, it smells . . . vacant.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“You do?”
“Yes. It’s stale, like nobody’s been breathing the air there. No smells at all, except closed-up and stale. Airless and almost dusty, like no one’s walked on the rug or the floor.”
Mike just stared at her. And then he blinked several times. “How could you know something like that? It’s something I can’t even teach my detectives.”
Hannah shrugged. “It’s a feeling. A sixth sense. An empty deserted place. You know if someone’s been there recently, even if they’ve just been walking around and not touching anything. Then it feels . . .” she stopped, unable to find the words.
“More alive.”
“Yes! That’s it, exactly. And Tori’s condo felt that way?”
“Yeah.” Mike let out his breath in another sigh and then he took another sip of his coffee. “So who do you have for suspects, Hannah?”
“Only one. I had another, but I had to eliminate him.”
“Who did you eliminate?”
“Mayor Bascomb. The word around town was that Tori was getting ready to cut him out of her will because he borrowed money from her to buy Stephanie things every time he . . . well, you know, and Tori was fed up with his . . .”
“Philandering. I heard that, too. So how did you eliminate him as a suspect?”
“I found out that the mayor and Stephanie were in the Red Velvet Lounge that night for their Reuben sandwiches. The mayor did go up to Tori’s condo, but he was back in the lounge with Stephanie long before the time of her murder.”
“Okay. That corresponds with what I have. Who’s your other suspect?”
“The as yet unidentified suspect with the unknown motive and he or she is always on my list. That’s it. How about you?”
Mike shook his head. “Nothing much, either. I’ve got theories, but none of them have proved out yet. Somebody killed her, that’s for sure, but I can’t tell you who.”
They sat and talked about other things for several minutes while Mike ate another two muffins. Hannah didn’t know exactly how many he’d consumed before she came into the kitchen, but judging from the stack of cupcake papers on the table it had to be at least two or three.
“Tell Michelle I really like her muffins,” Mike said, getting up from the table. “I’ve got to go, Hannah. I’m meeting a couple of my guys for breakfast.”
Hannah glanced over at the wire rack with the muffin pan. There was one muffin left. She had eaten two, Michelle had eaten two and said that she was going to hide two for Lisa. Including the one left, that was a total of seven. There were twelve muffins in a batch and that meant Mike had eaten five Peach Muffins!
You’re going to eat breakfast after five muffins? Hannah’s mind prompted her to ask. But of course Hannah didn’t comply with the suggestion. She knew that Mike was like a camel when it came to tanking up on food. He’d eat great quantities in one sitting and then he wouldn’t eat again all day. If he was going to the Corner Tavern for breakfast, he’d probably have three eggs, and ham, and a side of bacon, and pancakes, and hash browns, and buttered toast. And then he wouldn’t eat again all day long.
Mike got up from the table and Hannah walked him to the door. When they got there, he turned to look at her searchingly. “You’ll let me know if you discover anything, won’t you?”
“I will,” Hannah promised. It was an easy promise to make since she hadn’t told him exactly when she’d let him know. This was not the time to mention Tori’s business manager, or the man with the black tennis shoes with silver stripes and laces.
“Okay. Keep safe, Hannah. I know there’s something you’re not telling me. I can just sense it. But please don’t get into any trouble. If you even think you might be getting into danger, call me, or text me, or let me know somehow. I . . . well . . . I worry about you.”
“I know,” Hannah said softly. “And I worry about you too, Mike. You’re a cop and you could face a dangerous situation at any time.”
“Yeah, but I know how to handle it.” And you don’t was his implication.
Hannah heard his unspoken meaning and she began to bristle. She’d managed to get herself out of several dangerous situations in the past and she’d do so again if the occasion arose. But Mike was concerned about her and that meant he cared. And even though she was a bit angry that he didn’t trust her to use good judgment, his concern for her made her feel good.