“Hannah!” Norman called her from the wings. “Come here a second before you go out front!”
Once the spoons and pie plates were stashed in the same cardboard box Hannah had carried in earlier, she told Michelle that she had to talk to Norman and headed for the side of the stage where Norman was waiting. “What is it, Norman?”
“Did you happen to notice Al Percy’s shoes?”
“No, not really. I didn’t see the contestants file in, and I was standing in back of them most of the time. What about Al’s shoes?”
“I’ll show you. I took a photo with my phone from the other side of the stage. The tablecloth doesn’t go all the way down to the floor, or I never would have noticed. I enlarged and enhanced the part of the photo that I wanted you to see.”
Hannah was thoroughly puzzled until Norman handed her his phone. “Those are his feet, but . . . Oh!”
“Do his shoes look like the ones that the intruder was wearing when we were hiding under Tori’s bed?”
Shock and disbelief had set in as she stared at the photo and Hannah had to swallow before she could speak. “Exactly like that,” she said. “It’s him, Norman! He’s the intruder! But do you think that Al would . . .”
“No,” Norman cut her off before she could finish her thought. “He didn’t do it, Hannah. Al has an airtight alibi.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know because I’m his alibi. Al’s wife had a dental emergency on the night that Tori was murdered. I was already at home when Al called me to ask me if I could come back to the office. I got there at seven-thirty, and Al and his wife were waiting at the door. She had an abscessed tooth.”
“And that gives her husband an alibi?”
“Yes. He brought her into the office and sat in the examining room with her the whole time.”
“How long did it take?”
“From seven-thirty until quarter to nine.”
“That long?” Hannah was surprised.
“That long,” Norman confirmed.
“Then that clears him,” Hannah said. “And I’m fresh out of suspects again.”
“How about the unidentified suspect with the unknown motive? You still have him, or her.”
“I guess,” Hannah said with a sigh. “But that doesn’t do me much good if I don’t know who the suspect is and I don’t know the motive.”
“You’re tired and depressed and you need chocolate,” Norman said, reaching out for her hand and pulling her toward the steps that led down from the stage.
“But I thought you didn’t believe in endorphins.”
“I don’t, but they’ve got brownies for sale out there and I love brownies. Let’s go get some before they’re all gone.”
*
“We got some great footage!” Ross said when he came in from the parking lot. “P.K. and I went over it in the truck. Edna was very good, and we captured the shock on Mayor Bascomb’s face when Stephanie said he had a big mouth.”
“That’s great, Ross!” Hannah was pleased. “Michelle was really happy when I told her about the voiceover and bumper card you’re doing to advertise the play.”
“KCOW reaches a lot of viewers. It should be good advertising for her. I just came back in to tell you that I’m going back to the studio, but I’ll probably be home by four-thirty. What time do you get out of here?”
“The bake sale ends at four unless we run out of food before that. There’s not much packing up to do and Edna says she’ll have Freddy take care of the tables and chairs. Unless there’s some kind of a snag, I should be home by five at the latest.”
“Perfect. We’ll watch the news together and then I’ll take you girls out for dinner tonight.”
Hannah laughed. “Only one girl. And she’s married to you. Michelle won’t be back at the condo until later. Her friend, Tricia, isn’t working tonight and they’re driving out to the mall to do some shopping and take in a movie.”
“You mean we’ll actually be alone?”
Hannah nodded, but a little seed of worry began to grow in her mind. “I know you like Michelle, but is it becoming a little . . . uh . . . restrictive having her stay with us?”
“Oh, no! I told you before, Hannah. I like having her there. And it’s not restrictive at all. There are always closed doors, you know.” He gave her a grin.
Hannah knew she was beginning to blush because her cheeks felt hot. “Yes, I know,” she said.
“Don’t cook tonight, honey. I have to drive past Berta-nelli’s and I’ll pick up a pizza for dinner. What kind do you want?”
“Anything with sausage or pepperoni. And you already know that I love anchovies.”
“Then it’s a done deal. We’ll eat it while we’re watching the early news. And then”—he gave her a look that made her cheeks feel even warmer—“who knows what might happen?”
“You do,” Hannah said, moving closer to him and putting her arms around his waist. “And I think I know, too.” And then she buried her face in the front of his shirt so no one could see how furiously she was blushing.
Chapter Twenty-four
It was close to eleven on Sunday morning when Ross pushed back his chair at the Corner Tavern and stood up. “I’ll see you when I get home, Cookie. Where are you going now?”
“Back home, I guess. I need to wash a load of clothes. And then Michelle and I are going to Jordan High for the dress rehearsal of the play this afternoon. Do you have anything you want washed?”
“Not a thing. What time is the rehearsal?” Ross asked her.
“Michelle wants to start by three-thirty. It’s full dress and makeup so we have to get there by three.” Hannah turned to Michelle. “What time do you think we’ll be through?”
“When we finish the rehearsal, we have to do a couple of photos for Rod at the paper. And after that, we’re going to rehearse the curtain call.” Michelle took a moment to think about it. “We’ll only run through everything once, so I’d say seven-thirty at the latest. And if everyone’s on time, we might even be through earlier than that.”