“Is there anything else I can do to help you?” Andrea asked.
Hannah noticed that her sister looked hopeful. Like Michelle, Andrea enjoyed being a part of Hannah’s investigations. Hannah thought for a moment. “Actually . . . yes. We have to go to see Heiti. Would you like to come with us?”
“You want me to go to Haiti with you?” Andrea asked, looking shocked.
“Not the country, the person,” Michelle explained. “It’s spelled differently, but pronounced the same. Heiti is a man who’s working at Aunt Nancy’s house, building her bookcases.”
Andrea gave a little laugh. “Oh! That’s different. Is this man a suspect?”
“Yes, until I clear him,” Hannah told her.
“Does he know you’re coming to talk to him?”
“I don’t think so. We didn’t tell anyone where we were going when we left The Cookie Jar.”
“What are you going to tell Heiti when you get there?” Andrea asked. “You don’t really have any excuse for going to Aunt Nancy’s house, do you, Hannah?”
“Not really. I’d planned to say that Aunt Nancy had told us about the wonderful bookcases that he was building and the beautiful tole painting border he’d painted in her kitchen and living room, and we’d dropped by to see it.”
“That’s pretty lame,” Andrea said. “You need something a little more important than that. But don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect excuse for going there. I sold Aunt Nancy the house and Al is doing this great promotion to increase our business. He’s giving everyone who buys a house from us an insurance policy that covers the structure of the house and the major appliances. Lake Eden Realty pays for the first year. After that, the homeowner can choose to renew it and take over the premiums, or let it lapse.”
“Does Aunt Nancy get that insurance policy?” Hannah asked, already guessing the answer.
“Yes. I was planning to drop by to give it to her anyway. I can say that I was going to just leave it under the doormat, but when I noticed that someone was inside the house, I decided to drop it off personally.”
“That’s a great idea!” Michelle complimented her.
“I know.” Andrea looked very proud of herself for coming up with such a convincing story. “I’ll make sure I notice the bookcases in the living room when I hand him the paperwork, and I’ll tell him how great they look. And then I’ll say that Aunt Nancy mentioned the painting he was doing and we all wanted to see it.”
“Brilliant!” Hannah told her. “Do you have to get right back to the office when we’re through at Aunt Nancy’s?”
“No, I’m through working for the day. I was just killing time on the Internet, and there’s no reason for me to go home. Grandma McCann is taking Bethie to an open house at Kiddie Korner so that she can meet the rest of the kids. That’ll give Janice Cox and Sue Plotnik a chance to evaluate her to see if she’s mature enough to enroll. Then they’re going to pick up Tracey when school’s over and they’ll go out to the Tri-County Mall to look for Halloween costumes.”
Michelle looked impressed. “You’re really lucky to have Grandma McCann. She’s so good with the kids.”
“I know. I wouldn’t be able to work at all if she hadn’t agreed to live with us and be a part of our family. We could make it if I stayed home with the kids and all we had was Bill’s salary, but we wouldn’t be able to put much away for our retirement or Tracey and Bethie’s college expenses.”
Andrea stood up and grabbed an envelope from the outbox on her desk. “Okay. I’ve got Aunt Nancy’s insurance policy. Doc Knight said the time of death was between midnight and three in the morning. Let’s go find out if Heiti has an alibi for that.”
“He’s coming,” Hannah said, hearing the sound of footsteps as someone approached Aunt Nancy’s front door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal a tall, sandy-haired man in his late fifties. He was more handsome than Hannah had expected and there was a smile on his face.
“Yes?” the man inquired.
“Hello. I’m Andrea Todd,” Andrea introduced herself. “I’m the real estate agent who sold this house to Nancy.”
“Glad to meet you,” the man said with a friendly smile. “My name is Heiti and I’m doing some work on the interior for Nancy. What can I do for you, Miss Todd?”
“Mrs. Todd,” Andrea corrected him. “I just stopped by to drop off Nancy’s insurance policy. It’s something we provide for anyone who buys a house from Lake Eden Realty. Do you happen to know if Nancy’s had any trouble with the structure or with any of the major appliances?”
“I don’t think she has. At least she didn’t mention it to me.” He turned to Hannah and Michelle. “Are you two real estate agents, too?”
Hannah shook her head. “No, I’m Andrea’s sister, Hannah Swensen, and this is our youngest sister, Michelle.”