“True,” Hannah admitted. “I guess it wouldn’t really matter what time he came in.”
Just then there was a knock at the door, and both Hannah and Michelle broke into laughter.
“Mike?” Michelle asked.
“Yes, that’s Mike’s knock. I’ll put some cookies on a plate.”
“Okay. I’ll grab a couple, and then I’ll go up front and make myself scarce. You’re not going to tell him about the DNA, are you?”
“No. Doc will notify him when the results are conclusive. Will you please go let him in, Michelle? I’ll pour his coffee and get the cookies.”
Less than five minutes later, Hannah was sitting across from Mike, watching him wolf down Angel Crunch Cookies. She’d eaten one, and she had to admit that they were really good, with a perfect balance between crunch and softness.
“Oh boy, these are good!” Mike said, reaching for the last one on the plate. “I think I could eat a dozen.”
“You already have . . . and then some.” The words were out of Hannah’s mouth before she could call them back, so she smiled to take the sting out of her words. “Eat all you want, Mike. They’re light and they’re not all that big.”
“Thanks. I will. They’re new, aren’t they?”
Hannah nodded. “I just baked them to try them out.”
“Well, they’re great!”
Mike looked down at the empty plate and then up at her. It didn’t take a genius to get his unspoken message and Hannah got up to refill the plate. “Here you go,” she said when she put it down in front of him.
“Thanks, Hannah.” Mike took another cookie. “Will it do any good to tell you to stay out of my investigation into Chef Duquesne’s death?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so. Just remember, you had a close call last time. If you hadn’t texted everyone when you did, you could have ended up dead.”
“That’s true,” Hannah admitted.
“It’s not that I resent you trying to help. It’s just that I feel it’s my duty as a sworn police officer to keep you safe. The last thing I want is to see you hurt. And if you keep doing things on your own, you will be hurt eventually.” He sighed heavily. “I really don’t know what to do with you, Hannah. You’ve never listened to me when I’ve warned you to stay out of it. Will you listen this time? I don’t want to have to chase a killer and worry about you at the same time.”
Hannah was touched by his concern, but she had to be truthful. “No, I probably won’t listen.”
“I didn’t think so. You’re a stubborn woman, Hannah. So . . . I might as well ask you, who do you think killed Chef Duquesne?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You don’t have any suspects?”
“Oh, I have suspects. Quite a few, as a matter of fact. I did have a prime suspect, but I already cleared him.”
“Who?”
“Is it important? It involves some rather sensitive information.”
“It’s important, Hannah.”
“If you agree to keep it confidential and not put it in any police report or mention it to anyone else, I’ll tell you.”
Mike thought about that for a minute. Then he nodded. “Agreed, as long as I’m convinced that you cleared the suspect.”
“Fair enough.” Hannah took a deep breath and told Mike about Aunt Nancy’s encounter with Alain Duquesne and what had happened in his room.
“But Dick saw her on the security camera at the front door as she left?” Mike asked.
“That’s right. Aunt Nancy was never a suspect. It was Heiti. He was there at her house when she got home, and she told him what Chef Duquesne did to her.”
“Who’s Heiti?”
“He’s the man who built her new bookshelves, and he’s helping her fix up the house.”
“So Heiti is Aunt Nancy’s boyfriend?”
Hannah hesitated. “I’m really not sure what to call him. Boyfriend seems a little juvenile when they’re both over fifty. But yes, they really like each other and I think it might develop into something more than that.”
“Okay. So you thought that Heiti might have gone out there to confront Chef Duquesne and it got out of hand?”
“It seemed possible. Heiti’s very fond of Aunt Nancy. But he couldn’t have done it.”
“Okay. I’ll bite. Just how do you know that?”
“For one thing, Heiti doesn’t drink red wine. It gives him a headache. And I’m sure you had the two wineglasses you found in the kitchen tested at the police lab.”