By the time she pulled up at the doors of the emergency room, Hannah was shaking like a leaf. She flicked her lights and honked her horn to let the E.R. staff know that she'd arrived, and then she cut her engine and leaned back in her seat, watching as the emergency room crew loaded Freddy on a stretcher.

Hannah sat for a few minutes, just working to get her LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 301.

breathing back to normal. When her legs had stopped shaking and she felt able to walk, she got out of her truck and went inside to the nurses' desk. "I just brought in Freddy Sawyer," she told the stern-looking older nurse who was behind the desk. "Is he ... alive?"

"Yes. Doctor Knight's with him right now."

"Did he say anything about Freddy's condition?"

"It's borderline critical and they're working to stabilize the patient. Doctor said to tell you that you did your part and you should go home and get some rest."

"No way," Hannah said, shaking her head. "I got Freddy this far and I'm not leaving now."

The nurse smiled and she looked much less forbidding. "Doctor said you'd say that, and he'll come to talk to you as soon as he can. That might be a while. He's pretty backed up."

"From the accident out on the highway?"

"They called in everyone from the staff and reserve list. I'm retired, but I came in to handle the intake desk. The big waiting room's packed, but Doctor said you should use the small waiting room at the end of the hall. There's a wall of vending machines near the door if you want something to eat or drink."

Armed with a Diet c.o.ke, Hannah checked out the small waiting room. The hard plastic chairs didn't look appealing so she used the pay phone in the hall to call Delores and tell her that Freddy was at the hospital and Doc Knight was treating him.

"We located Jed," Delores told her, "and the poor boy was beside himself. He said that Freddy was with him all day, but they got separated in the crowd when the fireworks started and he couldn't find him anywhere."

"Is he coming out here?" Hannah asked.

"He's on his way. He said you're a hero for saving Freddy's life, but of course he meant heroine."

The words had no sooner left Delores's mouth than the 302.

door to the emergency room opened and Jed rushed in. "Jed's here, Mother. I've got to go. I'll call you back when I know more about Freddy's condition."

"Just a minute. Edna said to tell you it was a tree."

Hannah was about to ask what that meant when she saw Jed's face. "I've got to go, Mother. Jed looks frantic."

Hannah hung up the phone and hurried over to Jed. "It's okay, Jed. Doc Knight's with Freddy right now."

"How is he?"

"I don't know for sure. Let's go sit in the small waiting room. Doc Knight said he'd come and tell us more when he's finished treating Freddy."

Jed followed Hannah to the waiting room and sat down in a chair across from hers. He was still clearly distraught. "I tried to keep an eye on Freddy, but I turned my back for just a second to talk to somebody. When I turned around again, he was nowhere in sight."

"n.o.body's blaming you, Jed. These things can happen."

"Yes, but I should have been more careful with him. Sometimes I forget he's r.e.t.a.r.ded, you know? Most of the time he acts almost normal."

Hannah didn't know what to say to calm him down.

"Your sister told me that Freddy was hurt real bad. How did it happen?"

"I don't know."

"Couldn't Freddy tell you?"

"No, he was semiconscious when we found him and he didn't respond to any of my questions. And on the way to the hospital all Freddy did was mumble about how mad you were at him."

Jed sighed. "I wasn't real mad at him. I was just a little aggravated, you know? Freddy kept asking me if he could set off some firecrackers and I told him he couldn't. After about the dozenth time he asked, I got a little fed up. I guess I should have had more patience with him."

"That's hard to do sometimes."

"I know. I'd already explained that fireworks were dan- 303.

gerous and Freddy could burn himself. I said it over and over, every way I could think of, but he just didn't get it."

Hannah decided it was tune to take the bull by the horns. "I hate to mention this Jed, but when we loaded Freddy in my truck, he smelled like alcohol. Did he have anything to drink today?"

"No! And I didn't drink either, because I know it's a bad influence on Freddy."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I'm almost positive that Freddy smelled of alcohol. My sister smelled it, too."

Jed was silent for a moment and then he sighed. "I know Freddy didn't have anything when we were together, but maybe somebody gave him a beer or something after we got separated. Do you think he got drunk and hit his head on something?"

"That's certainly possible. We'll know more when Doc Knight comes in to talk to us."

Hannah and Jed waited uneasily and every so often one or the other of them would get up and pace across the tile floor of the waiting room. It was almost impossible to sit in the plastic chairs for long. They were so hard, they gave Hannah aches in places she didn't even know she had.

After about fifteen minutes of pacing and sitting, sitting and pacing, Doc Knight appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Hannah. Are you trying out for the paramedic spot I have open?"

"No. Thanks anyway. This is Freddy's cousin, Jed."

"We've met," Doc Knight said, looking at Jed. "Freddy's stable, but it's very serious."

Jed gulped so loud Hannah could hear him. "But he'll be all right though, won't he?"

"It's too early to tell, but it doesn't look as though his injuries are life threatening. They could have long-lasting results, though. Freddy took a ma.s.sive blow to the head and I won't be able to a.s.sess the extent of inter-cranial damage until the test results are in."

"Does it look like he fell and hit his head?" Jed asked.

Doc Knight shook his head. "Not unless he fell off a tall building head-first. My guess is that someone hit him with a hard object like a tire iron that they wielded with considerable force."

"Freddy couldn't tell you what happened?"

"No, son. He was unconscious when Hannah brought him in. Freddy won't be doing any talking for a while."

"Poor Freddy!" Jed looked extremely distressed. "Can I see him?"

"Come with me."

Hannah followed Jed and Doc Knight down the hospital corridor even though Jed had been the one to ask to see Freddy. They hadn't told her she couldn't come along, so she convinced herself that it was all right. Hannah knew she'd rest easier tonight if she saw Freddy and he looked better than he had when they'd loaded him in the back of her truck.

Doc Knight led them into Freddy's room and Hannah felt the tears well up in her eyes. Freddy, who'd always seemed so full of life and enthusiasm, was perfectly still in his hospital bed. It was a shock seeing him immobile like that and Hannah realized that he looked much older, almost as old as he actually was without the boyish grin and the excited voice that had asked constant and sometimes childish questions.

Freddy was connected by tubes and wires to monitors and other medical equipment, and Hannah was almost glad that he wasn't awake. If Freddy had been conscious, she would have forced herself to be bright and cheerful for his sake and that would have been difficult.

As Hannah moved closer, she noticed what she thought was a respirator and she turned to Doc Knight. "Freddy can't breathe on his own?"

"Not right now. Shortly after you brought him in, his throat began to swell and it compromised his airway. I gave him antibiotics to reduce the swelling, but they'll take time to work."

Jed looked very concerned. "You mean Freddy could die without that machine?"

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 305.

"Yes, but it's only a temporary condition. The antibiotics should improve matters by tomorrow morning. Then we can take him off the respirator."

"I'd better stay here tonight." Jed sat down in the chair by Freddy's bed. "If Freddy wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll be scared and he might try to pull that tube out."

Doc Knight shook his head. "We're keeping Freddy heavily sedated and he won't wake up. There's nothing you can do for him now. What you need to do is go home, get some sleep, and come back in the morning. I'll call you if there's any change in his condition."

"Are you sure? I could sleep in this chair and I wouldn't be any trouble."

"I'm sure you wouldn't be, but Freddy's doing just fine and he'll sleep through the night. I need you to be rested for tomorrow when we wake him up. That's when we'll need your help to rea.s.sure him."

Jed looked disappointed that he couldn't stay with Freddy, but he nodded. "Whatever you say. You're the doctor."

"If you don't have any more questions, I have to get back to the emergency room. I've got some traffic injuries to treat."

"Sure," Jed said. "Thanks for everything."

After Doc Knight left, Hannah motioned toward the door. "Come on, Jed. Let's go out to the lobby and call my mother. Everybody's waiting to hear about Freddy."

The corridor was quiet as Hannah and Jed walked back to the lobby. Most of the patients were sleeping, and only two nurses were manning the station that separated the two wings.

"They only have two nurses for all these patients?" Jed sounded worried again.

"Relax, Jed. Doc Knight runs a good hospital. Freddy will get the best of care here."

When they got to the lobby, Hannah placed a call to the cottage and filled Delores and Mich.e.l.le in on Freddy's condition. Then Jed got on the phone and thanked them again for finding him in the crowd.

306.

"You really should get home, Jed," Hannah said when she'd hung up the phone. "You look tired."

"I am, but I don't think I can sleep. I'm just too worried about Freddy. Do you have time for a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?"

"Sure," Hannah said, even though the last thing she wanted was hospital coffee. Jed obviously needed to talk.

The hospital cafeteria was deserted and Hannah took a table near the window while Jed got them coffee from a vending machine. It was every bit as vile as Hannah had expected and she took small sips, hoping he wouldn't notice that she was drinking very little of it.

"I've been thinking about what Doc Knight said and I'm sure Freddy was in a fight." Jed took a swallow of his coffee without seeming to notice how bad it was. "If I ever catch the guy that did this to him, I'll..."

"No, you won't," Hannah interrupted, reaching out to take Jed's arm. "Believe me, Jed, I know exactly how you feel. I'm not a violent person, but I'd be tempted to hammer the person who did this to Freddy. What we both have to remember is that violence is never the answer."

"But I've got to do something! Just seeing him like that... it was awful!"

"I know, but the authorities will take care of it. As soon as Freddy's well enough, Doc Knight will call in a deputy to take his statement. If someone did attack Freddy, they'll be caught and punished."

Jed sighed deeply. "I guess you're right. I just feel so helpless, you know?"

"I know. I've been trying to think of something I could do for Freddy, but there's only one thing that comes to mind."

"What's that?"

"Freddy kept mumbling about the present he had for you and how he had to get it so that you wouldn't be mad at him any longer."

"That sounds like Freddy." Jed sighed again. "He doesn't have much money, but he always wants to buy me things."

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 307.

"Oh, he didn't buy this. He said it was something you lost and he found in your garbage last week. He told me he had to shine it up for you before he gave it back to you for a present."

"Do you know what it is?"

"I don't have a clue." Hannah shrugged. "Freddy had it in a s...o...b..x, but it was tied up with twine and I didn't look inside. I'm keeping it for him at The Cookie Jar. I'll stop in to get it before I come to the hospital tomorrow morning. We can store it in his hospital room and once Freddy's awake, he can give it to you."

Jed looked amused. "Freddy's always giving me little things that he finds. It's probably an old pair of shoes I got rid of."

"But you're going to be delighted to get it back, whatever it is, aren't you?"

"Absolutely." Jed gave her a grin. "Freddy's a sweet guy and I wouldn't spoil his surprise for anything in the world."

Chapter TWenty-Nine.

Hannah glanced at the clock on the wall as she switched on the lights in her kitchen at The Cookie Jar. It was five minutes past ten-late at night to be mixing up cookie dough. She was closed tomorrow and Sunday so there were no cookies to bake for her customers, but she'd promised to donate some cookies to the Redeemer Lutheran bake sale and she wanted to take Freddy some Mola.s.ses Crackles. She'd mix up a batch, let them chill overnight, come in early to bake them, and split them between Reverend Knudson and Freddy. As Hannah a.s.sembled her ingredients, she thought about Freddy and who might have injured him. It was possible that Rhonda's killer was the culprit, especially if Freddy had seen or overheard something that could lead to his arrest. Hannah freely admitted that such a theory was a little far-fetched, but she refused to believe that any of the local residents were to blame. Freddy was well liked around town and everyone knew that he had limitations. It was more likely that someone who wasn't local had attacked Freddy. The fireworks had drawn a big crowd from outside the Lake Eden area and a stranger could be the culprit. In any event, standing at the workstation thinking about it wasn't going give her the answer.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 309.

On her way to fetch one of her stainless-steel mixing bowls, Hannah retrieved the crime-scene photos she'd taken through the bas.e.m.e.nt windows and spread them out at the workstation. While she was mixing the cookie dough, she'd think about Rhonda's murder. She gave the photos a glance as she waited for the b.u.t.ter to melt in the microwave, but she didn't spot anything she hadn't noticed before. The only thing unusual was the strawberry jam on the peach jam shelf. She was almost certain that the three jars of strawberry jam had been set there to replace the three jars of peach jam that had broken on the floor, but why would anyone go to that trouble and not sweep up the broken gla.s.s?

Once the b.u.t.ter was melted, Hannah went to fetch the mola.s.ses from the pantry. As she took down the jar, she noticed what was stashed behind it and she groaned. It was a large bag of Hershey's Kisses she'd bought for her almond cookies and it was staring her right in the face. She had to hide it quickly before she weakened and opened it. Hannah reached down to grab a sack of pecans and placed them in front of the bag. She kept all of her nuts on the shelf below, but this was just a temporary measure to hide the candy from view. Then she carried the mola.s.ses back to the kitchen, picked up her spoon, and set it right back down again as what she'd just done struck her with full force. She'd hidden her Hershey Kisses from view by placing a sack of pecans from a lower shelf in front of them. What if Rhonda's killer had done the same thing? What if he'd hidden something by placing the jars of strawberry jam in front of it?

That theory seemed reasonable and Hannah made a mental note to tell Mike and Bill about it in the morning. Perhaps the murder weapon was hidden there, or some other clue that might help them track down Rhonda's killer. It was certainly worth a look.