I opened it without asking who was there. I should have known better.”
“Yes, you should have. And I’m having Lonnie install a peephole as soon as he gets to the station.” Mike pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Lonnie. Then he turned to Lisa. “Do you have any orange juice? She still looks a little rattled.”
“That’s from the loose screws in my head,” Hannah quipped. “I should have known better than to open the door, especially since I didn’t recognize the knock.”
“True, but we all make mistakes.” Mike watched Lisa pour a glass of orange juice and walk over to hand it to Hannah. “Can you hold this glass?” he asked her.
“Yes. I’m not shaking as much now.” Hannah grabbed the glass and took a big swallow of orange juice. “I’m feeling better, Mike.”
“That’s what all the ladies say around me. Drink more, Hannah. You need the sugar.”
“It’s the first time in my life that anyone’s told me I need sugar.” Hannah took another swallow. “He said he’d hurt me if I didn’t give him the money that was in the safe deposit box.”
Mike nodded. “That figures. Where’s the money?”
“Back in his bank account. Doug deposited it for me. And I put back the money Ross deposited in my account, too.”
“That must have made him mad, especially since the bank won’t be open today.”
Hannah just stared at Mike in shock. “It won’t?”
“No.”
“Why not? It’s not a bank holiday, is it?”
“No, but the wind was so strong, it blew in a couple of windows and there’s glass all over the floor and the counters. Doug and Cliff managed to get down there to board up the windows, but there was a lot of damage done. They’ve been working on it, but they don’t expect to open for business again until Monday morning.”
Hannah began to frown. “I didn’t know anything about the damage and I didn’t drive past the bank when I came in to work this morning. I told Ross he’d have to go there today if he wanted to get his money. And now he won’t be able to do that! He’s going to think that I was lying to him and he’s going to be even more furious with me!”
Hannah felt herself begin to shake with fear again, and she did her best to stop. Even though she knew she was safe now with Mike and Lisa here, she couldn’t help thinking about what might happen if she encountered Ross alone.
“You’re okay, Hannah,” Lisa said, sitting down on the other side of Hannah and giving her a hug. “You’re safe with both of us here, and maybe it’s a good thing that the bank is closed. Since he can’t get his money, Ross won’t be back before Monday.”
“But how will Ross know that the bank is closed today?” Hannah asked. “He could be standing outside the building right now, waiting for the bank to open.”
Mike shook his head. “Doug posted a sign on the door saying the bank won’t be open until Monday. Ross will see it and he’ll know he can’t get his money until then.”
“This could turn out to be good for you,” Lisa pointed out. “At least you won’t have to worry about Ross coming back to Lake Eden until Monday morning.”
“Not necessarily,” Mike pointed out. “Ross may decide to stay in the area until the bank opens on Monday.”
Hannah felt her anxiety begin to rise again. “Then I’m not safe anywhere in Lake Eden!”
Mike put his arm around her. “Yes, you are. It’s the best place you could possibly be. We’ll take care of you, Hannah. I promise.”
“I just want him gone!” Hannah said, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m afraid of him!”
“You’d be a fool if you weren’t afraid,” Lisa said.
“That’s right.” Mike reached into his pocket and drew out his pen and notebook. “Okay, Hannah. I want you to tell me everything that happened from the time you first opened the door and saw Ross. Don’t leave anything out. I need to know everything he said and everything that you said until you locked the kitchen door behind you.”
“I’ll get coffee,” Lisa said, hurrying to fetch two cups of Hannah’s favorite beverage. She added a generous spoonful of sugar to Hannah’s cup and carried the coffee back to the work station.
“Thanks, Lisa,” Hannah said, raising the cup to her lips and taking a sip. A