exchanged shocked glances with Michelle. “But why didn’t Marguerite call us? Michelle and I would have helped them.”
“She tried to, but you weren’t home yet. Neither were Lorna or Phil or Sue Plotnik. So Marguerite called the sheriff’s station, and Mike answered her call.”
Hannah glanced at her apple-shaped kitchen clock to see what time it was. “Phil and Sue always take Kevin over to his sister’s place on the weekends, and Lorna’s probably working late. Poor Clara. She must be terribly upset.”
“She’s more angry than upset. She hadn’t downloaded her shadow photos and now she doesn’t have them for her painting class. And to make matters even worse, she had her house key in her pocket and it must have fallen out when she tumbled into the snow.”
“Are they going to get their locks changed?” Michelle asked him.
“That’s expensive and Mike didn’t think it was necessary since the key was an extra one they had made and it wasn’t marked in any way. Even if someone finds it, there’s no way to tell which condo door it fits. Clara’s more upset about the photos she lost than anything else.”
“I’m sure her teacher will understand,” Michelle said.
“That’s what we told her. But she’s still upset because she had some really good pictures of the shadows the pine tree cast on the snow.”
“Did Clara call the phone company to turn off her service so the person who stole her phone can’t use it?” Michelle asked him.
“Norman’s doing that right now while Mike interviews Clara. He was asking her more about the man who pushed her down when I left.”
“Did she recognize the man?” Hannah asked.
Lonnie shook his head. “Clara said she didn’t, that she was almost certain that she’d never seen him before.”
“Then she didn’t think he lived in this complex?” Michelle followed up on Hannah’s question.
Lonnie shook his head. “No, and Marguerite told us that Clara’s on the homeowner’s board. She meets everyone who moves in because they deliver welcome packages to all the new arrivals.”
“The train tracks aren’t that far away,” Michelle pointed out. “Do you think that Clara’s attacker might have been a transient?”
“That’s doubtful,” Hannah vetoed that possibility. “The train doesn’t make any stops here, and there’s no reason for anyone to jump off here. It would make more sense for transients to ride into town and hop off there.”
“You’ve got a point,” Lonnie said. “It’s cold at night out here, and there’s a shelter in town at the Bible Church.”
Michelle nodded agreement. “Reverend Strandberg provides three meals a day in the church kitchen for anyone who comes in hungry.”
“And don’t forget about the Helping Hands Thrift Store in town,” Hannah reminded them. “They give all sorts of warm clothing and boots to everyone who can’t afford them.”
“Are you and Mike going out to look for the man in the woods?” Hannah asked Lonnie.
“Not tonight. Mike said it could wait until morning. It would be different if Clara had gotten hurt, but she’s okay physically. The snow was deep and it cushioned her. She told us that her elbow’s a little sore because she tried to catch herself, but Mike checked it out and it looked okay to him. He called Doc Knight to be sure, and Clara promised to go into the hospital for an X-ray in the morning.”
“Stealing her phone is a crime, isn’t it?” Michelle asked him.
“You bet! If it had happened in the middle of the day, we would have gone after him, but Mike decided that tracking him at night would be close to impossible. It’s not supposed to snow tonight, so his tracks won’t be covered with new snow.”
“That makes sense,” Hannah agreed. “Why don’t you run back over there, Lonnie, and invite Mike here for dinner. And of course you’re invited, too. I’d invite Marguerite, but I don’t think she’ll leave Clara.”
“We can always dish it up and I can run over with their dinner,” Michelle offered.
“Great idea!” Hannah complimented her.
“I’ll go over there right now.” Lonnie finished the last of his coffee, pushed back his chair, and headed for the door again. “I’ll let them know that you’ll deliver their dinner, and be back in a minute or two.”
When the door had closed behind Lonnie, Michelle turned to Hannah. “Do we have anything to serve with your main dish?”
“The meat has carrots, onions, and red potatoes around it, but we may need something else.”
“How about a cooked vegetable salad?” Michelle suggested. “You have a package of mixed vegetables in the