Chapter
Seven

After leaving the police station, I drove to Hannah’s small rental house. Her landlord had promised to meet me and let me in. Sure enough, as I pulled up, an older man got out of his car and waited for me on the sidewalk.

“You’re Hannah’s sister?” he asked as I walked toward him.

“Yes. Mr. Hanson?”

He nodded. “I sure am sorry about Hannah. She was a real nice person and a reliable renter. Wish all my renters were like her.”

“Thank you.”

He walked up the steps of the bungalow and unlocked the door. Then he handed me the keys. “You keep ’em. When you’re done, you can leave ’em in the house. The back-door lock is busted. Seems the guy who broke in came through there. I put a temporary latch on it. If you’d pull that latch before you leave out the front, I’d appreciate it.” He shook his shaggy gray head and sighed. “You and Cicely take all the time you need to get Hannah’s stuff moved out. I’m not in any hurry.”

“That’s very kind of you. We’ll pack up what we can tomorrow. I’m concerned about the furniture though. We’ll have Cicely’s bedroom furniture picked up and delivered, but the rest of it will probably have to be sold.”

He thought for a moment. “Look, why don’t you let me put whatever is left in storage for you. I have plenty of room. That way you can deal with it when you’re ready. If you still want to sell it, I’ll help you. I’ve got connections to local used furniture stores. I’ll call ’em up and see what they can do for you.”

Tears filled my eyes at his kindness.

“Aw, I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He blinked several times, obviously emotional too. He reached over and patted my shoulder. “She was a real special lady. If you’re her sister, I know you are too. You and that little girl will be fine.” He sniffed a couple of times and wiped his face on the sleeve of his coat. “You have my number. You call me if you need anything.”

I nodded. “Thank you so much, Mr. Hanson. I really appreciate it.”

He turned and started to go down the steps, but then he stopped and swung back around. “I should warn you. I hired some folks to clean the place up some. But there’s still a few stains on the carpet. I woulda cleaned it up more, but I had a water pipe bust in another house and couldn’t get over here in time. There’s all kinds of cleaners under the kitchen sink. Carpet cleaner too. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of it for you.”

“I understand. I’ll be fine.”

As I went inside the house, I was grateful I hadn’t brought Cicely straight home from Cora’s. Truthfully, I wasn’t certain bringing her here at all was a good idea, but neither was keeping her away. At least this way she could choose the things she wanted to bring with her. And I hoped it would give her some closure. Help her say good-bye.

It felt odd to enter Hannah’s house for the first time. Hannah and Cicely had always come to Sanctuary to visit me, but I’d never made the trip to Kansas City because I didn’t own a car. Janet had offered to let me use hers, but I’d been concerned she might need it. Hannah had told me it was easier for them to come to me, so I hadn’t worried about it. Now I felt a little guilty.

The front door opened into a small but inviting living room. Hannah’s personality was obvious. Framed pictures of her and Cicely adorned the fireplace mantel. I found a photo of Mom, Dad, Hannah, and me taken about a year before they died. I had no pictures of us, so I picked it up and put it inside a tote bag I’d brought with me. Although the living room and connecting dining room were in order, there was something that looked like dust covering almost everything. I realized it must be some kind of chemical used to capture fingerprints.

As I headed toward the dining room, I saw a large brown stain on the carpet. Someone had tried to clean it, but it was still visible. Too visible. I stood there for a while, staring at it. Hannah had died here, on this very spot. Even though I knew it would be hard to see the place where she’d breathed her last breath, the reality overwhelmed me, and I sank to the floor. For some reason, touching the stain made me feel closer to her. As I cried, it was as if she stood next to me, her hand on my shoulder, telling me everything would be okay.

“I’ll take good care of Cicely,” I whispered. “I promise. She will always know she’s loved.”

I finally got up, determined to get the house and carpet looking as normal as possible before Cicely came home. After taking my coat off, I went to the kitchen and found the cleaners under the sink that Mr. Hanson had mentioned.

I scrubbed the carpet until the stain was almost invisible. Then I set about to clean the weird white dust off everything else. Warm water with a little dish detergent seemed to do the trick. By the time I finished, I was exhausted, but the house looked passable. Cicely’s room was a little messy, but I left her things alone. My first instinct was to straighten up, but something told me she would want to find her room the way she left it.

I finally gathered the nerve to go into Hannah’s room. Her clothes were hanging on a hook by the closet, obviously set out for the next day. Her bed was unmade. It appeared as if she’d heard a noise and gone to the living room to investigate. I walked over to a drawer in her nightstand that was pulled open. What had she grabbed before she faced her attacker? There were some papers in the drawer, a bottle of pain reliever, some keys, a pad of paper, and several pens. I looked in her closet and found a large, empty file box. I put it on the bed and began dumping things into it. The papers and the pad of paper from the drawer, and all the papers and files in her desk. I found another file box toward the back of the closet that was full of more papers and large envelopes. I pulled it out and put it next to the other box. I wondered if the file from the reporter was in one of these boxes. I didn’t have time to look through everything now, but if possible, I wanted to find that file before I left town. On Hannah’s desk there was a card file with bill information. I added it to the first box.

I’d decided to check the closet again when I noticed something sitting on a chair in the corner. When I realized what it was, I knelt down in front of it as tears rolled down my cheeks and dripped onto my shirt. My stuffed blue bunny. It was the last birthday gift I’d ever gotten from my parents, and I loved it more than anything I’d ever owned. All through the time we’d lived with my aunt and then Mrs. Johnson, I’d kept it close to me. It was a reminder of Mom and Dad. When Hannah and I found out we were going in different directions from the children’s home, Hannah had been inconsolable.

“I’m supposed to take care of you,” she’d said through her tears. “How can I do that if we’re apart?”

“But we’re sisters,” I’d told her. “They won’t do that.” I’d handed her my bunny, Mr. Whiskers. “You keep him until we’re back together. It will help you to believe.”

The truth was that I’d been so afraid of losing her that somehow in my childlike mind I’d been convinced that if she had Mr. Whiskers, she’d have to return him to me. At that moment, without realizing it, I’d not only lost my sister but also my beloved stuffed bunny.

“I knew she’d bring you back,” I whispered to him. Hannah had kept him in great shape. He looked almost exactly the way he had when I’d given him to her all those years ago. I picked him up and nuzzled him. My tears made his fake fur damp. Mr. Whiskers had been my best friend and confidant when I was a little girl, and if I’d ever needed him, I needed him now. Maybe crying over an old stuffed animal made me look immature and ridiculous, but at least for now, I found his presence comforting. It was as if Hannah were saying, “You keep him until we’re back together again, Sarah. It will help you to believe.”

I put Mr. Whiskers back on the chair and gathered myself together. Before I got up I noticed something on the floor, partially hidden by the bedspread. I reached over and picked it up. A single white orchid. Dead and shriveled. How had it gotten in the bedroom? I put it on the side table next to the bed. Then I got up and delved deeper into the closet. As I searched the upper shelf, I found a locked metal box shoved in the back. After taking it down, I decided to see if any of the keys in the drawer opened it. I sat down on the bed and tried sliding key after key into the lock. Finally I found one that fit, turned it, and the lock popped open. I gasped when I looked inside. A package of bullets. Hannah’s letter came back to me. She’d armed herself because she really was afraid. Why hadn’t she just gone to the police? Paul had asked the same question, and I couldn’t answer it. If I’d been threatened, especially if I had a child, I would have contacted the authorities immediately. What was Hannah thinking? If she’d called the police, would she still be alive?

Suddenly, I remembered something. Sykes hadn’t mentioned finding Hannah’s gun. Tomorrow I’d call him and ask about it. A missing gun seemed like an important detail. Could that be why the drawer to the nightstand was open?

After going through Hannah’s bills, I called the credit card companies, informed them of her death and told them her cards had been stolen. They gave me a list of things I’d need to do, including sending them copies of the death certificate. I was happy to find that no charges had been made since the cards were taken. If a thief actually had made off with them, it seemed to me he would have tried to exploit them by now. Of course, if the police actually had their man, it would make sense. He couldn’t very well use Hannah’s cards from jail. Sykes hadn’t mentioned finding them on their suspect. Had he ditched them?

After I got off the phone, I carried out all the boxes and put them in the trunk of my car. I felt I should at least look through them before picking Cicely up in case there was something else I needed to do before we left in the morning. The amount of phone calls and paper work that stretched out in front of me seemed overwhelming. It would take a while to complete it all. Before leaving, I checked the house one last time. I found a couple of photo albums in a chest at the foot of Hannah’s bed and grabbed those too. Although I didn’t want Cicely to think I was stealing things from her home, I removed the framed pictures from the mantel and loaded those into my tote bag. After I made what was supposed to be my last trip from the house, I went back one more time and got Mr. Whiskers. There was no way I was leaving him behind.

After locking up the house, I drove to a nearby motel. Staying at Hannah’s would have cost less, but I just couldn’t do it. I knew I’d never be able to sleep. Fortunately, I was able to park right next to my room, so carrying in my suitcase and the boxes with Hannah’s belongings was easy. Once I was settled in, I called Janet.

“I’m so happy to hear from you,” she said. “I’ve had you on my mind and in my prayers all day long.”

I told her about my meeting at the police station and then my time at Hannah’s house.

“I’m sure that was difficult,” she said. “I’m proud of you, Sarah. You’re handling all of this with great strength.”

“If you’d seen me collapsed on Hannah’s floor, bawling like a baby, you wouldn’t say that.”

“Crying helps, honey. It’s God’s gift to help us get our feelings out. You cry all you want.”

I grunted. “Not sure any of us could handle that.”

“Well, I’m getting ready to welcome you and Cicely home.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Janet. If you weren’t in my life—”

“I expect you’d do just fine. But I’m honored to be here for you, honey. I thank God every day that He brought us together.”

“Hey, what do you know? We’re thanking God for the same things.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. By the way, Paul called today to see how you’re doing.”

“He did? Maybe I should have called him, but . . .”

“But what?”

I sighed. “I don’t want to impose on him. He’s already done so much.”

“I don’t think you’d be imposing on him. He’s legitimately concerned about you.”

“He’s a very nice man.”

“Yes, he is,” Janet agreed.

“I plan to pick up Cicely in the morning, take her home, and help her pack. Then we’ll get on the road. I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.”

“Sounds good. I fixed up the spare room, and I think it looks very nice. When her furniture gets here, we can put the other stuff in the basement. But for now, I think she’ll be quite comfortable.”

I told her about Mr. Hanson’s offer to store Hannah’s furniture and then said good-bye. After taking a quick shower, I riffled through some of Hannah’s papers but decided to look at them more in the morning, since I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

After falling into bed, I started dreaming. I stood in a field full of ripening corn. As I gazed around me I realized it was actually a corn maze. In front of me were two paths. One led to my left, the other to my right. The path to the right was clear. The corn had been pressed down flat, and I could see light shining on the path, as if it led to a way out. The other path was full of broken ears of corn that blocked my way. I could only see a few feet past the entrance because the pathway was dark. Although I couldn’t see her, I could hear Hannah’s voice.

“Take the easy way, Sarah. Please. We’re all fine.”

She didn’t mention Mom and Dad, but I knew she was referring to them. I tried to explain to her that I couldn’t walk away. That I had to know the truth, but just as soon as I opened my mouth, her presence was gone. I felt as if I were being drawn toward the left path even though another part of me yearned to go right. I woke up gasping for breath. When I looked at the clock I realized it was almost time to get up. I stared up at the ceiling. Today would be extremely emotional. I prayed for the strength to get through it.

“Please, God, help me today. Give me the right words to say to Cicely. Let her know she’s loved, and that she’ll be all right.”

I stared at the ceiling for a while longer, and then sat up on the side of the bed. The curtains were open a crack, and I could see flakes of snow falling. After getting out of bed, I pushed the curtain all the way open. The snowfall was light, but I wondered if we were in for a storm that would make it hard to get home. The remote control for the TV was on the stand next to the bed. I turned it on and changed the channel until I found local news and weather. The announcer was talking about a murder on the city’s south side. From there he switched to a gang shooting. I couldn’t help but shiver at the violence in Kansas City and feel grateful for Sanctuary. Not sure how long it would be until the weather segment, I’d just decided to find my brush and work on my hair when the announcer mentioned a house fire in south Kansas City. Then they switched to video of the fire. I cried out and sunk back down on the bed as I watched a house partially engulfed in flames.

It was Hannah’s.