Gunpowder Chowder by Lyndsey Cole Page B

until the gunshot in the morning. She felt a tiny bit better knowing they both didn’t sleep through the sound of a car driving right past her window. But dread also settled into her stomach knowing someone could sneak up on her unheard.
    Nellie dashed through the open door, chasing shadows and boogeymen away before they made it the short distance to her cottage.
    One more night before Cal would start gutting the place. It wasn’t too late, she thought. She could get a head start on cleaning out Caroline’s closets before climbing into her sleeping bag. It shouldn’t take too long. With a living room-dining room-kitchen area, and a small bedroom, how much stuff could someone accumulate?
    Two hours later, Hannah had the answer to that question. Some assorted clothes that would mostly be donated to the local women’s shelter, a couple dozen books that Hannah would keep or recycle to her guests, and an old suitcase full of letters. The letters looked intriguing, but with her eyes getting heavy, Hannah decided they would have to wait for another day. She tucked that suitcase back inside the bedroom closet.
    She climbed into her sleeping bag, patted the space next to her for Nellie to curl up on, closed her eyes, and was asleep in seconds.
    The backup alarm of a truck jolted Hannah from a deep sleep. She shook her head, not sure where she even was for a couple of seconds. Not until Nellie woofed and ran to the door. A loud knocking got her moving fast. She tripped as she tried to step out of her sleeping bag, falling with a crash against a wooden chair.
    “Are you all right in there, Hannah?”
    “Hold on, I’m coming.” At least no one was around to see that clumsy maneuver.
    Cal held out a steaming cup. “I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee, so I added a little cream but the sugar’s on the side if you want any.”
    “Thanks. Cream and no sugar it is then.” Her phone beeped with a text message. Where are you? Thought you were picking us up at 8! “Uh oh, I’m in trouble. I have to pick up Ruby and Olivia and I’m late. Want me to bring back some breakfast for you?” She looked around her cottage. “I won’t be cooking anything here for a while.”
    “Sure. There’s a diner in town. Okay food, well, adequate, decent prices. I’d recommend the breakfast burrito with extra salsa.”
    Hannah pulled her jacket on. “Sounds good to me. Okay if I leave Nellie here with you?”
    Cal was already back at his truck, lowering the tailgate. “Sure. If she gets in the way, I’ll call Jack to get her.”
    Hannah slammed the door of Ruby’s rental car and headed into town. This was not a good way to start the day with Ruby. She was a person of strict routines and schedules, and being late didn’t work for her. Hannah sighed. She had to find out exactly how long Ruby was planning to hang around.
    News trucks and reporters clogged the driveway into the Paradise Inn. Hannah maneuvered her way past the crowd waiting outside the office door, finally finding a spot to park. Without thinking that she could be a target for the cameras, she wound her way through the crowd to the stairs to find Ruby.
    Climbing two steps at a time, she rushed toward room number twenty, annoyed that Ruby wasn’t waiting for her downstairs so they could escape the chaos quickly. A door opened, causing Hannah to jump sideways. Meg pushed a cleaning cart out to the hallway.
    “What are you doing here?” Meg asked, pulling Hannah into the room she had just exited. “It’s crazy downstairs and your sister is in the thick of it. Get her out of here before she makes trouble for you.”
    Hannah darted back downstairs, her eyes searching the crowd milling around. Sure enough, Ruby, with Olivia at her side, was smiling and chatting to one of the reporters.
    “This can’t be good,” Hannah mumbled, just as Ruby’s eyes looked into hers. “I better see what she’s up to.”
    Meg grabbed Hannah’s arm. “Wait. Don’t let them know you’re