Hannah stood looking at the house. One of those old Kansas City inner city mansions that had been restored. Red brick with an attached garage. Three stories. Heavy curtains that were drawn on the first floor. A window with lace curtains in an upper window. Probably a woman's room. Yes, that woman.
A jogger was approaching. Hannah felt ridiculous, standing there holding a pie. Her fingers were getting cold holding onto the metal pie pan. She wished she had worn gloves. Somehow, she thought Kansas City would be warmer than Minnesota. If it was, she didn't notice it. She didn't feel any warmth at all.
"Did you know the Perry's?" The jogger was beside here now, jogging in place.
"The Perry's?" Her foot slipped slightly on the icy sidewalk. Did she have the wrong house? Mike was certain of it. He could have been wrong. In a way, she wished he was wrong. She wished everything he had told her was wrong and Ross would come home to her and explain everything. And this whole nightmare would end.
"Better be careful on the ice. It's slippery." The woman reached out to steady Hannah. "These icy streets are treacherous. I've learned to run on them, but it's not easy. I jog these streets most evenings."
"Do you live around here?"
"On the next block." She jogged around Hannah on her tippy toes. "This a part of my usual route."
"Then you know the people who live here?"
"That would be stretching it. I went to a garage sale here last summer. There was a very talkative lady here. She said her name was Perry. I remembered it because it reminded me of a small town in Kansas."
"Was she beautiful?"
"Who? Oh, the woman. I guess she was attractive enough for her age. She seemed to be in her eighties."
Hannah wanted to believe it. No one was here, except an elderly talkative lady. And Ross really did love her. "Does anyone else live here?"
"I've seen a pregnant woman with children coming and going from here lately. I thought they were her relatives." The woman looked at her questioning, "Are you delivering a pie to her?"
"Delivering a pie?" Hannah wanted to get away. Think this over. It didn't make sense.
"Yes, I saw your delivery van. What kind of pie is it?"
"Cream."
"What kind of cream?"
"Just cream," Hannah answered. How could she explain this to a stranger?
"Well, I've got to be moving on. It's getting dark. There aren't many hours of light now. Hope she likes your pie." The jogger moved on and waved a goodbye.
Hannah braced herself. Should she go back? Go back to Minnesota and forget about this. Go back to the bakery and her family and friends and forget about it. She felt a sharp pain in her gut. She couldn't go back. She had to go in and find out for herself.
She approached the house and stood on the top step. It was icy. Dangerous, she thought. She rang the doorbell and waited. But she didn't have long to wait. "I'll get it, Honey," a voice from inside said. It was Ross's voice. The door opened.
"Hannah!" Ross reached out and brought her quickly into the house. "What a surprise!" A vein on Ross's forehead was bulging. His voice was forced. A woman was walking into the room from a hallway. She was wiping her hands on an red checkered apron around her waist. She was blond, petite and pretty.
"Ross, who is this?"
"It's Hannah, darling."
The woman sized up Hannah. Tall with long curling red hair. Prettier than she remembered. Much prettier.
"How have you been Hannah? It's been a long time." She didn't reach out a hand.
"So," Hannah decided to get right to the point. "So, have you two been together all these years?"
"Yes," answered the woman.
"Not really," answered Ross. The woman gave Ross a fierce look. "Not all of these years."
"Married?" asked Hannah.
"Yes, of course," answered the woman. A baby cried and off in the distance she heard children playing.
Hannah moved over to Ross, took his hand into her free hand and said, "so are we. Who are you married to?"
"Not legally. You can't be married to two different people at the same time."
Before she even knew it, the pie left her hand. Hannah had been quite good at catch when she was a child and her aim did not disappoint. The woman stood with cream all over her face. The pie pan got caught on the upper portion of her apron. Long after this, Hannah would often regret that she had not had her cell phone in hand for the photo opportunity. The pie had not been intended for the woman, but she did enjoy her wearing it.
"Hannah! Hannah, that was not called for," Ross threw her hand away.
"Maybe not," Hannah quickly took off her large diamond ring to give to Ross. At a moment's notice she changed her mind and put it on her right hand. She'd keep it and not have him give it to that woman.
"You always were impulsive," his face was red. the vein on the forehead grew. She realized she was finally seeing the real Ross. "What a stupid woman you are! You fell for everything I dished out."
She drew her fis back, just like Mike had taught her with the boxing gloves. And then she let it go. Right on the jaw, as she would later relate to her friends. Ross fell to the ground, bleeding.
Hannah shook her hand and rubbed it. It hurt but it was worth it. Then she leaned over Ross. How lovely. She'd left her mark with that large diamond ring on his left jaw.
She walked to the door and then turned. "You'll be hearing from my attorney."
She looked to the woman who had wiped off her eyes to see better. "And I will be visiting with all those other unfortunate women you've left in your path. There are at least two others, I believe." She looked at the woman. "You'd better hope that they are only armed with cream pies."
She slammed the door and ran to her van. Not at all as she had planned. Not at all. She didn't even see the children. She wanted to see the children.
Just then the jogger ran by and gave a big thumbs up. Hannah replied replied in like manner. She sighed. Oh, well, she had made it through it all. She had survived and had not killed them.
Hannah stood looking at the house. One of those old Kansas City inner city mansions that had been restored. Red brick with an attached garage. Three stories. Heavy curtains that were drawn on the first floor. A window with lace curtains in an upper window. Probably a woman's room. Yes, that woman.
A jogger was approaching. Hannah felt ridiculous, standing there holding a pie. Her fingers were getting cold holding onto the metal pie pan. She wished she had worn gloves. Somehow, she thought Kansas City would be warmer than Minnesota. If it was, she didn't notice it. She didn't feel any warmth at all.
"Did you know the Perry's?" The jogger was beside here now, jogging in place.
"The Perry's?" Her foot slipped slightly on the icy sidewalk. Did she have the wrong house? Mike was certain of it. He could have been wrong. In a way, she wished he was wrong. She wished everything he had told her was wrong and Ross would come home to her and explain everything. And this whole nightmare would end.
"Better be careful on the ice. It's slippery." The woman reached out to steady Hannah. "These icy streets are treacherous. I've learned to run on them, but it's not easy. I jog these streets most evenings."
"Do you live around here?"
"On the next block." She jogged around Hannah on her tippy toes. "This a part of my usual route."
"Then you know the people who live here?"
"That would be stretching it. I went to a garage sale here last summer. There was a very talkative lady here. She said her name was Perry. I remembered it because it reminded me of a small town in Kansas."
"Was she beautiful?"
"Who? Oh, the woman. I guess she was attractive enough for her age. She seemed to be in her eighties."
Hannah wanted to believe it. No one was here, except an elderly talkative lady. And Ross really did love her. "Does anyone else live here?"
"I've seen a pregnant woman with children coming and going from here lately. I thought they were her relatives." The woman looked at her questioning, "Are you delivering a pie to her?"
"Delivering a pie?" Hannah wanted to get away. Think this over. It didn't make sense.
"Yes, I saw your delivery van. What kind of pie is it?"
"Cream."
"What kind of cream?"
"Just cream," Hannah answered. How could she explain this to a stranger?
"Well, I've got to be moving on. It's getting dark. There aren't many hours of light now. Hope she likes your pie." The jogger moved on and waved a goodbye.
Hannah braced herself. Should she go back? Go back to Minnesota and forget about this. Go back to the bakery and her family and friends and forget about it. She felt a sharp pain in her gut. She couldn't go back. She had to go in and find out for herself.
She approached the house and stood on the top step. It was icy. Dangerous, she thought. She rang the doorbell and waited. But she didn't have long to wait. "I'll get it, Honey," a voice from inside said. It was Ross's voice. The door opened.
"Hannah!" Ross reached out and brought her quickly into the house. "What a surprise!" A vein on Ross's forehead was bulging. His voice was forced. A woman was walking into the room from a hallway. She was wiping her hands on an red checkered apron around her waist. She was blond, petite and pretty.
"Ross, who is this?"
"It's Hannah, darling."
The woman sized up Hannah. Tall with long curling red hair. Prettier than she remembered. Much prettier.
"How have you been Hannah? It's been a long time." She didn't reach out a hand.
"So," Hannah decided to get right to the point. "So, have you two been together all these years?"
"Yes," answered the woman.
"Not really," answered Ross. The woman gave Ross a fierce look. "Not all of these years."
"Married?" asked Hannah.
"Yes, of course," answered the woman. A baby cried and off in the distance she heard children playing.
Hannah moved over to Ross, took his hand into her free hand and said, "so are we. Who are you married to?"
"Not legally. You can't be married to two different people at the same time."
Before she even knew it, the pie left her hand. Hannah had been quite good at catch when she was a child and her aim did not disappoint. The woman stood with cream all over her face. The pie pan got caught on the upper portion of her apron. Long after this, Hannah would often regret that she had not had her cell phone in hand for the photo opportunity. The pie had not been intended for the woman, but she did enjoy her wearing it.
"Hannah! Hannah, that was not called for," Ross threw her hand away.
"Maybe not," Hannah quickly took off her large diamond ring to give to Ross. At a moment's notice she changed her mind and put it on her right hand. She'd keep it and not have him give it to that woman.
"You always were impulsive," his face was red. the vein on the forehead grew. She realized she was finally seeing the real Ross. "What a stupid woman you are! You fell for everything I dished out."
She drew her fis back, just like Mike had taught her with the boxing gloves. And then she let it go. Right on the jaw, as she would later relate to her friends. Ross fell to the ground, bleeding.
Hannah shook her hand and rubbed it. It hurt but it was worth it. Then she leaned over Ross. How lovely. She'd left her mark with that large diamond ring on his left jaw.
She walked to the door and then turned. "You'll be hearing from my attorney."
She looked to the woman who had wiped off her eyes to see better. "And I will be visiting with all those other unfortunate women you've left in your path. There are at least two others, I believe." She looked at the woman. "You'd better hope that they are only armed with cream pies."
She slammed the door and ran to her van. Not at all as she had planned. Not at all. She didn't even see the children. She wanted to see the children.
Just then the jogger ran by and gave a big thumbs up. Hannah replied replied in like manner. She sighed. Oh, well, she had made it through it all. She had survived and had not killed them.