Hannah didn’t need caffeine running through her body. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked her messages.
“Has Brett let you know how Mrs. McConachie is doing?” Dave asked her.
“Not yet. I hope everything is all right.” It wasn’t like Brett to not call her. Even if he couldn’t use his phone in the Intensive Care Unit, she was sure he would have found somewhere else to send her a message.
Claire came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies. When she saw Jason, she stopped so quickly the cookies almost slid onto the floor. “Oops.” She slid the plate onto the nearest table and smiled at their mysterious visitor. “Hi. I’m Claire.”
Mrs. Bennett hadn’t been joking when she said Claire was changing her clothes. Her old Yankees nightshirt had been replaced with jeans and a sweatshirt. At least she hadn’t spent half the night applying makeup.
Jason sent Claire one of his intense stares before shaking her hand. “I’m Jason Smith.” He glanced at Hannah, then back at Claire. “John wasn’t joking when he said you look alike.”
“John?” Hannah asked.
“My boss and the owner of Fletcher Security. I was on my way home when he asked if I could check on you. Brett told him he was heading to the hospital with Mr. McConachie.”
Jason’s explanation sounded almost too good to be true. “Why did you stop at the barn instead of coming straight to the house?” Hannah asked.
“I wanted to check the front yard before coming any closer. When the lights went off in the house, I thought you were going to bed. I didn’t want to disturb you. Fletcher Security called me when you hit the panic button. By that stage, I didn’t know what was happening.”
“You weren’t the only one,” Hannah muttered. “Do you have any identification?”
Claire’s eyebrows rose.
Hannah shrugged. “He could be anyone.”
Jason held out his security license. “I’ve been working for Fletcher Security for about three years. If you want a character reference, you could call John Fletcher. Only I wouldn’t do it now.”
Claire sent her an ‘I-told-you-so’ stare and offered Jason a cookie.
“I need to call Brett,” Hannah muttered.
“Don’t forget to tell us what’s happening,” Mrs. Bennett said as she carried four mugs of coffee into the room. “I made you a cup of raspberry herbal tea, Hannah. It’s sitting on the counter.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Tell Brett I’m keeping Ida in my prayers.”
Hannah glanced at her sister before heading into the kitchen. She had no idea what Claire was up to, but cookies wouldn’t make Jason any more approachable.
With her cell phone sitting in her hand, Hannah leaned against the kitchen counter. Thinking someone was about to attack them wasn’t as stressful as being with a family member in the hospital. She just hoped Brett answered his phone and that Ida was okay.
***
Six hours later, Brett stumbled into Pat’s home. After spending most of the night on a chair in Ida’s room, he was exhausted.
“You’re back!” Hannah rushed downstairs. “How is Ida?”
“No different to when we last talked. Pat’s still at the hospital with her.”
“You look terrible.”
He almost smiled. “Thanks. How was your night?”
“Okay.” Hannah took his jacket out of his hands. “I’ll hang this up. Mrs. Bennett kept some breakfast aside for you. If you’re lucky, it should still be warm.”
Even though he was tired, he could have sworn Hannah was avoiding his question. “Hannah?”
Her blue eyes connected with his. “Yes?”
