Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 03 - The Priest Who Ate a Poison Petit Fore (32 page)

Hannah shook her head. “No, thank you. I have an aversion.”

The physician nodded. “Good for you, my dear, good for you. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe Jack would like a moment.”

Holmes exited. A few moments later, Borden came in.

“Well, that was fun. She’ll be spending the night here under supervision, and cuffed to the bed. Concussion. Broken jaw. Stitches. Not to mention she’s straight up nuts.”” He smiled, looking at Hannah. “You are a force to reckon with.”

Hym laughed. “You don’t know the half of it. Did you find out about the Reverend?”

“I just spoke with a nurse. He’s been admitted, and he is stable, but all this has taken a toll. Dr. York is fine. Both of them. Although they are still transferring her at some point to implant the device her husband mentioned.””

“You got the box from waiting, right?” Hannah inquired with some urgency.

“I took care of it,” Hym said.

“Its bagged and tagged as evidence,” Borden added. “Oh, and the guard you landed on. He’s okay, but he’s not volunteering anymore. How are you, though?”

“Bruised ribs.” She pointed to the cut. “Five stitches. This.” She indicated the darkened eye. “She was tough for a woman her age.”

“And what does age have to do with anything,” Gran said, pushing herself into the room along with Papa Jay, Magdalen, and Buster. “Old don’’t mean useless.”

“I can see. Nice move with the magazine.”

“Just something I picked up for when your Papa Jay tries to slip out on me.”

Papa Jay crossed his arms. “Woman, I ain’t never slipped out on you.” He smirked and addressed all the men. “Too dangerous. Best just to put up with it.” He looked to Buster. “Remember that, young man.”

Both Buster and Magdalen blushed as they agreed.

“Oh, hush, you old Grumpus. The only danger you’re in is from yourself.”

Everyone laughed as Gran pulled her husband in for a smooch.

Borden offered his hand in round. All shook.

“Well, nice work, all.” He focused on the newlyweds. “There’ll be paperwork, as you well know, but I can handle most of it. I’ll call you if I need more information. So, you off for that honeymoon now?”

Hym and Hannah looked at each other. Hym was about to answer when Hannah interjected.

“I need a vacation before I’m ready for my honeymoon.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Gran said. “A lot of time relaxing……in bed. Before you go on your honeymoon which is all about---”

“Gran.”

The elder Starvling gave a ‘what’ gesture.

Hannah and Papa Jay rolled their eyes.

Epilogue

Eight weeks later.

“Tell me again why we just didn’t take the plane?”

“I’m a man who likes to see things through. We started on our honeymoon in Baby. We’ll get there in Baby.”

“Baby, Baby, Baby,” Hannah quoted from one of her favorite movies. She turned back and retrieved the last item from a bag marked
Hoolies
. ““Nice of Will to pack us a lunch…and snacks.” She unwrapped a large piece of pecan pie and bit in. “Man. I love his pie.””

“I don’t suppose there’s a piece left for me?”

“If you tell me where we are going, I’ll give you a bite.”

She grinned as Hym looked over to her. He shook his head.

“Oh, you.” She glanced out at the fading afternoon light. “Hmm, headed to the ocean. A cruise. Where to?”

Hym rolled his eyes.

“You’re no fun.” She broke off a bite and leaned over to pop it in his mouth. “How you holding up?”

“I’m good. I mean, it’s hard. I’ll miss him, but he’’s in a better place. I know that’s not your thing, but I do.”

“I never said I didn’t. I just think of it differently is all.” She broke off another bite of pie and drew it into her mouth. ““I’m sorry it all happened the way it did, but I’m glad he went knowing Calvin and Susan were innocent.”

Hym agreed. “It made him happy. That’s good enough. He’s with Ophelia now, and Rhoades.”

“It’s odd, you know. The same day. Like they knew the other was letting go.”

“They were close. Close as brothers. I guess that’s why the Reverend wanted him next to him.”

“That was a nice gesture. He was a good man who left a legacy in another good man.”

Hannah took hold of her husband’s hand and squeezed. He tapped his cheek and she obliged him with a kiss. “Thank you.”

“Plenty more where that came from.”

“No, thank you for helping him.”

Hannah smiled. It gave her great pleasure knowing that her husband appreciated her. “You’re more than welcome, Sweet Face.” She offered him the last bite but he declined. ““Didn’t Magdalen call before we left?”

“She did. Sorry, I was so busy packing that I forgot. She loves the new job. Busy but she’s glad she’s out of Chicago. Susan’’s doing fine. A long recovery period but she can go back to work on a partial basis in a few weeks. Having Magdalen there to ease the load helps.” A strained look came over Hym’s face. ““She got some bad news. She won’t be able to have kids. Too much strain, but Calvin’s open to adoption, so…”

“Always an option.”

“Yeah. It’s kind of strange, given Janus and Wormwood and all.”

Hannah straightened up at mention of the names. “Yeah, amazing how people react to life. Look at Buster. Abandoned and adopted in an unconventional setting, but he turns out fine. Janus turned into a killing machine.”

Hym shrugged. “Well, yeah. I guess, but Buster’s parents are good people, and he was too young to remember his birth parents. Janus and Wormwood remembered. Perhaps too much. We don’t know what kind of families took them in. The other brothers didn’t fare too well for sure.”

Hannah agreed. “Oh, speaking of Buster. He got cast in a pilot that will shoot in Atlanta. If it is picked up, he’s moving back. Did Ed tell you yet?”

“Magdalen did. She was rather excited that he would be within two hours of Happiness.”

“And how are you dealing with that?”

“She’s dated worse.”

Hannah reached out and popped Hym on the arm. “Hey now, Buster’s a catch and you know it.”

Hym laughed. “Yeah, I know. He’s all right. I’m just protective of those I love.”

“I like the sound of that.” Hannah took in a deep breath. The salty brine hit her nose and she smiled. “I hope we have a room with a porthole.””

“The view’s fine, I promise. A lot better than Wormwood’s going to be seeing.”

Hannah noticed the bitterness that remained in Hym’s voice at the mention of the woman.
A lot to process
, she noted.

“You know they’ll push the insanity thing, right?” She studied Hym’s face for a reaction. “She might get it.”

“I know, and I know that Jonathan would want me to forgive her. I’m trying. I am. It’s just hard.” Hym twisted his lips a bit. “You know though, I find it strange that he ended up in the same town as her almost sixty years later, and to want revenge for all those years on. To let it fester.” He gave an unconvincing laugh. “I guess it did drive her insane. In the end, she didn’t get it. That, in and of itself, is enough to drive you nuts.”

“Well, as they say, revenge is a dish best served cold in a bitter sauce. It doesn’t get much bitterer than that.”

Hym turned the Mustang into a long-term parking lot next to the ocean. After retrieving a ticket, both he and Hannah exited the car. Her eyes widened as she gazed out toward the setting sun. There, at a distance, was the clear outline of a ship with three large sails. In the waning daylight, the aura of the sun’s rays illuminated it. It displayed an unnatural glow,
like the Flying Dutchman headed to shore
, she recalled.
The Dahlia
. “How?”

“A wedding gift from Vera and Asa, and Louie of course. I called them after we couldn’t make it the first time and he said he had no plans to use it for a while, so it would be waiting for us when we were ready, as long as we want and wherever we want to go.””

Hannah moved around to hug her husband and give him a kiss.

“Shall we?”

A few minutes later, the two were on a small transport headed to the Dahlia. They pulled up alongside and mounted the ladder. Reaching the deck, Captain Thomas “Tom” Bigby greeted them.

“Welcome back aboard, Ms. Miles and Mr. Miles. So good to see you again, and congratulations.” He offered his hand. Hannah was about to shake when a scream emerged, and a voice cried out. “Oh, my God! He’s dead.”

The Captain turned and headed inside, followed by Hannah.

Hym looked up to the sky. “Seriously?”

Letter to the reader.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Book #3 The Priest who Ate a Poison Petit Fore. I have to tell you, I really love the characters of Hannah and Hymnal. Though many readers wrote me asking: "What's next for them?" Well, stay tuned because the saga of publishing drama isn't quite over. Hannah and Hymnal will be back soon in Book #4 by lat summer of 2015.

Will they find their happy ending? I sure hope so. When I wrote Book #1The Chef at the Water’s Edge and Book #2 The Gourmet who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen, I got so many letters, from fans thanking me for the book. Some had an opinion about Hannah & Hym, while others rooted for more on the other cast members. As an author, I love feedback. Candidly, you are the reason that I will explore the cast of this book for future publications.

So tell me what you liked, what you loved, even what you hated. I'd love to hear from you.

You can write me at
mailto:[email protected]
or visit me on the web at
www.keepatterbee.com.

Finally, I need to ask a favor. If you're so inclined, I'd love a review of The Priest who Ate a Poison Petit Fore. Loved it, hated it-

I'd just enjoy your feedback.

As you may have gleaned from my books, reviews can be tough to come by these days. You, the reader, have the power now to make or break a book. If you have the time, here is a link to my author page on Amazon. You can find all my books here:
http://KeePatterbee.com/blog.

Thank you so much for reading book #3 The Priest who Ate a Poison Petit Fore and if you miss my first book, The Chef at the Water’s Edge consider reading how it all began. Book #2 The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen was another exciting adventure.

I appreciate you spending time with me.

In gratitude,

Kee Patterbee

http://facebook.com/keepatterbee

About the Author

Kee Patterbee spent the early years of her life working in the hardest career in the world. She was a mother. Then she embarked on a second career as a grandmother. Along the way, she dabbled in writing, most often in short stories. In 2013, Kee decided to do something she had always dreamed of doing. She began work on her first novel. That book is
The Chef at the Water’s Edge
. Here, she created the character of Hannah Starvling. Her protagonist is a former FBI turned culinary consultant, now semi-amateur sleuth.