Free Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke Page B

it?”
    Delores looked at Doc and Doc looked at Delores. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Delores gave a slight nod and Doc cleared his throat. “This isn’t really appropriate conversation for dinner,” he said. “We should wait until after we’ve eaten.”
    “No,” Hannah said. “Whatever it is, I want to know now.”
    “It’s that man you hit with your truck this morning,” Delores said, and Hannah noticed that her mother wasn’t quite able to meet her eyes. “Doc just finished the autopsy and . . .
    and . . .”
    Delores stopped speaking, clearly unable to go on, and Hannah knew that whatever it was, it was deadly serious.
    “What?” she asked, turning to Doc.
    “With the exception of a cracked cheekbone, the rest of his injuries were consistent with the damage to the front of your truck,” Doc said.
    “Did the cracked cheekbone cause his death?” Norman asked the question that Hannah was afraid to ask.
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    “No. He died almost instantly from massive trauma and an obstructed airway.”
    “So when I hit him, I broke his neck,” Hannah said.
    “Yes. I’m sorry, Hannah. I was hoping that there was some other explanation, but there isn’t. When you hit him with your truck, you broke his neck and killed him.”
    Hannah swallowed hard and put down her wineglass with out taking a sip. Even though she’d known that it was a long shot, she’d been hoping that Doc’s autopsy would reveal that the man had died of something else. Of course it hadn’t.
    She had killed him and now that Doc had performed the autopsy, it was official.
    “It was an accident, dear.” Delores reached across the table to pat Hannah’s hand. “Nobody blames you.”
    “That’s right,” Norman said, reaching out to cover her other hand with his. “It was a terrible storm. You couldn’t see him. And then there was the tree branch in the road when you came around the bend. You certainly didn’t mean to hit him. Everyone knows that.”
    “There’s more, Hannah,” Doc said looking sad. “There are times when I hate some aspects of my job and this is one of them. I have a responsibility as the Winnetka County Coroner. I’m sorry, but I had to report it to the authorities.”
    “To the authorities,” Hannah repeated, still not understanding exactly what Doc was trying to tell her. “Which authorities?”
    “I had to file a report with the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Department.”
    “But . . . why, Doc? It was an accident!”
    “No one doubts that, Hannah. We know that you didn’t intend to hit him, but you did hit him and he died as a result.
    Unfortunately in this case, whenever that happens there are consequences.”
    “Wha . . . what do you mean?” Hannah forced out the words.
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    “Excuse my language, but I’m very much afraid all hell is going to break loose.”
    Hannah reached for her water glass, but her hands began to shake. She was afraid she’d spill it if she picked it up so she didn’t even try. Her mouth felt as if it were filled with saw-dust and her throat was parched when she attempted to swallow. She needed to explain, to tell Doc that her truck had skidded on the wet gravel when she’d swerved to avoid the tree branch, that the pounding rain had reduced her visibility to almost zero, and the blinding flashes of lightning had made it impossible for her to see him standing there at the side of the road. She opened her mouth to tell him all that, but before she could even try to utter a word, she saw Mike rushing toward her across the dining room floor.
    “I got here as soon as I could,” he said, pulling Hannah to her feet and hugging her. “I’m so sorry, Hannah!”
    He was holding her so tightly, she could barely move, but she managed to gasp out a question. “Sorry?”
    “I’ll try to delay them. Just go out through the kitchen and we’ll figure out what to do later. Go now, Hannah! I called Michelle. She’s coming to get