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Chapter Eight
One of Life's Surprises
"The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords;
they have spread a net by the wayside."
~ Psalm 140:5 ~
 t nine
o' clock in the morning, the next day, Hannah was awakened by her mother.
"Sweetie, I know you wanted to sleep in, but there's a reporter downstairs,
asking for you." Hannah immediately woke up.
"A reporter?" she repeated. She began to search her mind for a reason.
Mr. Hanley was the only reason she could think of. Hannah put on her terry robe,
and followed her mother downstairs. Mr. Anderson was sitting in his favorite armchair,
and reading the morning newspaper. Daniel was resting on the sofa, where Mrs. Anderson
had made a kind of makeshift bed for him, so he would not have to stay in his room
all the time. When she walked down the steps, everyone, including Daniel, looked
up. A smartly-dressed woman got up from Mrs. Anderson's armchair and approached Hannah.
"Hannah Anderson?" she asked, holding out her hand, in a friendly like
manner.
"Yes?" replied Hannah, shaking the offered hand.
"I'm Victoria Jackson of the 'Daily Report.' Are you familiar with the 'Daily
Report,' Hannah?" she asked, taking out a tape recorder.
"I don't read tabloids," replied Hannah, evenly.
"Well, then," she smiled, "good thing for me five million other people
do. You don't mind if I record this interview, do you? Of course you don't,"
she replied, answering her own question. "Would you prefer to sit, or stand?"
Hannah could not help comparing that question to an executioner asking his victim
if he would rather be blindfolded or not.
"I'll stand." She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her.
"Hannah," began Victoria, "did you, by any chance, read the newspaper
this morning?"
"No, I did not. As you can see," said Hannah, referring to her terry robe,
"I just woke up."
"Then you did not hear of Tom Hanley's marriage?"
"So that's what this is about," Hannah thought. "I thought just as
much."
"No, Victoria, I did not."
"Does this come as a surprise?" asked Victoria. Hannah looked into her
eyes. She saw the ease with which Victoria tried to entrap her in her own words.
"Life is just full of surprises," replied Hannah.
"Doesn't this come less than a day after you turned down a proposal of marriage
from Tom Hanley?" she asked. Mr. Anderson looked at his daughter in surprise.
"Is that so?" replied Hannah, raising her eyebrows. Victoria saw that she
was not going to cooperate.
"If you want it the hard way, Hannah, you're going to get it," she warned.
Daniel's face tightened. "There's a rumor going around that a bug was placed
in the office of Tom Hanley, taping both him and his private secretary," she
said, pointing at Hannah. "I already know everything," she smiled.
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