Part 11 (1/2)
”I thought you were off at college, Carly.”
”I am,” Carly said. ”I just came home for summer break and Sally hired me to fill in while her regular girl's on vacation.”
”Do you know that Mich.e.l.le's coming back to town tomorrow night?”
”I know. She called Tricia and we're all getting together for lunch on Wednesday. You're out here for dinner, right?”
”Right. Mother's supposed to join me.”
”Oh, Sally just seated your mother's party. Just follow me and I'll take you to their table.”
Her mother's party? Hannah sighed as she followed Carly through the crowded dining room and into the bar. Her mother had told her to wear something appropriate and that should have rung alarm bells in Hannah's mind. She hoped this wasn't another attempt to fix her up with an eligible male.
As Carly walked toward the rear of the bar, Hannah found herself lagging behind. Sally had designated that section for private dining. There were four tables on a raised platform, separated from each other by carved wooden part.i.tions that contained frosted gla.s.s. The s.p.a.ce that faced the rest of the bar was hung with gauzy curtains that the occupants could draw, or leave open. The fact that her mother had requested one of the private tables and closed the curtains could mean only one thing. Delores had set her up again. The only question in Hannah's mind was the ident.i.ty of the man her mother was attempting to trap for her.
”Here's Hannah, Mrs. Swensen,” Carly announced, pulling aside the corner of the curtain. ”Since your party's all here, shall I send the waitress to take your orders?”
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”Not quite yet, dear,*' Delores responded. ”Give us five minutes and then we'll be ready.”
Hannah wished she could turn on her heel and go back home, but her mother would never forgive her. She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face, and stepped inside the curtain. When she saw Norman, her smile turned genuine. ”Hi, Norman. Hi, Carrie.”
”Come in and sit down, dear.” Delores motioned toward the spot they'd saved for her.
Hannah sat down and turned to Norman. ”This is a nice surprise. Mother didn't tell me you'd be here.”
”Just a minute, dear,” Delores hushed her, reaching out to arrange the curtains to hide them from general view. ”I really don't think we need everyone in town to see us discussing Rhonda's murder.”
”Seeing us doesn't matter, as long as they don't hear us. And they'll be less inclined to eavesdrop if they can see us.”
”You've got a point,” Delores conceded, opening the curtains again. ”I'd never invade someone's privacy like that, but I'm sure some people would.”
Hannah just barely managed to squelch a chuckle. She'd seen Delores take the long way around to the ladies room several times in the past, and once she'd even dropped her purse by the row of private booths so she'd have more time to listen.
”I have a question for you, Hannah.” Delores stared hard at her. ”Norman says he asked you to investigate and you promised to think about it and let him know in the morning. Is that right?”
Hannah hesitated. She'd never been any good at walking on eggsh.e.l.ls and this situation had the earmarks of a giant omelet in the making. What if Delores really wanted the job as chief investigator and she'd resent it if Hannah took over? Was there any explanation Hannah could give for her change of heart that wouldn't lead to infanticide? Or was infanticide called something else when a mother killed her grown daughter?
LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 99.
”Well?” Delores glared at her. ”I'm waiting for an explanation, Hannah Louise.”
Her mother only called her Hannah Louise when she was in big trouble and Hannah thought fast. ”Norman told me that Mike and Bill roped off the entire Voelker house as a crime scene and he can't tear it down before they solve Rhonda's murder. That means he might have to delay building our dream house until spring, and ...”
”That's enough, dear,” Delores interrupted her. ”I understand perfectly and I think you made the right decision. It was a matter of priorities.”
Hannah felt a bit guilty as she basked in her mother's approval. Delores thought their dream house had made all the difference. If Hannah weren't careful, her mother would be sending out invitations to a bridal shower that would never happen.
Norman looked eager as he turned to Hannah. ”Does that mean that you're going to do it?”
”Of course it does,” Delores answered for her. ”And I'm glad we got all this settled. We'll all do everything we can to help you, Hannah. I made some calls this afternoon and I'm almost positive that Rhonda led a double life.”
”Really?” Norman looked interested. ”What kind of a double life?”
Delores leaned across the table and lowered her voice. ”I think she had a boyfriend, perhaps even more than one. But let's not go into all that now. Why don't we order? Once we've eaten, we can discuss Rhonda's murder in detail over dessert.**
Hannah's dietary resolve wavered dangerously when their waitress wheeled up the dessert cart. Sally's delicious flour-less chocolate cake was sitting in the center of the display. Hannah started to salivate the moment she spotted it.
”I'll have the chocolate cake,” Delores declared. ”I ordered it the last time I was here and it was simply scrumptious.”
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”The same for me,” Carrie echoed.
”Nothing for me.” Norman glanced at Hannah. ”How about you?”
”Just coffee.” Hannah forced the words past her lips. She'd followed her diet to the letter so far, eating only her salad and her serving of coq au vin. She'd even ordered steamed broccoli in place of potatoes.
Once their coffee had been replenished and the cake had been served, Delores turned to Hannah. ”Well? What do you want us to do first, dear?”
Eat your cake fast, before I cave, Hannah thought, her eyes glued to the rich confection on her mother's dessert plate, but of course she didn't say that. If Delores found out that she was on a diet, she'd have to listen to hours of unsolicited and unhelpful advice. ”Just keep your ears open for any facts about Rhonda's private life that might have led to a motive for her murder.”
”I think I can find out who her boyfriend was,” Carrie volunteered. ”When I get home tonight, I'll make some calls.”
”How about the UPS man?” Delores asked.
”Sam?” Carrie sounded shocked. ”Oh, he was Rhonda's cousin on her father's side. That's why he used to drop by to have lunch with her.”
”Is Sam still in the area?” Hannah asked, wondering about Rhonda's family history. If Rhonda's cousin was jealous over the fact Rhonda had inherited the Voelker place, he might have had a motive for murder.
”No, he went back to Utah a few months ago. Rhonda said his uncle was wealthy and they owned some high-tech corporation. Sam took over as president when the uncle retired.”
Hannah sighed, mentally scratching Sam from her list of suspects. Not only was he several hundred miles away, he was now running a successful business. Sam wasn't likely to care that his cousin had inherited an old wreck of a house in Lake Eden, Minnesota.
”Would it help to talk to Rhonda's cleaning woman?” Norman asked.
LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 101.
”Absolutely.” Hannah beamed at him. Cleaning women often knew a lot more than they let on. ”Do you know who she was?”