Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (16 page)

“That’s easy. They’re as dry as sawdust. Taste one—you’ll see.”

“I already have and you’re right. Are you in food service?”

“Just cookies. I own a place called The Cookie Jar. If you give me your card, I’ll send you a sample box of good sugar cookies.”

The caterer reached into her pocket and handed Hannah a card. “I’ve been thinking about switching suppliers. Could you handle a standing order?”

“That depends on the order.” As Hannah opened her dress purse and stuck the card inside, she wished that she’d had cards made. She really hadn’t thought it was important until now. “Call me if you like the cookies and we’ll discuss it. I’ll include my card when I send them.”

After the caterer had left, Hannah turned to look for Norman. She found him standing a few feet behind her and he was grinning from ear to ear. “What is it, Norman?”

“You. You’re amazing, Hannah.” Norman took her arm and walked her toward the grouping of small tables that were set up for dining. “If I went after new business the way you do, I’d have to enlarge the office and put in a revolving door.”

Hannah laughed. “I guess you’re right. When it comes to my cookies, I know they’re the best and I’m not shy about telling people. But I almost goofed, Norman. I never thought about having cards made before.”

“You don’t have business cards?”

Hannah shook her head. “I just didn’t think it was important. I told that caterer I’d include one with the cookies, so I guess I’ll have to order some.”

“I’ll do some for you on my computer,” Norman offered. “That’s how I print mine.”

“Thanks, Norman.” As they neared the tables, Hannah thought again about how nice Norman was. Then someone stood up and waved, and Hannah recognized Lisa and Herb. “There’s Lisa. She’s my assistant at the shop. And you must know Herb Beeseman. He’s our town marshal.”

‘’Marshal? I thought he was in charge of parking enforcement.”

“He is, but the job doesn’t pay much. Herb was the only applicant and they let him choose his own title. He’s always been fascinated by the Old West.”

“I see. Well, let’s go over and say hello.”

Lisa and Herb had staked out a four-person table, and Hannah and Norman joined them for a moment. The two men immediately started talking about the traffic problem on Main Street, and Hannah turned to Lisa. “You look wonderful, Lisa. Are you having a good time?”

Lisa smiled, and Hannah noticed that her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “I saw your mother and Mrs. Rhodes. They asked if I’d seen you.”

“If they ask again, lie.”

Lisa laughed. “You can’t avoid them forever. Mrs. Rhodes told me that she wants to take pictures of you and Norman for a memento.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I’m avoiding them.”

“Grin and bear it.” Lisa leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Doesn’t Herb look handsome in his suit?”

Hannah glanced over at Herb. He was wearing a black suit with a Western cut and it reminded her of something Marshal Dillon might have worn at a fancy wedding on
Gunsmoke.
It fit so perfectly, Herb could have been one of the mannequins in the display window of an old-fashioned men’s clothing store. It was quite a change from the rumpled tan uniform that he usually wore. “He certainly does.”

Just then a tall figure in another impeccably cut suit caught her eye and Hannah’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t believe it! There’s Benton Woodley!”

“The Woodleys’ son?”

“Yes. I thought the heir apparent was still back east, trying to buy his degree at some Ivy League school.”

Lisa stared at Hannah curiously. “You sound like you don’t like him very much.”

“I don’t. Or at least, I didn’t.” Hannah sighed deeply as she remembered the buckets of tears that Andrea had shed when Benton had dumped her. “Andrea used to date him when she was in high school. I wonder if she knows that he came back for the party.”

“Maybe you should tell her. I know that she’s married now, but it’s always uncomfortable to run into an old boyfriend.”

“Good idea. Have you seen her tonight?”

“She was over by the buffet tables a couple of minutes ago.”

“Thanks, Lisa. I’ll see you later.” Hannah stood up and waited for a break in the conversation. When it arrived, she tapped Norman on the arm. “I have to find Andrea. Would you like to come with me?”

“Sure.”

Norman said goodbye to Herb and Lisa and they started across the room. They were just crossing the space that would be used for dancing, when Hannah heard someone call her name.

Hannah stopped in her tracks and turned toward the warm and friendly voice. It was Benton Woodley and he was smiling at her.

“Who’s that?” Norman glanced at Benton and then he turned to regard her curiously. “An old boyfriend?”

“Yes, but not mine. Come on, Norman. I’ll introduce you.”

It only took a moment to perform the introductions. As Benton chatted with Norman, Hannah wondered if he’d gone to the same charm school as his mother. He was polite, he seemed interested in hearing about Norman’s practice, and he told her that she looked ravishing. The spoiled, know-it-all rich kid had grown up to be the perfect host.

“I’m glad to hear that you’ve reopened your father’s practice, Norman. One never knows when one will need dental work.” Benton sounded sincere and Hannah had the urge to laugh. She was willing to bet that if Benton ever needed dental work, he’d fly off to the fanciest, most expensive dentist in the country. “And how are you, Hannah?”

Hannah smiled her best party smile. “Just fine, Benton. I haven’t seen you for years. Are you just here for the occasion?”

“No, Father’s been a bit under the weather.” Benton lowered his voice and moved a step closer. “I’ve come back to help him run the business.”

Hannah remembered the dark circles under Del’s eyes. Perhaps Benton was telling the truth. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“No, it’s just that he’s been working too hard. Now that I’ve moved back home to lend a hand, he should be fine.”

“You’re staying here?” Hannah was surprised. She seemed to remember that Benton had hated Lake Eden when he’d lived here.

“For a while. And it’s wonderful to be back. I’ve always liked the ambience here, such a friendly, small-town feel. And that reminds me, I ran into Andrea and her husband a few moments ago and she mentioned that you’d opened a business. It sounds like such a quaint little shop. I’ll have to make a point of dropping in soon.”

Hannah bristled. Her business was a business, not a “quaint little shop.” The tone in Benton’s voice suggested that it was something a socialite might do as a hobby. Hannah opened her mouth to tell him that she’d worked very hard to make The Cookie Jar profitable, but she remembered about tact just in time. “It’s been nice chatting with you, Benton, but we have to rush off to find Mother.”

Norman waited until they were several feet away. “You want to find your mother?”

“Of course not. I just wanted to get away from Benton before I wrung his neck.”

Norman grinned. “‘A quaint little shop’?”

“You got it.” Hannah was impressed. For a dentist, Norman was quick. “Let’s go find Andrea. I really need to talk to her.”

They found Andrea and Bill by the buffet tables, and from the satisfied look on Bill’s face, Hannah suspected that he was about to enjoy his second or third helping of food.

“Hi, Hannah. Good to see you, Norman,” Bill greeted them. “Some spread, huh?”

Hannah turned to Norman. “Will you keep Bill company, Norman? I really need to talk to Andrea for a minute.”

Bill gave her a conspiratorial smile, and for a moment Hannah was confused. Then she realized Bill thought she was giving him the opportunity to ask Norman about Ron’s dental visit.

Hannah took her sister’s arm and led her away to a relatively private place by the side of the room. “I’m sorry, Andrea. I came over to warn you the minute I saw Benton, but it was already too late.”

“Warn me?”

“Yes.” Judging from the puzzled expression on her sister’s face, Hannah knew she’d better explain. “I just thought it might be uncomfortable for you to run into Benton again.”

Andrea stared at her for a minute and then she began to smile. “I get it. That was nice of you, Hannah, but seeing Benton didn’t bother me at all. I got over him ages ago.”

“Good! I never liked his attitude and I still don’t. Do you know that he called The Cookie Jar ‘a quaint little shop’?”

Andrea sighed and shook her head. “Don’t mind Benton. He was always a snob. Did he tell you that he came back to help his father at DelRay?”

“That’s what he said.”

“He told us the same thing, but it was a lie. He was flicking his fingernail with his thumb when he said it.”

“What?”

“It’s something Benton does when he’s lying,” Andrea explained. “I picked up on that when we were dating and it came in handy. It’s one of those unconscious gestures that people make when they’re trying to pull something over on you.”

“Did Benton tell you any other lies?”

“He told us he was glad to be back home in Lake Eden and that he was really looking forward to working at DelRay.”

“And he was flicking when he said it?”

“Click, click, click. The only time he didn’t flick was when he said that I looked ravishing.”

“You always look ravishing.” Hannah smiled at her sister, but she thought back to when Benton had told her the same thing. Perhaps it was a good thing she hadn’t known about the fingernail-flicking lie detector test until now. “Did he tell you how long he’d been in town?”

“Bill asked him that. Benton said he’d flown in on Wednesday and taken the shuttle from the airport.”

“Was he flicking then?” Hannah was curious.

“I couldn’t see. He turned toward Bill to answer him. Can we talk about something else, Hannah? Benton Woodley bores me to tears.”

“Sure.” Since Andrea was so observant, Hannah decided to ask her about Danielle Watson. “I talked to Coach Watson’s wife at the mayor’s fundraiser. What do you think of her?”

“Danielle?” Andrea looked thoughtful. “She seems nice enough, but I can’t help feeling sorry for her.”

“Why?”

“Because Boyd is such a control freak. I’ve seen them at parties and he doesn’t like to let her out of his sight. It must be stifling. I bet Danielle has to ask his permission before she can even go to the ladies’ room.”

Hannah remembered how Danielle had whispered in her husband’s ear right before she’d left him at the mayor’s fundraiser. “I think you’re right.”

“I know I am. Thank God Bill’s not like that!”

“Would it work if he were?”

“No way!” Andrea laughed and then she gestured toward a corner of the huge ballroom. “There’s Danielle over there. I guess Boyd doesn’t mind how much she spends on her clothes. She’s wearing the peach dress that I saw at the mall, and I know it cost over five hundred dollars.”

“Where?” Hannah’s eyes searched the crowd.

“Right by that flowering hibiscus tree. She’s standing there with a perfectly polite little smile on her face, waiting for Boyd to finish talking to Queen Judith.”

Hannah grinned. Her sister had started to call Judith Woodley “Queen Judith” right after she’d begun to date Benton. “I see her.”

“I really don’t understand women like Danielle. She’s got a great figure and she always covers it up. Either Boyd’s the jealous type, or she’s really shy about her body.”

Hannah realized that her sister was right. She’d never seen Danielle wear anything even close to revealing. Tonight was no exception. The peach dress had long sleeves and a high mandarin collar. “Can you and Bill keep Norman amused for a couple of minutes? I really need to talk to Danielle.”

“All right. Just don’t take too long. If Norman starts telling me that I need to have my teeth cleaned, I’m going to run for the hills.”

“He won’t. Norman’s not like that at all. He’s got a great sense of humor. If you just get to know him, you’ll like him.”

“If you say so.”

Andrea shrugged and headed back to the table while Hannah made her way through the crowd toward Danielle. As Hannah moved closer, she saw that Coach Watson was deep in conversation with Judith Woodley, and judging from the intense look on his face, Hannah figured that he was trying to drum up a donation for new team uniforms.

“I have to talk to you, Danielle.” Hannah moved in to claim her before the coach could. “Let’s go to the ladies’ powder room.”

“But I’m waiting for Boyd. He told me to stay right here and he’ll be angry if I go off without—”

“It’s important, Danielle,” Hannah interrupted her. “Just tell him you need to fix your face or something.”

“Is there something wrong with my face?”

“No, it’s fine. I just need to talk to you about a mutual friend.”

Danielle stared at her for a moment and then the light dawned. “All right, Hannah. Just let me tell Boyd and I’ll be right with you.”

Less than a minute later, Hannah led Danielle into the ladies’ powder room. She was in luck. The large space was deserted and she flipped the lock on the door. “I need more information, Danielle.”

“But I’ve told you everything I know. You shouldn’t lock the door, Hannah. What if someone needs to get in?”

“They’ll wait. You told me that you were with Ron from eleven until seven-twenty the next morning.”

“That’s right. I was. I told you the truth.”

“I’m sure you did, but I need you to think back to the time you spent with Ron. Did you see anyone else? Anyone at all?”

“No. All of his home delivery customers were still asleep and we didn’t meet anyone at the school. That’s why I said I’d go along. Ron promised that no one would see me.”

“Was there any time that Ron was out of your sight?”

Danielle frowned as she thought about it. “Only when he was loading the truck, but there wasn’t anybody else around.”

“Then Ron didn’t meet anyone at all?”

“No, I don’t think…” Danielle stopped and her eyes widened. “Wait! After Ron loaded up for his commercial route, he had to run back inside the dairy for another box of pens with the Cozy Cow logo on them. He was leaving them with every order and it was some kind of promotional thing. When he came out, he said that Max had better get a move on or he’d be late for the Buttermakers’ Convention.”