Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Chapter Thirteen

“Sorry, Hannah. I haven’t seen Lucy since last night. If she shows up, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”

“And you’ve been here all day?” Andrea asked.

“Right here.” Herb patted his chair. “I took a break a couple of minutes ago, but I locked the door before I left. Do you want me to take those boxes in for you, Hannah?”

“That would be great. Thanks, Herb.” They set down the boxes they were carrying, and Hannah handed Herb the bag of cookies she’d brought for him. “This is Lisa’s new recipe. She calls them Cherry Winks.”

Herb opened the bag and peered inside. “It’s a good name. The cherries on top look like they’re winking. What are you baking tonight, Hannah?”

“Hawaiian Flan.”

“What’s that?”

“Baked custard with pineapple,” Andrea explained. “Hannah learned to make it when we were in high school, and it’s my favorite dessert.”

“Sounds good. I like pineapple. Say… why don’t you ever use it in your cookies?”

“I don’t know.” Hannah thought about it. She’d made cookies with raisins, dates, and bananas, but she’d never considered using pineapple. Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea. “Thanks for the suggestion, Herb. I’ll have to see what I can come up with.”

“I think pineapples cookies would be really popular, especially if they tasted like pineapple upside-down cake. Do you think I should mention it to Lisa? Her pineapple upside-down cake is even better than Mother’s.”

“Good idea.” Hannah stifled a grin. If Marge Beeseman ever found out that her youngest son liked Lisa’s cake better than hers, there’d be a full-scale war in Lake Eden. “We’ve got to run, Herb. It’s turning out to be a full day. I promised to go out to the hospital to see Danielle. Then we have to make a flying stop at the Lake Eden Inn and get back to the shop in time to bake for the Regency Romance Club meeting this afternoon.”

“Mother told me they’re doing a reading in costume, and Lucy’s supposed to be there to take pictures for the paper. I just hope she shows up.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“When I saw her at the bake-off last night, she said she was working on a big assignment.”

Hannah was almost afraid to ask, but she did. “Did Lucy tell you anything about it?”

“Not really”—Herb shook his head—“but she did say that if it worked out the way she thought it would, she’d earn enough money to pay off that new car she’s leasing.”

They said their good-byes and walked back out to Hannah’s truck in silence. Hannah was hoping that Lucy’s big assignment didn’t have anything to do with confronting Boyd’s killer, and she suspected that Andrea was hoping the same.

* * *

After a brief stop at the hospital, they got back on the road again. Hannah had replaced the offensive cross-stitch sampler with a picture she’d cut out of a magazine. Cows grazing in a field might not be fine art, but they were innocuous.

The Lake Eden Inn was only two miles from the hospital, and they made good time. When they walked into the rustic bar, the second day in a row, Hannah felt a sense of déjà vu. The lunch buffet was out, the guests were at the same tables, and Sally was sitting on the same barstool, with her feet propped up in exactly the same position. The only difference was the color of her maternity top. Sally’s choice today was electric blue with white block letters proclaiming, “MOTHER AT WORK”.

“Hi, Sally.” Hannah walked over to her with Andrea in tow. “We didn’t come to free-load again, I promise.”

Sally laughed. “Help yourselves. I always make a ton of food, and that beef Stroganoff won’t stand up to reheating. It’s got too much sour cream.”

“Does your beef Stroganoff have mushrooms?” Andrea asked, tearing her glance away from the buffet table.

“Four different kinds.” Sally ticked them off on her fingers. “Champignon, shiitake, oyster, and kikurage.”

Hannah noticed that Andrea was listing in the direction of the beef Stroganoff. Andrea never ate breakfast, and she was probably starving by now. “Speaking of mushrooms, when is the last time you made your stuffed mushrooms with bread crumbs and sausage?”

“I served them on Wednesday for the five o’clock happy hour,” Sally told her, “but I don’t think I’ll do it again. They’re just too much work at the last minute.”

Hannah filed that away for future reference. “Stuffed mushrooms aren’t a regular item on your menu?”

“No, I only make them for special occasions. They don’t hold up very well on the warming table, and they have to be served while they’re hot. I probably won’t make them again until my annual Christmas cocktail party. You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Hannah said.

“Me, neither.” Andrea started to smile. “You always throw such a great party, and your food is just incredible.”

“You sound hungry. Why don’t you hit the buffet table?” Sally suggested.

Hannah glanced at Andrea. Her list toward the food table had grown more pronounced. “Okay, but are you sure you have enough?”

“I’m sure. Go fill your plates and come back here, just like yesterday.”

“With one difference.” Hannah was insistent. “You have to let us pay.”

Sally shook her head. “Don’t be silly. You’ll be doing me a favor by taking my mind off Dick Junior. He’s kicking up a fuss today. Dick says he thinks I’m going to give birth to a black-belt karate expert.”

* * *

It didn’t take Hannah or Andrea long to load up on food. Once they’d returned to the bar with their overfilled plates, Hannah got down to the business at hand. “I’m trying to find Lucy Richards. Have you seen her today?”

“No.” Sally shook her head. “She was here for the wrap party after last night’s show, but I haven’t seen her since.”

Andrea swallowed her bite of beef Stroganoff, then asked, “Do you know what time she left?”

“She was still here when I crashed around eleven. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. You should ask Dick. He didn’t close until one.”

“That late?” Hannah was surprised. “I thought you usually closed at midnight.”

“We do, but there were a lot of people here, and we make a good profit on the drinks. Dick said that everyone was having such a good time, he didn’t have the heart to flick the lights.”

“Were there many people who drove out from town?” Andrea asked, spearing another forkful of Stroganoff.

“Yes, but they didn’t stay late because they had to go to work in the morning. The only townspeople who were here when I left were Mayor Bascomb and his wife, Mason Kimball, Cyril Murphy, and your mother and Mrs. Rhodes.”

Andrea almost choked on a shiitake mushroom. When she’d managed to swallow she asked, “Mother was here that late?”

“That’s right. She was dancing with that handsome KCOW anchorman. I can’t remember his name. And Mrs. Rhodes was sitting at the table with that cute guy who does the weather.”

“Chuck Wilson and Rayne Phillips?”

Sally nodded, and Hannah’s eyes widened. She wondered what Norman would say if he knew that their mothers had been out bar-hopping with two handsome men who had to be almost thirty years younger than they were.

“Dick said the real diehards were the contestants and some of the KCOW television people. They’re all staying here, and they don’t have to worry about driving home.” Sally slid off her stool. “Time to put out the dessert buffet. Do you want me to send Dick out so you can ask him about Lucy?”

“Yes, if you can spare him.”

“No problem. We took the easy way out today. Of course, you already know that.”

“I do?”

“I guess you don’t.” Sally gave her a big grin. “Well, you’re going to be in for a big surprise when you see what we’re serving.”

After Sally had left, Hannah turned to her sister with a puzzled look. “What was she talking about?”

“I don’t know, but that’s not important. What are we going to do about Mother and Chuck Wilson?”

“Nothing.”

“But this is a crisis!” Andrea took a sip of water and fanned her face with her napkin. “Think about it, Hannah. What are people going to say when they find out that Mother is dating Chuck Wilson? He’s young enough to be our brother!”

Hannah was amused at the role reversal. Andrea was acting like a mother who’d just discovered that her child had done something perfectly dreadful.

“We’d better have a mother-daughter talk with her, Hannah. This just isn’t…” Andrea struggled to find the right word, “… appropriate for a woman of her age!”

“Relax, Andrea. Sally didn’t say that Mother was dating Chuck Wilson. She just said that they were dancing.”

Andrea thought about it for a moment. “You’re right. I guess dancing is okay, as long as it wasn’t a slow dance. Do you think we should ask Sally what kind of dance it was?”

“I think we should butt out. Mother’s old enough to know what she’s doing.” Hannah saw Dick heading their way. “Forget about it, Andrea. It’s probably nothing anyway. Here comes Dick, and we’ve got questions to ask.”

* * *

Five minutes later they had some of their answers. Lucy had arrived with the rest of the crowd who’d come from the Jordan High auditorium after the show. As far as Dick could tell, she hadn’t been with anyone in particular and had spent a couple of hours table-hopping, talking to the contestants and members of the KCOW television crew. He’d served her one drink, a glass of white wine, and she’d refused a refill. Lucy had told him that she was working on a big story and wanted to keep her head clear. Dick didn’t know if she’d gotten her story, but he said that she’d been smiling when she left.

“When was that?” Andrea asked.

“Around midnight. I saw her go out the door.”

“Was she alone?” Hannah stepped in to ask the question.

“She was when she went out the door.”

Hannah started to frown. “Could someone have followed her?”

“Sure, but I wouldn’t have noticed. It got busy right then, and I had my hands full.”

“Do you know if she drove out of here in her own car?”

“She did. Right after she got here, someone came in and told her she’d left on her lights. Lucy handed me the keys, and ordered me to run out to the parking lot to turn them off. I almost told her to stuff it, but I wanted to see her new car.”

“Is it possible she rode home with someone else and picked up her car this morning?” Hannah asked her final question.

“No. Mayor Bascomb’s battery was low, and I went out to give him a jump start at twelve-thirty. I know Lucy’s car was gone by then. She was parked right next to him, and I backed into her space to connect the cables.”

“Thanks, Dick. That’s all I need to know.” Hannah dismissed him with a smile.

“Okay, but I’ve got a question. Why are you so interested in Lucy?”

“I need to track her down,” Hannah answered truthfully. Then she crossed her fingers. “Nobody’s seen her since last night, and I’ve got to check that story she’s doing about the bake-off. She misquoted me last week, and I don’t want it to happen again.”

“Well, good luck finding her. I’ve got to go. The dessert cart’s heavy, and I don’t want Sally to push it out here by herself.”

“Bill was the same way when I was pregnant with Tracey,” Andrea said when Dick had let. “He even came out to the car to bring in the groceries for me.”

Hannah smiled. “That’s nice. Does he still do it?”

“Are you kidding? Now he’s glued to the television, and I have to lug in the sacks all by myself. He’ll help if I ask, but he sure doesn’t volunteer anymore.” Andrea looked thoughtful. “He really was a lot more considerate when I was carrying Tracey. Maybe there’s something to that barefoot and pregnant thing.”

Hannah laughed and slid off her stool. “Only if you live on a tropical beach and have an unlimited supply of disposable diapers. Come on, Andrea. Let’s check out that dessert buffet and see why Sally is standing there grinning like the Chesire cat.”

There was a crowd milling around the dessert buffet, and it took them a while to get close enough to see what was there. Once Hannah, who was five inches taller than her petite sister, managed to sneak a peek over someone’s shoulder, she gave a soft chuckle.

“What is it?” Andrea tapped her on the arm. “This isn’t fair, Hannah. You can see and I can’t.”

“That’s just one of the advantages of being tall.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“It’s my cookies. Sally’s got six different kinds, arranged in baskets, and there’s ice cream and all sorts of toppings to make your own sundaes.”

“And you didn’t know?”

“NO, I didn’t go in this morning. I just called Lisa and asked her if she could handle the shop alone until this afternoon. When I left my condo, I drove straight out to pick you up so we could get to…” Hannah stopped and glanced around her. No one appeared to be listening to them, but it paid to be careful. “…to that apartment in time.”

Andrea looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh, yes. That apartment.”

“Do you want to stand in line for some cookies and ice cream?”

Andrea shook her head. “No thanks. Besides, you’ve got cookies in the car. Let’s go find Mr. Rutlege. We’ve got to talk to him about…” Andrea stopped and cleared her throat, “… uh… that thing we wanted to ask him about.”

* * *

By one o’clock, they were ready to leave. They’d learned everything they could at Lake Eden Inn. Hannah stopped at the front desk and turned to Andrea. “Try calling Lucy’s number once more. Maybe she’s home by now.”

“What am I going to say if she answers?”

“Ask her if we can come over.”

“Btu she’ll want to know why.” Andrea started to frown. “What do you want me to tell her?”

“Say that we’re looking for a piece to round out Mother’s collection of antique jewelry. Flatter her a little and tell her that she’s the only person in town who might be able to help us. That should do the trick.”

“Okay.”

As Andrea picked up the phone and punched out Lucy’s number, Hannah thought about the information they’d learned from Jeremy Rutlege. He’d admitted that Ms. Avery’s husband had tried to bribe him, but that he’d turned down the money. Hannah knew that was the truth. Lucy had hidden the bribery money in her desk, and it was now in the bottom of Andrea’s leather purse. Mr. Rutlege had also told them that he’d talked to Mrs. Avery about it and she’d convinced him that she hadn’t known anything about the bribe. And then, when his tooth had acted up and he’d had to excuse himself from the judging, Mr. Rutlege had decided not to report it. As it turned out, Mrs. Avery, the contestant who’d baked the nut-filled pastry, had been eliminated anyway.

“She’s not home.” Andrea interrupted Hannah’s thoughts. “I don’t think she’s been home all day. There were fifteen messages on her answering machine.”

“How do you know that?”

“I counted. Lucy’s got one of those machines that beeps for each message and there were fifteen beeps. I didn’t leave a message from us. I just counted the beeps and hung up.”

“Good work, Andrea.” Hannah patted her on the back, and they went out the door and started to walk to the parking lot. “If Lucy hasn’t been home, she doesn’t know that her evidence is missing. That means she’ll be less suspicious when I run into her at Mother’s Regency Romance Club meeting.”

“What time is that?”

Hannah glanced at her watch. “They start at three, but I don’t have to be there until three-fifteen, and I have to bake six dozen Cocoa Snaps first. It’s ten after one now, and that should give me plenty of time. Do you want to come down to the shop and help me?”

“Me?” Andrea looked shocked at the suggestion. “You know I don’t bake.”

“Then just sit at the workstation and talk to me while I do it. We can work out a game plan for me to use with Lucy.”

By this time, they’d arrived at Hannah’s truck. Hannah unlocked it, and Andrea slid in. Hannah noticed that she was smiling as she wiggled past the gearshift and buckled herself into the passenger’s seat. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad that you invited me down to your shop.” Andrea’s smile grew bigger. “You’re trying to tell me that you need me, aren’t you, Hannah?”

“Of course I need you.” Hannah slid behind the wheel. Andrea seemed so grateful to be needed that she felt a pang of regret for all the harsh things she’d said to her when they were growing up. Andrea had deserved every one of them, but Hannah wished she’d been more tactful. Instead of calling Andrea an idiot for flunking her math test, she could have offered to help her study. And instead of yelling at Andrea for taking too long in the bathroom, she could have helped her rig up a makeup table in Andrea’s room. Tact had never been one of Hannah’s strong suits. She knew that. It still wasn’t, but she was learning, and she turned to her sister with a smile. “As far as sisters go, you’re not half-bad.”