Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(107)



“Right here.” Hannah gave a little sigh. She thought she’d done a fine job of convincing Bill and Mike that her questions were purely theoretical. “Bill’s on to me?”

“No, Bill’s not on to you. I’m the one who’s on to you. You never could fool me, Hannah.”

“Not even second-hand?”

“Not even then. So what gives?”

Hannah sighed and stretched the phone cord out so that she could step into the coffee shop for more privacy. Even at a young age, Andrea had always known when Hannah was trying to pull the wool over her eyes. At the same time, Andrea was fiercely loyal to her family. If Hannah told her about Candy and asked her to keep it a secret, Andrea wouldn’t say a word to anyone.

“Two nights ago, a homeless girl broke into my shop to get out of the cold. I left her some food last night and managed to catch her. I told her she could stay here and I promised that I wouldn’t call the cops. I’m pretty sure she ran away from home.”

“And she’s underage?” Andrea asked.

“Norman and I both think so.”

“Norman saw her?”

“We had a date last night and he helped me catch her.”

“Some date!”

Hannah chuckled. “Well, that wasn’t all we did. We went out to dinner first.”

“Good. At least it wasn’t a total waste. So what are you planning to do with her?”

“Keep her and try to find her mother. She said her father’s dead and that rang true.”

“You’re going to try to do it by yourself?”

“Yes. If I turn her over to the authorities, they’ll just put her in the county home.”

“That’s true.” Andrea gave a little sigh that smacked of resignation to Hannah. “Okay, I’ll help you. It’s almost like a murder and we already know we’re good at solving those.”

“How is it like a murder?” Hannah asked, torn between wanting a peek into her sister’s thought processes, and believing that she was better off not knowing.

“Instead of looking for a killer, we’ll be looking for a mother.”

“Right,” Hannah said, wishing she hadn’t asked. “Don’t forget that you’re married to a sheriff’s detective and I’m harboring a runaway. Are you sure you want to get involved?”

“Of course I do! I have to save you from yourself. There’s no way you can get any information because you can’t lie. You’ve never been any good at it.”

Hannah didn’t bother to deny it, since her sister was right.

“I, on the other hand, am an expert liar!”

Again, Hannah was mute. She didn’t want to get into an argument about whether expertise in something that was morally reprehensible should give Andrea bragging rights.

“Just let me take care of everything. I’ll stop by to see the girl after I get my hair done. And you should watch her around Tracey.”

“She’s a nice girl, Andrea. She wouldn’t hurt Tracey.”

“You underestimate me, Hannah. That isn’t why I said you should watch her. If she’s really good with Tracey, it might mean she’s used to being around kids that age. And that might mean she’s got a younger brother or sister.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Hannah knew it was time to eat a little crow. “Good thinking.”

“Thank you. I’m good at these things.”

“You certainly are.” Hannah decided that constituted her last bite of crow. “Don’t forget to be careful what you say when you meet her. You can’t let on that you know she’s a runaway, or she’ll bolt and we’ll never see her again.”

“Right. What cover story are you going to use about why she’s there at The Cookie Jar?”

“I haven’t come up with one yet.”

“Then you should let me do it. I’m better at cover stories than you are. Let’s say she’s Ellen’s youngest sister.”

“Ellen?”

“Ellen Wagner, your old college roommate. You introduced me when we drove up for your graduation.”

“You’re right. I’m surprised you remember her.”

“I remember the dress more than her. Girls that big shouldn’t wear large prints, especially in bright colors. She came from a big family, didn’t she?”

“Yes, in North Dakota.”

“That’ll work. A grain of truth always helps in a cover story. Anyway, Ellen called you and asked you to hire her sister for your busy time over the holidays. And the reason she wanted you to hire her is because…What’s your runaway’s first name? Do you know it?”

“It’s Candy.”

“Okay.” Andrea took a deep breath that Hannah could hear over the phone as she picked up the threads of her fabrication again. “Ellen asked you to hire Candy over the holidays because Candy’s boyfriend broke up with her and he started dating her best friend. And Candy couldn’t stand to be in the same small town with them.”

“That sounds good to me. And it gives us another grain of truth for your cover story.”

“What’s that?”

“Everyone in Lake Eden knows I could use some help over the holidays. Lisa and I are so busy, we have to make an appointment with the Kleenex box to sneeze.”

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