Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(17)

“They never are at that age,” Hannah responded with a smile.

Luanne retrieved the biscuit and broke it into bite-sized pieces. Then she turned to her mother. “Will you feed Suzie, Mom?”

“Sure will. Go on, honey. Take Hannah back and show her what’s in your sample case.”

Hannah followed Luanne into one of the bedrooms. It was painted sunny yellow and there were frilly white curtains at the window. Suzie’s crib was against the far wall, and a twin bed that Hannah assumed was Luanne’s was against the other wall. Two plastic laundry baskets sat in a corner with a few toys in each. There were three children’s books sitting on top of a child-sized table, and Hannah noticed a handful of crayons in an old bleach bottle that had been partially cut away to make a crayon carrier.

“That’s Suzie’s corner,” Luanne explained, motioning toward the table. “I’m stenciling blue and white bunnies on the wall this weekend and I’m going to paint her table blue.”

Hannah noticed that the table was longer than most children’s tables. It was just the right height for a toddler like Suzie and there was plenty of room to work. “That table’s perfect. Tracey used to have a little square one. It looked nice, but it was barely big enough for a coloring book.”

“Suzie’s used to be an old coffee table. I just sawed off the legs. Now all I have to do is find something that she can use for a chair.”

Hannah remembered the things in her sister’s garage, all the clothing, toys, and toddler-sized furniture that Tracey had outgrown. “Andrea may have a chair for Suzie. I’ll ask her.”

“No.” Luanne shook her head. “I know you mean well, Hannah, but we don’t need charity. We’re getting along just fine.”

Hannah should have guessed that Luanne would be too proud to accept an outright gift. But there were ways around pride and as she stared at the table, Hannah had an idea.

“Believe me, it’s not charity.” Hannah gave what she hoped was an exasperated sigh. “I promised to help Andrea clean out the garage this weekend and cart all of Tracey’s toddler things to the dump.”

Luanne looked shocked. “To the dump? You should take them to the thrift store, Hannah. I’m sure somebody would be glad to buy them secondhand.”

“I know, but this stuff has been stored for a couple of years and Andrea’s too busy to go through it. It’s easier for her to just dump it.”

Luanne looked thoughtful. “It’s a shame to think of all those things just going to waste. I could go through it for Andrea. Helping Hands always needs contributions.”

“Would you? We could just haul it out here and you could sort it out one box at a time. But you have to promise to pull out anything that you can use for Suzie. You deserve it for doing all that work.”

“I’ll be glad to do it.” Luanne sounded pleased at the prospect. “Sit down at the dressing table, Hannah.

Luanne gestured toward an old-fashioned vanity that was painted a pretty shade of blue. Its mirror was darkly spotted with signs of age, and a sampling of Pretty Girl cosmetics was arranged on the top. A battered old folding chair with a matching coat of paint sat in front of the vanity, and Luanne whisked a stuffed rabbit off the seat. Once Hannah was seated, she smiled. “You said you needed some lipstick?”

“Yes, I do.” Hannah told herself that she wasn’t really lying. She’d already decided to buy some cosmetics from Luanne. Anyone who worked this hard to make a life for her mother and daughter deserved her help.

“What color did you have in mind?” Luanne asked.

“This color.” Hannah reached into her purse and drew out the bag that contained the cup. “Do you have anything that matches this?”

Luanne stared at the cup for a moment and then she sighed. “You can’t wear that color, Hannah. It’ll clash with your hair.”

“Oh, it’s not for me,” Hannah launched into the story she’d prepared. Bill had warned her not to mention the investigation, but Hannah had thought of a way around that restriction. “My mother just loves this shade. She was helping me take out the trash the other day and she spotted this cup with the lipstick on it.”

Luanne looked relieved. “Then it’s for your mother?”

“That’s right. She told me she used to wear lipstick like this and she can’t find it anywhere in town. I thought I’d surprise her with it the next time I go over there for Carb Tuesday.”

“Carb Tuesday?”

“That’s what I call it. I have dinner with Mother every Tuesday night and she’s crazy about sweets. Last night we had Hawaiian pot roast with pineapple slices and candied yams.”

Luanne started to grin. “I can see why you call it Carb Tuesday!”

“You haven’t heard the rest of it. We also had a side dish of fried bananas and nut cake with chocolate frosting for dessert. Mother had ice cream on top of hers.”

“Your mother sounds like a sugar junkie. Does she ever eat it right out of the bag?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Hannah laughed. “I know she has a stash of fudge brownies in her freezer and a whole drawer filled with one-pound chocolate bars. I guess I should be grateful that she invited Carrie Rhodes and her son to join us for dinner. Norman’s a dentist.”