Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(39)

“I think I’ll take these, Lisa.” Hannah walked over to point to the pair of shoes. “They look just right.”

“They’re too plain, Hannah. You need something fancier to go with your gorgeous dress.”

“How much fancier?” Hannah wasn’t willing to cave in quite so easily. The black shoes would go with almost anything, and plain was fine with her.

“Try this pair.” Lisa snatched a pair from the display and handed them to Hannah. “They’ll be perfect. Trust me.”

“Trust me” was the same phrase her mother had used when she’d talked Hannah into buying a totally ridiculous velvet skirt one Christmas, and Hannah was leery as she examined the shoes. They met all the requirements, but the thin leather strap that buckled around the ankle would draw attention to her legs.

“Just try them, Hannah. If you don’t like them, you can choose something else.”

“Fine.” Going shopping with Lisa was a lot like shopping with her mother. “I wear a nine and a half narrow.”

“I’ll get a clerk.”

Lisa hurried off and within a few moments she came back with a man with black hair and a mustache. He was wearing white pants and a striped shirt and he looked exactly like Hannah’s conception of a Venetian gondolier.

“This is Tony,” Lisa introduced him. “He’ll help you.”

In record time Hannah’s feet were measured, and Tony had slipped the shoes on her feet. Hannah stood up gingerly, took a few steps, and started to smile. Lisa was right. The shoes would be perfect with her black cocktail dress. “I’ll take them.”

“Not so fast,” Lisa warned. “You have to walk around the store first. You promised.”

Hannah sighed and walked up and down the aisles. She was glad she did, because she noticed a sign near the register that advertised a second pair of shoes for five dollars. She rushed back to Tony and gestured toward the sign. “A second pair is only five dollars?”

“That’s right. It’s still our grand opening. You want to look at a second pair?”

Hannah shook her head and pointed at Lisa. “No, she does and I’m paying. She’d like to try…” Hannah glanced around. She’d noticed that Lisa had been staring at a pair of shoes when they’d first walked in, and there had been a wistful expression on her face. She located the shoes, a pair of gold sandals with five-inch heels, and hurried over to retrieve them and carry them back to Tony. “She wants to try this pair.”

“You’ll be wasting your money,” Lisa objected. “They’re beautiful, but I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear them.”

“So what? I want you to have them. Every woman needs a totally fantastic pair of shoes once in a while, even if they just sit in her closet.”

“But, Hannah…”

“Don’t forget that I’m your boss,” Hannah interrupted her. “And I’m ordering you to get those shoes.”

Lisa began to laugh. “You win. Do you have them in a six, Tony?”



Twin Pines was only ten miles from the Tri-County Mall and the snow was still falling as Hannah pulled into a recently vacated spot near the entrance. It wasn’t snowing hard, but she wondered what it would be like to get snowbound at a casino. Perhaps it was a good thing she hadn’t brought any of her credit cards with her.

“It’s huge, Hannah. And it looks nice.” Lisa eyed the flashing neon signs as they walked up to the entrance, and there was a childlike wonder on her face. “I’m glad you asked me to come with you. I’ve never been inside a casino before.”

A bouncer was stationed at a spot just inside the front door and Hannah held her breath. She hoped that Lisa was old enough to gamble. Then she noticed a sign that read: “YOU MUST BE 18 OR OLDER TO GAMBLE.” She breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look back at the bouncer again. His face was free of scratches and bruises and he certainly didn’t have a black eye. There was no way that he’d been the recipient of Ron’s punches, and Hannah decided to wait until they’d eaten before she asked any questions about the bouncer who’d been on duty Tuesday night.

“What a nice restaurant!” Lisa smiled happily as a waitress led them to a wooden booth in the rustic-looking dining room. “Just look at those Indian blankets on the wall. They’re gorgeous.”

“Yes, they are.” Hannah glanced at the vividly colored blankets. Though they added coziness to the cavernous wood-paneled room, their woven designs didn’t look anything like the Sioux blankets she’d seen on her trip to the museum. Perhaps authenticity didn’t really matter to a gambler.

“Do you think we should take Herb’s suggestion and try the ribs?” Lisa looked up from her menu. It was printed on a type of plastic that resembled birch bark and there was a stick drawing of a teepee on the front.

“That sounds good to me. If Herb recommended them, they must be good. He always had a knack for ferreting out the best item on a menu when we were classmates in high school.”

When the ribs came, they were tender and juicy, slathered with a sauce that reminded Hannah of aromatic wood smoke and sweet vine-ripened tomatoes. As they ate, occasionally wiping their hands on the wet napkins the waitress had provided, Hannah thought about the best way to identify the bouncer who’d fought with Ron. If she asked the management, they’d be paranoid about possible lawsuits. She had to think of some nonthreatening excuse to convince them that she needed the bouncer’s name.