Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(48)

There was a harpist, seated in an alcove, playing classical music. Hannah thought that was a nice touch. Leave it to Judith Woodley to provide a touch of class from the moment they entered the door.

“Your coat, ma’am?” A pretty maid, dressed in a dark green uniform and a frilly white apron, helped Hannah out of her coat. “Would you care to freshen up in the ladies’ powder room?”

“Yes, thank you,” Hannah replied, and then she turned to Norman. “I’m just going to run a currycomb through my hair.”

Norman chuckled at her reference to the tool that was used to groom horses. “I like your hair, Hannah.”

“Ma’am?” The maid touched Hannah’s arm. “If you’ll just follow me, please.”

Hannah made arrangements to meet Norman at the bar and went off with the maid. She was an attractive brunette that Hannah didn’t recognize, though she thought she’d seen her at last year’s party. The Woodleys always hired outside help for their parties. Judith complained that the local girls simply weren’t capable of being trained for such a special event. Hannah turned to the maid and asked, “You’re not from Lake Eden, are you?”

“Minneapolis, ma’am. I work for Parties Plus, the service that Mrs. Woodley uses.”

“That’s a long way to drive for one party,” Hannah commented, giving her a friendly smile.

“Oh, that’s no problem. Mrs. Woodley arranges for our transportation, and this is one party I wouldn’t want to miss. I’ve been here for three years in a row.”

“I thought I recognized you from last year. What makes this party better than other parties?”

“It’s a five-day assignment and we have the use of the indoor pool and spa. Mrs. Woodley even caters our meals while we’re here. It’s almost like a party for us.”

Hannah was fishing, but she never knew when information like this might come in handy. “I guess your regular assignments aren’t this nice?”

“No way. Usually we’re in and out in less than six hours and we work like dogs while we’re there. Mrs. Woodley always allows plenty of time for us to set up.”

Hannah was curious. “How long have you been here?”

“Since Tuesday morning. We spent two days cleaning, and yesterday we set up the tables and made sure that all the glassware and dishes were ready. Today we just helped the caterer.”

“When do you go back?”

“Right after we do the cleanup tomorrow morning. We’re usually on the road by noon. I’ll be back home by two at the latest, but Mrs. Woodley pays us for the whole day.”

They had arrived at the ladies’ powder room and Hannah went in to take stock of the damage. Her hair looked all right and she just patted down a few loose curls. Then she refreshed the lipstick that Luanne Hanks had decided was just perfect for her and went back out to find Norman.

Norman was standing by the bar, almost lost in a sea of taller faces. As Hannah moved toward him, she was glad her heels were only three inches high. “Hi, Norman. I’m back.”

“And just in time.” Norman took her arm and moved her away from the crowd. “Our mothers are headed this way. Let’s go over and pay our respects to the Woodleys.”

The reception line wasn’t long, and Hannah and Norman took their places at the end. As they approached their host and hostess, Hannah admired Judith Woodley’s dress. It was made of lilac silk and the bodice was beaded with tiny pearls. Her light brown hair was caught up in an elaborate twist on the top of her head and she looked lovely, as always. She was smiling and chattering with her guests and she appeared quite animated. Del, on the other hand, looked surprisingly glum, and Hannah noticed that there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Hannah.” Judith extended her hand. “How lovely to see you.”

Hannah had the insane urge to reply that it was lovely to be seen, but she thought better of it. She searched her mind for something appropriate to say and pulled out a standard compliment. “You look lovely tonight, Judith. I had no idea that Claire had such wonderful dresses in her shop.”

“Claire?” Judith’s green eyes widened, and Hannah knew she’d just stuck her foot in the mud. “This isn’t from Beau Monde, Hannah. Billy designed it especially for me.”

“Billy?”

“Billy Blass. He’s a close personal friend of mine. And I see that you have a date this year. How nice.”

Hannah cringed and introduced Norman to the Woodleys, making sure to mention that Norman had arrived to take over his father’s dental practice. They chatted with the Woodleys for another brief moment and then they moved on.

“Billy Blass.” Norman chuckled as he took Hannah’s arm. “I wonder if he calls her Judy.”

Hannah laughed appreciatively. This party might be fun if Norman kept making jokes. She accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and they wandered through the crowd for a few minutes, hailing the people that they knew. Then they walked over to view the appetizer table.

“Caviar.” Norman pointed to the black tapioca-looking substance in a large cut-glass bowl that was nestled in a larger bowl of shaved ice.

“It’s beluga,” Hannah informed him. “I asked last year and the waiter told me that the Woodleys wouldn’t serve anything else.”