Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(59)

“Think about what Norman just told us and you’ll have a possible motive.”

Andrea was silent for a moment. “I got it. You think that Ron overheard Max making some kind of shady business deal? And Max followed Ron on his route and killed him so that he couldn’t tell anyone about it. But how do you know that Ron saw Max?”

Hannah frowned. She should have known that Andrea was going to ask that. “My snitch told me.”

“Your snitch?”

“Actually, she’s more of a witness. The woman with the pink lipstick told me about it. She didn’t see Max or the other person, but when Ron came back out to his truck, he told her that Max was in his office, meeting with someone.”

Andrea stared out through the windshield for a long moment and then turned to Hannah with a frown. “There’s something I don’t understand. Norman said that what Max did was legal. Why would Max kill Ron if his business deals were legal?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah admitted. “All I do know is that I have to check out Max’s house.”

Andrea put the Volvo into gear. “You’re absolutely right. Your place first?”

“That’s right.”

They started off for Hannah’s condo complex. They’d only driven a mile or so when Andrea started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Hannah asked.

“You. Checking out Max’s house won’t be dangerous at all. Max isn’t stupid. If he killed Ron he wouldn’t hole up there, just waiting for someone to put the pieces together and arrest him.”

“That’s true.”

Andrea took her eyes off the road to shoot her a curious glance. “Then why did you tell me that it could be dangerous?”

“Because Max’s house will be locked up tight, and Bill might just kill both of us if we get arrested for breaking and entering.”





Chapter Eighteen




Hannah turned off the highway and onto the access road that ran past the Cozy Cow Dairy. The huge cinderblock building was deserted this time of night and its white paint gleamed in the thousand-watt glow from the security lights that had been installed on poles around the perimeter. The security lights weren’t really necessary. No thief in his right mind would break into a dairy to steal butter or cream vats, but Hannah supposed that Max had gotten a break on his insurance by lighting the place up.

“It’s creepy out here at night.” Andrea’s voice was shaking slightly and Hannah suspected her sister was having second thoughts about demanding to come along. “Doesn’t Max have a night shift?”

“No. There’s nothing to do until the tanker trucks come in from the farms in the morning. Except for his deliverymen, nobody comes in until seven-thirty.”

“I feel silly, dressed like this.” Andrea glanced down at the black pullover sweatshirt and jeans that Hannah had insisted she wear. “Your jeans are too big for me. I had to roll the legs up three times and pin them at the waist. And this hooded sweatshirt smells like it came out of a trash bin. Why did we have to dress up like a couple of cat burglars, anyway? Max’s house is at least a half-mile from the road. There’s no way that anyone will spot us.”

“Sorry, Andrea. My wardrobe isn’t as extensive as yours. That’s all I had that would almost fit you, and I didn’t think you wanted to wear your party dress.”

Andrea let her breath out in a long sigh. “You’re right. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all. I keep thinking about how mad Bill’s going to be if we get caught.”

“We won’t. I told you before, if we have to break in, I’ll do it. And if worse comes to worst, you can tell him that you tried to stop me, but I wouldn’t listen.”

“That’ll go over like a lead balloon.” Andrea sighed again, and then she winced as they bumped over a rut in the road. “With all Max’s money, you’d think he’d have his driveway graded once in a while.”

They rode in silence for another minute or so. As they neared Max’s house, Hannah cut her lights and drove the rest of the way by moonlight.

“He must be gone. There aren’t any lights,” Andrea whispered as Hannah pulled up in front of Max’s garage and shut off the engine. “I told you Max wouldn’t be home.”

“I didn’t really expect him to be, but I’m going to ring the doorbell, just in case.”

“What if someone answers?” Andrea sounded scared.

“Who?”

Andrea shivered. “I don’t know. Just someone.”

“Then I’ll think of something to say.” Hannah got out of her Suburban and marched up to the doorbell, wishing she were as confident as she’d sounded. If Max answered the door, she’d have some tall explaining to do. But Max didn’t answer and Hannah walked back with a smile on her face. “Nobody’s there. Come on, Andrea. Let’s check out his garage. We can peek through the windows.”

“How?” Andrea got out of the Suburban to stare up at the high narrow windows that ran in a strip across the top of the garage door. “They’re too high for us to see in.”

“No problem.” Hannah climbed up on the hood of her Suburban and motioned for Andrea to hand her a flashlight. She directed the powerful beam through the narrow strip of windows and what she saw made her gasp in surprise.