Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #5)(28)

"Sold for eighty-three dollars to the gentleman in the tan hunting jacket," Chuck called out, banging his gavel on the podium. "Pay the banker on your way out."

Hannah spotted Luanne sitting next to an empty chair near the middle of the crowd. Several people had gotten up to stretch and Chuck was fortifying himself with another mug of coffee from the big thermos he kept in back of the podium. Hannah headed down the center aisle between the folding chairs and squeezed past knees to get to the vacant chair next to Luanne.

"Hi, Hannah." Luanne looked surprised to see her when Hannah slid into the chair. "Are you here to bid on something?"

Hannah reached down to rub her shin. A man wearing pointy-toed cowboy boots had moved just as she was trying to inch past him. "No, I came out here to talk to you."

"Just a second." Luanne glanced down at her auction book. "I need to bid on something in this next lot."

The bidding started and Hannah watched as Luanne raised her auction paddle. Almost simultaneously, Chuck pointed to her and rattled off a musical string of numbers. Luanne raised her paddle again, but this time Chuck acknowledged her with a nod and swiveled to repeat several other bids. Hannah turned to survey the room. Paddles were popping up all over. Luanne must be bidding on a very popular item. The bidding slowed once, faltered, picked up again, and then slowed a second time. If Hannah had judged the competition correctly, there was only one person bidding against Luanne, an older man with snowy white hair who was wearing a gray suit. Hannah studied him surreptitiously, but she didn't think she'd ever seen him before. Perhaps he was one of the "auction junkies" that Chuck had told her about, the crowd of men and women who made the circuit of the farm actions, hoping to pick up antiques at low prices that they could turn around and sell for a tidy profit.

Chuck was on "going twice" before Luanne raised her paddle again. She had a bored expression on her face, and she gave a little shrug to the man in the gray suit as if to say, "I'm not sure I really want this, but I'll give it one last bid." The man in the gray suit frowned slightly and gave his own shrug, lowering his paddle and nodding toward her.

"Sold! To the pretty little lady in the green sweater," Chuck called out, pointing to Luanne.

"Great!" Luanne said, giving Hannah a smile of triumph. "Your mother's going to love the antique spinning wheel I just bought."

Hannah smiled back. Luanne was right. Delores loved spinning wheels. But discussing antiques wasn't why she'd come out to the auction to see Luanne. "I really need to talk to you, Luanne."

"Okay. Just let me listen to what's coming up next."

Hannah watched Chuck take his place behind the podium again. He banged his gavel to get everyone's attention and waited until the crowd was silent.

"Lot number two-six-nine, ladies and gentlemen. We call this one our sporting package. Six hand-painted duck decoys, a stuffed moose head in A-one condition, two bowling balls, a rod and reel that's seen better days, and a tackle box full of fishing lures."

Luanne turned to Hannah. "We can talk now. I'm not bidding on anything until they get to the upstairs furniture. Carrie's interested in a sleigh bed that belonged to Mrs. Ferguson's mother-in-law, and there's a dresser set from the fifties that your mother wants for a decorator who's doing her client's bedroom in retro."

"I don't like retro. It's so yesterday."

"But it's very popular with…" Luanne stopped speaking when she noticed Hannah's grin. "I get it. Retro. Yesterday. Really, Hannah!"

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." Hannah took a deep breath. This wasn't a venue that invited confidences, but no one was paying any attention to them and she had to broach the subject of the bear chair with Luanne.

Luanne seemed to catch Hannah's mood, because she began to frown. "What is it, Hannah? You look upset."

"I am. I need to know why Nettie Grant bought that bear chair for Suzie last Christmas."

"Oh!" Luanne was so startled, her hands flew up to her face. Unfortunately, the paddle was still in her right hand and Chuck interpreted that as a bid and announced it. Both Luanne and Hannah listened with frowns on their faces as Chuck trolled the room for other bids, but no one else seemed to be buying. After several more minutes of patter, Chuck pointed to Luanne and announced that she'd won.

"I'm sorry, Luanne," Hannah said, the soul of contrition. She hadn't meant to make Luanne bid on something she didn't want.

"That's okay. It was only ten dollars over the minimum bid."

"How much is that?" Hannah asked, already planning to reimburse Luanne for her loss.

"Forty dollars. The moose head is worth three times that and we can get ten dollars or more apiece for the decoys."

"So you came out all right?" Luanne nodded and Hannah breathed a big sigh of relief. "Okay. Let's get out of here before I make you bid on something else."

After a chorus of pardon me's, Hannah and Luanne finally exited the pole barn and picked their way down the rutted road to the house. It was deserted, but Hannah made her way unerringly toward the kitchen.

"No chairs?" she asked, gazing around at the empty room.

"They sold them with the kitchen table." Luanne said, taking up a position to the right of the kitchen sink. "I know. I bought them."