Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(37)

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Joanne Fluke

kind, the type of women who could wear gunnysacks with house slippers and still generate admiring glances.

"I love this color," Andrea said, reaching out to touch a lavender silk suit hanging on the rack of clothing that Claire had indicated. "Do you think it's too Easter-ish?"

Hannah set her bag of cookies by the coffeepot and tuned out as Claire and Andrea began to discuss colors and their association with various holidays and seasons. Fashion wasn't one of her interests. Instead, she mentally reviewed the questions she wanted to ask. Of course she'd find out about the pies, but Claire might have some other useful information. As Andrea was fond of saying, everybody who was anybody in Lake Eden bought designer clothes at Beau Monde. While the stores at the Tri-County Mall might be less expensive, Claire provided the personal touch that pampered women everywhere craved. Her customers often arrived in pairs and while they were trying on clothes, they gossiped. It was possible that Claire might have overheard something about Rhonda's private life.

"How about this, Hannah?" Andrea asked, holding up a maternity top.

"You're asking me a fashion question?" Hannah laughed.

"Second thought, I'll just try it on." Andrea exchanged a grin with her sister and then she turned to Claire. "If you don't mind, I'll try all of them on."

"I don't mind at all"

Claire gathered the hangers and led Andrea toward the dressing rooms, leaving Hannah to fend for herself. It wasn't for long. Claire was back before Hannah even had time to walk over to the racks to look at the new shipment.

"Your sister's all set," Claire said, heading toward the small coffee machine she kept next to the sink. "I just put on a fresh pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?"

"Sure," Hannah said, even though Claire's coffee was nothing to write home about. Conversation over coffee tended to be candid and invited confidences. "I brought you a half-dozen cookies."

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 129

"Thanks, Hannah. What kind are they?"

"Chocolate Chip Crunch."

"Oh, good. I could use a pick-me-up. I've been pressing out wrinkles since eight. Take my desk chair and I'll get the coffee. How about one of your own cookies?"

"No, thanks."

Claire poured two cups of coffee while Hannah sat down. She carried one to the desk, set it neatly on a coaster, and then perched on a stool with her coffee in one hand and a cookie in the other. "You've lost weight."

"Do you think so?" Hannah felt a swell of pride. Claire studied everyone's appearance. If she thought Hannah had lost weight, it was probably true.

"I make it my business to notice things like that. If one of my ladies comes in and she's gained weight, I need to substitute a larger size without commenting on it."

"And you can tell that by just looking at her?"

"Of course. I have a very discerning eye."

Hannah was thoughtful. Claire's discerning eye might provide a way for her to avoid the dreaded scale. "Can you tell me how much weight I've lost?"

"I'd say about three pounds. Your face is thinner and I think you dropped a bit from your upper arms."

"Wonderful," Hannah said, disappointment setting in. She wasn't trying to lose weight on her face or her upper arms. It was her waist and her hips that concerned her.

"Andrea said you wanted to ask me something?"

"I do." Hannah relegated weight-loss thoughts to the back corner of her mind. "Lisa said you bought three lemon pies last Friday. I was wondering if Rhonda ended up with one of them."

Claire's eyes widened in surprise. "That's right! How did you know that?"

"Just a lucky guess."

"Are you working on Rhonda's murder investigation?"

"Yes. And I already told Mike, so it's no secret this time. Do you know anything personal about Rhonda that might have given someone a motive to kill her?"

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Joanne Fluke

Claire sipped her coffee and thought for a moment. "I don't think so, but I did hear some rumors last year. Someone said that Rhonda had a boyfriend, but no one seemed to know anything about him."

"I've heard that. Any guesses?"

Claire shook her head. "No name was ever mentioned."

"Anything else about Rhonda's personal life?"

Claire thought for a moment and then she shrugged. "Not much. Most of my customers seemed to think that Rhonda was a little silly, wearing all that makeup, and dressing young, and flirting with every man who walked up to her cosmetic counter to buy perfume for his wife. But no one took it seriously and I don't think anyone ever harbored her any ill will."

"Okay. Let's get back to the pie. Did Rhonda give you the money and ask you to pick it up for her? Or did she just free-load one of yours?"

"She freeloaded one of mine," Claire said with a chuckle. "She came in here on Friday afternoon and bought some outfits for her trip. The pie boxes were stacked on my counter. She noticed them when I rang up her purchases."

"And she mentioned that lemon was her favorite so you almost had to give her one?"

"That's exactly how it happened. She spent over six hundred dollars and I figured the least I could do was give her a pie."