Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(77)

“I think that last onion ring turned a late lunch into lunch and dinner combined,” Michelle said.

“I hope you feel differently around six-thirty tonight.”

“Why?”

“I put dinner in the slow cooker before I left the condo this morning. Since Norman bought us dinner last night, I thought I’d invite him for dinner with us tonight.”

“Oh, so that’s what delayed you this morning! I was beginning to worry that your cookie truck had broken down or something. I was going to ask you why you were late, but we were so busy in the coffee shop, I forgot to ask. What did you make?”

“Lick Your Chops Pork, and I thought I’d try Sally’s Piccadilly Mini Muffins to go with it.”

“Yum! I’ll make dessert. Butterscotch Marshmallow Bar Cookies only take a couple of minutes to put together. I can run down to the Red Owl and get what I need. I just love those bar cookies.”

Hannah noticed that a surprised expression had crossed Michelle’s face right after she’d mentioned the bar cookies. “What is it?” she asked.

“I didn’t think I’d want any dinner, but now I think I may be able to eat after all!”

Hannah laughed and just then, Georgina arrived with the coffee carafe and three cups. “I’m on break,” she announced. “Is it all right if I join you for coffee?”

“It certainly is!” Hannah said, and Michelle reached out to grab her purse from the extra chair closest to her.

“Sit here, Georgina,” Michelle told her.

“Thanks.” Georgina poured them all a cup of coffee, and then she sat down. “Are you interested in hearing some things about P.K.’s fiancée, Pinkie?” she asked them. “Or maybe I should call her P.K.’s former fiancée.”

“We’re definitely interested,” Hannah told her. “We’re looking into their relationship as part of our investigation.”

A satisfied smile crossed Georgina’s face, but it disappeared quickly. “I can tell you that things were a lot different than they looked from the outside. She was in here the night they broke up, and Pinkie was a real piece of work!”

“What makes you say that?” Michelle asked her.

“Whenever she came in here with P.K., she seemed so nice. She always had the fish sticks or the chicken burger and she always told him that she didn’t mind if he had red meat, that it didn’t really bother her, but she didn’t want to eat it. I thought that was very nice of her because P.K. just loved our double-doubles. You know what those are, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” Hannah told her. “Two patties, two pieces of cheese.”

“Right. Anyway, the night they broke up, Pinkie came in here and ordered a double-double. It just about shocked me right out of my shoes. And then she ordered a double Bloody Mary to go with it.”

“What did you say?” Hannah asked, knowing that Georgina could be outspoken.

“I just stared at her and she laughed. And then she pointed to her ring finger. He’s gone, she said. I don’t have to do that stuff anymore. Now I can be myself so I’m celebrating. Hurry with that drink, will you, Georgina? I really need it tonight.”

“Wow!” Michelle said. “I can see why you were shocked.”

“There was no way I was going to say anything critical to her, not when she was in that kind of mood. I just went to the bar, got her drink, and brought it right back to her. She drank almost half of it right there in front of me, and then she smiled. That’s better, she said.”

Michelle just shook her head. “If that was the first drink she’d ever had, it must have put her under the table!”

Georgina shook her head. “Nope. She handled it just fine. And once her Bloody Mary was gone, she told me that P.K. was so straight-laced that every once in a while she needed to cut loose and be herself.”

Hannah wasn’t as shocked as Michelle appeared to be by that revelation. She’d almost expected something like that. “Did she eat her double-double?”

“Yes, all of it. And then she paid the bill and left. I have a suspicion, though.”

“What’s that?” Hannah asked her.

“I think she went to the bar to have another couple of drinks before she went home. You should stop there and ask Bobby. He’s our night bartender now, and I know he was working that night.”

*

“What’ll it be, ladies?” the bartender asked as Hannah and Michelle slid onto two vacant stools. The bar was almost deserted this time of day. It was too early for a drink after work and too late for a drink at lunch.

“I’ll have a Virgin Cuba Libre,” Michelle said, smiling at him.

“And for you, ma’am?” The bartender turned to Hannah.

“A virgin Bloody Mary.”

The bartender looked a bit confused. “You’re sitting at the bar, but neither one of you drinks?”

Michelle laughed. “We drink, but we have to get back to work and we wanted to talk to you first.”

“That’s right,” Hannah followed up. “You’re Bobby, aren’t you?”

“That’s me. What did you want to talk about?”

“Georgina told us that you were the night bartender,” Hannah explained. “We’re trying to locate a woman named Pinkie, and Georgina thought she might have come in here for a couple of drinks after she ate at Georgina’s station in the dining room.”