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Authors: Joanne Fluke
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else to say. What she really wanted to know was why Brandi had married Martin in the first place, but it would be rude to ask.
“So . . . you married?” Brandi asked, glancing down at Hannah’s bare fingers.
“No, I’m not.” Hannah felt the urge to babble just to fill the silence, and she gave in to it. “I haven’t found the right man yet, I guess.”
“You won’t, not here. These small towns are death for single women, especially when they get to be your age. But don’t get me wrong . . . you’re not bad looking and some men like that natural, untouched look. I bet I could have lined you up with somebody really hot in Vegas.”
Hannah frowned. She didn’t really even want to think about the type of man Brandi might have picked out for her and she quickly changed the subject. “Have you met Martin’s sons yet?”
“No. I’m not big on kids, but at least they’re boys. I get along a lot better with boys.”
I’ll bet you do! Hannah thought, but of course she didn’t say it. Making conversation with Brandi was like trying to drive a truck out of a mud hole. Every time she managed to crawl forward a few feet, she slipped right back in the muck.
“Who’s that?” Brandi gestured toward a table at the front of the room.
“Who’s who?”
“That guy with that awful Christmas tie. He looks familiar.”
“That’s our mayor, Richard Bascomb.”
“He looks like somebody I met a while back, but the name’s not familiar.”
Hannah nodded, but her mind was racing. Mayor Bascomb had flown to Las Vegas for a convention a couple of months ago. If he’d hooked up with Brandi and wanted to maintain his anonymity, he might not have used his own name.
“Excuse me a second, will you? I have to talk to Marty.”
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as Brandi huddled with Martin. Now she was free to talk to Andrea. “So where’s Bill? I thought he’d be here by now.”
“He just called me. the Tri-County Sheriff’s Coalition meeting is running late, and he might not be here for hours.”
Brandi turned to tap Andrea on the arm. “I never thought to ask you when Marty said your husband was the sheriff, but is there a problem with crime in this area?”
“Not at all,” Andrea assured her, and Hannah almost choke don her bite of quiche. It was clear that her sister wasn’t about to mention the murder cases they’d helped Bill and Mike solve.
“Oh, good! Then maybe I’ll put my new fur coat in the cloakroom after dinner.” Brandi reached out to stroke the coat that she wore draped over her shoulders. “Since it was so expensive, I didn’t want to leave it unattended, but Marty said it was perfectly safe. I was just hoping that he was right . . . about that, at least.”
Hannah stifled a groan at the last four words of Brandi’s sentence. It sounded to her like trouble in paradise, and they’d been married for less than a week.
“Martin’s right,” Andrea said, smiling at Brandi. “Theft has never been a problem in Lake Eden. Some people don’t even lock their doors. Did you happen to notice the silver cake knife on the platter next to the chocolate cake?’
“I saw it when we were standing in line for the appetizers. It’s really pretty. I like all those colored stones on the Christmas tree.”
“They’re gemstones. The big one on the top is a star-cut diamond and the smaller ones are sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. The knife is a solid silver antique worth thousands.”
“But . . . it’s just sitting there in plain sight and no one’s even keeping an eye on it.”
“I know,” Andrea zeroed in to prove her point, “and that just goes to prove that you don’t have to be worried about somebody stealing your fur coat in Lake Eden. People here are as honest as the day is long.”
When Brandi had returned to her conversation with Martin, Hannah tapped Andrea on the shoulder. “If Bill gets hung up, I’m sure Mike will give you and Tracey a ride home.”
“In his
“So . . . you married?” Brandi asked, glancing down at Hannah’s bare fingers.
“No, I’m not.” Hannah felt the urge to babble just to fill the silence, and she gave in to it. “I haven’t found the right man yet, I guess.”
“You won’t, not here. These small towns are death for single women, especially when they get to be your age. But don’t get me wrong . . . you’re not bad looking and some men like that natural, untouched look. I bet I could have lined you up with somebody really hot in Vegas.”
Hannah frowned. She didn’t really even want to think about the type of man Brandi might have picked out for her and she quickly changed the subject. “Have you met Martin’s sons yet?”
“No. I’m not big on kids, but at least they’re boys. I get along a lot better with boys.”
I’ll bet you do! Hannah thought, but of course she didn’t say it. Making conversation with Brandi was like trying to drive a truck out of a mud hole. Every time she managed to crawl forward a few feet, she slipped right back in the muck.
“Who’s that?” Brandi gestured toward a table at the front of the room.
“Who’s who?”
“That guy with that awful Christmas tie. He looks familiar.”
“That’s our mayor, Richard Bascomb.”
“He looks like somebody I met a while back, but the name’s not familiar.”
Hannah nodded, but her mind was racing. Mayor Bascomb had flown to Las Vegas for a convention a couple of months ago. If he’d hooked up with Brandi and wanted to maintain his anonymity, he might not have used his own name.
“Excuse me a second, will you? I have to talk to Marty.”
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief as Brandi huddled with Martin. Now she was free to talk to Andrea. “So where’s Bill? I thought he’d be here by now.”
“He just called me. the Tri-County Sheriff’s Coalition meeting is running late, and he might not be here for hours.”
Brandi turned to tap Andrea on the arm. “I never thought to ask you when Marty said your husband was the sheriff, but is there a problem with crime in this area?”
“Not at all,” Andrea assured her, and Hannah almost choke don her bite of quiche. It was clear that her sister wasn’t about to mention the murder cases they’d helped Bill and Mike solve.
“Oh, good! Then maybe I’ll put my new fur coat in the cloakroom after dinner.” Brandi reached out to stroke the coat that she wore draped over her shoulders. “Since it was so expensive, I didn’t want to leave it unattended, but Marty said it was perfectly safe. I was just hoping that he was right . . . about that, at least.”
Hannah stifled a groan at the last four words of Brandi’s sentence. It sounded to her like trouble in paradise, and they’d been married for less than a week.
“Martin’s right,” Andrea said, smiling at Brandi. “Theft has never been a problem in Lake Eden. Some people don’t even lock their doors. Did you happen to notice the silver cake knife on the platter next to the chocolate cake?’
“I saw it when we were standing in line for the appetizers. It’s really pretty. I like all those colored stones on the Christmas tree.”
“They’re gemstones. The big one on the top is a star-cut diamond and the smaller ones are sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. The knife is a solid silver antique worth thousands.”
“But . . . it’s just sitting there in plain sight and no one’s even keeping an eye on it.”
“I know,” Andrea zeroed in to prove her point, “and that just goes to prove that you don’t have to be worried about somebody stealing your fur coat in Lake Eden. People here are as honest as the day is long.”
When Brandi had returned to her conversation with Martin, Hannah tapped Andrea on the shoulder. “If Bill gets hung up, I’m sure Mike will give you and Tracey a ride home.”
“In his
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