Chapter
! Two #
Hannah gave one more glance in the mirror and this time she smiled. Claire Rodgers, her business neighbor on Main Street, had chosen Hannah’s party outfit from her selection at Beau Monde Fashions. Claire and Hannah had worked out a barter system in the two years they’d been neighbors. Hannah dropped in with cookies for Claire, and Claire sold Hannah fashionable clothing at her cost. Tonight’s outfit was a color Hannah had always wanted to wear, one she thought of as “lavender blue,” the title of one of her grandmother’s favorite folk songs. She’d always assumed it would clash with her hair, but Claire had urged her to try it on and it worked perfectly. The romantic lines of the long, draped jacket hid two of her figure faults, and the black silk pants emphasized her height and made her look thinner.
One last smoothing pat to the curls she’d given up trying to tame while she was still in grade school, and Hannah was ready for the party. She turned to look at the elf costume still hanging on a hook. Wayne had told her she could have it, but she knew she’d never wear it again unless someone had a gun to her head. And even then, she might take several moments to think it over. If she left it there behind the door, perhaps someone would take it before the night was over. Someone who’d enjoy it. Someone who didn’t have bright red hair and ten extra pounds around the middle.
16
Joanne Fluke
“How’re you doing, Hannah?” a voice greeted her as she stepped out of the dressing room and Hannah turned to see Cory Reynolds, Wayne Bergstrom’s brother-in-law, leaning up against the wall. Since there was no other reason he’d be in this particular hallway, he was obviously waiting for her.
“Fine, Cory. How about you?” Hannah put on a smile.
Cory was a nice enough guy, and it wasn’t his fault that his sister had married a rich tightwad like Wayne.
“Things are good. I just wanted to tell you that the story you told about how Wayne lost his voice was great.”
“Thanks. I was hoping it would work. Wayne sounded awful.”
“I know. He’s even worse now. I ran into him outside the back door and he said he was going straight home to have some of that hot lemonade and brandy you told him about.”
“Good. It should make him feel better.”
“I really didn’t think he’d be able to do Santa tonight. I even offered to take over, but he wouldn’t have it.”
Too bad you didn’t, said the voice in Hannah’s head, because maybe you would have given me the rest of those candy canes! But that was meanspirited and this was the Christmas season. She could afford to be a little charitable.
“Has Wayne been hoarse all day?” she asked.
Cory shook his head. “He was fine at noon. We had a manager’s meeting at the store during lunch.”
“You mean you had to give up your lunch break?”
“Yeah, but at least it was on a weekday. Sometimes we have managers’ meetings on Saturdays. Or Sundays. Wayne says that anyone who’s not willing to come in twentyfour/seven will never be a manager at Bergstrom’s.”
“I’ll bet that makes him really popular,” Hannah muttered.
But she must have said it a little louder than she thought, because Cory gave a startled bark of laughter.
“It doesn’t put him in the top ten for the Best Boss of the Year award. But it’s like he always says … it’s his money and it’s his store. He can run it any way he wants to.”
CANDY CANE MURDER