It didn’t take Hannah or Andrea long to load up on food. Once they’d returned to the bar with their overfilled plates, Hannah got down to the business at hand. “I’m trying to find Lucy Richards. Have you seen her today?”
“No.” Sally shook her head. “She was here for the wrap party after last night’s show, but I haven’t seen her since.”
Andrea swallowed her bite of beef Stroganoff, then asked, “Do you know what time she left?”
“She was still here when I crashed around eleven. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. You should ask Dick. He didn’t close until one.”
“That late?” Hannah was surprised. “I thought you usually closed at midnight.”
“We do, but there were a lot of people here, and we make a good profit on the drinks. Dick said that everyone was having such a good time, he didn’t have the heart to flick the lights.”
“Were there many people who drove out from town?” Andrea asked, spearing another forkful of Stroganoff.
“Yes, but they didn’t stay late because they had to go to work in the morning. The only townspeople who were here when I left were Mayor Bascomb and his wife, Mason Kimball, Cyril Murphy, and your mother and Mrs. Rhodes.”
Andrea almost choked on a shiitake mushroom. When she’d managed to swallow she asked, “Mother was here that late?”
“That’s right. She was dancing with that handsome KCOW anchorman. I can’t remember his name. And Mrs. Rhodes was sitting at the table with that cute guy who does the weather.”
“Chuck Wilson and Rayne Phillips?”
Sally nodded, and Hannah’s eyes widened. She wondered what Norman would say if he knew that their mothers had been out bar-hopping with two handsome men who had to be almost thirty years younger than they were.
“Dick said the real diehards were the contestants and some of the KCOW television people. They’re all staying here, and they don’t have to worry about driving home.” Sally slid off her stool. “Time to put out the dessert buffet. Do you want me to send Dick out so you can ask him about Lucy?”
“Yes, if you can spare him.”
“No problem. We took the easy way out today. Of course, you already know that.”
“I do?”
“I guess you don’t.” Sally gave her a big grin. “Well, you’re going to be in for a big surprise when you see what we’re serving.”
After Sally had left, Hannah turned to her sister with a puzzled look. “What was she talking about?”
“I don’t know, but that’s not important. What are we going to do about Mother and Chuck Wilson?”
“Nothing.”
“But this is a crisis!” Andrea took a sip of water and fanned her face with her napkin. “Think about it, Hannah. What are people going to say when they find out that Mother is dating Chuck Wilson? He’s young enough to be our brother!”
Hannah was amused at the role reversal. Andrea was acting like a mother who’d just discovered that her child had done something perfectly dreadful.
“We’d better have a mother-daughter talk with her, Hannah. This just isn’t…” Andrea struggled to find the right word, “… appropriate for a woman of her age!”
“Relax, Andrea. Sally didn’t say that Mother was dating Chuck Wilson. She just said that they were dancing.”
Andrea thought about it for a moment. “You’re right. I guess dancing is okay, as long as it wasn’t a slow dance. Do you think we should ask Sally what kind of dance it was?”
“I think we should butt out. Mother’s old enough to know what she’s doing.” Hannah saw Dick heading their way. “Forget about it, Andrea. It’s probably nothing anyway. Here comes Dick, and we’ve got questions to ask.”
* * *
Five minutes later they had some of their answers. Lucy had arrived with the rest of the crowd who’d come from the Jordan High auditorium after the show. As far as Dick could tell, she hadn’t been with anyone in particular and had spent a couple of hours table-hopping, talking to the contestants and members of the KCOW television crew. He’d served her one drink, a glass of white wine, and she’d refused a refill. Lucy had told him that she was working on a big story and wanted to keep her head clear. Dick didn’t know if she’d gotten her story, but he said that she’d been smiling when she left.
“When was that?” Andrea asked.
“Around midnight. I saw her go out the door.”
“Was she alone?” Hannah stepped in to ask the question.
“She was when she went out the door.”
Hannah started to frown. “Could someone have followed her?”
“Sure, but I wouldn’t have noticed. It got busy right then, and I had my hands full.”
“Do you know if she drove out of here in her own car?”
“She did. Right after she got here, someone came in and told her she’d left on her lights. Lucy handed me the keys, and ordered me to run out to the parking lot to turn them off. I almost told her to stuff it, but I wanted to see her new car.”
“Is it possible she rode home with someone else and picked up her car this morning?” Hannah asked her final question.
“No. Mayor Bascomb’s battery was low, and I went out to give him a jump start at twelve-thirty. I know Lucy’s car was gone by then. She was parked right next to him, and I backed into her space to connect the cables.”
“Thanks, Dick. That’s all I need to know.” Hannah dismissed him with a smile.
“Okay, but I’ve got a question. Why are you so interested in Lucy?”
“I need to track her down,” Hannah answered truthfully. Then she crossed her fingers. “Nobody’s seen her since last night, and I’ve got to check that story she’s doing about the bake-off. She misquoted me last week, and I don’t want it to happen again.”
“Well, good luck finding her. I’ve got to go. The dessert cart’s heavy, and I don’t want Sally to push it out here by herself.”
“Bill was the same way when I was pregnant with Tracey,” Andrea said when Dick had let. “He even came out to the car to bring in the groceries for me.”
Hannah smiled. “That’s nice. Does he still do it?”
“Are you kidding? Now he’s glued to the television, and I have to lug in the sacks all by myself. He’ll help if I ask, but he sure doesn’t volunteer anymore.” Andrea looked thoughtful. “He really was a lot more considerate when I was carrying Tracey. Maybe there’s something to that barefoot and pregnant thing.”
Hannah laughed and slid off her stool. “Only if you live on a tropical beach and have an unlimited supply of disposable diapers. Come on, Andrea. Let’s check out that dessert buffet and see why Sally is standing there grinning like the Chesire cat.”
There was a crowd milling around the dessert buffet, and it took them a while to get close enough to see what was there. Once Hannah, who was five inches taller than her petite sister, managed to sneak a peek over someone’s shoulder, she gave a soft chuckle.
“What is it?” Andrea tapped her on the arm. “This isn’t fair, Hannah. You can see and I can’t.”
“That’s just one of the advantages of being tall.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“It’s my cookies. Sally’s got six different kinds, arranged in baskets, and there’s ice cream and all sorts of toppings to make your own sundaes.”
“And you didn’t know?”
“NO, I didn’t go in this morning. I just called Lisa and asked her if she could handle the shop alone until this afternoon. When I left my condo, I drove straight out to pick you up so we could get to…” Hannah stopped and glanced around her. No one appeared to be listening to them, but it paid to be careful. “…to that apartment in time.”
