'The Corner Tavern?' Andrea guessed, wrinkling her nose.
'You bet. I need brain food and I'm in the mood for a thick slab of steak.'
'But fish is supposed to be brain food,' Andrea objected. 'At least that's what everybody says.'
'I know, but I'm having a steak, blood rare, with an order of garlic bread. You can have a double order of fish. Then you'll be smart enough for both of us.'
The Corner Tavern was crowded, but they managed to find a booth in the back. Hannah ordered the thickest porter- house they had, and Andrea ordered the fish.
'You want your steak cooked the usual way?' the waitress asked Hannah.
'Slap it on the grill, give it thirty seconds on one side, and flip it over for another thirty seconds.'
'I know, I know,' the waitress said with a grin. 'If it doesn't moo when you cut into it, it's overdone.'
When their waitress had left, Hannah plopped her huge shoulder bag on the table and pulled out her steno pad. 'We might as well be constructive while we're waiting. Let's go over the notes.'
'Are you ever going to replace that?' Andrea asked her.
'Sure, when it gets full. I've got a whole bag full of new steno pads at home.'
'Not that. I was talking about your purse. It's really a disgrace, Hannah. You've had it forever and it's completely out of style. Why don't you let me buy you a new purse for your birthday?'
'No way. I love this purse. It's just the right size for everything I need and it's perfect for me. That's why I've had it so long. This purse is like a friend. You don't ditch a friend because she gets old.'
Andrea sighed. 'If you won't give it up, maybe you should think about having it reconditioned. You could always have the leather dyed a darker color. Then the scratches won't show as much.'
'Those scratches are like battle scars. They're badges of honor. This purse and I have gone through the wars together.'
'And it looks like it,' Andrea muttered, and then she started to grin. 'We're doing it again, Hannah. We're squabbling like kids over your stupid purse.'
'My purse isn't stupid,' Hannah retorted, and then she laughed. 'You'd better take that back or I'll tell Mother.'
Several patrons at neighboring booths turned to stare at them as they both burst into laughter. One even asked them what was so funny, and that made them laugh even harder. When they finally sobered enough to speak, Andrea leaned closer. 'Have you ever wondered why we call her 'Mother'?'
'Because she gave birth to us?'
'I'm serious, Hannah. We've always called her 'Mother' and never 'Mom.' '
'That's true,' Hannah said, and she thought about it for a moment. 'I think it's because she's always been so perfect.'
'Perfect?' Andrea looked puzzled.
'I mean her appearance was perfect. She never slouched around in old clothes like the other moms, and she even had a special outfit she wore when she worked in the garden. I never saw her without her makeup, and her aprons always looked like they were brand-new. It was almost like she was starring as the mother in a television show.'
'You're right,' Andrea said, wincing slightly, 'and I think I inherited it from her. I've got outfits for everything, too.'
'Relax. That doesn't mean you're like Mother,' Hannah reassured her.
'Are you sure?'
'I'm positive. Mother would never ride on a snowmobile with me. She knows better. Now stop worrying about it and get ready to eat. Here comes our food.'
Hannah's steak was cooked perfectly, and she ate in silence for several minutes. When she glanced over at Andrea, she was only slightly surprised to see that her sister had eaten most of her fish and all of her green salad.
'What?' Andrea asked, noticing Hannah's interest in her plate.
'Nothing. I just thought you weren't hungry, that's all.'
'I wasn't, but I like the way they do fish here. And that garlic bread smells so good.'
'Here,' Hannah said, shoving the basket closer to her sister.
'Thanks, but no thanks.'
Hannah was puzzled. 'But I thought you said it smelled good.'
'It does, but I can't have it. Do you know that ingested garlic seeps out through your pores for hours after you've eaten it? It even makes the sheets on your bed smell like garlic.'
'So?'
'That wouldn't be fair to Bill. It'd be different if he ate it, too. Then neither one of us would mind. But Bill's not here, and it wouldn't be fair for me to eat it without him. You don't have to worry about things like that because you live alone.'
Hannah's lips twitched with amusement. Andrea had some strange ideas. 'Just take a piece home to Bill and then there won't be a problem.'
'That's a good idea,' Andrea said, reaching for the basket. 'Don't let me forget, okay?'
'I won't. Can you talk and eat at the same time?'
'Sure. I'm almost through anyway.'
'Good. I want to go through my list of suspects again and make sure we didn't miss anybody.' Hannah flipped through her notebook with her left hand and forked her salad with her right. 'Here's Janie. We eliminated her. And here's Norman, but Mike decided that he couldn't have hit himself over the head. And here's Ray, Connie Mac's driver.'
'I eliminated him,' Andrea said proudly. 'He was nowhere near Lake Eden at the time.'
'Right. We eliminated Paul because he was with Alan, and Alan's eliminated because he didn't kill himself. And here's the man who got half.'
'Huh?' Andrea looked thoroughly puzzled.
'The man Connie Mac and Alan were fighting about when Sally heard them in the bar. He got half of something and Connie Mac was really mad about it.'
'I remember now. There were just too many suspects, Hannah. I had trouble keeping them all straight.'
'Tell me about it.' Hannah flipped the page. 'Here's Kurt Howe, but I cleared him. And here's Alex, but I cleared her, too. Then there's Larry Kruger. We still have to question him.'
'No, we don't. I ran into him in the hall and we talked for a couple of minutes. He said he was alone when Connie Mac and Alan were killed, but he had an alibi for the night that Norman was bashed on the head.'
'What was it?'
Andrea started to grin. 'He was interviewing Lake Eden's foremost authority on Ezekiel Jordan's life to get more information for his ghost stories. Can you guess who that is?'
Hannah sighed. Andrea was doing it again. She loved to tell stories her way, and now she wanted to playa guessing game. 'It's got to be someone from the historical society. Am I right?'
'You're right. But who?'
'Someone who read the letters that Delores has. She said there was a lot of information in . . .' Hannah stopped speaking as the light dawned. 'Larry Kruger was interviewing Mother?'
'That's what he said.'
'She should be home by now. Call her to substantiate his alibi.'
'I think you should call her. You're older.'
'What does older have to do with it? Besides, you're the one with the phone.'
The two sisters locked eyes; Andrea caved in first. 'All right. I'll call her. But I'm not happy about it.'
Hannah poured another cup of coffee from the carafe the waitress had brought and listened to the one-sided conversation as Andrea spoke to their mother. It was clear that Delores was confirming Larry Kruger's alibi. But then Andrea assumed a devilish expression, and that made Hannah go on full alert.
'She's right here, Mother,' Andrea said with a grin. 'We're having dinner together. Hold on a second and I'll hand her the phone.'
Hannah shot her sister a look of betrayal as she took the phone, but she knew she might as well get it over with. 'Hello, Mother.'
