Apple Turnover Murder

people had tossed in their loose change. It made perfect sense to Hannah. Tossing coins in the fountain was a lot easier than opening your purse, finding the right pocket for coins, and dropping them inside. She had no doubt that the fountain would be drained and relieved of its riches the moment Casino Night was over. When it came to raising money, Stephanie Bascomb didn’t miss a trick.

Once Norman had purchased their stack of tokens, they walked up the steps to the stage. The curtains and backdrops that had defined the stage area last night at the talent show had been pulled up to the ceiling to expose the whole basketball court. The wooden floor, itself, had been completely covered with carpeting. A sign hanging over the first row of gaming tables read Lake Eden Casino in flashing neon lights, and Hannah suspected it had been a charitable donation that would be auctioned off to enhance someone’s basement recreation room on the final night of the charity event.

“What do you want to play first?” Norman asked her. “Roulette? Poker? Blackjack?”

“I don’t know. I’m not very good at any of them. What do you suggest?”

“Roulette. It’s a game of pure chance, no skill required.” Norman took her arm and they began to walk toward the Roulette table. “All you have to do is choose red or black. Or odd or even. Those are all even money bets. Or you can pick a series of numbers like one through eighteen, or eighteen through thirty-six. Those are all even money bets.”

“Okay,” Hannah said, but it was a bit too much information to process. “I’ll choose…”

“Wait. There’s more,” Norman interrupted her. “I haven’t covered the two-to-one bets. You can choose dozens.”

“There are dozens of two-to-one bets?” Hannah asked, knowing she’d never keep all this straight.

“No. The bet is called dozens. If you pick the first dozen, it means you’re betting the ball will fall somewhere in the first twelve numbers. There’s also the second dozen, and the third dozen, so you’ve got a choice. And then there are the columns. You can bet on any column of three on the grid and that’ll pay two-to-one if you’re right. Dozens and columns are outside bets.”

“Great. Thanks for explaining it to me. I’ll choose…”

“Not quite yet,” Norman interrupted her again. “I still have to cover the inside bets. You can bet a single number, a street, a split, a corner, a five-number, or a double street. Most people say that the five-number bet is the worst bet on the table.”

“Then I won’t choose that.” Hannah gave a little laugh. “I’ll choose red since that’s my favorite color.”

“Okay. but it’s an even money bet. If you win, the payoff’s not as big.”

“Not as big as what?”

“Not as big as if you choose an inside bet.”

“Okay,” Hannah said. It was pretty obvious that Norman wanted her to make an inside bet, but things like corners, and streets sounded complicated. The easiest seemed to be the single number bet, but which number should she choose?

“Sit here, Hannah.” Norman pulled out a chair for her and took one himself.

“It looks complicated.” Hannah gazed down at the wheel, the grid, and the boxes. “Can’t I just watch?”

“If you’re sitting here, you have to play,” Norman explained. “Non-players have to stand.”

Hannah didn’t think it over for long. She was tired and she wanted to sit down. “I’ll play,” she said.

“Then place your bet.”

Unbidden, an image popped into Hannah’s mind. It was from a James Bond movie and he had just bet a bundle on seventeen. If that number was good enough for such an important fictional character, it was good enough for her! She reached out and placed her bet on number seventeen.

“They used to use an ivory ball,” Norman explained, gesturing to the wheel. “Now they’re usually plastic.”

Hannah stared at the wheel. It had thirty-eight numbered slots, each with the same colored background as the number on the table layout. She watched as the dealer spun the wheel in one direction and then rolled the ball in the opposite direction on a track that ran around the bowl that held the wheel. When the speed of the ball decreased, it fell off the track and onto the wheel itself. There it bounced around wildly until it settled in a numbered slot.

“Seventeen!” Hannah gasped. “That’s my number! Does that mean I won?”

“Yes it does, Little Lady,” the dealer said, smiling at her.

Under any other circumstances, Hannah would have bristled at the term Little Lady, but she was willing to be magnanimous, especially when the dealer pushed a big pile of chips across the table to her.

“Pick them up, Hannah,” Norman said, nudging her.

“But why? They’re okay there, aren’t they? There isn’t very much room in front of me and…”

Hannah was so excited, she didn’t even notice that the wheel was spinning again. The ball in the track slowed and the dealer called out, “No more bets.”

“But I didn’t get a chance to bet,” Hannah complained to Norman.

“Yes, you did. You bet that whole stack of chips you didn’t pick up.”

“Uh-oh!” Hannah groaned, mentally kicking herself for not listening to Norman’s advice. “Now I’m going to lose it all.”

“You’re only out one chip. The rest was house money. And don’t forget it’s all for charity.”

“Right,” Hannah said, but she continued to kick herself as the ball began to slow and settle in the numbered slot…

“Seventeen again!” Hannah couldn’t believe her eyes. “I won twice in a row!”

“Makes me wish we were betting real cash,” Norman said.

Hannah shook her head. “Then I wouldn’t have won. Tell me what to pick up…quick!”

They stayed and played for another few minutes, Norman instructing and Hannah listening carefully. There really was no skill required. All she did was choose a number, place her bet, and either pick it up herself or see it swept away by the dealer.

“Ready for some coffee?” Norman asked, not a moment too soon to suit Hannah.

“Yes. And then let’s walk around to see who’s here.”

Ten minutes, four wishes at the fountain, and two cups of coffee later, Hannah spotted Delores at a Blackjack table seated next to Doc Knight. “Let’s go say hello,” she suggested.

“Perfect timing,” Norman said as they approached. The dealer, who was using a shoe, had decided to replace the decks. That meant he had to break out, display, and shuffle four decks while the players waited. The process would take a few minutes, and that meant Hannah and Norman had time to talk to Delores and Doc Knight.

“Hello, dear,” Delores said when Hannah tapped her on the shoulder. And then she turned to Norman. “I’m glad you’re back at work, Norman. Luanne had a toothache this afternoon. She comes in at nine tomorrow. Do you have any time to see her in the morning?”

“Hold on. Let me check.” Norman pulled out his cell phone and pressed a few buttons. From where Hannah was standing, she saw a display with times and dates. “Send her down at ten.”

“Thank you, Norman. After you’re through, tell her it’s covered under the Granny’s Attic employee dental plan.”

“Which dental plan do you have?”

“The Delores Swensen checkbook plan. But I don’t want you to mention that. I’ll pay and she’ll think that our insurance covered it.”

“Must run in the family,” Doc said, who up to that point had taken no part in their conversation.

“Nonexistent dental plans?” Hannah asked him.

“No, paying medical bills for people who can’t afford them. And you know what I’m talking about, Hannah.”

“Oh, that.” Hannah dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

“You paid someone’s medical bill?” Delores asked her.

“Yes. Sherri Connors was really sick yesterday afternoon at the talent show orientation and I told Perry I’d pay if he took her to Doc Knight’s clinic.” Hannah turned to Doc. “Perry said it wasn’t serious.”

Doc nodded. “She’s a sweet girl and it’s a real pity, but she’ll be feeling better in a week or so.”

“Mother?” Hannah considered the best way to ask about Tim Pearson and whether Nancy had found out