“That’s good, Hannah!” Michelle sounded very impressed. “You’re absolutely right and I bet no one else will even think of it. We’re probably light years ahead of the official investigation.”

“No, we’re not. I mentioned it to Mike.”

There was silence for a moment while the other three stared at her incredulously. It made Hannah so uncomfortable, she started to try to explain. “I know I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but he is the investigating officer. And I was really rattled. It happened at Granny’s Attic right after the murder and

”

“That’s okay,” Norman soothed her. “It isn’t supposed to be a contest.”

“True,” Andrea said, “although it seems like it most of the time.” She turned to Michelle. “Don’t you think it seems like a contest?”

“I think it does,” Michelle agreed. “But what we’ve all got to keep in mind is that it doesn’t really matter who catches Dean’s killer as long as someone does.”

Norman reached out to squeeze Hannah’s hand again. “Michelle’s right. And besides, we have your fortune to consider.”

“My fortune?”

“I saved it for you when I ate your cookie. It says, Redhead with big mouth is still better detective than tall man in uniform.”

Chapter

Chapter

Twenty-Three

“I think I should have changed places with Norman. I could have driven Michelle out to the inn and helped her go through the tapes.”

“You said you thought it would be boring,” Hannah reminded her sister.

“I’m changing my mind about boring. It’s not that bad and at least it’s safe.”

Hannah didn’t say a word as Andrea pulled over to the side of the gravel road that led past the Henderson farm. Her sister was right. What they were about to do was far from safe. Winnie had a shotgun and she wasn’t afraid to use it. And Winnie didn’t take kindly to intruders.

“Why are we doing this, again?” Andrea asked as she got out of her Volvo and pocketed the keys. She had driven to their destination after they’d decided that Hannah’s cookie truck was too easy to identify.

“We’re doing this because Norman said he saw Winnie driving down Main Street only minutes before the incident at Granny’s Attic. And I saw Winnie earlier, watching Alice waltz around on the cocktail party set.”

“So she was there and she left before Dean

” Andrea’s voice trailed off and she shuddered.

“That’s right.”

“And because she left early, she wasn’t searched. And that means she could have switched the revolvers and taken off with the prop gun. And nobody would be the wiser.”

“You got it.”

Andrea gave a deep sigh as she trudged up the one-lane road to the farm. They could see the house in the distance, gleaming alabaster white in the bright, cold rays from the halogen yard light.