“Just observe for right now. We need to canvass the whole community center and make a list of every woman who’s wearing a black skirt or dress.”

“That shouldn’t take long if we split up,” Norman said, pulling a notebook from his camera bag. “I’ve got a couple of extra pens, if anyone needs them. They’re leftover Rhodes Dental Clinic giveaways from last Christmas.”

Michelle raised her hand. “I need one. My roommate gave me five dollars for the last one you gave me. she said she’d never seen a pen shaped like a toothbrush before and she just had to have it.”

“Maybe I should give up dentistry and manufacture pens for a living,” Norman quipped. “Where do you want me to start, Hannah?”

“Will you take the south end of the banquet room and work your way to the center? That way Michelle can start on the north end and meet you halfway.”

Andrea began to frown. “How about me? You want me to help, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. I need someone to check every room up here and that’ll give you a chance to check on Tracey. And don’t forget the high school girls who came up here to watch movies in the library. Let’s just make lists for now. We won’t ask anybody any questions yet. We can meet in the lobby in twenty minutes to compare notes.”

“What are you going to do, Hannah?” Michelle asked.

“I’ll canvas the kitchen, the ladies’ room, the cloakroom, and the dance floor. But first, I’m going to talk to Mike and tell him about the lady in the black skirt. It’s only fair. And I’ll let him know that we’re doing the legwork and we’ll leave the actual questioning up to him.”

“And you really think he’ll believe you?” Norman did his best to maintain a straight face and failed.

“Of course he’ll believe me. It’s the truth. It’s just as I told Michelle and Andrea earlier. It’s a different situation, this time around. Mike’s shorthanded, and I’m going to give him all the help I can.”

The door to the room Mike was using as a temporary office was closed, and Hannah stood there, frowning. She didn’t want to interrupt, but the information she had could lead to the capture of Brandi’s killer. Mike might be angry at the interruption, but he’d be grateful just as soon as she told him why she needed to talk to him.

Hannah knocked and put a welcoming smile on her face. Mike would be startled to see her, but he was bound to be pleased once she’d had her say. She shifted from foot to foot, waiting for the sound of the latch clicking open, but the door remained closed.

“Come on, Mike,” Hannah muttered, knocking again, a little harder this time. Again, she waited, her smile in place, but no one answered the door.