Hannah moved to retrieve the cup, hoping that Babs wouldn’t guess it had been an excuse to bend over to check her footwear. She glanced at Babs’s feet and barely managed to stifle a gasp. Boots! Babs was wearing boots with her black skirt!

If you see someone in a black skirt, just write down the name and don’t ask any questions, Hannah’s own advice floated through her mind. Be really careful. We don’t know if we’re dealing with a material witness or with Brandi’s killer.

Hannah straightened up to stare at Babs for a minute, and then she plunked down in a chair, all set to ignore her own advice. She couldn’t imagine Babs as a killer, but the circumstantial evidence was mounting up. There was no way Hannah could wait to talk to her sisters and Norman. She had to strike while the iron was hot.

“What’s the matter, Hannah?” Babs looked concerned.

“This is serious, Babs. I want you to tell me exactly what happened in the larking lot with Brandi.”

“With Brandi? What do you … “ Babs broke off I the middle of what was sure to be a denial and gave a shuddering sigh. “Al right. I can’t stand to keep this to myself any longer. I’m the one who killed Brandi, but it was an accident. You’ve got to believe me, Hannah!”

Hannah grabbed a clean napkin with a poinsettia on the front. Andrea could translate it later. “Just tell me the truth, Babs, and I’ll believe you.”

“Part of the reason I didn’t like Brandi was that I didn’t trust her. The first time Martin brought her to the house, I think she took my watch.”

“You think she took it? Aren’t you sure?”

“I wasn’t sure enough to accuse her. The band pinches a little, so I only wore it when I went out. I usually kept it by my chair in the living room, or in a dish on my dresser, or in the kitchen on the windowsill. Well, after Martin and Brandi left, I couldn’t find my watch. I tore the place upside down and backwards looking for it, but I couldn’t swear for certain that I hadn’t misplaced it myself.”

“I understand.”

“That’s the reason I had my eye on Brandi tonight. I wanted to make sure she didn’t steal anything and give Martin a bad name around town.”

“Did she steal anything?” Hannah asked, although she already knew the answer.

“She stole your mother’s antique knife. I watched her do it Hannah, she draped her mink over her arm and sidled up to the dessert table as pretty as you pleas and pretended to be looking at the platter of cookies you and Lisa made. She picked up a couple, I watched her, and then she moved on down the table to look at the cake. She was so fast, I almost didn’t see her, but she grabbed the knife, hid it in her coat, and headed for the kitchen door.”