officially identify the body.'
'You're probably right.' Hannah shifted hears. She didn't want to think about how a husband must feel having to identify his wife's dead body 'What's your impression of Connie Mac's husband?'
'I like Paul. He's everything that Connie Mac just pretended to be.' Sally hesitated, and faint worry lines appeared on her forehead. 'Is he a suspect?'
'Not if he has an alibi,' Hannah told her. 'Was he here all night?'
'I don't know. Paul didn't come in while I was bartending, but he could have been up in their suite. One of my maids might know.'
'I'll talk to them later,' Hannah said, and jotted another note. 'How about Spencer, her chauffeur?'
'He told me he was on call. Connie Mac was supposed to call him when she finished baking, and he had to go pick her up. He was in the bar until I closed at one.'
Andrea looked shocked. 'Spencer was drinking?'
'Only coffee. I think he went through about a gallon while was waiting. When I closed the bar, he went out to the lobby. My night man said he sat there in a chair by the fireplace all night.'
Hannah nodded and crossed Spencer off her list of suspects. If he'd been a the inn all night, he couldn't have killed Connie Mac. 'Did you meet everyone on Connie Mac's staff?'
'Yes. When they checked in on Monday, Paul introduced them to me. Most of them spent a lot of time at the mall, arranging for the grand opening of the boutique, but they all came back here for dinner. They seemed like a nice bunch of people, Hannah. Connie Mac was the only exception.'
'How about Paul and Connie Mac? Do you think it was a good marriage?'
'It wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't. He was nice and she was nasty. They must have mixed like oil and water.'
'Was Paul here when Connie Mac checked in?'
'Yes, but they didn't see each other, if that's what you're asking. I worked the front desk from noon to two and Paul called down to leave a message for her. Connie Mac was supposed to come straight up to their suite when she arrived, because Paul needed to talk to her about something important.'
'And you gave her the message?'
'Of course. She stood there and read it right in front of me. Then she slipped it in her purse and went straight back out to her limo.'
'She didn't even bother to call him?' Andrea began to frown when Sally shook her head. 'But she saw him when she got back from the tour, didn't she?'
'I don't know. My bartender called in sick and I had to work the bar for the rest of the day. Connie Mac came in at four to meet Alan, and she was hopping mad before she walked through the door.'
'How could you tell she was mad before you saw her?' Hannah was confused.
'I heard her coming down the hall, and those boots she was wearing couldn't have hit the floor any harder.'
'Boots?' Andrea gave Sally sharp look. 'Are you sure they were boots?'
'I'm positive. I noticed because they were so unusual. I've never seen boots in peach-colored suede before. I bet she had them dyed to match the flowers on her sweater.'
'Connie Mac was wearing a sweater?' Andrea sounded surprised.
'That's right. It was part of a three-piece outfit. Her slacks and top were chocolate brown, the same color as the background in the sweater.'
'Was she carrying a purse?'
'Yes, a peach-colored suede shoulder bag with a strap made of gold links. She threw it on the top of the bar so hard, I thought the strap was going to wipe out a bowl of salted nuts.'
Hannah frowned at her sister. Leave it to Andrea to sidetrack a murder investigation by getting into a discussion of fashion with Sally. 'That's enough, Andrea. We don't need a blow-by-blow description Connie Mac's wardrobe.'
'Yes, we do,' Andrea countered, giving Hannah a triumphant look. 'If you'd paid attention, you'd know that Connie Mac was wearing a peach designer suit with black leather shoes when we went on the tour. And her purse was a black leather clutch with a diamond clasp. She must have gone up to her suite to change clothes, and that
'You're probably right.' Hannah shifted hears. She didn't want to think about how a husband must feel having to identify his wife's dead body 'What's your impression of Connie Mac's husband?'
'I like Paul. He's everything that Connie Mac just pretended to be.' Sally hesitated, and faint worry lines appeared on her forehead. 'Is he a suspect?'
'Not if he has an alibi,' Hannah told her. 'Was he here all night?'
'I don't know. Paul didn't come in while I was bartending, but he could have been up in their suite. One of my maids might know.'
'I'll talk to them later,' Hannah said, and jotted another note. 'How about Spencer, her chauffeur?'
'He told me he was on call. Connie Mac was supposed to call him when she finished baking, and he had to go pick her up. He was in the bar until I closed at one.'
Andrea looked shocked. 'Spencer was drinking?'
'Only coffee. I think he went through about a gallon while was waiting. When I closed the bar, he went out to the lobby. My night man said he sat there in a chair by the fireplace all night.'
Hannah nodded and crossed Spencer off her list of suspects. If he'd been a the inn all night, he couldn't have killed Connie Mac. 'Did you meet everyone on Connie Mac's staff?'
'Yes. When they checked in on Monday, Paul introduced them to me. Most of them spent a lot of time at the mall, arranging for the grand opening of the boutique, but they all came back here for dinner. They seemed like a nice bunch of people, Hannah. Connie Mac was the only exception.'
'How about Paul and Connie Mac? Do you think it was a good marriage?'
'It wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't. He was nice and she was nasty. They must have mixed like oil and water.'
'Was Paul here when Connie Mac checked in?'
'Yes, but they didn't see each other, if that's what you're asking. I worked the front desk from noon to two and Paul called down to leave a message for her. Connie Mac was supposed to come straight up to their suite when she arrived, because Paul needed to talk to her about something important.'
'And you gave her the message?'
'Of course. She stood there and read it right in front of me. Then she slipped it in her purse and went straight back out to her limo.'
'She didn't even bother to call him?' Andrea began to frown when Sally shook her head. 'But she saw him when she got back from the tour, didn't she?'
'I don't know. My bartender called in sick and I had to work the bar for the rest of the day. Connie Mac came in at four to meet Alan, and she was hopping mad before she walked through the door.'
'How could you tell she was mad before you saw her?' Hannah was confused.
'I heard her coming down the hall, and those boots she was wearing couldn't have hit the floor any harder.'
'Boots?' Andrea gave Sally sharp look. 'Are you sure they were boots?'
'I'm positive. I noticed because they were so unusual. I've never seen boots in peach-colored suede before. I bet she had them dyed to match the flowers on her sweater.'
'Connie Mac was wearing a sweater?' Andrea sounded surprised.
'That's right. It was part of a three-piece outfit. Her slacks and top were chocolate brown, the same color as the background in the sweater.'
'Was she carrying a purse?'
'Yes, a peach-colored suede shoulder bag with a strap made of gold links. She threw it on the top of the bar so hard, I thought the strap was going to wipe out a bowl of salted nuts.'
Hannah frowned at her sister. Leave it to Andrea to sidetrack a murder investigation by getting into a discussion of fashion with Sally. 'That's enough, Andrea. We don't need a blow-by-blow description Connie Mac's wardrobe.'
'Yes, we do,' Andrea countered, giving Hannah a triumphant look. 'If you'd paid attention, you'd know that Connie Mac was wearing a peach designer suit with black leather shoes when we went on the tour. And her purse was a black leather clutch with a diamond clasp. She must have gone up to her suite to change clothes, and that
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