Free Watchin' The Detective: A Mystery Dinner Romance by Louise Hathaway Page A

alcohol in
the house. Maybe if I did, I wouldn’t be in this situation. And to
make things even stranger, when we left the golf course last night,
I saw that woman, Karen Black, drive in and park right next to
me.”
    “It was pretty dark, Isabella. How could you
be so sure?”
    “It was her shoes. When she got out of the
car, I looked at them and noticed that she was wearing the exact
same pair the night of the murder. I noticed them that night
because they were such an unusual style and I absolutely loved
them. Plus, the table she was sitting at was right across the room
from us. I got a good view of them under the table. I know it was
her! Now, what was she doing there?”
    “Isabella, there could be a thousand reasons.
Maybe she was meeting someone to play golf.”
    “It was dark, Nicole.”
    “Maybe she had some things to work out with
the restaurant?”
    “Like what?”
    “Geez! I don’t know! Now you’re making me
nuts! This is taking up way too much room in your brain! Why can’t
you just let it go and let the police handle it?”
    “I’ll bet the detective would like to know
about her. I’ll bet he would!”
    “Then call him, for heaven’s sake! Then maybe
you can return to the living and help me out here! We’re both way
behind and the director is starting to breath down our throats, if
you know what I mean. Let’s get out there and promise me you’ll put
your Nancy Drew-hat away until you get home. Promise?”
    Isabella smiles and touches Nicole’s arm. “I
promise. I’m sorry again. I’m going to make sure I get here on
time. Maybe it’s time to get another alarm clock.”
    “Now you’re starting to make sense again.
That’s a good sign!”
    They laugh, stand up, and hug each other.
    “Try to think about the detective. That
sounds like a lot more fun that that woman!” Nicole says.
    “It sure does. It sure does,” Isabella
answers, as they both walk back to their desks, piled high with
books and papers.

Chapter Seventeen
     
     
    “What a day!” Isabella thinks, as she throws
down her purse on the coffee table in her front room. While
checking her mail, she gets the sudden urge to cheat on her
Slimfast diet, and go get a chocolate croissant at the bakery in
South Coast Plaza. I deserve a treat! I’ve been such a good girl
on this diet . She grabs her purse, gets into her car, and heads
out to the mall.
    Standing in line at Vie de France, waiting to
order her croissant, she glances over at “Missoni”—the store where
she bought her expensive dress. The store’s window displays are fun
to look at: they show brilliantly colorful dresses, purses, and
shoes that she’d love to have. She pays for her croissant and walks
over to the window display to get a closer look. Some shoes with a
very unusual design capture her attention: Wow! Those are the
same shoes that Karen Black was wearing the last time I saw
her!
    She enters the store and says, “Hi,” to the
salesgirl.
    “Isabella!” she answers.
    “You remember my name!” Isabella says.
    “Of course I do. I know how special that
dress is to you.”
    “It was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase for
me.”
    “So did your investment pay off?”
    “As a matter of fact, it did catch the eye of
a handsome detective I like.”
    “That’s great! What brings you in here
tonight?”
    “Well, I was admiring those shoes,” she says,
pointing to the window display.
    “Oh, yes. We just got them in a few weeks
ago. What do you think of them?”
    “I love them. I’m not even going to ask the
price, though.”
    “They cost almost as much as your dress
did.”
    “Phew! How can people afford to shop
here?”
    “Some people have all the luck.”
    The salegirl’s attention is caught by a woman
who’s just come into the store. She says, “Hello, Paula. It’s nice
to see you again!”
    Isabella looks at the woman and is taken
aback. She boldly asks her, “Aren’t you the sister-in-law of the
man who was murdered at the dinner