donât know if weâll be able to talk with that crazy woman Vera Lemon. I may have upset her just a teensy bit when I slapped the hat off her head.â
I tried not to laugh, but a little snort slipped out. I didnât want to encourage Alice, but she talked and talked. At around midnight I dozed off while she was discussing recipes. She probably continued the entire time I was sleeping. As long as she was hanging around I would have to buy earplugs.
Chapter 7
Cookieâs Savvy Vintage Fashion Shopping Tips
Finding quality vintage garments
doesnât have to be difficult.
Things to check for: hand-sewn,
handset zippers or bound buttonholes.
These are just a few of the signs
of a well-made item.
When the sun flooded my bedroom, I forced myself out of bed. Iâd had nothing to drink the night before, but with Aliceâs nonstop yammering, I felt like I had a hangover. Once in front of my closet, I had to pick out my outfit for the day.
âYou should wear the blue dress,â Alice said from over my shoulder.
âI think I want to wear the yellow dress today.â I pulled the hanger from the closet.
âNo, you should definitely wear the blue one. It is a blue dress kind of day.â
I sighed, placed the yellow dress back in the closet, and then took the blue one from the rack. It wasnât that I didnât like the blue dress; itâs just that I wasnât in the mood for it today. It had a cinched waist and white trim around the sweetheart neckline with a full swing skirt. I paired it with straw wedge heels and a matching purse. Looking in my full-length mirror, I decided the outfit worked okay.
âDonât forget the lipstick,â Charlotte said from across the room.
I jumped and my purse fell to the ground.
âTrue. You never know who you might see,â Alice said.
âWill you please stop doing that?â I said. âYou nearly scared me to death.â
âThatâs highly unlikely,â Charlotte said.
Alice laughed. I felt a headache coming on. I picked up my purse from the floor. âCome on, ladies, I have to get to work.â
âI call shotgun because I get car sick in the backseat,â Charlotte said.
âThat isnât possible,â Alice said from over my shoulder. âSee, this is exactly why I didnât want to be second ghost.â
âItâs like I told you, dear, youâre already second. Thereâs nothing you can do to change that now.â Charlotte marched out ahead of us.
Alice sat in the backseat, next to Wind Song in her carrier, with her hands folded on her lap. If looks could zap Charlotte into the next dimension, sheâd be out of here. On the ride to town Alice came around to talking with Charlotte though. Charlotte had a way about her that charmed everyone.
âCharlotte,â Alice said, âYou have to help me. I want Cookie to figure out who killed Nicole Silver.â
âOh, was her death a murder?â Charlotte asked.
âDefinitely,â Alice said.
âCookie is good at talking with people. Sheâll say she doesnât want to do it, but if you push her she will. She just needs a little nudge, thatâs all,â Charlotte said with a wink.
âI am so glad that you have me all figured out,â I said.
Charlotte tapped her fingers against the leather seat. âItâs the truth.â
I pulled up in front of the shop, shoved the car into park, and got Wind Song from the backseat. Alice and Charlotte were still discussing the best ways for me to investigate the crime. I didnât wait for them as I headed inside. Right before I opened the door, I spotted Preston Hart walking down the sidewalk.
âThere he is,â Alice yelled from over my shoulder.
I had hoped she wouldnât see him.
âYou have to go talk with him,â she demanded.
âPut the cat inside and go talk to him before he gets away.â Charlotte motioned