“And you’re sure you shouldn’t turn over Lucy’s other blackmail pictures?”
“Yes, I am.” Hannah was very definite. “Lucy’s victims have been hurt enough, and we know that none of them killed her.”
Andrea didn’t look convinced. “Tell me your reasons again.”
“We know it wasn’t Claire because it’s a man in the pictures with Boyd Watson. It’s not Mayor Bascomb, he’s much taller than the man in Lucy’s photo, and we’ve already eliminated Mr. Avery because he has an alibi. It can’t be any one of them.”
“You’re wrong Hannah. We forgot about Norman. I don’t think for a second that he killed Boyd or Lucy, but we haven’t eliminated him yet.”
“Yes, we have. I have his evidence back. There was no reason for him to kill Lucy and search her apartment, especially since he knew we’d already done it. And it was Norman’s idea to enlarge the killer’s cuff link. He wouldn’t have suggested it, if the cuff links were his.”
“You’re right.” Andrea sighed deeply. “I guess I’m just tired and not thinking straight.”
“Have some more coffee.” Hannah reached out and filled her sister’s cup from the carafe that P.K. had brought them.
“This coffee’s like tar.” Andrea made a face. “Even my instant is better than this.”
“I know, but it’ll keep you awake until you can go to sleep. Try to concentrate. They just pulled up in front of the school.”
Both sisters watched as the contestants went into the auditorium and their families drove away. There was a series of shots as Herb checked their name badges, asked them for their signatures on the sign-in sheet, and unlocked the doors so that they could enter the kitchen sets.
“This isn’t going to do any good, Hannah.” Andrea sighed. “They’re all women, and we know Boyd’s killer was a man.”
“Right. Let me fast-forward through this part. When you see a man, holler out”
“All right. Whatever you say.”
Hannah could hear the dejection in Andrea’s voice and she fought against the same feeling. She knew the chance of sporting the killer’s cuff links on tape was slim, but there was no way she’d give up without watching Wednesday’s footage all the way through to the end. “Keep alert, Andrea. When we get to the part where the audience arrives, there should be some shots of Tracey. You’re probably there, too.”
“I forgot about that. Okay, Hannah. I’m watching.”
Andrea sounded much more alert and Hannah’s lips twitched as she hid a smile. She knew there wouldn’t be any shots of Tracey and Andrea until they’d watched another two hours or so of outtakes, but there was no need to tell Andrea that.
* * *
“Thanks for your help, Andrea.” Hannah put the tape on pause to say good night to her sister. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Not before eight.”
“Of course not. I know what happens to people who call you early.”
It took Andrea a minute, but then she gave a reluctant smile. “If you’re referring to Lucy, that wasn’t very nice.”
“I know. I never said I was nice. Go home, Andrea. I still have two hours to go.”
“Good luck.” Andrea started for the door, then turned back. “Do you want us to stop somewhere and bring you back something to eat? Speedy Burger isn’t that far from here.”
Hannah was sorely tempted. Visions of greasy burgers, milk shakes, and onion rings danced through her head and made her mouth water. But Andrea looked exhausted and it wasn’t fair to take advantage of her. “That’s okay. I can hold out until I get home.”
“Good night then.”
Andrea went out the door, and Hannah hit the play button. Her stomach was complaining and the fact that the footage was of Sally’s happy hour buffet didn’t help. The platter of stuffed mushrooms was almost her undoing. Hannah knew that Sally used a sausage and cheese mixture that was incredibly delicious. Her stomach growled, and she took another sip of coffee, but it was a poor substitute for food.
Something on a man’s shirtsleeve glittered as he helped himself to Sally’s smoked salmon appetizer. Hannah’s heart raced and she hit the pause. She backed up the tape very slowly and sighed as she realized it was only a button on his cuff that had caught the light. She sighed and started the tape again. If she nodded off and missed any of the footage, she’d have to watch it all over again, and once was more than enough.
Hannah stopped the tape four more times during the happy hour buffet sequence. The first time it turned out to be a copper bracelet that was supposed to ward off arthritis, the second time it was a gold button on the sleeve of a blue blazer, and the third and fourth times were only wristwatches. She was seeing cuff links behind every bush.
There was nothing else of interest for several minutes, which seemed as long as hours. Hannah wondered how time could go so slowly. Then there was another drive to the auditorium as the contestants left the Lake Eden Inn for the contest. Hannah fast-forwarded through that section, telling herself that cars following cars wouldn’t yield any antique cuff links. She watched the contestants get out of their cars when they arrived at the school and filed into the auditorium, but nothing caught her eye.
Once the contestants had gone inside, Rudy had trained the camera on the parking lot again, for footage of the audience, which was just arriving. This was more interesting. Delores and Carrie drove up and Hannah grinned as Carrie chose a spot and parked. The space was perfectly adequate, but it still took Carrie several attempts to straighten out her wheels and pull in.
Bill’s car was next, and Hannah stopped the tape to write down the time code. Andrea looked gorgeous, as always, and Tracey was smiling in Rudy’s direction. She gave a little hop and a skip as Bill and Andrea took her by the hands and they walked to the entrance. At least Hannah had managed to accomplish one thing tonight. Andrea would love having a copy of this footage.
Once she’d bracketed the footage of Tracey by time codes on her notepad, Hannah started the tape again and concentrated on the other members of the audience. She recognized Jackson’s little Honda as it pulled into a spot, and she watched as Betty emerged from her car. Actually, Betty was quite adept at sliding out, an amazing feat for someone so large. Hannah spotted Phil and Sue Plotnik, her downstairs neighbors, without baby Kevin. Either they’d dropped him off at Sue’s mother’s place, or they’d called in a baby-sitter. Several of Bertie Straub’s older ladies walked up to the entrance, their hair carefully protected by scarves. Hannah suspected they’d just come from appointments at the Cut ‘n Curl. Sheriff Grant was next, looking official in full dress uniform, and then Mayor Bascomb and his wife.
Hannah watched as various Lake Eden residents filed in. They were all smiling and looked as if they were anticipating the night’s entertainment. There were a few faces she didn’t know, people who’d driven in from other Minnesota towns. She paid close attention to them, but she didn’t spot any cuff links on the men.
Rudy moved into the auditorium lobby with his camera, right after the last person had filed in. Hannah spotted Claire, who was exchanging a few words with Marge Beeseman and doing her best to ignore the fact that the mayor and his wife were standing only a few feet away Hannah watched for a moment and then she sighed. If she’d seen this tape a week ago, she wouldn’t have batted an eyelash, but it was amazing how a little hindsight could change things. Now that she knew about Claire and Mayor Bascomb, she could see the guilt on their faces in they way they studiously avoided each other’s eyes.
Two figures arrived at the back of the line. It was Boyd Watson and his sister, Maryann. He turned to speak to Father Coultas, who’d also come in late, and Maryann spotted several friends and waved at them. Hannah stared at Boyd intently, but he didn’t seem any different than usual. He was smiling and relaxed as he turned back to Maryann, and it was clear that he had no premonition he’d be dead in a few short hours.
Then next shots were taken backstage, and Hannah winced as Rudy’s camera caught her from behind as she walked onto the kitchen set. Her hair flamed orange under the lights and her rear looked a lot larger than she’d thought it was. She thanked her lucky stars that this was an outtake and some kind soul had cut it from the montage. And then she reminded herself that she had to work harder to lose those extra ten pounds.
There was a shot of the newscasters arriving and taking their places behind the news desk. Dee-Dee Hughes was arguing with Rayne Phillips about something, Hannah could see that by their expressions, but there was no
