stroke.”
“Well, he was right. Doc’s running some tests again to make sure, but he told Bill the results of the first blood test.”
“What was it?” Hannah did her best not to sound impatient. Andrea would tell the story in her own way, and she knew from past experience that trying to speed up the process was useless.
“If the first test was accurate, Mr. Wallace overdosed on his heart medicine.”
“Was it an accidental overdose?” Hannah asked, hoping that it had been a simple mistake, but not at all convinced it was, especially after Buddy’s murder. Two people on the same bus were dead and it wasn’t due to the traffic accident.
“There’s no way for Doc to tell whether it was accidental or deliberate. And you know the rules. If there’s the possibility that it could be a homicide, the department has to investigate.”
“So now they have two homicide investigations.”
“That’s right. I know Bill ...” Andrea stopped talking and gave a little gulp. “I have to go. He’s coming down the stairs.”
“What is it?” Michelle asked, when Hannah got off the phone.
“There’s the possibility of another murder.”
“Who?”
“Clayton Wallace, the band bus driver. Doc Knight thinks he was dead before the bus crashed into the ditch.”
“You mean ... somebody on the bus killed him?”
“Maybe. And maybe not. All Doc Knight knows at this point is that Clayton took an overdose of his heart medication.”
“You mean he could have taken extra pills by mistake?”
“It’s possible. Sometimes pills look alike. But it’s also possible that someone could have tampered with his medicine.”
“I wonder what he did when he traveled with the band?” Michelle looked thoughtful. “Did he take his pill bottles with him? Or did he have one of those matrix things marked with the days of the week, and ...”
“Uh-oh!” Hannah gasped as an image of the dead bus driver, still strapped in his seat, flashed across the screen of Hannah’s mind. There was something directly below him on the floor, and she’d reached down to pick it up. Even though the light was dim, she’d noticed that it was square and had little compartments. It sounded a lot like the pill matrix that Michelle had just described.
“What’s the matter?” Michelle asked when Hannah didn’t explain further.
“I think I saw that pill matrix.”
“Where?”
“On the bus, right below the driver. If he had it on his lap, it could have fallen down when the bus overturned.”
“That’s right. You’d better call Mike and tell him to go out to the accident scene. It could be important evidence.”
“I know, especially if the pills have been moved around.”
Michelle waited a moment and then she frowned. “Well? Aren’t you going to call him? He has to get out there right away before they haul the bus away.”
“There’s no reason to call him,” Hannah said with a heavy sigh.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not there anymore. It’s right here. I picked it up without thinking, and I zipped it into my parka pocket.”
HAMBURGER BAKE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
The Filling:
1 pound lean ground beef
? cup chopped onion
1 can (10 and ? ounces) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 cup frozen vegetables
? cup whole milk
The Crust:
? cup butter
? cup whole milk
1 and ? cups all-purpose flour
2 and ? teaspoons baking powder
? teaspoon salt
The Topping:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
The filling takes the most time, so you’ll start that first by crumbling the raw hamburger into a 10-inch or larger frying pan.
Add the chopped onion to the hamburger in the pan.
Fry the meat and onions over MEDIUM heat on the stovetop until the hamburger is nicely browned.
Drain the hamburger and onions.
Add the condensed soup, frozen vegetables and the ? cup milk to the hamburger and onions. Stir well.
Put the ? cup of butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the ? cup whole milk and heat it on HIGH for 1
