Cinnamon Roll Murder

“That sounded pretty definite for a first impression.”

“It wasn’t a first impression. I dealt with him when Dick and I booked the band. He’s very cold and businesslike, and I’m almost sure he’s got money.”

“From managing the band?”

“Maybe, but I don’t think they’ve hit it big enough for that. My guess is that Lee has another source of income.”

“An illegal source?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him. I don’t think Cammy would be that interested in waiting on him hand and foot, and doing the other things she does for him if money weren’t involved. He’s really not very nice to her, you know.”

“I didn’t know. Give me an example of what you mean.”

“She said something last night about the bus driver and how awful she felt that he was dead, that he was almost like a father to her. I was bartending and I heard the whole thing. It was plain that she was grieving, but Lee just told her to shut up and stop bellyaching about it.”

“That’s cold.”

“You bet. And the surprising thing is, she did exactly what he told her to do. She put on a smile and didn’t mention the bus driver at all for the rest of the night. Lee’s got some sort of control over her. I’m just not sure what it is.”

Hannah jotted a few more notes, and then she stood up. “Thanks, Sally. You’ve been a big help. Can I get a list of the band’s room numbers?”

“Of course. I’ll call Ruth Ann at the desk and tell her to print out a list for you. Just don’t leave without poking your noses in the kitchen. I’ve got something I want you to taste.”

It was beginning to snow again by the time Hannah finished questioning Lynnette, Cammy, and the band members. She’d learned only one more thing of interest during these interviews, and it was that Buddy had told Lynnette that if she was very nice to him, he’d send for her when he got settled in a new place. Lynnette hadn’t fallen for that old line. She’d told Hannah that she’d heard the same thing before from other guys, but the moment they’d left town, they’d forgotten all about her.

“We’ll go talk to Lee now,” Hannah said to Andrea as they walked down the hall toward Lee’s room. “I need to find out more about the day that Buddy gave notice to Lee. Everybody in the band seemed to think he was happy playing with them. And they didn’t understand why he wanted to leave.”

“And we’ll go home after we talk to Lee?”

“No, we’ll go back and find Sally. She said she wanted us to taste something before we left.”

“Oh, good! When Sally says that, it’s always something wonderful.”

The two sisters walked down the hall toward Lee’s room. “What took you so long with that phone call to Lisa?” Hannah asked her.

“I called home and checked on the kids.”

Hannah waited a moment, but Andrea didn’t go on. “And?” she asked.

“The kids are fine. I told Grandma McCann I was with you out here, but she could reach me on my cell phone if she needed me. And after that, I called Bill to see if he was planning to be home for dinner. He’s not. They’re calling in pizza and having a strategy meeting about Clayton Wallace.”

“The results of Doc Knight’s second blood test came back?” Hannah guessed.

“That’s right. It was the same as the first one Doc ran. And he talked to Clayton’s doctor to see what dosage he’d prescribed.”

“Twice his normal dosage?”

“No. Three times his normal dosage. He was taking two other medications and the one pill for his heart. That’s three pills every evening. Add two more heart pills to that total, and Clayton must have taken five pills. Think about it, Hannah. Wouldn’t you realize that something was wrong if you shook your pills out into your hand and there were five instead of just three?”

“Normally ... yes. I’d notice. But what if it was dark and you were driving a bus at the time? You might shake out your pills and just swallow them. If highway conditions were bad, you’d probably want to keep your eyes on the road.”

“You’re right. It could have happened that way. And if Clayton was the one who filled his own pill matrix and he put three heart pills in one of the little compartments by mistake, it’s accidental death, not murder.”

“That’s true. But on the other hand, maybe somebody redistributed that heart medication in his pill matrix on purpose.”

“I get it. The killer sets Clayton up with three times his normal dosage and hopes Clayton will take it without noticing.”

“Right. And that’s murder.”

“Okay. But what if ...” Andrea stopped speaking and gave a frustrated sigh. “I’m getting confused.”

“You’re not alone. Quite frankly, I think we should leave the whole question of how Clayton died to the professionals.”

“You mean you don’t care?” Andrea sounded shocked.

“Not at all. I mean that we don’t have all the resources the sheriff’s department has, and we can only do so much. I really think we should concentrate on Buddy’s murder.”

“Because we know it’s a murder?”

“That’s part of it. I’d like to solve both cases. You know that. But Mother found Buddy’s body. And Buddy was somebody Michelle and I both knew personally. Not only that, we were all right there at the hospital when it happened. That gives us more of a personal stake in finding his killer.”

Andrea thought it over for a moment. “You’re right. Let’s solve Buddy’s murder first. And then, if we have time and they haven’t wrapped it up yet, we can work on figuring out what happened to Clayton.”

Chapter Twelve

“I hope you don’t have too many questions,” Lee said as he answered Hannah’s knock on the door. “I scheduled a rehearsal ten minutes from now.”

“It won’t take longer than that,” Hannah promised, stepping into the room even though she hadn’t been invited, and motioning for Andrea to follow her. While the other band members had been staying in rooms that were basically bedrooms with an attached bathroom, Lee had one of Sally’s mini suites. There was a balcony and a view of Eden Lake. French doors separated the living room area from the bedroom, and, if Hannah remembered correctly, there was a bathtub and a walk-in shower.

The living room was large. There was a couch against one wall and a conversational grouping with a low table surrounded by four club chairs. A flat-screen television was positioned in front of the leather couch, and a desk sat on an inside wall.

“Let’s get to it then,” Lee said.

There was no invitation to sit down, but Hannah did so anyway. She knew how to deal with people like Lee. “Did Buddy give you any reason for wanting to move out of the Minneapolis area?” she asked him.

“No. He just said ...” Lee stopped speaking abruptly as Cammy came out of the bedroom.

“Hi, Hannah.” She gave them a smile.

“Hi, Cammy. This is my other sister, Andrea.”

“Glad to meet you,” Cammy said. “Did you come out to listen to the rehearsal?”

“Not exactly,” Hannah told her, but before she could say any more, Lee held up his hand.

“Now that the introductions are over, get lost,” he told her.

Cammy seemed to take that in stride because she nodded pleasantly. “Okay. I’ll go down to rehearsal early.”

Lee shook his head. “I don’t want you there. And if you see Lynnette, tell her I don’t want her there, either.”