Cinnamon Roll Murder

“folding” the cream into the filling, so that you leave in as much air as possible.

Take the pie plate out of the freezer and scoop in the filling. Your Tapioca Pie, which has probably taken you a half hour or less if you used the shortcuts, is going to be a surefire hit.

Your pie probably looks a bit anemic. (It tastes great, but it doesn’t scream “I’m the Best!”) Decorate it a little. You can sprinkle it with toasted coconut, scatter the top with chocolate curls, do a little shave with white chocolate, or sprinkle the top with chocolate or shortbread crumbs. You can also decorate the top with seasonal fruit or candied fruit.

Hannah’s 5th Note: To toast coconut, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., spread ? cup out on a foil- covered baking sheet, and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown.

Refrigerate your pie until you’re ready to serve. Tapioca Pie should be served chilled.

Yield: The pie can be cut into 6 to 8 pieces. (If you’re serving this pie after a big meal like Thanksgiving dinner, you should probably cut it into 8 pieces, especially if you’re also serving another type of pie like pumpkin, or pecan, and your guests will want some of each).

Chapter Thirteen

Lynnette put down her fork and smiled from ear to ear. “That tapioca pie was the best. I vote we ditch the diet and start eating desserts again.”

“I’m with you,” Cammy said. “The only thing is, I have to be careful not to gain weight.”

“Because Lee likes you thin?” Andrea asked.

“He does like me thin, but that’s not why. At this point I’m not really caring a lot what Lee thinks.”

“Why’s that?” Andrea leaned forward, waiting for Cammy’s answer.

“Because I’m tired of being treated like dirt, and the nice stuff he buys me isn’t worth that. You were there for some of it today, and Lee toned it down a little for you. It gets a lot worse when we’re alone.”

Hannah reached out and patted her hand. “That’s abuse, you know.”

“But ... all he did was insult me.”

“It’s still abuse,” Andrea told her. “Hannah and I have a friend who was always getting injured. When she had a black eye, she said she’d run into a door. And when her arm was broken, she claimed she’d fallen down on the ice. She finally admitted to Hannah that her husband did all those things to her.”

Hannah knew Andrea was talking about Danielle Watson, and she took up the story. “She told me it started out gradually. Her husband would get mad at her and insult her. He was always sorry later, and he’d apologize and be really sweet for a while. He’d even buy her gifts and flowers.”

“That’s what Lee does!” Cammy looked concerned. “Whenever he’s really nasty to me, he’ll tell me he’s sorry and buy me a really nice present.”

“Their marriage would go along just fine for a while, but then it would start again. He’d find fault with her for no reason and slap her around. When he calmed down, he’d apologize and surprise her with a new outfit or a piece of jewelry or something else he thought she’d like. She loved him so she forgave him. The big problem was that each time he lost his temper, the abuse would escalate.”

“That’s awful!” Cammy gave a little shiver. “Did your friend leave her husband?”

“She didn’t leave, but he ended up dead.”

Lynnette’s eyes widened. “She killed him?!”

“No,” Hannah answered. “Somebody else did, and for a completely different reason. But anybody who knew about the abuse thought she did it. She was the prime suspect in the murder investigation.”

Cammy took another sip of her coffee. “Well, I don’t think I’ll stick around long enough to find out if Lee’s going to start hitting me. I was thinking about leaving him anyway. I thought it would be so much fun traveling with the band, but it’s not.”

“That’s exactly what I thought,” Lynette said. “And then Buddy and I had that thing going for a little while. I was hoping that if I was around all the time, maybe we could get back together. But that didn’t work.”

“I told you it wouldn’t. Buddy didn’t want any attachments to anybody. I found that out early on.”

“How early?” Hannah asked, jumping into the conversation. And then, when Cammy looked at her in consternation, she added, “I mean, when did you first meet Buddy?”

“I met him when he auditioned for the band.”

“Both of us did,” Lynnette added. “We were there because of Eric.”

“We went to school with him,” Cammy told them.

“Eric came into the doctor’s office where I worked,” Lynnette explained. “He recognized me right away and we started talking while he was waiting for the doctor to see him. That’s when he mentioned that his parents had been killed and his brother was going to start a jazz band for him.”

Cammy added, “Lynette called me, all excited, and said that Eric had invited her to sit in on auditions for a keyboard player. And she told me that Eric said I could come along, too. So I did, and that’s when we met Buddy.”

“Was that when you dated him?” Andrea asked Lynette.

“No, not then. He went out with Cammy first.”

“That lasted a total of three nights,” Cammy said with a laugh. “And then he moved on to Lynnette.”

“And you moved on to Lee,” Lynnette reminded her, and then she turned back to Hannah and Andrea. “Cammy’s been with Lee for as long as Cinnamon Roll Six has been in existence.”

Hannah watched Cammy closely as she asked the next question. “You said Lee bought you presents. Do you know where he got his money?”

“Sure,” Cammy said. “Their parents set up a trust. If they died, the kids inherited. But Eric was only twelve at the time and Lee was twenty-one, so they named Lee as executor until Eric reached legal age.”

“So you think that Lee is using Eric’s half of the inheritance to buy things for himself?”

“I don’t know that for sure. Lee never said how much money there is. I think there’s plenty. You ought to see the home theater setup Lee has at their condo. It’s on Lake Harriet and it’s a real showplace. Lee bought them a speedboat, a Harley, and a Jag. Eric doesn’t spend much, but Lee’s going through money so fast it’ll make your eyes swim.”

“Does Eric know that?”

“Yeah. Eric says it’s okay with him as long as he can live with Lee at the condo. He’s got that brother thing going with Lee. And ... I don’t know ... maybe because Eric’s always looked up to Lee, he thinks Lee loves him back.”

“But you don’t think Lee does?” Hannah got right to the important question.

“Maybe Lee does, and he thinks he’s doing the right thing. And maybe he doesn’t, and he’s taking advantage of Eric because he has control of the money for another two years. Whatever.”

“Can you think of any reason why Lee might have killed Buddy?”

“I really couldn’t say for sure.”

“But I can.” Lynnette spoke up. “ Cammy’s too loyal to tell you this, but Lee was jealous of the fact she dated Buddy before she wound up with Lee. Every time Lee drinks a lot after a performance, he accuses her of flirting with Buddy.”

“But I didn’t flirt with Buddy!” Cammy insisted. “Buddy was just a friend ... sort of. Lee’s a late sleeper so Buddy and I used to meet for breakfast in the morning. He’d tell me all his problems, and I’d tell him mine. It was almost like a brother and sister thing. And before you ask, Lynnette,” she turned to her friend, “we never talked about you. Buddy didn’t bring it up, and neither did I.”

“But you talked every morning over coffee?” Hannah asked.

“Over tea for me and coffee for Buddy, but yes, we talked every morning.”