Cinnamon Roll Murder

“Did Buddy ever tell you he was worried about anything?” Hannah held her breath, waiting for the answer.

Cammy thought for a moment. “Yeah. Buddy told me he was worried about something that happened to him in Seattle. And he said that if anybody ever found out about it, he’d have to leave in a hurry.”

“Did he tell you he was leaving the band?”

“Yes, he told me.”

“Do you have any idea why he was leaving?”

“I have an idea, but I don’t know if I’m right.”

“Tell me,” Hannah said, leaning closer.

“I think it had something to do with the woman who came to the show at Club Nineteen. I saw Buddy backstage with her after the performance, and he looked really upset. I just grabbed my purse, that’s what I came backstage to get, and left before Buddy could see me. I didn’t want him to think I was spying on them, you know? And then, the next morning, right before noon rehearsal, Buddy told Lee that he was leaving the band.”

“Did you ask Lee why Buddy was leaving?”

“Yeah, but he said he didn’t know, that Buddy wouldn’t tell him.”

“How about Buddy himself? Did you ask him?”

“Sure, I did. I figured that since we were such good friends, he might tell me. But all he’d say was that it was personal.”

“Did you ask him if the woman had anything to do with it?”

“No. I figured I’d been nosy enough. I thought I’d wait a couple of days and then I’d mention it casually.”

“Did you?” Andrea asked, leaning forward expectantly.

“I didn’t have the chance. Buddy never met me for breakfast again. And he ... well, there’s no other way to say it ... Buddy avoided me. It was like he didn’t want to be alone with me anymore.”

“Let’s talk about the woman,” Hannah told her. “Can you describe her for me?”

“I can try, but you’ve got to understand that the lighting’s not very bright backstage. And they were standing a ways away.”

“But you said you saw that Buddy was upset, so you must have seen his expression.”

“Actually ... no. His face was in the shadows. I saw his hands and he was clenching his fists. That’s how I knew he was upset.”

“How about her?”

Cammy shook her head. “She was standing with her back to me. All I can tell you about her is that she had dark hair, and she was shorter than Buddy. That’s all, Hannah. I’d tell you if I could, but I don’t know anything else.”

Hannah bit into her herb-encrusted, center cut pork chop and gave a little sigh of pleasure. It was tender, succulent, and flawlessly seasoned, exactly what she’d grown to expect from any of Sally’s entrees.

“How is it, dear?” Delores asked, forking some of her wild salmon.

“Incredible, exquisite, and totally delectable.”

“I think you’re describing my entree, not yours,” Andrea said with a smile. She’d almost finished her slow- roasted chicken with sherry cream sauce, and now she was eating some of Sally’s perfectly cooked vegetable medley. “Mine’s the best.”

“No, mine is,” Michelle insisted. “I just love Sally’s duck with crispy skin. And these Stuffin’ Muffins she serves with it are incredible.”

Delores flipped up the corner of the napkin covering Michelle’s personal bread basket. “You didn’t tell us that Sally gave you four!”

Michelle looked perfectly innocent. “Didn’t I mention that? Goodness gracious! Let’s pass them around.”

All of them laughed, including Michelle.

“You’re a piggy, Michelle,” Delores accused her youngest daughter, as she took a muffin from the basket.

“I’ll say she is!” Andrea commented, taking her muffin and passing the basket to Hannah.

“Didn’t I mention that?” Hannah repeated, still smiling as she took the last muffin. “I don’t know what they’re teaching theatre majors now at Macalester, but you didn’t fool us.”

“Not even for a second,” Andrea said, breaking open her muffin and buttering it. “That Goodness gracious! was really fake. I think you’d better take another acting class next semester.”

For a few minutes everyone was silent, concentrating on their food. Andrea finished first, and put down her fork, then Hannah and Michelle did the same. They waited for their mother to finish.

At last Delores put down her silverware and smiled. “That was just excellent. It always is.” She turned to Michelle. “That muffin was simply delicious.”

“Yes, it was.” Michelle agreed. “Why do you think I tried to keep them all for myself?”

Andrea turned to Hannah. “You need to get the recipe from Sally. These would be perfect at Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s an easy recipe that even I could make.”

“Maybe,” Hannah said, doing her best not to sound doubtful.

“I know you don’t think I can bake, but you liked those Double Puffs I made for Mother’s cookie exchange, didn’t you?”

“I liked them a lot. They were great cookies.”

“I thought so, too,” Michelle added quickly.

“Simply marvelous, dear.” Delores reached out to pat her daughter’s hand. “They were the hit of the afternoon. Everyone loved them. You know how we trade cookies afterwards, don’t you?” She waited until her daughter had nodded, and then she continued. “Before we left the community center, five different ladies came up to me and offered to trade any other cookie they had if I’d give them your Double Fudge Drops in return.”

“Really?” Andrea asked, looking very pleased.

“Really. And of course I turned all the offers down. And then I went home and I ate every one of them myself.”

Hannah watched as Andrea flushed pink with pleasure. Her pleased smile was so luminous, it made Hannah smile, too. Delores didn’t compliment her daughters that often. When Hannah had called her on it once, she’d said that she expected her daughters to be competent young ladies who did everything well, and if she had no criticism, that was a compliment in itself. Now, suddenly, all that had changed. Hannah liked this new, softer side of her mother. She wasn’t sure what had caused it, but she hoped it wouldn’t change back.

“I’ll ask Sally for the recipe,” Hannah promised. “And if you think you can’t do it alone, I’ll be glad to help you make them.”

“What recipe do you want, Hannah?” Sally asked, arriving with their coffee just in time to hear the comment.

“Stuffin’ Muffins. Andrea wants to bake them for Thanksgiving.”

“No problem. I’ll run a copy and you can have it. It’s so easy, even ...” Sally stopped when Hannah gave her a warning glance. “I shouldn’t say it. It’s not that my sous chefs are dumb. It’s just that only one of them knows how to bake.”

Hannah smiled. She knew that what Sally had been about to say was, It’s so easy, even Andrea can do it. Thanks to Sally’s quick thinking, she’d stopped in midsentence and then implied that her sous chefs couldn’t bake!

“Speaking of baking, my other chef tried a new cake this afternoon.” She turned to Hannah. “You were there, as a matter of fact.”

Hannah was puzzled for a moment, but then she remembered Sally’s two thumbs up gesture. “Was that the Pucker Up Lemon Cake?”

“That’s right. I tried a sliver a few minutes ago and I liked it a lot, but I’d like a Swensen family opinion.”

“I’ll order a piece for dessert,” Delores offered. “Lemon’s my second favorite flavor ... after chocolate, of course.”

“You don’t have to order it. I’ll send a sample piece to the table.”