Blueberry Muffin Murder (11 page)

'What time was that? And who's Kurt Howe?'

'A quarter after four. Kurt Howe works for Savory Press, the people that publish her cookbooks. He's a nice young guy and he's got a tough job. He told me that they sent him here to handle Connie Mac, and it wasn't easy.'

'That's got to be the understatement of the year,' Hannah said, venturing a grin, 'especially when Connie Mac's the one who's used to doing the handling. Does Francine know why she was yelling at him?'

'Not really. She just caught the tail end of it. But she did hear Connie Mac say that she was going to call the publisher in the morning and have Kurt fired.'

Hannah almost choked on a sip of coffee, and Andrea reached over to thump her on the back. 'Are you all right, Hannah?'

'I'm fine, but we've discovered five suspects already and we just started. Sally's right. It looks like everyone had a reason to want Connie Mac dead.'

'Five suspects?' Sally looked confused. 'I thought you had only four.'

'The van driver's number one. He must have been steaming about being fired. And Alan Carpenter is number two. Connie Mac threatened to fire him and have him disbarred.'

'We have to include Paul,' Andrea said, taking over the count, 'at least until we find out if he has an alibi. If they had a fight, he was probably just as mad as she was. And Kurt Howe is suspect number four. He could have killed her so she couldn't call the publisher to get him fired.'

Sally nodded. 'Okay, but that's still only four. Who's the fifth, Hannah?'

'Remember that conversation you overheard between Connie Mac and Alan? The man who was getting half of something could have killed Connie Mac to keep her from changing their agreement.'

'I didn't even think of that,' Sally said, obviously impressed. 'But how are you going to find out who he is?'

Hannah turned to her sister. 'You can ask Alan. He'll probably try to fob you off with lawyer-client privilege, but it's worth a try.'

'I'll get it out of him,' Andrea promised.

Sally glanced at her watch and sighed. 'This is getting interesting, but it's past time for me to go out there and play hostess. Come on and I'll treat you to the buffet.'

'Just one more thing before you go.' Hannah stopped Sally before she could leave. 'Do you have any idea where Janie Burkholtz is?'

'She's probably at the table with the rest of the Connie Mac people. They always sit together.'

'She's not there,' Andrea said. 'Mike called her this morning, and when Janie didn't answer the phone in her room, he sent one of the maids up to check. There was no sign of Janie, her bed hadn't been slept in, and all of her things were gone. We need to find her before Bill and Mike do.'

Sally nodded. 'Why don't you ask Paul? Janie had dinner with him Thursday night, and she would have told him if she needed time off.'

'We'll do that,' Hannah promised, and then she started to frown as another, very unwelcome thought occurred to her. 'Did you get the impression that Janie and Paul were close?'

'I guess you could say that. They seemed to have a great time together. As a matter of fact, one of my waitresses said . . . '

Sally stopped speaking abruptly and Hannah leaned forward. 'What?'

'It was probably nothing. You know how Dot Truman is. She just got engaged and she sees romance under every bush.'

Under any other circumstances, Hannah would have laughed at Sally's description, but this was far too serious. 'I still need to know what Dot said.'

'All right. It's just that Paul and Janie sat there for quite a while, laughing and talking and whatever. And that was the night before Connie Mac got here.'

'And Dot said . . . . ?' Andrea prompted.

'She told me it was pretty obvious to her that Paul had something going on the side.'

Hannah glanced at her sister in time to see her wince. It wasn't the sort of news that either of them wanted to hear. 'Is Dot Truman scheduled to work today?'

'I'm not sure. I'll have to check.' Sally got to her feet. 'Come on, you two. I have to mingle with the guests and you have to eat. We can talk more later.'

Sally and Andrea got up, but Hannah didn't. She was still considering what Dot Truman had said. Janie had a sensible head on her shoulders, and Hannah didn't think she'd be foolish enough to have an affair with her boss's husband. On the other hand, common sense could fly out the window when love walked in the door.

'Come on, Hannah,' Andrea nudged her.

'Okay.' Hannah slipped her notebook into her purse, and then another thought occurred to her. What if Janie and Paul were perfectly innocent and it only looked as if they were lovers? If Dot Truman had assumed that they were having an affair, Connie Mac could have come to the same conclusion. That would certainly explain why she'd been on the warpath yesterday afternoon.

'Hannah?' Andrea nudged her again. 'Let's go get something to eat.'

'Right.' Hannah slid off her stool, intending to leave, when another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

'Hannah?' Andrea sounded impatient.

'Hold your horses; I'm coming.' Hannah grabbed her purse and followed Andrea into the dining room. On any other morning, the sight of Sally's buffet table would have made her as hungry as a bear, but she barely glanced at the tempting array. Her mind was still back at the crime scene, thinking about Janie and Connie Mac.

Once Bill and Mike had interviewed Dot Truman, they'd suspect Janie of being the 'other woman.' Jealousy was a powerful motive for murder, and even if Paul swore that he wasn't involved with Janie, it wouldn't hold much water. Mike and Bill would expect him to deny it.

'Get in line, Hannah.'

Andrea gave her a none-too-gentle shove, and Hannah got in line at the sideboard, where Sally's staff had set out the plates and the silverware. She moved forward automatically, still thinking about the case that Mike and Bill could build against Janie. Money also was a powerful motive for murder, and Connie Mac had made millions over the years. They might even think that Janie had killed Connie Mac so that Paul could inherit her empire.

Hannah sighed as she reached the front of the line and picked up a plate. One thing was clear. They had to find Janie and get her side of the story before Bill and Mike had time to build an even stronger case against her.

The two sisters split up when they arrived at the buffet table, and went down opposite sides. Sally always set out a mirror-image buffet to shorten the lines. Then, by unspoken agreement, they headed off toward the horseshoe-shaped mahogany bar. Sally and Dick didn't open the bar until lunchtime, and it was the only unpopulated spot in the room.

Once they'd hoisted themselves up on the comfortable padded-leather barstools, both Hannah and Andrea spent several minutes eating without exchanging a word. Sally put on the best breakfast buffet in three counties, and both sisters believed that it would be a crime to let her Eggs Benedict or Quiche Lorraine get cold.

'It's not true. Janie would have told me,' Andrea insisted, finishing the last bite of her quiche.

'Are you sure? You haven't been in touch for a while.'

'We're still just as close as we were in high school.' Andrea speared one of Sally's famous breakfast sausages with her fork. 'Besides, Janie doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. There's no way she could have killed Connie Mac.'

'Unless she did it in self-defense.'

'What do you mean?' Andrea stopped in the act of lifting her fork to her mouth.

'I've got a possible scenario. Listen, and I'll run it past you.'

'Okay. Go ahead.'

'Let's assume that Connie Mac thought Janie was having an affair with. . .'

'Hold it right there!' Andrea set down her fork with a clatter. 'Janie would never have an affair with another woman's husband!'

'I said thought. It doesn't really matter whether Janie was or wasn't, as long as Connie Mac thought she was. Once they were alone at The Cookie Jar last night, Connie Mac confronted Janie about it and it turned ugly. . . .'

'It wouldn't have happened that way,' Andrea interrupted again. 'Janie would have done everything she could to convince Connie Mac that she was wrong.'

'You know how stubborn Connie Mac could be. What if Janie couldn't convince her?'

Andrea thought about that for a minute. 'Then Janie would have left.'

'What if Connie Mac blocked the back door? Do you think Janie would have pushed her out of the way?'

Hannah let Andrea think about it while she stared at the glasses that were hanging on a rack over the bar. They were absolutely spotless, and she wondered idly whether Sally's staff had to wash them every day.

'Janie wouldn't have pushed her,' Andrea said at last. 'I'm pretty sure of that. If she couldn't leave, she would have gone into another room until Connie Mac cooled down.'

'Which other room?'

'The coffee shop, or . . .' Andrea hesitated, and then she sighed. 'I see where you're going. You think Janie ducked into the pantry to get away and Connie Mac followed her.'

Hannah nodded. 'Knowing Janie, do you think it could have happened that way?'

'Maybe. It does make sense. But we won't know for sure until we find Janie and ask her.'

'Exactly. Any ideas about where she is?'

'Not really. Janie told me her parents were on a cruise. I don't think she'd drive all the way down to Florida if they weren't home.'

'Could she be hiding out with someone in town?'

'When she called me, she said she hadn't kept in touch with anyone in Lake Eden. Besides, I'm her best friend. She would have come to me.'

'Are you sure?' Hannah didn't say anything else. She just kept silent and let Andrea work it out by herself.

Andrea sighed deeply and shook her head. 'She might have wanted to call me, but she knows what Bill does for a living. Maybe she contacted one of the other girls we ran around with in high school.'

'Do you have their numbers with you?'

'Of course. You never know when a hot property is going to hit the market, and I like to give my friends first crack.' Andrea reached inside her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She punched in a number and then she looked up at Hannah. 'I know it's crazy, but I'm still hungry. Will you get me a couple of Sally's biscuits?'

'Sure. I'll be right back.'

'Bring some ham slices, too. And don't forget the butter and apricot jam.'

'Coming right up.'

Even though the situation with Janie was grim, Hannah was grinning as she left the bar and headed back to the buffet table. Andrea claimed she wasn't pregnant, but perhaps she just didn't know it yet. If her sister's breakfast this morning was any indication, Hannah would have a brand-new niece or nephew by Thanksgiving.

'Hannah?' Sally caught her on her way to the buffet table. 'Dot Truman's not on the schedule for today. And I've been thinking about who might know where Janie's gone. I think you should talk to Alex Matthews.'

'Is he one of the Connie Mac people?'

'No, and he's a she. Her first name is Alexandra, but she prefers Alex and she's my temporary assistant. I hired her the day after Dick left for Arizona, and she's fabulous. You must have seen her in the kitchen. She organized my staff when they wheeled out the buffet.'

Hannah nodded, remembering the efficient dark-haired woman who'd directed Sally's kitchen help. 'Janie and Alex are close?'

'Closer than most. It was one of those instant rapport things. They just clicked, you know?' Sally glanced at her watch. 'Alex is upstairs right now, checking on the maids, but she'll be back in the kitchen in about ten minutes.'

'We'll talk to her. Thanks, Sally.'

After Sally had left on her rounds again, Hannah filled Andrea's plate and headed back to the bar. She got there just as Andrea was slipping her cell phone back into her purse.

'Any luck?'

'No. I called everyone we hung around with in high school, and no one's seen Janie. They didn't even know she was in town. I think she must have left Lake Eden.'

Hannah hoisted herself up on the bar stool and set the plate she'd filled in front of her sister. 'Sally just gave me a possible lead.' Andrea sliced open a biscuit, spread it with butter and apricot jam, and slipped in a slice of ham. She took a bite and smiled. 'Just let me finish eating and we'll go follow up on it.'

Hannah bit her tongue to keep from voicing the comment that popped into her head. If they waited for Andrea to finish eating, Janie would have time to get halfway around the world in a rowboat.

They found Alex in the kitchen, taking her coffee break. After they had introduced themselves and told her that Sally had sent them, Hannah asked her about Janie.

'Yes, I know Janie.' Alex looked a bit worried. 'Is anything wrong?'

Hannah smiled to reassure her. She'd found that she learned much more when she didn't alarm the people she questioned. 'Janie's a good friend of ours. Andrea went to high school with her.'

'Of course.' Alex turned to Andrea with a smile. 'I didn't connect the name at first. You're her best friend and you married the handsome quarterback. Janie flew back here for your wedding and she caught your bridal bouquet.'

Andrea smiled back. 'That's right. Bill helped me practice for a solid week and I pegged it straight at her.'

'How did you meet Janie?' Hannah pressed on before Andrea could ask what else Janie had said about her wedding.

'One of the maids called in sick the day she checked in, and I took some fresh towels up to her room. She's a lovely girl.'

'Then you didn't know her before she checked in at the inn?'

Alex shook her head. 'We just got to talking and we discovered that we had a lot in common.'

'Like what?' Hannah asked.

'Just a lot of little things. Janie's crazy about old musicals and so am I. Our favorite dessert is coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce, we do crossword puzzles to relax, and we both like to read biographies. Janie says we're birds of a feather.'

'Do you happen to know where Janie went when she left the inn last night?' Hannah asked.

'I didn't see her at all last night. Why? Is there something wrong?'