“So you don’t know, for sure, if Joey actually went on the boat with Sonny,” Hannah concluded.
“That’s true, but I don’t have any reason to think he didn’t.” Sally stopped speaking and frowned. “Was Joey on the boat when Mike found Sonny?”
Hannah hesitated a moment, and then she shook her head. “No, and I’m sure that’s the reason Mike asked us to try to locate Joey.”
“I hope he’s all right.” Dick looked worried. “Joey’s a good guy. He was always polite and nice to Sonny, and Sonny treated him like . . . well, you know.”
“It’s true,” Sally confirmed. “All you have to do is watch one of the fishing shows and you can see he treated Joey like a hired servant.” Sally stopped speaking and looked thoughtful. “Rosa’s cleaning Joey’s room today. Do you want me to call her and ask her if Joey’s in his room?”
“Yes, please,” Hannah said quickly.
“Hello!” a voice called out from the doorway. “Is this a private meeting, or can anyone come in and get something wet to drink?”
“Joey!” Sally gasped. “We were just about to ask Rosa if she’d seen you.”
“Not a word about Sonny,” Hannah warned Dick and Sally. “You know nothing, okay?” When both of them nodded, she turned around on her barstool and waved at Joey.
“Come in, Joey,” Dick said, gesturing toward the barstool next to Norman. “Lemonade? Iced tea? Or an Arnold Palmer?”
“Lemonade, please,” Joey said, sliding onto the barstool. “What’s going on? It looked like serious business in here.”
“Serious enough,” Hannah said, taking the lead. “We thought you went out on the boat with Sonny this morning.”
“I did. I was with him for over an hour before he got mad at me and dropped me off back here.”
“Was it still dark when you got back here?” Norman asked him.
“Yeah. It didn’t even start to get light until after I’d taken a shower.”
“When you came back, you took a shower in your room?” Hannah asked him, doing her best not to look as disappointed as she felt. If Joey had taken a shower, there was no longer a possibility of gunpowder or any other residue. “So you took a shower and dressed in clean clothes?” she asked.
“Yeah. I threw my clothes in a laundry bag and put it out in the hall. That’s what it said to do.”
“Exactly right,” Sally confirmed.
“Why was Sonny mad at you? Was Sonny drinking this morning?” Dick asked.
“Of course he was! He keeps bottles stashed in his live well. I didn’t know it when I got on the boat. All he had out was a thermos and I thought it was coffee!”
“Was he acting drunk?” Sally asked.
“Yes, but at first I thought he could have still been drunk from last night. You guys saw him. He tied one on and then some. I don’t know whether he kept on drinking all night or started drinking when he woke up this morning. All I know is that he was a bit shaky when we went out on the lake this morning.”
“Did Sonny mention that Lily was here last night?” Hannah asked him.
“No.” Joey looked very surprised. “Is she still here?”
“No,” Dick answered. “The desk clerk said she checked out early this morning.”
“That makes sense. Lily was probably disgusted by the fact he fell off the wagon again.”
“That’s happened before?” Hannah asked.
“At least twice that I know of. This is the third alcohol treatment program he’s been in, and we all thought he was doing okay.”
“So you didn’t realize that he was still drunk when you got in the boat with him?” Hannah asked.
Joey shook his head. “Sonny was good at hiding it. I knew he’d been completely blotto last night in the bar, but I thought he’d be sober this morning. If I’d known he was buzzed, I wouldn’t have let him handle the boat. Maybe I was still sleepy or just not observant enough, but I didn’t catch on to what was happening until Sonny spilled his thermos all over me and I smelled it.”
“So, what was in the thermos?” Dick asked.
“Smelled like Bourbon or some sort of whiskey. That’s why I had to peel off my clothes and take a shower the minute I walked into the room. I could hardly wait to get out of those clothes!”
“You must be hungry, Joey,” Sally said, changing the subject. “We missed you at the breakfast buffet.”
“I missed you, too!” Joey replied, smiling widely. “And I especially missed all that delicious food. My stomach’s growling like crazy. Is there any way I can get something to eat, Sally?”
“Why don’t you take Joey to the kitchen, Dick?” Sally suggested. “I’m sure you can find someone to rustle up something for Joey to eat.”
“Sure,” Dick said, coming out from behind the bar and motioning to Joey. “If everyone there is busy, I’ll make Joey one of my famous Reuben Omelets.”
“A Reuben Omelet?” Joey looked interested. “Is that like a Reuben sandwich?”
“Yes, except there’s no bread. It’s corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese.”
“That sounds good to me,” Joey said, sliding off his barstool to follow Dick. My dad used to make Reuben sandwiches every time Mom had one of her meetings.”
Hannah waited until Joey and Dick had left and then she turned to Sally. “Will you call Rosa and ask her to get Joey’s laundry bag? Mike’s going to need the clothes Joey wore on the boat. And you’d better tell her not to clean Joey’s room. Mike may want to send his crime scene people up there to check it out for any trace evidence.”
Sally pulled out her cell phone and did what Hannah had asked, but she looked worried after she’d put away her phone. “You don’t think Joey killed Sonny, do you?”
“Not really, but everyone’s a suspect at this point.”
“Does that mean that you’re going to help with the investigation?” Sally asked.
“I’d like to,” Hannah answered quickly, and then she thought she’d better qualify that. “At least I think Mike might ask me to help. Norman and I will just have to wait and see what he wants us to do.”
“What do you think he’ll say?” Sally asked.
“I’m not sure, but he may tell us that he wants us to leave everything to him.”
Sally looked amused. “You could be right, but that’s never stopped you before!”
“That’s true,” Hannah admitted. “But I don’t really have a vested interest in this case. It’s not like I knew Sonny well. Actually, the only dealings I had with him all took place at the breakfast buffet.”
“Yes, except for dancing with him,” Norman pointed out.
“That’s true, but it wasn’t like I wanted to dance with him. It was my turn and I had to rescue Michelle.”
“How about watching the fishing show?” Sally asked her.