“Was Sonny shot?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, in the back. Whoever shot him from a distance was a heck of a marksman.”
Hannah shuddered slightly. “I’m having trouble believing that Joey could do something like that.”
“I know. Joey seems like a really nice guy. But you’ve got to remember that nice guys can go off the deep end and take their revenge. And Joey must know how to handle firearms.”
“You’re right,” Hannah said, going on to tell Mike about the laundry bag of Joey’s clothes that Rosa was saving. “When Dick and Joey come back to the bar, do you want us to ask Joey if he knows how to handle firearms?”
“No, you can leave that to me. I’ll take care of it when I get there. Just keep him at the Inn, Hannah. Lonnie and I will question him later.”
Hannah was thoughtful as she ended the call. It was difficult to believe that Joey could execute anyone, but, as Mike had pointed out countless times, the most unlikely people could turn out to be killers.
“Is everything all right, Hannah?” Norman asked as she climbed back on her barstool.
“Yes, everything’s fine,” Hannah replied. “How are you two doing?”
“We’re fine,” Sally told her. “We were just talking about the prizes Wally’s giving for the fishing competition.” Sally stopped and took a deep breath. “Was that Mike on the phone?”
“Yes.”
“Is Doc with him?”
Hannah gave a nod. “Mike said he should be back soon.” She took another swallow of her Arnold Palmer, and then she turned to Norman. “Mike wants us to stay here until Dick and Joey get back.”
“Is Joey still a suspect?” Sally asked.
“I think so,” Hannah said.
“And Mike’s sure it was murder?”
Hannah nodded. “That’s what he said. Doc will have to confirm it with an autopsy, of course, and establish the time of death, but Mike sounded very positive when he told me. And Mike told me that Doc was ninety-nine percent certain that no one committing suicide would shoot themselves in the back.”
Sally looked a bit sick at the thoughts that were probably running through her mind, and Hannah almost wished she hadn’t said anything. “When do you think Mike will be back?” Sally asked.
Norman glanced at his watch. “That probably depends on the crime scene people that Mike called in, but it can’t take as long as a large murder venue.”
“True,” Hannah agreed. “A fishing boat isn’t that big.”
Sally gave a little smile. “No, but Wally’s fishing boats are a lot bigger than the ones Dick rents. They’re equipped with everything you could ever want in a fishing boat.”
“They sure are!” a voice spoke from the doorway, and all three of them turned to see who was there.
“Mike!” Hannah was pleased. “You certainly got here quickly! Did your crime scene people come back with you?”
“Yes. I wanted them to go through Joey’s room, and Rosa was in the hallway outside. She said Sally told her not to let anyone inside the room and she handed me the laundry bag with the clothing that Joey put out this morning when he got back to the Inn.”
“Oh, good.” Hannah was relieved. “I asked Sally to talk to Rosa, and keep everyone else out of that room.”
He turned to Hannah and Norman. “I’m glad you found Joey.”
“Actually, he found us,” Hannah said. “I was about to ask Dick and Sally about him when Joey walked into the bar.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s still with Dick in the kitchen,” Sally answered. “Joey said he was hungry, and Dick offered to make him one of his special omelets.”
Mike turned to Hannah again. “Does Dick know not to mention Mr. Bowman’s death to Joey?”
“Dick knows,” Hannah assured him.
“And so do I,” Sally told him. “Hannah and Norman told us to keep mum about everything until you and Lonnie came back. And since everyone knows the bar’s not open yet, there haven’t been any other people in here.”
“Good work,” Mike said, smiling at all three of them. “You’re making our job a lot easier.”
“Would you and Lonnie like something to drink, Mike?” Sally asked him.
“Yes, but nothing alcoholic. Doc will be here in a minute and he’ll probably want something, too.”
“How about lemonade?” Sally suggested, going behind the bar to serve them.
“Sounds great,” Mike said with a nod.
“Sure does!” a voice from the doorway called out, and Doc came into the bar. “This isn’t a private meeting, is it?”
“Yes, and you’re in it,” Mike replied. “Right here, Doc.” He patted the stool beside him. “I need to caution you not to mention anything about Mr. Bowman to anyone.”
Doc gave a nod. “Noted. Then you’re not going to let anyone know that he’s deceased?”
“Not tonight. And maybe not tomorrow morning, either.”
Sally looked surprised. “Why is that, Mike?”
“Because I’m going to hang out in the bar tonight with Lonnie and pick up any information about Mr. Bowman that we can.”
“You need to know what the other competitors thought of Sonny?” Norman asked.
“Yes. We’ll be looking for any long-term or new grudges, any motives any of the other fishermen or their wives may have had for wanting him dead, and anything else that might apply in some way to the case.”
“I can help with that, and so can Delores,” Doc offered.
“Good,” Mike agreed immediately, and then he turned to Hannah and Norman. “You two are staying out here, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and we’ll be in the bar if you need us,” Norman promised.
“I do.”
“How about Andrea?” Hannah asked him. “She’s staying out here, sharing my room with me.”
“Andrea could be really helpful,” Mike said. “Bill always says that she could charm the birds right out of their trees.”
“I’ll be there, too,” Sally told him. “I’m helping Dick in the bar this week. It’s going to be crazy busy.”
“One more thing,” Hannah said quickly when Mike pushed back his barstool. “What are you going to tell everyone when Sonny doesn’t show up at the bar tonight?”
“That’s where you and Dick come in,” Mike told Sally. “I want you two to tell everyone that Sonny is up in his room sleeping.”
“We can do that,” Sally promised. “How about Wally? What if he calls to check in? Shall I tell him?”
Mike shook his head. “Just say that Sonny left a message with the desk asking that no one disturb him.”
Hannah frowned slightly. “How about Lily? Are you going to call to tell her that Sonny is dead?”
“Not yet . . . at least not until we find out if she’s a suspect or not.”
“Everybody’s a suspect.” Lonnie walked into the bar, grinning. “Everybody’s a suspect until we clear them, right, Mike?”
“That’s right!” Mike told him. “Stay here, Lonnie. I need to go check on the crime scene boys to see if they’re done yet. When they are, I will tell Rosa that she can clean Joey’s room.” He turned to Sally. “Can you and Dick keep Joey here for another twenty minutes or so?”
“No problem,” Sally said quickly. “Just ask Rosa to give me a call when Joey’s room is done so I can let him go back upstairs.”