Mike asked, “What time is dinner, Sally?”
Sally glanced up at the clock behind the bar. “Not ’til seven, Mike.”
Mike gave a long-drawn-out sigh. “I’m really hungry now,” he said. “What’s in those special omelets that Dick made for Joey?”
“Corned beef brisket, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut,” Sally answered. “Dick calls them Reuben Omelets and he serves them with Thousand Island dressing with chopped gherkins on top.”
“Sounds good!” Mike said, beginning to smile. “I like Reuben sandwiches, so I should like Dick’s omelets, right?”
“Right,” Sally said. “Shall I call Dick and ask him to make one for you?”
“Yeah, that’d be great!” Mike turned to Lonnie. “You want one, too?”
“Sure,” Lonnie agreed.
“Consider it done,” Sally told them as they got up from their barstools. “Head on back to the kitchen right now and I’ll tell Dick you’re coming. There may even be a couple of Caramel Pecan Rolls left from the breakfast buffet, if Joey didn’t eat them already.”
Once Mike and Lonnie had left, Doc turned to Sally. “Better tell Dick to make more than two omelets,” he warned her. “If Mike wasn’t here for the breakfast buffet, he’ll probably eat at least three.”
Chapter Eleven
There was a knock on the door, and Hannah opened it.
“Andrea!” she said, as her sister rushed into their room.
“I just ran into Mike in the hallway, and you should have called me right away!” Andrea said, and she looked as shocked as she obviously felt. “I can’t believe he’s dead!”
“Believe me, he is,” Hannah assured her, “and you can’t tell anyone about it.”
“I understand, but . . .” Andrea gave a little shiver. “Why can’t I tell Bill when he calls me tonight? He’s the sheriff, and he ought to know that there’s been a murder.”
“That’s not wise, Andrea. Do you really want him to come home early and miss the opportunity to give his televised keynote speech?”
Andrea thought about that for a moment. “You’re right,” she said. “I just hope Bill isn’t mad that we kept him in the dark about the murder.”
“I don’t think he will be,” Hannah said quickly. “After all, Bill chose Mike to fill in as acting sheriff while Bill was gone. Bill expects Mike to make his own decisions and not to check in with him every other minute.”
“I guess that’s true,” Andrea said, but she still sounded slightly doubtful. “I just hope he’s not mad at me for not telling him.”
“He won’t be,” Hannah assured her, although she wasn’t sure at all. “Since Mike is the acting sheriff while Bill is gone, we have to do what he tells us to do.”
Andrea started to smile. “I don’t believe you just said that, Hannah!”
“Neither do I.” Hannah gave a little laugh. “But I really do think we’d better trust Mike’s judgment when it comes to alerting Bill.”
“All right,” Andrea reluctantly agreed. “I won’t tell Bill until Mike says it’s okay.”
Andrea lifted the suitcase she’d brought in with her and put it on her bed. “This is heavier than I thought it would be, but I promised Tracey I’d bring it.”
“You brought more clothes?” Hannah asked.
“No, it’s something Tracey thought of, so we went shopping right before I drove out here.”
“What did you buy?” Hannah asked, moving a little closer.
“Goldfish. We got a whole carton of them.”
“You bought live goldfish??”
Andrea began to laugh. “No, silly. Tracey and I bought Goldfish crackers. They’re for Dick to put out in the bar in the baskets he uses for bar snacks. Tracey thought it would be perfect for the fishing tournament.”
Hannah smiled. “That is perfect! When you talk to Tracey, tell her I think she had a great idea! Dick and Sally are going to love it!”
“We’re going down to the bar tonight, aren’t we?” Andrea asked, taking the large box out of her suitcase.
“Yes. Since you’re okay with not telling anyone that Sonny is dead, will you help us listen for gossip in the bar tonight?”
“Of course I will! I’m good at things like that. People tell me gossip and they trust me not to tell anyone else.”
“We know, that’s why Mike and I and Lonnie don’t tell you any secrets.”
Andrea looked shocked. “Oh . . . Really?”
“I’m kidding, Andrea! Actually it’s one of the reasons we need you with us in the bar. People do tell you secrets.”
Andrea smiled. “Thank you! You’re good at it, too, Hannah. And so is Mother. Everybody tells Mother all their secrets.”
And she tells them to us, Hannah thought, but she didn’t share that thought with Andrea. “The local competitors know who you are, but the ones from out of town don’t. Do you think you can circulate tonight and talk to the out-of-towners? We need to find out what they thought of Sonny.”
“Of course I can!” Andrea replied immediately.
Hannah smiled. “I know. We need to know if anyone who came here had a past history with Sonny.”
“I get it,” Andrea said. “You want to find out if any of them had a motive for wanting Sonny dead.”
“Exactly right. The only thing you can’t do is tell anyone the real reason that Sonny isn’t down in the bar drinking the way he did last night.”
There was a knock on their door, and Hannah went to answer it. She was surprised to see Rosa there with a tray. “Hi, Rosa,” she greeted Sally’s head housekeeper. “What’s all this?” She gestured toward the tray.
“Sally sent me up with coffee and something they just baked in the kitchen. Can I come in?”
“Of course,” Hannah said, opening the door all the way. “Whatever it is smells really good.”
“It’s Blueberry Coffee Cake and it is good. I had a piece before I came up here.”
“Do I smell blueberries?” Andrea asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing one of Sally’s Lake Eden Inn robes.
“Blueberry Coffee Cake,” Rosa said, setting the tray on the dresser. “Help yourself, both of you.”
“Do you know if Sally needs help in the kitchen?” Hannah asked. “I’m all ready for tonight, but I could run down there if she does.”
Rosa shook her head. “She’s training a new helper for the pastry chef, but she told me that he was doing great. She was all smiles when I went to pick up your tray.”
“Okay, then. If you go back down there, tell her that we’ll see her in the bar tonight, and . . .”
“What did you just think of?” Andrea asked, when Hannah began to frown.
“I was just wondering if the blonde will be there.”
Rosa smiled. “Oh, she’ll be there.”
Hannah just stared at Rosa for a moment. “Will you please tell us what you know that we don’t know?” she asked.
“I don’t know if . . .” Rosa stopped speaking and gave a huge sigh. “I’m just not sure if I should be the one . . .” She stopped speaking again and frowned heavily.
“What is it, Rosa?” Hannah asked her.
“I don’t know if I should say anything to you or not,” Rosa blurted out. Then she stopped, drew a deep breath, and asked, “Are you two girls investigating?”