“Yes, I was getting ready to leave because it was almost twelve-thirty and I needed to get some sleep.”
Hannah and Andrea exchanged glances again. Neither one knew exactly what to say.
“She deserved it!” Rosa said, giving a little laugh. “She deserved to be locked out in the hallway with no clothes.”
“Yes, she did,” Hannah agreed.
“Good for Lily for kicking her out!” Andrea added, “I’d do exactly the same thing if I ever walked in and found another woman in my husband’s bed!”
The thought of her standing in the hallway without her clothes at half-past midnight made all three of them begin to laugh.
“I grabbed one of the robes we put in the rooms. It was funny, but I didn’t want that woman to be out in the hallway naked. Something like that could give the Inn a bad name,” Rosa told them.
“I guess it could,” Hannah managed to say, although she was still fighting to keep from chuckling. “Did you take the robe to her?”
Rosa nodded. “Yes, and I told her to hold out her arms so I could put it on her. She was shaking and I think she was really scared. I’m not even sure she knew exactly where she was.”
“Was she drunk, too?” Andrea asked.
“No, not drunk. It was like she just woke up and she didn’t really know where she was. Once I got the robe on her, I asked her if she had her room key.”
“And of course she didn’t,” Hannah said.
“That’s right. So I grabbed her arm and marched her to the room she was supposed to be sharing with her husband,” Rosa continued. “I had the passkey with me and I was all ready to let her go back inside when I thought of something that scared me a little.”
“What was that?” Hannah asked her.
“I asked her if her husband would be mad at her for leaving in the middle of the night.”
“What did she say?” Andrea asked.
“She said he wouldn’t even wake up because she’d given him a sleeping pill. So I let her into the room, shut the door, and waited a couple of minutes to make sure that everything was all right.”
“Was it?” Hannah asked.
“Yes. Then I went to the kitchen, picked up the tray that Sally had left for me, took it to my room, and went to bed.”
“Did you see Lily this morning?” Hannah asked.
“No. I didn’t wake up until nine, and the desk clerk said she’d left by then. I’m not sure what time, but he’s at the desk now, if you want to ask him.”
Hannah nodded at Andrea, who’d jotted it down in her notebook. “Thank you for telling us all this, Rosa.”
“You’re welcome.” Rosa began to frown again. “You don’t think that . . .” She stopped and frowned even deeper. “You don’t think that Lily killed Sonny, do you?”
Hannah thought about that for a moment and then she shook her head. “I don’t know yet.... Do you think she could have?”
“No! She could never have done such a thing!” Rosa exclaimed.
“Why?” Andrea asked her. “She certainly had plenty of reasons to want him out of her life.”
“Out of her life . . . maybe. But Lily would not have killed anyone. She loved Sonny. She knew he had faults, but she still loved him. And I can’t believe that she could . . .” Rosa turned to Hannah. “You don’t understand, Lily is a gentle person. She could never shoot anyone.” Rosa glanced at her watch and frowned. “I have to go. I’m going to help Sally serve the evening buffet for the fishermen.”
“Please keep your ears open for any talk about Sonny,” Hannah told her. “Nobody knows he’s dead, and all the fishermen will think is that he chose not to eat at the buffet.”
Rosa gave a nod. “Is this the invisible waitress trick you told me about, Hannah?”
“That’s right. It works, Rosa. People go right on talking when you fill their coffee cups or bring them food.”
“I know. I tried it at one of Sally’s luncheons. That’s how I learned that Mrs. Dugan’s youngest daughter is having another baby.”
“I didn’t know Fanny was having another baby!” Andrea said once they’d said their goodbyes and Rosa had left.
“You look shocked,” Hannah said, staring at her sister. “Is there something wrong with Fanny having another baby?”
“No, it’s not that,” Andrea said. “It’s just that Rosa gave me an idea for the bar tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m going to be Dick and Sally’s new barmaid. I’ll deliver drinks and appetizers. That’ll give me an excuse to go from table to table and I might overhear something that could help us in our investigation.”
“That’s a very good idea, Andrea! But aren’t you too tired to work tonight, after all you’ve done today?”
“I’m too tired to work, but delivering drinks and appetizers isn’t exactly working. And I’ll be able to pick up a lot more information that way than I would just going over, sitting down, and trying to make conversation with people I don’t know.”
“That’s true,” Hannah agreed. “I just don’t want you to wear yourself out, Andrea. We’re trying out a couple new recipes tomorrow and I’m going to need you in the kitchen.”
“No problem,” Andrea insisted. “Besides, I’m younger than you are, Hannah, and I have more energy than you have. I read an article that said women over forty need a lot more sleep than younger women.”
Hannah bristled slightly. “I’m not ready for the retirement home yet, Andrea!”
“I know that!” Andrea looked a bit sorry she’d brought up the difference in their ages. “Besides, I haven’t done anything like this for a while. I might overhear a major clue.”
“That’s true,” Hannah said. “It’s a good idea, Andrea, as long as you don’t mind doing it.”
“I don’t mind at all!” Andrea insisted. “It’ll be fun playing the invisible waitress again!”
BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Some coffee cake is more like sweet bread. This coffee cake is more like a cake. Coffee cake is a staple in Minnesota. It is what most people serve when they invite friends over for coffee in the morning. With guests, the cake type of coffee cake is served more often. When it’s breakfast with the family, the sweet bread type is usually served, especially if the slices are toasted and buttered.
Ingredients for the Cake:
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, ? pound) softened to room temperature
1 and ? cups white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and ? teaspoons baking powder
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
Ingredients for the Filling:
3 cups thawed and crushed frozen blueberries (you can also use fresh blueberries, if they’re in season)
? cup white (granulated) sugar
? cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
Ingredients for the Peek-a-Boo Crumb Topping:
? cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
? cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
? cup salted butter (? stick, pound) softened to room temperature