“I’m glad you noticed,” Hannah told him. “What was Sonny doing to make you think that he was still drunk?”
“He was wearing his dark glasses, and it was before the sun had come up. And he was walking really carefully, the way drunks do when they’re trying to convince people that they’re not drunk.”
“Sonny was probably wearing dark glasses to hide his bloodshot eyes,” Andrea commented.
Craig nodded. “That’s sure possible. Either that, or he had such a bad headache, the lights in the lobby hurt his eyes.”
“Did you talk to Sonny at all?” Andrea asked.
“I didn’t get the chance because Joey came rushing in and they went outside together.”
“Where did they go? Do you know?”
“No, but I heard a boat start and I figured they were getting out on the lake really early for some reason. And then Sally came in with my coffee and rolls and she manned the desk while I went in and had my breakfast.”
“Were you able to get some sleep after your breakfast?” Hannah asked him.
“Eventually, but not right away. I heard the phone ring when I was drinking my second cup of coffee and when I came back out, Sally told me that the morning guy was coming in late and she asked me if I could stay until he got here.”
“After you got back to the desk, did you hear any other boats start up outside?”
“No, not until Joe Dietz and Mark left. They were the first ones to come out from the breakfast buffet. They told me they wanted to get out to the lake early so they could pick a good spot before it got crowded.”
“How long did you have to work before the day desk clerk came in?” Hannah asked.
“Not that long. An hour, maybe. I knew it was already daylight because I could see the dock from the side window and I saw Sonny bring Joey back. When Joey came in here he smelled like a distillery and his clothes were soaked!”
“Did you ask him what happened?” Andrea asked him.
“Oh, yeah! Joey was hopping mad about it! He told me that Sonny had been drinking again in the boat and he’d spilled booze all over him. Joey said all he wanted to do was go upstairs, get out of his clothes, and take a shower.”
“Do you think that Joey was drinking, too?” Hannah asked.
“Joey doesn’t drink anything except beer. Sally told me that. And Dick told her that Joey can make one beer last him the whole night.”
“Did Joey tell you any more about what had happened in the boat?”
“No, he just asked me to come with him to the elevator and press the button. He said he was going to get on and stand in the middle without touching anything.”
“And you did that?”
“Yes. And when the elevator came back down, I went out with some disinfectant and wiped down all the surfaces.”
“Did you hear any other boats go out while you were wiping down the elevator?” Hannah asked.
Craig shook his head. “No. A couple of the contestants came down early to take tables for the breakfast buffet, but nobody went out through the lobby to the dock.”
Hannah took a moment to digest this information. “Do you happen to know when Joe Dietz and Mark came downstairs?”
“I do!” Craig looked pleased that he could actually answer one of her questions with certainty. “It was a few hours after Joey went up in the elevator and Sonny went back out on the lake with his boat.”
“You heard Sonny go back out on the lake?”
“No, but either Joey or Sonny had turned on the running lights when they docked. They were still on when I went out to wipe down the elevator, but it was completely dark when I came back.”
“So either Sonny turned off the running lights, or the boat was gone?” Andrea asked, drawing the obvious conclusion.
“Yes. And when it was light enough outside to see, I checked and Sonny’s boat was gone.”
“Did you happen to notice when Joe Dietz and Mark’s boat left the dock?” Hannah asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did. Joe’s motor boat has an outboard and it’s old. You can hear it for miles when it’s calm on the lake. I didn’t hear it until the day clerk arrived and I got ready to go up to my room.”
“And that was what time?”
Craig looked thoughtful. “It must have been close to ten a.m. Sally and you two were just closing the buffet and packing up things to take back to the kitchen. That would have been right around ten, wouldn’t it?”
Hannah nodded. “Yes. And Joe and Mark’s boat left shortly before that?”
“That’s right, along with George Coulter.”
“George Coulter?” Hannah repeated the name. “I don’t think I’ve met him.”
“Maybe not, but you’ve seen him in the bar. He’s the contestant who’s married to the blonde that Sonny was trying to dance with. He’s a nice guy, Hannah. Joe and Mark stopped by here with George, and they told me that they were taking George out with them in the boat because there was something wrong with George’s boat and the mechanic couldn’t get to it until late afternoon.”
“So George went out with both Joe and Mark all day?” Hannah asked, just to make sure.
“That’s right.”
“Thank you, Craig,” Hannah said with a smile. “You’ve been very helpful.”
“So you two are trying to solve the murder case?” Craig asked them.
Hannah just stared at him for a minute. “What makes you say that?”
“Because you don’t get involved until it’s murder, and you’re obviously involved, because you’re asking me questions.”
“Did someone tell you that it was murder?” Andrea asked, looking a bit shocked at Craig’s admission.
“No, but it wasn’t hard to figure out. The day guy called me at noon and told me that Mike and Lonnie wanted to ask me some questions. And he asked me if I knew what was going on, because some guys in uniforms went upstairs to one of the rooms. And then he told me that the paramedics came in, went straight through to the dock to load somebody into their ambulance, and that person was wrapped in a sheet.”
Just then, a group of wives came into the lobby and approached the desk. Hannah knew their private time with Craig had just expired, and she gave him a parting smile. “Looks like you have business,” she said, glancing at the group behind her. “Thanks for answering our questions, Craig. We’ll see you later.”
Hannah noticed that Andrea was frowning as they left the lobby and started down the long hallway to join Sally in the kitchen. She waited a few moments, but Andrea didn’t say anything.
“What?” Hannah asked her.
“Why did you ask Craig about Joe Dietz and Mark?”
“That’s simple. It was because I wanted to know.”
“But why? They already told you exactly what happened on the morning that Sonny was murdered.”
“I know.”
“So why did you ask Craig all those questions? Didn’t you believe Joe and Mark?”
Hannah gave a little nod. “I believe them. I asked because I was just substantiating what they told me.”
“But that means you didn’t believe them!”
“No, not really. I was just double-checking, that’s all.”
“Oh,” Andrea said, and she took a moment to digest that. “Do you always do that?”