“Yes, if I can. Everybody’s a suspect until you clear them, Andrea. You know that.”
“I do, but . . . you told them you were going to go back and cross their names off your suspect list.”
“And I will . . . just as soon as I get back to the room after the lunch buffet.”
Andrea thought about that as they passed the entrance to the dining room and Dick’s bar. They turned the corner to head for the kitchen and she sighed heavily.
“So,” she said, giving Hannah a probing look. “What you’re telling me is that you don’t really trust anything that anyone tells you. Is that right?”
Hannah winced slightly. “In a way, but . . .” She stopped to think for a moment before she continued. “I do trust people. It’s just that I trust with reservations. It helps to get some kind of confirmation, like someone who can verify it. And I got that for Joe and Mark by talking to Craig. I’ll cross them off my suspect list when I get back to the room, just like I said I would.”
“But you wouldn’t have if Craig had told you something that contradicted what Joe and Mark told you . . . is that right?”
“Right,” Hannah agreed.
“So you’re always suspicious, all the time, when you’re doing detective work.”
Hannah stopped in her tracks and thought about that for a moment. “I think you’re right, Andrea,” she said with a sigh. “It’s something you learn when you ask people questions. You always take what they tell you with a grain of salt until you find another source to substantiate it.”
The two sisters walked in silence for a few moments, and then Andrea sighed. “I’m glad Bill’s not a real detective!” she said. “I’d be very upset if he didn’t trust what I’d told him.”
Hannah smiled. “I don’t blame you a bit for that. You’re not a suspect in a murder, Andrea. If you were, then he might look at what you told him differently.”
“But . . . Hannah!” Andrea looked completely dismayed. “That’s not love! When you’re in love, you have to trust your wife, or your husband. It’s . . . it’s practically required!”
“Of course it is,” Hannah said, thinking back to how she’d trusted Ross, and how devastating it had been when she’d found out that he’d lied to her. “But detectives can’t have blind trust,” she said, slipping her arm around Andrea’s shoulder. “And maybe that’s why so many of us are single or divorced. It’s a profession that could be very hard on a marriage, Andrea. Their inclination may be to trust what people tell them, but because of the line of work they’re in, they can’t.”
“Now that I think about it, I think you’re right. And I’m really glad that Bill’s the sheriff, and he doesn’t have to be a detective.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Hannah, I need to talk to you.” Mike came up behind her as she was filling the Double Pineapple Cookie tray. “Will you meet me in Dick’s bar this afternoon?”
“Of course,” Hannah said immediately, wondering what Mike wanted. Had he found out that they’d interviewed Joe and Mark, and did he want a rundown of the results?
“These are great cookies, Hannah!” Lonnie said, coming up behind Mike.
“Tell Andrea. She’s the one who made them,” Hannah said with a smile.
“Well, it’s a good one! Do you think she could teach Michelle to make them?”
Hannah almost burst out laughing, but she managed to control herself. Michelle was a veteran baker, while Andrea was still learning. “I’m sure Andrea would be happy to give Michelle the recipe,” Hannah sidestepped. “As a matter of fact, I think she’d be very complimented if you’d ask her for it.”
“Lily and Janette are here,” Andrea said, carrying the container of meatballs in mushroom sauce that Hannah had asked her to get. “Do you want me to put more in the serving dish?”
“That would be good,” Hannah said, smiling at her sister. “And you’d better check the dish of pasta, too. By the way, Lonnie just left and he loves your pineapple cookies. He wanted to know if I thought that you could teach Michelle to make them.”
“What?!” Andrea looked completely stunned. “Lonnie wanted me to teach Michelle to bake cookies?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Oh, that’s funny! Michelle’s been baking for years and she bakes a lot of things that are a million times more complicated than those cookies.”
“I know that, but it’s still a real compliment to know that Lonnie liked your cookies.”
Andrea thought about that for a few seconds, and then she smiled. “You’re right. I’m going to go tell him I’m glad he likes my cookies. And I’ll say that I’ll be glad to give Michelle the recipe.” She gave a little chuckle. “You, and Michelle, and I are going to have a real laugh over this, aren’t we?”
Hannah was smiling as Andrea hurried off. It was obvious that Andrea was delighted with Lonnie’s compliment. Hannah’d just dished up a serving of lasagna for one of the fishermen when Lily and Janette came up to the table. “Would you like to have lunch?” Hannah asked, gesturing toward the stack of plates and silverware.
“It looks wonderful, but I don’t think I could eat anything,” Lily responded. “Mike’s going to tell everyone about what happened to Sonny right after they finish eating and . . . well . . . I’m just not hungry.”
“I can understand that,” Hannah said, and then she turned to Janette. “How about you, Janette?”
“No, thank you. I feel the same way Lily does. I just want to get through this so we can go back up to our rooms and relax.”
“How about your dad?” Hannah asked Lily. “Is he here yet?”
“No, he’s not coming until tonight. He’s going to drive here right after they do the big drawing at the new store.”
“We have to go, Lily.” Janette took her daughter’s arm. “Mike’s gesturing for us to join him. We just came over here to say hello.”
Hannah felt a stab of compassion as she watched the two women walk away. She imagined that Mike’s announcement would not be easy for either of them to hear. As she waited on several competitors, dishing up what they wanted on their plates, Hannah wondered what reaction they’d have when they heard Sonny was dead. No doubt there would be shock, and perhaps a few tears from some of the women. And there were bound to be questions about what had happened to Sonny. Normally, when the daily postlunch fishing announcements were made, Hannah and Andrea had already packed up leftover food and were headed back to the kitchen. Today would be different. She intended to stick around and judge people’s reactions.
When the bell sounded for the ending of the buffet, both Hannah and Andrea worked feverishly to pack up the leftovers. Since lunch had been a big success with the competitors, there wasn’t a lot left over to pack. Once the dishes were stacked on the cart and the food was wrapped and secured, one of Sally’s kitchen workers came by to push the loaded cart back to the kitchen.
“Where shall we sit?” Andrea asked Hannah.
“You’re staying?”