“You’re right. I think she came in last. Relax, Rodney. The only reason I asked about the time you got back is to find out if you saw anyone when you came in the front door.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, for one thing, I didn’t use the front door. I used the back door. I came in the back way because I was parked out there.”
“But then you had to walk past the kitchen door.”
“Right! I didn’t even think about that! Of course I didn’t know about Chef Duquesne then.”
“What time did you leave, and what time did you come back? It could be important, Rodney.”
“I can see that now. I didn’t check my watch when I left, but I think I left a little before one. And I know I was gone for two or three hours. I stopped off at some little place for a drink. It was quite a ways away, and I think they were open until one in the morning. I got back here after three. I’m pretty sure of that. When I got to bed it was three-thirty and I remember thinking that if I got up in time to make Sally’s breakfast buffet at ten in the morning, I’d get close to seven hours of sleep.”
“Did you see anyone walking on your way out or when you came in?”
“No one at all. The lobby was deserted. The night guy at the desk must have been somewhere else. I didn’t see anyone in the halls either.”
“Thanks, Rodney,” Hannah said, even though he’d been of very little help to her. “If you remember anything you didn’t tell me about that night, will you let me know?”
“Sure thing. No problem.” Rodney stood up and gave her a smile. “That’s enough breakfast for me. I’m going to go up and read through my recipe again before my practice time in the kitchen.”
After Rodney left, Hannah went back to the buffet line for more coffee and when she got back to her table, Michelle was there. “What did you find out?” she asked her youngest sister.
“Loren was with Brooke all night. He was a little embarrassed about telling me, but when I said she’d already told us, he was fine with it. He wasn’t lying, Hannah. I’m convinced of it. How about Rodney?”
“He seemed sincere and his account of that night was reasonable.”
“But you’re not convinced.”
Hannah shrugged. “Not really, but I’m never convinced that anything is completely true until I can identify the killer.”
“That’s fair. What do we do now?”
“We go back to The Cookie Jar and find out what Lisa and Aunt Nancy need us to bake. Then we’ll check in with Andrea and Mother to see if they found out anything about Mayor Bascomb. After that . . . I don’t know.”
“Do we have anything to do for the competition tomorrow night?”
Hannah considered it, and then she shook her head. “No, not really. We did fine in practice today and I think we’re ready.”
“Great! By the way, did Mother tell you that she invited all of us for dinner at the penthouse tonight?”
“Oh, no!” Hannah groaned. “I’m sorry, Michelle . . . I really don’t think that I’m up for . . .”
“Just listen for a second,” Michelle interrupted what was sure to be a refusal. “I already talked to Ross and it’s fine with him. Mother wants both Moishe and Cuddles to come. We’re going to eat outside under the dome, and she thought they’d like to play in the garden. Andrea and Bill are coming. Grandma McCann is taking Tracey and Bethie to a movie. And Mike, Lonnie, Norman, and Ross are going to meet us at Mother’s. What do you say, Hannah? Doesn’t it sound like a nice, relaxing evening?”
Hannah thought about that for a minute. “Yes, it does . . . if it were anywhere else but Mother’s place.”
“What’s wrong with Mother’s place? It’s beautiful, and she’s got a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi.”
“I know. There’s just one thing, Michelle. I’d like to know if Mother is making her Hawaiian Pot Roast, or her EZ Lasagna.”
“Neither one. Mother’s not cooking tonight. Doc’s picking up pizzas and salads at Bertanelli’s on his way home from the hospital.”
“In that case, it’s a deal!” Hannah said, smiling at her sister. “Let’s take our apple pies with us and we can all have dessert.”
*
The sky was just beginning to darken when Michelle, Andrea, and Hannah climbed into the hot tub. A partially empty bottle of white wine sat in a cooler on the lip of the Jacuzzi, and all three Swensen sisters were holding one of their mother’s new non-breakable wineglasses.
“These are nice,” Hannah said, sinking down in the bubbles and smiling.
“Yes, they are,” Andrea agreed. “Mother told me she got a whole assortment of non-breakable glasses for the pool and Jacuzzi. She said she knocked one down from the lip of the pool and it didn’t even scratch.”
“Speaking of things that got knocked down,” Hannah said to Andrea, “did you manage to find out anything about Mayor Bascomb?”
Andrea laughed. “Yes, I did. Stephanie got him good this time. I saw that new ring he bought her, and it must have cost a fortune! I really didn’t find out much more about the mayor, although I did uncover some things about Gloria.”