Cinnamon Roll Murder

Chapter Twelve

“I hope you don’t have too many questions,” Lee said as he answered Hannah’s knock on the door. “I scheduled a rehearsal ten minutes from now.”

“It won’t take longer than that,” Hannah promised, stepping into the room even though she hadn’t been invited, and motioning for Andrea to follow her. While the other band members had been staying in rooms that were basically bedrooms with an attached bathroom, Lee had one of Sally’s mini suites. There was a balcony and a view of Eden Lake. French doors separated the living room area from the bedroom, and, if Hannah remembered correctly, there was a bathtub and a walk-in shower.

The living room was large. There was a couch against one wall and a conversational grouping with a low table surrounded by four club chairs. A flat-screen television was positioned in front of the leather couch, and a desk sat on an inside wall.

“Let’s get to it then,” Lee said.

There was no invitation to sit down, but Hannah did so anyway. She knew how to deal with people like Lee. “Did Buddy give you any reason for wanting to move out of the Minneapolis area?” she asked him.

“No. He just said ...” Lee stopped speaking abruptly as Cammy came out of the bedroom.

“Hi, Hannah.” She gave them a smile.

“Hi, Cammy. This is my other sister, Andrea.”

“Glad to meet you,” Cammy said. “Did you come out to listen to the rehearsal?”

“Not exactly,” Hannah told her, but before she could say any more, Lee held up his hand.

“Now that the introductions are over, get lost,” he told her.

Cammy seemed to take that in stride because she nodded pleasantly. “Okay. I’ll go down to rehearsal early.”

Lee shook his head. “I don’t want you there. And if you see Lynnette, tell her I don’t want her there, either.”

Hannah began to frown. Lee’s tone was nasty. She turned her attention to Cammy and saw that her lower lip was trembling slightly. Her feelings had been hurt, and Lee could have told her to leave nicely.

“I’m going, but ... why don’t you want me at rehearsal?” Cammy asked him.

“That’s my business. Now go.”

No way to treat a lady! The thought popped into Hannah’s mind. Perhaps it was because she’d recently watched the nineteen sixty-eight Paramount movie of the same name. Of course Lee might not be a serial killer, but this was a murder investigation. In any event, Lee’s treatment of his girlfriend bordered on cruel, and Hannah decided that she was going to find Cammy just as soon as they finished interviewing Lee, and try to make her feel better.

The moment the door shut behind Cammy, Hannah turned to Lee. “I need to know exactly what Buddy told you when he said he was leaving the band.”

“He said, I gotta leave the band. I need to get out of the Cities. I asked him why and he said, It’s personal. I don’t want to talk about it. I figured it was a woman.”

“What makes you say that?” Andrea asked him.

“It’s usually a woman when a guy pulls up stakes that fast. And Buddy had his share of groupies when we were on the road.”

“Did he have a regular girlfriend?”

Lee shook his head. “Not as long as I’ve known him. Buddy didn’t want any commitments. He told me that once. And I never saw him with a woman more than once or twice.”

“How long had you known him?” Hannah asked.

“Almost three years. I started putting the band together three years ago. I started with Eric. He’s my little brother, and he’s got real talent. All he needs is someone to channel it for him. We auditioned for a keyboard player first, and Buddy was my first choice.”

“Were you happy with the way Buddy performed?” Hannah asked.

“Yeah ... for the most part. He wasn’t a genius like Brubeck or Garner, but he had good stage presence and the ladies loved him. The only thing that bothered me about Buddy was he had a temper when he drank. Since he didn’t drink a lot and never on the nights we were playing, that was okay.”

“Would you say you were good friends?” Andrea asked.

Lee gave a little shrug. “Sure, we were friends. I liked him and he liked me. That’s not to say we never had disagreements.”

“Disagreements over what?” Hannah followed up.

“Buddy wanted to hog the whole show. Then I’d have to remind him that we were a group and the group was the star, not just Buddy Neiman.”

“Did Buddy’s tendency to hog the show cause problems with the rest of the group?”

“Sure it did, but most of them have the same problem. From time to time, one or the other gets to thinking that he should have the spotlight. When that happens, I have to put the hammer down. That’s what managing is all about. You have to know when to let it go, and you have to know when to kill it.”

You have to know when to kill it?! Andrea looked horrified as the elevator doors shut behind them. “Do you think that was a Freudian slip?”

Hannah pulled out her notebook and pen. “Probably not, but I’ll write it down anyway.”

“Let’s go find Cammy,” Andrea suggested, as the elevator made its slow descent to the lobby. “She was really upset when she left Lee’s suite, and she might be angry enough to give us some dirt about him.”

“My feelings exactly, but I thought you were going to say that you wanted to find her to make her feel better.”

“We can cheer her up, too. It’s just that she’s fragile right now and I think we can capitalize on that.”

Hannah stared at her sister. She’d never seen Andrea in go-for-the-jugular mode before.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just practicing something I read in one of Bill’s detective magazines. Besides, I can’t stand Lee. If he’s the one who murdered Buddy, I want to get the goods on him and lock the cell door behind him myself!”

“I can understand why you didn’t like Lee, but I’ve never seen you react to anyone that way before.”

“I know. He just rubbed me the wrong way, that’s all. Guys like Lee give me a royal pain. He treats Cammy like she’s his servant, or even worse, like she’s not a real person. Just think about what happened up there in his room. Lee never even considered what Cammy was feeling and what she might want from him. It’s all Lee, Lee, Lee, and nobody else exists.”

Hannah didn’t say a word. Andrea was right.

“When we find Cammy, I’m going to ask her, but I’ll bet anything that Lee’s only nice to her when he wants something. And when he does, he’s really nice until he gets it! He probably buys her a big bottle of expensive perfume every time he thinks she’s fed up with him and about to leave him. He’s just that spoiled, rotten type of guy who tries to bribe everyone around to his way of thinking.”

Buys her a big bottle of expensive perfume. The phrase Andrea had uttered struck a bell. “Just like Benton Woodley?” Hannah asked, naming Andrea’s first real boyfriend.

“Yes! Exactly like Benton! He even looks a little like ...” Andrea stopped speaking, and Hannah watched as her face turned bright pink. “I really got hot under the collar about it, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“It’s just that I hate to see anyone get hurt And ... I’m a little down on men in general right now.”

“You had a fight with Bill?”

“No. Bill and I are fine. We never fight about the big things. It’s always over something stupid and we laugh about it later. He’s a good husband, Hannah. I’m happy I married him. It’s just that I hate to see anybody taking unfair advantage of anybody else, and I can see that Lee is taking advantage of Cammy.”

It was a reasonable explanation, but Hannah had the feeling there was something else wrong, something that Andrea wasn’t telling her.

“I don’t know about you,” Andrea said, frowning slightly, “but I’d love to see Cammy refusing to take it and fighting back. Everybody should fight back when someone else hurts them, don’t you think?”

Hannah thought about that for a moment. “I think you’re right,” she agreed. “At least I can’t think of any exceptions.”

“I’m glad you said that.” They were about to pass the door to the coffee shop part of Sally’s restaurant, and Andrea hesitated. “Let’s go in and have a cup of coffee before we talk to Cammy.”

“Okay,” Hannah agreed quickly. If they sat down and had coffee, perhaps Andrea would spill whatever was on her mind.

But the sisterly confab was not to be. The moment they entered the coffee shop, Andrea grabbed Hannah’s arm. “There she is, Hannah.”

“She’s with Lynnette,” Hannah pointed out.

“That’s okay, isn’t it? You said they were friends and we probably need to talk to her, too. Let’s go ask if we can join them.”

A few moments later, Hannah and Andrea were seated at a four-person table with Cammy and Lynnette. Both young women looked dejected.

“How about some dessert to go with that tea?” Hannah offered, noticing that both Lynnette and Cammy were drinking herbal tea. “I’m buying if there’s anything on Sally’s menu that’s allowed on your diet.”

Lynnette and Cammy exchanged a long look, and then Cammy spoke. “The diet’s off, at least for today. Can we see a dessert menu? And can we have coffee instead of this awful tea?”

Hannah looked down at the contents of Cammy’s cup. It was partially filled with a greenish liquid that reminded her of dog days at Eden Lake when the algae was in full bloom. “What kind of tea is it?” she asked.

“It’s a mixture of herbs and spices that’s supposed to calm us down when we’re upset,” Lynnette explained. “Cammy gets it from a special store in the Cities.”

“Does it work?” Andrea asked.

“Not today,” Cammy said with a frown. “Actually, I’m not sure it ever works.”

Andrea gave her a commiserative smile. “What does it taste like?” she asked.

“Like somebody took lawn clippings, put them in an old sock in the dryer, and sold them as tea.”

“She’s right!” Cammy declared, and then she started to laugh. That was contagious, and all four of them laughed until they were gasping for breath.

When Hannah had regained some measure of control, she motioned for the waitress. But instead of coming over to their table, the waitress motioned to someone in the kitchen, and Sally came bustling out.

“No dessert menu for you,” she said, smiling at them. I need all four of you to do a taste test for me. I tried a new dessert this morning, and I need to know if it’s good enough to put on the dessert cart in the dining room.”

“What is it?” Andrea asked her.

“Tapioca Pie with dark chocolate and white chocolate drizzled on the top.”

“Oooh!” Lynnette’s expression was almost beatific. “I just love tapioca!”

“Me, too,” Cammy agreed. “My grandma used to make it all the time. She put chocolate chips on top.”

“My grandma did the same thing, and it was a great combination. That’s why I thought I’d dress up the pie with two kinds of chocolate.” Sally turned to Hannah. “Do you girls want coffee?” When both Hannah and Andrea nodded, she turned to Lynnette and Cammy. “How about you? More hot water?”

“Not this time,” Cammy told her. “This tea isn’t good enough to be on the same table as your pie. Lynnette and I would like coffee, the stronger the better!”

TAPIOCA PIE

You don’t have to preheat your oven. This pie doesn’t have to bake!

For The Crust:

2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (measure AFTER crushing)

¾ stick melted butter (6 Tablespoons, 3 ounces)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hannah’s 1st Note: If you want a change from vanilla wafers, you can make a shortbread crust using Lorna Doone shortbread cookies. You can also use chocolate wafer crumbs. They’re both good. And if you don’t feel like making a cookie crust yourself, or you simply don’t have time, you can buy one ready-made at the grocery store in the baking section.

To make the crust yourself, pour the melted butter and vanilla extract over the cookie crumbs. Mix them up with a fork until they’re evenly moistened.

Spray a 9-inch pie pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Place the moistened cookie crumbs in the bottom of the pie pan and press them down. Continue to press them until they reach up the sides of the pan. Place the pie pan in the freezer for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the pie.

For The Tapioca:

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk (I used Dole)

2 large eggs

¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca (I used Kraft Minute Tapioca)

½ cup white (granulated) sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract (If you don’t have coconut extract, you don’t have to rush out to buy it—just use vanilla extract instead. Or if you’d like to try a combination of both, use ½ teaspoon coconut extract and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract .)

Hannah’s 2nd Note: You don’t absolutely positively have to use coconut milk. You can substitute half and half or heavy cream if you can’t find it in your store. And if you can’t find the quick-cooking tapioca, you can still make this pie. Just use the amounts given in the recipe and follow the directions on the box of regular tapioca to cook it.

In a medium-size saucepan, off the heat, whisk the coconut milk and eggs together until they’re a uniform color.

Add the dry quick cooking tapioca and the sugar. Mix it all up and leave it on a cold burner for 5 minutes. (Don’t worry—I didn’t forget the coconut extract. It won’t be added until AFTER the tapioca is cooked.)

Cook the tapioca mixture over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, stirring CONSTANTLY. (Be careful—it’s easy to burn.) Bring it up to a boil and then pull it off the heat, give it a couple more stirs until it’s no longer boiling, and add the coconut extract. Let it cool while you whip the cream.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: You can take another shortcut here if you want to. You can buy a container of frozen sweetened whipped cream and use 1 and 1/2 cups of that instead of whipping your own cream. If you decide to do it yourself, the instructions are below.

To Make Homemade Whipped Cream:

¾ cup whipping (heavy) cream

cup white (granulated) sugar

Whip the cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. (When you shut off your mixer and you dip the blade of your rubber spatula in the bowl and pull it back up, soft peaks kind of slump over. They’re there, but they nod their heads. Hard peaks stand straight up like little spears.)

With the mixer running on HIGH speed, GRADUALLY add the sugar. When it’s all mixed in, shut off the mixer and give the bowl a final stir with the rubber spatula.

Hannah’s 4th Note: Of course you can whip cream by hand with a copper bowl and a whisk, but it does take some time and muscle. Lisa and I wimp out and use an electric stand mixer.

Take the bowl out of your mixer and set it on the counter. Feel the sides of the bowl with the tapioca and see if it’s room temperature. If it’s not, slip the bowl with the whipped cream into the refrigerator and let the tapioca mixture cool to room temperature.

When the tapioca mixture is cool enough, remove a bit of whipped cream (about a quarter cup), and add it to the bowl with the tapioca mixture. Stir it in gently. This is called “tempering.” If you simply mix the whipped cream and the tapioca mixture together all at once, you’ll flatten the whipped cream too much and it will lose its volume.

Now use your rubber spatula to scrape all the tapioca into your bowl with the whipped cream. “Fold” it in, keeping as much air in the mixture as you can. To “fold,” dip your rubber spatula into the center of the bowl, and bring it along the bottom up to the side. Turn the bowl a bit to change the orientation, and do it all over again, “folding” the cream into the filling, so that you leave in as much air as possible.

Take the pie plate out of the freezer and scoop in the filling. Your Tapioca Pie, which has probably taken you a half hour or less if you used the shortcuts, is going to be a surefire hit.

Your pie probably looks a bit anemic. (It tastes great, but it doesn’t scream “I’m the Best!”) Decorate it a little. You can sprinkle it with toasted coconut, scatter the top with chocolate curls, do a little shave with white chocolate, or sprinkle the top with chocolate or shortbread crumbs. You can also decorate the top with seasonal fruit or candied fruit.

Hannah’s 5th Note: To toast coconut, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., spread ½ cup out on a foil-covered baking sheet, and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s golden brown.

Refrigerate your pie until you’re ready to serve. Tapioca Pie should be served chilled.

Yield: The pie can be cut into 6 to 8 pieces. (If you’re serving this pie after a big meal like Thanksgiving dinner, you should probably cut it into 8 pieces, especially if you’re also serving another type of pie like pumpkin, or pecan, and your guests will want some of each).