Cinnamon Roll Murder

Chapter Nineteen

The interior of Club Nineteen reminded Hannah of the Eden Lake Pavilion except that it was three times larger. The outside was stucco, nondescript grey stucco, but the interior was wood. There was a wooden floor that had been polished to a full gleam, and wooden walls that were hung with framed posters and signed pictures of every jazz group and luminary that had performed there. The tables were small and square, seating four people, but Hannah noticed that they had four hinged and rounded leaves. Once the catches on two opposite leaves were released, the table could be made into an oval that would seat six people. If all four leaves were released, the resulting round table could seat eight people. It was a clever design and Hannah wondered why more restaurants didn’t use it.

“Hi, I’m Shelby,” their waitress said, bustling up to their table. “Can I get you a drink?”

I imagine you can or you wouldn’t be working here, Hannah’s pedantic mind said, and Hannah did her best to tune it out. Of course the grammatically correct question should have been, May I get you a drink? but it wouldn’t be wise to correct their waitress and alienate her right off the bat.

“Iced tea for me,” Andrea said. “I’m driving.”

Hannah was about to ask for the same when she reconsidered. It was a cold day and she wanted something warm. “Do you have any nonalcoholic coffee drinks?” she asked.

“Yes, we do. We have a raspberry latte, a caramel latte, and a chocolate apricot latte. They’re all made with flavored syrups and milk that’s been frothed in our espresso machine.”

“Could I change my order to a raspberry latte?” Andrea asked, giving Shelby an apologetic smile.

“Sure, Honey. No problem. And you, ma’am?”

Hannah wondered just when she’d graduated from honey to ma’am. Or was it an elevation in status? It could be a demotion because she looked older than Andrea, more matron than miss. Perhaps she should have worn the wig inside, and put on makeup, and ...

“Ma’am?”

“Oh! Sorry. I’d like to have a chocolate apricot latte. And ... when we called in for reservations, we were told the owner might be here and that perhaps we might be able to speak to him. It’s about Cinnamon Roll Six.”

“Just my favorite group in the whole world!” Shelby exclaimed. And then she looked slightly embarrassed. “They’re so good. When they were here, everybody loved them. Where are they playing now?”

“The Lake Eden Inn,” Andrea answered. “The owners hired them to headline their weekend jazz festival.”

“They deserve it!” Shelby smiled. “We’re going to be asking them to come back next month. They were huge hits and everybody loved ... what’s wrong?”

She’d obviously gotten a cue from Andrea’s distressed expression, and Hannah reached out to pull out a chair. “Sit,” she said, brooking no nonsense. “You obviously haven’t heard, and I’m afraid we’ve got some bad news for you.”

“About Cinnamon Roll Six?” Shelby asked, sinking down in the chair that Hannah had pulled out for her.

“That’s right. There was a bad accident on the highway, a multi-car pileup. The band bus was in that accident.”

Shelby’s face went so pale, her bright red lipstick stood out like a beacon. “Buddy?” she asked, clasping her hands together.

Hannah shot Andrea a glance that said, Let me handle this, and then she turned her attention to Shelby. “Buddy is dead,” she said.

“Oh, no!” Shelby gasped, slumping in her chair. “Buddy just can’t be dead! I saw him last week. He came in to hear a new jazz group.” Shelby gave her a pleading glance. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sorry, Shelby, but yes, I’m sure. Buddy’s dead. He died the night of the accident at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.”

Although Hannah hadn’t thought it possible, Shelby’s face turned even paler. Her skin was now the color of the freshly fallen snow outside, and Hannah wondered if they’d have to pick her up off the floor.

“Buddy died in the accident?” Shelby asked in a voice that shook with emotion.

“No. Buddy died later, at Lake Eden Memorial Hospital.”

“But ... what happened to him? I need to know!”

Hannah gave a slight nod to Andrea. It was her turn to take over when affairs of the heart came into play. And Shelby obviously had more than a I’m-a-fan-of-your-musi relationship with Buddy.

“You loved him.” Andrea reached out to put her hand over Shelby’s. “I’m so sorry we had to be the ones to tell you about his death.”

“Thanks, but ... how? How did he die? Was he hurt that bad in the accident?”

Andrea nodded to Hannah, and Hannah took the lead again. “No. All he had was a sprained wrist. But while he was in a treatment room waiting for someone to come and put a splint on it, he was ... murdered.”

“Who would murder Buddy?” Shelby cried, staring at them in shock. “Buddy was wonderful! Buddy was sweet! Buddy was ... who would do something awful like ...”

Both sisters stopped as Shelby’s eyes narrowed and her expression turned from grieving to hard and cynical. “She did it!” Shelby said.

“Who?” Hannah asked, holding her breath. This could be the best clue they’d gotten so far.

“That woman, the one who came here around Valentine’s Day. She killed Buddy. I know she did. He told her he didn’t want anything to do with her, and ... and she murdered him!”

“You saw this woman?” Hannah asked her.

“I saw her. She was one of those women who like to pick up the musicians. You know the type. Dressed all sexy in a tight sweater and a skirt that barely covered ... well, you know. She couldn’t take her eyes off Buddy. I noticed because. . . well ... I had a thing going with Buddy at the time. After the show I saw her go backstage. I wanted to go back there to see what was going on, but I was clearing tables and I couldn’t find anybody to fill in for me. But later, when I took a smoke break, I saw them in the parking lot. She was hanging onto his arm and Buddy was trying to shake her off. She said, I’d know you anywhere, whatever that meant.”

Hannah and Andrea exchanged glances. Was it possible this woman had known Buddy’s real identity?

“What did Buddy say?” Hannah asked.

“He said, You got the wrong guy, lady. Leave me alone! And then she said something, and Buddy tried to shake her hand off his arm, but she wouldn’t let go of him. He finally hollered at her to let go, and she did. And then he shouted, I’m not the guy you think I am! And she shouted right back and this time I heard her. She said, Yes you are! I know you are! really loud. And then she slapped him and walked away.”

“Did you see where she went?”

“I think she went to a car. There’s no exit to the parking lot in the direction she was walking. But I didn’t stick around to find out which car or anything like that. I saw that Buddy was heading my way, so I ducked back inside the club. I didn’t want him to know I’d been listening to them fighting.”

“Did he mention anything about it to you?” Hannah asked, hoping that Buddy had let something slip about the woman Shelby had seen.

“He didn’t bring it up when he came in, but I did,” Shelby admitted. “His cheek was red from where she slapped it, and I asked him what happened.”

“What did he say?” Andrea asked, leaning forward expectantly.

“He said there was a crazy lady who came backstage and harassed him. He went out to the parking lot to get away from her, but she followed him and slapped him. I asked him why some lady would harass him, and he said that she seemed to think he was someone from her past. It’s just plain weird, Buddy said. Especially since I’m sure I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

“Can you describe the woman you saw in the parking lot in a little more detail?” Hannah asked her.

“Not really. I already told you what she was wearing. She wasn’t a real looker, just kind of average, but she had on a ton of makeup. And dark hair. She had dark hair. I took her picture with my cell phone when she was hanging onto Buddy in the parking lot, but it didn’t turn out very good. Hold on a second and I’ll find it for you.”

Hannah held her breath as Shelby clicked through the photos on her phone. This could be a real breakthrough! When Shelby found the one she was looking for, she gave a satisfied sigh. “Here it is,” she said. “There were over a hundred pictures on there, but I found it. The light was kind of bad in the parking lot and I was a ways away, but you can sort of see what she looks like. I was afraid to get any closer because I thought they might spot me, and I didn’t dare use the flash. If Buddy had seen me taking their picture, he would have thought it was a jealousy thing, you know?”

And Buddy would have been right, Hannah thought, but she didn’t say it. Instead she said, “I understand,” and took the phone from Shelby.

“Let me see, too.” Andrea moved her chair close to Hannah’s so that she could take a look. “It’s great that you took a picture, Shelby. And I think you’re right. This woman could have something to do with Buddy’s murder.”

Hannah felt like groaning as she stared at the small screen on Shelby’s phone. She could see two figures standing near a row of cars in the background, but neither one was close enough to be recognizable. “Is there any way to enlarge this?” she asked.

Shelby shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe. The guy at the phone store told me this phone had a pretty good camera.”

“Can you e-mail this photo to me?” Andrea asked.

“I think so, but I’m not sure how to do it. The phone store guy said I could send people photos right from my phone.”

“Do you mind if I try?” Andrea asked.

“Knock yourself out!” Shelby gave a little laugh. “I’ll go get your drinks while you try. If my phone rings, just don’t answer it. They’ll leave a message and I’ll get it on my break.”

Hannah watched as Andrea did things she didn’t understand to Shelby’s phone. It was a much fancier model than the one she owned, but she wasn’t a bit envious. All she really wanted to do was make calls and answer calls. Any other tricky features would just get in the way.

“Got it!” Andrea said, looking up with a grin. “I sent it to my e-mail at home, and then I sent it to my phone. Do you want me to send it to your phone?”

“You can’t.”

“Sure I can.”

“No, you can’t. My phone’s just a phone. It doesn’t do anything else.”

Andrea rolled her eyes. “You’re in the Stone Age, Hannah. You really should replace it with a newer model.”

“Why? It works just fine the way it is as long as I remember to charge it.”

“But really, Hannah. There are newer models that do so much more.”

“I’m sure there are, but I finally figured out this phone and I don’t want to switch.”

“All right. Fine. Stay behind the times. I bet you still have a typewriter somewhere in your closet.”

Hannah had a clear mental picture of the portable Olivetti she’d used to type her college term papers. It was perfectly good, and she kept it in a cabinet in her laundry room.

“Well? Do you still have a typewriter in your closet?”

“No,” Hannah said quite truthfully. “I don’t.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that! Maybe there’s hope for you yet.” Andrea glanced down at Shelby’s phone again. “Do you want to know what date Shelby saw this unrecognizable woman with Buddy?”

“Yes. That’s very important. We’ll ask her when she comes back.”

“We don’t need to ask her. I know.”

“You’re psychic?”

“No, I’m smart. And I’m in step with the new technology. The photos are grouped in her phone by date. All I had to do was access the date menu to find out it was taken on the second Saturday in February.”

“Sally and Dick were here!”

“What?”

“I asked Sally when she hired Cinnamon Roll Six to headline her jazz festival and she said it was right after the show on the second Saturday in February.”

Andrea tapped the screen of Shelby’s phone. “So Sally or Dick might have seen this woman?”

“It’s possible. We can go out to the Inn and ask.”

“There’s something else we can do first. We can ask Norman if he can enlarge this photo, or sharpen it, or do something so that we can recognize the woman.”

“I’m not sure that Norman can do that.”

“Why not? He’s always helped you with photographs before.”

“I know, but ... I’m not sure Doctor Bev will let him help us.”

“You’re not sure, so you’re not going to ask?” Andrea looked incredulous. “What happened to the woman who was going to fight for Norman? Did she turn back into a doormat when I wasn’t looking?”

Hannah sighed deeply. “No, she didn’t. I didn’t. I’ll call him myself and tell him we need his help.”

Shelby came up to their table carrying a tray with two tall glass cups. “One raspberry latte, and one chocolate and apricot latte,” she announced placing them on the table. Then she turned to Andrea. “Did you manage to send that picture?”

“Yes. Don’t erase it though, just in case. Okay?”

“Okay. I wouldn’t erase it anyway. It’s the last picture of Buddy I’ve got.” Shelby’s lip quivered and she blinked several times. Then she took a deep breath and set two small plates in front of them. “We started serving the appetizers, so I brought you some. This is Nancy’s Piggy Chicken. Nancy’s the owner’s wife and it’s made from her recipe.”

“Piggy Chicken?” Hannah looked down at her plate. The aroma wafting up to her was heavenly. “It looks like rouladen.”

“What’s that?” Shelby looked puzzled.

“It’s meat that’s been pounded thin and rolled up with some kind of filling inside. Then it’s baked, or fried.”

“That sounds a lot like this.”

“Is the piggy part of Piggy Chicken the bacon that’s wrapped around the outside?” Andrea asked her.

“That’s right. And the chicken part is chicken tenders pounded flat in the kitchen. I watched the cook make them once. The stuff inside is cream cheese and chives. He spreads the cream cheese on the chicken, and snips the chives off with scissors over the top. Then he rolls them up with a strip of bacon, sticks in a toothpick, and bakes them in the oven. I think Tom, he’s the owner, is going to ask the cook if he can make them bigger so we can serve them for dinner.”

Hannah just couldn’t take it anymore. She cut off a piece and put it in her mouth. The Piggy Chicken had been baked to perfection. The bacon was crispy, the chicken was tender and the cream cheese and chive filling just melted in her mouth. “These are really great!” she said, already planning out how to make them at home.

“There’s another one they make sometimes called Piggy Moo.”

“Beef instead of chicken?” Hannah guessed.

“That’s right. And we’ve got another appetizer coming up soon,” Shelby said, obviously pleased that Hannah liked their first one. “I’ll bring it as soon as they plate it. It’s Janet’s Texas Jalapeno Pimento Cheese. She’s Tom’s daughter, and she lives in Dallas. It comes with crackers and a little knife, and everybody loves it.”

“I’ll bet they do,” Hannah said. “I can hardly wait to taste it. Is it fiery hot?”

“It’s not that hot. They’re pickled jalapenos and that takes away some of the heat. The cheese part helps, too. We do sell a lot of drinks after people eat it, though.”

Hannah grinned, but she didn’t say anything. She knew a bit about restaurant sales, and she’d been told that there was more profit to be made on the drinks than there was on the food. It seemed that Tom, the owner of Club Nineteen, was a good businessman.

“I’ll be back,” Shelby said, picking up her tray and preparing to leave.

“Just a second,” Hannah stopped her. “Please don’t tell the owner, or anyone else for that matter, that Buddy’s dead. My sister and I would like to tell him ourselves.”

“Sure thing,” Shelby said. “I don’t want to talk about it anyway. Maybe we never would have gotten together the way I wanted us to, but just thinking about Buddy being gone makes me too sad for words.”

PIGGY CHICKEN

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Hannah’s 1st Note: This recipe is from my friend, Nancy Sapir. Nancy’s family just loves Piggy Chicken. Nancy wrote “Sooo good!” on the bottom of her recipe. This recipe may sound complicated, but it’s not. Once you do it you’ll laugh at how delicious and easy it is. (And it looks gorgeous and very difficult, as if you spent all day working in the kitchen—don’t tell ANYONE you didn’t! It’s Nancy’s secret ... right?)

1 to 1 and ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken ten- ders

8 ounces cream cheese (NOT whipped, NOT low fat—use the brick type of cream cheese, not the plastic tub) ( I used an 8-ounce box of Philadel- phia Cream Cheese.)

cup (2 Tablespoons) dried chopped chives

cup dried minced onions (optional)

salt

freshly ground pepper

1 pound regular-sliced bacon (Don’t use microwave bacon or thick-sliced bacon. The thick-sliced bacon may not get crisp, and the microwave bacon may get too crisp since it’s been pre- cooked.)

Hannah’s 2nd Note: I added the minced dried onions to Nancy’s recipe because the whole Swensen clan likes onions. Since I was the one who added it, I made it optional.

Lay each skinless, boneless chicken tender between two sheets of plastic wrap and place them on a cutting board or a bread board on the counter. Use a meat hammer to pound them as flat as you can get them without creating holes. If you pound on the undersides, instead of on the tops, they’re less apt to fall apart.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you don’t have a meat hammer, you can smack the chicken tenders flat with a rolling pin. (I saw that on the Food Channel.) You can also use a thin board on top of the plastic wrap covered chicken tender and hit the board all over with a hammer. You can even do what I did and hit the plastic wrapped chicken tender with a rubber mallet. And here’s some marriage-saving advice: If you choose this last option, don’t tell your husband that you used his rubber mallet!

Once you’ve pounded the chicken tenders thin and stacked them (still inside the plastic wrap) on the counter, it’s time to prepare your baking pan.

Eyeball the pile of pounded chicken tenders. Once you’ve assessed how much space they’ll take, find a shallow pan (or two) that will hold them all with at least one inch between them on all sides. (Nancy says the space between them is very important so that the bacon can get crispy.) Spray this pan (or both pans) with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Move one flattened chicken tender to the cutting board or bread board. Take off the top sheet of plastic wrap.

If your cream cheese isn’t softened, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it on HIGH for 25 seconds. If you can’t stir it smooth at the end of that time, microwave it on HIGH at 20-second intervals until you can stir it smooth.

Add the chives plus the dried onions if you used them. Mix them into the cream cheese thoroughly.

Use a rubber spatula or a frosting knife to spread approximately 2 teaspoons of softened cream cheese on the flattened chicken tender.

Hannah’s 4th Note: Don’t worry about contaminating your cream cheese with raw chicken juice. If there’s any cream cheese left over, you’re going to throw it away rather than risk whatever dire disease you might get from raw chicken. You’re also going to wash the cutting board, the rubber spatula or frosting knife, and the bowl holding the cream cheese very thoroughly. (Washing them in the dishwasher is best.)

Sprinkle the dried chopped chives with minced dried onions (if you decided to use them).

Sprinkle the cream cheese mixture with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Roll up the loaded-with-goodness chicken tender like a jelly roll. Pick it up and move it to the bottom of the cutting board.

Bring one piece of bacon on the cutting board. Pick up the piece of bacon and wrap it around the chicken roll, trying to angle it so that you cover as much of the chicken tender roll as possible.

When you’re finished rolling the bacon around the chicken roll, place it in the pan you’ve prepared with at least one end of the bacon under the chicken tender roll. (If you can get both ends under, that’s great. If you can’t, don’t worry about it.)

Repeat this process until all of the flattened chicken tenders have been rolled and covered with bacon.

Slip the pan (or pans) into a 375 degree F. preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then turn the oven up to 425 degrees F. for 5 additional minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

Serve just the way they are, or with Champagne Mushroom Sauce to pour on top.

Champagne Mushroom Sauce:

½ cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound)

1 eight-ounce container sliced fresh button mushrooms (you can also use well-drained canned mushrooms)

½ cup domestic champagne (or white wine)

1 packet (.88-ounce net weight) of brown gravy mix (I used Lawry’s)

Melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove over MEDIUM heat.

Add the mushrooms and sauté lightly.

Add the champagne (or white wine) and stir well.

Sprinkle in the gravy mix. Stir the mixture until it bubbles.

Cook this mixture, stirring constantly, for one minute.

Pour the Champagne Mushroom Sauce into a gravy boat, and serve it when you serve the Piggy Chicken.

Hannah’s Note: If you don’t want to use anything alcoholic, you can use ½ cup of chicken stock as an alternative.

Jo Fluke’s Note: If I’m serving this for company, I spoon on the mushroom sauce and then sprinkle on chopped parsley.

JANET’S TEXAS JALAPENO PIMENTO CHEESE

No need to preheat your oven. This recipe requires chilling, not baking.

Hannah’s 1st Note: This recipe is from Janet McLeod.

8 ounces (that’s a half pound) mild cheddar cheese, shredded

16 ounces (that’s a whole pound) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8-ounce package softened cream cheese (the brick kind, not the whipped kind) (I used Philadelphia Cream Cheese in the rectangular silver package.)

two 7-ounce jars of diced pimento, drained

12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained

¼ cup (4 Tablespoons) mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s)

2 Tablespoons ( cup) Worcestershire sauce (I used Lea & Perrins)

½ cup pickled jalapeno pepper slices

basket of assorted crackers, your choice

Hannah’s 2nd Note: Janet says that a home-size food processor won’t hold all the cheeses at once, so you’ll have to process them in 3 batches.

Place one-third of the shredded mild cheddar cheese, one-third of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and one- third of the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Process the cheeses for approximately 45 seconds, or until they are the same color and consistency.

Use a rubber spatula to remove the cheese from the bowl of the food processor and store it in a bowl on the counter. The bowl you choose should have a cover and hold about 5 cups.

Process the second batch of cheeses. When you’re finished, use the rubber spatula to add it to the first batch you processed.

Process the third batch of cheese, and add it to the bowl on the counter.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: Don’t worry about washing out the food processor bowl. You’re going to process the rest of the ingredients, but it’s just fine if there’s a little cheese in the bowl.

Drain the pimentos and place them in the bowl of the food processor.

Drain the roasted red peppers and place them in the bowl of the food processor.

Add the mayonnaise and the Worcestershire sauce.

Drain the pickled jalapeno pepper slices and place them in the bowl of the food processor.

With the steel blade in place, process the ingredients with an on-and-off motion 6 to 8 times, or until everything has been chopped into small pieces.

Use the rubber spatula to scrape the final ingredients from the bowl of the food processor. Stir them into the bowl with the cheeses, and mix until they’re evenly distributed.

Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but no longer.

Serve in a pretty bowl with knives for each person to use for spreading it on crackers.

Yield: This recipe will serve at least 6 people as an appetizer, but only if Mike Kingston’s not invited. If he is, you’d better make double!

Hannah’s 4th Note: This is Mike’s favorite snack. I made it for him to take to a Winnetka County Sheriff’s Detectives meeting, and everyone raved about it.