Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(8)

“Not yet. And unless we can find a witness, the only clue we’ll have is the bullet. It’ll go to ballistics right after the autopsy.”

Hannah winced at the mention of the autopsy. To take her mind off the fact that Doc Knight would have to cut Ron open, she asked another question. “You don’t have to tell anyone that he was eating one of my cookies when he died, do you? It might put people off, if you know what I mean.”

“No problem.” Bill looked amused for the first time that morning. “Your cookies had nothing to do with it. Ron was shot.”

“I wish I’d found him sooner, Bill. I could have called for an ambulance.”

“That wouldn’t have done any good. It looked like the bullet hit his heart. I won’t know for sure until the doc gets through with him, but I think he died instantly.”

“That’s good.” Hannah nodded, and then she realized what she’d said. “I mean, that’s not good, but I’m glad it was over quickly.”

Bill opened his notebook. “I want you to tell me everything that happened this morning, Hannah, even if you don’t think it’s important.”

“You got it.” Hannah waited until Bill had picked up his pen and then she told him everything, from the time she’d first seen Ron at the dairy to the moment she’d discovered his body. She gave Bill the exact time that she had gone out through the rear door of the bakery, and the time that she’d come back in to call the sheriff’s office.

“You make a good witness,” Bill complimented her. “Is that all?”

“I think Tracey may have been the last person to see Ron alive. She said she was waiting for Andrea to pick up some papers at the realty office when Ron drove by in his truck. She waved at him, he waved back, and then she watched him turn at my corner. That must have been close to eight because Andrea and Tracey came into the coffee shop right after I opened and…” Hannah stopped speaking and began to frown.

“What is it, Hannah?” Bill picked up his pen again. “You just thought of something, didn’t you?”

“Yes. If Tracey saw Ron at eight, he was already twenty-five minutes behind schedule.”

“How do you know that?”

“Ron was supposed to be here at seven thirty-five. He delivers to the school and then he comes straight here. I’ve been on his route since I opened this place and he’s never been more than a minute late.”

“And that’s why you went out in the alley to look for his truck?”

“Not exactly. We thought he’d broken down. Tracey said she heard his truck backfire right after he turned into the…” Hannah stopped in midsentence, her eyes widening in shock. “Tracey heard it, Bill. She thought it was a backfire, but she must have heard the shot that killed Ron!”

Bill’s lips tightened and Hannah knew what he was thinking. It was terrifying to think that Tracey had come so close to the scene of a murder. “I’d better get out to the dairy and tell Max Turner what’s happened,” he said.

“Max isn’t there. Ron told me that he was leaving for the Tri-State Buttermakers’ Convention this morning. It’s in Wisconsin and I think it lasts for a week. If I were you, I’d talk to Betty Jackson. She’s Max’s secretary and she’ll know how to reach him.”

“Good idea.” Bill drained his coffee mug and set it down. “This case is really important to me, Hannah. I passed the detective’s test last week and Sheriff Grant put me in charge.”

“Then you’ve been promoted?” Hannah started to smile.

“Not yet. Sheriff Grant has to sign off on it, but I’m pretty sure he will, if I do a good job. This promotion would be good for us. I’d be making more money and Andrea wouldn’t have to work.”

“That’s wonderful, Bill.” Hannah was genuinely pleased for him.

“You don’t think it’s wrong to use Ron’s murder as a springboard to my promotion?”

“Absolutely not.” Hannah shook her head. “Somebody’s got to catch Ron’s killer. If you do it and if you get a promotion, it’s only what you deserve.”

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Me? I never say what I don’t mean, not when it’s important. You should know that by now!”

Bill grinned, relaxing a bit. “You’re right. It’s like Andrea says: Tact isn’t really one of your long suits.”

“True.” Hannah conceded the point with a smile, but it still stung a little. She thought she’d been very tactful with Andrea over the years. There had been countless occasions when she could have cheerfully strangled her sister, and she hadn’t.

“There’s one other thing, Hannah.” Bill cleared his throat. “I hate to ask, but people tend to talk to you and you know almost everyone in town. Will you call me if you hear anything you think I should know?”

“Of course I will.”

“Thanks. Just keep your eyes and your ears open. If Ron’s killer is local, he’s bound to say or do something to give himself away. We just have to be smart enough to pick up on it.”

Hannah nodded. Then she noticed that Bill was eyeing the trays of Oatmeal Raisin Crisps with longing and she got up to fill a bag for him. “Don’t eat all these cookies in one sitting, Bill. You’re getting a roll around your waist.”