Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(32)

“Of course I wore it. It was cold this morning.”

“Then maybe somebody took it?”

“Who?”

Andrea shrugged. “A thief opened the back door when you were using the mixer? When he saw that your back was turned, he grabbed it and ran off with it?”

“Why mine, when there were better jackets hanging there? Mine was really old. And that tear in the sleeve was already there when I got it from the thrift store. I still say it’s there somewhere. It just has to be.”

“We’ll look again later,” Andrea promised, leading the way to the lobby and crossing it to the cloakroom so that she could hang up her coat.

“Nice outfit,” Hannah said once Andrea’s coat was off and hanging on the rack. “It’s a good color on you.”

“Thanks.” Andrea turned around in a circle so that Hannah could see that the embroidered border of pink roses on the jacket of her wine-colored pantsuit went all the way around the bottom. “Who did you want to talk to first?”

“I’ll talk to Sally first to get her impression of the band.”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s see if she’s in her office.”

When they got to Sally’s office just off the kitchen, she was on the phone. Hannah and Andrea sat down in the chairs facing her desk and waited for her to end her conversation.

“They just walked in. Hold on a second and I’ll ask her.” Sally turned to Hannah. “Did you find your parka yet?”

“No.”

“No, she didn’t,” Sally said into the phone. She listened for a moment and then she smiled. “I’m sure she’d appreciate it. Come right out.”

Hannah waited until Sally had hung up the phone before she spoke. “That was Lisa, she found my parka, and she’s bringing it out to me?”

“No, no, and yes. It was your mother, she didn’t find your parka, but she bought you a new one and she’s bringing it out to you because she’s afraid you’ll catch a cold.”

“You don’t catch a cold from the cold,” Andrea said. “I heard that on television last night. You have to be exposed to some kind of virus.”

Sally nodded. “I heard that, too. It was on the medical segment of the KCOW Evening News.” She turned to Hannah. “Andrea told me you girls were investing the hospital murder last night. I’m guessing you’re here to talk to the band. Am I right?”

“You’re right.”

“Who do you want to talk to first?”

“You,” Hannah said, pulling out her steno notebook and turning to a fresh page. “Tell me your impression of the band.”

“Together as a group, or individually?”

“Individually.”

“Shall I include the newest band member?”

“There’s a new band member?”

“Yes. They held an audition, and they found a new keyboard player. He’ll be playing with them at the show tonight. I saw Eric in the hall right after the audition and he said the new guy was even better than Buddy.”

“Is it someone local?” Andrea asked.

“It certainly is!”

Sally gave a smile that reminded Hannah of one of the phrases Delores used in her Regency Romance books. She looked like the cat that got into the cream pot. “Who did they hire?” Hannah asked, unable to stand the suspense any longer.

“Devin Murphy. Bridget called me a little while ago and made a reservation for ten. The whole Murphy clan is coming out here tonight to hear him.”

“That’s just wonderful!” Hannah turned to Andrea. “You’d better call Michelle to let her know. She’s going to be very excited. And will you ask her to call Lisa and tell her that the band is going to play tonight? Her dad and Marge want to come out here for dinner and stay to hear them.”

“Sure.” Andrea pulled out her cell phone and got up from her chair. “I’ll call from the lobby. The reception’s better out there.”

“The band certainly moved fast,” Hannah commented.

“I’ll say! But that’s not surprising. Lee told me they’ve been looking for a replacement keyboard player.”

“Buddy Neiman was leaving the band?”

“That’s right. He gave notice the day after Dick and I heard them in Minneapolis. They were so good, we booked them to headline our jazz festival.”

“Did Buddy give any reason for leaving?”

“Not specifically. He told Lee he wanted to get out of the Minneapolis area for personal reasons, and he refused to discuss them. He wanted to leave right away, but Lee talked him into giving them two months to find another keyboard player.”

“How long ago did you hear them play in Minneapolis?”

“Give me a minute and I can tell you exactly.” Sally flipped pages on her date book and then she looked up. “Here it is. We went to Club Nineteen on the second Saturday in February.”

Hannah calculated quickly. “So Buddy was leaving the band right after they played here?”

“That’s when the notice Buddy gave Lee was up. So, yes. Unless Buddy reconsidered and he hadn’t told Lee yet, he was leaving the band right after they finished our gig.”

Hannah scribbled a few notes, and then she flipped to a fresh page in her notebook. It was time to move on to another subject. “I know they’ve been here for less than a day, but will you give me your impressions of the band members so far?”