Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(58)

“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.”