Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(51)

"I need some information. Can we step inside the pharmacy so we can talk privately?"

Jon shook his head. "Sorry. The pharmacy's off limits to everyone except me. We can go to my office, though."

Hannah followed Jon through the storage area at the back of the store and into the small cubicle he called his office. It was closet-sized, barely large enough to hold his desk and two chairs, but it was private and that suited Hannah's purpose.

"Coffee?" Jon asked, gesturing toward a small coffee-maker. It was clear the carafe hadn't been cleaned in recent memory and it was half-filled with dregs of a brown liquid that looked lethal to Hannah.

"Thanks, but no. What's with all these new rules you have? Did somebody break into the pharmacy?"

"No, nothing like that. I just decided we were getting too lax and it was time to beef up our security."

Hannah gave him a challenging look. "Come on, Jon. Nobody fixes something that isn't broken. Level with me and tell me what gives."

Jon dropped his eyes and refused to meet hers. "Let's just say we had an unfortunate incident and I had to make certain it couldn't happen again."

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Joanne Fluke

"Unfortunate incident? You sound like a politician, Jon."

"Maybe I do, but I can't tell you any more than that."

Hannah studied Jon carefully. His mouth was set in a straight line and he looked determined not to say more. "Okay. If Rhonda wasn't involved in this incident of yours, I don't have to know what it was."

There was complete silence from Jon, although he looked very nervous, and Hannah put two and two together. "Rhonda was involved."

"Yes. I see where you're going, Hannah. You think this might have something to do with Rhonda's murder. Are you working with the sheriff's department again?"

"I've never worked with the sheriff's department. They've always taken great pains to let me know that they don't want me."

"I guess that's true." Jon gave a small, humorless laugh. "But you are investigating Rhonda's murder, aren't you?"

"Unofficially, yes. And that's why I need to know."

"What I say has to stay with you. You can't tell anyone else."

"You've got it," Hannah said and sat back to wait. Jon had caved and this might be good.

"Rhonda was working late last month, making out her order for the cosmetic department. I'd already left for home and she was the only one here. Around eight o'clock Reggie York pulled up and he hammered on the door. He told Rhonda he'd called in a prescription from work, but traffic was heavy and he'd just gotten back to town."

Hannah knew Reggie was Gus and Irma York's oldest son and they were very proud that he'd landed a job as a pilot for Worldways Airline. The last time Hannah had seen Irma, she'd complained that Reggie's commute to and from the airport in the Twin Cities took longer than most of his flights.

"Rhonda did exactly what I would have done. She let him in. Since she was my manager, she had a master key. She unlocked the door to the pharmacy and found his prescription on the shelf."

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 173

"Rhonda filled his prescription?"

"No, it was filed alphabetically and all ready to go. She rang it up and then she asked Reggie if he was still flying."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Not then. When Reggie said he was, Rhonda said she thought pilots who had glaucoma were grounded."

"How did she know Reggie had glaucoma?"

"Her great-aunt, Mrs. Voelker, had glaucoma. Rhonda used to pick up her medicine and deliver it to her. That's how she recognized the name of the eyedrops Reggie used."

"Let me guess," Hannah said with a sigh. "Rhonda blabbed, somebody reported it to Worldways, and Reggie was grounded?"

"That's exactly what happened. Reggie's glaucoma was mild and it was completely under control, but Worldways has very strict rules about their pilots. Reggie applied for a desk job right after he was diagnosed, but it hadn't come through yet and he could have been fired for concealing his condition."

"So Reggie was angry with Rhonda for blabbing?"

"Angry wasn't the word. Reggie was fit to be tied. He called me at home on Thursday night and threatened to sue me for breach of confidentiality."

Hannah's mouth dropped open. "Reggie's suing you?"

"No, I managed to calm him down. He wasn't really angry with me, but he was furious with Rhonda for gossiping about his disease. He demanded that I change the lock on the pharmacy door and guarantee that no one except a registered pharmacist could get inside. And he also demanded that I fire Rhonda."

"Oh boy," Hannah groaned. "Did you fire her?"

"I had to. I told her on Friday morning when she came in to work. I felt bad about it, especially since it was her last day before her vacation, but I knew that people would take their prescriptions to another pharmacy if they found out about it."

"How did Rhonda take it?"

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Joanne Fluke

"That was the surprising thing. I expected her to beg me to reconsider, or tell me off, but she didn't seem upset at all. She just said she could understand why I had to let her go and she went out the back way smiling."