circumference of your cake.
When you’ve finished frosting your cake, refrigerate it until it’s time to serve it.
Serve this cake with plenty of strong, hot coffee or icy-cold glasses of milk.
Yield: At least 8 thick slices of rich, delicious Coconut Layer Cake.
Chapter Seven
Hannah reached out to refill Lonnie’s coffee cup from the carafe on the table. It was obvious to her that he was reliving the night of the murder. His face was pale and his eyes were unfocused, almost as if he were in a trance.
“Lonnie?” Hannah said. “You want more coffee, don’t you?”
“Huh?” Lonnie blinked a couple of times and then let out his breath in a huge sigh. “Sorry, Hannah. I was right back there at the Eagle, you know?”
“I know. Are you okay?”
It took Lonnie a minute to answer. He picked up his coffee cup, took a big sip, and then he nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Do you think you can go on for a while longer?” Norman asked him.
“I . . . yeah. You need to know everything, right?”
“Everything that you can remember,” Hannah confirmed. “Tell us anything you noticed, even if you don’t think it’s important. Nothing’s too small to mention, no matter what it is.”
“You’re doing great, Lonnie,” Norman told him. “I almost felt like I was sitting right there with you and Brian and Cassie at the bar.”
Lonnie smiled. “You’re not the only one. It was like I was reliving it.”
“And that’s perfect.” Hannah reached out to pat his shoulder. “Do you think you can go on, Lonnie?”
“Yes, just let me finish my coffee and then I’ll tell you the rest.”
Lonnie gulped the rest of his coffee and straightened up in his chair. “Okay,” he said. “I was right at the point where Brian and I split up and I went over to Darcy’s table. I remember that I was thirsty, really thirsty. And I remember wishing that I still had some Coke left. Brian was at the service bar and I could see him talking to Lenny Penske. Lenny laughed at something Brian said, and then he reached behind him to get another glass. That was when the cocktail waitress came up to Lenny with a tray. . . .”
There was a moment of silence while Lonnie closed his eyes. He was remembering how he’d felt that night, how loud the band was, and the din of voices getting louder and louder. And then he was there again, the night it all happened.
* * *
Lonnie slipped a bill under his empty Coke glass and stood up. It took a while to make his way through the room, dodging people on his way to Darcy’s table. When he got there, he pulled out a chair, sat down, and watched as the cocktail waitress hurried to the place where they’d been sitting. She smiled when she saw the tip, picked it up and put it in her apron pocket, and loaded the flight of Tequila Sunrises on her tray. Then she went back to the service bar to pick up the Coke that Brian had ordered for Lonnie.
Lonnie swallowed hard. He really needed that Coke, and he hoped it wouldn’t take her long to bring it to him. Then the front door banged open and Lonnie turned to see who was coming in. Would Denny have second thoughts and come back before Darcy got back from the ladies’ room? And if he did, what should Lonnie say to explain why he had taken Denny’s place at Darcy’s table? Lonnie was still pondering these questions when the cocktail waitress arrived at the table with their drinks.
“Hi, Lonnie,” she said. “I ran into Brian at the service bar and he asked me to deliver these drinks. One of those Cokes is for you.”
“Thanks!” Lonnie grabbed it and took a huge swallow. Then he took another that drained half the glass.
“Here.” The cocktail waitress set a large glass of water in front of him. “Help yourself, Lonnie.”
Lonnie stared at her as she unloaded her tray. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place her.
The cocktail waitress noticed his stare and gave a little laugh. “You’re thinking you know me . . . right?”
“Yeah,” Lonnie admitted.
“But you can’t quite place me?”
“You’re right. I think I know you, though.”
“You do. Think back, Lonnie. History class at Jordan High. I sat in the chair behind you.”
Lonnie tried to visualize the classroom, but he couldn’t quite remember who’d sat behind him. It was a girl, but who was she?
Lonnie wanted to