Cinnamon Roll Murder Read Free Page B

dead?”
    “Yeah. I went up there to check on him. He was dead.”
    “Did you try to find a pulse?” Michelle asked her.
    “Do I look like an idiot? Sure I tried to find a pulse. There wasn’t any, and he wasn’t breathing either. I’ve got some medical training, you know.”
    Of course you do , Hannah’s mind replied. You know how to say “Doctor will see you at ten on Thursday, Mrs. Smith. Please let us know twenty-four hours in advance if you can’t keep your appointment.” But instead of voicing her thoughts, she asked, “Do you mind if I take a look, Lynnette? Sometimes those pulse points can be very difficult to find, especially if the patient is comatose. It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’m sure you know what you’re doing. It’s just that if I don’t check to make certain, I could lose my license.”
    “Oh. Well … sure! That’s different. Have at it.” Lynnette dismissed her with a wave. “No way I’m going up there again. Clay looked really creepy.”
    Wonderful! Hannah’s mind replied. I can hardly wait to see what you think is creepy . But of course she didn’t say a word. She certainly wasn’t looking forward to a trip to the front of the bus. It would be a test of agility because she’d have to walk in the metal trough that formed the high part of the upside down ceiling, but she wanted to spare her sister the sight of the dead driver. She turned to Michelle and chose her words carefully. If Michelle thought she was needed, she’d come along even if the prospect was daunting. “I’ll go check on the driver. You stay here and see if you can help anyone else.”
    “No way. I’m going with you.”
    “But you don’t have to …”
    “Yes, I do.” Michelle insisted. “I don’t want to lose my license either.”
    The trip up the nonexistent aisle wasn’t easy. The way Hannah assessed it, they had two choices. They could walk upright, putting one foot directly ahead of the other and risk losing their balance, or they could straddle the very center of the ceiling and walk with their feet spread out several feet apart. Hannah opted to straddle the steepest part of the ceiling and they preceded forward, small step by small step, with their arms extended out from their sides for balance.
    Michelle waited until they were out of earshot and then she tapped Hannah on the arm. “What license are we in danger of losing if we don’t do this?”
    “Uh …” Hannah thought fast. “I think that would be our Good Sense license. I’m willing to bet that Lynnette didn’t even know how to check for a pulse.”
    “I’ll buy that.”
    The two sisters made their way toward the front of the bus. The dim glow from the strips of LED lights was cold and blue, and everything, even ordinary things like bus windows and shades, seemed eerie and unreal. Most of the bus seats had fallen open into a reclining position, and hung above their heads flapped out like giant prehistoric bats.
    When they reached the front, Michelle glanced around. There was no one slumped by the walls or spread out on the ceiling that was now the floor. “I don’t see the bus driver. Where is he?”
    “There,” Hannah answered, pointing upward at the driver still strapped in his seat above them.
    For a moment neither sister said a word. They just stared at the driver, suspended by his seat belt, with one arm dangling down so far the fingers almost touched their heads. His mouth was open as if in surprise, and he appeared to be regarding them fixedly with his sightless eyes.
    Michelle shivered, and then she turned to Hannah. “Lynnette’s right. He’s creepy,” she whispered.
    “No argument here,” Hannah replied, taking Michelle’s arm and turning her around. “Let’s go.”
    “But … shouldn’t we check for a pulse?”
    Hannah was about to point out that the driver’s neck was twisted at an impossible angle and no one could live with his neck turned halfway around like that, but Michelle looked shaken