Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #10)(65)

“Oh, how cute!” Delores exclaimed, not even noticing that Moishe was puffed up and practically spitting. “You got one of those wonderful Kitty Kondos for my darling grand-cat. You must have been saving your pennies, dear.”

“I always do. And that’s what it cost me. They’re having a twofer sale at the pet store in the mall, and Norman bought one for Cuddles. This one cost just a dollar, so he got it for Moishe.”

There was total silence for the count of ten, and then Delores cleared her throat. “Who told you that, dear?”

Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “Norman did,” she responded. “There isn’t a twofer on the Kitty Kondos at the pet store?”

“Well…I haven’t checked recently, but…”

“Mother!” Hannah interrupted her. “I need to know if there was a twofer on the Kitty Kondos two days ago.”

“Well…actually…I’m not really sure that…”

“Give it to me straight, Mother,” Hannah demanded. “I can take it.”

Delores gave a big sigh and shook her head. “I don’t think so, dear. Of course he may have negotiated a special price for some reason or other, but…”

“But Norman lied to me about the twofer,” Hannah interrupted what was going to be another excuse.

“That would be my guess, dear. But you’ve got to admit that it was sweet of him to buy it.”

“It was sweet,” Hannah admitted, “but he lied to me.”

“You could be right. What are you going to do about it?”

Hannah stared at her mother in shock. “Well…I’ll just have to pay him back, that’s all. I’ll find out what it costs, save the money and…”

“And make Norman feel really bad that he gave Moishe such a wonderful present,” Michelle jumped into the mother-daughter conversation. “Are you really sure you want to do that?”

“Of course I don’t want to make Norman feel bad!” Hannah was outraged at the assumption. “But I don’t want to accept charity, either. I own a successful business. I can pay.”

“But you’d spoil all his fun,” Andrea said, frowning at her older sister. “Norman thinks he put one over on you. He’s proud of himself, and he’s happy he found something to give you. And he’s crazy about Moishe, and he wants to give him something, too. And now you want to ruin it all for him?”

“And make him feel bad for even trying to please you?” Michelle added.

“Of course not. But…” Hannah stopped and thought about it. Maybe her mother and sisters were right. Maybe she ought to let Norman think he’d put one over on her. And maybe she should be grateful that he cared enough about Moishe and enough about her to try to give them both a present.

“Well?” Delores raised her eyebrows in a question.

“You’re right,” Hannah said, giving in as gracefully as she could. “I won’t say a word about it.”

“Good for you!” Michelle said.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Andrea added.

“It’s very smart of you, dear,” Delores had the final word on the matter as she took a seat on the couch. “What’s that divine scent?”

“Almonds,” Hannah told her. “I’m baking Joyce’s Scandinavian Almond Cake.”

Delores looked pleased. “Is that the recipe Joyce gave me from her friend Nancy?” she asked.

“That’s the one. The only difference is that I used clarified butter instead of margarine.”

“When will it come out of the oven?” Andrea asked her.

Hannah turned to glance at the clock on her end table. “In about five minutes. And then it has to cool a bit, but I’ll serve it warm.”

“Marvelous!” Delores gave a nod. “I suppose you’re wondering why we’re here, dear.”

“The thought did cross my mind.”

“It’s about Gus, of course. Marge and I got together this afternoon and made a list of all the women Gus dumped. And we called every one of them this afternoon. They all have alibis.”

“All of them?”

“That’s right. But I didn’t come here just to tell you that. I stopped in at Ava’s store when I left Jack’s birthday party, and she told me that she talked to the credit card company. It seems the gas card Gus used to fill his tank wasn’t valid.”

“Uh-oh!” Hannah said, as a couple of the puzzle pieces clicked together. Gus had worn what Mike thought was a fake Rolex on his wrist, and a diamond pinkie ring made of paste. If he had been living a lie and only pretending to be rich, how many other merchants along his route from Atlantic City to Lake Eden, Minnesota, would discover they’d been defrauded?

“When did he gas up his Jaguar?” she asked, recognizing the loose end. She wasn’t sure if it was important, but she knew from experience that murder cases were usually solved by asking questions and remembering the answers.

“He filled his tank when he came back from the brunch at the Inn,” Delores told her. “And that was a Sunday, so Ava couldn’t call in the card. She did it today, and that’s when she found out that the gas card he used was no good.”

“No good? Does that mean it was stolen?’ Hannah asked.