Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(63)

It took a moment for Andrea to react. Then Hannah watched her sister’s face turn red. Andrea hadn’t really registered the fact that Norman’s mother was sitting next to Delores, and Carrie might not appreciate the tone Andrea had used when she’d practically spit out the word she.

“I’m sorry, Carrie,” Andrea said. “I didn’t really mean to ...” and then she stopped, and Hannah knew that her sister couldn’t think of any way to smooth the feathers she might have ruffled.

That was when Carrie laughed, surprising everyone except Delores and Earl, who were also smiling. “It’s all right, Andrea,” Carrie told her. “We’re all on the same page. Earl and I think Norman is making a big mistake, and both of us will be very grateful if you girls can do something to break them up before the wedding.”

“Did you get the DNA samples?” Delores asked.

“Mother! Maybe now isn’t the time to ...”

“You can talk in front of Carrie and Earl,” Delores interrupted her. “They know exactly what we’re doing. And they’re going to help by getting Norman’s DNA sample tonight.”

“How?” Hannah asked, turning to Carrie.

“Earl and I are taking Norman out to dinner since he’s going to be all alone. She’s going to be gone most of the weekend visiting her mother and her daughter.”

“I see,” Hannah said, shooting Andrea a warning look. They knew that Doctor Bev was going to a party and wouldn’t be seeing her mother and daughter at all. It might have been gratifying to share this information, but this wasn’t the time to tell Carrie and Earl that their future daughter-in-law was a liar.

“Doc and I are going out to the Inn, too,” Delores informed them. “And we’re going to join Carrie, Earl, and Norman for dessert. That way Doc will have Norman’s sample and he can take everything to his friend at the lab tomorrow.”

“How long will it take to get an answer?” Lisa asked the question they all wanted to know.

“Doc’s not sure. It all depends on how busy they are, but his friend knows how important this is and he’s promised to speed things up any way he can.”

“That’s good!” Andrea looked relieved. “I just hope we can get an answer before the wedding.”

“So do I!” Carrie said. “And thank you so much for what you did today. Delores told me all about it.”

“Why don’t you girls join us for dinner tonight?” Delores suggested. “It’ll be my treat. And then all of us can join Carrie and Earl’s table for dessert.”

“Wonderful!” Carrie turned to Hannah. “Andrea said that you needed to talk to Norman anyway.”

“That’s right. It’s about the murder. One of the waitresses at Club Nineteen took a photo of Buddy and a woman arguing in the parking lot the night before Buddy told the band’s manager that he wanted to leave Cinnamon Roll Six.”

“And you think this woman might have something to do with his murder?”

“It’s possible. We’re just following every lead we can get. The photo’s really dark and it’s taken from a distance. We know how good Norman is with photography, and we thought maybe he could do something to the photo to make her more recognizable.”

Carrie nodded. “If anyone can, Norman can. He’s switched over to digital and he’s getting really good at it. It’s a pity she doesn’t appreciate his talents.”

“Carrie.” Earl reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

“You’re right, dear,” Carrie said, sighing deeply. “That’s their business and I shouldn’t be talking about it.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment and then Delores stepped in. “Girls? Are you joining us for dinner at the Inn?”

“Thanks, Mother. I will,” Hannah said quickly. “You’ll come with me, won’t you, Michelle?”

“Sure. Thanks for asking us, Mother.”

“Andrea?” Delores turned to her.

“I’ll be happy to come. Bill won’t be home until late anyway. Thank you for inviting me, Mother.”

Delores turned to Lisa. “How about you, Lisa? You’re part of the family, too. Will you join us?”

“I can’t, but thanks for asking. Herb gets off work early tonight, and he’s bringing home a pizza. We’re going to cuddle up with Dillon and Sammy and watch a movie.”

Hannah felt a stab of envy over Lisa’s plan for the evening. She wished she could go back in time to only a few months ago when she’d cuddled up on the couch with Norman, Moishe and Cuddles to watch a movie. But that was impossible now. Norman was embroiled in a lose-lose relationship with Doctor Bev, and she wouldn’t let him come over to watch a movie with Hannah. Cuddles and Moishe would cuddle up on the couch with her, but then Cuddles would entice Moishe into a game of chase all over the condo, and Hannah would miss the end of the movie because she’d have to clean up whatever they spilled or broke.

“Oh, by the way, Hannah,” Lisa said. “I found your coat.”

“You ... did?” Hannah felt as if reality was slipping away from her. She’d gone through every inch of The Cookie Jar looking for her parka yesterday, and she was ninety-nine point nine percent positive it hadn’t been anywhere in the building. “Where did you find it?”