Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(69)

“And he left Buddy there in the room alone?” Hannah asked.

“That’s right. Buddy told him to go ahead, that he’d be leaving for the Inn as soon as he got the splint on his wrist anyway.”

“How long was Devin with Felicia?”

“They were still together loading folding chairs on the racks when they heard that Buddy was dead. Devin’s in the clear, Hannah. You can cross him off your suspect list.”

“With pleasure.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind if we bake at your house?” Michelle asked Norman as they entered the lobby.

“I don’t mind at all. Nobody’s baked in that great double oven since the last time ...” Norman stopped and cleared his throat, “... since the last time Hannah came over.”

“Doctor Bev doesn’t bake?” Michelle asked, and Hannah felt like handing her the Academy Award for looking so surprised even though Hannah had told her that Doctor Bev didn’t bake.

“No. She doesn’t really cook either. We go out a lot.”

“That must get boring.”

“Sometimes it does.”

Hannah suspected that Michelle was really asking questions to make Norman realize how empty his life would be when Bev lived in his house. She applauded the effort, but she couldn’t help feeling sorry for Norman. He looked uncomfortable as he answered Michelle’s questions, but she wasn’t about to interfere with whatever Michelle had in mind.

As she watched, Michelle reached out and patted Norman on the shoulder. “Well, we’re going to bake you some cookies tonight.”

“I thought you had to bake bran cookies for Doc Knight.”

“We do, but we’ll bake something for you, too. What’s your favorite fruit?”

Norman thought about that for a moment while they walked through the lobby toward the front door. “Peaches,” he said, stopping at the coat rack to pick up his coat. “I haven’t had anything with peaches for a long time.”

“Then we’ll bake you some peach cookies. How about that?”

“Sounds good.”

Norman’s response came fast, and Hannah knew he was looking forward to the night ahead. But she still wasn’t sure exactly what Michelle was trying to accomplish.

Once they’d put on their coats and pulled on their boots, they stepped out into the crisp night air and began the short walk to the parking lot. In colder weather and snowy conditions, Dick hired someone to ferry customers back and forth to the parking lot, but it was well above forty degrees tonight, and Norman shook his head when the college kid offered to take them to their cars. “We’ll walk,” he said, and then he turned to Michelle and Hannah. “Is that okay with you?”

“Fine with me,” Hannah said quickly.

“Me, too,” Michelle responded, falling into step with Norman as they began to walk down the lighted path to the parking lot.

Michelle and Norman made polite conversation as they walked, but Hannah didn’t say a word. She was much more interested in seeing what Michelle would do and say next. But nothing of import happened until they entered the parking lot.

“How about taking Hannah home with you?” Michelle said as they reached Hannah’s cookie truck. “That way I can run out for baking supplies and we won’t waste any time. You can get started on that photo Andrea’s going to send you,” she said to Norman. “And Hannah can start pulling out all the utensils and small appliances we need in the kitchen.”

“Good idea!” Norman said, taking Hannah’s arm.

“Do you want me to get the supplies first and then stop off at the condo to get the cats?” Michelle asked him. “I bet they’d like to visit while we bake.”

“You can’t,” Hannah said quickly. “Doctor Bev’s allergic.”

“But she’s in the Cities,” Michelle pointed out. “What do you say, Norman?”

Norman thought about it for all of a second or two, and then he said, “I say yes. I haven’t seen Cuddles and Moishe in way too long.”

“But ... what about her allergy?” Hannah asked him.

“Let’s see if it really is an allergy. If Bev comes over on Sunday night and she doesn’t have any reaction, I’ll know it’s not an allergy.”

When the cat’s away, the mice will play, Hannah thought, hiding a grin. Or in this case, When the fiancée’s away, our cats will play! She was proud of Norman for showing some backbone instead of just believing everything Doctor Bev told him. “Can you handle the cats alone?” she asked Michelle.

“Of course. I’ll use the carrier for Cuddles, and I’ll put Moishe on his harness and leash. When I get back to Norman’s house, I’ll beep the horn, and you can come out and help me get them into the house.”

“We’ll both help,” Norman offered quickly. “Come on, Hannah. Let’s go. I want to get all the cat toys out of the garage and put out the scratching post again.” Then he turned to Michelle. “Thanks for thinking of it, Michelle. It’s the best idea I’ve heard in a very long time.”





“So! We’re all ready,” Norman said, positioning the scratching post by the window in the den. “Do you think they’d like a fire in the fireplace?”