Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(70)

“I don’t know about them, but I would,” Hannah said, laughing a little. She was very encouraged by the fact that Norman had kept all of the cat toys. She just hoped it meant that he was having second thoughts about giving up the cat he loved so much.

“This has got to be moved,” Norman said, picking up a glass-topped end table and putting it in a closet. “It’s Bev’s. She moved it over here last week. If Cuddles starts playing chase with Moishe, they could break it and hurt themselves.”

Hannah smiled. She noticed that Norman had said, They could break it and hurt themselves, not They could break Bev’s table. At least for now, he had his priorities straight.

“Do you need me to find anything else for you in the kitchen?” Norman asked.

“I don’t think so. We’ve got the mixer, food processor, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and measuring spoons. And all your spoons, spatulas, and whisks are in the drawer in the kitchen. Your cookie sheets are still in that flat drawer under the ovens, aren’t they?”

“Nothing’s changed, at least not yet. And actually ... I don’t think it will change. Since Bev’s not going to be cooking in the kitchen anyway, I’m not going to let her remodel it. It seems like a waste, doesn’t it?”

“It does to me.”

“Then we’re agreed. I’ll start in on that background check for Buddy Neiman if you don’t need me for anything else.”

“That’s fine. The first name on his driver’s license was Bernard so you might try that, too. It’s Bernard Alan Neiman.”

“Okay. I’ll be in my office.”

“I’ll bring you a fresh cup of coffee when it’s ready.” Hannah walked over to the espresso machine on the counter, poured in some bottled water, and flicked it on.

“That would be great! And ...” Norman paused to listen. “Was that a car horn I heard?”

“I think it was. And that means Michelle must be here. Let’s go help her bring in the cats!”





Hannah eyed the huge box of ingredients that Michelle carried into Norman’s kitchen. “Where did you get all that?”

“At the Red Owl.”

“They were open past eight at night?”

“I drove past on the off-chance Florence might be there, and she was in the back, unpacking some boxes. When I told her I needed lots of stuff, she was happy to let me shop.”

“Just look at all this!” Hannah started to pull ingredients from the box. “Cream cheese, peach jam, peach pie filling, white sugar, flour, baking soda, two pounds of salted butter, ground cinnamon, whole nutmeg, and a nutmeg grater?”

“That’s only the first layer. I’ve also got pecans, eggs, and sliced canned peaches. And in that second box over there,” Michelle pointed to another box, “I’ve got bran flakes, oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, and vanilla. I figured Norman must have salt so I didn’t buy that.”

“This must have cost you a fortune!”

“Oh, it did. But that’s okay. I can afford it.”

“How? You don’t earn much working part-time at the college.”

Michelle laughed. “I can afford it because I charged it to Mother.”

“But ... but ...”

“You sound like a motorboat,” Michelle interrupted with the tease they’d used as children. “It’s okay, Hannah. Mother told me to charge all expenses to her. She wants us to break up Norman and Doctor Bev, and she also wants us to solve Buddy’s murder. She said it’s her assignment to us and she’s happy to pay for it.”

Hannah felt a little like a kid stealing money from her mother’s purse, something she’d never dreamed of doing when she was growing up. It made her very uncomfortable. “Maybe I should pay Mother back.”

“Absolutely not. It would only make her mad. Mother gave me her credit card and told me to use it. Besides, Mother can afford it. I can’t, and you can’t.”

“You’ve got a point.” Hannah gave a little shrug. “Okay. I’ll buy that. What kind of cookie are we going to make for Norman?”

“We’re making Peaches And Cream Cookies. I thought it all out when I was shopping in the store. They’re going to be soft, creamy, delicious cookies. Just wait and see.”

“You’re the boss on this one. I don’t think I’ve ever made peach cookies in my life.”

“There’s always a first time,” Michelle said, tossing Hannah a can of sliced peaches. “Open these and drain them, will you? I’m going to start softening the salted butter and the cream cheese.”





Thirty minutes later, Norman looked happier than Hannah had seen him look in several months. He was sitting at the kitchen table watching them mix up cookie dough, and Cuddles was in his lap. Hannah could hear her purring even over the whine of Norman’s stand mixer, and Moishe was purring too. Perhaps she was anthropomorphizing, but Hannah was convinced that her own cat was purring because he was happy to see his friend, Cuddles, so happy.

As Hannah watched, Cuddles jumped down from Norman’s lap and walked over to rub noses with Moishe. Then she turned, swished her tail, and wiggled her rear as she walked away.

“She wants Moishe to follow her,” Norman explained his cat’s actions. And to Hannah amazement, Moishe jumped up and padded after her.