Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(45)

“Has Moishe lost more than one under there?” Michelle asked.

“Oh, yes. He gets one every time I have takeout Chinese food and that’s a couple of times a month. There must be at least a dozen under there, maybe more.”

“Success,” Norman reported, coming back into the living room holding a slightly grungier duck’s foot. “You’ve got a loose board back there, Hannah.”

“Okay. I’ll have someone take care of it.”

“I can help you with it one of these days,” Norman offered, handing her the duck’s foot. “I rinsed off the foot and dried it on a paper towel.”

“Thanks,” Hannah told him, accepting the webbed prize. “Here you go, Moishe.” She turned to her cat and wiggled the duck’s foot for him to see. “Follow the flying foot!”

The moment the avian appendage left Hannah’s hand, Moishe was off and running down the hall to chase it. There was a thump as he pounced and then a smothered yowl of triumph as he chomped down on it.

“Back to business,” Hannah said, waiting until Norman had resumed his seat. “So what’s Lonnie’s problem, Michelle? I’m assuming he doesn’t have an alibi.”

“That’s right. He told me he went out to Heavenly Bodies after his shift to cancel their movie date. Her birthday party had already started, and she was drinking.”

“Drinking?” Norman asked, picking up on the part of the story that Hannah was about to query.

“Yes, from a martini glass. Lonnie said it was a Green-teani. They carry diet green tea in the Snack Shack. You mix it with vodka and serve it over ice in a martini glass.”

“But there’s no alcohol allowed on the premises,” Andrea said. “It’s in the rules. Is Lonnie sure she had vodka?”

“That’s what he said. And he also said he was pretty sure it wasn’t her first Green-teani of the night.”

“She shouldn’t have brought in vodka.” Andrea still sounded shocked. “I’m sure that’s grounds for dismissal and…”

“Never mind that now,” Hannah told her. “The important thing is that she was drinking and Lonnie was there.” She turned to Michelle. “What did he say happened next?”

“They moved the party to the gazebo, and Lonnie went along. That’s where he told her he needed to cancel their date for Friday night. And she said, ‘Oh, do you have to work a late shift?’ Lonnie didn’t want to lie to her, so he told her that he just didn’t feel right going out with another woman when he was in love with me.”

“What did she say to that?” Norman asked.

“Plenty, but Lonnie didn’t go into details. He just said that she insulted me and he said something back, and then she said something back, and before he knew it they were shouting at each other. He knew he had to leave, but he was so mad, he knocked over a couple of stools on his way out of there.”

Hannah thought back to the crime scene. The stools had been made from anodized aluminum, and they had a smooth mirrored surface. “So the crime scene techs might find his fingerprints on the stools?” she guessed.

“That’s right. That’s why he needs you to catch the killer. Since the camera wasn’t working and nobody actually saw him leave, it’s the only way to prove he didn’t hide out somewhere and kill Ronni when everyone else left. He’s in big trouble, Hannah. He told me what he wants me to do, and I promised him I’d help.”

Hannah nodded. She could understand that. But then a terrible suspicion dawned. “Wait. Don’t tell me Lonnie wants to tell me how to run the investigation.”

“Well…not exactly. He just wants to make suggestions. He says that Bill is taking a hands-off position.” Michelle turned to Andrea. “Is that right?”

“That’s right. As Ronni’s employer, Bill feels he’s a little too close to the situation to be entirely impartial.”

Hannah turned to stare at Andrea in awe. It seemed that her sister doubled as a spin doctor. Andrea had spun Bill’s departure from the case in the best possible light.

“Anyway,” Michelle went on, turning to face Hannah. “With Mike and Rick off the case, Lonnie says there’s nobody left who’s ever run a murder investigation before. That’s why Lonnie wants to give me suggestions for you. Since he can’t take an active part in the investigation, he can’t talk to you directly. He wants me to be his courier and tell you what he says.”

“Wonderful!” Hannah’s tone was sarcastic. “That makes three people who want me to be their puppet investigator. Doesn’t anyone think I’m capable of catching the killer on my own?”

Norman moved closer and slipped his arm around Hannah’s shoulder to give her a little hug. “I do. And look on the bright side. Only three people from the sheriff’s department want to give you advice.”

“You’re right.” Hannah gave a little smile. “I suppose it could have been four.”

“Uh…actually…” Michelle stopped speaking and sighed. She couldn’t quite meet her sister’s eyes when she continued. “Actually, it’s four. Lonnie’s brother Rick is in on it, too.”



When the phone rang at the witching hour, Hannah wanted to ignore it. She did her best to pretend that absolutely nothing was amiss. She rolled over, pulled the blankets up to her chin, and attempted to go back to sleep. But of course she couldn’t. She wasn’t the type of person who could ignore a ringing phone at midnight.