Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen, #11)(82)

“And he would be if he ate rations for four cats twice a day,” Hannah said, frowning slightly. “Just wait and see what he does when he’s full. That’s probably when he hides the rest of the food.”

Several minutes passed as they all watched Moishe eat. Never had a cat’s dietary habits been so closely observed. At last Moishe pulled back from the food bowl and began to wash his face. This lasted for almost three minutes, and then he ducked his head in his food bowl again.

“The Big Guy’s got a lot of food in his mouth,” Norman observed. “His cheeks are puffed out.”

At first Hannah thought Norman was anthropomorphizing, but Moishe’s cheeks did look fuller. Perhaps that was something a dentist would notice.

“He’s going to the refrigerator!” Andrea sounded shocked. “He doesn’t know how to open the door, does he, Hannah?”

Hannah laughed. “No. He’s a smart cat, but he hasn’t figured that one out yet…at least I don’t think he has.”

Almost in tandem, they all leaned forward as Moishe passed by the front of the refrigerator and ducked into the narrow area between the side of the kitchen appliance and the broom closet. He had to squeeze to get in, but he wiggled his way out of sight in the narrow space.

“That’s where he always loses his duck’s foot,” Hannah said. “And all the times I’ve fished it out for him with the yardstick, he could have gotten it himself!”

“He must be hiding his food back there,” Michelle guessed.

“I hope he doesn’t get stuck!” Andrea exclaimed, and all three of them turned to look at her. “What?” she asked, and a moment later, she gave an embarrassed laugh. “I guess that didn’t happen, since he’s sitting right here on Michelle’s lap.”

A moment later Moishe emerged, and it was Hannah’s turn to gasp.

“What is it?” Andrea asked her.

“He came out headfirst and there’s no room to turn around back there!”

“There must be a hole or something,” Norman suggested.

“Let’s go look,” Hannah said, heading for the kitchen at a trot. She unlocked the door to the broom closet, took out the bag of cat food, and motioned to Norman.

“I see it!” Norman said, leaning in with the flashlight and shining it on the wall near the floor. “There’s the loose board I told you about when I fished out his duck’s foot. The Big Guy’s got a nice little entrance to the broom closet back there. But there’s nothing on the floor. What’s he doing with his food?”

“Putting it back in the bag?” Hannah guessed, looking inside the bag. “It didn’t occur to me before, but I haven’t bought any cat food since Mike gave me the Kitty Valet. This bag should be just about gone by now, but it’s still three-quarters full.”

“You’re right! He’s putting it back in the bag!” Michelle sounded absolutely astonished.

“That’s the only logical conclusion. He eats what he wants and then he puts the rest back where it came from.”

Andrea laughed. “He eats and then he puts away the leftovers. That’s so cute.”

“If you’ve got a hammer and nails I’ll fix that board right now,” Norman offered.

Hannah was about to say yes, when she reconsidered. “Thanks, but I don’t think I want it fixed. Moishe’s playing a game with his new feeder. It keeps him occupied, it’s not hurting anything, and he seems to enjoy it. I’ll just let him do it for a while, at least until he finds something else to intrigue him.”

“I think you’re probably wise,” Norman said.

Andrea nodded. “Me, too.”

“If you keep him from his game, he’s just going to find another one,” Michelle said, “and maybe it’ll be more destructive.”

“One mystery solved,” Hannah said, heading for the coffeepot for a second cup. “Let’s go watch another tape from the mall and see if it’ll shed any light on the second mystery we have to solve.”





LOIS BROWN’S LEMON COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.



1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick, 1/4 pound)

3/4 cup white (granulated) sugar

1 egg, beaten (just whip it up in a glass with a fork)

1 Tablespoon lemon zest***

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

12/3 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk)

Topping:

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup white (granulated) sugar



Hannah’s 1st Note: These cookies are wonderfully lemony and quite tart. You may want to sprinkle them with powdered sugar before you serve them to those who like them sweeter.



Beat the butter and the sugar together until they’re light and fluffy.



Add the beaten egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix it all up together.



Mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.



Mix in half of the flour and half of the milk. That’s approximately a cup of flour and a quarter cup of milk. (You don’t have to be exact—just eyeball it.)