Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(3)

Hannah clamped her lips firmly shut. Why shatter Norman's illusions? It was true that Granny's Attic, the antique shop their mothers had opened, needed more off-site storage space, but that wouldn't keep Carrie from being upset. Hannah was sure she'd be fit to be tied that Norman had made a decision without consulting her.

**I still can't believe how I lucked into the house. You knew that Rhonda Scharf inherited it, didn't you?"

"I knew," Hannah said. Rhonda was a regular on the Lake Eden gossip hotline and everyone in town knew about her inheritance. The day after her great-aunt's will had been read, Rhonda had come into Lake Eden Realty and listed the house with Hannah's sister, Andrea. "Does Andrea know that you bought the house?"

"Of course. Rhonda called her last night and Andrea advised her to accept my offer."

"Well... that's good," Hannah said, wondering why Andrea hadn't called to tell her. What were sisters for if they didn't share news like that?

"I told everyone to meet me at The Cookie Jar. There'll be four of us, and I thought you could be a witness. You will, won't you?"

"Of course I will."

"Good. I'll see you at nine-thirty then. This is a big step for me, Hannah."

"I know it is. Congratulations, Norman." Hannah was frowning as she hung up the phone. Of course she was happy for Norman, but she was royally miffed at her younger sister. Andrea liked to sleep in until seven, but Hannah picked up the phone and started to punch in her sister's number. Even though Hannah had been out late last night, catering coffee and cookies at a bridal shower, Andrea could have left a message!

Just as the call was about to connect, Hannah glanced

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Joanne Fluke

over at her answer machine. The little red light for incoming messages was blinking frantically. Andrea had called, several times by the looks of it. Hannah slammed the phone back in the cradle before it could ring and retrieved her messages. There were six and every one of them was from Andrea. When Hannah had come home from her catering job, she'd been too tired to check for messages. And she'd forgotten all about it this morning.

Hannah had just finished erasing Andrea's messages when the phone rang again. Delores? Andrea? Hannah grabbed it on the second ring, wondering if she'd ever get the chance to skin out the door.

"Hannah?" It was Norman again. "Sorry to bother you twice in one morning, but do you still have that pen I gave you for Christmas?"

Hannah's eyebrows shot up. How quickly they forgot! ""You didn't give me a pen. You gave me a silk scarf and a gold circle pin."

"I know. That was your real gift for under the tree. I'm talking about the giveaway pens from the Rhodes Dental Clinic. You didn't throw yours away, did you?"

"Of course I didn't. I thought it was cute. I've never had a pen shaped like a toothbrush before. It's right here ... somewhere."

"Could you look? I saved some, but they're in a box in Mother's garage and I don't have time to look for them. I thought it would be a nice touch if I used one to sign the papers. It's not critical or anything, but the pens were my dad's design, and since he can't be here, I..."

"I'll look right now," Hannah interrupted him. "Hold on a second."

Hannah put down the phone, upended her purse, and dumped the contents on the surface of the kitchen table. There were at least two dozen pens and pencils, but the one from the Rhodes Dental Clinic wasn't among them. She stuffed everything back inside her purse and checked the cracked

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 17

coffee mug on the table that served as her penholder. No Rhodes Dental pen there, either.

"Sorry, Norman," Hannah said, getting back on the phone to report. "I checked my purse and the pen jar on the table, but it's not there."

"How about your bed table? You told me you always keep a pen and steno pad handy in case you get an inspiration for a recipe in the middle of the night."

Hannah was surprised. She didn't recall mentioning that to Norman. "I'll check before I leave. If I find it, I'll bring it down to the shop with me."

Hannah hung up the phone and headed back to her bedroom. It was clear that Norman was nervous about buying his first house. Becoming a homeowner was a big step. When she'd signed the papers for her condo, she'd found herself missing her father, wishing that he'd lived long enough to see her take this step into adulthood. If signing the papers with a Rhodes Dental Clinic pen that his father had designed would make Norman feel more comfortable, she'd spend the next hour looking for it.

And there it was! Hannah's eyes locked on the pen the moment she stepped inside her bedroom. She grabbed it, stuffed it inside her purse, and was just preparing to step outside her condo door when the phone rang again. It was probably Norman, wondering if she'd found the pen. Hannah rushed back into the kitchen, almost tripping over Moishe in her haste, and snatched up the phone before it could ring a second time.

"Hi, Norman. Your pen was in my bedroom, right where you said it would be. I'll bring it to work with me."

Hannah heard a startled gasp, followed by a lengthy silence. The person on the other end of the line was so quiet, Hannah could hear a clock ticking in the background.

"Oh-oh," Hannah breathed, recalling the exact words she'd spoken when she'd answered the phone. For someone who hadn't been a party to her earlier conversations with Norman,