Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(53)

The sliding glass door that separated the receptionist desk from the waiting room opened and Norman's smiling face appeared. "Oh, good. You're here. We'll be right out."

Hannah heard Norman giving his patient last-minute instructions, something about a soft toothbrush and a special brand of toothpaste, and then the interior door to the waiting room opened. Norman stood aside to let his patient precede him and Hannah smiled as she saw her baby sister. "Hi, Michelle. I didn't know you were here."

"Hi, Hannah. Dr. Rhodes is wonderful. Just look at what he did for me!"

Michelle smiled and Hannah gasped in shock as she saw two gemstones embedded in her sister's front teeth.

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Joanne Fluke

"Isn't it wonderful?" Michelle reached up to tap her front teeth. "This one's red and this one's blue. Now I'm unique and I'm patriotic, too. It's just perfect for the Fourth of July."

Hannah struggled to make a sound, but she was so flustered, she couldn't say a word. Michelle's front teeth were ruined! She took a deep breath, called upon her vocal cords to do their thing and managed to croak out a response. "How could you, Norman?!"

Norman exchanged a glance with Michelle and they both started to laugh. Hannah got up, preparing to storm out of the clinic and banish Norman from her life forever, but Norman grabbed her arm.

"I didn't really do anything, Hannah. They're just temporary."

"What do you mean?"

"The teeth with the gemstones are attached to a retainer that fits in Michelle's mouth. Her regular teeth aren't affected at all."

"Oh," Hannah said, sinking back down in the chair. "Then they're fakes?"

"I prefer to call them a miracle of modern dentistry, but you can call them fakes. Show her, Michelle."

Hannah watched as Michelle loosened the caps and took them out of her mouth. She smiled and Hannah breathed a big sigh of relief as she saw that her sister's teeth were intact. "Thank goodness for that! I really didn't think you'd do anything permanent, Norman."

"Yes, you did. I saw that fire in your eyes. You were all ready to kick me from here to the next county, maybe even out of the state."

"Well... maybe," Hannah conceded.

"Don't worry, Hannah." Michelle slipped the retainer into a little plastic box and placed it inside her purse. "I'll tell Mother they're fake before I even take them out of the box."

"Good girl. Mother can't stand another shock. Finding Rhonda's body really took the wind out of her sails."

LEMON MERINGUE PIE MURDER 181

"I know. She told me." Michelle turned back to Norman. "Are you sure I can't pay you? I've got some money saved."

"Keep your money. We already worked out a payment plan."

"Were they expensive?" Hannah asked. She hadn't bought Michelle's birthday present yet, and she was sure that Andrea would split the cost of the retainer with her.

"They were very expensive, but we worked out a deal." Norman winked at her. "Your sister's on my special time-payment plan. For every 'A' she gets, I deduct fifty dollars from her bill. And every 'B' is worth twenty-five. She tells me she's a good student, so I figure that by the end of her junior year she'll own her retainer free and clear."

Michelle shook her head. "It won't take me that long. I plan to get perfect grades next semester and I'll send you a copy."

"Make sure that you do. And stop by the next time you come home so I can see how they're holding up."

"I will."

"How about lunch? Hannah and I are going over to the cafe."

"Thanks, but I can't. I promised to meet some friends for lunch. 'Bye, Hannah. And thanks again, Dr. Rhodes. These teeth are going to just blow the girls away!"

"More coffee, Hannah?" Rose approached the booth with the pot in her hand. "No, thanks."

"How about that salad? Do you want me to take it away?" "Might as well. I already ate all the good stuff." Rose glanced down at the remains of Hannah's Chicken Caesar and nodded. "I can see that. The only thing left is lettuce. Don't you like romaine?"

"I like it just fine, but I've had enough lettuce to last me for a month. Maybe more than a month."

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"You must be on a diet," Rose guessed, sliding into the other side of the booth. "I noticed it when you came in with Norman. I even said to Hal, Hannah looks thinner"

"You did?" Hannah felt her spirits perk up. They'd hit rock bottom about ten minutes ago, when Norman's pager had gone off and he'd told her that he had to go back to the clinic to handle a dental emergency.

"I'm not even going to say what I have for dessert. No sense in tempting you."

"I'm already tempted. The minute I set foot in here, I started dreaming about your coconut cake."

"Then you're in luck." Rose leaned forward and grinned at her.

"No, I'm not. I can't have it."

"I know that. I was just about to say that Mayor Bascomb took the last piece back to his office. Does that make you feel better?"

"Only if I can get over to his office and mug him before he eats it."