Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)(63)

"Yes. I stopped by to pick up some cookies for Carly while you were out to lunch."

"Do you have any idea where you got that bill?"

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"I'm not sure." Michelle thought for a moment and then she shook her head. "I really don't remember. Why do you need to know?"

"It turns out it was stolen from a bank. Doug Greerson looked it up on a list the banks get."

Andrea looked surprised. "Bill didn't say anything about it. Does Sheriff Grant know?"

"Doug said he'd alert him." Hannah turned back to Michelle. "That's why it's so important to know when and where you got it. They want to track it back to the source."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't bring it with me. When I got to the bus station in Minneapolis, I had four twenties I got from the bank machine, and a couple of ones."

"How about your bus ticket?" Andrea asked. "Did you pay for that hi cash?"

"Yes. I wish I could remember how much it was. I think it was almost twenty dollars, so I wouldn't have gotten a ten back in change."

Andrea took out her cell phone and punched in a number. "Did you buy a round-trip, or a one-way?"

"Round-trip."

Hannah and Michelle listened to the one-sided conversation as Andrea asked about the ticket. She thanked the person on the other end of the line, hung up, and turned back to them. "It didn't come from the bus station. A round-trip ticket to Lake Eden is eighteen dollars and change."

"Then I got it right here in town. But I didn't buy anything. I'm sure I didn't. The only store I went into was ..."

"Where?" Hannah zeroed in when her sister hesitated.

"The drugstore. I needed two gemstones so I ran to the drugstore and bought a little package of colored rhinestones."

"Rhinestones?" Andrea made a face. "They're so tacky. You should have called me if you wanted gemstones. They have some very nice synthetic stones that aren't expensive. We could have gone out to the mall and..."

"Relax, Andrea," Hannah interrupted. "Michelle didn't need good stones. They were just for her teeth."

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"Her teeth?"

"Her fake teeth. She'll explain later." Hannah turned back to Michelle. "How much were the rhinestones?"

"Less than ten dollars. And I must have paid with a twenty. That means I would have gotten a ten and some coins back in change."

"Makes sense," Hannah said, considering the possibilities. She wasn't sure how it all tied in, but Rhonda had worked at the drugstore. Maybe the fact that some of the stolen money had ended up there didn't have anything to do with Rhonda's murder, but it was certainly interesting.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Andrea turned to her.

"Yes," Hannah said quickly. "We need to find out more about that old bank robbery."

"Hello down there!"

All three sisters turned to see Norman standing at the top of the steps that led to the dock.

"Is it okay if I come down? Or is this a sisterly bonding moment?"

"We're already bonded," Hannah said with a laugh. "That happened the first time Mother tried to make us eat canned peas. Come on."

Once Norman had joined them on the dock, Hannah tossed him the mosquito repellent. "You'd better use this. The mosquitoes are thick tonight."

"Thanks, but I don't need it."

"What do you mean, you don't need it? They're bloodthirsty. I thought I was going to need a transfusion before I could get the cap off the bottle."

"Mosquitoes don't bite me."

"What?!"

"It's true," Norman said and he looked perfectly sincere. "I don't know why, but mosquitoes just leave me alone."

"Do you take some kind of vitamin supplement?" Michelle asked.

"No."

LEMON MERINGUE PEE MURDER 213

"How about soap?" Andrea suggested. "Do you use a special kind?"

"Just whatever's on sale at CostMart."

Hannah began to frown. As far as she knew, mosquitoes bit everyone. They certainly regarded her as a five-course dinner, complete with dessert and beverage. Norman must be putting them on and she'd call his bluff. "I don't believe you, Norman. Roll up your sleeve and stick out your arm. I want to see this for myself."

"Okay," Norman said agreeably, rolling up his sleeve.

All three sisters watched as a small cloud of mosquitoes descended, each of them emitting a high-pitched, irritating whine. One of them almost landed on Norman's bare arm, but it veered away at the last minute.

"See?" Norman grinned. "They just don't like me."

Hannah gave up in defeat. It was true. Mosquitoes didn't like Norman. But could she love someone the mosquitoes didn't like? She'd have to think about that later. Right now, they still had the problem of Michelle's ten-dollar bill to solve.

"I guess I'd better bring you up to date," Hannah told him. "Michelle got a ten-dollar bill today and we found out it was part of the loot from a bank robbery."

Norman listened while Hannah explained. "And you need to find out more about that old bank robbery?" he asked.