Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(2)

Hannah rolled up one leg of the panty hose and glanced over at him again. It seemed to her that he was smiling. “Watch it,” she warned. “I don’t know if you can laugh or not, but if you even look amused, I’ll . . . I’ll . . .” She paused to choose the most effective threat. “I’ll put you on a diet!”

“Rrrowwww!” The twenty-three pound orange and white tomcat, who was perched on top of her dresser, let out a howl.

“That’s right. A diet. And that means no more salmon-flavored, fish-shaped kitty treats. So if I were you, I’d be very careful!”

Hannah gave a little nod of satisfaction as Moishe turned his head away. She wasn’t sure if he’d understood her words, or simply reacted to the tone in her voice, but the desired effect was the same. As she looked down at the rolled sock in her hand, she thought about how much she hated to put on panty hose. The way she saw it, she had two choices. She could stretch out on the bed on her back, raise the panty hose up in the air, and try to thrust both feet into the sock parts at the same time. That required coordination she wasn’t sure she possessed. The second method was to sit on the edge of the bed, lean over and place one foot in the sock part, pull the panty hose up part way, and then try to get her other foot in. Either way required perfect balance and the skill of a contortionist.

“Gotta do it,” she said, deciding to try the second method. But just as she began to thrust her right foot into the toe of the sock, the doorbell chimed.

There was a ripping noise that sounded very loud to Hannah’s ears, and she let out an exasperated expletive that she would never have used around her two nieces. Her toe had poked completely through the sock part and there was no way she could wear these pantyhose now. It was a good thing she’d bought an extra pair.

Hannah reached for her slippers and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was only six-fifteen and her sister wasn’t due to pick her up until seven. Barring some kind of family emergency or national disaster, there was no way Andrea would be forty-five minutes early.

The doorbell pealed again and Hannah stood up. Salesmen weren’t allowed in her condo complex, but sometimes one slipped past the guard at the kiosk. It could also be a neighbor with a problem and now that she was a member of the homeowners’ association board, she had a duty to listen. As she hurried down the carpeted hallway with Moishe at her heels, she thought about how interruptions always seemed to come at precisely the wrong time. But was there a right time for interruptions? She really wasn’t sure.

Hannah glanced down at her cat as they arrived at the door. She was hoping that Moishe would give her some sort of clue to the identity of the person standing outside the door. “Who is it?” she asked him in a whisper.

If ever a cat could shrug, Moishe did. But there were other signs that told Hannah something about their visitor. His ears weren’t back against his head, and he didn’t seem agitated in any other way. That meant it couldn’t possibly be her mother. Delores Swensen was not Moishe’s favorite person and her mother had several pairs of snagged silk stockings to prove it.

“Okay, it’s not Mother,” she whispered. “And it can’t be Norman. He’s my date for the party, but he’s working late at the dental clinic and he said he’d meet me there.”

Moishe moved closer to the door and the end of his tail began to flick in excitement. It was definitely someone he knew. Hannah was about to unlock the door to see for herself, when she remembered that she should check the peephole.

One glance and Hannah’s mouth dropped open. It was Andrea! She unlocked the door in a rush and pulled it open. “What’s wrong?” she asked the second she saw her sister’s worried expression.

“Everything!” Andrea exclaimed, stepping in.

“Bethie’s okay, isn’t she? And Bill? Tracey?”

“They’re all fine. Mother called and told me to get right over here.” Andrea shut the door behind her. “I didn’t even have time to finish my French braid.”

“You can do it in the guest bathroom. The light’s good and there’s a vanity in there.” Hannah stopped speaking as a dire possibility occurred to her. “Mother’s all right, isn’t she?”

“Mother’s fine. She’s worried about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. She wanted me to get right over here and give you the news in person before anyone else told you about it.”

“What news?”

“Bad news.”

“Is anyone sick? Or injured? Or . . . or dead?” Hannah felt her heart rate soar at the possibility.

“No. Nothing like that. You’d better sit down, Hannah. It’s shocking.”

“What’s shocking?”

“The bad news.”

Hannah sat down on the couch. Andrea was so agitated, she wasn’t making much sense, but if she sat down it might have a calming effect. “Okay, I’m sitting. Now tell me.”

“You’ve got to promise not to get too upset.”

“Why should I get upset? I don’t even know what you’re talking about yet.”

“All right then.” Andrea took a deep breath. “She’s back!”

“Who’s back?”

“Her! Mother and I just don’t know what to do! We never thought we’d see her again, but she’s back and she’s staying out at the Lake Eden Inn with Roger Dalworth. Sally called to tell Mother. But that’s not the worst part of it. Sally told Mother that she’s coming to the grand opening with Roger tonight!”