Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #16)(21)

“Little pitchers have big ears?” Hannah guessed.

“That’s it. And since they’d said the same thing when they were discussing Christmas presents, I knew that meant whatever they’d said was important.”

“Would Doc Knight know for sure?”

“I think so, dear. When he came to town to take over the practice, all the old charts were stored in a back room. He probably still has them in storage somewhere.”

“Could you check on that? I need to make sure that Barbara never had a brother.”

“I understand, dear. And of course I can check. I’ll ask Doc just as soon as he comes back to his office.”

“Thanks, Mother.” Hannah waved at Norman’s mother, Carrie, who was pushing a cart down the hallway toward them. Carrie, like Delores, was also wearing black pants, but her blazer was bright turquoise. Hannah’s neighbor, Marguerite Hollenbeck, was walking at the side of the cart and her blazer was bright pink. It was part of the Rainbow Ladies’ attire. When Delores had agreed to take over as leader of the Grey Ladies, she’d immediately given the volunteer organization a new name and a new cheerful look.

“What’s on the cart?” Delores asked as they approached.

“Milk and cookies,” Carrie answered her.

“What kind of cookies?” Hannah asked.

“Store-bought chocolate-covered graham crackers,” Marguerite told her. “The children just love those. We’re taking them down to the family waiting room.”

Once they’d passed, Hannah turned to her mother. The fact that there had been cookies on the tray had reminded her of the cookies that were still sitting in the back of her truck.

“I baked some cookies for Barbara, but when I found out she was on a liquid diet, I left them in my truck. Do you think the nurses would like some Tickled Pink Lemonade Cookies?”

Delores gave her a look of pure disbelief. “Of course the nurses would like them. Anybody who’s ever tasted them likes them. They’re very good cookies, dear.”

“Great. If I put them on a platter and bring them back here to you, will you pass them around?”

“I’ll be glad to as long as I can keep some for Doc.” Delores thought about what she had said for a second and then she added, “And for me.”

“Of course. That goes without saying. I’ll go out and get them right now.”

“I’ll go with you. That way you don’t have to come all the way back inside.”

Once the cookies were plated and the platter had been covered with plastic wrap, Hannah told her mother goodbye and climbed into the driver’s seat of her cookie truck. She was about to start the engine and back out of her parking space when Norman pulled in next to her. Hannah wasted no time lowering her window and he lowered his at the same time. “Hi, Norman,” she greeted him.

“Hello, Hannah. What are you doing here?”

“Visiting Barbara. Is that where you’re going?”

“Yes, but it’s an official visit. Doc Knight called me in to consult about her broken teeth.”

Hannah thought fast. She wanted to learn Norman’s assessment of Barbara’s condition and it would be easier to ask him questions in person than on the phone. She also wanted to find out whether Doctor Bev had contacted him and that would take a little finesse on her part. But those weren’t the only two reasons. The third reason was purely personal and had to do only with the two of them. They’d both been busy in the past few weeks and their time together had been limited by other obligations. Tonight was a free night for her. She had absolutely nothing to do. And since she had enjoyed his company so much last night, she wanted to spend more time with him.

“Would you like to come out to my place for an early dinner?” she asked.

“That sounds good to me. What time?”

“Six o’clock?”

“That should work. Can I bring anything?”

“Yes, bring Cuddles.”

Norman smiled when she mentioned his cat. “I’ll be glad to bring Cuddles, but I was talking about bringing something for dinner.”

“Thanks, but I can’t think of anything I need,” Hannah said, not bothering to say that she didn’t have any idea what she was going to serve.

Once Norman had gone inside, Hannah backed out of her spot and exited the parking lot. She was so busy trying to think of a meal they’d both enjoy that she almost turned left and took the scenic route around Eden Lake instead of turning right on the shorter route to town.

Before she made the turn, Hannah glanced at her watch. Thanks to Florence’s new hours at the Red Owl, she had plenty of time to shop. Florence had announced her new weekend hours in the Lake Eden Journal this week. Instead of selling groceries all day on Saturday, she would only be open from noon to six. And although the store had always been closed on Sundays, there would now be a short shopping window from noon to four.

The new hours suited Hannah just fine. She often had company on Sunday nights and she wasn’t a very good advance planner. There were staples in her pantry. Every Minnesota cook had them in case of blizzards in the winter, summer rainstorms, or car troubles at any time of year. Hannah had enough stock in the pantry to live on for several weeks, but not everything there was something she’d choose to serve to company. She knew that Norman would be happy to share a can of pork and beans with her, but she wanted to cook something special. When she got to the store, perhaps she’d ask Florence for ideas.