Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(2)

A tear rolled down Hannah’s cheek and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. It was a good thing she didn’t wear makeup because the tears she’d shed during the long days and nights would have surely ruined it. As she picked up her hairbrush and attempted to tame her unruly red curls, she wondered if her appearance was at fault for Ross’s defection. If she’d worn perfect makeup like her mother, Delores, and her fashionable sister, Andrea, would Ross still be with her? And if she’d been born with beautiful hair that looked cute in any style like her youngest sister, Michelle, would he be watching her admiringly as she got ready for work? Perhaps she should have tried harder to lose weight so that she could attain a perfect figure like the rest of the women in her family.

“If he’d just told me what was wrong, I could have fixed it,” she told Moishe, turning to face her twenty-three pound, orange and white cat, who was nestled on Ross’s pillow.

“Rowwww!” Moishe responded, and to Hannah’s eyes, he looked outraged at the critical direction her mind was taking.

“Sorry, Moishe,” she said, walking over to the bed to give him several comforting scratches and pats. “It’s just that I keep trying to find answers and there aren’t any.”

“Rrrrrow,” Moishe yowled again, and Hannah interpreted his response as an expression of sympathy. She was sure that Moishe missed Ross, too.

“I have to leave for work now,” she told him. “But don’t worry. Michelle and I will be back home in time to feed you your dinner.”

Hannah shrugged into her parka and left the bedroom. She was just passing the guest room door as Michelle came out. Her youngest sister was holding a key ring in her hand. “Are these keys yours, Hannah?” she asked, handing them to Hannah.

Hannah examined the keys and shook her head. “They’re not mine, but they look like the keys to Ross’s car. I knew they must be here somewhere since it’s still in his parking space. Where did you find them?”

“They were in the top drawer of the dresser in the guest room. They were sitting right on top of my warmest winter scarf. I never would have found them if I hadn’t decided to use that scarf this morning.”

“Well, I’m glad. I never thought to look there.”

“That’s understandable. I was really surprised when I found them. Why did Ross put them there?”

Hannah began to smile as her mind latched on to the obvious conclusion. “It’s simple, Michelle. Ross wanted you to drive his car while he was gone. There’s no other explanation.”

“Are you sure?”

“The more I think about it, the more positive I am. He took the time to go into your room and put his car keys in your dresser drawer. There’s no other reason he would have done that.”

Michelle still looked doubtful. “But how do you feel about it? Do you want me to use Ross’s car?”

“Why not? It should be driven. If it just sits there, it’s not going to start when Ross comes home. He obviously wanted you to keep his car running for him.”

“Well . . . if you’re sure . . .”

“I’m sure.”

Michelle began to smile. “I was going to ask Mother if I could borrow her car, but now I won’t have to do that. It’s a big relief!”

“Because Mother would say yes, but then she’d figure out some way to make you pay a couple of pounds of favors for the privilege?”

“Exactly!” Michelle headed toward the rug by the door where they kept their winter boots. She pulled on hers and then she slipped her shoes in the tote bag she was carrying.

“Take your time, Hannah,” she said as she opened the outside door. “I’ll help Lisa bake the dough we mixed up last night and get things ready in the coffee shop. Have another cup of coffee before you leave, and enjoy being a lady of leisure for a change.”

“Thanks,” Hannah said as Michelle went out and closed the door behind her. Then she shrugged out of her parka, draped it over the back of the couch, and went into the kitchen to pour herself another cup of coffee. The coffee was still hot enough to drink without reheating.

“A lady of leisure,” she repeated Michelle’s phrase to Moishe, who had followed her into the kitchen and seemed to be staring at her curiously as she took a seat at the kitchen table. “I’m not exactly sure what that is.”

Moishe made no comment. Instead, he headed for his food bowl. As her feline roommate crunched kibble, Hannah stared out the window at the snow blowing past the pane. It had been less than three minutes since Michelle had walked out the door, and Hannah was already feeling guilty for not putting on her boots and following her sister to work.

“Either I’m not a lady, or I don’t know the meaning of leisure,” she told Moishe. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to gulp down this coffee and drive to work.”

*

A biting wind hurtled icy snow against Hannah’s cheeks as she left the condo and hurried down the covered staircase to ground level. As she passed her downstairs neighbor’s window, she noticed that the kitchen light was on. That meant Sue Plotnik was up fixing breakfast for her three-year-old boy, Kevin. His father, Phil Plotnik, would be home soon from his night supervisor shift at DelRay Manufacturing. Phil would eat breakfast with them and then Sue and Kevin would leave for her teaching job at Kiddie Korner, Lake Eden’s preschool. Once they’d left, Phil would go to bed and sleep until Sue and Kevin got back home. It was a demanding schedule, but Sue and Phil had worked it all out. They’d spend the rest of the day together with Kevin until Phil went back to work again at eleven that night.