Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(29)

Both sisters stood there for a moment waiting, but there was no sound from inside. The door was open, but Moishe was nowhere in sight.

“Where do you suppose he’s . . .” Michelle began to ask when an orange and white blur bolted out the door and jumped into her arms. She made a sound that was halfway between a groan and an exclamation, and then she laughed.

“He answered your question,” Hannah told her.

“I guess!” Michelle was smiling as she carried Moishe inside and placed him in his favorite spot on the back of the couch.

Hannah watched as her feline roommate played his usual game with Michelle. He looked up at her with an expression that Hannah could only describe as pathetic and gave a plaintive meow. Then he reached out with his paw, claws drawn in, and plunked it on the top of her hand. Hannah knew exactly what her cat wanted, but did Michelle know?

“Okay, you got it,” Michelle said with a laugh. “Just hang on, Moishe. I’ll get your kitty treats.”

Convinced that her sister had all the bases covered, Hannah set the box she was carrying on the table and walked over to check the phone to see if there were any messages. The red light was blinking and the numeral five was displayed. That meant five people had called while she’d been at work. She pressed the button to play the messages, and was treated to a quintet of sales calls from a roofer, someone who called himself a handyman, a woman who wanted to sell her long-term health insurance, and someone she’d never heard of who warned her that it was time for the annual checkup of her heating and air-conditioning system. The last call, the fifth one, was the most interesting. It was a survey, supposedly, to find out if she had a home security system. If she already had a system, the caller wanted to know which make and model she had and how recently it had been installed.

Hannah was laughing out loud as she erased the messages, and she turned to see Michelle standing next to her.

“What’s so funny?” Michelle asked her.

“That last message. Did you hear it?”

“Yes. I know they said it was a survey, but it was really a sales call, wasn’t it?”

“Not necessarily. Mike warned me about calls like that. Sometimes they’re more sinister than simple sales calls. The caller is gathering information about your home. If you tell them which kind of security system you have, they can compile a list for criminals who want to defeat your security system and break into your house.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that. Did Mike tell you to just hang up, or what?”

“He said to tell them that you just installed a state-of-the-art system. And then, before they can ask any more questions, to hang up.”

“I’ll do that from now on and I’ll tell my housemates to do the same. The Jambalaya smells great, Hannah. Do you have to add anything else to it before we serve it?”

“Yes, but it’s easy. About a half hour before everyone comes, I’ll thaw the shrimp and add it to the slow cooker. And then I’ll cook the rice so it’s all ready to add to the crock right before serving.”

“I’ll help you with that. Do you want me to bake some Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls to go with our salad? I noticed that you had a can of crescent rolls that’s about to expire in the refrigerator.”

“That would be great. Do I have everything you need to make them?”

“Yes. There’s some shredded cheese on the second shelf, and you have garlic in the mesh basket with the onions. What are we having for dessert? Do you need me to make something quick?”

Hannah shook her head. “No, I’ve got that covered. I baked an Ultimate Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake while you were at the school.”

“Is that what was in the box you carried up the stairs?”

“Yes, but I didn’t have time to frost it.”

“I’ll frost it now. You have a tub of Cool Whip in the refrigerator and I know how to make Cool Whip Fudge Frosting.”

“You’re doing all the work, Michelle.”

“Not really. You shopped, drove back here to put up the Jambalaya, and baked the cake. All I’m doing is throwing together the rolls and frosting the cake.”

“But you must be tired, Michelle. You didn’t get much sleep last night. Wouldn’t you rather use the time before everyone comes to take a nap?”

“I don’t need a nap. I’m all jazzed up about getting my own car in the morning. You look like you need a nap much more than I do. Why don’t you go stretch out on your bed for twenty minutes or so? I’ll wake you a few minutes before they come so you have time to freshen up.”

Hannah was about to refuse when she reconsidered. She’d worked hard all day and she was very tired. A short nap was exactly what she needed.

*

Hannah opened her eyes. It was dark outside her bedroom window and for a moment, she thought it was morning. Then she remembered that she had stretched out to take a nap before Norman and Mike arrived. Had Michelle forgotten to wake her up? Or had she awakened on her own? Since she couldn’t hear the sound of voices and Moishe was still with her and not playing with Cuddles, she assumed it was the latter.

“Time to get up, sleepyhead,” she told the cat who was stretched out on half of her pillow. It was amazing how long Moishe was when he slept in her bed. There were times when he ended up with both pillows and she found herself sleeping on the very edge of the mattress. “Let’s go, Moishe. You’re getting company tonight. Norman is bringing Cuddles to play with you.”