Raspberry Danish Murder (Hannah Swensen #22)(70)

“Gary’s my early bird,” Sally said, leading them back to the door. “He’s a really hard worker. He must have made six trips back to the Cities to pick up more product. He told me he wants everything to be perfect for his sister. Remember when I told you that one of my vendors came in a week early, Hannah?”

“I remember.”

“Well, that was Gary. I’ll introduce you to your neighbor on the other side when you get here on Friday morning. They’re a bit flaky, but very, very nice. They own a small bookstore and card shop in Princeton, and they’re selling all kinds of Christmas books and cards.”

“I wonder if they have any how-to books on homemade Christmas gifts,” Michelle said.

“I don’t know, but that sounds like something they might carry,” Sally replied. “You’ll have to check out their booth while you’re here.”

“What time should we be here on Friday morning?” Norman asked.

“Eight o’clock. That’ll give you time to make the coffee and put out the cookie display before we open at nine.” Sally stopped and looked slightly worried. “That’s not too early, is it?”

Hannah and Michelle began to laugh and Norman joined in.

“What did I say?” Sally asked them.

“I usually get up at four-thirty,” Hannah told Sally, “and Michelle gets up even earlier than I do.”

“Of course you do.” Sally looked a bit embarrassed. “I knew that. You mentioned it once, but I just forgot. I guess I did you a huge favor.”

“How so?” Michelle asked her.

“Coming out here at eight will be a real vacation for you two!”

*

Hannah was in the lead as the three of them climbed the outside staircase to her condo. The recipes Sally had given them were tucked in her purse and she was careful not to dislodge them as she pulled out her keys to open the door. “Who wants to catch Moishe?” she asked.

“I will,” Norman volunteered. “Michelle is carrying the rest of the pie that Sally gave us for Lonnie.”

“For Lonnie and Mike,” Michelle corrected him. “You’re forgetting that when food is involved, Mike just seems to materialize out of thin air.”

Norman chuckled. “You’re right. I forgot all about Mike’s food-dar. They’ll arrive together.”

Hannah stepped up to the door with the keys in her hand and turned around to Norman. “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready,” Norman said, bracing himself for the twenty-three pound onslaught that was about to land in his arms.

Hannah unlocked the door and pushed it open, but there was no furry missile, no sound of a frantic rush down the hallway from the bedroom, and no Moishe at all, even though they stood there for several long moments and waited for him to appear.

“Uh-oh!” Hannah said, beginning to worry. “I hope nothing’s wrong.”

“He’s probably sleeping,” Michelle told her. “It’s like Great-Grandma Elsa used to say, Don’t borrow trouble or it’ll find a home with you.”

“Right,” Hannah agreed, leading the way inside. Everything looked perfectly normal in the living room. The RoboVac was parked in its corner the way it always was, the dining room window was closed and locked, and the dim light in the laundry room was on the way she always left it.

“I’ll check the bedrooms,” Michelle offered, walking down the carpeted hallway.

“How do you like our wedding present?” Norman asked her, pointing toward the RoboVac.

“I love it. I haven’t had to vacuum since you and Mike gave it to me and there’s no cat hair on the carpet, even though Moishe is shedding.”

A moment later, Michelle came back, followed by Moishe. He jumped up on the couch and purred. His eyes were still half-lidded with sleep and Hannah thought he looked a bit embarrassed that they’d caught him taking a nap.

“I’ll get you a treat,” Hannah told him, rubbing the area below his ears in a way that he seemed to particularly like.

“Moishe was out like a light,” Michelle said when Hannah came back to the living room with the fish-shaped, salmon-flavored kitty treats that he loved.

“I suspected that,” Hannah said as she placed four treats on the back of the couch. “Moishe’s been sleeping a lot lately. I really should call Sue at the vet’s office tomorrow. She can ask Bob if that’s a warning sign of something and call me back.”

“Good idea,” Norman told her. “Even better, why don’t I pick up Moishe tomorrow morning and take him in for a checkup. Then I’ll bring him over to visit Cuddles at my place for a while and take him back home later. You’ll feel much better if Doctor Bob calls to say that everything is normal.”

Hannah took a moment to consider that. It was true that she’d feel relieved if she found out that there was nothing wrong with her pet. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate that,” she told him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, three staccato raps in an authoritarian summons that demanded entry.

“It’s Mike,” Hannah said.

“Told you!” Michelle informed Norman. “Hannah taught me how to recognize his knock.”

“Me, too,” Norman said with a grin, and then he turned to Hannah. “Better go let him in before he teams up with Lonnie and they start practicing how to break down a door.”