Fudge Cupcake Murder (26 page)

Making the Hole in One didn't take long. When Hannah came back into the living room with Norman's food, she found him playing the movie she'd been watching with Mike earlier. "Here's your food, Norman."

"That looks good!" Norman said with a smile, putting the movie on pause.

"It is. I still fix it for myself once in a while. I didn't realize you liked cop movies."

"I don't, not usually," Norman gave her a sheepish grin, "but this one is so bad, it's actually enjoyable."

"Let's watch it then." Hannah settled down on the couch next to him and started the movie again, not bothering to mention that she'd already seen the first half with Mike.

The dialogue was trite, the violence was gratuitous, the plot was nonexistent, and the characters were unlikable, but Hannah found that she was enjoying the movie immensely. Perhaps it was the dйjа vu of it all, the fact that she'd already seen these badly acted scenes with Mike and could almost repeat the clichйd dialogue word for word. Maybe it was because Norman laughed every time one of the actors said something insipid and he was obviously having a good time. It could have been the fact that Norman moved closer to her once he'd finished his meal and draped a friendly, protective arm around her shoulder. But probably it was because Norman was her best friend and much more.

"The end," Norman said when the movie was over.

"And it's about time!" Hannah said with a sigh. "That was the worst movie I've ever seen."

"It was almost as bad as Seattle without you. Every time I saw something funny and I turned to tell you about it, you weren't there."

"I felt the same way." Hannah wasn't surprised when Norman kissed her, but she was surprised at her enthusiastic response. It felt so good to be in his arms again. Being with Norman made her feel safe, and comforted, and contented.

Moishe gave a pitiful yowl and Norman released her. They both turned to find him sitting on the back of the couch staring at them with unfathomable yellow eyes. "Is he jealous?" Norman asked.

"I don't think so." Hannah decided not to mention the fact he'd been deposed once tonight and was probably afraid it would happen again. "He's probably tired and he's waiting for me to turn down the bedcovers."

"Speaking of tired, that's me," Norman said, glancing at his watch. "I'd better call Mother and tell her I'm back in town. If I don't, she might shoot me as an intruder when I come in."

"But isn't your mother in bed by now?" Hannah asked.

"I don't think so. It's only nine-thirty and she usually doesn't go to bed before ten."

"It's eleven-thirty, Norman." Hannah pointed at the clock on top of the television set. "Your watch must still be on Seattle time."

"You're right. I didn't think to change it. It's definitely too late to call Mother. I guess I'll just have to hope I don't scare her to death when I come in."

"Why take the chance that you'll upset her? Just stay here for the rest of the night and go home in the morning."

Norman turned to her in pleased surprise. "You mean… stay here? With you?"

"Sure. The bed in the guestroom's all made up."

"Oh," Norman said and he didn't look quite as pleased as he had before. "Thanks anyway, but I'd better go home. I wouldn't want any of your neighbors to see me leaving in the morning. They might get the wrong idea."

After Norman had left, Hannah went through her nightly ritual of locking the door, double-checking the windows, and turning off the lights. As she got dressed for bed, she wondered whether Norman would have stayed if she hadn't made it clear he'd be sleeping in the guestroom. He'd certainly never asked to stay with her, the way Mike had. But just because he hadn't asked didn't mean he didn't want to.

Hannah sighed and climbed into bed alone. She was alone for about three whole seconds. Then there was a thump that shook the mattress, and a rumbling purr as Moishe curled up on the expensive goose down pillow she'd bought for him so he wouldn't steal hers in the middle of the night.

"You’re good company," Hannah told him, reaching out to stroke his fur three times before pulling back her hand. Moishe permitted a limited amount of affection, but any more than three pets and he'd move to the foot of the bed.

Hannah pulled up the covers and snuggled in for the night, thinking about the two men she'd entertained in her living room. Both of them had kissed her and she'd enjoyed it, although their embraces were different. Kissing Norman was like taxiing to a stop at the airport after a turbulent flight. It made her feel comfortable and safe. And kissing Mike was like trying to break the land speed record. It was exciting and thrilling. Did she prefer comfort and safety to excitement and thrills? Hannah sighed and buried her head in her pillow. It was hard to choose when she wanted it all.

HOLE IN ONE

One slice of bread (any kind)

One egg

Softened butter

Biscuit cutter or juice glass

Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and set it aside.

Butter the piece of bread on one side. Put it butter-side-down in the frying pan. Butter the side on top. (Using a rubber spatula makes this easier.)

With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a juice glass, stamp a hole in the center of the slice of bread. Put the circle you've cut out next to the slice of bread in the pan.

Put the pan on medium heat and wait until the bread starts to fry. Then crack an egg and drop it into the hole in the bread. (If you're really hungry, you can use two eggs.) Add salt and pepper to the egg if you wish. When the egg has cooked on the bottom, flip the whole thing, bread and all, with a pancake turner. Also flip the cutout circle of bread. Fry until the egg is done the way you want it.

Tracey loves these for breakfast. She prefers a runny yolk so that she can dip the fried bread in it. If there was ever any doubt, that would prove she's my niece.

"Let's save a dozen of these for Norman as a welcome home present," Lisa suggested, pulling the last two pans of Orange Snaps from the oven and sliding them onto the bakers rack.

"That's a good idea. I'm really glad he's back in town."

"So is there anything special we have to do today?"

"Actually… yes." Hannah took a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves. She had yet to tell Lisa about the break-in she planned to accomplish with Norman and that was because she felt slightly guilty at contemplating the commission of a crime. She knew she was being silly. She'd never felt guilty about collecting evidence in not-so-legal ways before. But this time it was different. This time she wasn't rushing into things. She'd had the whole night to think about it and she'd gone over all the things that could go wrong in her mind. Her grandmother used to say that it was wise to think before you acted, but if everyone did that, they'd be so busy thinking over the pros and cons that nothing would ever get done.

"What is it?"

"What is what?" Hannah had been thinking so intensely, she'd entirely lost the thread of their conversation

"What's the special thing we have to do today?"

"Oh, that." Hannah took another deep breath and plunged in. "I need you to hold down the fort for a couple of hours this morning. Norman and I are going over to Nettie's duplex."

"But Nettie's gone."

"I know that. If she didn't leave any windows open, we're going to pick the lock."

"But why do that?"

"Because I need to search Sheriff Grant's home office for clues."

"Not that. I mean, why break in when I've got the key?"

"You've got the key?!" Hannah's voice hit a high note that made her wonder if her high school music teacher had been wrong to seat her in the alto section.

"Nettie gave it to me when I offered to water her house-plants."

Hannah just shook her head. Lisa had surprising depths. "It occurred to you that I might want to get into her duplex while she was gone?"

"Yes," Lisa said, grinning widely, "and I didn't want you to have to break in."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're a gem, Lisa."

"A diamond of the first water," Lisa said and then she giggled when Hannah gave her a surprised look. "Bonnie Surma called to order cookies for the next Regency club meeting. She used it to describe their guest speaker and I asked her what it meant."

"What did she say?"

"She told me it meant quality and it usually referred to ladies. If they're diamonds of the first water, their appearance is perfect and so are their manners and their breeding."

Hannah thought that over for a moment. "That makes sense. Diamonds are sorted by water, and the best and heaviest gems fall out with the first washing. A diamond of the first water would be very valuable, just like you, Lisa."

"Thanks." Lisa blushed slightly at the compliment. "I think you should go in through Nettie's backdoor. Her yard is fenced and once you're inside the gate, nobody can see you."

"Good idea."

"And whatever you do, don't touch the houseplants."

Hannah was confused. "I wasn't really planning to, but why?"

"They'd die for sure, and then Bill and Mike would know you'd been there. You've got the biggest black thumb in town."

"You brought your camera?" Hannah asked, spotting it around Norman's neck when he met her in the alley behind Nettie's duplex.

"I thought I'd take pictures as we go along. It'll help to refresh our memory later."

"Good idea. Where did you park?" Hannah asked, opening the gate and hustling Norman inside the fenced backyard.

"Two blocks over. How about you?"

"I walked. I was afraid my truck would be spotted."

"You mean because it's candy apple red with a license plate that says COOKIES and the name of your store on both sides?"

"That's it," Hannah said with a laugh, appreciating Norman even more today than she had last night. "I'm glad you're back, Norman. I wouldn't want to break into a place with anyone else."

Norman smiled and gave her a little hug, obviously taking what she'd said as a compliment. Then he climbed the steps to Nettie's backdoor and took out a little leather case. "Dental tools," he explained, unzipping it. "I thought they'd come in handy for picking the lock."

"I'm sure they'd be perfect, but we don't need them." Hannah reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out the key ring Lisa had given her. "I've got the key."

"Oh. Okay then," Norman said, sounding a bit disappointed as Hannah unlocked the door.

Hannah stepped in, glanced back at Norman, and saw he was frowning. He had obviously wanted to test his skills as a burglar. "Don't put those tools away. The door to Sheriff Grant's home office is probably locked."

"Right." Norman looked much happier as he followed Hannah up the stairs and down the hallway. The pleased expression remained on his face until they arrived at the office door and he noticed that it was taped off. "That's crime scene tape."

"I know."

"But I thought that Sheriff Grant was killed in the school parking lot."

"He was."

"So this isn't a crime scene?"

"Not technically. When Mike sealed it off, he must not have had the KEEP OUT JUST BECAUSE I SAY SO tape."

"I see," Norman said with a grin. "And if we get caught in here, you'll argue that since it wasn't a crime scene, the tape must have been put up by mistake."

Hannah gave a little nod to show that he was right and grinned right back. Then she reached out to check the doorknob. "It's locked, all right. Do you think you can open it?"

"I don't know why not," Norman said, unzipping his leather case of tools again. "Picking a lock has got to be easier than tightening braces."

It was a simple mechanism and picking the lock didn't take long, especially for a dentist with nimble fingers. In less than a minute, Hannah and Norman had ducked under the crime scene tape and were standing inside Sheriff Grant's home office.

"This looks more like somebody's bedroom than an office," Norman commented.

"That's because it was a bedroom. It belonged to Sheriff Grant's son, Jamie and it's just the way he left it when he went away to college. Sheriff Grant wouldn't let Nettie throw away any of Jamie's things after he died."

"How long ago was that?"

"Almost three years. Don't you think that's a little weird?"

Norman shrugged. "Maybe, if it's an obsession. But if the sheriff just wanted to hang onto his son's things a little longer, I can understand that."

Hannah turned to look at Norman in awe. He'd managed to walk the fence brilliantly. When the next political office opened up, she was going to nominate him.

"Let me take a base set of pictures," Norman said, proceeding to do just that. "We'll want to remember what this looked like before we started to search."

When Norman had taken pictures from every angle, Hannah handed him a pair of gloves. "I brought these for you. We don't want to leave fingerprints. You can start in the closet and I'll try Sheriff Grant's desk."

"Okay. What are we looking for?"

"Briefcases. If you find any, give a holler. We're also looking for anything that looks like it doesn't belong in a teenager's room or a home office."

Hannah slipped on her own gloves and went through the desk. All she found were old bills, canceled checks, and household accounting records. It looked as if Sheriff Grant had moved all of Jamie's things into one drawer when he'd commandeered the desk. The lower left-hand drawer contained a college catalogue, several transcripts of Jamie's high school grades, a program from the senior prom, a stack of CliffsNotes with sections highlighted in yellow marker, and the thick, dog-eared book Jamie had used to study for the SATs. There was nothing at all from the sheriff's department and nothing to indicate which case Sheriff Grant had been working on at the time of his death.

"I found a briefcase, Hannah," Norman's voice was muffled and Hannah could tell he was in the depths of the closet.

"Is it brown?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll take it with us. Just set it aside and keep looking. "

"Okay. Did you find anything in the desk?"