cookie dough for the morning’s baking.
“I’m ready, but my truck’s not here yet.”
“I know. Lonnie just called me on my cell and said that they need to keep it overnight.”
“Oh, great!” Hannah said sarcastically. “What are we going to do for transportation?”
“Lonnie took care of that. He checked with his dad and a BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER
49
couple of Cyril’s mechanics are dropping off a loaner for you from the shop. You can keep it until you get your truck back.”
“That’s nice of Cyril, but I wonder why they need to keep my truck so long.”
“Lonnie said something about waiting for the autopsy report so they could make sure the man’s injuries were consistent with the damage to your truck.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Okay. I guess that makes sense.”
Both sisters sat down at the workstation and propped their feet up on neighboring stools. They munched on a couple of Treasure Chest Cookies, which both of them agreed were perfect for Little Matt’s party, until there was a knock on the back door and the mechanics with the loaner arrived. Less than twenty-five minutes after that, the two sisters were pulling into Hannah’s condo complex. Michelle was driving.
Hannah had explained that she didn’t want to drive any motor vehicle quite yet, and Michelle had volunteered.
“Home never looked so good!” Hannah said as her sister drove down the ramp of her underground garage and pulled into her parking spot.
“Home’s a good place to be after a rough day.” There was empathy in Michelle’s voice. “And you had a very rough day.”
“Not as rough as the man I hit.” Hannah got out of Cyril’s loaner, which was a newer model Buick with air-conditioning that actually worked, and started up the stairs. For the first time she wished her garage didn’t have stairs to the street level and her condo wasn’t on the second floor. She felt like a zombie and she simply had to get back some energy before Norman arrived to take her out to dinner.
“Your turn, or mine?” Michelle asked when they arrived at Hannah’s door.
“Yours. I’ll unlock and open. You brace yourself.”
“Ready.”
Hannah opened the door and quickly stepped to the side.
50
Joanne Fluke
Michelle jumped into position in front of the doorway and braced herself for what was about to happen. Both of them heard the thump as Moishe jumped off the back of the living room couch and streaked toward the door. A second later, he was airborne until he landed in Michelle’s outstretched arms.
“That was a good one, Moishe,” Michelle said, giving him a scratch under the chin as she carried him inside and placed him in his favorite position on the back of the couch. Then she turned to Hannah. “Is he getting heavier?”
“I don’t know. He could be. He’s been really hungry lately.
Maybe I’d better put him on a diet.”
As if in response to Hannah’s comment, Moishe let out a yowl. Then he turned to give Hannah a baleful look.
“I think he knows that word,” Michelle said.
“I think you’re right. He just gave me the same death ray glance Mother used to give us when we did something really bad. I should have said that I might have to change his eating habits.”
Both sisters turned to look at Moishe, but his expression was perfectly neutral and he made no sound. “That works,”
Michelle said.
“It works for now, but he’ll figure it out. Moishe’s a really smart cat. I’ll call Dr. Bob and see if I can get an appointment for tomorrow. They can check him out and put him on the scale.”
Moishe gave another yowl and the fur on his back began to bristle.
“He doesn’t like Dr. Bob anymore?” Michelle asked, staring at the cat who had narrowed his eyes and laid back his ears.
“He adores Dr. Bob. And Sue, too. That’s not it. He just heard me say the word . . .” Hannah stopped until she thought of another word . . . “weighing device. I think he caught that particular
“I’m ready, but my truck’s not here yet.”
“I know. Lonnie just called me on my cell and said that they need to keep it overnight.”
“Oh, great!” Hannah said sarcastically. “What are we going to do for transportation?”
“Lonnie took care of that. He checked with his dad and a BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER
49
couple of Cyril’s mechanics are dropping off a loaner for you from the shop. You can keep it until you get your truck back.”
“That’s nice of Cyril, but I wonder why they need to keep my truck so long.”
“Lonnie said something about waiting for the autopsy report so they could make sure the man’s injuries were consistent with the damage to your truck.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. “Okay. I guess that makes sense.”
Both sisters sat down at the workstation and propped their feet up on neighboring stools. They munched on a couple of Treasure Chest Cookies, which both of them agreed were perfect for Little Matt’s party, until there was a knock on the back door and the mechanics with the loaner arrived. Less than twenty-five minutes after that, the two sisters were pulling into Hannah’s condo complex. Michelle was driving.
Hannah had explained that she didn’t want to drive any motor vehicle quite yet, and Michelle had volunteered.
“Home never looked so good!” Hannah said as her sister drove down the ramp of her underground garage and pulled into her parking spot.
“Home’s a good place to be after a rough day.” There was empathy in Michelle’s voice. “And you had a very rough day.”
“Not as rough as the man I hit.” Hannah got out of Cyril’s loaner, which was a newer model Buick with air-conditioning that actually worked, and started up the stairs. For the first time she wished her garage didn’t have stairs to the street level and her condo wasn’t on the second floor. She felt like a zombie and she simply had to get back some energy before Norman arrived to take her out to dinner.
“Your turn, or mine?” Michelle asked when they arrived at Hannah’s door.
“Yours. I’ll unlock and open. You brace yourself.”
“Ready.”
Hannah opened the door and quickly stepped to the side.
50
Joanne Fluke
Michelle jumped into position in front of the doorway and braced herself for what was about to happen. Both of them heard the thump as Moishe jumped off the back of the living room couch and streaked toward the door. A second later, he was airborne until he landed in Michelle’s outstretched arms.
“That was a good one, Moishe,” Michelle said, giving him a scratch under the chin as she carried him inside and placed him in his favorite position on the back of the couch. Then she turned to Hannah. “Is he getting heavier?”
“I don’t know. He could be. He’s been really hungry lately.
Maybe I’d better put him on a diet.”
As if in response to Hannah’s comment, Moishe let out a yowl. Then he turned to give Hannah a baleful look.
“I think he knows that word,” Michelle said.
“I think you’re right. He just gave me the same death ray glance Mother used to give us when we did something really bad. I should have said that I might have to change his eating habits.”
Both sisters turned to look at Moishe, but his expression was perfectly neutral and he made no sound. “That works,”
Michelle said.
“It works for now, but he’ll figure it out. Moishe’s a really smart cat. I’ll call Dr. Bob and see if I can get an appointment for tomorrow. They can check him out and put him on the scale.”
Moishe gave another yowl and the fur on his back began to bristle.
“He doesn’t like Dr. Bob anymore?” Michelle asked, staring at the cat who had narrowed his eyes and laid back his ears.
“He adores Dr. Bob. And Sue, too. That’s not it. He just heard me say the word . . .” Hannah stopped until she thought of another word . . . “weighing device. I think he caught that particular
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