Fudge Cupcake Murder

beaning him with the heaviest object that was handy, but she did none of those things. She just stood up with all the cool dignity that she could muster and handed him his jacket.

    'At least I come first with you!' Hannah said, motioning for Moishe to follow her into the living room. She set one of the expensive cut glass dessert dishes Delores had given her for Christmas three years ago on the coffee table and filled it with a generous scoop of yogurt. 'Yogurt's health food. It's bound to be good for you.'

    Once Moishe was lapping happily, Hannah went back to the kitchen to put the yogurt container back in the refrigerator and fetch a glass of white wine for herself. She needed to relax and let her anger at Mike and Shawna Lee fade into something less dangerous than thoughts of double-homicide. She took her customary place on the couch, curling up at the end with her favorite pillow under her arm, sipped her wine, and channel surfed for something to numb her senses.

    Hannah had just settled on watching a program about sea otters when there was a knock on the door. If it was Mike, he was playing musical apartments and she wouldn't let him in. There was no way she'd allow him to take her home, take Shawna Lee home, and then come back to her.

    'Who's there?' Hannah called out, her hand on the deadbolt.

    'It’s me. I'm back. Open the door, Hannah.'

    The voice sounded a lot like Norman's and Hannah put her eye to the peephole before she remembered that it wouldn't do any good. Since the light on the staircase was directly across from the peephole, all she could see was a bulky silhouette.

    'Norman?' Hannah asked, throwing open the door. And there stood Norman in all his dependable, huggable glory. Norman was as far from Mike as a woman could get and Hannah was glad. One palm-sweating, breath- catching, heart-thudding encounter was enough for one evening.

    'Hi, Hannah,' Norman said with a grin and Hannah's heart gave a joyful bound. Norman was just the person she wanted to see.

    'Come in, Norman.' Hannah held the door open wide.

    Norman blocked Moishe with a quick step to the side and stepped into Hannah's living room. Then he scooped up her resident feline, turning him tummy up like a baby in his arms, and tickled him under the chin. 'I missed you, big guy.'

    'How about me?' Hannah couldn't resist saying. 'Did you miss me, too?'

    'That goes without saying. It's not too late for you, is it?'

    'It's never too late,' Hannah said, wondering if she should adopt that as her personal motto as she took Norman's jacket and hung it over the back of the chair by the door. 'Can I get you something to drink? I've got coffee, wine, soft drinks, whatever.'

    'A diet anything will be fine. I drank enough coffee on the plane.'

    Hannah rushed to the kitchen to get Norman's drink and when she came back, he was sitting on the couch with Moishe cuddled in his lap. Her cat definitely had his priorities straight this time around. She set Norman's soft drink on the coffee table and took her usual seat at the opposite end of the couch. 'So what are you doing back in Lake Eden so early?'

    'Andrea paged me at the convention to tell me about Sheriff Grant's murder. When she mentioned that Doc Knight had confined her to the house, I decided to come back right away in case you needed me.'

    'I'm glad you did. I do need you,' Hannah said, smiling widely.

    'Great.' Norman looked pleased to hear that. 'What do you want me to do?'

    Hannah took a deep breath and blurted out what she'd been thinking ever since Mike had told her about the empty briefcases in Sheriff Grant's home office. 'You know Nettie Grant, don't you?'

    'Yes. She had some trouble with an impacted molar last year.'

    'Well, she went to visit relatives in Wisconsin and I need to break into her duplex to search Sheriff Grant's home office for clues. You'll help me, won't you?'

    'That's illegal, isn't it?'

    'Yes, but we can't let a little technicality like that stop us, not when we've got a murderer to catch. So, will you help me?'

    Norman took a deep breath and let it out again. 'I'll have to. There's no way I'm going to let you do it alone. When do you want to break in?'

    'The sooner, the better. I'd say tonight, but I think we'd better do it in the daylight. That way we won't have to use flashlights and take the chance that a neighbor might spot us. How about tomorrow morning?'

    Norman looked reluctant, but he agreed. 'Okay.'

    'Good. You're just wonderful to come back early, Norman. I hope you didn't miss much of the convention.'

    'That's okay. It was boring anyway.'

    'Oh,' Hannah said, wondering if that description included Norman's ex-fiancйe, the dentist. 'How about something to eat? I know plane food's not much to write home about.'

    'Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. Do you want to go out for a hamburger?'

    Hannah shook her head. 'No, thanks. I've already eaten, but I'll make you something here. How about a Hole in One?'

    'What's that?'

    'Something simple I used to fix for my college roommate when we'd stay up late studying. Basically, it's a fried egg and pan toast.'

    'That sounds good. Do you need any help?'

    'No, it's a one-person job. Find something you want to watch on television and I'll be back with your food in a jiffy.'

    Hannah was smiling as she went off to the kitchen. It was great to have Norman back again. Suddenly everything seemed easier and the heavy weight she'd been carrying around on her shoulders felt lighter by half. That must be the way wives felt when they shared problems with their husbands. Did that mean she should forget Mike and marry Norman?

    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