trees?”
“I remember.”
The only sound in the kitchen was the hum of the motor in the walk-in cooler. Hannah could tell that Norman was lost in his thoughts, and she was lost in hers. She thought about the house they’d designed together. In a way, she regretted even hearing about the Minneapolis paper’s Dream House contest. The idea that Norman would actually build it hadn’t crossed her mind. The house had turned out to be perfect. She’d loved taking Moishe out there and spending time with Norman in the house they’d designed for the contest. But now that Norman was re- engaged to Doctor Bev, everything was different. If she’d been able to see into the future, she might never had agreed to enter the Dream House contest with him in the first place. She’d put countless hours and a lot of hard work into collaborating on the blueprints. It just wasn’t fair that Doctor Bev would be marrying Norman and living in Hannah’s dream house with him.
There was a long silence, and finally Norman spoke. “Those were really good days, weren’t they, Hannah.”
Hannah nodded. She could tell that Norman was depressed, and she decided to change the subject. “So why are you here, Norman?” she asked him.
“I just came to tell you that Bev put the wedding invitations in the mail yesterday. You should get yours today. I know it’s awkward, but I hope you’ll come. Bev doesn’t want a church wedding, so we’re holding the ceremony upstairs in the community center. The reception’s downstairs in the banquet room.”
Hannah tried not to look too dismayed. She’d been hoping that something, anything really, would happen to break up Norman and Doctor Bev, but the chance of that happening was growing slimmer by the day. “When’s the wedding?” she managed to ask, forcing the words past the lump in her throat.
“Two weeks from now, on Saturday. Anyway, I just want to say that I’m still here for you, Hannah. I always will be. And if there’s anything I can do to help you investigate Buddy Neiman’s death, just let me know.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that,” Hannah said, even though she knew she wouldn’t call on Norman unless she absolutely had to. There was no point. And even if she had to call on him, there was the distinct possibility that Doctor Bev wouldn’t let him help her anyway.
“Here’s the autopsy report.” Delores plunked an envelope down on the kitchen counter. “Now where’s Lisa’s new puppy?”
“Sammy should be here any minute. Herb called Lisa to say he was leaving Doctor Bob’s office, and Sammy got a clean bill of health. They won’t have the results of the blood work until tomorrow, but Doctor Bob says there are no signs that there’s anything seriously wrong.”
“That’s good. I picked up a few things for him at the mall.”
“That was nice of you,” Hannah said. And then she turned to look at her mother. Delores was carrying an enormous bag from the pet store. “That looks like more than a few things. What do you have?”
Delores opened the bag and pulled out a fire-engine red quilted dog bed with a detachable pillow. “There are zippers,” she said, pointing them out. All you have to do is pull the foam out, it’s all in one piece, and put the quilted part in the washing machine.”
“That’s a very nice present, Mother.”
“I thought so. I chose red because I know it’s your favorite color.”
Hannah was confused. “But Mother ... Sammy is Lisa’s dog, not mine.”
“I know that. Bu Lisa told me that little Sammy is going to be spending a lot of time here at The Cookie Jar. And he might as well have a bed that’s your favorite color, don’t you think?”
“I think ... why not?” Hannah gave a little laugh. “Thank you from Sammy, Lisa,
“Oh, that’s not all. I bought some toys, too.” Delores reached into the bag and pulled out a plush duck. “If Sammy bites down on its stomach, it quacks.”
“That’s cute,” Hannah said, taking the duck and squeezing it around the middle. It made a series of quacking noises that sounded so realistic that Lisa came rushing into the kitchen. “What’s ... oh. It’s a toy! Let me see it.”
Hannah tossed her the duck, which quacked several times on the way. Lisa caught in around the middle and it issued another volley of quacks.
“Look at this one,” Delores said, pulling toys from her bag. “Here’s a stuffed rooster. And this one’s a horse that whinnies. And I’ve got a pig that oinks, a cow that moos, and a sheep that does ... whatever it is that sheep do.” Delores turned to her eldest daughter. “What is it called, Hannah?”
“It’s called a bleat, Mother.”
“Really? I don’t think I ever knew the name for the sounds sheep make.”
“They’re not the only animals that bleat. It’s also the word for the wavering sound made by a goat or calf.”
Lisa reached out and squeezed the sheep and it started to bleat. Not to be outdone, Hannah grabbed the duck and the pig, and activated them. Then Delores entered into the fun with the rooster and the horse. Michelle, who was still in the coffee shop, heard the racket in the kitchen and came in to check. When she saw what they were doing she hurried in to activate the plush cat and plush dog. The four women were having so much fun, squeezing the stuffed animals and laughing, that they didn’t hear the back door open. They were perfectly unaware that Herb was standing there watching them until he said, “And what do we have here? Wannabe farmers?”
Lisa giggled, Hannah winced, Michelle blushed, and Delores tried to look as if she were merely an observer of three other women making fools of themselves.
“They were trying out the toys I bought for Sammy,” Delores explained.
“Right.” Herb glanced at the toy rooster and the toy horse in Delores’s hands and grinned. It was clear that he wasn’t fooled by her uninvolved observer act.
And then she quickly changed the subject. “Where’s your new little guy?” Delores asked, changing the subject before he could comment.
Herb smiled. “Right here,” he said, flipping his coat back to show Sammy snuggled in a baby carrier, his ears sticking up in two sharp points and his black eyes moving from face to face.
“Adorable,” Delores pronounced, stepping forward to stroke Sammy’s head. “He’s just darling.”
“Yes, he is.” Lisa beamed like a mother accepting compliments on her newborn.
“I can hold him while you go out to my car,” Delores said, sitting down at the workstation and holding out her arms. “The keys are over there on the counter and the crate’s in the backseat.”
“Crate?” Lisa asked, looking surprised.
“Two boys from the pet sore loaded it for me, but it’s too heavy for me to carry in. It should go perfectly in that corner,” she pointed to the corner closest to her, “and it’s made out of wood so that it can double as a table.”
“That’s clever,” Hannah said.
Lisa smiled. “Yes, it is. We can always use another flat surface for stacking cookie boxes.”
The swinging door opened and Mike stepped into the kitchen. “What’s everyone doing back here? The coffee shop’s packed with customers. Marge and Jack can’t handle everything alone.”
“My fault,” Michelle said. “I was only going to be gone a minute, but we were having so much fun, I lost track of time.”
“Me, too,” Lisa admitted. She hurried over to give Sammy a little kiss on his head, and then she turned to Herb. “Do you think you can bring in that crate by yourself? I really should be up front. It’s time for another performance.”
“I can probably do it. And if it’s too big for me to handle alone, I’ll snag Mike to lend a hand.”
“Sure. I’ll help,” Mike agreed. “Where’s the crate?”
“In Mother’s car,” Hannah answered him.
“My keys are on the counter,” Delores added. “It was too big for the trunk so they put it in the back seat.”
“What’s in the crate?” Mike asked.
“It’s empty,” Delores told him. “I bought it for Sammy.”
“Sammy?”
