would do everything in her power to make sure that feline wasn’t on their menu.
“Here they are, Hannah,” Norman announced, pointing to the king-size bed where Moishe and Cuddles were stretched out on feather pillows. “Wake up, Moishe. Your Mommy’s here.”
Moishe’s ears flicked once, twice, and then he raised his head. He looked at Norman in what Hannah thought was surprise, and then he caught sight of her.
“Rrrooow!” he yowled, springing to his feet and racing to the foot of the bed. He stood there for a moment, just staring at her, and then he gave another yowl.
Hannah knew that familiar, welcoming yowl. It was the same cry Moishe gave every night when she came home from The Cookie Jar. She braced herself just in time as Moishe launched himself, went airborne, and landed in her arms.
“Sorry,” Norman apologized. “I should have picked him up before he jumped.”
Hannah laughed. “Impossible,” she stated. “Once he yowls like that, it’s too late.” Since she needed both arms to hold him, Hannah leaned down and rubbed his head with her face. “Hello, Moishe. I missed you.”
“Rrrrowww!”
“I think he’s telling you he missed you, too,” Norman interpreted as he reached out to pick up Cuddles. “Cuddles is glad to see you, too, but she’s not quite so vocal about it.”
“Hello, Cuddles,” Hannah greeted her, sitting down on the edge of the bed with Moishe. She scratched him in his favorite spot behind his ears and reached out to give Norman’s cat a pet. “I can see you took good care of Moishe while I was gone.”
Cuddles began to purr, almost as if she’d understood Hannah’s praise. All three of them watched as Norman went to the walk-in closet, flicked on the light, and came back with a suitcase stand.
“Here you go, Hannah,” he said, lifting her suitcase onto the stand. “I’ll leave you here and go start that fire in the den. Just take your time and come down when you’re ready.”
“But . . . this is your room,” Hannah said, pointing out that obvious fact. “I thought you said the guest room was ready.”
“It is. It’s ready for me. I’m sleeping there tonight.”
“But you don’t have to give up your room for me,” Hannah told him. “I can sleep in the guest room.”
“No, you can’t, not until I try out the new mattress. I know the mattress on my bed is good, but I’m not sure about the new one. You need a good night’s sleep tonight because tomorrow is going to be a very long day for you.”
“Because we’re working on the murder case?” Hannah asked.
“That’s one reason, and it’s a big one, but there are a couple more tasks that’ll take up your time.”
“What other tasks?”
“Lonnie and Michelle are going to pull everything out of your bedroom at the condo. They’ll pack it up in moving boxes and once you take out anything you think you’ll need, I’ll store them in my garage until the workmen are finished.”
“But aren’t you still enlarging the old garage and converting it into apartments?”
“Yes, it’s a work in progress. I love it here, but it’s a little lonely all by myself. My nearest neighbor is miles away.”
Hannah thought about that for a moment. She knew she’d be lonely if she had a big house in the country and she lived alone. She’d felt lonely in her condo, even though she’d been surrounded by neighbors, when last month’s blizzard had hit.
“It does make sense, Norman,” she concluded aloud. “The old garage is at least a half-block from your door, and you won’t be bothered by noise that far away. And since you’re building it to be self-contained, there’s no reason for your tenants to disrupt your lifestyle.”
“Exactly!” Norman smiled at her. “It’s a little cold in here, so let me start the fireplace for you. It vents into the room, so it should be nice and toasty by the time you’re ready to go to bed.”
Norman picked up a remote and handed it to her. “You’d better learn how to do this. You might get too warm and want to turn it down, or off.”
“You got a remote!” Hannah said with a smile. “I used one of these in Lynne’s house.” She stood up and walked to the fireplace. “I’ll open the glass doors.”
“No need. They’re fireproof glass.”
“Are you sure? Lynne had to open her glass doors before she started the fireplace.”
“That’s California. In Minnesota, we have a choice, and I chose the fireproof glass. It