Chapter Ten
Hannah speared a piece of romaine lettuce with her fork and managed to glance at her watch. Only five minutes had passed since she’d closed the door of Norman’s private office and he’d already told her all about his appointment with Ron.
Norman’s account hadn’t held any surprises. Ron had come in complaining of pain and Norman had given him a shot of Xylocaine. Ron hadn’t wanted to take the time to repair the tooth right then, but he’d promised to come back to Norman’s office right after he’d finished his deliveries. Of course he hadn’t come back. Ron had been killed before the shot had even begun to wear off.
“Did Ron seem nervous about anything?” Hannah asked another question from the mental list she’d prepared.
Norman chewed and swallowed. “Not really. He was anxious about getting back to work, but that was all.”
“Did he tell you how he cracked his tooth?”
“He said he’d been in a fight, but I didn’t press him for the details. Now I wish I had.”
“That’s okay, Norman.” Hannah gave him her friendliest smile. “You didn’t have any way of knowing that Ron was going to leave here and get himself shot.”
“I guess not. I wish I’d paid more attention, though. I could have asked him more questions about it when I examined him. He was in the chair for at least twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think that would have done much good. With his mouth propped open and that little rubber sheet covering his tongue, he couldn’t have told you very much.”
“It’s called a rubber dam,” Norman corrected her, and there was a gleam of humor in his eyes. “You’ve got a point, Hannah. They taught us about conversing with patients in Dental Procedures 101. Never ask a question that can’t be answered by Gghhh, or Gghhh-Gghhh.”
Hannah laughed. Norman’s sense of humor was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad, after all. And he’d certainly spruced up his father’s clinic. The institutional green walls in the waiting room had been freshly painted with a coat of sunshine yellow, the dusty and faded venetian blinds had been replaced with tieback curtains in a sunflower print, and the old gray couch and hard-backed chairs had given way to a new set of matched furniture that would have looked good in any Lake Eden living room. The only things that hadn’t changed were the copies of outdated magazines that were stacked in the new wooden magazine holder on the wall.
“You’ve done a lot with this place, Norman.” Hannah glanced around Norman’s office appreciatively. He’d kept his father’s old desk, but it had been refinished with a light oak stain and there was a fresh coat of pale blue paint on the walls. She looked down at the darker blue wall-to-wall carpeting and asked a question that had nothing to do with Ron’s murder. “Did you install this same carpeting in the examining rooms?”
Norman shook his head. “I couldn’t. The floors in there have to be washable. I replaced the linoleum and painted the walls, but that’s about it.”
“How about the windows?”
“I ordered some fabric vertical blinds, but they haven’t come in yet. And I’m looking for new artwork for the walls.”
“That’s good. That old Rockwell print of the boy in the dentist’s waiting room used to scare me half to death when I was a kid.”
“It scared me, too,” Norman admitted with a grin. “He looked so miserable with that big white napkin tied around his jaw. I told Dad I didn’t think it was a very good advertisement for painless dentistry, but he seemed to think that it was funny. Dental humor, I guess.”
“Like, I got my tongue wrapped around my eyetooth and I couldn’t see what I was saying?”
“That was one of Dad’s favorites,” Norman laughed and took another Pecan Chew from the bag that Hannah had brought. “These cookies are really good, Hannah.”
“Thanks. Next time I’ll leave on the shells and you’ll get lots of new patients.”
“I’ve already got that covered, Hannah. I’m going to send out tins of taffy for the holidays with my office number printed on the lids.”
Hannah laughed, but she reminded herself to get back on track with her questions. Norman seemed a lot different here in his office, and she was actually enjoying their visit. “Did you notice anything unusual about Ron when he came in? Anything at all?”
“No. I told you everything I could think of. I wish I could help you more, but Ron seemed like just an ordinary dental emergency to me.”
“Will you call me right away if you remember anything else?”
“Sure,” Norman agreed. “I know you’re helping your brother-in-law solve the case, but I just don’t have any more information to give you.”
“Hold on, Norman. I haven’t told anybody that I’m helping Bill. How did you guess?”
“Nobody’s that nosy about a twenty-minute dental appointment,” Norman pointed out. “And when your mother told me that your sister’s husband was working on the case, I just put two and two together.”
“Please don’t tell anyone, Norman.”
“Relax, Hannah. I won’t give you away. Do you have any other questions for me? Or can I ask you my question?”
“There’s one more.” Hannah took a deep breath. She had to find out if Norman had an alibi for the time of Ron’s death. “Did any other patients come in right after you treated Ron?”
“Just one. It was another fissured molar, but it was part of a bridge, so it was simple to repair. She was in and out in less than thirty minutes.”
Hannah felt strangely relieved that Norman had an alibi. She was really beginning to like him. All she had to do was check with Norman’s second patient of the morning and he’d be in the clear. “I need to know her name, Norman.”
“You don’t know?”
“How could I? Look, Norman, I know your patient list is confidential, but all I need is her name. I have to ask her if she saw Ron when she came in.”
Norman began to grin. “I guess you haven’t called your mother back yet.”
“I called her. She wasn’t home and I got her machine. What does my mother have to do with it?”
Norman’s grin grew wider. “I thought she would have told you by now. Your mother was my second appointment.”
“That’s just great!” Hannah gave a deep sigh. “Mother left me a dozen messages saying that she had something important to tell me, but she’s always got something important to tell me. Did she talk to you about seeing Ron?”
“Yes, but she didn’t actually see him. And she didn’t realize it was important until she got home from the mayor’s fund-raiser. She saw Ron’s truck driving away when she parked in front of the office.”
Hannah decided she would check with her mother at the Regency Romance Club meeting, but it seemed as if Norman had an ironclad alibi. If Delores had been with him, he couldn’t have followed Ron and killed him. That made Hannah wish that there were some way to stop Andrea in midsnoop.
“Now, Hannah?”
“Now what?” Hannah looked up at him, startled.
“Are you ready to listen to my question now?”
“Of course I am. What is it, Norman?”
“I was in dental school when my parents moved here and I only came to vist a couple of times. I really don’t know much about Lake Eden.”
“There’s not much to know.” Hannah grinned.
“But I’m invited to the Woodleys’ party and my mother says it’s the social event of the year. She’s never had the chance to go. Mom and Dad always took their vacation the last week in October and they were out of town. She says that I should go and try to promote new business for the clinic.”
“Your mother’s right. All the important people in Lake Eden are invited and it’s a great party. I think you should go, Norman. You need to meet all the local families if you want your practice to be a success.”
“Then I’ll go. Tell me about the Woodleys. I’ve never met them.”
Hannah sneaked a peek at her watch again and she was surprised to see that twenty minutes had already passed. “Delano Raymond Woodley is one of the richest men in Lake Eden. He owns DelRay Manufacturing and the company employs over two hundred local workers.”
“Delano?” Norman picked up on the name. “Is the Woodley family related to the Roosevelts?”
“No, but they’d like to be. From what I hear, Del’s mother and father were strictly middle-class. His mother just wanted to give him a famous name. It must have worked because Del married a Boston socialite. Her name is Judith and her family’s in the social register.”
“Judith, not Judy?”
Hannah laughed. “I called her Judy once and she nearly took my head off. She comes from ‘old money,’ but one of Mother’s friends did some research and found out that Judith’s father squandered it all away. All Judith has left is her social standing, and that’s more important to her than anything.”
“So he’s a rich social climber and she’s a destitute blue blood who married him for his money?”
“You got it. I couldn’t have put it any better myself.”
“You’re going to their party, aren’t you?”
Hannah thought of her new dress and smiled. “Of course I am. I do all right, but I’m still on a jug-wine and jelly-glass budget. This is my one chance to sip Dom Pérignon out of fine crystal.”
“Do you have a date?”
“You must be kidding!” Hannah was amused. “Think about it, Norman. You saw Mother in action on Tuesday night. Would she try to set me up with every guy in town if I already had a date for the biggest party of the year?”
Norman shrugged, but he was grinning. “I guess not. Would you like to go to the party with me, Hannah? It’ll get you off the hook with your mother.”
Hannah wished she hadn’t been so flippant. Her big mouth had gotten her into trouble again. Now Norman knew she didn’t have a date and he was asking her for one. And she really didn’t know what to say.
Norman reached out and patted her hand. “Come on. It’ll be mutually beneficial. I’ll drive so you can drink all the Dom you want, and you can introduce me to all the people you think I should know.”
Hannah thought fast. There didn’t seem to be any graceful way out, and going to the Woodleys’ party with Norman might not be so terrible. He was funny, he seemed to like her, and it might make her mother back off a little.
“Okay, it’s a deal.”
Hannah drew a deep breath of relief when Norman escorted her back to the waiting room and Andrea was there. Her sister was seated on the new couch, idly flipping the pages of National Geographic.
“Hi.” Andrea gave them a guileless smile. “Did you have a nice lunch?”
“Very nice.” Norman smiled and then he turned to Hannah. “The Woodleys’ party starts at eight. Shall I pick you up at seven-thirty?”
“Seven-thirty is fine.” Hannah saw the startled look that Andrea gave her out of the corner of her eye, and she knew she’d have to do some explaining. “Do you need my address?”
“I’ve got it. It was nice to meet you, Andrea. Perhaps we’ll see you at the party?”
Andrea put on a smile for Norman’s benefit. “You will. Bill and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Goodbye, Norman. It was nice to meet you, too.”
They walked out to Hannah’s truck in total silence, and Andrea got into the passenger seat. But as soon as Hannah had slid in behind the wheel and closed the door, Andrea reached out to grab her arm. “You were just kidding around, weren’t you? I mean, you’re not actually going to the party with him!”
“Yes, I am,” Hannah confirmed it.
“But you can’t!”
Hannah started the engine, glanced behind her to make sure that no cars were coming, and pulled out into the street. “Why not?”
“Because he could be Ron’s killer!”
“He’s not.” Hannah shifted into second gear. “Norman has an alibi. He was treating another patient when Ron was killed.”
That seemed to take the wind out of Andrea’s sails and she frowned. “Okay. Maybe he’s not Ron’s killer, but there’s no way you should go out with him!”
“Relax, Andrea. It’s not like it’s a real date or anything. He’s just picking me up and we’re going to the party together. Norman’s very nice.”
“No, he isn’t. It’s not like you to be wrong about people, but this time you really blew it. While you were having lunch and accepting dates with this…this person you think is nice, I hit pay dirt in the storage room. I’ve got the goods on Norman Rhodes.”
“What goods?” Hannah took her eyes off the road for a moment to glance at her sister. Andrea looked very proud of herself.
“I’ll show you the minute we get back to The Cookie Jar.”
Hannah’s eyebrows shot up and she had all she could do to navigate the turn on Third and Main. “You’ll show me? You didn’t steal anything from Norman’s office, did you, Andrea?”
“It wasn’t exactly stealing. I know I promised not to take anything, but this was just too good to leave behind.” Andrea sat back and gave a smug smile. “I’ll tell you this much, Hannah. Mother didn’t do you any favors when she introduced you to Norman. And he certainly isn’t the man she thought he was!”
Hannah didn’t ask any further questions. It was clear her sister wouldn’t tell her any more until they’d arrived at The Cookie Jar. She turned into the alley, averted her eyes as she drove past the spot where Ron had breathed his final breath, and pulled into her parking spot.
When they came in the back door, Andrea was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and Hannah was beginning to feel very uneasy. She hoped that Andrea had found something trivial, like a patient’s complaint that he’d been overcharged, or a stack of unpaid bills.
“Tell Lisa you’re back and we need to be alone,” Andrea advised as she hung up her coat. “Hurry up. This is important.”
Hannah wasn’t about to argue. She dashed into the shop, told Lisa to please handle the counter for a couple more minutes, and filled two mugs with coffee. Andrea didn’t need the caffeine since she was jazzed enough as it was, but Hannah figured she might need a boost before all this was over. She raced through the swinging door to the back room, set the coffee mugs down on the work island, and slid onto a stool close to her sister’s. “All right, Andrea. This has gone on long enough. Out with it.”
Andrea was obviously enjoying this moment. She opened her purse with a flourish, pulled out a large manila envelope, and pushed it over to Hannah.
“What’s this?”
“Open it,” Andrea instructed. “And then tell me again how nice Norman is.”
Pecan Chews
Preheat oven to 350° F, rack in the middle position.
1 cup butter (2 sticks, ? pound)
3 cups brown sugar ***
4 eggs, beaten (with a fork is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pecans
4 cups flour
Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well and let cool. Add beaten eggs and mix. Add salt, baking soda, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. Add flour and mix until flour is thoroughly distributed.
Form dough into balls with your fingers. (Make them the size of a walnut with shell.) Place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Press them down with a spatula. (Spray it with Pam first, or grease it.)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies set up on sheet for one minute, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
(There’s no problem if your recipe calls for dark brown sugar, or light brown sugar—just mix in molasses until it’s the right color.)
(Norman Rhodes adores these, and so does Bill.)
Yield: 8 to 10 dozen, depending on cookie size.