Part 24 (1/2)
”Makes sense,” Hannah said, considering the possibilities. She wasn't sure how it all tied in, but Rhonda had worked at the drugstore. Maybe the fact that some of the stolen money had ended up there didn't have anything to do with Rhonda's murder, but it was certainly interesting.
”Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” Andrea turned to her.
”Yes,” Hannah said quickly. ”We need to find out more about that old bank robbery.”
”h.e.l.lo down there!”
All three sisters turned to see Norman standing at the top of the steps that led to the dock.
”Is it okay if I come down? Or is this a sisterly bonding moment?”
”We're already bonded,” Hannah said with a laugh. ”That happened the first time Mother tried to make us eat canned peas. Come on.”
Once Norman had joined them on the dock, Hannah tossed him the mosquito repellent. ”You'd better use this. The mosquitoes are thick tonight.”
”Thanks, but I don't need it.”
”What do you mean, you don't need it? They're bloodthirsty. I thought I was going to need a transfusion before I could get the cap off the bottle.”
”Mosquitoes don't bite me.”
”What?!”
”It's true,” Norman said and he looked perfectly sincere. ”I don't know why, but mosquitoes just leave me alone.”
”Do you take some kind of vitamin supplement?” Mich.e.l.le asked.
”No.”
LEMON MERINGUE PEE MURDER 213.
”How about soap?” Andrea suggested. ”Do you use a special kind?”
”Just whatever's on sale at CostMart.”
Hannah began to frown. As far as she knew, mosquitoes bit everyone. They certainly regarded her as a five-course dinner, complete with dessert and beverage. Norman must be putting them on and she'd call his bluff. ”I don't believe you, Norman. Roll up your sleeve and stick out your arm. I want to see this for myself.”
”Okay,” Norman said agreeably, rolling up his sleeve.
All three sisters watched as a small cloud of mosquitoes descended, each of them emitting a high-pitched, irritating whine. One of them almost landed on Norman's bare arm, but it veered away at the last minute.
”See?” Norman grinned. ”They just don't like me.”
Hannah gave up in defeat. It was true. Mosquitoes didn't like Norman. But could she love someone the mosquitoes didn't like? She'd have to think about that later. Right now, they still had the problem of Mich.e.l.le's ten-dollar bill to solve.
”I guess I'd better bring you up to date,” Hannah told him. ”Mich.e.l.le got a ten-dollar bill today and we found out it was part of the loot from a bank robbery.”
Norman listened while Hannah explained. ”And you need to find out more about that old bank robbery?” he asked.
”That's right”
”And it happened in Redwing in nineteen seventy-four?”
”That's what Doug Greerson told me.”
”Then it's easy. It must have been a lead story in the local newspapers at the time. I'll check to see if any of them have archives on-line.”
”You can do that?” Hannah was impressed. Her computer skills were limited.
”No problem. I've got my laptop in the car. Do you want me to get on-line right now?”
”Not now.” Hannah shook her head. ”I want to keep this private.”
214 ”Private, as in not telling Bill or Mike?”
”That's right. I'm already involved in investigating Rhonda's murder and they're okay with that. But if they find out that Mich.e.l.le is the one who had that ten-dollar bill, they'll have to tell the Feds. Mich.e.l.le doesn't need that. They'll ask her a million useless questions and ruin her vacation.”
”You've got a point. How about if I come over to your condo with my laptop when the party breaks up?”
”That'd be great.” Hannah looked up as she heard footsteps. Mike and Bill were coming down the stairs.
Bill was the first on the dock and he walked over to Andrea. ”We've got to take off, honey. We just got word that the autopsy report's in and we need to go over some things with Doc. Tracey wants to know if it's okay if she stays out here overnight. Delores and Carrie promised to play a board game with her.”
”Tell her it's fine. She loves to stay overnight with Grandma.”
”That'll work out perfectly,” Mich.e.l.le said. ”Tracey can have my bed and then Mother won't be alone.”
Hannah turned to her youngest sister in surprise. ”Alone? Where are you going?”
”I've got a date.”
”Don't let him take you to any isolated spots,” Mike jumped into the conversation. ”We still haven't caught Rhonda's killer.”
Mich.e.l.le laughed. ”You don't have to worry about me. I'll be perfectly safe.”
”Are you sure?” Mike still looked concerned.
”I'm positive. I'm going out with Lonnie Murphy.”
Hannah stifled a laugh. That ought to take the wind out of Mike's sails. Lonnie was the newest hire at the Winnetka County Sheriff's Department and Mike liked him. Lonnie's older brother, Rick, had been with the department for three years, and Mike had told Hannah that eventually the two Murphy brothers might make a good detective team.
^lou said Tracey could have your bed,” Mike reminded Mich.e.l.le. ”Are you planning to stay out all night?”
215.
”Of course not, but Lonnie and I went to high school together and we've got a lot of catching up to do. It could be a late night. I don't want to wake Mother when I come in, so I was going to ask Hannah if I could stay with her.”