Part 12 (2/2)
”New guy?”
”He's coming in tomorrow morning. Sheriff Grant hired a really good detective away from the MPD.”
”Why would a Minneapolis detective want to come here?” Hannah was flabbergasted. ”It's got to mean a big salary cut.”
”I know. We only make half as much as the MPD guys do, but I heard that he wanted to move here for personal reasons.”
”Personal reasons?”
”Yeah, he wanted to get out of Minneapolis. I know his wife died. I figure he probably wants to make a fresh start where things don't remind him of her.”
That made sense, but Hannah was still worried. Winnetka County was big, but did the sheriff's department really need two two new detectives? new detectives?
”There's a lot I can learn from his guy, Hannah. I got a chance to peek at his personnel jacket and he's solved a ton of tough cases.”
Hannah nodded and got out her mixing bowls, arranging them in a row. What Bill had just told her disturbed her deeply. If this new man had been hired as a detective, it didn't bode well for Bill's promotion. ”Do you have time to watch the shop for me while I mix up this dough? Lisa should be back any minute and I'll pay you in cookies.”
”Sure.” Bill gave her a big grin. ”I'm on my lunch break.”
Once Bill had left, Hannah gathered the ingredients for the cookies she'd named Black and Whites. While she worked, she thought about the new detective. Bill had said that his wife had died, and Delores was bound to zero in on any new unattached man in town.
Hannah did her best to practice positive thinking as she mixed up the dough. She'd won a jackpot last night, and if her luck held, Bill's new colleague wouldn't be the type of man that her mother would consider as a prospective son-in-law. Unfortunately, as far as Delores was concerned, any ambulatory male without a felony conviction was a viable candidate.
Black and Whites Do not preheat oven yet-dough must chill before baking.
2 cups chocolate chips cup b.u.t.ter (1 sticks) (1 sticks)2 cups brown sugar (or white sugar with a scant 2 tablespoons mola.s.ses mixed in) (or white sugar with a scant 2 tablespoons mola.s.ses mixed in)4 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt2 cups flour (not sifted) (not sifted)approx. cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) (powdered sugar) in a small bowl in a small bowlMelt chocolate chips with b.u.t.ter. (Microwave on high power for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.) (Microwave on high power for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.)Mix in sugar and let cool. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour and mix well.Chill dough for at least 4 hours. (Overnight is even better.) (Overnight is even better.)When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.Roll walnut-sized dough b.a.l.l.s with your hands. (Messy-wear plastic gloves if you wish.) Drop the dough b.a.l.l.s into a bowl with the powdered sugar and roll them around until they're coated. (If the dough gets too warm, stick it back in the refrigerator until you can handle it again.) (If the dough gets too warm, stick it back in the refrigerator until you can handle it again.)Place the b.a.l.l.s on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. (They will flatten when they bake.) (They will flatten when they bake.) Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 14 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12 to 14 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.Made these for the Winnetka County Sheriff's Department Open House, in honor of their four new cruisers.Yield: 6 to 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.
Chapter Fifteen.
Hannah stepped back to a.s.sess her reflection. Her new dress was exquisite. She'd pulled her frizzy red hair back in the ebony clasp her younger sister Mich.e.l.le had sent from an art and jewelry fair they'd held on the Macalester campus, and it actually looked good. And Lisa had been right. Her new shoes couldn't have been more perfect. Hannah looked sophisticated for the first time in her life, and it was a bit of a shock. She also looked s.e.xy, which was even more of a shock, and she hoped that Norman wouldn't think she'd worn this dress just for him.
Moishe yowled from his spot on the bed and Hannah turned to give him a thumbs-up. ”You're right. I know I've never looked this good before. It's a real change, isn't it?”
Moishe yowled again and Hannah a.s.sumed that it was a change he didn't appreciate. He also knew that she was going out again and he didn't appreciate that, either. She dabbed on a bit of perfume from the bottle of Chanel No. Five that her old college roommate had given her years before, and headed off to the kitchen to appease the beast that lived under her roof.
Several kitty treats later and Moishe was happy again. Hannah paced across the floor, waiting for Norman. She didn't dare sit down. Her new dress was black and every chair in her apartment was inundated with orange cat hair. She was just crossing the living room for the sixteenth time when her doorbell chimed.
”Stay!” Hannah used the command voice the dog trainers on television used and Moishe looked startled. It probably didn't work on cats, but there was really no danger of Moishe escaping when she opened the door. He had a full food bowl and he knew when he had a good thing going.
”Hi, Hannah.” Norman looked a little nervous as he thrust out a florist's box. ”Uh...these are for you.”
Hannah smiled and ushered him in. To her surprise, Norman looked much better in his formal clothing than she'd thought he would. ”Thanks, Norman. Just let me get my coat and I'll be ready to go.”
”You'd better put those in water first.” Norman gestured toward the box. ”My mother wanted me to get you a corsage, but I told her that this wasn't a prom date.”
Hannah laughed and led the way to the kitchen to get out a vase. She filled it with water, opened the box, and smiled as she took out a large bunch of pink, white, and yellow daisies. ”Thank you, Norman. They're beautiful and I like them much better than a corsage.”
”You didn't tell me you had a cat.” Norman stared at Moishe, who had lifted his head from the depths of his food dish to examine the stranger who had invaded his kitchen.
Hannah quickly thrust the flowers in the vase and turned to Norman in alarm. ”Sorry. I didn't think to tell you. You're not allergic, are you?”
”Not at all. Cats are some of my favorite people. What's his name?”
”Moishe.”
”After Moshe Dayan?”
”That's right. He's blind in one eye.”
”Perfect name.” Norman bent down and extended his hand. ”Come here and meet me, big guy.”
Hannah watched in amazement as Moishe padded over to Norman and rubbed up against his hand. Her cat had never been this sociable before. Norman scratched him under the chin and she could hear Moishe's purr all the way across the kitchen. ”He likes likes you.” you.”
”I guess he does.”
Hannah watched as Norman scooped Moishe up and tickled his belly, something Moishe usually hated. But her cat just lolled in Norman's arms and looked as blissful as a cat could look.
”Okay, Moishe. We have to go.” Norman carried him out to the living room and set him down on the couch. ”Do you leave the television on for him?”
Hannah nodded, hoping Norman wouldn't think she was crazy. ”It's company for him when I'm gone.”
”That makes sense. I'll do it while you get your coat. Which channel does he like?”
”Anything except Animal Planet. They run vet programs and he hates vets.” Hannah went to the closet and grabbed the coat she'd chosen, a previously owned cashmere that she'd found at Helping Hands. When she came back into the room, Norman was frowning. ”Is there something wrong, Norman?”
”I was just kicking myself for forgetting to tell you how gorgeous you look. I should have said that right away. Mother would have a fit if she knew.”
Hannah laughed. ”So would my mother. Delores made me promise to tell you how nice you you looked and I forgot. If we run into them at the party, we won't mention it. How's that?” looked and I forgot. If we run into them at the party, we won't mention it. How's that?”
”Good.” Norman opened the door and waited for Hannah to step through. ”Uh...Hannah?”
”Yes, Norman?” Hannah double-locked the door with her key and they walked down the stairs to the ground floor.
”We're going to run into them at the party. As a matter of fact, we'll see them before that.”
Hannah winced. ”Don't tell me we're picking them up!”
”Not exactly. I did that already, before I came to get you. They're both waiting for us in the backseat of my car.”
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