“There’s no need. I’ll make a big bowl of that egg salad you liked. We can have ours on lettuce with sliced tomatoes. Everybody else can have sandwiches.”

“I’ll bring something for dessert.”

“That’s fine. Make it something they can eat while we watch the tapes. We’ll try to get through as many as we can tonight.”

“If we don’t finish, I can always take some home to Grandma McCann,” Andrea offered. “She can watch some during the day while Bethany’s napping and Tracey’s in school.”

“Good idea. I’ll see if I can get Doc Bennett to watch a couple for me tonight. When he came into the clinic this morning, he said there was nothing he wanted to watch on regular television and it was pretty sad to have to judge his bedtime by the number of One Eight-Hundred Dentist commercials he’d seen.”

Hannah chuckled at that. “I’d ask Mother and Carrie, but they’re going out to The Moosehead tonight. Maybe we can ask them tomorrow if they’re in a good mood.”

“Maybe,” Norman said as he closed the briefcase and snapped it shut. “Bring Moishe with you tonight. Cuddles is home now.”

“She got the mouse at your dental clinic?”

“Yes, she did. She’s a good hunter.”

“You found the carcass?”

“I found part of it. She’s a good eater, too.”

Hannah laughed. She knew exactly what Norman meant. Moishe often left her select mouse parts to let her know that he appreciated living with her.

“See you tonight,” Norman said, turning toward the door.

“Norman?” Hannah gave him her most winning smile. “Will you do something just for me?”

“That depends on what it is.”

“This time please write down the recipe for your egg salad. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”

NORMAN’S EGG SALAD

4 cups peeled and chopped hard-boiled eggs.*** (That’s about a dozen extra large eggs—measure after chopping)

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (make your own or use real crumbled bacon from a can—I used Hormel Premium Real Crumbled Bacon)

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley (it’s better if it’s fresh, but you can use dried parsley flakes if you don’t have fresh on hand)

1/4 cup grated carrots (for color and a bit of sweetness)

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Best Foods, which is Hellmann’s in some states)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1/2 teaspoon freshly minced garlic)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or 1 teaspoon freshly minced onion)

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Add the crumbled bacon, the parsley, and the grated carrots. Mix well.