Norman got out the saucepan, and then he stepped behind Hannah and massaged her neck for a moment. “You look so tired. I’m going to be glad when we solve this case and you can get some sleep.”

“So am I!” Hannah said, turning to give him a hug. “I don’t think I’ve had more than six hours total since Ronni was killed.”

They stood there for a long moment. Hannah no longer felt like making the frosting. She wanted to cuddle up with Norman, and perhaps it wasn’t very romantic, but she wanted to go to sleep in the warmth of his arms. Or maybe that was romantic, especially in the true sense of the word. She really wasn’t sure, but she knew it would be pure heaven.

The doorbell rang, and Norman pulled away reluctantly. “I’d better get that. If you’re too tired to make the frosting, I’ve got powdered sugar in the pantry. We can just sprinkle some on top and serve your bar cookies that way.”

“Good idea!” Hannah answered gratefully.

“The only thing that’s good about this night is your egg salad,” Hannah said, rubbing her eyes. They’d fast-forwarded through six hours of tapes, and her eyelids felt like they were propped up with toothpicks. “You did write down the recipe, didn’t you, Norman?”

“Yes, but Cuddles helped me a little. She walked over the ink while it was still wet and made little cat tracks.”

Hannah laughed. She’d had similar experiences with Moishe. There was something about the point of a felt-tip pen that was fascinating to those of the feline persuasion. “Can I still read it?”

“Yes. I typed it up on the computer and printed it out for you.”

“Thanks, Norman.” Hannah snuggled a little deeper into the cushions of the couch in the den. Moishe and Cuddles were sleeping, curled up together, in the round kitty bed in front of the large-screen television set. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Almost ten. We’ve been at this for over three hours.”

“And we’ve gone through six hours. That means sixty hours of tape, fast-forwarded, roughly translates to thirty hours. Can you watch any more, Norman?”

“I don’t think so. I gave Doc Bennett six hours, Lisa and Herb took six hours, and Grandma McCann has six hours. If Michelle and Andrea have watched six hours apiece, that means we have twenty-four hours of tapes to go.”

“Is that like twenty-four bottles of beer on the wall?” Hannah asked, remembering the song they used to sing on the pep squad bus when she was in high school and they went to “away” basketball games.

“Yes, except it might be quicker to drink…never mind. It wasn’t a rational thought. Delores and Mom have a VCR down at Granny’s Attic. Maybe they’ll take turns watching tomorrow, and we can subtract another six hours.”