Leighann Dobbs - Lexy Baker 09 - Ice Cream Murder Read online

  Olivia must be getting a tidy sum despite what she implied. There seemed to be no love lost between Olivia and Daddy. And if her allowance wasn’t enough to keep her dogs in kibble and her feet in Jimmy Choo’s, maybe she finally got fed up and killed him.

  Chapter Six

  Lexy pulled up in front of the Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center bright and early the next morning. Nans, Ruth, Ida and Helen were waiting just outside the front door with colorful spring blouses on, their giant purses dangling from their arms.

  The morning sun reflected off the glass doors as the women walked toward her car. It was almost nine o’clock and Lexy should have been elbow deep in flour at the bakery, but Nans had plans to talk to Lawrence Banks today and Lexy couldn’t resist tagging along. Plus, she couldn’t wait to tell the ladies about her talk with Olivia.

  Helen opened the back door and gestured for Ruth and Ida to pile in. Lexy marveled at how the three ladies could fold themselves into the tiny backseat of her Volkswagen.

  “Hurry up, Ruth. We haven’t got all day.” Ida shoved Ruth from behind.

  “Hey, watch it,” Ruth yelled over her shoulder as she navigated the backseat. “I strained something on my side in yoga last night. Give me a break.”

  “I told you not to try that sideways crane pose,” Nans admonished, sliding into the passenger seat.

  “What? You think you’re the only one that can do that pose?” Ruth’s eyes challenged Nans’ in the rear view mirror.

  “What’s the sideways crane pose?” Lexy asked while Ida and Helen took their places in the back.

  “Oh, never mind that,” Nans said. “It’s just a yoga pose. I’m more interested in hearing what you learned from Olivia.”

  Lexy pulled out onto the main drag, telling them about the hushed conversation she’d overheard and how Olivia wasn’t close to her father and admitted that Regis barely gave her enough to live on.

  “That sounds like motive right there,” Ida said.

  “Yeah, but she seemed to think Regis didn’t leave her very much in the will. She claimed Winston would get most of it.”

  “I wonder if that’s true,” Nans said. “We need to find out what’s in the will.”

  “I’m on that,” Ruth chimed in from the back seat. “I have a call into my friend, Shirley Russell. She works for Greenburg, Lewis, Morgan and Slate.”

  “Who?” Ida looked sideways at Ruth, her brows dipped in a wrinkly ‘V’.

  “That’s the law firm Regis Banks used. She said she’d be willing to take a peek at the will for a dozen éclairs.” Ruth tapped Lexy on the shoulder. “Can you whip those up?”

  “Sure.” Lexy made a mental note to bake extra éclairs when she got to the bakery later on.

  “Olivia could just be saying that, too,” Ida added. “You know, to make it look like she didn’t have a motive.”

  “Well, she was sitting next to him.” Lexy turned into the Farmer’s Market parking lot.

  “And Winston was on his other side,” Nans added. “If what Olivia said is true and Winston is getting most everything, then I’m putting my money on him.”

  “Well, let’s see what Lawrence says.” Lexy pulled into a parking spot. “Just how do you plan to get him to talk to us, anyway?”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Nans said, unhooking her seatbelt and opening the door. “People love to talk to old ladies. We’ll just tell him we’re friends of his father.”

  The Farmer’s Market took place in a large warehouse type building. It was a fairly new endeavor that featured local food combined with organic items sourced from other areas. Today, it bustled with activity.

  Lexy scanned the interior which consisted of various stands much the same as you’d find in an outdoor market.

  “Over there.” Ruth pointed to the left and Lexy recognized Lawrence in a black tee-shirt and khaki pants, hefting watermelons onto a display cart. She calculated his age at late sixties, but he still seemed quite spry.

  Nans led the way past displays of colorful produce resting on chipped ice, barrels of dried fruit and a section of grind-your-own organic coffee beans that smelled like heaven.

  Lawrence noticed the five of them marching toward him when they were about five feet away. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, aren’t you Lawrence Banks?” Nans asked.

  Lawrence’s brows rose in surprise. “I am, but everyone calls me Larry.”

  “Okay, Larry. I’m Mona and this is Ruth, Ida, Helen and my granddaughter, Lexy.” Nans pointed out each of them in turn. “We were friends of your Dad’s and wanted to come to pay our respects.”

  “Oh, thanks.” Larry brushed his hands throughout his crew cut and narrowed his eyes at Nans. “You ladies look awfully young to be friends of my father’s.”

  Nans blushed and patted her short, gray curls. “Why, thank you. I know he was a lot older, but we knew him from senior activities.”

  “We were at his birthday party,” Ruth said.

  “That must have been awful for you.” Helen turned watery eyes on Larry and his face softened.

  “Yes, it was,” Larry said. “But he was one-hundred years old and there are worse ways to go. He lived long enough.”

  “Sounds like you and your father didn’t get along,” Ida said.

  “Well, as you know, he was all about corporate profits no matter what the cost. I just didn’t share his views. I’m about saving the planet.” Larry spread his arms, gesturing out into the store. “I try to do what I can here to help promote local foods and organic growing practices. Do you realize that if we keep up the way we are, we’ll ruin the whole earth?”

  Lexy noticed the obvious passion in Larry’s voice. “So you never wanted to work for Banks Development like Winston?”

  “No. If Winston and Father had their way, they’d pave the whole planet.”

  “But, surely you would have made a lot of money working there,” Nans said.

  “Oh, sure, I’d make a lot more money. But I don’t care about money. I live a simple life. Heck, Dad even tried to get me to live in one of the buildings on his estate, but I prefer to rent my cabin in the woods. Winston, on the other hand … well, let’s just say he liked the money.”

  “I’ve heard. You two sure are different for brothers,” Nans said.

  “I’ll say.” Larry’s lips tightened into a thin line and his eyes glazed into a faraway look. “Dad gave all of us an allowance, but I donated mine to causes that help the planet. Winston spent his and then some.”

  “And then some?” Nans prompted.

  Larry’s eyes cleared and he shook his head. “Winston used to be a good guy but lately he seems to have lost his way.”

  “What do you mean?” Nans persisted.

  “Fell into a bad habit, I guess.” Larry glanced at the floor, his face a tide of emotions. “The whole family seems to have drifted apart and I just wish we could all be closer, even if we do have our differences. Maybe then I could help him—”

  “Larry, are these on sale—” A woman had walked up, her eyes on a bunch of arugula she held in her hand. She stopped abruptly when she looked up and saw Larry talking to the group. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize … do I know you?”

  Lexy narrowed her eyes. She recognized the red-head from the birthday party—it was Winston’s wife! But she looked different now—happy.

  “Do you know my sister-in-law, Evelyn?” Larry asked, then turned to Evelyn. “These are friends of Dad’s. They were at the party.”

  “Oh, right. I thought they looked familiar.” She smiled and nodded a greeting.

  “You work here?” Nans narrowed her eyes at Evelyn.

  “Why, yes.” Evelyn glanced at Larry, looking a bit taken aback at the incredulous tone of Nans’ voice. “I’m trying to help support local farmers—the few we have left anyway—and support organic farming and earth safe practices.”

  “Oh, sorry. I just thought with your husband being a vice president over at Banks Development …” Nans let the se
ntence trial off.

  Evelyn’s face grew hard at the mention of Winston. She tugged at the sleeve of her tee-shirt and Lexy noticed a bruise on her arm. Olivia’s words about Evelyn suffering the brunt of Winston’s temper came back to her. Had Winston been hitting Evelyn?

  “One doesn’t have to share all the same values as one’s husband. I’m not as keen on developing every piece of land into a mall as Winston is.” Evelyn turned to Larry and held up the arugula. “Sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering if I should put the sale sign on these.”

  “Yes, those are on sale.” Larry turned to Nans and the ladies. “We’re having a big sale today. In fact, we’re practically giving away organic raspberries over there. Why don’t you check them out?”

  Larry pushed Nans gently toward a cart loaded with plump dark-pink berries.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Nans started reluctantly toward the cart. Lexy knew Nans wanted to ask more questions, but was smart enough to know when she was being dismissed. No sense in being too aggressive and making him suspicious.

  They walked over to the cart and Lexy picked up a pint of plump berries. Just the sight of them made her mouth water, especially when she envisioned them baked into scones. She inspected the pint with one eye, keeping the other eye on Larry and Winston’s wife, Evelyn, who had their heads together in the corner, whispering and smiling.

  “Well, that was enlightening,” Nans whispered as she squeezed a tangerine.

  “It was?” Ruth held a cantaloupe up to her ear and tapped the side. “It doesn’t seem like Larry would be the killer. You heard him … he doesn’t care about money.”

  “Not Larry,” Nans said. “Winston. If you read between the lines, Larry was clearly saying that Winston has a big problem. And that problem could be behind the murder. We just need to find out what it is.”

  ***

  “How are we going to find out Winston’s secret?” Ruth asked from the backseat of Lexy’s car as they drove back to the retirement center.

  “Simple, we’ll ask someone who knows him,” Nans replied.

  “Who?” Helen asked.

  “At the party it looked like he and the wife weren’t getting along,” Lexy said.

  “Ha! See, all the more reason to believe he was up to something.”

  “But we can’t ask his wife.” Ida chewed her bottom lip. “We need to find someone we know in common.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Nans said. “Ruth, you work your magic on the internet. Find out every charity and board that Winston was on. I’m sure between the five of us we’ll find someone we know.”

  “What about Olivia?” Lexy took a left into the retirement center parking lot. “It seemed like she had a secret, too.”

  “Yes, we shouldn’t discount her.” Nans unhooked her seatbelt as Lexy pulled up to the front of the building. “Maybe you can try to find out more at the next agility class? If you befriend her, you could get the inside scoop.”

  Lexy frowned at Nans. “I hardly think we’d be good friends. She’s too ‘high society’.”

  “But you have a love of dogs in common,” Helen reminded her as she slid out of the backseat.

  Lexy thought about Norman Shea and his threat to write the article. If making friends with Olivia would help find out what really happened with the ice cream, then she’d have to do it. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Great!” Nans hopped out of the passenger seat.

  Ida slid out of the back with Ruth right behind her. Ruth leaned her head in as she turned to shut the door.

  “And Lexy,” she said. “You better get baking those éclairs today. I’ll be seeing Shirley tomorrow at noon so we can find out what’s really in the will.”

  Chapter Seven

  “I need to bake an extra batch of éclairs today. Do you think we can fit it in?” Lexy asked Cassie who was bent-over the stove, retrieving a baking sheet full of peanut butter cookies.

  “Sure. We can do those next.” Cassie squatted down and opened one of the bottom cabinets, her blonde spiked hair sticking up from behind the door. “And you can tell me what’s going on with the Regis Banks death.”

  Lexy’s stomach clenched. “Why? Did you hear something?”

  “No.” Cassie retrieved a large, stainless steel bowl and put it on the marble topped island in the center of the room. “I was just wondering how it was going.”

  “Oh. I was afraid Norman had written that article.”

  “He hasn’t. I asked my cousin down at the paper and she said he told her he was working on something secret but still had to chase down some facts.” Cassie grabbed milk, eggs and unsalted butter from the fridge.

  Lexy brought over the sugar, cornstarch and a vanilla bean. She split the bean down the length. The scent of vanilla perfumed the air. She carefully scraped the seeds out of the bean pod while she filled Cassie in on her talks with Olivia and Lawrence.

  “So you think Winston did it?” Cassie held out the saucepan full of milk and Lexy scraped the seeds in.

  “He was sitting next to Regis. He could have easily switched the ice cream bowls.” Lexy separated the yolks from the eggs into a bowl and added sugar, double checking to make sure it was sugar and not salt and started beating.

  “You really think he would kill his own father?” Cassie shuddered as she stirred the milk mixture.

  Lexy shrugged. “People do drastic things when they need money.”

  “True dat.” Cassie removed the pan from the stove just as the bells chimed out in the store part of the bakery.

  “Is it my turn?” Lexy asked. When the shop wasn’t busy, the girls spent their time in the kitchen, each taking turns when a customer came in.

  “Yep.”

  Lexy wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and straightened her pink-cupcake pattern apron before heading toward the opening that led to the front of the store.

  George Finley stood in front of the glass pastry case, bent over slightly, looking in at the muffins. He looked up as Lexy approached the case, a smile on his lips.

  “Hey ya, Lexy.”

  “Hi, George. What can I get for you today?”

  “Well, I’m trying to make up my mind.” His blue eyes sparkled beneath white, bushy brows. George was a regular, coming in once a week for a supply of baked goods. “Everything looks so good.”

  “Thanks.” Lexy beamed at the compliment, standing patiently behind the case while George looked over the assortment of muffins, cookies, bars, cakes and scones. The smell of coffee from the self-serve station in the corner wafted over and Lexy felt a pang in her stomach—she could sure use a cup.

  “Let me know when you’ve decided.” Lexy grabbed a clean dish towel and headed over to the coffee station, wiping it clean and then pouring a steaming mug for herself.

  Turning around, she surveyed the cafe tables she had set up next to the window for customers who wanted to linger over coffee and pastry. They were spotless, but she wiped them down anyway, mostly out of habit.

  Lexy felt a swell of pride as she glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling storefront window at the view of the waterfall across the street. The view was one of the things that had sold her on this space in the old mill building. It had taken years of hard work to get this far. She couldn’t let that one incident with Regis Banks ruin everything.

  A blur of beige went by and something niggled Lexy’s memory. Was that the car that she’d seen behind her on the way to the agility class?

  “I heard about Regis Banks,” George said as if reading her mind. Lexy’s stomach sank. She turned to look at him, forgetting about the beige car. If word had gotten out already, people might avoid the bakery.

  “Yeah, that was awful,” she said.

  “Awful? I think it was about time.”

  “Excuse me?” Lexy’s brows knit together. She walked back toward the case, staring at George.

  “Oh, I know it sounds mean, but I’m glad the old goat is dead.”

  “Really? You didn’t like him?”r />
  “Not too many did.”

  “Why?”

  George frowned. “He might have been a good businessman, but he was a terrible person. Do you know how he came by all the land that made him rich?”

  Lexy shook her head. “Not really. I just assumed he bought it.”

  “Bought it? He stole it. Ripped it right out from under poor, unsuspecting folks. Hard working folks like you and me.”

  “Stole it? But how could he—”

  “I don’t mean he did anything illegal. No, he was too smart for that. He skirted right along the edge of the law. Preyed on families in distress and worked them until they sold the land at dirt cheap prices.” George pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Used some sneaky, underhanded tricks too.”

  “I never heard that.”

  “Well, most people don’t like to talk about it. The families it happened to were probably embarrassed. But if you ask me, there are a lot of people who wanted him dead, even if he was already old. Some would have loved the satisfaction of doing him in themselves.” George shrugged, then tapped on the glass front of the case. “I’ll take a half dozen of those raspberry scones.”

  Lexy boxed up the scones, her mind whirling as she cashed George out and bid him goodbye. She hadn’t considered that Regis might have an enemy that would want him dead. But, again, who would go to the trouble of killing a one-hundred year old man?

  Her phone chirped and she pulled it out of her pocket. Nans.

  “Hi, Lexy. Can you put together a box of assorted pastries for tomorrow morning?”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Ruth discovered that Winston Banks serves on the same charity board with Stanley McKitterick. We know Stan. In fact, he’s kind of sweet on Helen.”

  “I made a discovery of my own today,” Lexy said. She searched the pastry case deciding what to put in the box.

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yep. George Finley was in and he told me that Regis was a little sketchy in his business dealings.”

  “I’d heard he was a tough businessman.”