Killer Cupcakes (A Lexy Baker Bakery Mystery) Read online

  Jason appeared wrapping a soothing arm around his mother who dissolved into tears. Addressing the crowd, he said softly, “Mamma’s under a lot of stress, she doesn’t know what she is saying.”

  A sympathetic murmur ran through the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Lexy start to back away. He released Ellen’s arm, then took one long step towards Lexy. Grabbing her by the elbow, he propelled her towards the back door, her shorter legs moving at double speed to try to keep up with him.

  ***

  “What are you doing here?” Jack demanded in a low voice.

  “I wanted to give my condolences.” Jack could tell by her voice it wasn’t the only reason she was there. He felt his right eyebrow raise in question.

  “Really - Jason and I have been friends for a long time and I knew Ellen pretty good.” Her look of innocence didn’t fool Jack but it did distract him. His thoughts turning to her pouty lips and wide eyes instead of on the investigation at hand.

  “Yes, it seems she was a big fan of yours,” Jack said sarcastically.

  “She never really did warm to me. I guess no one was good enough for her little boy.” Lexy’s soft, green eyes looked up into his causing Jacks heart to melt a little. “Thanks for sticking up for me in there.”

  Jack nodded in response. He looked down at her, the detective in him wanted to ask more questions about why she was at the wake to find out if she knew something about the case. The man in him wanted an excuse to spend more time with her. He quickly came up with a way to satisfy them both.

  “Have you eaten supper yet?”

  Lexy looked at her watch. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast... I guess I am kind of hungry.”

  “Great, lets go to my favorite place and grab a burger.” Jack threw the invitation out casually as if it was no big deal wondering why, if it really was no big deal, did he feel so nervous.

  He saw Lexy hesitate. He thought she might be about to say no, but after a second she smiled. “Sure, why not. Maybe you can tell me more about your progress on the case and let me know when I can finally get my business opened.”

  “Great, we can take my car and then I’ll drop you back here after.” He set off towards the corner of the parking lot and Lexy followed. Leading her over to the passenger side of his Ford SUV, he opened the door for her watching her climb in. He glanced appreciatively at her curvy calfs as she pulled them up into the cab, his glance lingering long enough to notice her stiletto heeled shoes. His provocative thoughts about her shapely calves were interrupted, his mind going back to the crime scene and the unmistakable heel prints left around Kevin’s house.

  Chapter Eight

  Ten minutes later, they were seated in a cozy booth at the Burger Barn, a family restaurant located in an old renovated barn. Jack liked the quaint atmosphere. Antique signs and farm memorabilia decorated the barn board walls and the lighting was moderate - not too dim and not too bright. The seating was comfortable and the burgers were the best in town.

  Jack glanced over at Lexy. Judging by the way she was shoveling her burger into her mouth, she either agreed they were delicious or she hadn’t eaten in a very long time.

  “Good burgers,” he said, smiling at the gob of ketchup she had on the side of her mouth. “You have some ketchup here....” he pointed to the side of his mouth with his finger.

  “Oh!” Lexy picked up a napkin and swiped at the side of her mouth. “Thanks.” she mumbled around her mouthful of burger, her face taking on a sheepish grin.

  “They are good,” she agreed after finishing up her bite. She picked up a sweet potato fry and nibbled on the end. “So, detective, is there anything more you can tell me about the case?”

  Jack looked over at her smiling at him from across the table. Hey shouldn’t I be asking the questions?

  “Well, I can’t talk to much about the details but I do know they are sifting through the ingredients from your bakery now. You should be able to open soon.” Jack’s answer seemed mechanical - impersonal. He mentally kicked himself for not being more entertaining.

  Jack prided himself on being a good conversationalist. He was usually able to charm any woman on a date. But this wasn’t a date. Did he want it to be? No, he definitely didn’t want it to be a date - he just wanted to find out what Lexy knew about Kevin’s murder. He got the distinct impression she knew something he didn’t.

  Jack had to admit he felt a strong attraction to Lexy, but dating just wasn’t in the cards for him. His work was his main focus and women just seemed to get in the way of that. His last girlfriend had dumped him because he spent too much time at work and not enough time with her and he just didn’t need that to happen again with Lexy especially since her house was practically right in his back yard.

  “What about a motive?” Lexy’s question pulled Jack’s attention back to the table.

  “Motive? You sound like you’ve been brushing up on detective-speak.” Jack said with a laugh.

  “Well, the murderer must have had a reason to do what they did.”

  “Well sure, “ he put on his most charming smile.” Of course, you have the usual reasons - jealousy, anger, revenge.”

  “But this was premeditated, so it wasn’t a ... what do they call it?” Lexy looked up and bit her lower lip searching for the term. Jack could almost see the lightbulb go off over her head as she remembered it. “Crime of passion!”

  “Sure, so it wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. It must have been something someone planned. Do you know anyone who would have a reason for wanting Kevin dead so much they would plan it?” Jack tried to slip the question in casually to catch her off guard, just in case she did have some idea who did it.

  “No, do you?” She smiled at him sweetly. Jack could have sworn she was batting her eyelashes. Was she flirting with him? Jack was surprised to discover he didn’t mind if she was.

  Jack decided to throw Lexy a little bone in the hopes she might reciprocate. “We haven’t come up with much, but we do know Kevin may have been involved in some sort of blackmail scheme.”

  “Blackmail?” Lexy looked perplexed. “Who in the world would he be blackmailing?”

  “Well if we knew that,” Jack said, “then we’d already have our killer.”

  Lexy looked deep in thought, after a few seconds she said “A strange man threatened me at the wake today.”

  Jack leaned forward, listening intently. This could be the clue he was looking for. “What did he say?”

  “He warned me not to mess around looking for Kevin’s killer. He said if I did I’d be sorry.” Jack could see Lexy give a little shiver as she said the last words.

  “What did he look like? Did you get his name? How did he know Kevin?” Jack slipped into detective mode, rattling off the questions in quick order.

  “He looked disheveled. He wore rumpled clothes and he hadn’t shaved in days. Medium height, dark hair with a tinge of gray. He seemed nervous. Honestly, it all happened so fast I didn’t find out anything about him except he said he knew Kevin well.”

  “Oh.” Jack was a little disappointed with the lack of information, but interested at least someone out there had answers, now it was up to Jack to try to find him.

  Jack looked over at Lexy, his face becoming serious. “Lexy, you’d be smart to heed that guys warning. Messing around in this case could be very dangerous. I hope you’re not taking things into your own hands?”

  “Oh, no... I wouldn’t know the first thing about looking for a murderer.” Lexy said.

  Jack felt his eyes narrow, she sounded a little too sincere, he thought. He didn’t think she was lying to him .. not exactly... but he did get the distinct impression Lexy Baker was crossing her fingers behind her back when she implied she wouldn’t be meddling in the investigation.

  ***

  They rode back to the funeral parlor in comfortable silence. Lexy was surprised, and a bit dismayed, to discover she had enjoyed Jack’s company.

  She’d even liked flirting with him, although
she told herself it was to try to get information. It had paid off too because now, at least, the blackmail angle gave her something to go on. She felt a little bad about not telling Jack that Kevin had been asking about her but she figured it might not be smart to tell him things which could cast suspicion on her.

  Jack parked near her car, then jumped out to open the door for her. They walked over to her car slowly, enjoying the warm summer evening, the sound of peepers chirping filled the honeysuckle scented air.

  Lexy unlocked her car turning to face Jack. “Thanks for supper. I can’t believe I’ve never been there before - the food is wonderful!”

  “You’re welcome,” Jack said, then reached into his pocket producing the key to her bakery. “Here’s your key. I’m sorry about having to keep your bakery closed.”

  Lexy reached out to retrieve the key and her fingers brushed his as she took it, causing a tingle of excitement.

  Lexy looked up at him, her stomach flip flopped at the way he was looking at her with his gorgeous golden brown eyes. Was he going to kiss her?

  Jack leaned in towards her. She felt her breath catch in her throat. His lips met hers. Soft. Casual.

  Lexy snaked an arm around his neck, pressing her body closer, wanting more. She felt his strong arms around her waist, pulling her in tighter. His lips pressing harder. His tongue probing.

  The shrill ring of Jacks cell phone broke the spell. He pulled away, wrenching the phone from is pocket.

  “Hello,” he barked the greeting into the phone. “Yes. Where. Darling. I’ll be there.”

  He turned to Lexy. “I’m sorry, I have to go out on a call. I’ll call you later.” The last sentence was more a question than a statement.

  Lexy, managed a nod, still too breathless from the kiss to speak. She watched him get in his car and speed off.

  Lexy stood in the parking lot for a moment, her lips still burning from his kiss. What the heck had she been thinking?

  Even though she couldn’t deny the warm, tingly glow she felt when she was near him, kissing the handsome detective could add a bunch of complications to her life which she just didn’t need now - and who had he called darling on the phone?

  Her eyelid started to twitch nervously. The last thing Lexy needed was to get involved with a guy who had a girlfriend. Better to keep her hormones in check and stay away from Detective Jack Perillo.

  She hopped in her car. Being in an empty funeral parlor parking lot at night creeped her out. She couldn’t help but think of the man she had talked to at the wake. She wasn’t sure what he had meant or if his words were a warning intended to keep her safe or a threat intended to scare her off.

  Chapter Nine

  Lexy slipped into her chair delicately balancing a chocolate croissant in one hand and a caramel latte in the other. She glanced around the room in the contemporary style cafe noting the modern purple and green colors, comfortable booth seating and scrolly architecture design. Maybe she should get more comfortable chairs for the Cup and Cake?

  A heavy sigh escaped her lips at the thought of her bakery, wondering how long it would be until she could open it again and if being closed would hurt business. Having to buy all new ingredients wasn’t helping her bank account any. She felt a rush of anger at the police department.

  “Why so glum?” Cassie slid into the other side of the booth.

  “Oh, I was just thinking about the bakery and wondering when we can open again.” Lexy said, her heart feeling a slight squeeze at her predicament.

  Cassie nodded in sympathy, dipping her tea bag into a steaming cup of water. “Maybe what I found out from Tom McGraw will cheer you up, then.”

  Lexy raised her eyebrows. “You talked to him? What did he say?”

  “He said Kevin had been acting a little cagey lately - withdrawn. He also said it looked like Kevin had come into some money but he was keeping pretty quiet about it.”

  “Really? That’s interesting because last night Jack said they thought Kevin might have been involved in some sort of blackmail scheme.” Lexy thought back to the previous night feeling her cheeks grow hot at the memory of Jack’s kiss.

  “Jack?” Cassie raised a pierced eyebrow.

  “Detective Perillo. I saw him at the wake and then talked to him .... after.”

  “Oh, that hunky detective who came to the bakery?” Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute, you’re being kind of cagey yourself - what’s going on?”

  Lexy rolled her eyes. Her old friend could always tell when she was trying to hide something from her. “There’s nothing going on. I saw him at the wake and we grabbed a burger. Did I mention he is also my neighbor?”

  “He is? You forgot to mention that. So have you known him long? You never said anything about him before.” Lexy saw Cassie’s mouth form a smirk, she knew her friend was picturing a romance between Lexy and Jack.

  “No, actually I met him the night before he came to the bakery. I saw him at the wake and took my opportunity to get information from him.” Lexy said nonchalantly, purposely leaving out the part about the kiss. “Anyway, I think he has a girlfriend.”

  “Oh, too bad. All the good ones seem to be taken.” Cassie said with a sigh. “So, anyway, did you find out anything at the wake?”

  Lexy told Cassie about what she had learned. How Jason said Kevin had mentioned her. How the lady with the expensive red shoes had been balling her eyes out. And the warning from the disheveled man. When she got to the last part, she saw Cassie’s eyes widen and heard her take a sharp breath.

  “Oh Lexy, you better be careful! Maybe looking into this stuff isn’t such a good idea.” Cassie said, concern softening her jet black eyes.

  “Oh, I’ll be careful.” Lexy’s heart warmed at her friends care, she didn’t want her to worry. Even though Cassie looked tough on the outside, she was a marshmallow on the inside. “Besides, once the bakery is opened I can just drop the whole thing. That’s all I really care about.”

  “Speaking of which,” Lexy added, “Can you remember who might have bought cupcakes tops the day Kevin died? The murderer must have come in to the shop to buy the cupcake tops - or sent someone in to get them.”

  Both girls were silent for a few minutes trying to remember.

  “It’s so hard to remember,” Cassie said. “Every day seems to just blend into each other. I know we have the regulars, but I don’t remember anyone who would stand out.... Wait! I do remember someone who seemed a little off... he smelled like booze and looked a little grungy. I remember wondering why someone like that would want cupcakes.”

  Lexy thought back to the man at the wake - he had smelled like booze. “The man who threatened me at the wake smelled like booze.... I also remember seeing someone with expensive shoes come in, but I can’t remember what day. I didn’t get a good look at her though - I was too busy admiring the shoes.”

  “I guess thats not much to go on either way.” Lexy said, feeling disappointment settle in her stomach like a heavy brick.

  She shoved the last piece of croissant in her mouth. “I guess we should get going. I need to get to the bakery and accept the deliveries so we can restock the pantry. Nans called - she wants me to come over later to update the ladies on our progress,” she said with a wry smile.

  Lexy felt like they hadn’t made much progress at all. Sure, they had a few clues but Lexy didn’t feel like they were any closer to finding the killer or getting her bakery open. She felt anxious and scared, she looked forward to meeting with Nans later that day. Maybe the Ladies Detective Club would have made better progress then her and Cassie.

  Chapter Ten

  Lexy got out of her car in the parking lot of the Brook Ridge Retirement community center in a cloud of flour dust. She’d spent the afternoon at the bakery waiting for delivery men and logging and stocking ingredients. Somehow she’d gotten flour all over her black tee-shirt and jeans. She batted at her clothing to try to brush it all off.

  Lexy opened the door to the community area. Nans cam
e rushing over to greet her.

  “Lexy - we’ve get something very interesting to talk to you about!” Nans grabbed Lexy’s hand, pulling her over to the round table where the women from the Ladies Detective Club were waiting.

  “Good to see you too, Nans.” Lexy’s sarcastic smile made Nans laugh.

  “Sorry dear.” Nans gave Lexy a hug. “Of course, its always wonderful to see you. Now sit.” She pointed towards an empty chair.

  Nans, whipped out her iPad. Placing it on the table, she turned it so Lexy could see the screen. The ladies leaned in towards the center of the table excitedly.

  “We found something that might be a clue.” Nans said in a hushed whisper, her eyes dramatically darting from side to side, her fingers deftly clicked the icons on the tablet.

  Lexy looked down at the image of a newspaper page, the headline read Bridge Repair Fund Missing Money. “A news story?” She looked up at Nans.

  Nans nodded. “The story says a government project to repair bridges has been found to have funds missing. The project is one of Jason’s pet projects. Read it and you’ll see for yourself.”

  Lexy picked up the iPad to read the story while the ladies watched her in anticipatory silence.

  Putting the iPad down, Lexy bit her bottom lip. “This is interesting, but it says they don’t actually know where the money went. I mean it could just be lost in the system.”

  “Or someone could have embezzled it. Maybe somehow Kevin was involved - being Jason’s brother he might have had an in - and that’s what got him killed.” Ida interjected from the other side of the table. The other ladies nodded in agreement.

  “But why use my cupcakes to do it?”

  “Probably just a coincidence. Poison is a non violent way to kill someone and you are the only bakery in town...” Nans let the sentence trail off.

  “Now, tell us what you found out at the wake.” Nans leaned closer, her eyes as big as saucers.