Killer Cupcakes (A Lexy Baker Bakery Mystery) Read online

  “What were you thinking?” Jack demanded. “You could have been killed!”

  Lexy felt her cheeks grow hot, she looked down at the floor. She had been foolish to confront Jason herself. She had been thinking of him as her old friend and had forgotten how dangerous he was.

  Jack tilted her chin up with his thumb, forcing her to look at him. He wiped a tear from her cheek. The tender look in his eyes made her heart melt.

  Then his lips were on hers causing her body to tingle. Her stomach did a little flip flop. She leaned in, accepting his kiss. She forgot about everything, losing herself in the delicious sensations that were rippling through her. Then, she remembered he had a girlfriend.

  She pulled away like a child pulling their hand back from a hot stove. Jack’s eyes flew open, a startled look on his face.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “You know what’s wrong - you shouldn’t be kissing me like that! What would your girlfriend think?” Lexy felt hot, searing anger replacing the warm tingly feelings that had been there just a moment ago.

  ‘Girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t try to deny it! I heard you calling her darling on the phone and saw her in your living room window one night with her long, curly hair!” Lexy was close to tears. Why did she feel so hurt?

  Jack stared at her for a moment, his forehead wrinkled in confusion. Then she saw the wrinkles disappear. He let out a deep, long laugh.

  “You think that was my girlfriend?” His eyes twinkled with amusement. He turned, poking his head out the door. “Hey John, come in here for a minute.”

  Lexy stood there bristling with anger. Just what did he think was so funny? Lexy glanced over seeing a man saunter through the door. Black leather jacket, torn jeans, hair slicked back in a pony tail. An undercover detective?

  “This is my partner, John Darling.” Jack said with emphasis on the detectives last name.

  “He usually wears his hair all loose and curly, but today he has the pony tail.” John turned around to show off his lengthy locks. “I’m guessing he’s the one you saw at my house.”

  Lexy felt her jaw drop open. Even though she felt like a fool, she couldn’t help but see the humor in it. She held her hand out to the detective.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, stifling a giggle.

  He took her hand, shaking it firmly. “So you’re the one who’s caused all the ruckus downtown?” He said with a wink.

  “I am?”

  “Sure, Jack’s been working overtime all week trying to get you crossed off the suspect list so you can reopen your bakery...”

  He was interrupted by a commotion on their right. The other detectives were hauling Jason past them towards the door. He wasn’t going easily.

  “There’s my cue to leave.” John said. He joined the others, helping them push the soon to be former deputy mayor out the door to the waiting police car.

  Jack turned to Lexy, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

  “Lexy, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who does that sort of thing... I’m not like Kevin.

  Lexy nodded. “I’m sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions.”

  “Well, now that’s cleared up, I think we might have some unfinished business...” Jack leaned down towards her. Lexy eagerly stood on her tip toes to meet him. This time she didn’t worry about girlfriends, murderers or cheating boyfriends as she surrendered herself fully to his spine tingling, toe curling kiss.

  Epilogue

  “I still don’t understand how you figured out it was Jason.” Cassie was boxing up the umpteenth package of cupcake tops they had sold that morning.

  Lexy looked around the bakery - it was packed full of customers. All her worries about the bakery being closed and the negative publicity hurting business had been for nothing. Quite the opposite had happened - the notoriety of her “Killer Cupcakes” had increased business. Everyone wanted to try a taste of her infamous cupcake tops.

  “After I got knocked out, Sprinkles found a button on the floor. It wasn’t one of mine, so I figured it must be from whoever knocked me out. Then I saw Jason on tv at Nans and recognized the button on his jacket. I remembered Jason had worn a strange pine scented aftershave at Kevin’s wake - I had smelled the same smell when I was on the floor after being knocked out. I put two and two together and knew it was him!” Lexy smiled with pride at her skills of deduction.

  “And you decided to confront him yourself? Seems pretty dangerous - you should have at least called me ... or Jack. Speak of the devil.” Cassie nodded her chin over towards the bakery door.

  Lexy looked over at Jack standing in the doorway. Her heart did a little flip. She ran over to greet him, taking his hand, she pulled him to one of the tables. Grabbing a couple of coffee’s from her self serve station, she took a seat across the table from him and pushed one of the coffees at him.

  “I had a visit from a strange man yesterday at the station,” Jack said, fixing his honey brown eyes on her.

  “Oh?” Lexy tilted her head raising an eyebrow.

  “He said he was a friend of Kevin’s and had talked to you at the wake.”

  Lexy remembered the disheveled man who had threatened her. “I think I know who you mean - I told you about him, didn’t I?”

  Jack nodded. “He said he knew all about the whole blackmail scheme - although he claims he was not involved. Anyway, he said Kevin was afraid something might happen to him. Kevin sent you the book because he knew he could trust you. I think he meant to talk to you about it but was killed before he could. The man said he was just trying to warn you so you wouldn’t get hurt.”

  “Oh well that’s a relief.” Lexy settled back in her chair. “So, the case is all wrapped up now?”

  “Pretty much... we still need to find Sheila. She seems to have disappeared along with the blackmail money Kevin had collected.”

  Lexy took a long sip of her coffee, letting the bitter sweet liquid swirl around her taste buds. If Kevin had treated Sheila the way he treated her, then the girl deserved to get away with the money.

  Jack reached across the table, putting his hand over Lexy’s. “Are we still on for tonight?”

  Lexy’s stomach did summersaults at the way he looked at her. It had only been a couple of days since they had arrested Jason but Lexy and Jack had already been on one, wonderful date. She couldn’t wait for more.

  Lexy nodded enthusiastically. Jack’s eyes gazed into hers, his thumb caressed her palm causing chills to run up her spine. How did he expect her to keep her mind on work all day?

  The tingle of the bell over the door broke the moment. Lexy looked over to see John Darling’s long legged frame in the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cassie give him the once over. Lexy giggled to herself - John was exactly Cassie’s type.

  John’s eyes scanned the room, lingering for a moment on Cassie, then settling on Jack and Lexy. “We gotta go.” He said to Jack, then nodded a greeting at Lexy.

  Jack jumped up. “I’ll see you around seven?” He said, looking pointedly at her.

  Lexy nodded giving a little wave. Jack turned following John out the door. Just as the door shut, she saw John turn around and give Cassie a second look over his shoulder. She glanced over at Cassie who was standing behind the counter, her mouth hanging open.

  “Who was that?” She asked, wide eyed.

  “Oh, he’s Jacks partner - John Darling.” Lexy said with a smile.

  “Phew.” Cassie fanned herself with her hand. “The BRPD sure has some fine police detectives. Maybe we should get mixed up in more murder cases.”

  Lexy laughed. She had to admit tracking down Kevin’s killer had been an interesting challenge. She enjoyed putting together the clues and the rush of that final moment when all the pieces fell into place and she figured out who it was. But tracking down murderers was a lot of work and very time consuming. She’d rather spend all her time here at the bakery, doing what she loved - baki
ng.

  Besides, tracking down one killer was enough for an entire lifetime - wasn’t it?

  The End.

  About the Author

  Leighann Dobbs lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. She likes to write romance short stories and novelettes perfect for the busy person on the go. These stories are great for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for reading a full novel. Why not pick one up and escape to another time and place the next time you are waiting for an appointment, enjoying a bath or waiting to pick up the kids at soccer?

  Find out about her latest books and how to get her next book for free by signing up at:

  http://www.leighanndobbs.com

  Connect with Leighann on Facebook and Twitter

  http://facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks

  http://twitter.com/leighanndobbs

  There’s more books in the Lexy Baker mystery series coming out soon, but in the meantime if you want to read more from Leighann, then you might want to pick up her romance story anthology - 4 fun romances in one book:

  Sweet Escapes - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092GXD98 Buy it today for only $4.99 and save 50% over what you would spend if you bought all the stories individually. Plus you'll get stocked up on sweet escapes for the rest of the week!

  Recipe: Lexy’s Famous Cupcake Tops

  Everyone knows that the best part of the cupcake is the top with all that delicious frosting. That's why it's no secret that cupcake tops are a favorite at Lexy's bakery - The Cup and Cake. Here's how to make them in your own kitchen:

  Ingredients:

  1 1/3 cups flour

  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/4 teas baking soda

  1/8 tsp salt

  1 1/2 cups sugar

  3 tbsp butter, softened

  2 eggs

  1 tsp vanilla

  1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (Lexy likes to use espresso)

  1/2 cup milk

  Preparation:

  Preheat oven to 350 F (175C).

  In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda together.

  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each. Add vanilla.

  Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mix well and then add the coffee and milk. Beat well.

  Spoon the batter into muffin cups taking care to only fill them 3/4 of the way full.

  Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  Let the cupcakes cool.

  Cut off the cupcake tops, right where they meet the cupcake liners. You can do this with a long knife, or, take some dental floss - pull it tight between your hands and run it under the cupcake tops.

  Once you have the tops off, you can frost them - I've provided Lexy's favorite frosting recipe below.

  Lexy's Favorite Frosting Recipe

  Ingredients:

  2 sticks butter, softened

  3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

  1 teaspoon heavy cream

  1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

  1/8 tsp salt

  Preparation:

  Cream the butter, sugar and salt together.

  Mix the cream and vanilla paste together and add a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste you can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

  Things You Can Do With The Cupcake Bottoms

  Now you might be wondering what to do with the cupcake bottoms. You don't want to waste them! Lexy uses them to make truffle - just pile them into a truffle bowl along with pudding and whipped cream for a delicious dessert.

  You could also use them as little mini cakes, or cut them up into different shapes with cookie cutters and make them into little desserts or build sculpted cakes out of them. Use your imagination, but whatever you do, don't let them go to waste!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Recipe: Lexy’s Famous Cupcake Tops

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Recipe: Lexy’s Famous Cupcake Tops