“What brings you here, Baker?” Davies asked.
“Why, we’re just paying our respects.” Nans answered for both of them.
“Oh really! Is that all?” Davies chomped her gum as she narrowed her eyes at them.
“Yep,” Lexy said. “What brings you here?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Detecting 101—always go to the wake.” Davies baby blues lit up with amusement. As she brushed past Lexy on her way into the Rose Petal room, she threw one parting comment over her shoulder. “They say you can usually find the killer at the wake … and look—here you are.”
***
“Well, I think we may not want to press our luck here,” Nans said as she watched Detective Davies disappear into the Rose Petal room. “Let’s see if the others have anything to report.”
They headed toward the Velvet Slumber room where Philippe was. Passing the refreshment alcove, they saw Ida, Ruth and Helen bending over a table of cookies. Each of them were piling cookies into large napkins they held in their hands.
“Uhh hmm,” Nans said from the doorway.
The three ladies jumped, then whirled around, the cookie laden napkins behind their backs.
“Oh, Mona it’s you.” Ruth’s cheeks were bright pink.
Nans walked into the room, closer to her friends. Lexy wandered over to one of the tables and picked up a shortbread cookie.
“Did you find anything out?” Nans said in a low voice.
Lexy inspected the cookie, it looked fine. She bit in, nibbling the edge and turning the small piece of cookie around in her mouth. Too sweet. Not crispy enough.
“There’s not much going on in there,” Ruth said wrapping her stack of cookies up in the napkin and shoving it in her purse.
“We did see that Millie lady though,” Helen added.
“She wasn’t very happy to see me,” Ida said as she shoved her cookie package into her black patent leather purse. “She called me a busybody!”
Nans and the other ladies laughed at Ida’s indignation.
“She seemed right mad,” Ida said as Lexy tossed the rest of her cookie in the trash. “If you ask me, she could be the killer with the way she’s acting.”
Helen nodded her head. “It sure seems like she has something to hide.”
“What did you guys find out?” Ruth looked from Nans to Lexy.
“Oh, we had a little run-in over there.” Nans glanced out in the hall. “Let’s get out of here and we’ll tell you about it in the car.”
The ladies secured their purses and marched down the main hallway, through the foyer and out the front door. Just as they were stepping down from the last granite step into the parking lot, a car screeched around the corner.
They jumped back up onto the steps, Lexy’s heart leaping into her throat when the car careened past, barely missing them as it sped off toward the exit. She’d had just enough time to look inside at the driver.
“Did you see who that was?” Nans asked.
Lexy nodded. “Ramona—and she was driving a red Toyota Corolla.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lexy was just leaving the retirement center after dropping Nans and the gang off when her cell phone made cooing dove noises—her ringtone for Jack.
“Hi,” she chirped into the phone.
“Hey there.” Jack’s deep baritone caressed her ear and Lexy’s pulse quickened. Her lips curled up in a smile—his voice still affected her the same way it had when they’d first met. “I heard you caused a little trouble over at McGreevey’s.”
Lexy cringed. “Hey, that wasn’t my fault. Ramona started it.”
Jack laughed. “Well, I’m sure you and Nans were there for reasons other than paying your condolences. How ‘bout we meet for dinner and you can tell me what you found out.”
“Dinner?” Lexy glanced at the clock, surprised to discover it was after five o’clock.
“Yeah, you don’t have plans with your folks or anything, do you?” Jack asked.
“No, they’re having dinner with some old friends tonight. I’m free.”
“Great. Meet me at The Burger Barn in ten.”
“Okay. See you then.” Lexy snapped the phone shut. She was excited at the thought of meeting Jack at their favorite restaurant. Things had been so crazy lately she hadn’t been able to spend much time with him, and her parents’ presence in her driveway pretty much eliminated any possibility of spending any time alone with him.
She pulled into The Burger Barn a few minutes later. Jack was already there so she pulled her little Beetle up next to his truck. Jack jumped out of his truck and came over to open the door for her.
“Wow, you look great.” He held her at arm’s length and made a big show of looking her up and down. Lexy giggled as he let out a wolf whistle.
Jack brushed his lips against her forehead, his hands on her shoulders. “How was your day?”
“Great.” Her five-foot-one frame made it necessary for her to tilt her head back to look up at all six feet of him. “How about you?”
“Good, but I’m starved. Let’s eat.” He draped his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the entrance. The smell of grilling meat hung in the air and Lexy’s stomach grumbled. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was … a burger sure would hit the spot.
They got a seat in their favorite booth and ordered right away. Neither one of them needed to see a menu. They’d eaten there enough times to have it memorized.
“How are things going with your dress? Is it going to be ready?” Jack asked over the rim of his beer.
“Dress?” Lexy’s brows mashed together as she stared blankly at Jack.
“Yeah, you know—your wedding dress? You do remember that we are getting married Saturday, don’t you?” Jack teased.
Lexy slapped her forehead with her palm. “Yes, of course. I guess I’ve been so focused on this investigation I hadn’t been thinking about the dress, but my mom has it all under control.”
Lexy started mentally going over her “to-do” list for the wedding.
What else had she forgotten?
Her stomach fluttered with nerves as she pictured the ceremony without flowers or the reception without food because she’d forgotten to finalize some detail … like making sure the guys got fitted for tuxes.
“What about the tuxes?” she asked.
“All taken care of.” Jack smiled. “Your dad and I went downtown and got fitted today. Then we hung out at the cigar club and had a few beers.”
Lexy frowned into her beer—she’d been so immersed in the murders that she didn’t even know Jack had taken her dad out for some male bonding.
“Gosh, I’ve been so busy with this investigation. I haven’t been paying attention to much else.” Lexy put her hand over Jack’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
He flipped his hand over and laced his fingers with hers. “No worries. I don’t blame you for investigating it. I’ve been keeping an eye on it for you and Davies isn’t doing a half-bad job.”
“Really? She seems like a total ditz to me.”
Jack laughed and leaned back in his chair. “I did find out something about the case today that you might be interested in.”
Lexy lifted her brow slightly. “Spill it.”
“The medical examiner nailed down the time of death for all three victims. Stuart Wiggins died before Veronica and Philippe. And they were all shot with the same gun.”
Lexy chewed her bottom lip. “So he didn’t kill her.”
“Nope.” Jack pushed his beer aside to make room for the plate the waitress was setting on the table. Lexy did the same, taking the top bun off her burger so she could smother it in ketchup. She replaced the bun and brought the burger to her lips, opening her mouth as wide as she could in order to fit it into her mouth.
The melded flavors of beef, cheese, ketchup, pickles and mayo tickled her taste buds and she leaned back in her seat and thought about Jack’s news while she chewed.
If Stuart didn’t kill Veronica in a fit
of anger, then who did? Who was the target at Chez Philippe? Philippe, Veronica …, or both of them? She shook her head as she swallowed the bite.
“This doesn’t make any sense. I thought for sure Stuart killed her because of the fight they had.” She took the top of the bun off of her burger and cut into it with her knife and fork. The burger was so thick that she always ended up eating it this way, even though she usually made at least one attempt to eat it with her hands.
“It looks like someone wanted both of them dead.” Jack dipped a french fry into the puddle of ketchup he’d poured on his plate. “Do you have any idea why someone would want that?”
Lexy shook her head. “No, but I did find out who has the red Toyota.”
“The one that Wiggins' neighbor thought he saw Veronica driving?”
“Yes. We saw Veronica’s best friend, Ramona, driving one today at the funeral home.” Lexy shoveled a pickle, piece of the bun and a piece of the burger onto her fork, balancing it precariously on the way to her mouth.
Jack pressed his lips together. “Maybe Veronica borrowed it that day … or it could have been Ramona that had the fight with Stuart.”
“I hadn’t thought about that. But now that you mention it, Ramona and Veronica do look kind of alike. They have the same hair color and style.”
“You might want to dig around and see how well Ramona and Stuart got along,” Jack said.
Lexy made a face. “Well, I won’t be asking Ramona. She practically punched me out at the wake and then almost ran us over with her car.”
Jack took a sip of beer. “Well, it certainly is a perplexing case.”
“Yeah, and I feel like I’m Davies best suspect. If you’re perplexed, then imagine how she must feel.” Lexy pushed the rest of her burger away. “That’s why I need to be on top of this investigation with Nans and the ladies … and I need dessert.”
Jack laughed. “The usual?”
Lexy nodded. They always split a piece of double chocolate cake. Jack signaled the waitress and put in the order asking for an extra plate and fork.
“So how is the investigation going with Nans? Do you have any leads?”
Lexy made a face. “Not really. We have a few more things to check on. We did discover that Philippe had a large sum of money deposited to his personal bank account a while back. I’m not sure if Davies knows that, and I don’t want to tell her because I have a sneaky suspicion Ruth doesn’t exactly follow all the usual legal channels to get that sort of information.”
“That could be important to the case … sounds like Philippe might have been involved in something.” Jack paused as the waitress brought the cake over. “Maybe the killer was really after him and Veronica just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Yeah, but then who shot Stuart?” Lexy plunged her fork into the gooey dessert, careful to get a good amount of frosting along with the moist cake.
“Good question.” Jack sat back in his seat and watched Lexy polish off the rest of the cake. “I’m sure Nans and the ladies will come up with something. In the meantime, let’s keep each other posted about anything new that crops up. I may not be officially on the case, but I still have some influence at the police department.”
“Sounds good.” Lexy smiled. She felt a lot more confident about the police finding the real killer now that she knew Jack had his eye on the case. “I just hope things get settled before this weekend, or we may be getting married in a jail cell.”
Jack laughed as he stood and threw some money on the table for the bill. “I don’t think things are that bad. I’m sure Davies doesn’t really suspect you.”
Lexy raised a brow at him as they walked toward the door. Judging by what Davies had said to her in the funeral home, she was at the top of the list.
Outside, it was a typical fall night with a bright full moon and a crisp chill in the air. Leaves crunched under their feet as they walked to their cars. Lexy shivered, rubbing her bare arms to generate warmth.
“Are you cold?” Jack put his arm around her and she snuggled into the warmth of his body.
“Yeah. This sleeveless shirt seemed like a good idea in the afternoon when it was eighty degrees. I didn’t know I was going to be out after dark.” Lexy laughed. Then her voice turned serious. “Plus I’m a little nervous about going back to my house, what with the break-in last night and all.”
Jack stopped at her car door and turned her to face him. “I figured you might be, so I’m going to follow you home and come inside with you. I want to make sure the house is secure and you feel safe.”
Lexy’s heart flooded with warmth. “Thanks.”
Jack traced her bottom lip with his thumb and Lexy felt a flurry of tingles in her belly. Her pulse skittered as he lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers—gently at first and then deeper, more insistent. Just when she thought her knees would turn to jelly, he broke the kiss.
“And, if you don’t feel safe there by yourself tonight, I’ll be more than happy to stay,” he said with a knowing smile as he reached behind her to open the car door.
Chapter Seventeen
Lexy dreamed she was on the beach. The ocean made soothing lapping sounds on the sugar white sand as the sun warmed her back. She rolled over to face Jack who was lying on the blanket beside her, his muscular body tanned from lazy days lying in the tropical sun.
Jack smiled at her, playfully pushing the side of her yellow bikini bottom down on her hip just a quarter inch to reveal her tan line.
“I’d like to see more of these tan lines,” he said.
Lexy was just about to reply with a “yes” when she heard her mother yelling from further down the beach.
“Lexy … Yoo-hoo. Time to get up!”
Get up? Lexy looked down the beach, her mood deflating when she saw her mother hurrying toward them dragging a wheeled cart stacked with a cooler, blankets and beach towels.
“Leeexxyy!”
Lexy jerked awake. She wasn’t on the beach, but Jack was beside her. And her mother really was yelling.
She jumped out of the bed and ran to the window. Vera was standing in the front yard, hand shading her eyes as she peered up at the house.
“Yoo-hoo!” Vera waved, shouting loud enough to wake up the neighbors.
Lexy pushed the window open. “Just a minute Mom, I’ll be right down to let you in.”
She turned in a panic toward Jack who was sitting up in the bed. “You have to get out of here, my mom’s coming in.”
Jack laughed as he pushed the covers aside and stood. Lexy would have normally taken that opportunity to admire his muscular body but the close proximity of her naked fiancé to her mother outside the door made her panic.
“Lexy, we’re getting married in two days, I’m sure your mother knows that we …” He gestured toward the bed, which was rumpled from the night’s activities.
Lexy picked up his clothes that were heaped in a pile on the floor and shoved them at him. “Just put these on and go out the back door. I’ll call you later.”
She ran to her bureau and picked out the first sweatshirt and sweatpants she could find, threw them on, and then ran downstairs pushing Jack in front of her.
He took a left into the kitchen while Lexy raced over to the front door, waiting until she heard the sound of the kitchen door shutting in the back before she opened it.
“What brings you out so early, Mom?” Lexy stared at her mother whose bright yellow sweat suite was only partially obscured by the mounds of satin and lace she had piled up in her arms. Lexy thought she recognized her wedding dress, along with a bright fuchsia silk fabric that she prayed her mother hadn’t decided to embellish her dress with.
“It’s such a beautiful day.” Vera practically sang as she looked up at the sky. “Blue skies, and look at the trees! They’ll be a gorgeous backdrop for your wedding pictures.”
Lexy poked her head outside. There was still an early morning chill in the air, but the scenery was worth it. It was
peak foliage season and the trees made a breathtaking display with their red, yellow and orange leaves. It was going to make a perfect backdrop for her wedding pictures … exactly as she planned. She just hoped Davies didn’t haul her off in handcuffs before she got to the wedding.
“It’s gorgeous,” Lexy said looking back at the pile of fabric in her mother’s hand. “What have you got there?”
“I brought over your wedding dress for a fitting and I wanted to show off the dress I’m going to wear. I made it special for the occasion.” Vera beamed with pride.
Lexy pushed the door wide. “Well, then come on in.”
Vera laid the dresses carefully on Lexy’s sofa. “I have your dress almost finished, but I only basted in the stitching. I’ll fit it to you today, and do the final stitching tonight. It will be finished tomorrow!”
“Perfect.” Lexy admired the dress, thankfully, her mother hadn’t added any garish embellishments—it was exactly as she had designed it.
“Should we go upstairs?” Vera looked at the big picture window. “I’m not sure you want everyone looking in while you are half-dressed.”
Lexy pictured the rumpled bed in her room. “I’ll just run up and make the bed—why don’t you make us a couple of teas in the kitchen and come right up?”
“Good idea.” Vera bustled off toward the kitchen and Lexy picked up the dresses and ran upstairs. She was just tightening the comforter under the pillows when Vera joined her with two steaming mugs of tea.
Lexy laid the dresses out on the bed. Her mother’s was a gorgeous color, but Lexy couldn’t make out the style. It looked like it had an oversized collar and a full skirt.
“Your dress is so pretty, Mom. Why don’t you try it on first and then we’ll get to work on mine.”
“Okay.” Vera handed Lexy the mugs of tea and picked up her dress with the enthusiasm of a schoolgirl trying on a prom dress. “I’ll just be right back.”
Lexy put Vera’s mug on the bureau and sat on the bed while she sipped her tea. After a few minutes, Vera emerged from the bathroom in a whirl of pink. The gown was vintage Vera—bright in color and a little offbeat in style. It had a mid-calf length full skirt that was shorter in the front and longer in the back. The waist and bust were tightly fitted. Cap sleeves covered her shoulders and an over exaggerated collar fanned around the back of her head, sticking stiffly up about six inches like something from the Elizabethan times. It was an odd gown, but somehow on Vera, it worked.
7 Wedded Blintz Page 9
