Lexy’s heart lurched. “Davies?”
“Sorry sweetie. I had to tell her. This could be related to the murders.” Jack pushed a lock of hair behind Lexy’s ear. “Besides, she’s not so bad once you get to know her.”
Lexy made a face. She doubted that.
“Murders?” Vera asked.
Lexy cringed. The cat was out of the bag.
“You remember, Mom, the dress designer Philippe? He was designing my dress.” Lexy waved her hand dismissively as if it was nothing to worry about.
“Why would that have something to do with this?” Vera frowned at the messy room.
“Oh, it doesn’t, but the detective in charge is a little … umm … overzealous. And since he was designing my dress …” Lexy let her voice trail, off hoping the lame excuse satisfied her mother’s curiosity.
As if on cue, a car screeched to a stop in front of the house. Turning to look through the large living room window, she saw Davies jump out of a dark sedan with flashing blue and red lights on top.
“Great,” Lexy muttered. “Now the whole neighborhood will know.”
Davies appeared in the doorway wearing her all black outfit again, but this time with mid-calf black boots adorned with lots of buckles.
“What happened in here?” She stood with her feet shoulder width apart, fists on her hips.
“Someone broke in and tossed the place,” Jack said.
“I can see that … but why?” Davies demanded.
“How would I know?” Lexy asked.
“Maybe you did it yourself to throw suspicion away from you.” Davies eyes scanned the room.
“Hey, now wait a minute.” Jack stepped toward Davies. “Lexy wouldn’t do something like that. And besides, she’s not guilty of anything.”
Davies held her hand up. “Just covering all the angles.” She crossed to the kitchen and looked in. “Is the whole house like this?”
“Yep. Even upstairs,” Lexy said.
“Is anything missing?”
“Not that I can tell. I don’t really have anything worth stealing except maybe these vases and some china in the china cabinet, but it’s all still here.”
Davies blew out a small bubble of pink gum, then sucked it back in again.
“Do you have any enemies or know anyone who would want to toss the place?”
Lexy shook her head. “No.”
Davies took out her cell phone. “I’m going to take some pictures. You’ll have to go through everything thoroughly and let me know if anything is missing. If they didn’t break in to steal stuff, then they must have been looking for something. Do you have any idea what that might be.”
Lexy’s stomach sank. What would anyone be looking for in her house? “I have no idea. Do you think this could be related to the murders?”
Davies lowered the camera and stared at Lexy. “I thought you had nothing to do with that other than finding the bodies.”
“I didn’t,” Lexy said. “But maybe whoever killed Philippe was looking for something and they think I have it ... or that I know something. Wasn’t Chez Philippe broken into after the murders? Maybe they got my name from the customer files.”
“Customer files?” Davies asked.
“Yeah, I heard the place was searched,” Lexy answered.
“It was. But not the customer files. The sewing area. All the little lace ribbons and beads were thrown all over the floor. It was a real mess … much like this place.” Davies spread her arms to indicate the mess on Lexy’s floor.
Lexy felt her brow wrinkle. Why would someone search the sewing area? She didn’t have long to ponder as a sharp knock sounded on her front door, which had been sitting wide open all this time.
Everyone spun around to see her neighbor, Mr. Johnston, standing in the doorway looking at her living room in dismay.
“Hi, Mr. Johnston.” Lexy crossed over to the elderly man.
“Lexy what’s happened here? Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Everyone is fine.” Lexy patted his arm. “Someone broke in.”
“Oh, I saw the flashing lights from my house,” he gestured toward the house across the street, “and I came over to see if you needed any help.”
“Oh no, we’re fine,” Lexy said.
“Okay then. Let me know if you need anything.” He turned to leave.
“Wait a minute,” Davies called after him and Johnston turned back around. “You didn’t by any chance happen to see anything strange going on here today?”
Mr. Johnston puckered his face. “Well, I don’t spend the whole day spying on my neighbors. But I did see the big rig out there pull out in the morning. Of course Lexy was gone to work early in the day and then in the afternoon a red Toyota was here for a while.”
“A red Toyota?” Davies perked up. “Did you get the plates?”
Mr. Johnston rubbed his hands nervously. “Plates? Well no, I didn’t realize I would have to do that. Do you think that’s the person who did this?”
“Possibly,” Davies said. “Do you remember how long the car was here?”
“I’m not sure. I was watching my shows when I first saw it and then I had my afternoon tea. Next time I looked it was gone … so maybe an hour or two.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Davies pecked away at the keys of her Smartphone. Lexy assumed that was her version of taking notes.
“You don’t think it’s dangerous around here now, do you?” Mr. Johnston lingered in the doorway.
“No, not at all,” Davies said. “This is an isolated case—you have nothing to worry about.”
Johnston nodded, looked at Lexy uncertainly, and then shuffled off across the street.
“Well, that’s an odd coincidence,” Lexy said.
“What’s that?” Jack asked as Davies resumed her picture taking.
“Stuart Wiggins’ neighbor told us that Veronica drove a red Toyota Corolla. But she’s dead, so either someone used her car to break in here or that’s one heck of a coincidence.”
Davies scrunched her face up at Lexy. “Who told you that?”
“The fiancé’s neighbor. He saw her peel out in it after they had a fight.”
“Well that’s strange. We towed Veronica’s car from Chez Philippe to the station to search it for evidence. We have it there right now, but it’s not a red Toyota … it’s a black Prius.”
15
Lexy spent most of the night cleaning up the mess in her house with the help of Jack, her parents, and a couple bottles of wine, so she slept in the next morning. She hadn’t found anything missing, unless you counted two pairs of red lace panties that she couldn’t seem to find. Oddly enough, she found something extra—a gold cross on a chain that definitely wasn’t hers. She set it aside figuring it was probably her mother’s.
Nans had left her a message that Veronica’s wake was that afternoon, so she scooted over to the florist and chose a gorgeous bouquet of white lilies and roses before heading over to pick the ladies up for the wake.
Despite her misgivings at attending Veronica’s wake and seeing Ramona, Lexy couldn’t help but smile at the clear blue sky as she drove to the retirement center. The gorgeous crisp fall morning had given way to a warm afternoon, which was the perfect weather for the champagne colored silk sleeveless blouse and black pencil skirt Lexy had chosen from the rumpled pile of clothes on her closet floor.
She pulled up to the front of the retirement center where Nans, Ida, Ruth and Helen were all waiting for her, each dressed in a beige trench coat and holding a gigantic patent leather purse. She jumped out of the car and pushed the front seat forward, marveling at how easily Ruth, Ida and Helen could contort themselves to fit into the back of the small VW Beetle.
“I’m still amazed that you guys can get into this car so easily,” Lexy said.
“Oh Pffft …” Ruth answered. “We take yoga and Pilates. This is easy. Try playing twister with the folks down on the first floor and you’ll see what difficult is.”
Nans, Ida and Hel
en laughed at her joke—Lexy had no idea what she was talking about and figured she was probably better off that way, so she didn’t ask.
“You guys won’t believe what happened last night,” Lexy said as she pulled out of the parking lot.
“What?”
“My house got broken into … they ransacked it.”
Nans gasped. “Are you okay?”
“Yep, I’m fine. Sprinkles was in the RV with Mom and Dad and they weren’t even there. It must have happened sometime in the afternoon. I discovered it when I got home from your place.”
“Was it a robbery?” Helen asked.
“No. Nothing was taken.” She didn’t feel the need to mention the panties—they were probably at Jack's.
Nans pressed her lips together. “This has to do with the murder case, doesn’t it?”
“I think so, but I can’t imagine why,” Lexy said. “I don’t know anything about the murders.”
“Maybe someone thinks you are asking too many questions,” Ida offered.
“Hmm … Maybe.” Lexy’s stomach clenched at the thought. Was the break-in a warning? “I found out a couple of other interesting tidbits about the case.”
“Do tell,” Nans said.
Lexy pulled into a parking spot in the back corner of the funeral home lot and turned in her seat so she could see the ladies in the back. “You know how Chez Philippe was broken into the night after the murders?”
Four gray heads nodded in unison.
“Well, I just assumed they were looking for something in the files,” Lexy continued, “information or customer’s names. But they weren’t.”
“What were they looking for?” Ida asked.
“I don’t know exactly, but they didn’t search the files. They searched the sewing area.”
Ruth’s brows lifted a fraction of an inch. “What could someone possibly want in there?”
Lexy shrugged. “Who knows? But it’s interesting that that’s where Millie was when we saw her there yesterday.”
“Yeah, that sure is something to think about.” Helen rummaged in her purse, then, much to Lexy’s surprised, pulled out an iPad. “I’m just going to make a note to look into that further.”
“Well, if you guys liked that, this is even better.” Lexy leaned forward, toward the ladies. “Stuart Wiggins’ neighbor told us that Wiggins had a fight with a woman—we assumed it was Veronica—shortly before she was killed. He said he saw her speed off in a red Toyota.”
“So?” Ida asked.
“Detective Davies told me that Veronica drove a black Prius.”
“Then who was in the red Toyota?” Ruth asked.
“That’s what we need to find out,” Lexy said as she pushed her door open and climbed out of the car.
Helen stuffed the iPad back into her purse as they walked toward the McGreevey funeral home. The heavy glass and oak doors swung open as if by magic as they approached and two gray-suited gentlemen ushered them in.
The somber energy hit Lexy as soon as she walked inside. The faint sound of hymnal music blended with hushed conversation and the sweet smell of freshly cut flowers dragged at her heart driving home the gravity of the occasion.
The four of them stood in the entryway of the centuries old mansion. In front of them, a tasteful sign gave directions to the different viewings. Apparently, business was good for old Mr. McGreevey, because there were three viewings today.
“We’re in luck!” Ida whispered as she pointed to the sign. Not only was Veronica being waked here, but Philippe was also.
“We can kill two birds with one stone,” Nans whispered back. “Ida, Ruth and Helen—you go check out Philippe’s wake, Lexy and I will tackle Veronica’s. Looks like it’s in the Rose Petal room.
The ladies were no strangers to wakes, especially at McGreevey’s, and Nans knew exactly where the Rose Petal room was. Lexy followed her down the hall, stopping only to peek into the small narrow alcove they used for refreshments. She noticed with dismay that they had grocery store cookies out on trays. How tacky. She made a mental note to talk to McGreevy about a discounted price if he wanted to offer cookies and pastry from her bakery.
Nans grabbed her arm and propelled her into the Rose Petal room. Lexy’s throat constricted as she looked at Veronica laid out in her casket. Even though she hadn’t gotten along with Veronica, she certainly didn’t wish this on her. Glancing around the room, she noticed it was practically empty.
Veronica’s parents, sister and brother stood on the other side of the casket. About a dozen people sat in the metal folding chairs that had been setup in rows. Eddie Sharp stood in the corner shooting angry looks at them. Lexy elbowed Nans in the ribs and nodded her head toward the corner.
Nans started toward Eddie, whose eyes widened as he realized they were headed straight for him.
“Aren’t you the nice young man from the museum?” Nans asked.
“Yes,” Eddie said, his eyes darting to the left and then right. Probably looking for an escape route, Lexy thought.
“Oh it must be terrible having your friend and his fiancé to mourn.” Nans shook her head and made tsking sounds. “Did you know Veronica well?”
“Not as well as I knew Stu,” Eddie answered.
“You and he must have been very close,” Nans said. “I mean for you to come here to mourn his fiancé. I bet you probably were the types of friends that did everything together.”
Eddie shrugged. “Well, not everything.”
“But surely, you must have known them well enough to have some idea about what got them killed,” Nans said.
“Listen lady, I don’t know anything … but if you want to know who was close enough to Veronica to know everything, then you might ask her.” Eddie slid his eyes to the left. Lexy’s heart leaped into her throat when she realized who he was looking at.
Ramona.
Ramona looked up and their eyes met, sending a jolt through Lexy. Ramona’s eyes widened and she took a step toward them.
“You!”
Lexy fought the urge to run as Ramona advanced on them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other mourners had turned to look at them. She glanced back at Eddie, but the corner was empty—he’d made his escape.
“Just what do you think you are doing here?” Ramona demanded.
Nans drew herself up to her full five-foot-one height and said, “We’re paying our respects.”
Ramona ignored Nans and stepped close to Lexy, her face so close that Lexy could smell she’d had a liverwurst sandwich for lunch. “Listen, Miss Busybody. You better stick to your own business and get out of Veronica’s.”
“What do you mean?” Lexy feigned ignorance.
“You know damn well what I mean. You’ve always had it in for Veronica and now you’ve been meddling around and making things worse for everyone. Can’t you leave Veronica alone, especially now when she’s dead?” Ramona’s voice rose to a shriek as she said the last five words.
Lexy’s pulse surged. She could feel everyone in the room staring at her. A dark-suited man hovered in the doorway—probably one of the McGreevy’s ready to throw them out if they caused more of a scene. Nans pulled at her elbow to leave, but Lexy jerked her arm free.
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Lexy held her palms up in front of her. “The last thing I want to do is make things worse. And I have no idea what you mean by meddling.”
“You’re a liar just like you were in high school.” Ramona spat the words at her.
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset.” Lexy narrowed her eyes at Ramona. “Do you have something to hide?”
Nans tugged on Lexy’s arm again as Ramona shot daggers at Lexy with her eyes. The guy in the suit started toward them and Lexy realized Nans had the right idea. They should get out of there before they made more of a scene. Lexy let Nans drag her out of the room into the large hall.
She leaned against the wall and puffed out her cheeks, the blast of air sending her bangs flying.
“
Boy, she was madder than a cat in a bathtub,” Nans said.
“Yeah, but didn’t that seem kind of excessive?” Lexy asked.
“Well, look who’s here.” Lexy’s stomach twisted at the sound of the voice behind her. She spun around, coming face to face with Detective Davies.
“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!”
Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Boxed Set Vol 2 (Books 5 - 7) (Lexy Baker Cozy Mysteries Boxed Sets) Page 30
