Murder, Money & Marzipan (4 page)

The elevator dumped her off in the casino. Scanning the room for a good place to lose her money, she spied a bank of progressive slot machines in the corner. She started off toward them but was stopped by a vibration in her back pocket. Her cell phone.

It was Jack. Her stomach clenched. Depending on what Jack had heard about the murder, the call might not go so well.

“Hi!” She answered with forced enthusiasm.

“Hey, how’s it going out there?”
 

He didn’t sound mad. So far so good.

“Great. I’m in second place,” she said proudly.

“That’s awesome. I’m so proud of you!”
 

Lexy felt her heart soar.
He was proud of her!

“I got a message from a detective I know out there. Nikki Stone. Would you know what that’s about?”
 

Her momentary happiness at his praise turned into dread, causing her soaring heart to sink like a stone.

“There was a little murder here…” She let her voice trail off, waiting for his response.

“A
little
murder?”

“One of the judges.”

“Let me guess,
you
are somehow involved in the murder.”
 

Lexy could hear impatience creeping into his voice.

“I found the body,” she squeaked.

She heard him sigh on the other end. “Are you in trouble?
 
Do I need to call Nikki right away?”

Lexy felt her heart clench upon hearing how easily the red headed detective’s name rolled off his tongue.
Nikki.
She wondered what
kind
of relationship they had once had.

“No,” she answered quickly. Calling Nik Stone was the last thing she wanted him to do. “Everything is all straightened out. I don’t think Detective Stone needs to talk to you anymore.”

“Oh, OK. Well what happened?”

“One of the judges was murdered. I just happened to find the body. I guess
someone
has to be the one to find them.”
 
She tried to make it sound like no big deal, then changed the subject. “How is Sprinkles?”

“Sprinkles is fine. We’re having a great time, but we both miss you. Maybe I can get some time off work and come out there?”

Lexy felt a jolt of panic. She wanted to see Jack, but now wasn’t a good time. He had been very clear during the last investigation that he took a dim view of her playing amateur detective.
 

She thought he was being a bit unfair. It’s not like she went out looking for trouble. She just happened to get thrown into these situations that forced her to investigate. She was like a murder magnet.

Still, the last thing she needed was for him to come out and discover she was smack-dab in the middle of tracking down a killer. Or to get involved in it himself with Detective
Nikki
Stone.

“I miss you too. That would be great, but the contest schedule is really packed up until the end. I’m afraid I wouldn’t have much time for you.” She held her breath, waiting to see if he took the bait.

“Oh. I see. Well, it’s probably just as well. I’m working on a big case here.” Lexy felt her heart clench at the sound of disappointment in his voice.
 

“I’ll be home in four days anyway; we can catch up on everything then. I can’t wait to see you.”
 
She hoped he heard the sincerity in her voice.

“OK, sounds good. I’ll talk to you later then,” he said, then added, “So you’re sure I don’t have to call Nikki then?”

“Oh, I’m sure.”
 

They hung up, and Lexy shoved the phone back into her pocket. Guilt washed over her. She tried to convince herself the little white lie was for the best. The contest schedule
was
pretty busy. And she was sure the killer would be caught soon and she would be cleared. Once it was over, she could return to her normally blissful life with Jack and Sprinkles in Brooke Ridge Falls.

Unless the police didn’t catch the real killer by the time the contest was over.

She thought about how Aurea’s trouble with money gave her a good motive, but she wasn’t one hundred percent convinced Aurea was the killer. She knew from the last murder case she had been involved in that sometimes things are not what they seem. She needed to rule out some of the other suspects before she could be confident that Aurea was the culprit.

She continued toward the slot machines passing the same bar where she had seen Amanda Scott-Saunders’s husband earlier. She glanced into the bar, wondering if she should pop in for a little drink.
He was in there again!

Recognizing a perfect opportunity to do some more investigative gathering, Lexy pivoted on her heels, changing her course to head straight for the bar.

Chapter Six

The bar was practically empty. A couple sat at a table in the corner flirting. A woman sat alone at one end of the bar.
 
At the other end sat Peter Saunders.

Lexy hopped up onto a plush gray microfiber bar stool one seat away from Saunders.

“What can I get you?” The bartender slid a napkin in front of Lexy.

“A White Russian with a splash of Coke, please.”
 
Lexy stole a sideways glance at Peter Saunders and caught him looking at her.

“Hi.” She smiled at him.
 

He nodded a greeting. “You look familiar.”

“I’m in the
Bakery Battles
contest.” She tilted her head in the direction of Bakery Battles Stadium. “Do I know you from there?”

“Oh, probably. My wife is…I mean,
was
a judge.”
 
He looked down at his drink. Lexy thought she saw the gleam of a tear in the corner of his eye.
 

“You’re Peter Saunders?” she asked.

He nodded, still staring down at the drink.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” She stuck her hand out toward him. “Lexy Baker.”

He stared at her hand, then made a half hearted attempt at shaking it.

“Thanks,” he said dully, then picked up his glass draining it in one gulp. He motioned at the bartender for a refill. Judging by the way he swayed on the chair, it wasn’t the first refill he’d had either.

Lexy sipped her own drink. She had forgotten to eat supper, and the alcohol made a beeline for her brain, emboldening her.

“I just don’t understand why anyone would want to do that,” Lexy said.

“Me either. I mean, Mandy could be a bit abrasive and some people really didn’t like her, but you don’t kill someone just because you don’t like them.”

“Are you holding up okay? I mean, you must really be in shock. You guys were very close.” Lexy fished for information on their relationship.

“We’ve been married for ten years, but lately things have been a little strained. We had some money troubles. We had been fighting a lot, but I still loved her…”
 
His voice trailed off.

“All couples fight, and most have money troubles at times too.”

“She said everything was going to be okay with the money. I didn’t know what she meant.”
 
He rubbed his face with his hands.

“Did you notice Amanda acting strangely at all?” she blurted out.

Peter turned his head toward her, his eyes squinting. “Strangely?
 
She was acting kind of…secretive. Quiet. Distant. I wondered if, well…”

“She was having an affair?” Lexy prompted.

Saunders’s shoulders sagged and he nodded.
   

“Was she?” Lexy took another sip.

“She said she wasn’t. We argued about it. She swore nothing was going on, but a few times she left the room early - I’m not sure she was going where she
said
she was going. Even that morning…”

“Didn’t that make you mad?”

“What?”
 
Peter narrowed his eyes at Lexy, his body stiffening.
 

“Did you get along after you argued, or did things simmer?” The alcohol encouraged her to persist against her better judgement.

Peter stood up, knocking over his drink in the process. “What’s with these questions? I already answered them for the police!”
 

Lexy couldn’t help herself. She had to ask., “Where were you when your wife was murdered?”

Peter Saunders’s face turned beet-red. “Are you accusing me?” he shouted, then took a step toward Lexy, reaching out to grab her.
 

She jumped up from her chair stepping out of his reach. His outstretched arms flailed toward her. In his drunken state, he misjudged the distance and stumbled forward, causing Lexy to jump back - bumping into, and almost knocking over, Detective Jake Ryan.

###

“Whoa, whoa. What’s going on here?” Jake stepped between Lexy and Peter holding his hands up to keep them apart.

Peter pointed at Lexy. “She accused me of murder!”

“I did not. I simply asked where you were when your wife was killed.” Lexy crossed her arms over her chest.

“OK, I’m sure you’re both upset about the murder but let’s leave the detecting to the police.” He glared at Lexy. “We don’t know who killed Mrs. Saunders, but we’re working on it.”

Detective Ryan’s speech seemed to diffuse Peter’s anger. “Fine, but keep
her
away from me.” He jerked his head in Lexy’s direction, then stomped back to his seat at the bar.

Lexy looked up at the detective, expecting to get the same lecture Jack usually gave her. Instead she saw him smiling down at her.
 

“Wanna have a seat?” He gestured toward one of the small tables.

“Sure,” Lexy said glancing over at the bar toward her drink.

His eyes followed her glance. “We can get you a new one,” he said, then put his hand on the small of her back, leading her over to a table.

Detective Ryan held out a chair, and Lexy plopped into it. She stared across the table at him. She recognized him from the murder scene - the
nice
detective who had questioned her first.
 

But she must have been preoccupied then because she hadn’t noticed his boyish good looks. His straight white teeth must have cost a fortune. They were the perfect accessory to his chiseled jaw, which wore a bit of five o’clock shadow giving his baby face a hint of danger. Lexy thought one could easily get lost in his blue eyes.
 

“Do you want another drink?” He jolted her out of her daze.

Lexy gave herself a mental head shake. She already felt a bit tipsy from her first drink. Considering the way her stomach fluttered when she looked at Detective Ryan, she had better not.

“Just a coffee, please.”

He disappeared in the direction of the bar, returning in a few minutes with a beer for himself and a coffee for her.

“Thanks. I don’t think I got your first name?” Lexy peered at him over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Jake. Jake Ryan.”

Lexy smiled at him. “You probably already know my name, I guess. Lexy Baker.”

He laughed. Lexy noticed his voice had a rich timbre one could easily get used to. “Yes, the body-finding baker.”

Lexy shrugged. “What can I say, I have a knack for finding bodies.”

She looked over at Peter Saunders, who was back in his chair with a fresh drink. “Speaking of which, do you think Saunders did it?”

“What do you think?” Jake held her gaze with his baby blues. Lexy wasn’t all too happy about the fluttering effect this had on her stomach. She took a sip of coffee, hoping the sobering effect of the coffee would stop the fluttering.

“There’s some talk she may have been having an affair. Maybe Saunders found out and killed her in a fit of passion?”

“Well, the strangulation could indicate a crime of passion, but there’s no hard evidence to suggest it was him.”
 

“Do you guys have any idea who it was?” Lexy asked.

“We’re still sifting through the information. So far, we’ve ruled out most of the contestants because we could verify they were in their rooms at the time. We’re going through all the surveillance tapes in the casino and hotel now, so we’ll know who the killer is shortly.”
 

Lexy remembered the confession of Aurea’s room-mate.
Should she tell him?
 

“Am I a suspect?” She tried putting on her most innocent face. It usually worked with Jack - hopefully Detective Ryan was no different.

Jake laughed. “Well, a lot of the evidence we have right now
does
point to you, but once we sift through all the video tapes I’m sure that will prove you couldn’t have done it.”

Lexy watched the steam from her coffee waver as she breathed out a sigh of relief.
They didn’t think she had done it.
She took another sip.

“I talked to some of the other bakers to see if they noticed anything unusual, and I found something that might be useful to you.” Jake leaned forward, his eyes narrowing with interest. “Go on.”

“Aurea Pearce - she’s one of the contestants - her roommate said Aurea left the room at 3:25 that morning.”

“Really?
 
I don’t remember her telling
us
that.”
 

“She said she just told you Aurea left
before
she did, but not the exact time. I hope I didn’t get her into trouble.”

“No. Thanks for telling me. That’s important to know.”
 
Jake took a swig from his beer. Lexy realized he had hardly touched it. “Do you have a cell phone?” he asked.

Lexy nodded. Jake held out his hand, and she dug it out of her pocket and handed it over.

“I’m going to put my cell number in here. If you hear any other interesting information, will you call and let me know?”

Lexy wasn’t sure how to answer.
Did he really want to know if she found anything out, or was his number an invitation for something else?
 
She decided she didn’t want to know.

“OK.” She watched him punch in his number, then reached out for the phone. He handed it back, brushing his finger tips against hers.
 

Thankfully, the coffee had done it’s job of keeping her clear headed, and she successfully ignored the tingle in her hand.