Free Murder, Money & Marzipan by Leighann Dobbs Page A

felt guilt lay a heavy hand on her heart, like she was tattling on a friend to save herself. Then she realized it was all true, and if Corinne was the killer, the police should know the details.
    She looked up to see Jake staring at her, waiting for her to continue.  
    “Corinne has bad money problems. Her house is in foreclosure. I don’t know how killing Saunders could help her with that, but she definitely has a strong motive to want to win the contest. Come to think of it, Aurea Pearce has money problems too.”
    “Yes, we found out she has a gambling problem. But since she couldn’t have killed Saunders, I don’t think that is relevant…unless she was in on it with someone.”
    “People do strange things when it comes to money, Detective.”
    “And you, Lexy…do you have money problems?”
    “I assume you’ve done a check on me just like the others, so you know I don’t.”
    Jake nodded. Behind him Lexy could see a figure gesturing wildly through the frosted-glass wall of the bar. She leaned over to the side to get a better look.  
    Jake turned around to see what she was looking at. “Who is that?”
    The frosted glass distorted her view. Narrowing her eyes, she could just make out a short, older woman with blueish-gray hair, carrying a gigantic purse.  
    “I’m not sure, but I think it’s my grandmother.”

    ###

    Lexy watched Nans take a dainty sip of the tea Jake Ryan had persuaded the bartender to make for her before he discreetly made his exit.  
    “Jake is such a nice young man. You sure do have a way of attracting the cute detectives. I hope you didn’t forget about Jack, though.” Nans looked at her slyly over the rim of her cup. Jack and Nans had been neighbors and Nans had a big soft spot for him.
    “Of course not…I’ve just been busy.” With all the excitement going on, she had been neglecting Jack. She made a mental note to call him as soon as she and Nans were done.  
    “Oh good, dear. You two make a nice couple.”
    Lexy remembered how Nans had been gesturing wildly outside the bar to catch her attention. “You seemed very anxious to see me; did you want to tell me something?”
    Nans leaned in, her eyes gleaming. “My covert surveillance was a big success.”
    “Do tell.”
    “I overheard Corinne talking on the phone. She seemed very upset, like she was being threatened. I heard her say something about some piece of paper that seemed important. She also said she’d do whatever it takes to stop the foreclosure .” Nans sat back in her seat, a gleam of satisfaction in her eye.
    “That doesn’t sound good,” Lexy said. “What paper was she talking about?”
    “I have no idea; she just said she had it. It seemed important somehow.”
    “I’m still not sure how this ties in with the murder and my cake sabotage, but I can understand how desperate she must feel.” Lexy felt her heart drop. “It’s too bad. I was really starting to like her…”
    Nans put her hand over Lexy’s. “This doesn’t necessarily mean she is the killer, or that she ruined your cake.”
    Lexy sighed. “But we don’t have many other suspects left.”
    Nans scrunched her forehead and paused. “There’s still Peter Saunders. Usually the husband is the first one I suspect. I wonder if the police have found out any more about him?”
    “I don’t know. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him around.” Lexy glanced over at the bar but there was no sign of Saunders.
    “And there is one other clue that I think we may be overlooking,” Nans said.
    “Oh?”
    Nans looked around to make sure no one was within hearing range. “The black book you got from Westmore’s office.”
    “That did seem important, but without knowing what it’s about, how can we tell if it has anything to do with the murder?”
    “We can’t, but I think we need to give it due attention.”
    Lexy sucked in an ice cube from her drink and crunched it. “That’s an idea…if only we could figure out more about what