Free Scones, Skulls & Scams by Leighann Dobbs Page B

shot her arm out pointing toward the bakery, and four gray heads turned to look out the window.
    “You don’t say,” Ida said.
    “Why would a baker want to get in the sewer?” Helen asked.
    “I have no idea,” Lexy said, her eyes riveted on the other bakery. Inside, Caraleigh swiped at her cafe tables with a white towel. Lexy took little consolation in the fact The Brew and Bake was as empty as her own bakery.
    “Well, it’s simple,” Nans said matter-of-factly. “She must know about the treasure.”
    “How would she know?” Ida asked.
    “Who knows? Isn’t she new in town?” Nans looked up at Lexy. “What do you know about her?”
    “Nothing, really. She was getting the bakery ready to open right before I left on my honeymoon. When I came back it was in full swing.”
    “A suspicious bakery that sells grocery store baked goods.” Nans narrowed her eyes and looked out the window. “She probably doesn’t even know how to bake.”
    “Oh, come on, Mona.” Ruth raised her brows at Nans. “Why would someone who doesn’t know how to bake open a bakery?”
    “I know why,” Ida cut in. “It’s a cover!”
    Ruth’s eyes narrowed, she tapped her index finger on her pursed lips. “You mean somehow she found out about the robbery and thinks the treasure is still here in town, so she came here to ferret it out. Maybe she knew all about Midas Mulcahey and recognized the teeth in the skull, then went to get the blueprints, planning on getting into the sewer just like we did.”
    “But she was here before they even found the skull,” Lexy said. “And why would she go to all the trouble of opening a bakery and then try to drive me out of business?”
    “Yeah, why break in here ? Why sabotage your scones?” Helen added.
    “It doesn’t make any sense.” Lexy spread her arms and let them slap back to her sides.
    “Wait a minute …” Nans bent closely over the table, her index finger tracing the lines on the blueprint. “Let’s see … this is Main Street and here is the intersection of Duvall and Main. Then it branches off to Elm and … Yep, just as I thought!”
    Nans straightened up and looked at the group, her green eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
    “What?” Lexy squinted at her grandmother.
    Nans pointed at the table. “If this blueprint is correct, the underground access to the sewers is right below your bakery.”

Chapter Twelve

    Lexy’s stomach twisted as she stared down at the blueprint.  
    “Below the bakery? I don’t get it.” Lexy remembered the conversation she and Cassie overheard behind Caraleigh’s dumpster. The other baker had said they had to “figure out a way to get access across the street.” Lexy had thought they meant into the bakery, but what if they were talking about the sewer access under the bakery? And if so, why did they break in and mess around with the recipes?
    Lexy didn’t have time to think about it, because Nans, Ruth, Ida and Helen had already jumped up out of their seats and were making a beeline for the door to the basement.
    Lexy hurried after them, passing a confused looking Cassie who had poked her head out of the kitchen at the commotion.  
    “Can you watch the front? We need to check something out downstairs,” Lexy yelled on her way past. “I’ll fill you in later.”
    “Sure, no problem.” Cassie’s voice followed Lexy around the corner where the door to the basement had been flung open.  
    Lexy stepped on the top stair, then stopped and peered down into the dark basement where she could hear the four ladies chattering on the stairs below her.
    “Is there a light switch down here? I can’t see my hand in front of my face.”
    “Does anyone have a flashlight?”
    “I do, but it’s in my purse upstairs!”
    Lexy felt along the wall tentatively, relieved when her hands met the hard plastic of the light switch instead of something less desirable … like a spider. She flipped the switch and a dull yellow light illuminated the basement