Free Bake Me a Murder by Carole Fowkes Page B

Harold’s turn. “Your Honor, my client is not a flight risk. He’s lived in the Cleveland area all his life. He’s held down a steady job but as an only child he’s taken on the entire task of caring for his aging parents.” By the time Harold finished, Merle could’ve been nominated for governor. I held my breath for the judge’s pronouncement.
    The judge set Merle’s bail at $100,000. Not as bad as it could’ve been, and I hoped he’d be able to post that amount of money. The thought of Merle incarcerated for a murder he couldn’t have done gave me a headache.
    Ed stood, shaking his head, and made his way to me. “Saw you come in, but I wanted to wait until Merle got finished.” He rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure he can make bail. He’s got a good job, but a lot of it goes to doctor bill for his folks.”
    “So sorry, Ed. Really. I know Merle is innocent.” I pulled my car keys from my purse. “I’m going to find who really killed Coco.” My coward’s heart made me add, “Can you come with me?”
    He blew out a deep breath. “Soon as I see if I can help Merle make bail. I’ll text you. Good enough?”
    “It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but Merle had hired me to help him and I needed to get the job done, with or without Ed’s help.
    Before setting out on my quest for Coco’s true killer, I wanted to make sure my gun was loaded. “Damn!” Only one bullet and I wasn’t a good enough shot to make that one count. A stop at my office would get me a full supply. After that, my plan was to contact Merle and see if he knew why Coco had taken the pictures in her phone. My gun went back inside my purse and I headed to the office.
    I was unlocking my office door when a man’s hand clamped over my mouth. His other hand held a knife against my neck. “Hey, chica .” A familiar voice. I stiffened as Rico pushed up against me. His warm breath smelled of tobacco mixed with spearmint.

Chapter Eight
     
    “I nside.” He kicked the office door open and shoved me. My unsteady legs gave out and I went down on all fours. On instinct, I tried to crawl away, but he yanked me up so hard it felt like my arm would dislocate. I stepped on his foot and ground my heel in, but all that did was incense him more and he jerked me forward until I almost slammed into my desk.
    The knife he brandished was thin, perfect for filleting. “Bitch, you don’t stop this, I’m gonna get nasty. ¿Comprende?” The metal of his knife pressed against my neck once again.
    I heard buzzing in my head and felt dizzy, but I managed to nod.
    “Good. You tell me what I want to know and you can stay pretty. Okay?” His grip loosened a bit, but his knife against my neck stopped me from struggling. “Good. Now what pictures did Coco have in her phone?”
    I sucked in air and froze.
    “Talk.” The cold blade heated my brain. My voice was little more than a croak. “How did you know I saw anything?”
    “Ain’t important how I know. What were they?”
    My trembles were so bad his knife could slice through my skin any minute. “If I tell you will you let me go?”
    He moved the knife and threw me into a chair so hard the chair rocked to one side then the other. “Now tell me or I swear when I finish with my knife, your own mother won’t recognize you.”
    The Chinese food I’d just eaten threatened to come back up. I swallowed hard. “They were pictures of old furniture in some room.”
    He nodded. “What else?”
    “Nothing.” Instinct told me to keep him ignorant of the girl’s picture.
    He grabbed a handful of my hair and tugged it so hard tears sprang to my eyes. “What else?”
    “Nothing else. Really.” Please don’t kill me.
    He let go of my hair, leaned over and covered my mouth with his, forcing his tongue past my lips. I gagged and wanted to gargle with disinfectant, anything to rid me of his taste. I settled for pushing my hands against his chest.
    He stepped back and laughed, but his laughter turned to rage. His