3 Bodies and a Biscotti (A Lexy Baker Bakery Cozy Mystery)

by Dobbs, Leighann

  Justine made a face at the plain white silk sheath. “Boring.”

  “Maybe something simple, in an ivory color,” Lexy said.

  “That you can wear a black leather jacket over.”

  They all laughed at Sam’s joke. Cassie’s taste in clothing was more biker than chic. She usually wore jeans, tee-shirts and black leather. Lexy couldn’t even imagine her in a white wedding dress but the thought brought a smile to her lips.

  “What do you guys think?” Cassie had snuck up behind them and the three girls spun around.

  Lexy felt her eyes grow wide and her mouth open in a big O. Her gasp of surprise echoed those of Sam’s and Justine’s.

  Instead of the traditional white wedding dress they were all expecting, Cassie stood in front of them in a gorgeous deep red silk dress that flowed down to the floor, puffing out at the bottom and tapering to a long train in the back. The whole thing was accented with black-beaded decoration.

  “You look stunning!”

  Lexy saw Cassie’s cheeks turn red. “Really?”

  “Yes,” All three girls said at once.

  “I love it. It’s so … you.”

  Cassie looked at herself in the mirror, turning to check out each side. She touched the pink spiked hair on the top of her head. “I’ll have to dye this red to match, but I think this is the one.”

  Lexy felt a rush of warmth for her friend. Judging by the smile on her face, Cassie was truly happy. She’d found the right man and the right dress. Dismissing the nagging, petty jealousy that tried to creep into her thoughts, she gave Cassie a hug.

  “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks,” Cassie said, then turned to the others. “I’ve picked out a bridesmaid dress I want you guys to look at. If you don’t like it, we can look for something else, but I think it will be perfect.”

  As if by magic, the clerk appeared holding a slinky black sheath. The sleeveless dress had a plunging V-neck and clung tight all the way down. Lexy eyed it dubiously, while sizing up the other two girls who were rail thin. She felt her stomach clench, wondering how her “muffin top” would look in the dress and cursed Jack for mentioning it, even if he was only joking.

  “What size would you like?” Lexy started realizing the clerk was looking at her.

  “Size six.” Lexy could have sworn the clerk looked down at her hips and raised her eyebrow in a question, but she turned so quickly Lexy couldn’t be sure.

  While the clerk disappeared to find the dresses in the proper size, Lexy turned her attention back to Sam.

  “It’s still bugging me that I can’t place where I know you from.” She tapped her index finger on her front tooth.

  “Oh, you probably saw her when you were visiting Nans. Sam works at the Brook Ridge Falls Retirement Center,” Cassie offered.

  “You do?”

  Sam nodded.

  “Oh, which part?”

  “In the nursing care facility,” she answered. Then her eyes narrowed. “Hey, was that you the other day that caused such a ruckus when Mavis died?”

  Lexy felt her cheeks grow warm. “Well, umm … now that you mention it, that was me. I wouldn’t say it was a ruckus, though.”

  Sam raised her eyebrows. “Nurse Rothschild was fit to be tied. Who were those women you were with.”

  “My grandmother and her friends.” Lexy debated telling Sam about their investigation, but decided it was best to keep quiet and get all the information she could out of her while she had the chance. “They knew Mavis and wanted to pay their respects.”

  “Really?” Sam wrinkled her brow. “How did they even know she had died?”

  “Oh word gets around quick over there.” Lexy shifted on her feet uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like she was being interrogated when she was the one that wanted to do the interrogating.

  “Nurse Rothschild doesn’t seem very nurturing.”

  Sam laughed. “Yeah, she’s not known for her bedside manner.”

  “Seems like she would be mean to the patients … does she even like them?” Lexy probed.

  Sam looked at her sideways. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

  “Well, we were just wondering, I mean with all the deaths lately…” Lexy let her voice trail off.

  Sam hesitated before she answered, her brow knit together and Lexy saw a cloud pass over her face. “Well, she does seem cold and uncaring. I did hear her say something about one less old person being fine with her when Mavis died.”

  Lexy felt her stomach flip. Now she was getting somewhere. She was just about to dig a little deeper into Nurse Rothschild’s personality and motive when the clerk returned with three dresses, the hangers clacking as she doled them out to each girl.

  “You can change over there.” She pointed towards a row of doors.

  Lexy took her dress into the room. Staring at it on the hanger, she did have to admit it was stunning and would look fabulous on the right body. But, did she have the right body?

  She stripped down to her bra and underwear and slid the dress off the hanger. Her fingers reveled in the soft silk material as she unzipped the back.

  Slowly she slid it over her head and arms. The dress bunched around her waist and she went about straightening it out, pulling and tugging. It felt like putting on a girdle.

  Her frustration growing, she pinched the material and tried to situate it around her hips so it didn’t ride up. She managed to smooth it down, but it was so tight she had images of the dress ripping open if she tried to sit down. To make matters worse, she could only zip the back up halfway.

  Lexy opened the door to her dressing room. Her heart plummeted when she saw Sam and Justine already in their dresses and looking stunning. She tried to push down the anger she felt. Obviously the dresses must run small.

  She felt her cheeks flame when everyone turned to look at her standing in the open doorway holding the back of her dress together, the material around her hips and stomach so tight, it was practically bursting at the seams.

  The sales clerk tilted her head to one side, raised an eyebrow and said, very loudly, “a larger size, then?”

  Lexy nodded, then backed up into the room, shut the door and waited for the clerk to return.

  It turned out the wait was worth it. Even though Lexy hated the thought of putting on a size eight dress, it did fit her perfectly and looked amazing. Her spirits renewed, she opened to door to show the others.

  Cassie stood alone in the dress room. Her face lit up when she saw Lexy.

  “It looks gorgeous on you!”

  “Thanks.” Lexy glanced around the room. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Oh they had to get back to their jobs, but they loved the dress too … so is it a go, then?”

  Lexy nodded. The dresses were beautiful and she was happy everything was going so well for Cassie, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated as she went back into the dressing room to change out of the dress.

  An avid clothes horse, she’d looked forward to the excursion to the dress shop, but now she’d just felt depressed. Not only had she screwed up the opportunity to pump Sam for more information on Nurse Rothschild but she’d also gone up a dress size. Lexy wasn’t sure which one made her feel worse.

  Chapter Ten

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Lexy stood frozen in front of the food processor, a cup of black beans in her hand. She turned to see Cassie in the doorway looking like she just drank sour milk.

  “I’m making some healthy brownies.”

  “With beans?” Cassie cocked an eyebrow, venturing closer and peering into the food processor.

  “Well, you’re always saying we should start a healthier line of pastries, and, well … I do need to start eating better.”

  “Does this have anything to do with having to get a larger dress size at the shop?”

  Lexy felt her cheeks getting warm. “That, and Jack teased me about having a muffin top.”

  Cassie gasped, “He d
id not!”

  Lexy nodded.

  “Well, you don’t. You look fine. What’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he know better than to say something like that to a woman, even if he is teasing?”

  “Clearly not,” Lexy said, pouring agave nectar into a measuring cup.

  Cassie leaned against the counter. “So, are you mad at him.”

  “I guess you could say that, but not because of the muffin top remark.” Lexy gestured for Cassie to pass over the cocoa powder and eggs, which she added to the food processor along with the agave.

  “He told me he didn’t want me to investigate the murders at Nans’s place. Even though he doesn’t think they are murders. Anyway, I don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do.” Lexy added coconut oil, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and instant coffee to the food processor, slammed on the lid and started it up.

  “I absolutely loved your dress. And the bridesmaid dresses.” Lexy changed the subject to a happier one.

  Cassie beamed at her. “I’m so glad you liked it. I know its not traditional, but you know me.”

  Lexy laughed. “Your cousins seem nice. Isn’t it funny that Sam works at the retirement center. I guess it’s a small world.”

  “Yeah. I’m happy to see she has a good place to work and is straightening up her act. She used to be the black sheep of the family—into drugs and all kinds of bad stuff.”

  Lexy stopped the food processor and scraped the contents out into a pan. She took a tentative lick from the spatula, expecting it to taste like a chocolate burrito. Instead she found it was quite good.

  “Hey this is pretty good. Want some?” She held the spatula out to Cassie, who took a taste.

  “Surprising. You can’t even taste the beans.”

  “We’ll see how the brownies come out once they are baked. I might take them over to Sunny Acres.” Lexy slid the pan into the oven.

  Glancing around the kitchen, she leaned over and whispered to Cassie, “Helen is going to hypnotize some of the residents to make sure we get the dates of the suspicious deaths right, and then we can correlate them to when Rothschild worked there.”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

  Thirty-five minutes later, Lexy was staring at a warm brownie on her dish. Grabbing a fork, she cut off a corner. They were moist and rich looking. She took a sniff, breathing a sigh of relief that it didn’t smell like beans. She put the fork in her mouth and was surprised at the rich chocolate taste. Not a hint of beans in there, yet the brownies were healthy, low in calories and rich in fiber. She might be onto something.

  She scoffed down the brownie, then cut the rest of the pan into bite size pieces and arraigned them in a bakery box that had her logo, phone number, and address. No reason why she couldn’t do a little advertising while she was passing out brownies and helping to hypnotize the residents at Sunny Acres.

  ###

  “Are you guys back already?” The nurse’s aide looked questioningly at Nans before bending down to pet Sprinkles.

  “We promised some of the people we met the other day that we’d come back and bring some treats from my granddaughter’s bakery.” Nans pointed to the box Lexy was holding. “She owns The Cup and Cake, you know.”

  Lexy opened the box and the smell of chocolate wafted out, pulling the aide closer.

  “These look delicious, may I?”

  “Of course.” Lexy handed her a napkin from the pile she had stashed in her jacket pocket.

  “We’re going to visit a few of our new friends in their rooms today, is it okay if we head down?” Nans jerked her head towards the corridor.

  “Sure,” the aide said. Then as they turned, she added, “Thanks for the brownie!”

  Nans had been smart enough to get Alma’s room number when they were there the other day, and she headed straight for it. This section of Sunny Acres was setup more like a nursing home and the rooms were single bedrooms, most of which stood with their doors open.

  They reached Alma’s room, and Helen tapped on the door to catch her attention.

  “Oh hi. I didn’t expect to see you people back here so soon.”

  “We wanted to bring you some brownies that Lexy baked today.” Lexy offered the box and a napkin to Alma who choose a brownie.

  Sprinkles jumped up on the chair next to Alma, and she broke off a corner of the brownie to feed to the dog. Helen sat in the chair next to Alma.

  “How are you feeling today?” Helen asked.

  “Okay. A little tired, but then I do most days. I don’t have much ambition anymore so I mostly sit here and watch T.V.”

  Lexy noticed Helen take Alma’s hand, holding it by the wrist. Nan’s and Ruth stood back by the door eating brownies, Ruth leaned against the door jam and watched down the hall in a subtle attempt to “stand guard.” Lexy stood nearby with the box of brownies in her hand. They had planned earlier that if anyone looked like they were going to come into the room, the three of them would cluster around the door and distract them by offering them a brownie.

  Lexy watched in fascination as Helen talked softly to Alma, getting her to relax. The woman’s eyelids fluttered and then closed.

  “Alma, do you remember those suspicious deaths you were telling us about?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you tell me the dates.”

  Alma was silent for a moment, then rattled off a few dates, which Ida wrote down on a piece of paper.

  “Good. Alma, I’m going to tap your knee and when I do, you’ll wake up with a renewed sense of vigor and a positive attitude. You won’t remember anything about this conversation, but you’ll have boundless energy and a zest for life like you did in your youth.”

  Alma nodded. Ruth tapped her knee. Alma’s eyes drifted open. She took a bite of the brownie.

  “These are delicious. Thanks so much for bringing them.” She finished off the brownie, crumpled up the napkin and threw it into the trashcan. “Well, it was nice visiting you ladies, but I feel a little restless. I think I’m going to go for a long walk.” She bounced up from her chair like a teenager and headed for the door.

  Lexy stared after her, then turned to Helen. “Wow, her attitude really changed, was it that part you added at the end?”

  Helen nodded. “Just a little gift to make her days brighter. Now, shall we move on to the next person?”

  Forty minutes later, they were out in the parking lot trying to squeeze themselves and Sprinkles into Lexy’s VW beetle. Lexy marveled at how Helen, Ruth, and Ida could contort themselves into the tiny back seat. Ruth said their daily yoga practice helped.

  Lexy started up the car and a strange smell assaulted her nostrils, causing her nose to wrinkle. “What’s that smell?”

  Nans blushed. “Sorry, dear … I have gas.”

  “Oh, you too?” Ruth asked.

  “I thought it was me,” Ida chimed in. “I think Alma had it too. I heard a few duck quacks when she sprinted out of her room in front of me.”

  Nans glanced sideways at Lexy, who was busy fumbling with the buttons to roll down the windows. “Lexy, what was in those brownies, anyway?”

  Lexy looked back at her sheepishly. “Black beans.”

  All four women said, “Ohh,” at the same time, then Ida added, “If you’d told us, we could have dosed up on Beano.”

  Nans, Ruth, and Helen laughed.

  Nans half-turned in her seat so she could talk to all four of them. “Even though we have to put up with some gas, I’d say the trip was a big success. Before we came, I researched the dates Nurse Rothschild worked at Sunny Acres and she did work there on the dates Alma and the others mentioned. Now we just need to find some concrete evidence so the police can arrest her before she kills someone else.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “This looks like a high quality pearl. The setting is 18K.” Nans squinted into the magnifying glass, causing her eye to look gigantic from the other side.

  “I bet that’s the type of earring one would wear all the time,
” Ruth said.

  “Which means, someone must have seen her wearing it … or, better yet, there might be pictures of her wearing it,” Ida added.

  Ruth grabbed her iPad and started searching. “I’ll look at the photos from our website and Sunny Acres’ website to start. Maybe we should look into other places she’s worked too?”

  “That’s a good idea. We could visit them like we did Sunny Acres, and find out if there’s been any deaths that seem unusual,” Lexy said.

  “Wait a minute.” Ruth whipped off her glasses and took the magnifying glass from Nans. She bent over the iPad holding the magnifier at varying distances. “Isn’t that the janitor from our nursing facility in this picture?”

  Everyone clustered around the iPad. Lexy bent down to get a better look.

  “Yes, I recognize him from when we were down there the other day,” Lexy said. “And he’s standing right next to Nurse Rothschild.”

  “That means, they know each other,” Nans said, then added, “Does anyone else think it’s odd that they worked at Sunny Acres together and now work here together?”

  “Maybe they do the killings together?” Ruth narrowed her eyes at the picture.

  “Or maybe Nurse Rothschild has some hold on him and gets him to do the killing for her,” Helen said.

  “Or maybe he’s the killer and Rothschild has nothing to do with it!” Ida added.

  “Maybe we should be looking into him too,” Lexy said just as her cell phone notified her of a text. She rummaged in her purse and pulled it out. It was a simple two word message from Jack.

  Dinner tonight?

  Lexy wondered if that was his version of an apology. Should she accept? Lexy wasn’t sure if she wanted to, so she stuffed the phone back into her purse, and decided to answer the text later.

  “First, we should find out if either of them were even there the nights of the murders. Maybe it will rule one of them out,” Nans said.

  “Right. How do we do that?” Lexy asked.

  “One of us could blunder down there and pretend we were lost or looking for something then try to sneak a peek at the schedule. But, the schedule probably only lists the hours for the coming week so it wouldn’t tell us how was on duty when the murders happened,” Ruth said. “I wonder if they have it in a database, maybe I can hack into it.”