In the kitchen, Lexy went straight to the fridge for breakfast. She pulled out a cheese Danish - left over from the Toliver pastries. She ate it standing over the sink, the sugary sweetness flooding into her bloodstream giving her a burst of energy for the morning's activities. Sprinkles watched from her dog bed, her eyes longingly following every crumb that dropped.
Wiping a smudge of frosting from her face with a napkin, Lexy threw Sprinkles a treat, grabbed her car keys and headed out to meet Cassie at the bakery.
***
Lexy tapped the large brass door knocker against the giant oak door of the Toliver mansion. She glanced over at Cassie who was standing rigidly with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Relax, they're not that bad you know." She said, ignoring the angry, sideways glare Cassie fixed on her out of the corner of her eye.
The door opened inward giving the girls a view of Blake Toliver looking rather handsome with a half buttoned shirt, his hair wet from a recent shower. He looked at Lexy appreciatively "Well well, well…our beautiful baker is back. To what do we owe this honor?"
Lexy awarded him with her most dazzling smile. "This is my assistant Cassie … Cassie, this is Blake Toliver." Lexy waved her hands between the two of them. Blake stuck his hand out to shake Cassie's which she begrudgingly offered him, then looked back at Lexy one eyebrow raised.
"We came to collect the rest of our catering trays and other things. I left everything in the kitchen yesterday when…"
"Oh, right," he said, opening the door wider. " I think the police are all done in there, come on in.”
He held the door open to let the girls walk through. They preceded him into the hall. Lexy cast a furtive glance backwards, to catch him staring at her jean clad backside. She gave him a little wink - not that she was flirting - she preferred to think of it as buttering him up for questioning.
They proceeded forward into the kitchen. Lexy was glad to see it had been cleaned up but the obvious area in the middle where Chastine’s body had been was a reminder of what had happened just the day before.
"So, how are you all doing? Is your dad okay?" Lexy scanned the room while trying to encourage conversation. She saw her tablecloths, trays, chafing dishes and other assorted paraphernalia where she had left them on the tables but there was one item she didn't see - the seven inch serrated knife.
"Oh, Dad's okay .. he was really broke up about Chastine, but Trixie came over to give her condolences. She seems to have lifted his spirits immensely."
"Trixie?" Lexy pretended not to know about Xavier's ex-girlfriend.
"Trixie was Dad's old girlfriend. Another gold digger - he seems to attract them." Blake shrugged. "Dad dumped her when Chastine came along."
Lexy raised an eyebrow and stepped a little bit closer to Blake who didn't seem to mind at all. "Oh really? she must've been mad when that happened."
"Madder than a nest full of hornets." He grinned, running his finger teasingly along the bottom of Lexy's crop top with a gleam in his eye.
Lexy swatted his hand away playfully letting out a little giggle. She knew she was flirting shamelessly but it wasn't that hard to flirt with Blake Toliver. He was rich and handsome - what more could a girl want? She could almost see herself wanting to get to know Blake better except for one thing - she was stuck on Jack Perillo.
"Do you think Trixie could have killed Chastine?" Lexy asked her face a mask of wide-eyed innocence.
Blake pursed his lips while apparently thinking about the question. "I'm not sure, anyone could have killed her because the back door was wide open."
Lexy swiveled her head over towards the back kitchen door. "It was?"
"Yep, I guess no one noticed it that morning, but the police asked us later who had opened the door. None of us had opened it. The killer could have been someone who just came in the back door - it could have been anyone off the street."
"But it probably wasn't," Lexy said. "Chances are it was someone who had it in for Chastine. Did she have any enemies?"
Blake snorted out a laugh. "Enemies? The question should be did she have any friends. She made an enemy out of pretty much everyone who came into contact with her."
“What about you and Bronson, you must have liked her? After all, she was going to marry your father.”
Blake made a face. “Hardly, we tolerated her for Dad’s sake but she was a mean, nasty person.”
“Did you guys feel threatened that she was going to steal away the Toliver money?” Lexy asked innocently.
“I know that's what most people think - I’m sure we’re high up on the suspect list, but I wasn’t worried about it. Dad has trust funds in place for us.”
“And Bronson?”
“You'd have to ask him. But I'm not sure he cares too much about money.”
“What about Chastine’s assistant… what was her name?”
“Candace?”
“Yes! That's it. I didn't catch her last name though..." Lexy said it nonchalantly, as if she didn’t really care.
She saw Blake's forehand wrinkle. He paused for a moment. "Come to think of it, I don't think I know her last name."
Damn.
Lexy was about to press further when she was interrupted by the trilling of her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket, glancing down at the display. Jack! Why did he have to call now of all times? With a sigh, she turned the phone off without answering and stuffed it back in her pocket.
“Who was that?” Blake asked.
“Oh, no one important.” She turned her full attention back to Blake, tilting her head sideways, glancing at him from underneath her long lashes. "So, what were we talking about?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Lexy could see Cassie was finishing up with collecting the trays and other items. She’d have to either give Cassie a signal to slow down or speed up her questioning. She didn’t have all her answers yet and wouldn’t have an excuse to stay unless she wanted to get really friendly with Blake. Which she didn’t.
“Enough about the murder...I know a place where we can talk much more comfortably...and about something much more interesting.” Blake leaned in closer to Lexy, his boyish good looks and charm were tempting but Lexy had more important things to do.
“Oh, Blake, you’re such a flirt!” She laughed, making a joke out of it. “But seriously, aren’t you the least bit curious about who could have murdered your future stepmother right in your own home? I mean it’s kind of creepy that a murderer was in your house.”
“Well, since you put it that way... it is kind of troubling.”
“You were home, right? Did you hear anything?”
“I was home that night. We all were because the brunch was the next day. It’s pretty quiet up in the upper wings, but I did hear a commotion early in the morning...” His voice trailed off, his eyes moving up to the ceiling apparently thinking back to the night before the murder.
“What was it?” Lexy prompted, trying not to appear too anxious for the answer.
“I thought I heard a woman giggling, but when I poked my head out into the hall, I only saw Bronson coming up the stairs - alone. I thought maybe he brought some floozy home, but there was no one.”
“What time was that? If he was just coming up from downstairs he might have been very close to running into the murderer!” Or maybe he was the murderer, Lexy thought.
“It was around 2:30” Blake said, then Lexy saw his eyes grow wider. “Hey, isn’t that right about when the murder happened?”
Lexy nodded.
Blake turned his charm on Lexy. “But, what’s any of that have to do with us?”
Lexy felt a sharp jolt of panic when he took her arm in an attempt to lead her into the other room.
The sound of trays clattering behind them brought them to a halt. Lexy spun around, feeling a surge of relief when she saw Cassie standing in front of two trays which had fallen on the floor.
“Sorry,” Cassie said. Lexy noticed she didn’t look the least bit sorry. “I’m all
done packing this stuff up, Lexy.”
“Oh.. right.” Lexy looked up at Blake. “We should be getting back to the bakery.”
“Oh...but we were just getting to know each other.” Lexy thought she saw an actual look of regret on his face, but she knew he was a notorious playboy - he’d probably forget about her as soon as she walked out the door.
The sound of the door knocker echoed into the kitchen. Lexy took advantage of the new visitors to make her exit. “You go answer that - Cassie and I will let ourselves out the back. Our car is just round to the front.”
“Ok, well maybe I’ll see you later?” It was more a question than a statement.
Lexy nodded and they both started off in opposite directions - Blake towards the front door, Lexy towards the back.
Remembering she needed one final piece of information, Lexy stopped and spun around. “Blake?”
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering when the wake is. My grandmother would like to pay her respects.”
“Oh, that’s set for tomorrow afternoon. Three o’clock at McGreevys.”
“Great, thanks!” Lexy turned back, grabbed one of the boxes Cassie had packed from the table and beat a hasty retreat out the back door.
Chapter Nine
“Not that way, Cassie - this way.” Lexy nodded her head towards the back of the house.
“Huh? Our car is that way,” Cassie said, pointing towards the front of the house.
“I know, but we're going this way because I have a sneaky suspicion this is where the murder weapon can be found.”
“Murder weapon?”
“Yes, remember yesterday when John told us it was the seven inch serrated knife? Well I think it was one of our knives! I had brought it here during the initial setup and now, it’s missing. It’s got to be the one the killer used.”
For a fleeting second Lexy wondered if the fact that it was their knife would cast suspicion on her - after all she had been the one to find the body. She didn’t think she would be a suspect though - she had no motive. But it gave her even more of a reason to find the knife which she hoped might have some evidence on or near it that would help them figure out who the killer was.
“OK, so it was our knife, why the trip to the back of the house?” Cassie asked.
“I happened to notice a little dumpster back here behind this fence. Seems like that would be a perfect place to dispose of a murder weapon.”
“But do you think we should be looking for it? Maybe we should call the police - I mean we wouldn't want to destroy any evidence or anything.”
Cassie wanting to call the police? Now this was a switch, Lexy thought. Usually she avoided any kind of authority.
Cassie did have a good point, though. Lexy had considered calling them but she didn't have time to wait for the police to find it, plus she was still mad at Jack.
The girls slipped behind a stockade fence which camouflaged the unsightly necessities like the dumpster and central air conditioning unit for the house from the view of the mansion. It was also a convenient camouflage for them in case anyone happened to look out one of the windows.
Over to the right, on the other side of the fence was a gigantic pool, sparkling blue water and grecian statues all around. The construction of a new cabana building - the size of most peoples homes - was in full swing on the other side of the pool.
Lexy tore her eyes from the peaceful scene to look at the grungy, smelly dumpster. Putting down her box, she stepped gingerly over the greasy debris on the ground. Next to her Cassie wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"It smells pretty ripe out here, huh?" Lexy pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger to block out the smell of garbage. With her other hand she swatted at several flies who were circling her.
"So, who's going to look in there?" Cassie asked.
Lexy looked at her friend, then at the dumpster, then took a deep breath. "I will."
She walked over to the edge and tried to peek in. It was a small dumpster, but even standing on her tippy toes with 2” platforms, she couldn’t see over the edge. Glancing around she found a milk crate in the corner, pulled it over and stepped up on top allowing herself a view into the dumpster. She felt bile rise up in her throat, the smell was even worse from up there.
" I dont see it…" Lexy craned her head to look into the corner of the dumpster.
"Of course not, what were you expecting, to have the murder weapon just laying on top? If the murderer has any sense it'll be buried deep down inside there." Cassie blew out a breath causing her pink tinted bangs to flutter.
Lexy looked down into the dumpster again. Could she bring herself to get in there? The thought caused her stomach to churn, the Danish she ate earlier threatening to make its way back up.
She looked around for a better solution. Over in the corner was a large push broom - if she used it to stir things around, maybe she could unearth the knife.
“Cassie, grab that broom over there for me.”
Cassie grabbed the handle, and passed it over to Lexy. Lexy hoisted herself up, balancing her hips on the edge of the dumpster so she could get the broom down inside. Glancing at Cassie over her shoulder, she asked “Can you hold my legs so I don’t fall in?”
Lexy heard Cassie burst out laughing, then felt her grab her right calf.
She shoved the broom in and started sweeping the garbage around which sent a variety of noxious smells up to assault her nose. Her eyes weren’t having much fun either - there was all kinds of gross, slimy garbage, flies and who knew what else in there.
“Ughh...this is gross!” She moved the broom slowly, her eyes searching for a glint of silver or the shape of a knife handle. She was just getting into a sweeping routine when-
“What are you doing?” The deep voice boomed from behind them.
Cassie shrieked, throwing her arms in the air, she let go of Lexy’s leg. Lexy teetered on the edge of the dumpster - her rear end up in the air, her arms flailing for something to grab onto to save her from falling in.
Just as she was about to lose her battle, she felt someone grab her by the waist and pull her off the side of the dumpster. She let out a sigh of relief, then turned, coming face to face with the person who had saved her from being smothered in garbage. The last person she wanted to see right now. Jack Perillo.
***
“What were you doing in the dumpster?” Jack demanded.
Lexy felt a surge of anger bubble up inside her when she saw the hint of laughter in his eyes. She tried to back away from him but was forced to stop when her backside bumped up against the hard metal of the dumpster.
"I was looking for some of my catering equipment," she mumbled. Looking down, she swatted at her clothing to try to remove some of the encrusted debris.
She heard Jack sigh. "Lexy, I hope you aren’t meddling in this case.”
Meddling? What did he think - she had nothing better to do? If he had been doing his job faster, she wouldn't be forced to figure out who the murderer was in order to get the payment in the first place! The anger Lexy had felt earlier threatened to explode. She struggled to remain calm. Her eyes darted to the left. She considered side-stepping away from him but he put his hands against the dumpster on either side of her, trapping her in between them.
“And why haven't you answered my calls?”
Calls? Had he called more than just the one time today? Lexy realized she hadn't checked her messages in a couple of days.
She saw Jack’s eyes soften, he reached over, pushing a lock of hair behind her ears. “By the way...you look nice today.” Lexy felt her heart clench, the words caught her off-guard, chiseling away at her anger.
Then suddenly, he was leaning in to kiss her. She stood there frozen. Did she want him to kiss her? His lips softly brushed against hers causing Lexy to feel delicious tingles in all the right places. She was just about to return the kiss when she remembered how he had been ignoring her the past few weeks. Then her thoughts drifted to his earlier co
mment about meddling and hard, cold anger chased away those warm and fuzzy tingles.
She pushed on his chest with her hands, shoving him away from her.
"I hope you don't think you can just breeze in here and kiss me after ignoring me for two weeks." She blurted out the words, stabbing her index finger at his chest to punctuate them.
Jack took a step backwards, a look of surprise on his face. Then, before he could say anything, she turned on her heel and stomped off.
Rounding the corner of the fence, Lexy glanced up at the house and saw a curtain flutter back. Was someone watching her?
Not looking where she was going, she plowed full force into the back of Cassie, pushing her into John Darling almost causing the three of them to fall down in a tangled pile.
“What the heck-?” Lexy noticed John had caught Cassie in his arms to keep her from knocking him down. Neither one of them looked too upset about it. In fact, it seemed like Cassie took a bit longer extracting herself than necessary.
“Sorry.” Lexy looked at Cassie, then nodded her head towards the car. “Let’s go.” She picked up her box, storming off towards the front of the house.
Lexy put the box in the trunk, then slipped into the driver’s seat. She looked at herself in the rear view mirror - her hair was messed up, she had dirt on her face and her eye was twitching like a metronome.
She pulled her phone from her pocket. Jack had called yesterday. She dialed her inbox. Her heart flip-flopped when she heard the apologetic message he had left the day before. He really did care. She glanced over in the direction of the dumpster. Should she go back to talk to him?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Cassie’s appearance from the side of the house. She watched Cassie slide her box into the trunk, then open the passenger door plopping herself into the seat.
"What took you so long?" Lexy asked.
Cassie turned, looking Lexy straight in the face. “Did you ever hear the saying - you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”
Dying For Danish (A Lexy Baker Bakery Mystery) Page 4