Bake, Battle & Roll (8 page)

Jack finished with the lotion and looked at her. “Well, it sounds like you have a lot of things to follow up on before you can get a picture of what is really going on.”

“Right.” Lexy bit her bottom lip. There
was
a lot to figure out … could she, Nans and the
Ladies Detective Club
handle all that?

“You know what I’d do?” Jack prompted.

“What?” 

“I’d start with one clue and follow it through to the end. Knock off each of your questions one by one until they are all resolved and then you’ll know the truth.”

“You make it sound so easy.” Lexy opened her bag and started putting the contents that she had spilled on her towel back inside it.

“It’s not that hard if you take it one at a time,” Jack said. “Did you ever get back to that other trail?”

“No, I was planning on doing that later today. Wanna come?”

“I wish I could, but I’m going fishing.” Jack peered over his sunglasses at her. “You’re not going alone, I hope.”

“Oh no, Nans and the ladies will be with me so I’ll be perfectly safe.”

“That’s great. I’m
sure
you won’t get into any trouble with them,” Jack said dubiously as he pushed his sunglasses up on his face and flipped over on his stomach. 

Lexy leaned back on her elbows and watched the lake lap at the shore. A little bird ran along the edge of the water pecking for food. Out on the lake, people paddled on kayaks and canoes. The occasional motor boat sped by in the deeper waters. It was calm. Relaxing. 

Lexy’s stomach twisted to think a murderer could be running loose right in this very resort. And, since Payne didn’t seem to be doing a very good job, it might be up to Lexy and the
Ladies Detective Club
to catch the killer.

Chapter Eleven

Lexy had just finished showering and was wrestling Sprinkles into her harness when Nans, Ruth and Helen appeared at her cottage door.

“Where’s Ida?” Lexy asked.

“Oh she begged off,” Nans said.

“Claimed she had to do something with Norman before he went out fishing tonight.” Ruth giggled.

Lexy made a face and held her hand up. Considering Ida’s comment earlier that day about the two things fishermen were interested in, she didn’t want to know anymore.

“Will you guys be okay? This could be a long walk and a lot of it is uphill.” Lexy realized the three women were clutching their giant patent leather old ladies purses. “You’re not bringing those purses, are you?”

“We bring these everywhere,” Helen said.

“They’re loaded up with all kinds of useful items,” Ruth added.

“You never know when something in here is going to come in handy.” Nans opened her purse and angled it toward Lexy.

“They look heavy,” Lexy said. “Why don’t you leave them here and you can pick them up on the way back? You’ll be able to walk the path easier without them.”

The three women looked at each other. Nans held her purse out by the handles as if judging the weight, then nodded.

“You may be right, dear,” she said and put her purse on the table. Ruth and Helen did the same with theirs.

“Okay, let's get this show on the road.” Nans opened the door, leading the way outside.

They followed the same path Lexy and Jack and followed the other day. When they got to the top of the hill, Lexy had to stop to catch her breath.

“You guys don’t even seem winded.” She stared at Nans, Ruth and Helen.

“Oh, that’s nothing,” Nans said. “We do yoga, Pilates and water aerobics … a little hill like this is child’s play.”

“Maybe you should consider joining us in our regular workout.” Ruth frowned at Lexy. “You seem a bit out of shape.

Lexy looked down at her slim body.
Out of shape?
Well, sure she was a bit winded after the climb but she still
looked
good. At least that’s what Jack had said down at the beach. 

“You’re not in your twenties anymore,” Nans added looking her up and down. “And you won’t be able to keep that cute shape without having to work at it for long.”

“Yeah, you don’t think our girlish figures come without a price, do you?” Helen ran her hands up and down the sides of her body and everyone laughed.

“Okay, where’s this path?” Nans asked.

“Over here.” Lexy pulled Sprinkles to the end of the path and walked the short distance to the back of the dining hall where the trails intersected. 

Nans glanced over at the dumpster, still marked with crime scene tape. “Is that where …?”

“Yep, that’s where I found him.” Lexy shivered despite the warm afternoon air.

Ruth walked right up to the crime scene tape. “Maybe we should take a little look around. The police may have overlooked a clue.”

“Good idea,” Helen said. She held the tape up while Nans and Ruth scooted under, then ducked under it herself. 

The smell of old fish, sour milk and rotting cabbage assaulted Lexy and she pinched her nose shut. 

“Can you guys hurry up?” she said, except it came out as ‘hubby up’.

Nans bent down, scuffing at the debris under the dumpster with her shoe. “Come take a look at this.” 

Ruth and Helen bent over to take a look. Lexy pinched her nose even tighter and got as close as she dared, craning over the crime scene tape to see what they had found.

“Is that …?” Ruth asked.

“I do believe it is,” Helen replied.

Nans worked at something with her shoe, sliding it out from under the dumpster. She pulled a kleenex out of her pocket, then bent over to pick up the item. She stood holding it in the air, careful to touch it only with the kleenex. 

“Is that blood?” Lexy asked. The item Nans held up looked to be a swatch of fabric—plaid flannel. It was about one inch square and a rust colored smear on it that looked suspiciously like blood.
But, whose blood?

“I think so,” Nans said. Wrapping the fabric in the tissue, she slid it into her pocket.

“Is that Dugasse’s blood?” Ruth asked.

“It could be. But the fabric was wedged under the dumpster so it could have been there before he was murdered.”

“Or it could have come from the killer.”

“I wish we had our own forensics lab.” Nans pressed her lips together. “I don’t trust that Detective Payne not to fumble this up. He didn’t even find that fabric when he searched the area!”

“True. He seems like a dope,” Ruth said.

“I don’t see anything else. Do either of you?” Helen asked.

“Nope. Let’s move on,” Ruth answered and the three of them scurried under the crime scene tape and then joined Lexy at the intersection of the paths.

“So which path?” Nans looked at Lexy.

“Well, this one goes to the front parking lot so I doubt the killer used that one,” Lexy said pointing to the path on the left. Then she turned and pointed to one of the middle paths. “And this is the only other one I haven’t walked on.”

“Well, let's go!” Ruth started in the direction of the path in a power walk and Lexy trotted after her. 

“We should slow down and look for clues … you know anything unusual,” Lexy said remembering Jack’s advice.

“Yes, we know what clues are, dear,” Nans teased.

They walked leisurely letting Sprinkles make her various pit stops. They were only about twenty feet down the path when Sprinkles found something she must have thought was irresistible. Lexy tugged on the leash, but Sprinkles insisted on sniffing whatever it was she had found under a small shrub.

“What have you got, Sprinks?” Lexy bent down to investigate hoping it wasn’t a dead animal. It wasn’t. Lexy picked it up and held it out for the ladies.

“What is it?” Nans narrowed her eyes at the thin strip of leather with stainless steel spikes sticking out of it.

“I think it’s a bracelet,” Ruth said.

Lexy wrapped it around her wrist and it snapped closed with magnetic clasps on each end. Ruth was right. “Who would wear a bracelet like this?” Lexy asked.

“Maybe one of the teenagers?” Nans said. “Their ever changing fashions always baffle me.”

“Maybe.” Lexy put the bracelet in her pocket and started forward. “I’ll just keep it … it could be a clue.”

The ladies nodded and followed her down the path. Like the previous day, the tall trees provided welcome shade. The birds chirped, chipmunks scurried in the leaves and the smell of the woods made the walk relaxing and pleasant. Until they came to a section that became very dense … and dark. 

Lexy hesitated, looking at the others. “Is it getting dark out?”

“No, it’s just the woods are really thick here.” Nans looked back behind them. “The trail narrows, but it keeps going.”

Nans forged ahead and Lexy followed. They had to walk single file since the trail was so thin and dense forest on either side made it impossible to stray. They walked in silence, Lexy’s nerves getting more jittery with every step.

Nans stopped abruptly and Lexy almost rammed into her.

“There’s a clearing up ahead.” Nans pointed. Lexy craned around her to see. It looked like the path ended in a clearing with a small camp in the middle.

“Let’s check it out,” Helen whispered.

They scuffled up to the end of the path where they could get a better view of the small house. A picnic table sat in between the path and the camp and there was a large campfire pit in front of it. Six motorcycles were lined up next to the house. No one seemed to be there except a large Boxer dog that lay snoring on the porch.

Nans motioned for them to crouch down behind a bush and they all obeyed.

“I wonder who stays here?” She whispered.

Lexy shrugged. “Do you think they take the path to the dining hall?”

“I don’t know. Someone does.”

The Boxer lifted its head and started sniffing. 

Sprinkles sniffed too and wiggled around. Lexy pulled the dog tight beside her. “Shhh..”

Lexy’s heartbeat kicked up a notch when she saw the Boxer get up from his place on the porch. He lifted his nose in the air, sniffed, then turned in their direction.

Sprinkles started to growl.

The Boxer started walking toward them.

Lexy shushed Sprinkles again.

The Boxer came even closer and Sprinkles let out a yelp, then darted out from behind the bush, yanking the leash out of Lexy’s hand and running in the direction of the Boxer. 

Lexy jumped up, her heart jerking in her chest. 

“Sprinkles come back!” She started off toward the dogs ready to grab Sprinkles from the clutches of the menacing Boxer. Sprinkles stopped in front of the Boxer and the two dogs calmly started sniffing each other. 

Lexy felt her shoulders relax, then the door of the cabin exploded open and two burly guys in leather vests burst out. One of them had a shotgun and the other a knife. 

Lexy’s heart pounded against her ribcage as the largest guy—the one with the bandana on his bald head and spider tattoo on his neck—pointed the shotgun at her.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

Lexy’s mouth went dry. She tried to swallow but it was like drinking sandpaper. 

“I told you we should have brought our purses.” She heard Nans whisper from behind the shrub. 

The big guy narrowed his eyes in the direction of the shrub. “Who’s that? Is someone behind that bush?”

Lexy looked back over her shoulder and her heart sank as she saw Nans, Ruth and Helen all stand up, their hands held up next to their heads, palms out. 

“We’re just some little old ladies from the resort.” Nans nodded at Lexy and Sprinkles. “I was just taking my granddaughter and her dog for a walk.”

The two guys cut their eyes to the dogs who had gotten around to sniffing each other’s back ends. Lexy thought the dogs seemed to be making friends a lot easier than their owners.

“Hey, looks like Brutus found a friend,” the smaller guy said.

The big guy narrowed his eyes at the dog, lowering the gun slightly then jerked it back up in Lexy’s direction. “Who sent you?”

Lexy’s brows mashed together. “Sent me? No one.”

The two guys exchanged a glance. The smaller guy put his knife away and shrugged. 

“They’re grandmas,” he said pointing his chin in Nans direction.

The big guy nodded, but kept his gun trained on Lexy. “I suggest you take your dog, get on out of here and don’t come back.”

Lexy ran over and grabbed Sprinkles leash. “Right. No problem. Sorry.”

She turned and sprinted back toward the path, making sure Nans, Ruth and Helen got away ahead of her.

She glanced back over her shoulder every twenty steps and her heart didn’t stop racing until they were a full five minutes away.

“What was that all about?” Nans asked. 

“I’m not sure but it seemed like a gang of unfriendly bikers to me,” Ruth answered.

“Do you think they could have had something to do with Chef Dugasse’s murder?” Helen asked.

“I bet they either had something to do with it, or they know something,” Lexy said.

“Just because they are bikers and acted like they didn’t want us in their camp is no reason to assume they are killers,” Nans admonished.

“It’s not just that.” Lexy pulled the bracelet she’d found at the head of the trail out of her pocket and held it up in front of her. “The guy with the knife had this exact same bracelet on and, since this one was found only twenty feet from the dining hall, I think it’s safe to assume one of them has been to that kitchen at least once before.”

Chapter Twelve

Lexy dipped her spoon into the thick custard and brought it to her lips. The sweetness from the sugar and the unmistakable flavor from the real vanilla bean she’d added danced on her tongue. The creaminess of the custard was like velvet in her mouth. Perfect.

She pulled over a tray of the small puff pastries she’d made to house the custard and set the bowl of chocolate she’d drizzle on the top next to her. Spooning the custard into a piping bag, she picked up a pastry, squeezed some custard inside then set it on another tray. She continued until she had one tray completed, then spooned the chocolate on top for a perfect set of miniature bite-sized éclairs.

She popped one into her mouth letting the flavorful explosion thrill her taste buds. They were just the way she wanted. She pulled another tray of puff pastries over and started repeating the process.