Read Online Murder, Money & Marzipan by Leighann Dobbs - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leighann Dobbs
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clothes, purses, and shoes? I still say she was up to something.” Cassie poured corn syrup and vanilla into a pan with butter and brown sugar. Placing it on the stove, she turned the knob on the gas burner. Lexy heard the tell tale clicking and the poof of gas indicating the burner was on.
Turning the dough out of the food processor, Lexy started rolling it out with a marble rolling pin. Their plan was to make two pies for the contest - a bourbon pecan pie and Lexy’s famous coconut cream with a layer of chocolate on the bottom.
“It is kind of strange about Corinne though. How would killing Saunders help her win the contest?” Cassie said as she poured pecans and bourbon into the cooling mixture.
Lexi narrowed her eyes. “You know that’s a good question. I don’t think eliminating her as a judge would help Corinne, but then again she did win that last contest.”
She flipped the dough onto a pie plate and started pinching the edges to even them out along the rim. “Her motivation could be something we don’t know about--like maybe Saunders caught her cheating and was going to expose her?”
“Maybe, or maybe she didn’t kill Saunders. Maybe she just wanted to mess up your cake so she could win the contest.”
“Yeah, but why the warning?”
“Good question.” Lexy looked up and thought she saw a familiar figure duck out of sight. “Hey, is that Jake Ryan?”
“That cute detective? Where?” Cassie craned her neck to look around.
“Oover there.” Lexy pointed in the direction where she thought she had seen him, then shrugged. “Must have been my imagination.”
“Ready?” Cassie asked, holding up the pan.
Lexy nodded, then slid the pie plate over for Cassie to pour the mixture in. She looked up again in the direction she had thought she had seen Jake Ryan. She was sure it was him but was perplexed as to why he would duck out of sight. Unless he was watching her. And if he was, that couldn’t be a good sign.
###
Nans looked around the casino, a thrill of excitement running through her. At her age, there weren’t many things that made her feel this excited, but covert detective work was one of them. The best part was that no one ever paid much attention to a little old lady, so she was practically invisible. This allowed her to eavesdrop on conversations and follow people virtually undetected.
Back home, the members of the Ladies Detective Club didn’t go out much. They mostly investigated cases from the comfort of the retirement center where they lived, using their iPads to do the “leg work” for them. Once in a while, however, they took out Ruth’s gigantic late-model Buick to go “in the field” either to follow a suspect or stake out a location. Nans loved doing the field work, and this little task she had taken on for Lexy reminded her of those times.
She rummaged inside her large purse for the Bakery Battles Stadium V.I.P. Pass Lexy had given her. The pass was for guests of the bakers only. She would need it to get inside the stadium, as the general public was not allowed in when there was no competition being taped.
Pulling the large blue-and-white paper from her purse, she clutched it in her hands while she navigated the casino, weaving between banks of slot machines and poker tables.
The clanging of bells and the mechanical spinning of reels was music to her ears and she listened happily while carefully crossing the busy area. A crowd of people cheering on her right caught her attention. Her eyes widened at what she saw.
Aurea Pearce sat at a poker table, the players and bystanders applauding her as she raked in a huge mound of poker chips.
Nans shook her head in disbelief. Aurea was a nasty person and possibly even a murderer; it just didn’t seem fair that she should win a big poker pot. Oh, well, I guess it’s true that life isn’t fair .
She continued on to the visitor’s entrance of the stadium area. Dutifully showing her pass
Turning the dough out of the food processor, Lexy started rolling it out with a marble rolling pin. Their plan was to make two pies for the contest - a bourbon pecan pie and Lexy’s famous coconut cream with a layer of chocolate on the bottom.
“It is kind of strange about Corinne though. How would killing Saunders help her win the contest?” Cassie said as she poured pecans and bourbon into the cooling mixture.
Lexi narrowed her eyes. “You know that’s a good question. I don’t think eliminating her as a judge would help Corinne, but then again she did win that last contest.”
She flipped the dough onto a pie plate and started pinching the edges to even them out along the rim. “Her motivation could be something we don’t know about--like maybe Saunders caught her cheating and was going to expose her?”
“Maybe, or maybe she didn’t kill Saunders. Maybe she just wanted to mess up your cake so she could win the contest.”
“Yeah, but why the warning?”
“Good question.” Lexy looked up and thought she saw a familiar figure duck out of sight. “Hey, is that Jake Ryan?”
“That cute detective? Where?” Cassie craned her neck to look around.
“Oover there.” Lexy pointed in the direction where she thought she had seen him, then shrugged. “Must have been my imagination.”
“Ready?” Cassie asked, holding up the pan.
Lexy nodded, then slid the pie plate over for Cassie to pour the mixture in. She looked up again in the direction she had thought she had seen Jake Ryan. She was sure it was him but was perplexed as to why he would duck out of sight. Unless he was watching her. And if he was, that couldn’t be a good sign.
###
Nans looked around the casino, a thrill of excitement running through her. At her age, there weren’t many things that made her feel this excited, but covert detective work was one of them. The best part was that no one ever paid much attention to a little old lady, so she was practically invisible. This allowed her to eavesdrop on conversations and follow people virtually undetected.
Back home, the members of the Ladies Detective Club didn’t go out much. They mostly investigated cases from the comfort of the retirement center where they lived, using their iPads to do the “leg work” for them. Once in a while, however, they took out Ruth’s gigantic late-model Buick to go “in the field” either to follow a suspect or stake out a location. Nans loved doing the field work, and this little task she had taken on for Lexy reminded her of those times.
She rummaged inside her large purse for the Bakery Battles Stadium V.I.P. Pass Lexy had given her. The pass was for guests of the bakers only. She would need it to get inside the stadium, as the general public was not allowed in when there was no competition being taped.
Pulling the large blue-and-white paper from her purse, she clutched it in her hands while she navigated the casino, weaving between banks of slot machines and poker tables.
The clanging of bells and the mechanical spinning of reels was music to her ears and she listened happily while carefully crossing the busy area. A crowd of people cheering on her right caught her attention. Her eyes widened at what she saw.
Aurea Pearce sat at a poker table, the players and bystanders applauding her as she raked in a huge mound of poker chips.
Nans shook her head in disbelief. Aurea was a nasty person and possibly even a murderer; it just didn’t seem fair that she should win a big poker pot. Oh, well, I guess it’s true that life isn’t fair .
She continued on to the visitor’s entrance of the stadium area. Dutifully showing her pass
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