Lethal Lemon Bars: MURDER IN THE MIX 9 Read online

  “I’m sorry to hear it.” I nod to the canvas illuminated softly by a single white light. “You are very good at what you do.”

  “Thank you.” She shrugs it off as if it were no big deal. “Nessa did try. I mean, this concept was hers. She let me run free range on the children’s books—she didn’t care about those—but these, she always wanted to tell a story with her—my—canvas work. Nessa had a sketchbook where she would try to give me an idea of what she wanted. I made her write notes on the side because she was that bad.”

  “I’d love to see those,” I say it without thinking. I’m still not sure if it’s a good thing that Lindie knows I’m investigating the case.

  “Sure. You did the lemon bars, right?”

  My cheeks burn with heat. “The sheriff cleared the bakery of any wrongdoing. There was no cross-contamination.”

  “I didn’t think so.” There’s a dead look in her eyes as she says it, and a mean shiver runs through me. Lindie really does remind me of those Goth girls back in high school. “I meant I can drop them off at your bakery.”

  “Oh yes!” I perk back to life. “Honey Hollow, Main Street. The Cutie Pie Bakery and Cakery. We close in the early evening, but I’m pretty much there all day.”

  “Great. I’ll do that.”

  A small crowd descends on us, and I’m pleased as punch to see a pair of familiar couples. Clayton looks dapper in a suit and tie, the Carol Lombard look-alike attached to his hand. And Ryan Holland has a cool surfer vibe with sandy blond hair and a slight red twinge on his cheeks. His date is a waif with minimal makeup, an understated black dress with a high collar, and not a stitch of jewelry. Her auburn hair is wrapped up into a sleek bun.

  Lindie flicks a finger their way. “This is my brother, Ryan, and his fiancée, Blythe. And that’s Clayton and Vivian.” She looks to them. “Everett’s sister is on the board here, and his date was the one that brought the lemon bars to Landon’s shindig.”

  The four of them take a collective gasp.

  “Relax,” Lindie grunts. “She was cleared. But if I were you, I’d be careful around her.” She bleeds a slow smile my way. “She just so happens to be a crime-fighting mercenary who’s trying to solve Nessa’s case.”

  Geez. I take up Everett’s hand and squeeze it, doing my best to laugh it off. For all I know, one of these socialites might be the killer. Way to blow my cover, Lindie.

  “I’m just here as his date.” I wrap an arm around Everett and land my cheek to his shoulder.

  Ryan belts out a laugh. He looks just like Lindie but with far more testosterone poured into him.

  “For a second I thought you were casing my sister. You’d have to get through me first. I’m a very protective older brother.” He shakes both my hand and Everett’s. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” Everett bows his head. “So how are the two of you enjoying law? I’m a judge down at the Ashford Courthouse.”

  Both Clayton and Ryan loosen up, and the three of them share a laugh and a few quick quips at the expense of the legal system.

  “So, politics anyone?” Everett poses the question almost in jest.

  Clayton nods. “Are you kidding? The both of us are in it to win it. We’re gunning for the city council until we’re able to elbow our way into the house.”

  Everett shakes his head wistfully. “I know I don’t have to tell you this, but I will anyhow—you need to keep your nose squeaky clean. Any and everything your opponent can dig up on you, they will. Don’t give them a chance.” He takes a step back as if we were about to leave then backtracks. “And for certain, if you know anything at all about who killed that poor girl”—he nods to the canvas—“get that info to the homicide detective.”

  I can’t help but frown as I imagine Ivy reaping the fruit of Everett’s labor.

  “Aye aye, sir.” Clayton gives a mock salute.

  Ryan nods soberly. “You bet. I hope they catch whoever did it. We all liked Nessa. She was my sister’s good friend. She meant a lot to me, too. I feel just as outraged as if it were family.”

  Blythe leans my way. She’s pretty, petite, a natural redhead as opposed to Nessa’s almost mermaid-red dyed locks.

  “I’d love to help in any way I can. Nessa wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, but it was painful for me to watch her suffer like that. Whoever killed her wanted her to die in front of all of her friends. That person is an animal, and I’ll do anything to get them behind bars.”

  Vivian rolls her eyes, and I catch it. What was that about? It’s almost as if she doesn’t believe Blythe. Huh.

  I bite down hard over my lip. “I’m sure you all feel that way.” I peg Vivian with a look, and her sky-blue eyes expand. “Like Everett suggested, I encourage you all to speak with the homicide detective. Even the smallest suspicion can land the suspect in jail.”

  “Prison.” Vivian offers an odd plastered smile. “Whoever did this is going away for life.” She blinks over at Clayton. “Isn’t that what you told me?”

  Clayton’s cheeks pinch with color. “Yes, sweetie, that is.”

  Everett and I say a polite goodbye and make our way into the grand hall where there is music and dancing. A live jazz band is playing something smooth. He pulls my hips close to his, and soon we’re rocking slowly to the rhythm.

  “There are so many beautiful glittering people here,” I whisper. “I think the last time I was around this much wealth, I was at your mother’s.”

  His head tips back, but those blue eyes remain trained on me. “I don’t want to talk or think about my mother. All I want to do is lose my mind over how you look in that dress.” He blows a breath from his lips as his eyes ride down my gown once again. “The things you do to me.”

  I’m mesmerized by this gorgeous man as he takes me in as if he means it.

  “I love the way you look at me,” I whisper while gazing up at him from under my lashes. Everett Baxter is every woman’s dream. Scratch that. He’s every woman’s fantasy—something to be savored in small satisfying bites, not at all safe for daily consumption.

  He brings his cheek down close to mine. “I think I like how you’re looking at me, Lemon.”

  “Every woman looks at you that way.”

  “I don’t care about every woman. I care about you.”

  My heart ratchets up to unsafe levels. “I think those are fighting words.”

  A dry laugh rattles through his chest, but Everett doesn’t smile. “Oh, honey, I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

  “Prove it.”

  Everett lands his mouth over mine, hard and aggressive, as he shows me in no uncertain terms that he is indeed very good at a hostile bodily takeover. Everett kisses me as if this night were our last, as if it were necessary for our survival. My hands glide freely over his rock-hard chest, up and down his enormous back. Every ounce of my body is breathless with desire, and suddenly the last place I want to be is in a room full of people. Everett must sense this because he takes me by the hand and whisks me through the crowd, through the labyrinth of galleries and down a dark hall that leads to a door that empties us to the back of the building and into the fresh night air perfumed with lavender and verbena.

  Everett pulls me behind an oversized topiary and lands those magical lips back over mine. Before I know it, the pulling and tugging of clothing ensues. My dress is hiked up, and his clothes are undone in all the right places as we blissfully lose all control.

  A pair of headlights shine brightly over us and flicker, causing both Everett and me to jump apart like a couple of teenagers. The car door swings open, and a man runs this way full force and tackles Everett into the nearby bushes. That dark head of hair, that gun strapped to his back—it takes a moment to register that it’s Noah wrestling it out with Everett. And after a few good punches, they stand and stagger apart.

  Noah’s jaw tenses. “You’d better treat her better than that! She’s not one of your whores.” His eyes cut to mine as his chest pumps wildly. “I was
going to run in and investigate. It looks like you beat me to it. I’m not sticking around for the show.” He gets into his car and takes off, and Everett and I do the same.

  We get back to Honey Hollow after a quiet drive, listening to soft rock as I replay what just happened over and over again in my mind.

  Everett walks me to the door of my rental house and offers a chaste kiss to my lips. “I’m sorry about everything.”

  “Don’t you ever apologize to me.”

  Everett turns to leave, and I tug him back by the sleeve. “What did your sister mean by does she know?”

  His eyes flit out into the dark, and it’s as if Everett went someplace else entirely.

  I clear my throat. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”

  His brows pinch in the middle. “I do. It’s just not the right time. Goodnight, Lemon.”

  He takes off, and I wonder if it will ever be the right time with Everett.

  Chapter 8

  No matter the time of year, it’s always dark and cold when I arrive at the bakery at four in the morning. On occasion, I arrive a little later, but, by and large, this is the ungodly hour I choose to come in. In all honesty, as much as I hate to rouse myself from a good night’s sleep, I love the peace and calm this hour brings. All of nature, all of man is still and quiet. Honey Hollow itself looks all but vacant, and Main Street looks like a ghost town.

  I head in through the back and flick on the lights.

  Speaking of ghosts. Seated on the marble island is one seriously delinquent poltergeist, Max Finmore.

  “Where were you last night?” I’m quick to chastise him as I trade my purse for an apron. “Aren’t you supposed to magically appear in my life when I’m near prospective suspects? At least that’s always how it’s worked in the past.”

  “Not necessarily. I’m primed to appear even if you’re discussing the case.” He winces as if he were afraid to say what’s next. “I felt the urge to go to you last night and, believe me, it was strong, but let’s just say I was indelicately detained.”

  “What do you mean you were indelicately detained?”

  “Greer detained me.” He tosses his hands in the air as if he were helpless. “Greer is afraid the sooner I help you solve the case, the sooner I’ll be sent back to paradise.”

  A knot builds in my stomach. “Why does Greer care when you go back to paradise?”

  “I don’t know. She’s got this thing for me. She thinks I’m adorable.”

  A hard groan evicts from me. And there it is, all of my suspicions confirmed.

  “Look, Max, I don’t care how adorable you are. You tell that poltergeist of a predator to stay out of my investigation. You’ve got a job to do. And out of all of the ghostly sleuths, I’m especially looking forward to working with you. No offense, but Greer wasn’t all that big of a help. I really think you are going to help me crack this case. Face it, Max, you’ve got an important job to do. You cannot be a flake.”

  My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I fish it out. It’s a text from Noah.

  Standing outside. Can you let me in?

  I glance up to find Noah waving from the café window.

  “Great,” I whisper. “We have company, Max. This might get ugly.”

  “Relationship problems often do.” He follows me to the door as I let Noah in. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to hang out. I sort of miss these private chats. Plus, the dude looks woefully smitten. I can tell you busted up his heart real good.”

  I shoot Max a look that strongly suggests otherwise, but it’s no use. We both know he’s right. But in all fairness, Noah busted up my heart, too.

  “Hey, Lot.” Noah holds out his arms as if he wanted to give me an embrace but was uncertain.

  “Come here.” I pull him in, and we share a heartfelt hug. Noah holds on tight as if he’s afraid to let go, and I can feel his chest convulsing with a bit of emotion.

  He pulls back, his eyes glistening before he takes a breath and restores himself.

  “I hope you don’t mind.” His dimples press in. “I came by to apologize for my behavior last night.”

  I try to shrug it off, but there’s an awkward air between us.

  “I didn’t like that the two of you were trying to bash one another’s brains in, but I understand how hard that must have been for you to see that.” My own chest bucks with emotion. “I feel like I’m the one who needs to apologize to you.” I nod to the tables. “How about you take a seat, and I get us some coffee?”

  Noah’s dimples depress with approval, and those emerald green eyes penetrate mine with fervor. “I’d like that.”

  I whip up some coffee and bring a plate full of scones and cookies over to Noah.

  “Chocolate chip.” He swipes one off the plate. “You make the best.”

  “Thank you,” I say as I take a seat across from him.

  “Flattery used to get me everywhere.” He looks mournful over the fact as he takes a quick bite. “I won’t keep you long. I know you get a lot of work done before most people even rise from their beds.” He reaches over and picks up my hand, his sad eyes never leaving mine. “I’m sorry I’ve put us through this.”

  “It happened. How is counseling going?”

  “We had a session yesterday. In fact, I swung by the art center afterwards, or I would have been there sooner. It came. It went. It was uneventful. I’m still not convinced Britney truly wants me back. I don’t know what this is about.”

  “I do. She realized what a catch you were. She’s a bright woman. I’m sure it didn’t help to see two other women pawing all over you.”

  “You and Cormack?”

  I nod. “I bet that spurned her to reconsider the divorce ten times as much. It’s one thing not to realize what you have until it’s gone, but it stings to see the one who used to be yours with somebody else.”

  He closes his eyes a moment. “There are no truer words.”

  A thick moment of silence slices on by as Noah warms my hand with his.

  Tears sting my eyes. “I hate that it hurts you to see me with Everett.”

  “I hate that you’re with Everett.” He offers a dry smile, and it fades as quick as it came. “In my heart, you’re still mine. I still think of you as mine, as my girlfriend, as the love of my life—because you are. I realize we’re having a rough patch, and if I think of it as anything else, I will go certifiably insane.” His voice is low, almost threadbare. “I know it’s strange for me to say that. But I can’t help it. It’s my truth. And I don’t hold it against you for falling for Everett’s charms.”

  A huff of indignation pumps through me. “I am hardly a victim here.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “It’s what you want to believe.” My voice softens. “Because I know it would kill you to think I’ve found someone else and that you and I are done for good.” A single hot tear streams down my cheek. “When I see you with Cormack, I feel that way. I know I shouldn’t.”

  His lips curl at the tips. “I’m glad you do. That gives me hope. And even though I know you’re serious with Everett, if you don’t mind, I’d still like to do things with you—

  dinner, taking Toby for a walk, seeing a movie, anything. I miss you so damn much my insides feel as if they’re going to explode.”

  “I miss you, too. We were close—special. I really did think you were going to propose.”

  “I would have gladly. Just do me a favor. I’m not asking you to wait around for my divorce to come to pass—God, it could take years the way she’s acting. All I’m asking is that you save a tiny space in your heart for me.”

  I pull his hand to my chest. “There will always be a very big space for you in here, Noah. You are not going anywhere.”

  His chest bucks as he offers a weak smile. “Thank you, Lottie. You just made my entire year.” He studies me pensively for a moment. “When I arrived, I saw you in the back. You looked like you were arguing with someone.”

  I look over a
t Max seated at the end of the table and glower at him for a moment. Max chuckles because, apparently, my ability to look like a loon amuses him.

  “I was, um, discussing the case.” I nod to Noah, but his frown intensifies, and it sucks those dimples of his right in. “Very passionately. I like to fill in the silence with my own voice.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

  “Okay,” he says it slow and low, and quite disbelieving. “So when are you going to let me in on that secret of yours, Lot?”

  Noah has my number, and I know it.

  “We’ll get together soon—with Everett. I think it’ll be easier that way on both of us.”

  His brows pinch because I’ve clearly puzzled him. “You name the place. I’ll be there.”

  “Sounds good. And regarding the case.” I fill him in on the events prior to the bawdy scene he witnessed. “What do you think?”

  “I think Lindie just crawled up to the top of the suspect list. She’s clearly bitter. She has a motive, that’s for sure. Who do you think you’re going to tackle next?” His eyes rake over my features, and it feels scorching hot, as effective as his touch.

  “Nessa had a roommate. Jenson Becker. I thought I’d start at the top with her. Any idea of what she does for work?”

  Noah tosses a glance out the window. “Jenson owns a nightclub. A very elite, very ritzy nightclub in the meatpacking district of Leeds. If you drove by, you wouldn’t know the club existed. It’s called Echelon.”

  “Well, tell me where it is. I have to go. I have to get in and speak with her. A quasi-public setting is perfect.”

  A slow grin spreads across his face. “I won’t tell you where it is. I’ll take you there myself—tonight.”

  “Smooth move, Fox. Fine, but fair warning, Everett likes to be my wingman.”

  “As long as you’re looking to land me, he’s more than welcome.”

  We share a laugh as I walk him to the door.

  “Noah?” I take a step in and suck in my lower lip. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to us, but no matter what, I do know I want you in my life.”