The Saucy Lucy Murders Read Free

always were an ungrateful, spoiled brat and, unfortunately, you still are.” Lucy sighed heavily. “However, if it is my lot in life to lead you into the fold, then I will. Even if it takes me until the end of my days.”
    “Oh, brother. Now who’s being Scarlet O’Hara?” Lexie opened the refrigerator and pulled out several plastic tubs of sandwich fillings, stacked them oneatop the other, and set them down by Lucy who was slicing crusty loaves of bread.
    She stepped over to the counter, picked up a pad and pencil, and looked at the punk-rocker boys standing on the other side. One of them had so many piercings in his eyebrows and lips and nose that she hurt all over just looking at him. She suppressed a shudder and forced a smile. “May I take your order?”

    The next morning, Lexie shuffled downstairs through the empty sandwich shop, and into the kitchen, eyes still glazed with sleep.
Coffee, coffee,
her mind chanted to a primitive rhythm known only to man, and she vaguely made out the Mr. Coffee machine beckoning to her on the counter. But when her toes recoiled at something cold and wet, she looked down.
    “Holy mother-of-pearl!” An inch of water and soapsuds arched across the yellow and blue linoleum, as if the Great Lakes had taken residence in her kitchen overnight. Lexie’s gaze instantly traced the pool of water back to its source. One of the dishwashers. “Eva!” She shouted over her shoulder, hoping her voice would carry up the stairs.
    “What, Mom?” Eva called a few seconds later.
    “I need your help. ASAP.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Just hurry. And bring every bath towel we own.”
    “Be right there.”
    While Lexie waited for Eva and the bath towels, she dragged out every dishtowel, tablecloth, and rag in the joint and threw them on Lake Superior. Then she grabbed a mop, sopped up the water and squeezed it into the sink. Lord, this was going to take all day.
    Lexie struggled to figure out what in the heck must have gone wrong with the dishwasher. It’ll probably cost an arm and a leg for the repairman to fix it. Just what she needed—another repair bill.
    Eva finally appeared in the kitchen door, arms loaded with towels. “Eeeeewwww, what happened?” Her faded pink flannel bathrobe had obviously been flung on in a hurry, and her long, brownish-auburn hair was knotted in a loose bun atop her head. She sloshed across the floor toward Lexie. Having inherited her father’s height, she was nearly a head taller than Lexie’s petite five-foot-tall frame.
    “I have no idea. But at least the floor will be squeaky clean when we’re through,” Lexie told her. “Throw down the towels then wring them off the back porch.”
    An hour later, Lexie stood to iron out the crick in her back. Finally, the floor was dry. Mom would have been so upset to think her linoleum could have been ruined. And heaven help the individual caught up in her wrath.
    Wondering what in the world she could have doneto make the dishwasher go on the fritz, Lexie glanced over at the guilty beast. Then it all came flooding back. Eva had loaded it. A bottle of dishwashing liquid sat strategically close to the loading zone, with the jug of dishwasher soap nowhere in sight.
    Eva walked in from the back porch, the screen door slamming behind her. “Phewww, what a mess. You’re lucky I was here to pitch in. It’s going to get hot outside so the towels should dry pretty quick.”
    Lexie nodded. “Hey, tell me something. When you loaded that dishwasher last night, what soap did you use?”
    Eva walked over and picked up the dishwashing liquid. “This.” Her brows quirked innocently. “Why?”
    Despite her annoyance, Lexie checked her temper. Eva was completely clueless sometimes, but she’d meant well. “That’s used for washing dishes by hand, sweetie.” Lexie shuffled over, feet and toes withered beyond recognition now, and withdrew the jug of dishwasher soap from under the sink. “This is what we use for the