The Saucy Lucy Murders Read Free Page B

started his own business, Lexie became a stay-at-home mom.
Stay-at-home-mom.
What an oxymoron created by some dork. Lexie and Eva lived more in the car than they did at home. There were play dates and nursery school to shuttle back and forth to, then PTA meetings and school plays, flute recitals, room-mother commitments and pee wee soccer games, gymnastic and swim meets, and finally high school football games where Eva cheer-leaded her little heart out wearing micro-mini skirts and school sweaters.
    While Lexie concentrated on taking care of Eva, Dan worked late, sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. Lexie never complained, believing Dan had been building his business and their future.
Hah.
Sixteen years went by before Lexie, either clueless or in denial, realized Dan’s ‘duties’ now included more than simply directing funerals.
    Come to find out, Dan, The Undertaker, was also providing
too
much comfort for bereaved widows. Above and beyond the call of duty, to be exact. Lexie’s storybook marriage crumbled; in fact, it had never really existed, except in her mind. Lexie filed for divorce and came back home to Moose Creek Junction.
    So much for the little cottage and white picket fence thing. Eva, being of age to choose which parent she wanted to live with, left with Lexie, though she’d grumped about being uprooted in her sophomore year of high school. Dan had been so involved with the new love in his life, he’d barely noticed when his daughter moved away and barely kept in touch with her.
    Coming back home after all this time was strange, to say the least. But like small towns, most things remained the same in Moose Creek Junction. People had gotten older, old timers had passed away. Yet they were subtle changes and it was like the same town and the same people Lexie had known years ago. Only thing was, she looked at life through the eyes of a former carpool and cookie mom, instead of a kid with scraped up knees and a runny nose.
    Lexie had been so absorbed in her thoughts that, with a start, she realized she had arrived at the park. Pulling into a shade-dappled parking spot, she turned off the engine of her old truck. It shivered, made a popping noise and went silent. Sliding out, she stuffed the keys in her pocket.
    Her gaze caught a cluster of people gathered near an ancient steam locomotive memorial. This was the place.
Why do I let Lucy get me into this stuff, anyway?
    As she scuffed through fallen leaves toward the pavilion, she scanned the crowd for this Henry guy. Men stood everywhere on the burned-out lawn, tossing horseshoes or flipping burgers at smoking grills. Which one was Sister Lucy’s next victim? Lexie shook her head and plodded on.
    Mountainous piles of potato chip bags were mounded at one end of the two picnic tables pushed together. Crusty brown rolls, salads, brownies, and other assorted goodies also decorated the red wooden planks. When Lexie spotted the ice chests full of sodas, she smacked her cottony tongue against the top of her mouth and made a beeline over to the drinks. Popping the lid of a diet lemon-lime, she took a cooling sip and scanned the crowd for her matchmaking sister.
    Ah, there she was. Standing over by a group of women and gabbing. More like gossiping, Lexie figured. Lucy couldn’t stand in a group of hens and not talk about the latest and greatest juicy tidbits. Blessher, she had her finger on the pulse of the town’s latest happenings, such as whose bed whose boots were currently under. And that was putting it nicely.
    A fly decided to dive-bomb Lexie’s face and she brushed it away as she walked toward Lucy. How annoying. She could attract flies, but decent men ran from her like they had hot coals in their jockey shorts.
    Whatever. She did not need a man in her life. That was the whole point behind why she did not need to be here today meeting Henry what’s-his-name. As she drew closer to Lucy, the women’s cackling voices drifted on the air.
    “Hanna’s