Wedded Blintz Read Free

off the counter and ran out to her car to call nine-one-one.

Chapter Three

    Lexy’s stomach churned as she heard the sirens getting closer and closer. It wasn’t the site of the two bodies so much—she was getting kind of used to stumbling over dead bodies—but the arrival of her homicide detective fiancé that made her nervous. Jack had a tendency to get irritated with the way Lexy seemed to be a murder magnet, and with the wedding so close, she didn’t want to rock the boat.
    Two black and whites pulled to the curb along with an unmarked police car with Jack at the wheel and his partner, John Darling, riding shotgun. Lexy saw Jack’s eyes narrow as he recognized her car, and she steeled herself with a deep breath.
    Lexy got out and leaned against the car. Her top teeth worried her bottom lip as she watched Jack come toward her. She had to admit, his tall frame, broad shoulders and ruggedly handsome face still made her heart flutter. She just hoped he wouldn’t be too mad.  
    “ You called this in?” He raised a brow at her.
    Lexy nodded.
    “Two bodies?” He glanced back at the building where John was organizing the rest of the crew.
    Lexy nodded again.
    “Jeez, Lexy. Now you’re finding them in batches.” Jack shook his head and turned to start back across the street. Then he stopped, turned back toward her and took a step closer. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and her heart swelled when she saw the concern in his honey-brown eyes.  
    “Don’t leave. We’re going to need to question you.” He brushed his lips quickly against her forehead then jogged back to Chez Philippe, disappearing through the front door and leaving Lexy to wonder what the heck had happened in there.
    Lexy glanced into her car at her wedding dress, feeling selfishly happy that she hadn’t left it in the store where it might be confiscated as evidence. The thought gave her a pang of guilt when she realized Veronica’s dress might not be so lucky. Was it in there covered in blood? She couldn’t remember what the room had looked like or what was in there, she’d been so focused on determining if either of them was alive. Either way, Veronica would never get the chance to wear it.
    Suddenly stricken with an overwhelming curiosity, she stood on her tiptoes craning to see if she could make out what was going on inside. Jack probably wouldn’t like it if she barged right in though, so she took out her phone and called Nans instead.
    Not that long ago, Lexy discovered that Nans and three of her friends, Ida, Ruth and Helen, had an unusual hobby—they liked to solve murders. They were actually quite serious about it and even had a name for themselves— The Ladies Detective Club . That hobby had really come in handy when Lexy had been accused of poisoning her ex-boyfriend. Since then, the five of them had gone on to solve several other murders.  
    Lexy had to admit she had a fondness, and a bit of a talent, for solving murders … even if Jack took a dim view of her extra-curricular activities. Nans would never forgive her if she found out Lexy had stumbled across more bodies and didn’t call right away.
    “Hello?” Nans answered the phone and Lexy could hear a din of conversation in the background.
    “Hi Nans. It’s Lexy.”  
    “Oh. Hi, dear. I forgot to look at caller id again. How are you?”
    “Good,” Lexy said, “I have some interesting news.”
    “Hold on, dear.”  
    Lexy could have sworn she heard someone yell “Bingo” before the sounds on the other end were muffled by Nans’ hand covering the mouthpiece.
    A few seconds later Nans came back on. “Sorry, dear. I had to go outside because I couldn’t hear.”
    “Are you at Bingo again?” Lexy asked.
    “Yes,” Nans said sheepishly. “Ida just won a hundred dollars—that’s a lot when you’re on a fixed budget with only social security checks to support you.”
    “I’m sure it is.” A movement over in the store caught Lexy’s eye and she