Wedded Blintz Read Free Page B

on her face.  
    Jack’s eyes narrowed. “I think you knew I meant to stick around outside .”
    Jack’s partner, John Darling stood behind Jack, his long ponytail cascading down the front of his leather jacket. He laughed good-naturedly and jabbed Jack in the arm.  
    “I think she’s got you there, buddy,” he said then turned to Lexy. “Hey Lexy, how’s it going?”
    “Good. You?” Lexy favored John with a genuine smile. Not only had she known the long-haired detective as long as she’d known Jack, but he was married to her best friend Cassie. She considered him a good friend.  
    “Never better,” he replied. “I see you’re up to your usual tricks of finding bodies.”
    Lexy cringed as she watched Jack and Naomi examine the bloody footsteps.  
    “Those look like high heels,” Naomi said.  
    Jack cut his eyes to Lexy, then dropped them to her shoes. There was no mistaking the blood on one of them.
    “When I saw the bodies, I rushed over to see if they were still alive.” Lexy held her foot out. “I slid in the blood. Once I knew they were dead, I didn’t want to sit in here with them so I ran outside to my car to call nine-one-one.”
    “We’re going to have to take that shoe.” Jack motioned to one of the crime scene investigators. “Take the shoe from Ms. Baker and bag it up as evidence. Check the other shoe too, if there’s blood on it take—”
    “Ackkkkk!”
    His instructions were interrupted by a shriek in the doorway. Lexy jerked her head in the direction of the shriek just in time to see Millie, Montague’s seamstress, drop a tray of Starbucks coffees on the floor, the lids popped off and the brown liquid was spreading toward the crime scene.
    “Dammit, don’t let that contaminate the crime scene!” Jack yelled. “Why isn’t that front room secured?”
    Someone scurried to clean up the coffee mess and a uniformed officer from the front room poked his head in. “Sorry, detective. The room is secure … she came in through a side door.”
    Millie’s hands flew up to her cheeks and she stood frozen in the doorway staring at the bloody mess.  
    Lexy saw Jack suck in a deep breath. “Okay, take her out front and find her a place to sit. I’ll be out to talk to her in a minute.”
    Jack turned back to the bodies and Lexy took off her shoe and handed it to the CSI, then lifted the other shoe for his inspection. That one turned up clean so she didn’t have to hand it over, but her stomach tightened when she saw her expensive Jimmy Choo in the evidence bag. Would she ever get it back?
    Out of the corner of her eye, Lexy saw Jack heading out into the front room and she slipped into the room behind him. Hobbling off-kilter with only one shoe, she was careful to stay out of his direct line of sight but close enough so she could hear the interrogation.
    Millie was seated on a white tufted bench—the same bench Lexy had sat on during her first visit. To her left was a rack of wedding gowns. Jack pulled a chair up opposite her and leaned toward her. Lexy could see the older woman was visibly shaken.
    “Are you okay to answer some questions?” he asked in a soothing, low voice.  
    Millie nodded, dabbing at the corner of her eye with a tissue she’d pulled from the table beside her.
    “Okay,” Jack said as he pulled out a small spiral bound notebook. “What’s your name and relation to Mr. Montague?”
    “I’m Millie Townsend, Mr. Montague’s seamstress.” She sniffed.
    “How long have you worked for Montague?”
    Millie pressed her lips together. “Oh, well, I’d say at least twenty years.”
    Jack scribbled in the pad. “Do you know of anyone that would want to kill him?”
    “Lordy no!” Millie blanched. “Everyone loved Philippe. He was a nice man.”
    “And what are you doing here … at night?”
    “I came in for some extra work. Mr. Montague was meeting with some clients that needed dress alterations.”
    “Does he meet with clients at night often?”
    Millie