Read Online Brutal Brûlée (Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Book 11) by Leighann Dobbs - Free Book Online Page A

over toward the—”
    “ Hiss! ”
    “ Woof! ”
    Houdini had appeared on the steps and Sprinkles lunged for the cat, who humped his back, took a swipe at Sprinkles and then ran inside the mansion just as the front door swung shut. Sprinkles ripped the leash out of Lexy’s hand but, since the door was now closed, her efforts to follow the cat inside were thwarted. She raced down the steps in a blur of white fur and ran in a big circle on the front lawn, her leash trailing behind her.
    “Sprinkles!” Lexy took off after the dog.
    Sprinkles didn’t want to be caught. She looked back over her shoulder at Lexy while she picked up speed and darted around the side of the house. Lexy ran after her with Jack close behind. Nans, Ida and Helen followed them, keeping pace with a speed that belied their age.
    Lexy followed Sprinkles to the remote garden that she and Jack had visited earlier in the day. This time, there was another visitor there—Ruth. She was bent over, examining the bright pink roses that covered the garden.
    Sprinkles stopped short next to Ruth, who bent down to pet the dog.
    “ Hiss! ” Houdini’s black paw shot out from behind a rosebush, leaving two bloody lines across Sprinkles’ nose.
    “ Yipe! ” Sprinkles backed off and crouched under another bush, whimpering.
    Lexy’s heart crunched at the sound of her dog in pain. “Aww, Sprinkles, I told you not to chase that cat.”
    Lexy bent down to inspect the damage. Her arm scraped against the thorny rose bush. “Ouch!” She drew back, looking at the half-dozen scratches on her arm.
    Ruth looked over her shoulder. “You’re lucky none of those are bleeding. These roses have very sharp thorns.”
    “Hey, wait just a minute there,” Ida said. “How did that darn cat get down here? I distinctly saw him run into the house and the front door shut behind him. It’s almost like there’re two of the darn things.”
    Nans looked at Ida sharply. “That’s a good point.” She bent to inspect the rosebushes, moving through them to the side of the building.
    “Now be careful, Mona,” Ruth said. “These roses are very thorny. I’ve just discovered this is an incredibly rare variety and I think—“
    Nans snapped her fingers, interrupting Ruth. “I’ve got it!”
    She pressed her palm against the mansion, looking upward at the expanse of large granite stones. A smile played across her lips as her hand traced the stones of the building. She nodded her head. “Yes, indeed.”
    She snapped her head around and looked at Jack. “Call Inspector Garrity and have him gather everyone in the conservatory in one hour. I know who the killer is, how they did it and why.”

Chapter Fifteen
    N ans paced back and forth in front of the stone fireplace, playing it up for the audience in the conservatory, which consisted of everyone involved with the documentary, Violet, Lexy, Jack, Ruth, Ida and Helen. Even Danny Manning was there, having been question by Garrity and then released after Ruth proved the videos were not doctored. Garrity seemed to have a lot of faith in the ladies’ detecting skills and Lexy figured that was largely due to Jack’s vouching for them.
    Lexy stood next to a prehistoric-looking potted plant with gigantic leaves. A smile played across her lips as she watched her grandmother pacing back and forth. Lexy figured this was more for effect than anything. Nans, who looked deep in thought, was probably thinking about how to best lay out the clues to her ‘audience’.
    The room was full of anxious silence. Everyone was on the edge of their seat waiting to hear what Nans had to say. Lexy studied the people in the room. One of them was a killer, but which one? If the guilty person was present, she couldn’t tell by the look on his face.
    Across the room, she noticed Gustav standing awfully close to Ruth. She hoped he wasn’t the killer because it was obvious Ruth had taken a liking to him.
    Garrity came in and the crowd stirred.
    “Hi,