"She always wore a gorgeous pin. I'd admired it several times because it had an unusual stone in it - a canary yellow cushion cut diamond. The pin was missing...a hole ripped in the shirt where it should have been!"

The ladies exchanged excited glances. Ruth tapped something into the notepad app on her iPad.

"That was great, Lexy. It could be a valuable clue which might help us find the killer." Helen said.

"Great!" Lexy felt happy about helping, then her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Wait a minute, did you just hypnotize me?"

Ruth nodded. "Yes, that skill comes in handy for a lot of things. I can also help you get rid of that annoying eye twitch."

"You can?" Lexy's finger went up to her eye. She would have to consider that, the eye twitch was getting pretty annoying.

Ida clapped her hands softly. "Lets get back on track here, we don't want the trail to grow cold!"

Nans turned to Lexy. "Lexy, you'll need to do some digging. Find out about this Candice person - her last name and what her relationship is with that Toliver boy. See if Chastine had any enemies. Maybe you could go back there and poke around for the murder weapon?"

"Make a list of anyone you think is a suspect - don't forget to include anyone who had means, motive and opportunity." Ida instructed, punctuating each word with a shake of her finger.

"Right." Lexy nodded, feeling like she was getting a homework assignment from her grade school teacher.

"We'll get to work here researching the backgrounds of the suspects and poking around pawn shops to see if the pin surfaces," Nans said.

The ladies went to pawn shops? Lexy stared at them, picturing the four women in trench coats launching a clandestine trip to the seedy section of town to canvas the pawn shops.

"Well don't sit there - get a move on!" Nans startled Lexy out of her fantasy. She jumped up, said her goodbyes and started towards the door.

"Oh, and find out when the wake is," Nans called after her, "I think the Ladies Detective Club is due for a little field trip!"

Chapter Six.

"Thank God you're back - I've been swamped!" Cassie greeted Lexy as she rushed in the back door to the bakery.

"Sorry," she said, grabbing a vintage pink and brown striped apron from the rack and securing it around her waist. "I took Nans over to the Toliver's to see if we could get the payment for all this." She spread her arms to indicate all the pastries they had made for the brunch that day.

"I can see by your face that you didn't."

"Nope. Xavier said he couldn't think of paying bills while his fiancees murderer was loose."

Lexy saw Cassie's face fall. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out. Maybe I can get the equipment vendor to put us on a payment plan. In the mean-time, let's get these goodies out into the cases so people can buy them."

Lexy carried a tray of whoopee pies towards the gleaming glass display cases in the front. On the side that faced the street she had setup a small area with coffee urns and tables for people to sit while they sipped coffee and ate pastry. Lexy's passion was baking in the kitchen, but she loved this part of her bakery the best because it was where she could interact with customers and show off her creations.

She inhaled the aroma of fresh brewed coffee mixed with the sugary smell of baking while she gazed out the window at the scenic waterfall across the street. She had been lucky to get this storefront because it had a wonderful view of Brook Ridge Falls, the waterfall the town was named after.

Fall was just starting and this was her favorite time of year. The waterfall's beauty was highlighted by the color of the turning leaves and, for a moment, she was captivated by the scene. She was just about to start loading the case when she saw a familiar figure stroll by. Christian!

Christian owned the beauty salon Cliptomania which was two doors down from Lexy's bakery and he knew everything about everybody.

"Cassie, there goes Christian - get him in here so we can pump him for information about the Tolivers!"

Cassie grabbed a Danish and ran out the door. Lexy watched through the window as she lured the young man into the bakery. Today, he was sporting an orange tipped blonde, spikey hairdo which complimented his orange bowling shirt and matching orange basketball sneakers.

Christian loved desserts. Lexy had his favorite, a german chocolate brownie oozing with sweet caramel topping, already on a plate. His eyes lit up when he saw her holding it out to him.

"For moi?" he said pointing at himself in an exaggerated manner.

Lexy nodded. "We have an excess of baked goods." She spread her hands to indicate the loaded trays they had brought from the back room. "I was supposed to cater the party for the Tolivers today...and well...you heard what happened, right?"

"Heard about it? That's all they've been talking about in the shop this morning." He leaned in towards Lexy and lowered his voice. "Most people think she deserved it, she was a real bee-ach."

Lexy smiled to herself, she knew Christian couldn't resist good gossip. She took the opportunity to probe for more information.

"I heard the sons hated her, do you think one of them did it?"

"Bronson or Blake?" He asked pursing his lips. "I doubt either of those two would get their hands dirty with something like that."

Lexy saw him eyeing the cinnamon buns and she handed one over. Christian bit into it rolling his eyes in ecstasy. "Heaven!"

She grabbed a large bakery box and started filling it while she waited for him to finish chewing.

"So, who's the prime suspect according to the gossip mill?" she asked, reaching over the counter with a napkin to wipe a big glob of frosting from his lower lip.

"Well, Mandy Pinterman thinks it could have been someone from her past. Apparently Chastine was just as bitchy when she lived back in Texas. I heard she had some nasty business with an old boyfriend there." Christian screwed up his face. "But Xavier's old girlfriend, Trixie Waters, is a client too and she was mad as a hornet when Xavier dumped her for Chastine. She even said she was mad enough to kill..."

Lexy's eyes went wide. "Really? Do you think she could have done it?"

Christian looked down at the last bite of his cinnamon bun apparently considering Lexy's question. "You never know what people will do when pushed to their limits." He popped the last bite into his mouth, swallowing it almost without chewing.

"Well, I gotta get back to the shop - the afternoon rush will start and I have four cuts and three colors lined up."

"Oh, wait, I'll give you some pastries to take with you." Lexy indicated the box she was filling. "We have so many left over, I don't want them to go to waste." Not to mention the advertising opportunity with her bakery name on the box, she thought to herself.

She finished tying up the box and handed it across the counter.

"Thanks bunches!" Christian turned to leave, bouncing his way toward the door, the box held high.

"Oh, one other thing," Lexy called after him. "Do you know anything about Chastine's assistant, Candice? Did she get her hair done at your shop?"

Christian turned back to face Lexy. "She was a strange one. She came in with Chastine but never had anything done herself. Although she could have used it - she was plain as a door mouse, but some highlights and the right cut could have done wonders."

He paused, his eyebrows knitting together. "Then again, her dull hair must not have hurt her too much in the romance department, I saw her with Bronson Toliver once at dinner and they seemed pretty cozy." He wiggled his eyebrows at Lexy, opened the door and disappeared out onto the street.

Chapter Seven.

"Looks like the big customer rush is over out there." Cassie appeared in the kitchen doorway startling Lexy into almost dropping the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and large bowl she was trying to balance in her arms.

"Oh, good. We need to get more cupcake tops made...if you can believe it with all these extra pastries." She settled the ingredients on the large prep island in the middle of the kitchen. "Did you hear what Christian said about the murder gossip?"

Cassie nodded, peeking into the oven to check on the batch of cupcakes Lexy had put in earlier.

"Of course, that's just idle chit-chat, but some of that gossip can have hidden clues." Lexy worked the butter and sugar together in a large stainless steel bowl.

"Definitely." Cassie said, grabbing a pair of oven mitts, she slid the steaming tray of cupcakes out of the oven.

"We have a lot of things to look into," Lexy said cracking an egg into the bowl with the butter and sugar mixture, then adding the milk and vanilla. She set the bowl under one of her new mixers, turned the machine on low then watched as the beaters did the job of blending the ingredients.

"Let's make a list." Cassie wiped her hands down on her 1950's cherry pattern apron then pulled a pen and paper out of a drawer.

"Well, first we need to find out if Chastine had any enemies." Lexy left the mixer, moving over to a rack of cooled cupcakes. Picking up a long icing spatula, she slid it across the top of the pan, expertly slicing off the cupcake tops.

"Then there's the little matter of finding the murder weapon, or even what, exactly it was."

"Candice's last name," Cassie said scrawling the note on the paper without looking up.

Lexy set the cupcake tops on a rack. Moving over to the mixer she turned it off, hefted the bowl, poured the batter into the little cups of a fresh cupcake pan and slid it into the oven.

"Oh, and Nans and the girls want to know when the wake is. It sounded like they all wanted to go." Lexy rolled her eyes eliciting a laugh from Cassie.

"Those old ladies sure are something," Cassie said, "Ok, is that it? I have the list down here on paper. How do you propose we find all this stuff out?"

Lexy bit her lower lip while she assembled the ingredients for buttercream frosting - whipping cream, butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract.

"We might be able to find out about the murder weapon from the police," she said sneaking a look at Cassie.

"Well, you have an in with them don't you?" Cassie raised the first two fingers on each hand in the air wiggling them to punctuate the word in.

"Umm...I'm not so sure..." Lexy said softly, focusing on mixing the frosting to the right consistency.

Lexy saw Cassie's eyebrows go up making her eyebrow ring stick straight out. She ignored the look and focused her mind on trying to figure out how they could get their answers. The last thing she needed right now was to get distracted by thinking about Jack.

"I think we might need to take another trip over to the Tolivers to ask some questions." She put the frosting bowl down and armed herself with a spatula.

"How would we do that? I mean it's not like we run in the same social circles." Cassie moved over next to Lexy. The girls worked side by side scooping big dollops of frosting then spreading them in generous heaps on the cupcake tops. Since business was slow in the afternoon, they often worked together in the kitchen like this, taking turns manning the front room.

Lexy looked around the kitchen for a tray to put her newly frosted cupcake tops on. She didn't see any available. "Where are all the trays?"

"That's it!" Cassie clapped her hands. "You brought a bunch of trays over to the Toliver's already and they are still there. You can use that as an excuse to go over!"

"Brilliant! But what do you mean I can use that as an excuse? I'm not going over there by myself...I think you're going to need to come with me on this one."

Lexy glanced up over the top of the cupcake she was frosting, biting her cheek to keep from laughing at the horrified look on Cassie's face - her eyes wide and her mouth sputtering open and closed like a fish. Cassie had a problem with authority and abhored people with money. Lexy knew she wouldn't want to go to the Toliver's but she really needed someone else there to help her sort out what they told her.

The bell over the front door announced the arrival of a customer before Cassie could come up with an excuse. "Your turn." Lexy said, pointing to the doorway which led to the front of the bakery.

Cassie spun around heading for the front, fixing Lexy with an over the shoulder glare on her way out.

Lexy focused on frosting the cupcake tops. The sugary vanilla scent of the rich creamy frosting was so inviting she decided she needed a little snack. She brought the top she was frosting up to her lips. Biting in, she savored the burst of creamy sweetness. She rolled the bite around in her mouth - just enough chocolate cake to add some balance and an even amount of frosting for a silky texture. It was like heaven! She said a silent prayer of thanks that she could eat as many desserts as she wanted without gaining an ounce, then took another bite...and another.

Voices drifted in from the front of the bakery. She recognized Cassie and a male voice which sounded familiar. Lexy gulped down the rest of the cupcake top. Wiping the evidence from her lips, she poked her head out into the front to see who it was. To her surprise she saw Cassie leaning casually on the counter, a blush on her cheeks her face tilted coquettishly upwards at Jack's partner, detective John Darling. Was he here on police business?

Lexy ventured out front. "Hi John." She greeted the tall detective. He stood opposite Cassie, leaning in against the case. His medium brown, long curly hair pulled back in a neat pony tail, his black leather jacket a smart contrast to his faded jeans. Lexy had to admit he was looking good. No wonder Cassie was practically batting her eyelashes at him.

"Hi Lexy. I hope you are OK after this mornings excitement?" Lexy was touched at the genuine concern she saw in his hazel eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks."

"Good. I just came to corroborate your timeline with Cassie." He flipped open a small spiral notebook. "You told Jack that you arrived at the Toliver's around 8:25?"

Lexy thought back to the morning and nodded, wondering why Jack wasn't there to ask about it himself. Was he avoiding her?

"You came straight from the bakery?"

"Yep, I loaded up with pastries and went right over."

John looked at Cassie. "Do you remember what time she left the bakery this morning?"

Cassie wrinkled her brow. "I had gotten stuck in traffic, so I didn't make it here until about five past eight. Lexy left right after."

John nodded, looking down to consult his notebook. He flipped the book shut and put it in his pocket. Pushing himself away from the case, he backed up a few steps to leave.

"One other thing, do you guys have a seven inch serrated knife?"

Cassie and Lexy glanced at each other. "Was that the murder weapon?"

John nodded.

Lexy composed her face into a mask of innocence. "We have lots of knives here at the bakery...some seven inch ones but I'd have to look around the kitchen to find them."

"OK, well if you find one is missing, let me know." John backed away from the case nodding at the two girls before turning to saunter out the door.

Lexy snuck a peek over at Cassie to see her expression but the other girl was too busy ogling John's backside.

Lexy felt a nervous flutter start in her stomach. She did have a seven inch serrated knife and she knew exactly where it was. It was the knife she used to cut breads and pastries when she was catering a party like the Toliver's. Right now, it was...or had been...sitting on the catering table where she had put it when she was setting up in their kitchen two days earlier.