"Sure, Jack's been working overtime all week trying to get you crossed off the suspect list so you can reopen your bakery..."

He was interrupted by a commotion on their right. The other detectives were hauling Jason past them towards the door. He wasn't going easily.

"There's my cue to leave." John said. He joined the others, helping them push the soon to be former deputy mayor out the door to the waiting police car.

Jack turned to Lexy, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Lexy, I don't have a girlfriend," he said. "I'm not the kind of guy who does that sort of thing... I'm not like Kevin.

Lexy nodded. "I'm sorry, I guess I jumped to conclusions."

"Well, now that's cleared up, I think we might have some unfinished business..." Jack leaned down towards her. Lexy eagerly stood on her tip toes to meet him. This time she didn't worry about girlfriends, murderers or cheating boyfriends as she surrendered herself fully to his spine tingling, toe curling kiss.

Epilogue.

"I still don't understand how you figured out it was Jason." Cassie was boxing up the umpteenth package of cupcake tops they had sold that morning.

Lexy looked around the bakery - it was packed full of customers. All her worries about the bakery being closed and the negative publicity hurting business had been for nothing. Quite the opposite had happened - the notoriety of her "Killer Cupcakes" had increased business. Everyone wanted to try a taste of her infamous cupcake tops.

"After I got knocked out, Sprinkles found a button on the floor. It wasn't one of mine, so I figured it must be from whoever knocked me out. Then I saw Jason on tv at Nans and recognized the button on his jacket. I remembered Jason had worn a strange pine scented aftershave at Kevin's wake - I had smelled the same smell when I was on the floor after being knocked out. I put two and two together and knew it was him!" Lexy smiled with pride at her skills of deduction.

"And you decided to confront him yourself? Seems pretty dangerous - you should have at least called me ... or Jack. Speak of the devil." Cassie nodded her chin over towards the bakery door.

Lexy looked over at Jack standing in the doorway. Her heart did a little flip. She ran over to greet him, taking his hand, she pulled him to one of the tables. Grabbing a couple of coffee's from her self serve station, she took a seat across the table from him and pushed one of the coffees at him.

"I had a visit from a strange man yesterday at the station," Jack said, fixing his honey brown eyes on her.

"Oh?" Lexy tilted her head raising an eyebrow.

"He said he was a friend of Kevin's and had talked to you at the wake."

Lexy remembered the disheveled man who had threatened her. "I think I know who you mean - I told you about him, didn't I?"

Jack nodded. "He said he knew all about the whole blackmail scheme - although he claims he was not involved. Anyway, he said Kevin was afraid something might happen to him. Kevin sent you the book because he knew he could trust you. I think he meant to talk to you about it but was killed before he could. The man said he was just trying to warn you so you wouldn't get hurt."

"Oh well that's a relief." Lexy settled back in her chair. "So, the case is all wrapped up now?"

"Pretty much... we still need to find Sheila. She seems to have disappeared along with the blackmail money Kevin had collected."

Lexy took a long sip of her coffee, letting the bitter sweet liquid swirl around her taste buds. If Kevin had treated Sheila the way he treated her, then the girl deserved to get away with the money.

Jack reached across the table, putting his hand over Lexy's. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Lexy's stomach did summersaults at the way he looked at her. It had only been a couple of days since they had arrested Jason but Lexy and Jack had already been on one, wonderful date. She couldn't wait for more.

Lexy nodded enthusiastically. Jack's eyes gazed into hers, his thumb caressed her palm causing chills to run up her spine. How did he expect her to keep her mind on work all day?

The tingle of the bell over the door broke the moment. Lexy looked over to see John Darling's long legged frame in the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cassie give him the once over. Lexy giggled to herself - John was exactly Cassie's type.

John's eyes scanned the room, lingering for a moment on Cassie, then settling on Jack and Lexy. "We gotta go." He said to Jack, then nodded a greeting at Lexy.

Jack jumped up. "I'll see you around seven?" He said, looking pointedly at her.

Lexy nodded giving a little wave. Jack turned following John out the door. Just as the door shut, she saw John turn around and give Cassie a second look over his shoulder. She glanced over at Cassie who was standing behind the counter, her mouth hanging open.

"Who was that?" She asked, wide eyed.

"Oh, he's Jacks partner - John Darling." Lexy said with a smile.

"Phew." Cassie fanned herself with her hand. "The BRPD sure has some fine police detectives. Maybe we should get mixed up in more murder cases."

Lexy laughed. She had to admit tracking down Kevin's killer had been an interesting challenge. She enjoyed putting together the clues and the rush of that final moment when all the pieces fell into place and she figured out who it was. But tracking down murderers was a lot of work and very time consuming. She'd rather spend all her time here at the bakery, doing what she loved - baking.

Besides, tracking down one killer was enough for an entire lifetime - wasn't it?

The End.

About the Author.

Leighann Dobbs lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. She likes to write romance short stories and novelettes perfect for the busy person on the go. These stories are great for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for reading a full novel. Why not pick one up and escape to another time and place the next time you are waiting for an appointment, enjoying a bath or waiting to pick up the kids at soccer?

Find out about her latest books and how to get her next book for free by signing up at: http://www.leighanndobbs.com.

There's more books in the Lexy Baker mystery series coming out soon, but in the meantime if you want to read more from Leighann, then you might want to pick up her romance story anthology - 4 fun romances in one book: Sweet Escapes - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092GXD98 Buy it today for only $4.99 and save 50% over what you would spend if you bought all the stories individually. Plus you'll get stocked up on sweet escapes for the rest of the week!

Recipe: Lexy's Famous Cupcake Tops.

Everyone knows that the best part of the cupcake is the top with all that delicious frosting. That's why it's no secret that cupcake tops are a favorite at Lexy's bakery - The Cup and Cake. Here's how to make them in your own kitchen: Ingredients:.

1 1/3 cups flour.

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teas baking soda.

1/8 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tbsp butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (Lexy likes to use espresso) 1/2 cup milk Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 F (175C).

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda together.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each. Add vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mix well and then add the coffee and milk. Beat well.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups taking care to only fill them 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool.

Cut off the cupcake tops, right where they meet the cupcake liners. You can do this with a long knife, or, take some dental floss - pull it tight between your hands and run it under the cupcake tops.

Once you have the tops off, you can frost them - I've provided Lexy's favorite frosting recipe below.

Lexy's Favorite Frosting Recipe.

Ingredients:.

2 sticks butter, softened.

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar.

1 teaspoon heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 1/8 tsp salt.

Preparation:.

Cream the butter, sugar and salt together.

Mix the cream and vanilla paste together and add a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. If you don't have vanilla bean paste you can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Things You Can Do With The Cupcake Bottoms.

Now you might be wondering what to do with the cupcake bottoms. You don't want to waste them! Lexy uses them to make truffle - just pile them into a truffle bowl along with pudding and whipped cream for a delicious dessert.

You could also use them as little mini cakes, or cut them up into different shapes with cookie cutters and make them into little desserts or build sculpted cakes out of them. Use your imagination, but whatever you do, don't let them go to waste!.

Dying For Danish.

Leighann Dobbs.

Chapter One.

Lexy felt her stomach flutter as she approached the massive oak door. Balancing a huge glass tray loaded with artfully stacked towers of lemon, cheese and strawberry Danish pastries in one hand she teetered up the steps on the spikes of her Jimmy Choo stilettos.

She still felt a bit intimidated by the large house even though she had been there twice before. The elegant Victorian, owned by the absurdly wealthy Toliver family for the entire one hundred and fifty years of its existence, had bragging rights of being the biggest house in their little town.

She shifted the weight of the tray onto her shoulder, careful not to tip it. The Danish were part of the setup for a morning brunch - a fancy affair to celebrate the upcoming wedding of aging family patriarch Xavier Toliver. The catering job could give a big boost to her little bakery business and she wanted everything to go perfectly.

Lexy took a deep breath. . She grabbed the cold brass door knocker, rapping it against the plate to announce her arrival. Instead of the expected sound of footsteps coming to the door, she heard the squeak of hinges. The door swung open on it's own, beckoning her inside.

"Hello?" she ventured. Maybe they're all busy getting ready and left it open so I could let myself in?

Lexy pushed the door wider taking a tentative step into the marble foyer.

"Hello...it's me, Lexy Baker from the Cup and Cake." No answer. Lexy shrugged. Better get to work. She shifted the tray so the palm of her hand would steady it and bear most of the weight. Proceeding forward she made her way through the foyer to the great hall which led to the kitchen. Hollow clacking sounds from her heels on the cold tile bounced off the oak paneled walls.

The hallway opened up into the expansive kitchen. Even though the house was old, the kitchen was modernized - a showcase of gleaming granite and oak.

"Is anyone here? I have the pastries."

Lexy entered the kitchen. Looking for the best place to set the Danish, her eyes scanned the room, then settled on a pair of long tables covered in white cloths which had been placed by the palladium windows.

She skirted round the massive kitchen island, heading towards the tables. Something sticking out from behind the breakfast bar caught her eye. Were those feet?

She took a few steps over to get a closer look. They were feet - well dressed feet wearing the latest Steve Madden pumps laying at an impossible angle on the floor.

Lexy knew something was very wrong, she wanted to run, but her body seemed to have other ideas and it stepped closer to the feet. Against her will, her head craned around the corner.

Crash!

Lexy felt sharp pinches on her ankles, saw Danish pastries bouncing off the floor. She heard a loud, high scream that wouldn't stop. It took her a few minutes to realize the scream was coming from her.

The rough texture of crisp linen scratched against Lexy's cheek. Strong hands rubbed her back. She wasn't sure how long she had stood there screaming or whose hands were soothing her. Apparently the owner of those hands had a soothing voice to match and it was murmuring in her ear. It felt good. She wanted to just forget about everything else and melt into the crisp linen. But she couldn't.

Lexy turned away from the shirt. Her stomach lurched. Her breath caught sharply in her throat. She felt dizzy, but forced herself to look. In front of her, the kitchen was a sticky mess of Danish pastry, glass and blood. Yep, blood. The blood came from the body which had been attached to those designer clad feet - the body of Chastine Johnson, the fiancee of Xavier Toliver. She lay on her side on the kitchen floor, the blood apparently coming out of the big hole in her chest. A stab wound, Lexy guessed, although she'd never actually seen one in real life.

"Don't look." The murmurer tried to pull her head back to his chest. Lexy looked up. Concerned ice blue eyes looked back at her.

"Who are you?" she asked, pushing herself away reluctantly. Her eye started to twitch a bit at the corner. She put her finger up to it, mashing her lower lid in an effort to get the twitching to stop.

"Blake Toliver...and you are?" He held out his hand. Lexy reciprocated, her small hand disappearing inside his large one. The handshake was warm and firm. It felt rather pleasant despite the gruesome circumstances.

"I'm Lexy Baker. I own the Cup and Cake Bakery. I was delivering pastries for the brunch when I found..." She nodded in the direction of the body, letting her voice trail off. Ripping her glance away from the dead woman, she turned her attention back to Blake. She knew from what she had heard around town that Xavier Toliver had two sons. Blake was one of them, but she'd thought he would be older considering his father was well into his seventies.

Apparently Xavier had waited until later in life to become a father. The outcome wasn't half bad. Blake looked to be a few years older than Lexy. He was tall, about six feet and broad shouldered. Black curly hair framed a handsome face providing a perfectly, delicious contrast to his ice blue eyes. Lexy might have felt all tingly and hot if there hadn't been a body laying five feet away...and if she wasn't involved with someone...sort of.

She spun around at the sound of heavy boots coming up behind her. In front of her stood another tall, dark and handsome man. The other son. But where Blake was all charm and smiles, this one seemed dark and moody with black close cut hair and dark brown, stormy eyes.