in Saunders’s hand was from an envelope, not a piece of paper.
“That’s why it was so cold in the freezer; you knew the body wouldn’t smell,” she said.
Westmore sneered.
“But why did you use my apron to kill her?”
“That was just coincidence. I merely grabbed the closest one. Of course, I had no idea it would cause you to continuously stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Westmore tightened his grip on her arm. His eyes looked past her at something on the wall. “If it wasn’t for your meddling, the body might not have been discovered until the contest was over. And now, unfortunately, I’m going to have to kill you, too.”
He reached past her grabbing a necktie hanging on the wall. Lexy pulled back and kicked out. She heard him grunt as her steel toed stilettos connected with his shin. His grip loosened enough for her to wriggle away. She turned to run.
Pain exploded in her head as he grabbed her pony-tail, yanking her back toward him and leaving her neck exposed. He threw the tie around her neck, wrapped both ends tightly in his hands, and pulled.
Lexy felt like her esophagus was being crushed. She clutched at the fabric around her neck, her vision going gray around the edges. She heard a big bang just as she was beginning to black out and wondered if that was what death sounded like.
“Let go of her, Westmore!”
Lexy figured she must have gone to hell when she heard the voice of Detective Nik Stone blaring in her ears. She felt the tightness loosen around her neck as she dropped to the floor. She inhaled a big gulp of air and opened her eyes.
The room had burst into a hive of activity. Nik Stone had Westmore up against the wall. Two police officers were inspecting the office. Jake Ryan scrambled to her side.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
Lexy’s hands went to her raw, bruised throat. “I…think…so.” The words came out in a croak.
Jake helped her up as they watched Nik roughly handcuff Westmore and hand him over to Styles and McManus, who escorted him out the door.
Lexy felt a quiver of fear as Stone fixed her with an angry glare. “You’re OK?”
Lexy nodded.
“What did you think you were doing, coming in here?” Stone demanded.
Lexy swallowed. “I suspected Westmore was embezzling money.” She pointed to the black book on the top of the desk. “That book has coded transactions…a second set of books for accounting.”
Nik raised an eyebrow. “And you thought you would come here and catch him all by yourself?”
Lexy felt her cheeks burn. It did sound kind of stupid now that she thought about it. “I just wanted to find more proof to show you. I thought I could compare the ledgers in the filing cabinet and find out for sure.”
Nik sighed. “Well you did do one thing for us. You let us catch him in the act of trying to kill you.”
“How did you guys know I was in here?” Lexy wrinkled her brow, marveling at the precise timing. A few minutes later and she would have been a goner.
“We had Styles and McManus following you, but we might not have been here if Conners didn’t raise my suspicions by telling me that she saw Westmore the night your cake was sabotaged.”
Lexy felt her eyes grow wide. “So Corinne had nothing to do with this?”
Nik shook her head. “We don’t think so.”
Lexy looked at her watch. “Oh, no, the contest! I have to get back-the cupcake challenge has already started!”
Lexy shook off Jake’s hand which was still resting on her arm and bolted out of the room. As she ran down the hall she could hear Nik yelling after her: “Wait! We still have some questions for you!”
Chapter Fifteen
Lexy skidded to a stop beside Cassie just as she was about to place the sugar sculptures on top of the first batch of cupcakes.
“Wait…don’t put those on.”
Cassie turned in Lexy’s direction, her brow wrinkled. “What?”
“Just put them out without the sculptures. The judges are only two booths
“That’s why it was so cold in the freezer; you knew the body wouldn’t smell,” she said.
Westmore sneered.
“But why did you use my apron to kill her?”
“That was just coincidence. I merely grabbed the closest one. Of course, I had no idea it would cause you to continuously stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Westmore tightened his grip on her arm. His eyes looked past her at something on the wall. “If it wasn’t for your meddling, the body might not have been discovered until the contest was over. And now, unfortunately, I’m going to have to kill you, too.”
He reached past her grabbing a necktie hanging on the wall. Lexy pulled back and kicked out. She heard him grunt as her steel toed stilettos connected with his shin. His grip loosened enough for her to wriggle away. She turned to run.
Pain exploded in her head as he grabbed her pony-tail, yanking her back toward him and leaving her neck exposed. He threw the tie around her neck, wrapped both ends tightly in his hands, and pulled.
Lexy felt like her esophagus was being crushed. She clutched at the fabric around her neck, her vision going gray around the edges. She heard a big bang just as she was beginning to black out and wondered if that was what death sounded like.
“Let go of her, Westmore!”
Lexy figured she must have gone to hell when she heard the voice of Detective Nik Stone blaring in her ears. She felt the tightness loosen around her neck as she dropped to the floor. She inhaled a big gulp of air and opened her eyes.
The room had burst into a hive of activity. Nik Stone had Westmore up against the wall. Two police officers were inspecting the office. Jake Ryan scrambled to her side.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
Lexy’s hands went to her raw, bruised throat. “I…think…so.” The words came out in a croak.
Jake helped her up as they watched Nik roughly handcuff Westmore and hand him over to Styles and McManus, who escorted him out the door.
Lexy felt a quiver of fear as Stone fixed her with an angry glare. “You’re OK?”
Lexy nodded.
“What did you think you were doing, coming in here?” Stone demanded.
Lexy swallowed. “I suspected Westmore was embezzling money.” She pointed to the black book on the top of the desk. “That book has coded transactions…a second set of books for accounting.”
Nik raised an eyebrow. “And you thought you would come here and catch him all by yourself?”
Lexy felt her cheeks burn. It did sound kind of stupid now that she thought about it. “I just wanted to find more proof to show you. I thought I could compare the ledgers in the filing cabinet and find out for sure.”
Nik sighed. “Well you did do one thing for us. You let us catch him in the act of trying to kill you.”
“How did you guys know I was in here?” Lexy wrinkled her brow, marveling at the precise timing. A few minutes later and she would have been a goner.
“We had Styles and McManus following you, but we might not have been here if Conners didn’t raise my suspicions by telling me that she saw Westmore the night your cake was sabotaged.”
Lexy felt her eyes grow wide. “So Corinne had nothing to do with this?”
Nik shook her head. “We don’t think so.”
Lexy looked at her watch. “Oh, no, the contest! I have to get back-the cupcake challenge has already started!”
Lexy shook off Jake’s hand which was still resting on her arm and bolted out of the room. As she ran down the hall she could hear Nik yelling after her: “Wait! We still have some questions for you!”
Chapter Fifteen
Lexy skidded to a stop beside Cassie just as she was about to place the sugar sculptures on top of the first batch of cupcakes.
“Wait…don’t put those on.”
Cassie turned in Lexy’s direction, her brow wrinkled. “What?”
“Just put them out without the sculptures. The judges are only two booths
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