The Saucy Lucy Murders by Cindy Keen Reynders

gone off the deep end? Grabbed a knife from Lexie’s place, hoping to implicate her, and done poor Henry in?
    “Where does Ernie live?” Lexie knew she had to keep fishing for more dirt, and Lucy gave her an encouraging nod.
    “He ain’t around these parts anymore,” Charlie said.
    “I heard he and Sophie moved to Denver,” Bob said.
    “Denver?” Lucy wrinkled her nose and batted her fan around some more. “What a horrible place to live. Too much traffic and crime.”
    Bob lit a cigarette and took a long puff, the end glowing red in the bar room darkness. “I heard Ernie was opening some sort of business down there.”
    “What kind?” Lexie asked.
    “Not sure exactly.” Bob shrugged. “But I think it had somethin’ to do with magic.”
    “Magic?” Lexie folded her arms across her chest. “How odd.”
    “Well, he and Sophie’s boys got into all those wizard books that gal from England wrote. And Ernie … he liked all that hocus pocus stuff, too.”
    “The move to Denver got Sophie far away from Moose Creek Junction and Henry Whitehead,” Charlie added.
    So there was another potential lead waiting in Denver, Lexie thought. It was time for a summit meeting with Lucy so they could make plans for their next fact-finding trip.
    “Excuse me everyone. I need to … ah … powder my nose.” Lexie decided nature’s call was a good way to part company with the cowboys. “You coming, Luce?”
    She exchanged a quick glance with Lucy who was earnestly discussing the First Congregational Church of the Lamb of God with Charlie. Leave it up to Sister Lucy to turn the investigation into a mission to save roughnecks from their heathenish ways. “Be right there, sis.”
    Lexie rolled her eyes and headed toward the ladies room. The blaring music and too many bodies pressed closely together made her dizzy. How could people stand coming here night after night? It would drive her insane.
    Lexie headed down the dim hallway to the ladies room. Then with a fizzle and a pop, the lights went out. Just like that. Cloying darkness enveloped her like a heavy winter coat.

C HAPTER 5
    D AMN,” SHE MUTTERED, GROPING FOR THE wall. Unable to see anything, she wondered briefly if she should stay where she was, or try to go somewhere.
    When someone grabbed her arm from behind, she thought it was Lucy who had slipped away from the cowboys. But it was soon obvious it wasn’t her sister when whoever it was started to haul her toward the dim outline of the alley door.
    Lexie’s heart hammered like a tribal drum and she struggled in the stranger’s grasp. “Hey, let me go! Whoever you are!”
    A meaty hand clamped down hard on Lexie’s mouth, instantly silencing her shouts. She was certain no one had heard her cry out because the dismayed howls coming from bar patrons would have drowned her voice. In the midst of the pub blackout, chaos and commotion ruled.
    Panic plunged through Lexie when she smelleda rank odor coming from her attacker. It was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. She tried to shake free of the sure, steady grip. Her efforts were in vain. Lexie tried twisting from side to side to break loose but to no avail. Her attacker was taller and much stronger. She felt as weak as a rag doll in the spin cycle of a washer.
    The more Lexie struggled, the more her attacker increased his hold, until she could barely breathe. He, or she, had glommed onto her like bubblegum to the back of a sneaker.
    Panic sank wicked claws into Lexie. For a split second her body became paralyzed, then just as quickly adrenaline flowed—the fight or flight syndrome.
    Loving faces flashed before her eyes: Eva, Lucy, her nephew Carl and even old patootiehead Otis.
    Do something …
    As she struggled with her attacker, feeling his hot, moist breath crawling on her neck, Lexie tried desperately to think of a way to break free.
My heels!
A pain in the butt to wear, they’d already worn saddle sores-from-hell on her feet. Then again, they might