Mummified Meringues by Leighann Dobbs Read Free Book Online Page B

granddaughter. She doesn’t live here, of course.”
    Tom surfaced from the cabinet and put a round platter on the island.
    “I see she’s got a few years before she’s of age,” he said, winking at Lexy as he took the cookies from the box and put them on the platter.  
    “Those are made from a new recipe Lexy is fixing to enter in the Brook Ridge Dessert contest,” Ruth said.
    “You don’t say. Well, I feel honored to be trying them.” Tom gestured toward the long, pine table and the ladies sat while Tom pulled some smaller plates out of one of the upper cabinets.
    “Would you like some tea?” he asked.
    “That would be lovely, wouldn’t it girls?” Ida raised her brows at Lexy and the ladies, and they all murmured their agreement while Tom filled a kettle with water and got busy passing out dainty tea cups and saucers.
    “So, we heard you were a builder here in town,” Ida ventured, once they were all settled with steaming cups of tea and cookies on their plates.
    Tom paused the cookie halfway to his lips. “Yes, I built many of the houses here in town. But that was years ago. I’m retired now.”
    “That must have been quite lucrative,” Ruth chimed in, looking pointedly around the well-equipped kitchen.
    Tom narrowed amused eyes at Ruth. “Why, yes it was.”
    Ida fixed him with a hawk-like stare. “Not all builders make out this good. Most of the ones I know are flat broke.”
    “Well, I invested my money wisely.” Tom aimed a dazzling smile at Ida. “I’m not sure why the interest. Are you ladies trying to fix me up with someone?”
    “That could be a possibility,” Ida said. “Really, we’re just interested in our neighbors, right girls?”
    The others nodded and Lexy noticed Nans had been paying more attention to the crumbs on her plate than the conversation. What was up with her? Lexy wondered if Nans really did have a boyfriend. She was certainly acting distracted enough.
    Lexy’s eyes strayed past Nans to the pine mantle on the fieldstone fireplace, where a row of trophies was displayed.
    “Those are my dart contest trophies,” Tom said proudly. “I haven’t played in years, but I used to be quite good.”
    “It looks like you won a lot,” Lexy agreed.
    “Oh, yes. I was the dart champion ten years in a row down at The Elms Pub .” Tom gestured toward the trophies. “I would have been champion ten more years, too, if it wasn’t for her .”
    Helen’s brows shot up. “Her?”
    Tom’s mouth twisted in a grimace. “I know I shouldn’t hold a grudge. It’s silly, really, and that was so long ago, but that woman took competition to a whole new level.”
    Ida sucked in a loud breath. “I think I know exactly who you are talking about.”
    Tom turned to look at Ida and they both said it at the same time.  
    “Violet Switzer.”
    “You know her?” Tom asked.
    Ida nodded. “I used to be the pea-shooting champ until she came to town.”
    Tom laughed. “Well, I guess I feel a little better that I’m not the only one she targeted.”
    “Oh, she was nasty,” Ida said. “Did she stalk you and try to intimidate you?”
    “Yes.” Tom’s face flushed. “I’m embarrassed to admit it, but her tactics worked.”
    Lexy felt seeds of doubt sprout in her stomach. This Violet person sounded downright nasty and now Lexy was going up against her. She glanced at the plates on the table. No one had even finished one cookie! Maybe entering the dessert contest wasn’t such a good idea, after all.
    “So, if you hung out at The Elms Pub , you probably built a lot of houses over in the Elms section of town,” Ruth said, pulling Lexy from her thoughts.
    “Oh, yeah, I built most of those homes,” Tom said proudly.
    “Then you must have built Mona’s.” Ida nodded her head toward Nans, who looked up from swishing her tea bag around in her cup.
    “Yes, of course.” Tom studied Nans. “I thought you looked familiar.”
    “Oh, I’m surprised you would remember after all these