Caramel Macchiato Murder by Laura Pauling

Author:Laura Pauling [Pauling, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Lucas left the reception disoriented, thrown off, disgruntled.

How did Belle manage to put his family on the suspect list?

He approached her, not wanting to engage in a word battle. After all, it was her aunt’s funeral and he knew, for Belle, it came with many complicated feelings. He just wanted to be a friend in the crowd.

And possibly tease her about questioning suspects.

That blew up in his face.

Every single thing he said, she twisted, turned it around, and threw it back at him. He said he was going to share what he noticed but instead of becoming flustered, she said she’d tell him what she noticed.

He accused her of playing detective, so she accused him of the same thing, and then went one step further and hinted he should recuse himself. Again, how did she know about Graystone Estates so soon, having only been in town a few days?

The answer came quickly. Bixby.

It had to be. Or the other realtors. Who was he kidding? Any one she talked to would know about Graystone Estates.

He needed to take a serious moment, though, and consider his dad’s company. Of course, the company wanted Eliza’s property. Not the house, that was for sure. But the land. Twenty acres. And where those acres sat, not too close to town, not too far away.

Except, his dad ran a more ethical company than Henry Clay. His dad was all about quality and what was best for the town; Henry Clay was all about profit. His dad would not murder someone. The question nagged at Lucas. He’d have to stop by and check in. His dad had employees, staff who might want to impress him, who might be driven by sales and money.

“Uncle Luc!”

What? Oh, right. They were sitting in his car in the parking lot of the church. He’d zoned out, bothered at the way Belle managed to get under his skin. And that comment she dropped at the end? What was that all about? She called him single and sexy. Why did that send a rush of warmth through his body?

He growled. “Let’s get pizza tonight.”

“Ooh, I like it when you have women troubles.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lex.” When did fifth graders turn into teenagers? He was in so much trouble.

They ordered the usual pepperoni and sausage. He always felt guilty ordering pizza, like they should eat vegetables every night. Pizza was such a bachelor dinner.

They picked up dinner, and it was on the drive home that Lexie brought it up again. “You know, I really like Belle.”

“I believe that’s Ms. Baron to you.” Thankfully, they pulled into the driveway. He made a fuss of rushing inside and setting up for dinner so he could avoid continuing the conversation.

He pulled out the paper plates. Lexie set up the backgammon game. Soon, they were engrossed in a game that he always seemed to lose, especially tonight when the roll of the die prompted more automatic movement on his part than real thought.

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