Scones, Skulls & Scams by Leighann Dobbs Page A

the secret sewer entrance? And if she had, what would she do?
    “Well, I guess it might be worth a million dollars to go to all that trouble,” Cassie said. “Still, seems like there would be an easier way to get into those sewers.”
    “There isn’t,” Lexy explained. “Believe me, we’ve looked. Anyway, Nans and the ladies are going to be back soon with the tools and we’ll close up and get to work downstairs. Do you want to stay and help?”
    “I’d love to, but John made plans for dinner with his parents tonight.” Cassie made a face.  
    Lexy laughed. Cassie and her in-laws didn’t exactly get along, but she made the effort for John’s sake.
    Lexy looked at her watch. “It’s almost quitting time, so why don’t you go ahead and take off. I’m sure you can use the extra time to meditate or something so you have a calm demeanor for dinner.”
    “Thanks.” Cassie untied her apron and hung it on the hook, then picked up her coat. “I was thinking more like some pre-dinner cocktails.”
    Lexy watched Cassie go out the back just as the bells over the door tinkled and Nans, Ruth, Ida and Helen came in the front. They had their usual large old-lady purses and Nans and Ruth were each holding the handle of a duffel bag that hung between them.
    “We brought the tools,” Nans said as they shrugged out of their coats to reveal dirty, stained tee shirts and sweat pants. Ida pulled a pair of leather work gloves out of her purse and put them on. Helen tied a bandana around her head. Nans and Ruth dropped the heavy duffel bag and each took a chair.  
    “I’ll just close up shop.” Lexy made her way to the door, all the while stealing inconspicuous glances at The Brew and Bake . She could have sworn the other baker was watching her as she flipped the sign to “Closed”.
    Nans motioned for her to turn off the light and she did. Dusk had fallen and the streetlight outside had just flickered on, leaving the inside of The Cup and Cake in shadows.  
    Nans leaned toward the rest of them, her voice lowered to a whisper. “Okay, now I want to make sure you’re all aware of the danger and everyone is on board no matter what happens.”
    The three other ladies nodded and murmured their agreement.
    “Lexy, are you in?” Nans asked.
    “Damn right I’m in,” Lexy said. “I have a bigger stake than anyone here, and hopefully whatever we find will either make Caraleigh pack up and go home, or prove what she’s really up to. But I need some hard evidence before I call Davies … Maybe we’ll find what I need to get rid of Caraleigh down there.”
    “Alrighty then…” Nans pulled a baseball cap out of her purse and stuffed it on her head, then picked up one handle of the duffel bag. “...let’s go!”
    Lexy followed the ladies down into the basement where they set the duffel bag on the floor in front of the shelving. Nans bent over the bag and pulled out a sledgehammer. Ruth reached in and came up with a crowbar. Ida found a tire iron and Helen a hacksaw.
    The shelving had been nailed into the brick and they started in the corner with Ruth sticking the edge of the crowbar in and Nans banging on it. Once it had pulled out from the wall, Ida added her muscle by sticking the tire iron in and Ruth tried to saw the giant nail apart with the hacksaw.  
    They pushed, pulled, pounded and sawed until finally the shelf crashed to the floor, revealing the wall of bricks behind it. Lexy thought she heard a distraught mew come from somewhere next door.  
    “There’s nothing here but a brick wall.” Ida’s disappointment was obvious.
    “Oh don’t worry,” Nans said cheerfully. “There’s plenty more wall. She moved to the next shelf and started the process all over again. Then the next. Lexy’s spirits were starting to sink dismally by the time they got to the fourth shelf.
    “I’m not sure there’s anything here.” Lexy picked a cobweb out of her hair. “Maybe those old blueprints are