Bake Me a Murder Read Online Free

lovers?”
    “I loved her, if that’s what you mean.”
    “Were you aware Coco Sanchez was killed sometime last night?”
    “Claire told me.” Merle’s voice quivered.
    Corrigan tapped his pen against his notepad. “So Ms. Sanchez didn’t indicate why she needed your help. Do you know of anything she might have been involved in or can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt her?”
    “No. I hadn’t seen her for four months.”
    “But you still loved her? No hard feelings she walked out on you?” Corrigan watched Merle’s face, which turned the color of a raw steak.
    “At first I was hurt. Not now, though.”
    “Where were you yesterday evening between nine and one in the morning?”
    Merle balled his fists. “You’re kidding me! I couldn’t have killed her. I loved her.”
    I extended my hand to pat Merle’s arm but thought better of it. I’m a toucher, but not everyone is a touchee. “Detective Corrigan has to ask everyone involved. It’s better if you answer now.”
    “I was home. Alone.”
    Corrigan jotted a note. “Can anybody corroborate your story? Did you talk to anyone on the phone, for instance?”
    “No. Didn’t talk or see anyone after 8:00. That’s when I called my cousin, Earl and that was after Coco called me. I tried to watch TV until 11:00 then went to bed.” He rubbed his neck.
    “And what were you doing before eight? Before both calls?”
    “I worked until 6:00. Drove home. Got there about 6:30.”
    “Your co-workers could vouch for you being there until then?”
    “Sure.” He frowned. “Wait. Only until about noon. Ate lunch and after that, I worked at the south edge of the site by myself.”
    “We’ll check it out. Just need you to give me the names and numbers of anyone who can say with certainty they saw you.”
    Merle pulled out a business card and handed it to Corrigan. “I work for Delilleo Construction. Terry Dellilleo is my boss. It’s his card.” He hesitated, swallowed hard, and asked, “Can I see Coco?”
    “Only next of kin for right now.” Corrigan made a show of reviewing his scant notes. “Anything else you’d like to tell me?”
    “Not that I can think of.”
    “Okay, I’ll be in contact.” Corrigan shut his notepad. “Meantime, if you do think of anything, please let me know.” He pulled out his own business card and handed it to Merle.
    Corrigan’s gaze slid over to me. “Claire, I need a few words with you. In my car.”
    Without waiting for my response, he began walking, but over his shoulder added, “Goes without saying, Mr. Pokov. Don’t make yourself hard to find.”
    I held up my index finger to Merle, indicating he should wait a minute. I scampered after Corrigan, who was already holding his car door open for me. I gave him a questioning look and got in.
    Corrigan stuck his key in the ignition and the doors locked.
    My voice rose. “What are you doing? We can’t leave. My car’s over there.”
    He set his jaw. “If you promise me you’ll drop Pokov as a client and you won’t stick around here with him, I’ll let you get out.”
    “Isn’t holding me against my will illegal?”
    “Look, he’s the prime suspect in this murder case. I don’t want you in the middle.”
    Corrigan had Merle figured as the killer, with Eric’s information supporting the detective’s opinion. Granted, Eric’s statement warranted further investigation, but shouldn’t slant a premature conclusion even further. Only one thing for me to do.
    I pressed my lips together hard to stop myself from rushing my words. I had to be smart and choose them with care. While backing out of the case would be the wisest thing to do, I couldn’t believe Merle had killed the woman he loved. He seemed like a sincere guy and Ed had nothing but praise for his cousin. I couldn’t let Ed down. I had to stay on this case at least until Merle was cleared. I took a deep breath and steeled myself for battle with Corrigan.
    “I’ll leave, but Merle isn’t