Bake Me a Murder Read Online Free Page A

guilty. I can’t just drop the case because you want me to.”
    “If evidence points to someone, there’s a good chance they’re guilty. Can’t you be logical for once?”
    I leaned my elbow on the padding beneath the passenger window. “That’s not logic. That’s jumping to conclusions. You can’t just pronounce your opinion as truth and call it logic.”
    Corrigan glared at me and the vein in his temple danced. “I should have known you’d be pigheaded about this.”
    I gasped. “I might be pigheaded, but you’re acting like horse’s ass.”
    He pressed his palms into the top of his thighs. “Great way to keep a relationship going, DeNardo.”
    I bristled. “Relationship? There’s no relationship. We had three dates. The last of which you ducked out early.”
    “I’m a cop. Sometimes that happens. You didn’t seem to mind it at the time. Not that I’ll be inconveniencing you anymore with dates cut short.”
    I crossed my arms. “That’s fine with me.” Really? Was it? I needed to get away before I said something I’d regret, or that would get me arrested. I grabbed the door handle.“Can I get out now?”
    He blew out a breath and unlocked my door. “I’ll wait here until you drive off.”
    I got out and didn’t look back. How dare he call me pigheaded? I was angry and hurt. I should have known better than to let a man into my heart. I should have kept the ‘Justin Incident’ in mind. Justin, my fiancé for four years who, after grad school, dumped me for a skinny, blonde dental hygienist. I shook off the memory. Best to concentrate on business, and right now, Merle’s fate was my business.
    My hands felt glacial and I shoved them in my pockets. I approached Merle who once again sat on the curb. I needed to tell him about Eric’s statement. “I’m sorry, Merle. I can’t stay here but before I go, there’s something you need to know.”
    “More bad news?”
    “A witness says he talked to Coco yesterday and claims she said she was on her way to see you.”
    He jerked. “That means—”
    “That you could have been the last to see her alive.”
    His jaw dropped. “That I killed her? But I didn’t! I was at work all day and didn’t even see her.”
    I reassured myself Ed hadn’t recommended me to a killer sociopath. “Just the same, you may want to talk to an attorney.” From the corner of my eye I caught Corrigan getting out of his car. My time was up with Merle. “Look, I’ve gotta go.”
    Merle grabbed my wrist. “You don’t think I did it, do you?” He remembered himself and let me go. “Sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
    Too late. Corrigan was barreling forward, fists clenched. I had to hurry. Out of the corner of my mouth I whispered to Merle, “Meet me at the Clifton Coffeehouse in fifteen minutes.”
    Corrigan’s voice boomed, “Weren’t you just leaving, Claire?”
    “Yes. Yes. Right now.” I hurried to my car, hoping Merle had heard me and Corrigan hadn’t.
    I sat in the coffeehouse nursing a hot chocolate, playing the conversation between Corrigan and me over and over. Of course each time I did, I grew more righteous.
    Merle dragged himself in and ordered a coffee, which he didn’t touch.
    Best to get this over with.
    “Merle, you asked me if I thought you killed Coco. My opinion isn’t as important as what the cops think.” I almost added, ‘and the jury’, but that’d spook him for sure. “We need to find who did kill Coco. Do you know of any enemies she had here?”
    “She complained about her neighbor at her apartment, but then she moved out.” He thought a moment. “No. I can’t think of anyone who’d want to hurt her. And I don’t know any lawyers. Never had a need for one.”
    I had a cousin on my mother’s side, Anthony, who was a lawyer. If someone asked me what kind, I’d tell them, “The sleazy kind.” Of course, I wouldn’t recommend him, but didn’t know any others either. Still, I wanted to help. “I’ll get you the name