Read Brutal Brûlée (Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Book 11) for Free Online Page B

this. We know you went to Leonard’s room last night. Maybe something on this tape will jog your memory.”
    Karen crowded in the room behind them. “What is that?”
    “It’s the security system,” Violet said.
    “I didn’t know you had one.”
    “I don’t think anyone does. Hopefully, that’ll work in our favor,” Jack said. “Because the killer might not know there was one, either. We’re trying to see who went into Leonard’s room last night.”
    As they watched, a small dark figure appeared at the bottom of the screen. Houdini. He trotted down the hallway and disappeared into the library.
    “Is this time-stamped?” Garrity asked.
    “Yes, it’s tied into the computer clock.” Violet pointed to tiny numbers on the bottom right of the screen.
    “Maybe we should fast forward it,” Ida muttered impatiently. “Otherwise, we might be here all day.”
    “We don’t have to. It’s motion activated so we’ll only see when there's activity and then it shuts off after five minutes,” Violet said.
    “What are you guys doing?” They turned and saw the guy with the navy shirt who had helped Danny break into Leonard’s room. They were attracting quite a crowd, but Garrity didn’t seem to mind. Maybe he wanted people to know they were looking at the security tape, thinking it might push the killer into doing something that would expose him, wondered Lexy.
    “We’re looking at the security tape of the hallway outside Leonard’s room from last night,” Jack answered.
    “Oh. You’re thinking you might see the killer, right?”
    Garrity turned and studied the man. “That’s right. Do you know anything about what we might see?”
    “Not me.” He leaned casually against the door frame.
    “There’s someone!” Nans tapped the screen and we watched Karen come into view. She was holding a tray with two drinks on it. She tapped on Leonard’s door. The door cracked open and she handed him the drink, then he shut the door. She turned and walked back in the direction of the stairs.
    “As you can see, he was very much alive when I gave him the drink,” Karen said. “And I didn’t enter his room so I couldn’t have messed with the pills.”
    “You had two drinks on the tray,” Helen said. “Who was the other one for?”
    “That one was for Gloria. A martini. She wanted it delivered in the conservatory,” Karen answered. “I went straight there after I delivered Leonard’s drink.”
    Mrs. Pendrake appeared in the doorway, craning her neck to see what they were doing.
    Another person appeared on the screen and Violet gasped. “Isn’t that Danny, the associate producer?”
    Lexy felt a trill of excitement, but Danny walked past Leonard’s room without even a glance.
    After a few more minutes of empty hallway, Lexy and Jack appeared with Sprinkles. As they got to the doorway heading into the library, Sprinkles tugged at the leash, setting Lexy off balance. Lexy planted her feet on the ground to hold Sprinkles back while the dog tugged and pulled. It looked comical.
    Helen laughed. “What was that all about?”
    “Oh, Sprinkles likes to chase Houdini. He was in the library and she tried to have a go at him. I had to hold her back.”
    “Sprinkles would be wise to keep her distance,” Violet said. “Houdini won’t hesitate to scratch anything that threatens him and his claws are very sharp.”
    They continued to watch the monitor intently. The next person was Gustav Schilling, the man with the mustache. He was walking toward the stairs—away from his room—but he, too, walked straight past Leonard’s room.
    A few more minutes went by, and then they saw Danny again. This time, he was walking toward the stairs. He looked freshly showered and in different clothes from when they had previously seen him.
    “This is the next morning,” Jack tapped the numbers on the bottom of the screen.
    Violet’s brows shot up to her hairline. “But that’s impossible. We didn’t see anyone go into Leo’s