A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 (8 page)

“Are
you sure that you don’t want to stay here tonight?” Tiara asked, worried about
what Detective Cortland had discovered at her mother’s house.

“No,
honey. Thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be just fine. Bernard said that the
electrician was able to reconnect my power in less than an hour, so I’ll have
lights and I’ll make sure that everything is locked up tight,” she promised,
touched at her daughter’s obvious concern.

“Okay,
but promise you’ll call if you get freaked out or anything?” she demanded.

“I
promise,” Marilyn smiled and gave her a big hug. “Thanks for going out with me
tonight, I needed it.”

“Me
too,” Tiara grinned. “It was fun. Can’t wait to get out on the water tomorrow,”
she added, looking forward to the fishing trip.

“I’ll
text you when I’m done with the contractor and you can pick up Kelcie and meet
me at the marina,” her mother confirmed.

“Sounds
good, drive carefully, Mom. I love you,” the young woman waved.

“I
love you too, sweetie. Sweet dreams,” Marilyn called out as she got into her
little blue car.

Driving
away, she reflected on just how lucky she was to have such an amazing young
woman for her daughter. Tiara was smart, sassy, beautiful, and ready to take on
the world. Marilyn wished that she’d had that much confidence and savvy at that
age. If she had, she was quite certain that she wouldn’t have married someone
like Daniel, who was incredibly good-looking, but not known for his intelligent
life decisions. He’d been mildly successful in business, enough to keep his
family fed and housed at least, but had disappointed her and Tiara on so many
other levels over the years. She shook her head, banishing all thoughts of her
ex-husband, choosing to focus on the delightful evening she’d just had. Life
was pretty good after all, and with her daughter by her side, she was ready to
take a tiger by the tail.

**

Looking
carefully in every direction before leaving the comfort and safety of her
detached garage, Marilyn determined that there seemed to be no one between her
and her front door, and made a dash for it. Letting herself in the front door,
she was overjoyed to hear Fluffy’s soft mew, announcing that she wanted to be
petted. Dropping her purse and keys on a table that she had put in the foyer
specifically for that purpose, she scooped up the purring kitty and stroked her
between the ears, right where she liked it best. Relieved that the lights came
on when she flipped the switch, Marilyn locked the front door behind her and
headed for the kitchen to make sure that Fluffy’s bowls were filled and ready
before she headed to bed.

Reaching
up and grabbing the box of cat food, she jumped and screamed when she heard a
soft knock on her back door. Heart thumping, she didn’t know what to do. It
couldn’t be Tiara, she’d just left her house, and Kelcie would’ve been asleep
for hours by now because she was an early riser. If it was Tim Eckels, that
would be entirely inappropriate, and besides, she hadn’t seen any lights on in
his cottage when she drove up. Torn between going to bed and ignoring the
knock, and her insatiable curiosity, she stood, cat food in hand, trying to
make a decision, when the person knocked again, a bit more urgently this time.

Making
a snap decision, she acted before she could change her mind, and, pepper spray
in hand, pushed aside the gauzy curtain that hung in front of the French panes
of the back door, shocked when she saw her ex-husband. Unlocking the door and
sliding it open maybe six inches, she peered out.

“Daniel?
What are you doing here?” she asked, alarmed at the thought that this man might
be a cold-blooded killer.

“I
need to talk to you…can I come in?” he asked, in a low voice.

“No.
I mean…I’ll come out, hang on.” She shut the door, fed the cat, and tried to
mentally prepare herself for a conversation with her ex, hoping that he wasn’t
here to end her life.

She
kept the tube of pepper spray in her hand, grabbed her cell phone, and went
outside.

“You
do realize that it’s very strange to have you just drop by in the middle of the
night like this, right?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling by
searching the dark recesses of her mind for the memories of the carefree young
man she’d once known.

“I
know, I’m sorry. I’ve actually been here for quite some time, waiting for you,”
he replied, looking sincere, which somehow made her more suspicious. “I can’t
imagine what you must think of me right now,” he shook his head, looking at the
ground.

“Honestly,
I don’t know what to think,” she murmured, trying to casually see if he looked
like he was carrying any weapons.

“I
didn’t kill Brad, and we weren’t lovers, that’s just a cover we used to put
business partners at ease…you know, catch them off guard,” he explained
awkwardly.

“It’s
none of my business,” Marilyn shook her head, not wanting to know.

“Mar,
look…I didn’t kill Brad, okay? I came here tonight to tell you what I think
happened after our fishing trip,” his eyes begged her understanding.

“Yeah,
way to go, father of the year. Taking your daughter on what she thought was a
fun-in-the-sun trip with her dad, and then she finds out that you were actually
there on business,” she accused, her chocolate eyes filled with pain.

“I
never meant to hurt Tiara, you have to believe that. She means the world to
me,” he asserted, gazing down at his feet.

“Yeah,
I’ve heard this all before, Daniel. It’s always an accident when you wound
someone’s soul. You never seem to do it on purpose, and yet…it keeps
happening,” Marilyn replied bitterly. “Just say what you have to say and be on
your way,” she sighed. “Let’s not drag this out any further than we have to.”

He
nodded sadly, then took a breath and told a tale that Marilyn found exceedingly
hard to believe.

Marilyn
was torn as to whether or not she wanted to tell Daniel’s crazy story to
Detective Cortland. On the one hand, the person her ex was trying to frame as
the killer was such an implausible choice, that they couldn’t possibly have
done it. On the other hand, his story included an encounter on her back patio,
with Melvin Bland, that she thought Bernard should know about. She had asked
her ex-husband if he was the one who had disabled her power earlier, and
strangely, believed him when he said he wasn’t. It was all-too-easy to believe
that the culprit had been Melvin, who’d had the misfortune to come back and try
again while Daniel was waiting for her to come home. At any rate, whether she
decided to tell Bernard what he’d had to say or not, it could wait until after
the fishing excursion with Captain Bob.

Reggie,
the contractor that Captain Bob had called in, was fabulous. He answered all of
Marilyn’s questions and seemed to instinctively understand her vision for
returning the shop to its formerly cozy splendor. Their meeting lasted roughly
two hours, culminating in Marilyn turning over her spare key to the contractor
and entrusting him with her restoration. She texted Tiara to let her know that
she was done, and headed for the marina, beach bag resting in the passenger
seat beside her.

“Welcome
aboard ladies,” the captain boomed when the three of them crossed over the
gangway onto
Island Girl. “
I have bagels and coffee for a nice hearty
breakfast as we head out, help yourselves,” he waved them toward the galley.

“And
I have pies for you,” Marilyn smiled, handing him the large bag she had
brought, which contained, not only two pies, but an assortment of tarts,
pastries, and cupcakes as well.

Bob
nodded appreciatively, his eyes lighting up when he peered into the bag. “I’ll
stow these down below, and we’ll get underway.”

He
gave them each a life vest during a safety briefing, and familiarized them with
the different areas of the boat, showing the ladies where they would be
fishing, where lunch would be served, and of course, where the bathroom was
located. When he was satisfied that they would all be safe and sound, he slowly
pulled away from the dock and made for the open water.

The
fresh morning air, and the salt mist on her face was just the escape that
Marilyn needed, and she breathed deeply, closing her eyes and tilting her face
toward the sun, a contented smile playing about the corners of her lips. The
boat cut through the waves gracefully, taking them out to sea, and the women
basked in the sun, enjoying the ride. After nearly an hour, Captain Bob slowed
to a halt and dropped anchor.

“Who
wants to begin?” he asked, clapping his hands together. Kelcie, Tiara and
Marilyn looked at each other and back at the captain.

“I
hope you don’t mind, Captain, but, if it’s okay with you…we’d just as soon go
for a swim and sunbathe out here. We don’t really care to fish, no offense,”
Tiara said, hoping he would understand.

“Well
then, ladies, that’s much less work for me!” he agreed cheerfully. “Luckily, I
brought a book. There’s a cooler aft that has beers, sodas and bottled water in
it, so be sure to help yourselves and stay hydrated. I’ll feel better about things
if you keep the life vests on while you’re in the water if you don’t mind – the
insurance company is particular about things like that,” he winked.

“Of
course, no problem,” Marilyn said, relieved that her brave daughter had been
bold enough to broach the subject.

The
three of them sprayed down with sunscreen, then spent about an hour in the
water before coming aboard to enjoy just lying in the sun. Tiara took drink
orders and came back with water for herself and beers for Kelcie and Marilyn.

“Captain
Bob, do you have a bottle opener?” she asked politely.

“Does
a tuna flop on the deck?” he quipped, setting his book down on the table next
to him. “Aye, lass, it’s in the drawer next to the sink in the galley,” he
directed.

She
retrieved the bottle opener and handed it to her mother, who opened her beer,
then passed the opener to Kelcie. Marilyn had just taken a long, ice-cold draw
of her beer, when she heard Kelcie say, “Ooops!” and saw her reach down between
the vinyl covered boat cushions.

“Lost
my bottle cap,” she explained apologetically as she fished between the
cushions, trying to find it. “Got it,” she said, holding it up proudly before
tossing it into the trash receptacle. “But there’s something else down there
too, I felt it,” she said, plunging her small hand into the crevice again, and
coming up with something bigger this time. Marilyn gasped as she recognized it
instantly.

“Mom,
is that Dad’s knife?” Tiara asked, eyes wide.

Marilyn
took another swallow of beer. “It certainly looks like it,” she nodded. “Hand
it here, there’s one way to tell for sure,” she held her hand out to Kelcie,
who was holding the knife like it was a dead fish.

“Yes,”
she nodded. “This is definitely Daniel’s knife, your grandfathers initials are
etched into the top part of the blade.” The knife was covered in a sticky brown
substance that made her stomach churn.

“So
that’s where that came from,” Captain Bob mused jovially, having returned to
the group. “I saw it lying on the deck a few days ago, and I’ve been using it
to gut fish,” he held out his hand to Marilyn. “Let me clean that up a bit
lass, these gutting knives can get pretty nasty after a few charters,” he
chuckled at their expressions.

The
captain took the knife to the side of the boat, swishing it back and forth in the
water until the sticky brown remnants of fish guts disappeared. “There ya go,
pie lady, clean as a whistle,” he smiled.

“Thanks,”
Marilyn said faintly, her mind racing.

“Mom,
if you’d rather not talk to Dad, I can make sure that it gets to him,” Tiara offered,
ever the peace-maker.

“Oh.
No, honey, that’s fine. I’ll take care of it,” she replied, tucking it into her
beach bag.

Daniel’s
knife had gone missing since he’d been on the fishing trip. Brad had been
murdered following the fishing trip. Was the weapon that her ex-husband had
used against his client sitting in her beach bag? The very thought made her
shiver.

“Are
you cold?” Bob asked. “I can get you a light blanket if you’d like.”

“No,
I’m fine,” Marilyn managed a smile, despite the horrific discovery.

“I’m
starting to get hungry,” Tiara announced. “Can I help you with lunch, Captain
Bob?” she offered politely.

“Indeed
you can,” he grinned. “Come with me, little lady,” he started toward the
galley.

“Me
too,” Kelcie called out, following them and leaving Marilyn alone with her
thoughts.

Marilyn
had turned her cell phone off while she was out on the water with Captain Bob
and the girls, but when they had safely disembarked and were making their way
down the dock toward the parking lot, after hugs and thanks for their generous
captain, she turned it on and found several voicemails and texts from Bernard.
Still a bit rattled from having Daniel’s knife turn up on the boat, she
declined a shopping invitation from the sun-kissed girls, and planned to call
the detective when she got home and figured out exactly what to tell him. Her
plan for thinking things through was thwarted, however, when her phone rang as
she pulled away from the marina, and of course, it was Bernard.

“I’ve
been trying to get in touch with you all day,” he chastised her after saying
hello.

“I
saw that,” Marilyn replied, her thoughts bouncing around in her brain
willy-nilly. “I’ve been out on the ocean today and turned my phone off,” she
explained.

“There’s
something important that I need to speak with you about. How soon can you make
it down to the station?” he asked, getting right to the point.

“Well,
I literally just finished my excursion, so I’d like to shower, change, maybe
grab a bite to eat…” she ticked off the items on her list until he interrupted
impatiently.

“So,
an hour?” he suggested.

“Probably
more like two,” she hedged.

“Marilyn,
this is important. I can come to your home if that’ll make it quicker,” he
persisted.

Sighing
because her attempt to put him off had been ineffective, she realized that
she’d been cornered. “Fine, I’ll be there in an hour,” she acquiesced.

“I’ll
see you then,” he replied, hanging up without giving her a chance to respond.

**

“Your
ex-husband had disappeared,” Bernard began, without preamble, as soon as
Marilyn was seated across the desk from him. “Any idea where he might be?” his
eyes locked on hers.

She
shook her head. “No, I have no idea. We haven’t exactly been…close, for a very
long time.”

“When
was the last time you saw him?” the detective asked, pen poised.

“Last
night,” she admitted.

“Last
night?” Bernard measured her with a look.

“Yes.
I had a girl’s night out with Tiara, and when I came home around eleven, he was
waiting on the back patio for me. He said that he’d been there for a long time.
He even told me a strange story about encountering Melvin Bland trying to break
in to my house.”

“Well,
that would actually somewhat corroborate a report filed by Mr. Bland this
morning,” the detective raised an eyebrow. “Tell me more.”

“You
mean it’s true? Melvin Bland was trying to break into my house?” she asked,
alarmed.

“That’s
certainly not the way that Mr. Bland told it,” he made a face. “But let’s hear
what your ex-husband had to say.”

Marilyn
related the story that Daniel had told her, leaving out the part where he tried
to exonerate himself in Brad’s murder by framing someone else. Bernard nodded
and took careful notes.

“Anything
else?” he asked, when she was done talking about the encounter with Melvin. She
thought for a moment, and decided that it wouldn’t do any harm to tell the
detective about the other story that Daniel had told. After she related the
preposterous claims that he’d made, with an embarrassed chuckle, he took notes,
but shrugged and seemed to discount the story.

“I’ll
check it out, but, knowing the individual he’s pinpointing, I’d say it was
nearly an impossibility,” Bernard said.

“Yeah,
that was my thought too,” Marilyn agreed. “But I just thought I’d pass it
along.”

“Please
contact me immediately if you or your daughter hear from your ex-husband. We
should have enough evidence in the next few days or so to make formal charges
in the case,” he informed her. She nodded numbly, trusting, but not wanting to
believe that the father of her child was a murderer.

“Oh,
one last thing,” Cortland spoke up as she rose to go. “Was your ex acquainted
in any way with Elizabeth Melman?” he asked casually. She paused, giving him a
baffled glance.

“Not
that I know of…why?”

“Just
thought I’d ask,” he shrugged.

Marilyn
left, concerned about the fact that Melvin Bland had been sneaking around her
house at night. Tim had seen him following her when she went for a walk, the
power lines to her house had been disabled, and then he showed up again,
perhaps to try and finish the job that he’d begun when he cut the electricity
off. She shuddered at the thought that the seemingly deranged man was out to
get her, because he mistakenly believed that she killed his mother, and
wondered if she should have pressed charges for the damage that he had done to
her shop, rather than just using the courts to hold him financially
responsible.

The
door of her cozy cottage had just slammed shut behind her when Marilyn’s phone
buzzed, announcing a call from Tiara.

“Mom,
Dad’s gone,” her voice trembled on the line. “He left a note saying that he
loved me. It was stuck to the outside of a manila envelope. I don’t know what’s
in it and I don’t want to open it. Do you want it? Or, what should I do with
it?” she asked, tears evident in her voice.

“Why
don’t you want to open it, honey?” Marilyn was confused. “It’s probably just a
gift or something.”

“I
don’t think so, Mom. His note said that what was in the envelope would show me
that he’s not the bad guy.”

“Then
why don’t you want to open it?”

She
heard her daughter sigh, and her heart ached for the young woman. “I just…I
know that Dad isn’t perfect, but I really want to believe that he didn’t kill
anybody, and I feel like whatever he’s put in the envelope will only cloud the
issue. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t think that I really want to
know,” she admitted, sounding lost and afraid.

“Okay,
sweetie,” Marilyn said softly. “I’ll come get it in the morning,” she promised.

“Can
I…can I just bring it to you now?” Tiara pleaded. “I just really want to be
done with this whole mess.”

“Of
course sweetie, I’ll brew some decaf and pull out a couple pieces of pie for
us. You just come over whenever you’re ready,” she spoke in a voice meant to
soothe.

“I’m
heading out now. And Mom…?” she said in a small voice.

“Yes,
sweetie?”

“Can
I stay with you tonight?” her tone flooded Marilyn with memories of a
tow-headed seven year old who was convinced that there were monsters under her
bed. The sad thing was that she was now learning that sometimes the monsters
are real.

“Of
course, honey. You’re always welcome to stay here. Bring your pajamas and we’ll
watch movies until neither of us can see straight.”

After
hanging up with her daughter, Marilyn wondered about what might be in the
envelope that Daniel had left, hoping that it would be something that would
give Tiara peace, rather than causing more pain.