Deadman's Float
Page 1
Deadman’s Float
Crime à la Mode, Book 1
Christy Barritt
Copyright © 2020 by Christy Barritt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
To Buttons: the best thing we’ve ever found in a ditch. You keep us entertained and make us feel loved.
Contents
Complete Book List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Coming Next: Milkshake Up
Also by Christy Barritt:
You might also enjoy …
The Lantern Beach Series:
The Worst Detective Ever:
About the Author
Complete Book List
Squeaky Clean Mysteries:
#1 Hazardous Duty
#2 Suspicious Minds
#2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (novella)
#3 Organized Grime
#4 Dirty Deeds
#5 The Scum of All Fears
#6 To Love, Honor and Perish
#7 Mucky Streak
#8 Foul Play
#9 Broom & Gloom
#10 Dust and Obey
#11 Thrill Squeaker
#11.5 Swept Away (novella)
#12 Cunning Attractions
#13 Cold Case: Clean Getaway
#14 Cold Case: Clean Sweep
#15 Cold Case: Clean Break
#16 Cleans to an End (coming soon)
While You Were Sweeping, A Riley Thomas Spinoff
The Sierra Files:
#1 Pounced
#2 Hunted
#3 Pranced
#4 Rattled
The Gabby St. Claire Diaries (a Tween Mystery series):
The Curtain Call Caper
The Disappearing Dog Dilemma
The Bungled Bike Burglaries
The Worst Detective Ever
#1 Ready to Fumble
#2 Reign of Error
#3 Safety in Blunders
#4 Join the Flub
#5 Blooper Freak
#6 Flaw Abiding Citizen
#7 Gaffe Out Loud
#8 Joke and Dagger
#9 Wreck the Halls
#10 Glitch and Famous (coming soon)
Raven Remington
Relentless 1
Relentless 2 (coming soon)
Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:
#1 Random Acts of Murder
#2 Random Acts of Deceit
#2.5 Random Acts of Scrooge
#3 Random Acts of Malice
#4 Random Acts of Greed
#5 Random Acts of Fraud
#6 Random Acts of Outrage
#7 Random Acts of Iniquity
Lantern Beach Mysteries
#1 Hidden Currents
#2 Flood Watch
#3 Storm Surge
#4 Dangerous Waters
#5 Perilous Riptide
#6 Deadly Undertow
Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense
Tides of Deception
Shadow of Intrigue
Storm of Doubt
Winds of Danger
Rains of Remorse
Lantern Beach P.D.
On the Lookout
Attempt to Locate
First Degree Murder
Dead on Arrival
Plan of Action
Lantern Beach Escape
Afterglow (a novelette)
Lantern Beach Blackout
Dark Water
Safe Harbor
Ripple Effect
Rising Tide
Crime á la Mode
Deadman’s Float
Milkshake Up (coming soon)
Bomb Pop Threat (coming soon)
Banana Split Personalities (coming soon)
The Sidekick’s Survival Guide
The Art of Eavesdropping
The Perks of Meddling
The Skill of Snooping (coming soon)
The Practice of Prying (coming soon)
Carolina Moon Series
Home Before Dark
Gone By Dark
Wait Until Dark
Light the Dark
Taken By Dark
Suburban Sleuth Mysteries:
Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife
Fog Lake Suspense:
Edge of Peril
Margin of Error
Brink of Danger
Line of Duty
Cape Thomas Series:
Dubiosity
Disillusioned
Distorted
Standalone Romantic Mystery:
The Good Girl
Suspense:
Imperfect
The Wrecking
Sweet Christmas Novella:
Home to Chestnut Grove
Standalone Romantic-Suspense:
Keeping Guard
The Last Target
Race Against Time
Ricochet
Key Witness
Lifeline
High-Stakes Holiday Reunion
Desperate Measures
Hidden Agenda
Mountain Hideaway
Dark Harbor
Shadow of Suspicion
The Baby Assignment
The Cradle Conspiracy
Trained to Defend
Nonfiction:
Characters in the Kitchen
Changed: True Stories of Finding God through Christian Music (out of print)
The Novel in Me: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel (out of print)
Chapter One
Serena Lavinia stuck her head out the window as she drove down the weathered stretch of gravel beach road. It was summer, and tourists had flocked back to Lantern Beach like seagulls going after breadcrumbs.
And that was a good thing.
Because Serena had ice cream to sell. Lots and lots of ice cream.
“Get your ice cream sandwiches!” She leaned out and yelled the words over the sound of “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” playing from her ice cream truck. “One for one dollar or five for five dollars!”
Serena had worked one summer in high school selling hot dogs for a minor league baseball team. Who knew that experience would come in handy now? There was definitely an art to live sales.
As Serena saw a family with three kids walking over, she pressed on the brakes and put her truck in Park. She plastered on her best smile, practicing being the aspiring businesswoman she knew she was, and greeted them.
“Good afternoon! Isn’t it a lovely day here on Lantern Beach?”
The man looked uptight in his khaki shorts and polo shirt. It was obviously the family’s first day here. Serena could spot the first-timers from a mile away.
Maybe by the end of his stay, the man would learn to untuck his shirt and live in a bathing suit, like most of the people on the island did.
He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the faded sign on the side of her ice cream truck, Elsa. Pictures of various treats covered it, along with the prices that, over the years, had been written with a marker, painted over, and then written again.
Improving the display was on Serena’s list of things to do. She’d just installed a soft-serve ice cream dispenser so she could add floats and banana splits to her menu. Slowly but surely, she was making progress on her upgrades.
“What did you say
the special is?” The man scratched his head as he stared at her.
“I’ve got a great deal for today only. Ice cream sandwiches. One for one dollar or five for five dollars.”
His eyes narrowed even more. “But . . .”
Before he could ask more questions, his three kids, which Serena guessed to all to be under the age of six, started jumping up and down and talking at the same time. “Ice cream, Daddy! Ice cream!”
He shook his head and pulled out his wallet. “Fine. We’ll have five ice cream sandwiches.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to pass up that deal.”
Serena winked before climbing into the back of her truck and sliding open the service window. She bent into the freezer below her and pulled out the frozen treats. With a big grin, she handed them to the children first, then to the mom and dad.
The dad paused after he paid. “I like the carhop outfit. It goes well with the whole ice cream truck thing.”
Little did the man know that Serena dressed as a different character each day. It helped to keep people on their toes, among other things. Her revolving looks had become her signature in the area, and it gave locals something to talk about.
With one last smile and wave, Serena closed the window then continued on her route.
It was a Sunday afternoon near the end of June, and the day promised to be a scorcher. Something about these sandy shores seemed to absorb the heat and make the air feel even hotter than the thermometer registered. But the breeze coming off the ocean worked hard to balance it all. Nature herself seemed to know the island needed some relief.
She turned at the end of the street and headed back, making a right onto the highway. This was her method. All right turns except at the very end where she had no choice but to make a left to continue the route down the opposite side of the street. Especially in the summer, the highway got busy and it was nearly impossible to make the turn across the road.
As she turned down another lane, marsh grass surrounded her on either side. Two houses were located at the end, but only one was occupied—as far as Serena knew, at least. No one ever bought anything from her on this street, but she hit it each day despite that.
At the end, as she turned around, a little dog scampered out from the marsh. It dropped something from its mouth and dashed toward the ice cream truck.
Serena threw on brakes before she collided with the canine.
The dog sat directly in front of Elsa, staring at Serena with his tongue out.
Out of curiosity, Serena climbed out of the truck and walked toward the animal. As she stooped down, the dog practically jumped into her arms, a ball of excitement and energy.
“My goodness,” she murmured, rubbing the canine’s head. “Aren’t you a friendly boy?”
The dog continued to wiggle, acting as if Serena was his long-lost best friend.
She searched for a collar but found none. He must’ve gotten away from somebody. “Which one of these houses did you escape from?”
The dog stared back at her with big, brown eyes. If Serena had to guess—and she was no dog expert—this canine appeared to be some kind of terrier with coarse, brindle-colored hair and long, pointy ears. He looked to be around fifteen pounds.
She didn’t normally consider herself a dog person, but this little guy was adorable.
“Do you want me to help you find your home?” Serena murmured.
The dog continued to wag his tail, a hyper mess in Serena’s arms.
“I can help you do that.” Serena let out a giggle as the dog licked her chin. “I can’t have you out here wandering these roads. The highway is way too busy at this time of year.”
She stood and glanced at the two houses in the distance. It made sense to check them first and make sure the dog hadn’t come from there. However, since the canine had walked through the marsh, there was a possibility he’d come from the next street over.
“Come on, boy. Let’s go see if we can find your owner.”
Serena left Elsa on the side of the lane, strands of “Boom, Boom, Ain’t It Great to Be Crazy?” coming through the speakers. Elsa seemed to have a mind of her own and liked to choose her own songs. It sounded strange, and Serena didn’t really believe the ice cream truck picked appropriate songs for the occasion. But that was how it seemed at times.
As she walked toward the end of the street, the dog trotted along beside her, almost as if they had been friends forever.
“It’s a hot day for you to be out here.” Talking to the dog came as naturally to her as talking to other people. Serena had never been shy and loved engaging with others. Hearing people’s stories and opinions was part of what made life so interesting sometimes.
She reached the first house and climbed the steps to the front door. At the top, she didn’t see a doorbell so she knocked. A moment later, a woman in her seventies answered and stared at Serena. Her gaze traveled up and down her outfit.
Serena knew what she was wearing was a little different. She had a poofy blue skirt that came to her knees, a black Polo trimmed in white that she’d tucked into it, and a ruffly white apron. She’d also found some Mary Janes to wear, as well as a circular blue hat that really pulled the whole look together.
She’d styled her dark hair in big curls that she’d pinned near her face, and her makeup looked classic, as if she’d stepped out of the fifties.
It was one of her better looks.
She didn’t mind the stares. Besides, her Instagram followers loved seeing her revolving looks every day.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, throwing a dishtowel over her shoulder.
Serena had seen her a couple of times on the island. The woman wasn’t the type who went to many of the town’s celebrations, but, if Serena remembered correctly, she did help with the annual crab fest every year.
“I found this dog wandering down the lane, and I was wondering if he was yours?” Serena asked.
The woman glanced down at the dog and shook her head, sneezing. “Not mine. I’m allergic. Even if I wasn’t, I think terriers look like rats.”
Serena glanced down at the puppy, who’d obediently sat by her feet.
“A rat? This cute little thing?” She shook off the insult, trying to stay focused. “Do you happen to know if he might belong to your neighbor?”
“No one lives over there. It’s owned by some guy up in New York, but he only comes down about once a year, if that. Haven’t seen anyone over there in months.”
Serena glanced down at the dog again and added, “Alrighty then, thanks for your help. I’ll keep looking.”
“I hope you’re able to find the owner. I know they’re probably upset to lose their pet. Then again, maybe they let that fleabag go.” The woman leaned closer and scrunched her nose. “Rat dog.”
Serena’s mouth dropped open.
That was rude.
She shook her head at the woman before starting back toward her truck. What now?
Wait . . . she remembered seeing the dog drop something near the marsh before he’d trotted in front of her ice cream truck. Maybe it was a leash or a collar.
“Let’s go see what you left over there, boy.” Serena patted her leg to indicate the dog should follow.
She spotted the mystery object in the distance and walked toward it. As she got closer, she saw that it was a shoe. Some type of canvas loafer like the ones that were popular here on the beach.
“What is this?” Did it belong to the dog’s owner? Perhaps the dog had been attempting to bring someone his shoes. Wouldn’t that be cute?
Serena picked the loafer up, realizing that she probably wouldn’t get much information from it. Still, if she found the dog’s owner . . . maybe he’d want his shoe back as well.
She glanced at it again and sucked in a breath. Was that . . . blood?
She held the shoe closer and gasped. Yes. That was most definitely blood. It didn’t appear to have come from the dog. There was too much of it. Large drips stained the top.
Ten minutes later, Police Chief Cassidy Chambers showed up with two officers. As soon as Serena had seen the blood, she’d known she needed to call law enforcement and let them know what she’d found.
She and Cassidy were on a first-name basis. At least, Serena liked to think they were.
Cassidy put the shoe in a plastic evidence bag and held it up. “The blood looks fresh. It’s still red and not completely dry.”
“I don’t think this is from the dog,” Serena said. “Do you?”
“Did you see any injuries on the animal?” Cassidy slid her sunglasses on as the bright sun bore down on them.
Serena looked at the puppy—she decided to call him Sprinkles for the time being—and shook her head. “No, I got the dog to roll over and to stand up on his back paws. He looks perfectly fine other than a few sand spurs in his hair.”
“You did the right thing by calling us,” Cassidy continued. “We’re going to check this out. It could be as simple as someone who injured himself. Just because there’s blood doesn’t mean there was a crime.”
Was it wrong that Serena almost hoped there was? It wasn’t that she hoped someone had been malicious, causing pain to an innocent victim. But she loved the zing of excitement that coursed through her when it came to finding answers. That’s why she also worked part-time for the island newspaper.
Between the ice cream truck and the newspaper she could pay her bills, though barely. She was finishing up her college degree online as well. She’d promised her mom that she would do so, and she hoped she would be able to one day use her business degree. But her mom was hoping she would use that education to do something a little more advantageous than selling ice cream here on this little island.