by Rick Murcer
Jake and Tessie McBride arrived at the quaint, yet luxurious, bed-and-breakfast on Jekyll Island just after midnight. Jake pulled into the gravel driveway and parked in front of the sign announcing “Welcome to The Hibiscus House.” He reached over and grabbed Tessie’s hand.
“Are you ready, Mrs. McBride, to start our honeymoon?”
Tessie smiled brightly at her husband. “Why, yes, Mr. McBride.” She leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips.
“Mmmm . . . you taste so good,” he said as he ran his hand down to her breast. He gave it a hard squeeze as he nibbled on her left ear.
“Are we going in?” Tessie asked.
“I could take you right here,” Jake whispered in her ear.
Tessie responded by running her hand across the large bulge in the front of his pants. “How could I turn this away?” She unzipped his pants, lifted her skirt, and moved over to his side of the car, lowering herself down onto his lap. She started slowly, and then moved her hips faster and faster, relishing the sound of Jake moaning in her ear.
They’d been so into each other, Tessie hadn’t noticed a car pull up next to them, until a door slammed. Jake had her nipple in his mouth as she looked over at the sleek, silver Lexus. A tall, handsome man was walking around to the passenger-side door. Their eyes locked for a moment, before surprise, then amusement, passed over his face. Moving even faster now with Jake’s face firmly planted in her chest, Tessie smiled sweetly at the guy and gave him a small wave. He smiled back as he opened the door for someone. Tessie watched as the handsome man and his partner, a petite, blond woman, walked to the entrance of the bed-and-breakfast. The woman never noticed Tessie and Jake.
Tessie felt Jake tense up as he exploded into her. A few seconds later, he kissed her on the forehead. “Now are you ready to check in, Mrs. McBride?”
She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. Digging out some lip gloss from her purse, she swiped it across her supple lips. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Two
The smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies mixed with the salty ocean breeze was intoxicating.
“Welcome to Hibiscus! You must be the McBrides, our honeymooners! What a lovely and appropriate last name! I’m Elsa, the owner.” The slightly overweight woman with a bubbly personality met them in the foyer. She held out her chubby hand. “It’s so nice to meet you!”
Tessie smiled and shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Tessie remembered Elsa’s very detailed and complete e-mails regarding their reservation at the luxurious, ocean-front bed-and-breakfast.
“You must be tired after that long drive,” Elsa said.
“A little,” Jake acknowledged, rubbing Tessie’s back.
“Well, your room is ready to go. All I need is a signature on our reservation card, and then you’ll be all set.”
Jake stepped forward to take care of the paperwork while Tessie looked around. The foyer was decorated nicely with a West Indies theme. Dark wood furniture mixed with cream and soft-blue fabrics and accents. A large, intricate-cut glass bowl held white sand and various-sized, exotic, baby-pink seashells. Next to the bowl was a handwritten breakfast menu.
Blueberry Muffins
Scrambled Eggs
Maple Brown Sugar Bacon
Parmesan Cheese Grits
Mango-Orange Juice
Colombian Coffee
“Fresh breakfast is served in the dining room area every morning at eight. You’re welcome to have it delivered to your room as well,” Elsa said, winking at Jake.
“Do you need help with your bags?” A young teenage boy appeared from behind the reservation desk.
“This is my son, Mickey,” Elsa said.
While Jake and Mickey went to grab their bags, Tessie turned her attention to a small stack of newspapers sitting next to the breakfast menu placard.
“Honeymoon Killer Strikes Again!”
Her eyes skimmed the first few sentences of the article.
“Tiffani and Blake Cunningham, a young couple from Charlotte, North Carolina, were found murdered in their rented beach house in Myrtle Beach. They’d been on their honeymoon when the suspected serial killer struck. A maintenance man found their bodies on Sunday morning . . .”
“Ready, babe?” Jake asked, startling her. “Everything okay?”
“I was just reading something.” Tessie pulled herself away from the newspaper, an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She gave Jake a quick smile and tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder.
Elsa and her son led them up the stairs. “We have you in the Endless Love room,” she said, opening the door to their suite. Tessie walked in first. The walls were painted a soft blue, the king-sized bed faced the French doors, which led out to a balcony overlooking the infinity pool and the Atlantic Ocean. A large en suite bath held a luxurious shower with seven separate nozzles and a roomy, claw-foot tub. A small desk and chair were tucked away in the corner of the room.
“Dinner is served nightly at seven thirty. There’s a directory on the desk with restaurant and deli recommendations for lunch. All are within a short distance from the Hibiscus. Turn down service is offered nightly around ten. We bring up warm, chocolate chip cookies and milk. There’s also a list of activities, like scuba diving and horseback riding, available at a discount rate to our guests.” Elsa smiled at the couple. “Sorry, I’m rambling. Any questions and I’ll be out of your way.”
“Honey?” Jake wrapped his arms around Tessie.
“Oh, everything looks good. Thank you, Elsa.”
“Okay then. Gina will bring you guys a little snack, and we’ll leave you honeymooners alone. Good night.”
“See ya in the morning,” Jake said, tipping the teenage boy before closing the door.
“You okay, Tess?” he asked.
Tessie opened the French doors and breathed in the scent of the ocean. “The newspaper downstairs. It had an article about the Honeymoon Killer.” She waited for his reaction.
Jake wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head. “Baby, you don’t worry about that. We’re here to relax, remember?”
Tessie turned around to face Jake. “Seriously, honey. I don’t want to spend our . . .”
Jake put his finger on her lips. “Shhh . . . no worries.” He removed his finger and slid his tongue in her mouth tasting her sweetness. A knocking at the door interrupted their kiss.
“I’ll get it. You stay here and relax,” he instructed her.
Tessie leaned over the balcony and spotted a couple in the pool. It was well after midnight, and the couple had the whole pool area to themselves. She marveled at this perfect place to spend a honeymoon. Jake was right; she needed to let loose.
The Hibiscus Inn was a luxury B&B that Tessie had found while reading an article in Southern Living magazine. She was instantly attracted to the quaint, three-story Victorian inn situated on the ocean. It boasted eight suites with six of them dedicated to honeymooners. The inn catered to upscale clientele and offered luxurious amenities. It sounded like heaven, and Tessie had booked it right away—not even batting an eye at the four-hundred-a-night price tag.
The sound of a woman’s giggle floated up to her. The woman’s back was facing Tessie, and Tessie got a good look at the man with her. It was the same guy from the parking lot. The soft lights from the pool highlighted their tanned bodies. The man held his partner against the back of the pool, her hips rising up and down to meet his. Tessie couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Even from a distance, she could make out that he was very handsome. Not good-looking in the movie star way, like Jake was. No, this guy had a mop of curly hair, tall and lanky. More like a surfer-boy look. Another giggle followed by a soft moan from the woman. Then Tessie realized the man was looking up at her. Embarrassed she was caught spying, Tessie stepped back into the safe shadow of the night. That didn’t stop the guy from giving her a smile and wave. Not unlike the one she gave him earlier in the parking lot. But something in his smile
made her stomach muscles tense up. While keeping his eyes trained on Tessie’s balcony, he grabbed the woman’s hair and gave it a hard tug as she moaned louder. Tessie heard the door close, and she took one last look at the couple before stepping back inside.
Jake picked a cracker from the sterling-silver tray and topped it with a piece of white, creamy cheese. He held the cracker up to Tessie’s mouth, then slid it in. He watched her chew with satisfaction.
“Eat up.” He motioned to the tray loaded with crackers, cheese, and fruit. “You’ll need your strength for later.”
Tessie washed her cracker down with a glass of champagne that Jake handed her.
“Big day of doing nothing,” she responded.
Jake playfully swatted her on the bottom. “That’s what you think.”
Chapter Three
The pool deck was empty when Tessie laid her beach towel on the lounge chair. She adjusted the straps on her pink bikini bottoms and sat down to rub suntan oil on her legs. Jake had stayed behind in the room to make a few business calls that couldn’t wait. Or so he told her. This was supposed to be a relaxing honeymoon, not a time to work—she had reminded him of his exact words to her the night before. Jake was already on the phone before she could argue her point. Tessie had grabbed her bag and stormed out.
“Need help with that?” a deep voice said behind her.
She turned to find the guy from last night right in front of her.
He looked a little older than she’d originally thought. She had him pegged around twenty-ish last night. Now up close and in the daylight, she thought he looked closer to thirty. He still had the surfer-boy look, with a mess of curly hair, pretty blue eyes, and a deep tan.
“Sure.” Tessie handed him the bottle of oil. He massaged her upper back with the oil in quick, efficient strokes, his hands nice and strong. Tessie felt a twinge down below. When he finished, she thanked him and laid back on the lounge. “I’m Tessie McBride.”
“Clay Myers.”
“You’re on your honeymoon as well?” she asked him.
Clay laughed. “It’s obvious we both are, huh?”
Tessie remembered Clay watching her have sex in the parking lot. And she reciprocated by spying on him in the pool with his wife. She felt herself blushing. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Clay cleared his throat and looked around the pool deck. “So where is the lucky fellow?”
Tessie smiled. “Upstairs. Business calls. And the lucky lady?”
“Spa day. Ramona likes massages and having her nails done. Or whatever it is that you girls do,” he answered.
Tessie peered at her own toenails. “I could use a pedi myself.”
“Nonsense. You look beautiful.”
Tessie felt herself blushing again at the compliment. What was this guy doing to her? She was usually immune to such bullshit from guys. She decided to change the subject.
“Where do you guys live?” she asked.
“Atlanta. How about you?”
“DC.”
“What made you decide to come here for your honeymoon?” he asked.
“I saw an ad in a magazine,” she said. This was in part the truth. “You?”
“This is a mini-moon for us. I couldn’t get a lot of time off for a proper honeymoon so we came here for a few days. Next year, we’ll go to Europe for a month.”
“What do you do?” Tessie asked, truly intrigued by him.
“I’m a cardiologist.”
“Nice, noble profession.”
“Yeah, I guess. It runs in the family. My father and grandfather are both cardiologists.”
Tessie thought about it for a minute. The name Clay Myers was ringing a bell. “Wait, your dad isn’t Dr. Clayton Myers is he?”
Clay smiled. “The one and only.”
Dr. Clayton Myers was the renowned cardiologist, famous for his heart-healthy diet plan and cookbook. His books were on the best-seller list and Dr. Myers was a popular guest on the talk-show circuit. Now that Tessie saw Clay up close, she recognized the resemblance between father and son.
“And what does the lovely Tessie do back in DC?”
Tessie gave him a smile that could melt the sun out of the sky. She reached in her beach bag and pulled out a ponytail holder. In one swift move, she gathered her long, brunette hair and piled it on top of her head. “I’m a freelance writer.” She stretched out on the lounge chair and closed her eyes. “Not as exciting as saving lives, I guess.” She could feel Clay’s eyes on her. Men wanted to sleep with her, and women wanted to be like her. Tessie had known that she held a special power over men all her life and learned at an early age to use it to her advantage.
“Trust me; cardiology is not all that exciting. What kind of writing?”
“A little of this and a little of that,” Tessie answered coyly. “Mostly financial and business pieces.” She peeked over at Clay, who was intently staring at her. With what? Intrigue? Lust?
“Pretty and smart to boot . . .” Clay started to say.
“Hey, babe.” Jake’s voice behind her made Tessie sit up in her chair.
“Hey, babe.” Tessie leaned over for a kiss. “Clay, this is my husband, Jake McBride.”
Tessie watched as the two men shook hands.
“Keeping my wife company?” Jake asked.
“We’re keeping each other company,” Clay answered. “My wife Ramona is at the spa. How long are you guys at Jekyll?”
“Until next Saturday,” Jake answered for them.
“Ya’ll should go diving with us tomorrow morning. They do a dive certification here at the pool,” Clay said.
“No need. We got our certifications last year,” Tessie said. “Jake and I are both self-professed adrenaline junkies. Sky diving, cave diving, mountain climbing . . . you name it, we’ve probably done it.”
“Nothing spectacular about this dive trip, but I guarantee it’ll be fun. We have to go about twenty miles out, seventy feet of water for some good visibility, but it’s worth it. Afterward, we can head to a spot where we could do some spear fishing. Gag grouper, snapper, cobia, and flounder by the dozens,” Clay said.
“We’re game,” Jake said, looking at Tessie for confirmation. She nodded.
After thirty minutes of chatting, Ramona showed up. Tessie really didn’t get a good look at her the first time she saw her, but up close she was pretty. Strawberry-blond hair and shoulder-length, blue eyes, about five-four and petite. Tessie envied her glowing, tanned skin and freshly painted nails. She spent far too many hours inside writing. This week she vowed to work on her tan and go back to DC with some color on her skin.
“OPI Cajun Shrimp?” she asked Ramona, peering at her toenails, referring to the name of the nail polish.
Ramona gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek. “It’s my favorite color for the beach.”
“I’ve invited the McBride’s to go scuba diving with us tomorrow,” Clay said.
“Great. It’ll be nice to have another couple join us,” Ramona agreed.
“Anyone up for lunch? They have a great deli next door that serves salads and sandwiches,” Clay asked. “We can eat by the pool.”
Jake looked over at Tessie who nodded. “I’ll walk over with you.”
While Jake and Clay left to go pick up some lunch and drinks for them, Ramona reached in her bag for her copy of the USA Today newspaper.
“Did you hear about this Honeymoon Killer on the loose?” she asked Tessie in her sugary-sweet Southern accent.
Tessie shrugged. “I heard something about it on the news.”
“It’s creepy. He just struck this past weekend in Myrtle Beach. Killed two young kids from Duke. They’d just graduated college. The police think he dressed up like a repairman to get access to their beach house. They were hung.” Ramona shuddered. “Just terrible, isn’t it?”
Tessie slid her sunglasses up to the top of her head. She watched as an older couple walked up from the beach access ramp. “Very terrible,” she agreed.
; “Wonder why he kills honeymooners?” Ramona asked.
“Dunno. I guess honeymooners are an easy target.”
“What makes you say that?”
“They’re easily distracted. Horny,” Tessie answered.
Ramona laughed. “That’s one possibility.” She looked at the older couple who were settling in by the pool, sitting a few feet away from them. “It could be that guy over there,” Ramona said as a matter of fact, pointing to the older guy.
Tessie peered at the couple. He was bald and wearing loud, Hawaiian-print trunks, socks, and a pair of Crocs. The wife was in a matching bright-orange bikini, crochet sarong, and flip-flops. eHeShe guessed they were in their mid-fifties. “He hardly strikes me as a ruthless killer.”
“Well, no one suspected Ted Bundy either. Isn’t it always the ones you expect the least?” Ramona asked. Not waiting for an answer, she continued, “The news reporter is always interviewing the neighbor or friend of the serial killer who says ‘He was a nice guy. Helped old ladies across the street. I’d never guess that he was kidnapping girls and hiding their bodies in the basement.’”
“True,” Tessie laughed, agreeing. “Chances are slim, though, the Honeymoon Killer is here on Jekyll Island. Even slimmer that he would strike at this particular B&B.”
“What are you ladies talking about?” Clay asked as he put down a tray of grilled fish and salads.
“The serial killer on the loose,” Ramona answered.
Clay laughed. “My wife is obsessed with that story. She’s a bit of an amateur sleuth.”
“Just because I solved a petty burglary in our neighborhood when the police didn’t have a clue, my husband thinks I’m a regular Agatha Christie.”
“Well, honey, you have to admit you’ve become a little infatuated with that case,” Clay said.
“The guy has killed three couples already! We could be the fourth!” Ramona claimed. “All the deaths were along the eastern seaboard, Atlantic City, Hamptons, and Myrtle Beach. What’s to say the Georgia coast isn’t next?”
