“Well, isn’t this just a fine mess?” he said grimly. “When will you be able to reopen?”
“I’m not sure yet,” she shrugged helplessly. “My insurance company said that they’ll fund the project and sue on my behalf, but I can’t find a single contractor on the island who has any availability in the next sixth months or so. I don’t know what to do,” she added, dejected. “I can’t take the hit financially that being closed for half a year would bring.”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, pie lady,” he said, punching numbers into his phone. In a matter of minutes he had contacted a contractor, Reggie Hutchins, whom he assured Marilyn was one of the best in town, and made arrangements for him to meet with her first thing in the morning.
“Wow, that’s amazing, thank you so much,” she exclaimed. “How can I ever repay you for your kindness?”
“Well now, I have been hankering for a slice of pie lately,” he pursed his lips, thinking. “How about after you meet with Reggie, you bring your staff and a couple of Key Lime pies over to the marina for a charter fishing excursion?” he suggested. “I’ll bring a lunch and we can spend the day on the water to help you forget about your troubles – sound good?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Marilyn nodded gratefully.
“Alright then, missy, I’ll see you and your crew in the morning,” he stuck out a calloused hand for her to shake, and she noticed that he had a bandage across his palm.
“Oh my goodness, what happened?” she asked, noting the bandage.
Captain Bob chuckled. “Darlin, when a man makes his living on the sea, it’s a rare day that he doesn’t have a couple of bumps and scrapes somewhere or another,” he said, grasping her hand gently before climbing up into his truck.
“I bet. Thanks again, Captain Bob,” she waved, and he stuck his hand out the window in return as he backed out of the parking space.
**
Marilyn was so busy fumbling in her purse for her house keys, that she nearly jumped out of her skin when Tim Eckels spoke to her from where he was standing in the shadows of her porch.
“He was here again,” he said in a flat voice that gave her chills.
Too wary to even be annoyed at her neighbor for startling her, she crossed over to where Tim stood with arms folded over his chest, looking somber as usual.
“Who was here?” she asked, her heart skipping a beat.
“The one who followed you. He’s not right,” her neighbor replied. Concern overrode her sense of irony and she stepped closer.
“What was he doing here, Tim? Did you see him do anything?” she looked around as though Melvin Bland might be hiding in the bushes waiting to attack.
“He was in the back. He shouldn’t have been back there,” her neighbor slowly raised an arm and extended his finger, pointing to the back yard.
“Can you show me where you saw him? I’d really appreciate it,” Marilyn said, glancing nervously toward the back yard. Her neighbor might be odd, but at least she wouldn’t have to go in the back yard alone.
Tim seemed to consider her request for a long moment, then, without saying a word, he turned and shuffled off toward the back yard, with Marilyn close behind. When he got to the patio, he stopped and pointed at the kitchen window.
“He was there.”
She walked over to the window, noticing immediately that the screen on the outside had been bent as though it had been improperly pried from its frame. Thankfully she had remembered to lock the windows before she left for the shop. She looked for clues on the ground underneath the window, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Was this the only place that you saw him?” she asked, her gaze still focused on the window. When she received no reply, she turned around to see Tim disappearing through the tree line, headed for home.
Sighing, Marilyn found the key to the back door on her key ring, and went inside. Flipping the light switch in the kitchen, she was surprised when the kitchen light didn’t come on. Feeling an eerie sense of dread, she peered in and noted that the digital displays for the refrigerator, stove, microwave and dishwasher were not lit. Switching on the flashlight app from her phone, she hurried across the kitchen and opened the pantry door, turning left to find the fuse box. Shining the light across the neat lines of tabs on the fuse box, she was confused when it didn’t seem that any breakers had been tripped. She flipped the breaker for the kitchen anyway, and wasn’t surprised when nothing happened. Suddenly feeling alone and more than a little vulnerable, she hurried from the kitchen and flipped the light switch on in the dining room. Nothing. She tried the living room with the same result and gave up, rushing from the house, locking the door and running to the safety of her car, dialing Bernard Cortland’s number as soon as she was locked inside.
Chapter 16
Marilyn knocked on the door to Tiara’s apartment, hating to just drop in, but not knowing where else to go while the police checked out her cottage. She had dropped off a spare house key with the detective on her way over, and headed for her daughter’s, just longing to feel safe and see a friendly face.
“Mom…hi,” Tiara looked puzzled when she opened the door.
“Can I come in?” her mother asked, feeling shaky and weak.
“Of course,” she opened the door all the way, standing back to let Marilyn pass. Her roommates were out of town, so Tiara had been sitting in front of the television working on a new ad campaign for when the shop reopened. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking closely at her mother.
Marilyn related what had happened at the house and Tiara listened intently, shaking her head.
“This has to stop – it’s getting ridiculous,” her daughter exclaimed, frowning. “You have some sick guy stalking you, Dad says that he thinks they’re going to arrest him for Brad’s murder, and the shop is destroyed. What next?” she fumed.
“Your father is going to be arrested?” Marilyn sank down onto the couch.
“Looks that way. The detective found some shady deals in his past and talked to some people who said that he threatened them, and…” Tiara trailed off, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she put her arm around the distraught young woman.
“I think he’s going to run,” she mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Marilyn asked, gently tipping her daughter’s chin up to look at her.
“The police told him that he had to stay in town while they were investigating, and he complained about how expensive the hotel was, so I told him that he could stay here and sleep on the couch, and he started acting really weird and made an excuse to leave right away,” she explained miserably. “I still don’t think that he did it, but it seems like he’s so afraid of going to jail that he might do something stupid.”
“Well, I’m sorry, sweetie, you did your best to try to help him. He’s an adult, so hopefully he’ll make an adult decision and stay put,” Marilyn leaned her forehead against her daughter’s.
Tiara nodded, then gave her mom a quick hug and pulled away, swiping at her eyes. “Are you hungry? I was about to order some Chinese food,” she changed the subject.
“Let’s go out,” her mother proposed. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had an actual mother-daughter date,” she observed. “We can go out to eat and maybe catch a movie and forget about all this ridiculous drama for a while, how does that sound?” she asked gently, tucking a stray golden lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear.
“That sounds amazing, Mom,” she nodded, still not smiling, but feeling a bit better at least. “I feel bad though…going out and having fun while Dad’s life is so complicated,” she admitted.
“There’s nothing you can do though, sweetie, and sitting here worrying about it isn’t going to help. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of relief. I know I could use some diversion right about now,” Marilyn said softly.
“Okay,” Tiara nodded. “I’m sorry you’re having to go through all of
this, Mom. I’m just so used to you being so self-sufficient and taking care of everything and everyone, that I sometimes forget that you need support too,” she looked up at her mother with wide blue eyes.
“And right now, I could use a drink, so let’s walk to wherever we’re going,” she replied, lightening the mood.
“Agreed,” her daughter replied wryly.
When Marilyn shared that they were invited to go charter fishing with Captain Bob, and now had a contractor to work on the shop, Tiara was so excited that she texted Kelcie immediately to arrange to pick her up on the way to the marina. Mother and daughter had a relaxed evening filled with laughter, and were finally able to relieve some of the stress that had been building for both of them ever since Daniel had decided to come down for vacation. Little did they know that, while they were out enjoying their evening, two men descended upon Marilyn’s little cottage under cover of darkness.
Chapter 17
Daniel Hayes sat motionless in a lawn chair on his ex-wife’s back porch, wishing he had a cold beer and a warm bed. His life was in danger, and it was time to come clean with Marilyn about what exactly had happened after his fishing trip with Tiara. Sometimes honesty was straight-up dangerous, but that was a chance he’d have to take, and he could only hope that the woman he once loved would do the right thing for him, after all these years apart. She didn’t owe him anything, but he was banking on her sympathy and understanding because of the child that they had created together. Surely, their daughter was reason enough for her to protect him.
His boredom profound, Daniel found his chin slipping to his chest and was on the verge of drifting off to sleep when a noise to his right, across the patio from where he sat, caught his attention. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could tell, even in the near absence of light, that the person approaching Marilyn’s back door was male, not female. He knew nothing about his ex-wife’s love life, but could tell by the halting steps that the man took in an effort to be quiet, that this was not someone whom she would welcome into her home. He watched with great interest as the somewhat clumsy-seeming intruder pulled what looked like a pry bar out of a bag that he had brought, and decided it was time to make his move.
“Hey!” he barked, startling the man, who made a frightened mewling sound and dropped the pry bar with a sharp clang on the flagstone patio. The man stood motionless for a moment, squinting into the darkness to try to pinpoint who had made the sound that scared him, than apparently decided he didn’t care and turned to run. He never knew what hit him as Daniel expertly tackled him to the ground, clapped a hand over his mouth and secured his hands behind his back.
Daniel had one knee in the middle of the man’s somewhat squishy back and the other on the ground beside him. Bending at the waist, he brought his lips close to the intruder’s ear, close enough that the man could hear him without having to raise his voice beyond a growl.
“I’m going to take my hand off of your mouth, and you’re going to tell me who you are, and what exactly you’re doing here. If you make any noise beyond that, I will have no problem smashing your head into this flagstone and leaving you to bleed out, are we clear on that?” he asked in a low voice. The terrified intruder, made a noise low in his throat and nodded his head in panicked jerks to show that he understood and would obey. Grabbing his hair in one hand, and removing the other slowly from his mouth, Daniel bent over him again.
“Who are you, dirtbag?” he growled in the man’s ear. “And what did you think you were going to get away with tonight?
“I’m…I’m no one important,” the intruder stuttered in a rather high-pitched voice. “I was just…checking the security system,” he lied badly.
Daniel slammed the liar’s head into the stone below them, just once, for good measure, causing the man to cry.
“Ow…that hurts,” he blubbered. “Please don’t do that again.”
“Fortunately for you, I don’t have the time or the inclination to mess with a common thief tonight, so I’m going to let you go. But, if you ever darken this doorstep, or come anywhere near this place again, I will bash your head into this flagstone so many times that there won’t be any chunks big enough to stitch back together, you got that, dirtbag?” Daniel threatened.
“I…I understand, sir. Please…please, just let me go,” he mewled.
“Give me a name, and if you lie to me, I’m going to hunt you down,” he promised.
“Melvin,” the man sobbed. “My name is Melvin…please don’t hurt me.”
“Melvin…” Daniel shook his head. “Melvin?”
“Yes?”
“Get out of here before I change my mind,” he said, standing up and kicking the writhing worm of a man with the toe of his running shoe.
Melvin winced at the pain in his side, then stood, and abruptly shone a flashlight in Daniel’s eyes, blinding him. In the moments that it took Daniel to recover, Melvin had raced from the back yard, through the trees, past Tim’s driveway, and disappeared.
Chapter 18
“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.
A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 Page 6
