A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6

by Summer Prescott

  “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.

  Chapter 19

  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.

  Chapter 20

  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 B
ernard.

  “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.

  Chapter 21

  Marilyn gazed at the envelope that Tiara had placed on the table between them with a mix of curiosity and trepidation, somehow knowing that what was contained within it could potentially have a serious impact upon her daughter.

  “Can you just not open it while I’m here?” Tiara requested, picking up her coffee mug and taking a sip.

  “Of course,” her mother agreed, scooping up the inch-thick envelope and tucking it away inside a drawer. Returning to the table, she sunk her fork into a piece of pie, and encouraged her daughter to do the same. They talked about the great day that they had on the water, glad that Captain Bob hadn’t been offended by their reluctance to actually fish, and were able, at least for the moment to take their minds off of murder and mayhem.

  “That reminds me,” Marilyn remembered suddenly. “I have to meet with my contractor tomorrow at the shop to finalize the plans for restoration. I’d love it if you came along,” she encouraged.

  “Sure, why not,” Tiara nodded. “As long as your appointment is after my yoga class.”

  “It definitely is,” her mother assured her. “In fact, I could certainly use a little stress relief – I think I’ll join you. Then we can walk to the shop together afterwards.”

  Morning plans made, mother and daughter finished their coffee and pie and watched romantic comedies until both were trying desperately not to nod off. Throwing in the towel, they headed up to bed after checking the locks on the doors and windows.

  **

  “That was a fantastic class, my dear,” Marilyn congratulated her daughter after a challenging hour of Yoga on the Beach, the class that Tiara taught three mornings a week. “I actually had no idea how out
of shape I’ve become until I tried to hold some of those poses,” she laughed.

  “No worries, you’re still a hot mama,” Tiara teased, wiping her face with a towel and taking a sip of lemon water.

  “Hot? Yes, I definitely feel as though my thermostat is set too high at the moment,” she complained good-naturedly.

  The two women strolled to the shop, after picking up iced lattes along their way, feeling relaxed, limber and optimistic. Endorphins in the morning were wonderful, and when mixed with caffeine, produced a much-needed euphoria in the stressed-out mother and daughter. Marilyn introduced Tiara to Reggie and the three of them delved immediately into talking design, having a ball envisioning the new and improved space. Time flew quickly, and Marilyn was shocked when she looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly time for lunch.

  The bell over the front door jangled, and she looked up, expecting to see one of Reggie’s crew, but pleasantly surprised when Captain Bob walked in. He shook Reggie’s hand and had hugs for the two women.

  “How’s progress?” he boomed, gazing at the stripped-down structure, arms folded across his chest.

  “Well, all of the plans have been finalized, materials are being ordered, and I should be able to reopen again in about six weeks,” Marilyn reported happily.

  “Good deal,” he nodded, with a satisfied smile. “And it’s fortunate that your situation with the old biddy worked itself out,” he seemed to gloat, making her a bit uncomfortable.

  “Well, while I’d never say that I was happy that someone died, it is a relief to not have to go to court,” she replied.

  “Unless of course, her family decides to sue on her behalf,” Tiara added glumly. “Her nephew has already been stalking Mom, and we think he cut the power lines going to her house yesterday,” she said, completely missing her mother’s warning look.

  “Is that true?” all semblance of pleasantry went out of his face as he turned to Marilyn.

  “I think he’s harmless,” she hedged, not wanting to explore the issues that she was having with Melvin Bland at the moment.