She touched her lips to mine, a gentle kiss that took my breath away, and I knew she was right. I didn’t give a damn about Frankie or Destiny or the diamonds.
I threw back the sheets, returned her kiss, and wrapped my arms around her. Tanya was the complete opposite of Destiny. She was slender, with small firm breasts, well-developed stomach muscles, and runner’s legs. I engulfed her in my arms, and we made love like we were afraid we’d never get another chance. We followed the wild passion with slow soothing touches and soft sex that went on and on.
It was pretty obvious I wasn’t going to meet Frankie’s deadline. Since I didn’t have a clue where the diamonds were, I couldn’t see how it made a difference. What the hell, I thought. If I’m gonna die anyway, I might as well go out with a smile on my face.
Chapter 19
It was after noon when I rolled over and opened my eyes for the second time. Tanya was no longer lying beside me and my clothes were folded and piled on the chair in the corner. A note lay on top, and I smiled when I read it. Had a fantastic morning. I ran your clothes through the washer and dryer—they were getting a little ripe. There’s cereal in the cupboard above the sink. If you prefer, there are eggs and bacon in the fridge. I’ve got an errand to run but I should be back by one-thirty. And I think you’re right about Gail, if she lied to this Frankie guy, she is capable of anything. If you go anywhere before I get back please be careful. Tanya
I smiled and enjoyed the warm, content feeling that swept over me when I thought about her. I couldn’t help but wonder if Tanya was as surprised by what had happened between us as I was. The last thing I had expected after being roughed up and banged around by Bob and Willie was a romantic interlude. At least there was no doubt in my mind it was romantic. I’d been interested in Tanya since I’d gone to work for her, but I couldn’t be sure she wasn’t responding to the excitement of the moment. Still, I got the feeling we were both on the same wavelength about our relationship.
The last relationship I’d had was my brief fling with Brenda when I arrived in Key West. The relationship ended when her boyfriend arrived. I had to admit, I felt a surge of excitement when I ran into her and she told me her boyfriend was gone, but after this morning, Tanya had all my attention. I didn’t have the energy to handle two women at the same time. I never had been the kind of guy who could lie to a woman about my feelings.
I did a little jig and headed to the bathroom. While I shaved, I turned the shower on hot and let the room get steamy before climbing into the tub. Tanya or her father had installed an expensive, adjustable showerhead. I turned it to pulsate and directed the stream of scalding water toward my many bruises. I stood under the shower for a full ten minutes letting the heat wash away my aches. When the water started to cool I shut it off and stood there for several more minutes until the steam dissipated around me before getting dressed and heading for the kitchen.
I was hungry, but first I took a cup from the cupboard and filled it from the half-empty pot of cold coffee sitting on the counter. I stuck it in the microwave for forty seconds and when I reached for a bowl, my phone rang.
I was in such a good mood I didn’t even care that it was my mother. I answered with a jaunty, “Hello, Mother.” The microwave dinged and I reached for my coffee cup.
“I’ve been sitting in my room all morning waiting for you to call,” she said. “Since I’m only here for a couple of days, the least you could do is take me out for breakfast.”
“Sorry,” I said. I was determined not to let her draw me into an argument. I ignored her attitude and added, “I was out late working on the case.”
“Does that mean you’ve found the girl?”
“No,” I said. “But…”
“Never mind,” my mother interrupted. “You might as well pick me up at the hotel and take me out to lunch then. Why don’t you call that nice girl you work for, I forget her name. Invite her along.”
“Mother, you’ve got a memory like an elephant on steroids. You know damn well what her name is.”
She laughed. “Chalk it up to old age. I’ll meet you in the lobby of my hotel in an hour.” She clicked off her phone before I could respond.
I truly wanted to mend the rift between my mother and myself, but talking to her for thirty seconds set my ears roaring and my stomach on fire. It was all I could do to keep my hands from shaking and fight off the urge to call her back and tell her I couldn’t make it. Then I figured what the hell. I shook off the feeling of despair she brought out in me, slid the phone back into my pocket, and carried my cup of coffee out onto the porch. One thing I’ve discovered is that paradise has a way of making ones problems seem insignificant. No matter how bad they were, or who caused them. Of course a slice of key lime pie right about then wouldn’t have hurt either.
The sun was shining, the sky clear. Although I was glad to be outside, a brisk north wind was blowing cold air off the Gulf of Mexico, and I began to shiver. I gulped down the coffee but it did little to warm me. I had decided to head back inside when the gate rattled and Tanya entered the yard.
I jumped up and smiled. As soon as she saw me she skipped over to the steps, took them two at a time, and ran over and planted a big kiss on my lips.
She was dressed in pink sweats and an Alvin’s ball cap, and carrying two plastic bags. Even without makeup she set my heart racing. I wanted to scoop her into my arms and carry her back to the bedroom.
“These are for you.” She stepped away from me and held out the bags.
I took them from her. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you open them and find out,” she said.
I did, and found a pair of blue shorts, size thirty-six, and three large t-shirts. One was from Sloppy Joes, one from the Hog’s Breath Saloon, and one from Alvin’s.
“Thanks,” I said. I meant it. I didn’t dare go back to the boat until I’d settled this thing with Frankie. When this was all over I’d do something special for her. Maybe once I’d fixed the damage Bob had done to the inside of the boat, I’d get a chance to take her for a sunset sail.
She looked me up and down. “I’ve got to admit, I have ulterior motives.”
“Such as?”
“Well, from what you told me last night it doesn’t seem like you can stay on your boat right now. I was hoping you’d stay here. If we’re going to be hanging out together, not to mention sleeping together, you need more than one set of clothes.” She reached out and poked my shirt in three different places. “I ran the ones you’re wearing through the wash twice, and your shirt’s still stained.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to stay here. Frankie and Willie are going to be making a more concerted effort to find me now that Bob’s dead. I don’t want them to see us together. I need to find another place to stay.”
“I want you here.”
“When Frankie called he told me Destiny was with him. She might tell him I’m staying here.”
“I don’t think she’ll rat me out.”
“She’s capable of doing anything,” I said.
“Trust me, she won’t tell him. It wouldn’t make sense for her to do so.”
“I don’t think anything she does makes sense. I don’t trust her.”
“With good reason.” Tanya took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I think I know Gail better than you do. I’ve watched her pit one man against another just for the fun of it. I know how she thinks. Right now she figures that as long as she has Frankie chasing you, she’s flying under his radar. She knows once he finds you, he’s going to discover you don’t have the diamonds. That’s when he’s going to go after her. You’re her only shield from Frankie’s wrath. As long as he’s chasing you, he’ll leave her alone.”
“Maybe.” I returned her squeeze. “You do know Destiny’s crazy, don’t you? She wants those diamonds. Just because she used to be your friend, it doesn’t mean she won’t sic Frankie on you. Especially if she thinks it will work to her favor. Des
tiny’s looking out for Destiny. No one else. She’ll bring you down if it’s the only way she can keep the diamonds.”
“All the more reason for you to stay here,” Tanya said. “You can protect me. If I had my way, I’d stay in bed with you the entire time. That would keep me right by your side. Of course, I have a bar to run. And we can’t lose sight of the fact that if you want to get Frankie off your back, you need to find his diamonds and give them back.”
I searched her eyes for any sign of fear. I couldn’t read her. I had to admit, she was probably right. Having Frankie spend his time and energy trying to find me could work to Destiny’s advantage. It would give her the opportunity to get the diamonds, and get the hell out of town.
“I’ll stay,” I said. “But when I’m not around you need to take some precautions. You’ve got to promise not to go out walking or running by yourself. And I want you to take a cab back and forth to work. Understand?”
She nodded. “So now what?”
“While you were gone, my mother called. I agreed to have lunch with her. She wanted me to call you and ask you to join us.”
“You mean you didn’t tell her you were here, sharing my bed?”
“There are some things my mother doesn’t need to know. That’s one of them.”
Tanya laughed. “Lunch might be fun. Do I have to promise not to tell her I’m sleeping with you?”
“My mother’s a detective. I’m guessing she’ll take one look at us and know what’s going on. I’ve never been able to lie to her. Now let’s get back to worrying about you. Do you have a gun in the house?”
“As a matter of fact I do.”
“Do you know how to use it?” I asked.
“Of course. When my father gave it to me, he insisted I learn how to shoot it. He always said it doesn’t do any good to have a gun in the house if everyone in the house doesn’t know how to use it.”
“Smart man, your father. I want you to get it out and keep it close by when you’re here alone—in case Frankie shows up.”
“I told you I don’t think Destiny…”
I put my finger to her lips and stopped her. “Humor me,” I said. “If no one shows up, it’s not a problem. If they do, you’re armed.”
Tanya smiled, stood on her toes, and gave me another brief kiss. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll sleep with the damn gun under my pillow. Now why don’t you take those clothes I bought you and go change. I’m not about to be seen in public with you dressed in the clothes you have on. I’m sure your mother would feel the same way.”
***
My mother was pacing back and forth when we walked into the lobby. She took one look at us, moved to my side, kissed me on the cheek and took my arm.
“So where are we going for lunch?” she asked. “You’re a local girl, aren’t you Tanya? Why don’t you pick a place with some local color?”
“Conch fritters it is.” Tanya slid her hand through my other arm.
I could almost feel my mouth watering. I’d enjoyed the local delicacy several times since arriving, but I couldn’t help but wonder what my mother would think of them.
Tanya led us across Duval, behind the Ocean Key House Resort and across Mallory Square to a small food booth. We stopped and joined a line of six people waiting while a short, heavyset woman worked the deep fryer. She wore her bright red hair cut military style, and had ornate tattoos running up and down both arms.
“This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” my mother said.
“You told me you wanted a local opinion on where to eat.” Tanya grinned at me. “I guarantee you won’t find better fritters on the island.”
“There aren’t any chairs or tables,” my mother pointed out while we placed our order.
“Stop your whining, Mother.” I pointed off to the left of where we were standing. “There’s a bench over there, or we can always sit under the palm tree.”
The bench already had one occupant, a carved figure of a sea captain, complete with a sailor’s cap and a pipe. Under the palm tree meant sitting on the railroad-tie planting box that surrounded the tree. We ordered iced teas to go along with the fritters, and followed Tanya over to the palm tree. We took a seat facing the Shipwreck Museum and Tanya offered my mother the first fritter.
I scooped one out of the box for myself and asked, “What do you think?”
“They’re good.” My mother finished off the first one and reached for another. She pointed with it across the square. “Do people really pay to go in there?”
Tanya and I looked over to the shipwreck museum. “Sure,” Tanya said. “It’s what Key West used to be about. We’ve got lots of reefs and shallow water. Throw in all the tropical storms and hurricanes that hit the area and you’ve got a wreck magnet. Of course everything has changed with modern navigation, but boats are still lost on a regular basis.”
“Mel Fisher found the Spanish galleon, Atocha, not far from here,” I said.
“One of many,” Tanya said. “Wrecks were the biggest business on the island from the early eighteen hundreds until shortly after World War One when the wreckage courts were closed. They say that during the age of sail, a hundred ships a day passed through the Keys. In any given week a ship would wreck off the coast. The tourist tower over there is sixty-five feet tall. Some of the wrecker’s towers were over ninety feet tall.”
My mother picked up the last fritter. When I stood and carried the cardboard tray over to the trashcan she turned to Tanya. “How do you know about all of this?”
“I think I’ve been in every museum on the island a half dozen times each. School trips, family and friends visiting, even a few dates.”
I wandered back over to where they were seated. “Greenfield Village in Dearborn was where we took a lot of our field trips when I was a kid. If it rained, we toured the museum. Nice weather meant the Village. I always preferred the Village over the museum.”
“My favorite has always been the Hemmingway house.” Tanya said. “When I was young, I wanted to be a writer.”
“It seems to me that being a writer would be a lot more fulfilling than running a bar,” my mother said. She held out her hand for me to help her up, and added, “You must meet a lot of unsavory characters in your business.”
“Mother,” I said. I was prepared to run interference for Tanya but she reached out, touched my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Your mother’s right Wes. I’ll bet I meet almost as many lowlifes as you do in the detective business.”
I stood between the two women, closed my eyes, and waited for what I was sure would be a heated response. Instead, to my surprise, my mother started laughing.
“I like this girl, Wes.” She turned to Tanya and added, “I’ve enjoyed this. Like I said last night, we need to get together, just the two of us.”
“Mother.”
She looked at her watch. “Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to give away any of your secrets. And I don’t have any naked baby pictures on me. Now, I’ve got to go get the car. I’ve got an appointment with your Detective Davies.”
“She’s not my detective.”
“Yes. Well, she didn’t seem all that fond of you either. Now you two have a nice afternoon, and I’ll talk to you later, dear.” Without another word, she spun around and headed back toward her hotel.
Chapter 20
“Your mother’s an opinionated woman, isn’t she?” Tanya said, while we watched my mother disappear around the corner.
“That would be an understatement.” I let out a sigh. “She’s determined that I’m going to take over the agency when she retires. Nothing I say or do seems to convince her it’s not going to happen. But enough about my problems, what’s on your agenda for the rest of the day?”
“I’ve got to get over to Alvin’s. I’ve got a liquor order to place, and I’ve got some bookwork to catch up on. What about you?”
“I’m gonna pay Elvis another visit, but not until a little later. I’m hoping to get a lead on De
stiny’s whereabouts. How about if I walk you to the bar?”
She nodded and started off across the lot. I grabbed her arm and steered her toward the waterfront. “Let’s take the back way. I don’t want to experience an unexpected run in with Frankie or Willie.”
“What are the chances we’ll walk into them?” she asked.
“It’s a small island. As long as we’re together I’d like to avoid them at all costs.”
“Fine,” she said. “Besides, there’s nothing more enjoyable than a walk along the water.”
I put my arm around her and pulled her to me. “Nothing?”
She laughed. “Nothing we can do in public.”
I looked around and decided we were definitely in the public eye. The square was filling with tourists from a cruise ship that had docked earlier that afternoon. We walked in silence for several minutes before I asked, “Do you sail? You know, I’ve worked for you for six weeks and I don’t even know if you like being out on the water.”
“Love it. I dated a guy who owned a small sailboat and I went out a few times with him. Dad had a powerboat. He sold it when he got sick. I’ve spent plenty of time on the water. It’s almost a prerequisite to growing up in the Keys. How long have you been sailing?”
“My grandfather owned a thirty-foot sloop and I sailed a lot when I was younger. When he died, my mother sold the boat. She felt I wasted too much time sailing and she wanted me to concentrate on learning the business.”
We walked along in silence and when we passed the Ocean Key House Resort, Tanya gave my hand a little tug and we headed up Duval.
As we turned onto Caroline Street, Tanya slowed her pace. “When people discover you work for the family business, they think you’ve got it made. In reality, it’s like being swallowed by a giant Venus flytrap. It engulfs you and sucks out all your energy. You don’t even realize what’s happening until it’s too late.”
“Why don’t you sell the place?” I asked. “I can tell you from my own experience—it’s not easy giving up security, but the rewards are immense.”
Key Lime Blues (A Wes Darling Mystery) Page 15
