Dead in the Water_A fun and fast-paced private investigator cozy mystery/beach read

by Rose Pressey

  Rushing back to the car, I jumped in and pulled out my phone. I was going to confront Baxter, but I might need some backup. Unfortunately, Jake didn’t answer. I’d have to leave a message.

  “Jake, I think I know who murdered Luke and Mr. Boles. Baxter Smythe at the Palm Tree store over in South Beach. Meet me there. I’m going now.”

  I hoped he got the message. Just in case, I sent a text message as well telling him to check his voicemail. I didn’t have time to type all this out. I did a quick search on my phone to check out this Baxter’s Facebook page one more time. One of the first photos that I saw was Baxter and the black car. How had I not noticed this before? And why was he dumb enough to have this photo on there? I’d recognize that black car anywhere. It was the one driven by the person who had followed me and tried to kill me. That wasn’t Reynold’s car like Jake thought. I knew it couldn’t have been him.

  As I started the car, I realized I might need more bullets. I had no idea what type of situation I’d get into once there. I jumped out and headed for the office. Where was Dorothy?

  As I walked toward the door, I received a text message on my phone. I figured it was a text from Dorothy. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize the number. The message had another video attached with no message other than Watch This. My hand shook as I clicked on the video to find out where and when I’d been videoed. This time it was of me getting into my car and driving to work. My stalker had returned.

  This text had come from a different number. We’d found nothing from the other number since it was one of those disposable phones. Now I had my suspicions that Baxter had been behind these text messages. I couldn’t believe he would go to all that trouble just to send me these videos. Obviously, he was trying to scare me. Unfortunately, it was working. I didn’t even bother to watch it again because it would only scare me more. As soon as I got to safety, I would let Jake know about the latest development. Was Baxter really the one doing this? It had to be him.

  This would only reinforce Jake telling me not to investigate this case. He’d probably tell me to get out of town for a while. He should know by now that wasn’t going to happen. Watching over my shoulder all the time was terrible, but it had to be done. For all I knew I was being recorded with every move I made. Wouldn’t Jake be shocked to discover I’d found the person responsible for the murders. Okay, I didn’t know for sure, but I had a feeling I was right.

  I looked around to see if I could spy anyone watching me. Whoever was doing this was clever and good at hiding. Plus, some of the angles they got seemed as if they were hiding in a tree. Did they have a drone? I peered up at the sky. All I saw were more seagulls waiting for their next meal.

  When I opened the door, sadness took over. There was no clacking of needles and no peppermint candy smell permeating the air. Dorothy wasn’t there. I tried not to panic, but I couldn’t help myself. I tossed my bag down onto my desk and pulled out my phone to dial her number one more time. When she still didn’t answer, I left her a frantic message. Next, I had to call Morty and see if Dorothy was still with him. She had been with him last night. Unfortunately, he didn’t pick up either. What was going on?

  I paced across the floor, unsure about what to do next. Should I file a missing person report? No, I supposed it was too soon for that. I hadn’t even gone to Dorothy’s place yet to check on her. That was exactly what I needed to do right now. I turned around and grabbed my bag and keys from the desk.

  When I turned back around to go out the door, I stopped in my tracks. I was no longer alone. Annie Jensen stood in the doorway. She was blocking the door, glaring at me. Her stance was definitely meant to intimidate me. My gun was in my bag, which was on my shoulder. At least I had some form of defense. But would I have time to get to it? Surely it wouldn’t come to that. She wasn’t here to murder me, was she? That thought sent a shiver down my spine. What if she was the killer?

  “May I help you?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

  On the inside, I was anything but calm.

  She stared at me without answering, which was creepy. And I thought it couldn’t get any crazier than when I first saw her standing there. She had this menacing glare in her eyes.

  “What do you want?” I repeated.

  I wasn’t going to let her intimidate me. However, I knew why she was here. She was here to harm me. Just like she had done to Luke and Mr. Boles, but this time she’d carry out the murder by herself.

  “You murdered the lawyer because of your divorce? And the other guy just got in your way?”

  “He helped with the case. If he’d stayed out of it maybe I would have gotten more of what I deserved. I’m surprised you figured this out,” she said.

  I scoffed. “Why should you be surprised? It wasn’t that difficult.”

  “Well, it’s one thing to figure it out and it’s another to have evidence to prove it,” she said.

  “What makes you think I don’t have evidence to prove it?” I asked with a smirk.

  I didn’t want her to think she had the upper hand. Who did she think she was? Oh, yeah, the killer. There was that. Maybe it wasn’t good to push her buttons. She stepped into the room and closed the door, locking it behind her. Of course, my anxiety spiked. But I had to remain calm and steady or else I’d never get out of the situation.

  Speaking of getting out of the situation, how exactly did I think I was going to go about that? I needed to know what her next move was first. I had to reach for my gun. That would let her know that if she made one move toward me I would have to stop her. Something told me she wouldn’t want to go down without a fight. Well, I was willing to fight for my life.

  Without saying a word, she lunged forward with her arms straight out in front of her. She was coming right toward me. I moved to my right but hit the desk instead of getting the gun. I tumbled to the ground. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid. I looked like a complete idiot.

  My tote bag had fallen from my shoulder and was now on the floor with the gun sticking out from the top. She noticed this and made a lunge for the bag. Before I had a chance to move and get my hand on it she had the gun in her hand. It was definitely all over for me now. I couldn’t fight the gun. I’d made a huge mistake. I supposed I was a rookie and maybe I always would be one. I couldn’t believe she’d beat me to it. She had my gun. This was not fair.

  Could I talk her into not shooting me? Persuade her that it wasn’t the thing to do? Probably not after two murders. She probably couldn’t be convinced that one murder wasn’t a good idea, much less three. I held my hands up as I sat on the floor. This truly was pathetic private investigating. No wonder Jake was always worried about me. I just hoped that Dorothy didn’t come to the door right now. I knew Annie wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her. I would be completely devastated if that happened.

  “I don’t know what you think you’re doing but this is a bad idea,” I said.

  I was still trying to wrap my head around how I’d managed to let her get the gun. She hadn’t even known I had one. It was like I’d just showed it to her on purpose. She clutched the gun in her hand and pointed it right at me. I knew it had plenty of bullets.

  “No one else knows that you’ve killed anyone. And I won’t tell anyone,” I said.

  Yeah, everyone said that when confronted by a killer. She laughed as she continued to point the gun toward me.

  “Can’t we talk this out?” I asked.

  “No, we can’t,” she said.

  Well, at least she was being honest with me now. Obviously, I was going to have to think of something else. I had to get the gun from here. It was as if I had pulled it out and said, “Hey, look at my gun. Do you want it?” The room was eerily quiet as she stared at me. This was giving me the creeps. Though I didn’t want to push her into pulling the trigger.

  A tiny voice called out. I looked around the room to see if Dorothy was hiding.

  “Maggie, are you in there? I can’t get the door open. I forgot my key,” Dorothy said.
/>   Oh, no. I’d been hoping that she wouldn’t come by until after I’d gotten rid of this woman. Well, maybe thinking that was ridiculous. There was no getting rid of Annie. However, I was excited that Dorothy was okay, but a little angry that she hadn’t answered my texts and calls earlier. I couldn’t answer her now because then she would know something was wrong. I just needed her to go away. Though I knew when I didn’t answer she’d start blowing up my phone with calls and text messages. I had my fingers crossed that she’d call the cops.

  Chapter 28

  Annie froze, unsure of what to do next. At least Dorothy had startled her for a moment. When she looked at the door, I took that as my chance to jump up and lunge for her. It was the only option I had, and I just hoped that she didn’t start shooting the gun. What if one of the bullets went through the door and hit Dorothy? I was taking a big risk with this move, but I felt it was my only option.

  When I tackled Annie, she tumbled back, and the gun fell from her hand. Now she’d made it easy for me. I reached down and grabbed the gun. Now I was in control again. I backed up from her, standing in front of the door. I had the gun pointed at her.

  “Now what do you think?” I asked smugly.

  Don’t get too cocky, Maggie, I reminded myself.

  “I heard you in there, Maggie, are you okay?” Dorothy asked.

  Only a couple of seconds passed when a thunderous crash rang out and I fell forward onto the floor. Once again, the gun flew from my hand and slid across the floor right to my villain’s feet. The door had fallen and was now partially on my back. Somehow it had crashed open. Surely Dorothy hadn’t been able to kick it open.

  Annie reached down and picked up the gun and was now pointing it at me. Well, actually it wasn’t at me. It was also pointed at whoever was standing in the doorway. I glanced over my shoulder. Morty and Dorothy stood in the doorway. I had no idea how they’d gotten that door down. Couldn’t Dorothy have just used her key? This was the least of my worries at the moment though.

  “Dorothy, Morty, you have to get out of here,” I yelled.

  “Don’t move or I’ll shoot,” Annie said.

  “Dorothy and Morty, don’t move,” I yelled again.

  “Get in here.” Annie waved the gun, motioning for them to enter. “Will you get up?”

  “I’m kind of in a little pain here. I have a door on my back.”

  “I don’t care if your back is broken. Get up!”

  “Oh, Maggie, what have you gotten into this time?” Dorothy asked.

  “What does it look like I’ve gotten into, Dorothy?” I asked in a snippy tone.

  “Don’t get sassy.”

  We were arguing while this woman had a gun pointed at us. I had to stay calm. I managed to squirm out from under the door and push to my feet. My back was a little sore but nevertheless, I thought I would survive. If that gun was shot… probably not so much.

  “Okay, all of you stand by that wall with your hands up,” Annie demanded.

  She had one small gun. And three of us. Would she really be able to keep us held hostage?

  “Why is she doing this?” Morty asked.

  “Because she’s a serial killer,” I said.

  “I am not a serial killer.” Annie stumbled over her words.

  She found that offensive? I supposed the truth hurt.

  “If you’ve murdered more than one person then I think that makes you a serial killer. Plus, you have the three of us lined up ready to get rid of too. That’ll put your tally up to five,” I said.

  “Where does it start and stop for serial killer status?” Dorothy asked.

  “I think anything after one would be considered a serial killer. Am I right?” I asked.

  “But what if it’s two at the same time?” Morty asked.

  “That’s a good point, Morty, I think then it would just be a regular killer. It would have to be at different times for it to go to serial killer status.” I used air quotes.

  “Oh, what about a mass killing?” Dorothy continued.

  “Another good point, Dorothy,” I said.

  “Will you all shut up!” Annie screamed.

  We snapped to attention and stared straight ahead at Annie. She still had the gun pointed at us. Perhaps further agitating her wasn’t the best idea. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Dorothy was moving something in her pocket. If she didn’t knock it off she would get us shot. I would be the one getting shot first. Dorothy hadn’t gotten us into this situation, but she wasn’t helping matters at the moment. She was accelerating us to the bright light.

  What was she doing in that pocket? If Dorothy offered a peppermint to Annie I might just pass out right there on the floor before Annie even had a chance to shoot us. Thank goodness Dorothy had stopped. I guessed Annie hadn’t noticed.

  “You realize you won’t get away with this?” I asked.

  She smirked. “What makes you think that? I got away with the other murders. And I don’t think this will be any different.”

  “Well, you’re missing one important factor that will lead to your arrest,” I said.

  She stared for a second and then said, “Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?”

  “I’ll tell you and you’re going to feel really stupid when I do,” I said.

  “Stop teasing her, Maggie,” Dorothy whispered.

  “Okay, I have surveillance cameras all over this office. The images are being sent to the police. They’ll know it’s you. They can see your face right on the screen.”

  A strangest expression crossed her face. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

  “I mean, come on, I’m a private investigator. Do you think I wouldn’t have surveillance all over this place? That’s private investigating 101, hello,” I said.

  “Not the time to get cocky,” Dorothy said out of the corner of her mouth.

  Was Annie the one who had broken into my office the other day? Because if she had then she could assume that I had surveillance video of her doing that. Therefore, the police would have already arrested her. If she figured that out I would be in big trouble. I’d have to explain that the cameras had temporarily malfunctioned. Yeah, she wouldn’t believe that.

  “Did you break into my office I asked. “How did you get a key?”

  She smirked. “I was pretty proud of myself for that one. I overheard you talking to your boyfriend, the cop. When I saw him drop the key without realizing it, I hurried over and picked it up. I knew right away that I might need it because you were trouble. I could tell from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  I glared back at her. “I’ve been told that before that I’m trouble and I take that as a complement.”

  She scowled. “You shouldn’t. It’s not a redeeming quality.”

  “Okay, so you had the key. Why did you break in? What were you looking for?” I asked.

  “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have some kind of file with information about me. I don’t enjoy being talked about,” she said.

  “Well, you should change your behavior if you don’t like people talking about you. They’ll talk about you even more once they find out what you’ve done.”

  “They won’t find out what I’ve done,” she said.

  “Well you didn’t find anything in my office. I would never keep anything that important around the office. I’m going totally digital. Everything’s on my computer. No more paper files,” I said.

  Of course, this wasn’t true, but I totally planned on doing it soon. I’d just been too lazy. Plus, my computer wasn’t so great. I was waiting for a new one.

  Annie’s face turned red at the thought of me having information about her that she couldn’t access.

  “You should’ve known I would have it on my computer,” I said.

  She looked over at my desk. Oh no. Why hadn’t I thought better of that last comment? Annie walked over to the desk. She picked up the laptop and slammed it to the ground. Unfortunately for her, that did nothing.
Annie pointed the gun at the laptop and fired off a shot. The bullet put a hole right through it. I guess the laptop was done for now.

  “That doesn’t mean I can’t get stuff off it.”

  “Stop making her angry,” Dorothy whispered.

  I had no idea, but at the moment this was the least of my concerns. She’d just fired a gun in my office. My neighbors probably wouldn’t be surprised at hearing that sound. As far as they were concerned I was nothing but trouble. Nevertheless, this was just another reminder that this woman was as crazy as a bed bug. She’d definitely caught our attention though. We all stared at her. I didn’t even blink my eyes.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” I said, not following Dorothy’s suggestion of not making Annie angry.

  “I couldn’t care less what you think,” she said with a smug smile.

  Annie didn’t have to convince me of that. She had already murdered two people. I assumed she would do it again.

  Annie was getting frustrated. Her movements were shaky, and she looked as if she wanted to pace across the room. I just hoped that she wasn’t so shaky that she accidentally shot the gun. Maybe if I talked to her in a calm manner, I could convince her not to do this.

  “I know you’re upset and that’s why I want to help you,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah, right, you want to help the person who wants to kill you,” Annie said.

  “I don’t believe you really want to kill us. I mean, look at Dorothy’s face. Look how sweet she is.”

  Dorothy forced a smile.

  “And poor Morty has cataracts and arthritis,” I said.

  “I’m feeling pretty good today,” Morty said.

  I scowled and gave him a warning shake of my head. “You don’t want to kill Dorothy and Morty.”

  “I don’t care about her sweet old lady schtick.”

  “I’m not that old,” Dorothy mumbled.

  Okay, maybe this wasn’t the best plan. I would have to try something else. I’d keep trying until I figured out something. There was no need to panic, I told myself.