Dead Reckoning (Lantern Beach Mayday Book 2)

by Christy Barritt

  Had it been a mistake to end things between him and Kenzie? That’s what his heart told him.

  Yet he’d spoken the truth. Kenzie would be better off without someone like him. He didn’t want her future to be filled with hardship just because she’d chosen to have him in her life.

  And that’s what would happen. Aside from the financial aspects of his future, he knew that Dr. Anderson would make Kenzie’s life miserable if Jimmy James and Kenzie stayed together. Jimmy James didn’t want to be the reason she and her father were divided.

  Plus . . . it was like Tom said. Kenzie was pure and innocent. Jimmy James wasn’t. Bad company could corrupt good character. Even though he’d changed, his history would always remain.

  And his history was bad news.

  He sighed and turned over in his bed again.

  He had hoped he could get some sleep tonight. But he had a feeling he wouldn’t.

  Instead of fighting it, he stood and got dressed.

  Owen had night shift this evening. But Jimmy James would join him.

  After everything that had happened, having two sets of eyes on this yacht seemed like a good idea.

  The next morning, Kenzie went through the motions of doing her job—even if she felt robotic. She set the table for breakfast, served the guests their food, and then cleaned up. She did some last-minute laundry, collected trash, and cleaned fingerprints from the windows.

  Later today they would arrive back at the harbor.

  In the meantime, the guests were enjoying time in the hot tub as well as in the game room on the journey back to Lantern Beach.

  As she gathered some drinks to serve Kurt in the hot tub, she heard a splash and froze.

  A splash.

  What was that?

  She paused by the railing and saw the wind had kicked up and blown a chair into the water.

  But that wasn’t what concerned her.

  She’d heard a splash.

  Because that’s what happened when an object hit liquid.

  Except she hadn’t heard a splash on the night Ashley was killed.

  She closed her eyes and pictured the scene again.

  No, she was certain there hadn’t been a splash.

  But how was that possible?

  “I’ll take that drink now!” Kurt called to her.

  She forced a smile as she carried the glass to him. But her mind remained on her realization.

  How had she let that detail slip by? She wasn’t sure. But it was significant. It had to be.

  The rest of the day passed quickly as they traveled north.

  Finally, they neared Lantern Beach. Seeing it was both a relief and anxiety inducing.

  But as soon as the harbor came into view, Kenzie paused to stare at it.

  Several police cars congregated at the back of the docks.

  What exactly was going on now?

  And did it have anything to do with the murder she’d seen earlier?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  More than anything, Kenzie wanted to head down to the docks and see what was happening with all the police cars. But she had a job to do, and she needed to make sure everything got done before she focused on anything else—no matter how difficult that would be right now.

  After docking and carrying the guests’ luggage off, the crew lined up on the dock for the guests’ departure. A few minutes later, their guests headed off the boat and everyone said goodbye.

  Kurt handed them an envelope full of cash before telling them what an enjoyable time he’d had.

  As Jimmy James held the tip in his hands, Kenzie again glanced down the docks at the scene there and frowned. Whatever was going on, it was bad. That was the only reason there would be so many police cars there.

  “Let’s head up to the salon for the tip meeting.” Jimmy James’ voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  Kenzie looked away from the scene and back at Jimmy James, knowing her job wasn’t done yet. She was curious how much tip money they earned on this trip. Nobody got rich from doing this work, but any extra money was always appreciated—especially when living on a tight budget.

  But her curiosity was burning, to say the least.

  With one more glance down the docks, Kenzie started toward the gangplank to Almost Paradise. As she did, she paused.

  A woman standing in the parking lot caught her eye.

  Was that . . . ?

  Kenzie’s breath caught. It was.

  Thatcher Davenport’s wife was here. On Lantern Beach.

  The woman was slightly hard to recognize in a floppy hat and sunglasses, but Kenzie knew without a doubt that’s who it was. Her curly blonde hair protruded from beneath her hat, and her form-fitting leopard print dress showed off her curvaceousness.

  As Sunni began to walk past, Kenzie touched her arm to stop her.

  Kenzie waited until everyone else had passed by before she asked Sunni a question. “Do you see that woman over there?”

  Sunni followed her gaze. “I do.”

  “Was that the person you saw arguing at the campground with the woman in the photo you saw on my phone?”

  She squinted before shaking her head. “No, she’s not.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m positive. The woman I saw wasn’t as curvy. Her hair was smoother.”

  Kenzie frowned.

  She thought she might have a lead, but apparently not.

  Still . . . when had Thatcher’s wife arrived on the island?

  As soon as Jimmy James finished with the tip meeting, he strode down the dock toward the police cars. Several boats were moored near them—including Seas the Day.

  He frowned. That meant Thatcher was still here, along with his dishonorably discharged bodyguard. The two of them were at the top of his list of potential suspects behind everything that had happened—including the dead woman and even Kenzie’s taser incident.

  Even if the boat remained here, someone affiliated with it could have driven down to Myrtle Beach to deliver their threatening message to Kenzie.

  “Hey, wait!” someone said behind him.

  He paused on the dock and glanced back in time to see Kenzie jogging toward him. He’d tried to slip away without her. But he should have known better. Should have known that she would want to see what was going on down here also, especially since it concerned her.

  “What do you think happened?” she asked as she caught up with him.

  He glanced at the scene and shrugged. “I have no idea. But with all this commotion, it’s probably something big.”

  Quietly, they walked together until pausing beside the police cars parked at the edge of the scene.

  They arrived just in time to see a crane lifting something covered in a tarp from the water. Slowly, the machine swiveled and set the tarp-encased object on the docks. As one of the edges flopped open, a swollen hand emerged.

  Kenzie gasped and turned to Jimmy James. The next instant, she buried her face in his chest.

  Instinctively, Jimmy James’ arm went around her as he continued to stare at the scene in front of him.

  Based on the painted nails, that was a woman’s body.

  Was this the person Kenzie had seen killed aboard Seas the Day?

  He frowned.

  That was his best guess.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kenzie couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  A body had been lifted from the water.

  A woman’s body.

  Everything clicked in her mind. This had to be the person she’d seen being shoved off the boat after being strangled.

  This was the evidence they’d been looking for.

  But perhaps part of her had hoped the whole thing was just her imagination. That someone hadn’t died.

  That didn’t seem possible right now.

  If she was right, when the police identified this body, they’d discover it was Ashley Nelson.

  Jimmy James kept an arm around her, and she appreciated his strength as he
held her steady on her feet right now. Her knees felt weak as she observed the scene.

  She continued to watch as law enforcement surrounded the body.

  Several minutes later, Chief Chambers rose and made her way toward them, a grim look on her face. “It looks like you got back just in time.”

  “Is that her?” Kenzie rushed, unable to hold back her question.

  Cassidy hesitated a moment before shrugging. “It’s too early to say.”

  “But if you had to guess?” Jimmy James asked.

  Chief Chambers hesitated another moment before nodding. “I have a feeling this ties in with what you saw a few nights ago.”

  “How did you find her?” Kenzie glanced behind the chief to where Seas the Day was docked.

  This boat slip was at least ten down.

  “There was a chain wrapped around this woman’s ankle. Most likely, a weight of some sort had been attached to it that would ensure her body sank. But something happened and the chain broke free. She floated to the surface, and a fisherman found her this morning.”

  Kenzie let out a little gasp, and, as she did, Jimmy James pulled her close again.

  “Are you both going to be around for a couple more hours?” Chief Chambers asked.

  “We are,” Jimmy James answered.

  “Good.” Chief Chambers’ grim look spoke volumes. “Because I might have a few more questions for you.”

  “I have a bad feeling in my gut,” Jimmy James told Kenzie as they remained on the dock.

  At his words, Kenzie’s hand went to her stomach. She felt unsettled too, to say the least. “Me also. Yet in another way I feel a little justified. Maybe now people will realize that I wasn’t going crazy.”

  “I never thought that you were crazy.”

  “But you might be the only one.”

  “I’m just afraid that whatever you saw has pulled you into some type of scheme that you never wanted to be a part of. Last night proved it when that man tasered you in the alley.”

  She visibly shivered beside him. “I made a mistake.”

  “What?”

  She licked her lips and nodded. “I called one of Ashley’s friends and asked questions. This friend gave my number to a reporter who wanted to follow up. I told him I didn’t know anything. But if this guy started asking questions . . . then it may have made the killer feel more threatened. That might be why he came after me yesterday.”

  “Kenzie . . .”

  She raised her hand. “I know. It was stupid. But I can’t change it. The question is, what do I do about it now?”

  “I could give you some money.” His eyes lit with hope. “You could leave. Go somewhere else where you’ll be safe.”

  Kenzie paused and looked up at him. “You would do that for me?”

  “I don’t want to see you get hurt.” His voice cracked as he said the words.

  She started to reach for him but stopped herself. “Thank you, Jimmy James.”

  His throat went dry. More than anything, he wanted to pull her toward him. To wrap her in his arms. To tell her how much she had come to mean to him.

  But he couldn’t do that—for so many reasons.

  “I’m not letting this deter me from my plans,” she finally announced. “Too many people have tried to control my life. And I’m done with it. From now on, I’m calling the shots.”

  Even though her words didn’t surprise him, Jimmy James frowned.

  But he had to wonder if she was referring to him also when she talked about people who tried to make decisions for her.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Each task had been divvied up among the crew for the upcoming trip. They’d all been hard at work since their return that afternoon.

  However, because of the quick turnover, their provisions hadn’t yet been delivered, and they needed food before they hit the open seas again.

  Chef Durango was going to head to the grocery store in town, but he needed someone to go with him. Everything wouldn’t fit in his car.

  “I’ll go,” Kenzie volunteered.

  “Perfect,” Durango said. “Let me go grab my car keys, and I’ll meet you in five. Sound good?”

  “That works.”

  Kenzie noticed that Jimmy James still stood there, even after Durango left. She knew exactly what he was thinking. He was worried.

  “I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “I’ll walk to my car with Durango and won’t do anything risky.”

  He stared at her, still hesitant. “I worry about you.”

  “I know. But I’ll be careful.”

  Before he could say anything else, Durango appeared. “Ready to go? Time is wasting.”

  Kenzie pulled her gaze away from Jimmy James’ and nodded. “Let’s hit the road.”

  It would be good to get off the boat for a while. She needed to sort out her thoughts about so many things, not just including the murder she’d seen. She also needed to figure out things with Jimmy James.

  It was so hard being around him knowing that he didn’t want the two of them to be together. Or he wouldn’t allow them to be together.

  She and Durango walked quietly from Almost Paradise toward the parking lot. It was getting dark outside, but just enough sunlight remained. Instead of talking, Durango stared at his list and mumbled things to himself, obviously frazzled by the quick turnaround.

  That was fine by her.

  Her thoughts continued to turn over as well.

  Part of Kenzie felt angry at Jimmy James’ decision to call things off between them, so angry that she wanted nothing to do with him. But whenever she was around Jimmy James, she remembered his kind spirit and her heart wanted what her heart wanted.

  They paused by Kenzie’s car.

  “Here we are,” Durango said. “You good now?”

  She swirled her keys around her finger. “I’m good. I’ll meet you at the grocery store.”

  “Yes, let’s do that. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  She climbed into her Corolla, inhaling a deep breath and flashing a reassuring smile at Durango. As soon as he disappeared, her grin faded.

  Maybe she could finally breathe for a minute.

  As she cranked her engine, she heard something shift behind her. Before she could turn and identify the sound, something hard pressed into her side.

  A shadow appeared in the backseat and said, “If you scream, I’ll shoot you.”

  Jimmy James left the boat to talk to Stevie-o about gassing up.

  When he walked into the marina office, he spotted his friend at the desk. Stevie-o held that envelope of money Jimmy James had seen Thatcher hand to him and was counting out the bills.

  Enough was enough.

  Jimmy James was tired of skirting around the truth.

  It was time to be direct.

  “What’s going on, Stevie-o?” Jimmy James stepped closer.

  As he did, Stevie-o flinched and nearly dropped his money. Instead, he quickly shoved it into the drawer and closed it. “Do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people?” The harbormaster glared at Jimmy James.

  “It appeared you were so distracted you didn’t even hear me step inside. I wasn’t being sneaky about it.”

  Stevie-o crossed his arms. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need to gas up. But, before I do that, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He nodded toward the drawer. “Why did Thatcher give you that money?”

  “Thatcher Davenport? Why do you think he gave it to me?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me.” Jimmy James lowered his voice to a growl. “I saw the exchange the other day but backed out of the office because I thought I was interrupting something. There are too many secrets here at this harbor for my comfort, though.”

  Stevie-o let out a sigh before shifting his eyes. “It’s complicated.”

  “Are you involved with that woman’s murder?”

  “What?” Stevie-o’s eyes widen
ed. “No! Of course not. Why would you think that?”

  “I’m only telling you what it looks like—like Thatcher is guilty, and he’s paying you to stay quiet.”

  “That’s ludicrous. I would never do that.”

  Jimmy James crossed his thick arms over his chest. “Are you sure about that?”

  Stevie-o let out a sigh and stepped closer. “Look, I did take some money from Thatcher but not for that reason.”

  “Then why?”

  Stevie-o sighed again. “Truthfully? My wife has gotten into some spending debt, and I’m desperately trying to get us out of it. So, I took some money on the side from Thatcher.”

  “What did he give you money for, Stevie-o?”

  Stevie-o remained silent.

  “That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. I’ll just let Chief Chambers know and—”

  “No!” Stevie-o scrubbed a hand over his face before lowering his voice. “Don’t do that. Please. It’s not what you think.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Thatcher asked me if he could use that slip while he was here.”

  “That precise slip?” Jimmy James clarified.

  “That’s right. I didn’t ask any questions. I only know that someone else had it reserved. I usually don’t make it a point of giving people special treatment. But Thatcher persuaded me otherwise.”

  “And you have no idea why?”

  “No idea.”

  Jimmy James stared at him another moment before nodding. “You should probably tell Chief Chambers this information, just in case it’s pertinent to her investigation.”

  “I’m afraid she’ll ask too many questions.”

  “But if she finds out you were withholding information . . . then you’ll be in a lot more trouble than just financial.”

  Stevie-o frowned before nodding. “You’re probably right. Is that what you came to talk to me about?”

  “No, I just need to gas up.”

  Stevie-o nodded. “I can do that.”

  So maybe his friend wasn’t a part of what had happened. But someone who’d been here at this harbor was.