SCENT OF A MYSTERY...A CITRUS BEACH MYSTERY (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 2)

by Victoria LK Williams

  Shortly after the lunch hour, Sheriff Green had pulled through the gates to see how Megan had fared the storm. Megan and the sheriff had formed a respectable friendship over the years. After Megan’s troubles last week, Sheriff Green had decided that he would be keeping a closer eye on her activities, especially her new friendship with Aiden Tory, a newcomer to Citrus Beach. He was able to give them an update on the conditions in town and the barrier island, as well.

  “Downtown isn’t too bad. We have some flooding from the river, but no major damage. There were some awnings and signs ripped off buildings, trees down and, of course, the power is out, but all-in-all we came out relatively okay. Citrus Power and Light is working on getting the power up and running, starting with the first responder areas. We are going to keep everyone off the island for the next twenty-four hours and then only homeowners and cleanup crews will be allowed over. Thought you might want to know about that decision right away.”

  “Thanks for the update, Sheriff. Have you had a chance to get to any of the properties outside of the town limits?”

  “Not personally, but I’m getting reports from my deputies and others who are out there patrolling. We’re pretty lucky around here. But I’m afraid up the coast, near where the storm came ashore, there is a lot more damage. Thankfully we haven’t heard of any loss of life and most of the reported injuries have been minor. Many of those injuries have been caused by cleanup from the storm, not the storm itself. Just be careful as you’re working, especially this far out from town. We’re going to find that a lot of animals are going to be displaced and looking for new homes. Make sure you close the gate at dusk, and keep those dogs on a leash for a while.” Taking a swig of water from the bottle Megan had given him, the sheriff headed back to the door. “I’d better keep on moving. Cell service is going to be spotty, as you’ve already found out, but if you need anything keep on trying until you get hold of me. Thanks for the water, Megan.” Giving a wave of his hand, the sheriff left her office and headed back out to his car.

  Megan watched him leave and then turned back to the two women standing behind her. “We need a break. I’m going to take a golf cart and drive around to see what kind of damage the rest of the property has. Why don’t the two of you stretch your legs? I won’t be gone long.” Grabbing the keys to the golf cart, Megan headed out the door and over to the closest barn where they had secured the fully-charged golf carts for the storm.

  Backing the cart out of the barn door, Megan saw that there was only surface damage to the building, nothing that a can of paint and a couple of hours work couldn’t fix. Following the blacktop road towards the back of the property where she knew the men were hauling debris, she looked out over the pond to see what condition the pier and gazebo were in after last night’s punishment. Unfortunately, the gazebo looked like it had not fared as well as some of the other structures. Not trusting the structural integrity of the pier, she didn’t walk out too far. Turning back toward the golf cart, Megan glanced up at the windows of the apartment over the barn. Even though she knew Aiden was not there, she couldn’t stop the smile that crept across her face. Megan was looking forward to his return and continuing to find out more about him. Shrugging her shoulders, Megan pulled herself from her daydreams and got back in the cart; there were plenty of things right here and now that needed her full attention.

  It didn’t take long to find Paul and the other men. After spending just enough time helping them unload the debris from the bed of the pickup to the growing stack that they had already started, Megan headed to her private office.

  Pulling the key out her pocket, Megan opened the door to check the inside for any water damage. Leaving the door open behind her, she went to the window by her desk and used a hand crank to open the shutter. As the shutter lifted up, sunlight filled the main room of her office. Working from window to window, Megan quickly opened up both rooms of the office, inspecting the walls and floors as she went. Sighing with relief as the last window shutter fell into place, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out, she was pleased to find a text message from Aiden.

  “Hope everyone is safe and all is well. I am flying back with Sam on Sunday. Let Sam know if he can land there or needs to go to the airport. Thinking of you constantly! Love, Aiden.”

  Fingers moving swiftly over the keys, Megan confirmed the runway was safe and told him they were all okay. Hesitating slightly over the word love, she ended the text. That was one powerful word and suddenly Megan found herself thinking about what it could mean for her and Aiden. Shaking her head, she mumbled “too soon” to herself and pushed her phone back into her pocket. Deciding she needed something cold and sweet to drink, Megan went over the foot bridge to her house, leaving the cart parked where it was for the time being.

  Later, while the rest were busy working on the cleanup of the property, Paul and Lucy had taken one of the larger trucks to their home to check up on it and the neighbor’s as well. Their neighbor was not only a good friend and client of Megan’s, but she was one of the three original clients that had encouraged and backed her new business plan and the birth of the concierge service. Mrs. Potter was the town matriarch, her family one of the first to settle Citrus Beach. She kept her finger on the pulse of Citrus Beach and often it was her rather forceful personality directing town life and activities. She had taken Paul and Lucy under her wing when they had married and purchased the land next door to her. Along with them, she had decided that Megan and Emma also needed to be looked out for and she was quite happy to take on that task. But even as demanding and sometimes meddling as she could be, Megan considered her part of the family and was thankful that Paul and Lucy were checking up on her property. Being a native of the area, Mrs. Potter had secured her home and left the area as soon as Arlene had become a serious threat. As she explained to Megan, she was just too old to have to deal with the inconvenience of a storm aftermath and rich enough that she didn’t have to!

  With Paul and Lucy checking on their home, the rest of her guests had finished their tasks and had all congregated around the pool to relax and cool off. Sounds of laughter and the occasional bark of happy dogs filled the air as everyone swam or relaxed in the lounge chairs arranged back in their normal place. They had worked hard all day and the reward of the pool was well received. As they all settled in and got comfortable, Megan started the grill for a simple dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers. Paul and Lucy returned just as Megan was placing the tray of cooked food on the table for everyone’s enjoyment.

  It didn’t take long for everyone to fill their plates and settle in to enjoy their meal. As they ate, plans were made for the continued repair and cleanup work and for Megan’s guests to return home to tend to their own needs. After everyone had finished their meal, the weary group collapsed into the comfortable lounge chairs around the pool deck and watched the sun set behind the line of trees surrounding the property. As the final day’s light disappeared, Megan found it amazing just how dark the area was without electricity powering the security lights on the buildings around the property. She especially missed the soft lights that usually reflected off the water from the gazebo. Soon the sounds of the night began, and she found herself mentally naming each sound as she heard it. When she heard a few that she did not recognize, she gave a little shudder thinking that she was grateful that she was not one of the early settlers to the area having to deal with the Florida wilderness and all its wild animals. Pulling her mind back to the present and the activity going on around her, Megan joined in a lively conversation with her friends and family and discovered that Paul and Lucy were getting ready to leave. It was not long after that, that the others began leave too.

  As Ashley and Emma cleaned up after dinner, Megan wandered into the living room with the dogs and turned on the generator-powered TV. While she watched the constant stream of updated news coverage of the storms aftermath, Megan was relieved to see that Citrus Beach showed no significant damage, and there had been no loss of life.
Citrus Power and Light was promising that their customers would have power by Sunday at the latest. Then the newscaster broke away to connect with Kim Heart, their reporter. Megan and Kim had gone head to head in the past, but as Megan watched the reporter struggling to maintain her composure on the air, she had to admire her professionalism.

  Kim Heart was reporting from a small fishing town of Lady Fish Bay, about two hours north of Citrus Beach, where the storm had made landfall. As the camera swept the scene around her, it was easy to see that the small fishing and resort town of Lady Fish Bay had not been as lucky as Citrus Beach. Roofs were missing from some buildings, trees were down, and streets showed signs of flooding from the storm surge. As Megan listened to the reporter list the damaged buildings, her phone rang, but before she could get up, Emma answered it for her. It was obvious that Emma knew the caller from the excited tone of her voice and after listening with half an ear, Megan found that she could easily place the caller as Mrs. Potter. Settling back into her seat, Megan went back to watching the news report. She knew that Emma and Mrs. Potter could chatter for hours. When Emma was ready, she would bring the phone to her.

  Sure enough, Megan was able to view the rest of the newscast before Emma, still chattering, walked over to her with the phone. Saying a cheerful goodbye, she handed the phone to her mother and then headed back to the kitchen. Surprisingly enough, Mrs. Potter wasted no time talking pleasantries with Megan but got right to the purpose of her call instead.

  “Megan, dear, I’m so glad that you are all okay and intact! Emma just filled me in on how busy y’all have been. I know that you have a heavy load in the next couple of days, but I need to ask you to look into something for me without delay!” Mrs. Potter did not give Megan a chance to respond, but continued on to explain what exactly she wanted from Megan.

  “I’m sure that you have been watching the news coverage of the damages from the storm. I don’t know if you are aware, but my daddy used to have a lot of land holdings up in the Lady Fish Bay area. Now over the years, we have sold off a bit of it, but the family fishing cottage is still there, and some of the family still uses it. I need you to go there and personally inspect that the cottage is still safe for occupancy before any of the family tries to use it. I know that my brother always keeps it fully stocked and ready for a quick weekend away. Would you be able to go up and take care of this for me, Megan?”

  There was a pause as Mrs. Potter waited for Megan to answer. Megan did not hesitate. She was more than willing to help the older woman, Mrs. Potter was not only a client but a dear friend

  "Charlotte, I can head up there tomorrow morning right after Emma leaves to go back to school.”

  “That would be wonderful, dear. This project won’t leave you shorthanded at work will it?”

  “No, we have a working plan in progress for the storm cleanup here in town. And there isn’t all that much that I can’t do from the road with my cellphone and laptop. You know what a great team I have; I feel comfortable leaving them to handle whatever comes up. Besides, I could be of more service up the coast than sitting in the office answering the phones. Emma and her roommate are planning on leaving right after breakfast so that they have plenty of time to get back to the dorm by curfew, I’ll leave right after they do.” Even as she spoke with Charlotte Potter, Megan was writing out a list of supplies she needed to take with her tomorrow.

  “Megan you be sure to take someone with you. It should be a buddy system for safety. Maybe you could take that handsome Aiden with you….”

  “Not a possibility this time since he is out of town. I’ll get hold of Lucy when I hang up and see if she wants to go with me. Paul is going to be busy with repair work for the next couple of days, so she might as well come along. Maybe the two of us can accomplish a thing or two on our own.” Megan glossed over Aiden’s name, not wanting to start a discussion about him with Mrs. Potter around Emma-who could have the ears of an elephant when she wanted to find out something.

  “You do what works best for you. I know I can just leave it in your capable hands to figure out how to best help out. If you stop by the house, there is a box on the library mantel that has the key to the cottage, directions to get there, and the alarm codes. I know you’ve been up there for me before, but it has been awhile. You have my numbers, so call me when you get there and we can determine what needs to be done at the cottage before it becomes of use to others.” Mrs. Potter understood Megan not wanting to talk about Aiden in front of Emma just yet and didn’t push the matter. She knew if she had to, there would be ways to step in and give the budding relationship a little nudge.

  The two women discussed the storm for a few more moments before hanging up. Megan looked over the list she had written as she talked with her friend. She decided that since she had help now, they would gather the supplies they needed and get the company’s heavy-duty van loaded tonight. Calling for help from Emma and Ashley, Megan sprang into action. After explaining to them what was going on, Megan gave them each a few tasks to perform so that she would be able to leave right behind them in the morning. While they were busy collecting items, Megan figured that Paul and Lucy should be home by now and called Lucy to ask if she would be able to help out with the newest project on her list.

  Megan and Lucy did not talk long on the phone after Lucy agreed to join Megan on the ride up to Lady Fish Bay. They decided that Megan would pick up Lucy when she came over to get the key from Mrs. Potter’s house. Lucy volunteered to pack some food, and Megan agreed, telling her that she had a cooler of bottled water ready to go.

  “Lucy, just so you know, I’m going to bring Barney too. He will be good to have along not only for the company, but despite his youth, he is a good guard dog. If we end up staying a couple of days, I will feel better having him with us.”

  Laughing, Lucy told her that she was not surprised and agreed that bringing the puppy along was a good idea. Confirming that they would at least be spending one night, even if they had to sleep in the van they planned on taking up with them, Lucy bid Megan goodnight.

  After Megan had gone to the barn and brought over the van to park in front of her home the women loaded it up with all the supplies needed to get them through a couple of days. That task completed; they spent the rest of the evening relaxing and catching up on all the gossip. Megan enjoyed evenings like this. It was wonderful to spend time with her daughter, even if it tugged at her heart to see that Emma was becoming a strong independent woman with her own goals and desires. Emma and Ashley did most of the talking, telling stories about some of their classes and campus life. The time passed quickly and before long, they were saying their good-nights. It promised to be an early and busy morning for them all.

  Chapter Three

  “According to Mrs. Potter’s directions, the turnoff to her cottage should be about half a mile up on the left. Let’s hope that the road is in better condition than what we’ve driven through so far. Watch out for that debris in the road, Megan.”

  “I see it, thanks. I’ve never seen so much damage from a Category 1 storm like this in all the years I’ve lived in Florida. It seems as if the storm caught folks up here by surprise. It almost looks as if there had been little to no attempt at securing their homes against the storm.”

  “Yes, it does. Maybe because the storm was so early in the season. A lot of folks go away, but don’t pack up their cottages completely for the summer until after the 4th of July. They probably thought they had plenty of time to close up for the season.”

  “There is going to be a lot of work ahead of us, that’s for sure. I just hope the cottage is still standing. I’ll bet some of these waterways were not here a couple of days ago. It looks as if the ocean and the river met during the storm, and when the water receded some of these poor people now have a lake where their front yards were!”

  Megan held the steering wheel tightly as she slowly drove down what was supposed to be the main highway leading into Lady Fish Bay. There was water everywhere and ple
nty of floating debris to keep her worried. Traffic was just about nonexistent, so that she was able to drive down the middle of the road, where the pavement was highest and where she felt safer. She looked out her window towards the ocean and it was easy to see where the sand from the dunes had been pushed forward with the force of the storm’s waves and now lay on the river side of the road. This part of the coastline was usually a beautiful drive to enjoy; you could look out to the east and see the ocean and then, by just turning your head to the west, there was a river. The road separated the two bodies of water creating a thin strip of land just wide enough for a two-lane road and houses on either side with very shallow lots.

  Most of the homesteads in this area ran from the ocean to the river with the main house being on the ocean side and a small cottage or fishing shack with a pier going out into the river on the other side. Because of the possibilities of high tides and storm surges, most of the ocean side homes were “Stilt-Homes." These homes would have a carport or open terrace area under the main house where the first floor would usually be in a traditionally built home. Support beams, or stilts, were installed to support the upper floors of the home, where the actual living space would be. This way, the water rising over the dunes could pass under the house, causing little damage. It was a brilliant idea that had worked for years up and down the Florida coastline, saving millions of dollars for both homeowners and insurance companies. The homes along Lady Fish Bay’s shore was made up mostly of expensive vacation homes and seasonal rentals. There were a few homes that were lived in year around, but even these went vacant during the hottest part of the summer months.

  “There it is, Megan. Thank goodness, the road looks like it inclines a bit. Maybe that will be good news for us. Drive slow, the road is curving towards the river up ahead.” Lucy pointed in the direction she wanted Megan to follow, inching up on her seat to see better over the dash.