Murder Made to Order

by Lena Gregory

  “Thanks,” she muttered, trying to concentrate on getting into the boat he held tilted for her to get in. She got one foot in okay, but balancing herself while she pulled the second leg in proved challenging, and she tipped the kayak.

  Thankfully, Trevor kept her from flipping it upside down and ending up fully submerged. “Try again.”

  She groaned but gave it another go. Her second attempt went a bit smoother, and she ended up sitting in the kayak with the paddle held across the front of the boat.

  Trevor backed away an inch at a time, his hands held at the ready in case she went over. “Are you okay if I get in my kayak now?”

  She nodded, careful not to move too much and flip herself over. “I think so.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get it. We’ll go nice and slow for a while.” He climbed into his own kayak with all the grace, skill, and balance of a gymnast. Go figure. He maneuvered the kayak beside her, but not too close. Maybe kayakers were supposed to keep some distance between them. Or maybe he just didn’t want to get dunked if she went ass over teakettle.

  She sat for a moment, trying to orient herself to the smooth rocking motion the gentle current caused. At first, she thought she was going to flip every time she moved. Within a few minutes, she began to gain confidence. As long as she was sitting still, anyway.

  “You okay?” Trevor yelled.

  “Yup.” She gripped the paddle exactly as he’d shown her, took care to line her knuckles up with the blade, held it out in front of her, and dipped one end into the water. The kayak started to tip as it spun toward Trevor. She jammed the paddle into the sandy bottom, halting any movement.

  “Try again. You’ll get it.”

  Just what she needed, a cheerleader. She huffed out a breath. Trevor was just trying to help, and he was such a sweet friend, but he might just have to accept she wasn’t the outdoors type. She glanced at him. “So, how do you like bowling?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never gone,” he said.

  “You’ve never gone bowling?”

  “Nope.”

  “Would you like to?”

  “Sure. I’d love to give it a try sometime.”

  “I was thinking we could go now.”

  Trevor laughed. “You can do it. Just take your time and try again.”

  Gia managed to maneuver the kayak around until she was facing the same direction as Trevor.

  “The rest is easy. Just use the paddle the way I showed you.”

  She dipped one end into the water and dragged it back.

  “Don’t forget to twist your body,” Trevor called.

  “Got it.” She tried again, this time twisting her body as she pulled through the water. Definitely a little easier that time.

  “You’re doing great.” Trevor stayed close, but not too close, giving her room to figure out a comfortable pace.

  She moved slowly at first, her strokes tentative. But as she started to move, her confidence grew. Her pace became steadier, her strokes more rhythmic. Staying balanced proved easier than she’d expected. “Hey, I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

  “Do you like it?”

  She tore her gaze from the ends of the paddle dipping into the water and chanced a quick look around while still paddling. They weren’t far from shore, sort of skirting the edges of the river as if Trevor realized she wouldn’t be comfortable out in the middle of all that water. She faltered, missing a stroke.

  “You got it?” he yelled.

  “Yes, I’m okay. Just got a little distracted.” Roots tangled together above the surface, and trees grew right up out of the water at the river’s edge, soaring into the brilliant blue sky. Fluffy white clouds towered overhead. Moss hung from branches, palm trees grew wild in the surrounding woods, and beautiful flowers bloomed everywhere. “I can’t get over how green everything is down here. How alive. New York in winter is pretty much bland. The sky is gray a good part of the time. If we get snow, it’s beautiful while it’s falling and the city is shut down, but then reality sets in, and they plow it into disgusting, sludge-filled piles lining the streets, covering the sidewalks so you barely have room to walk without ruining your shoes.”

  Right now, at this moment, drifting gently along the lake, cocooned in the sun’s rays, she didn’t miss New York. Possibly for the first time, she felt at home. “Okay, you win.”

  “Win what?”

  “I love kayaking.”

  “Yes.” He pumped his fist. “I knew it. I knew you’d love it.”

  “What’s not to love? I’ve never felt peace like this before. It might just be my new favorite thing.”

  “Wow. If I knew you’d love it that much, I’d have taken you months ago.”

  “I’m not sure I could have fully appreciated it months ago.” She been too wrapped up in Bradley’s death and the subsequent investigation to find any real enjoyment in her surroundings.

  Something moved in the water to her right.

  She jerked to the side, rocking the kayak, then held her breath as she waited to tip. As soon as she stilled, the kayak balanced out.

  A large, not-so-scary-looking turtle swam beside her, his little legs pumping wildly.

  Something tan scampered amongst the interlaced roots along the shoreline. “Is that a monkey?”

  “Yup. I was hoping we’d see them today. I knew you’d enjoy them.”

  “Oh my gosh. They’re beautiful.” She tried to slow the kayak to watch the group of monkeys climb and jump through the roots. One scampered up a tree and out onto a branch sticking out over her kayak. She laughed. “I didn’t realize all these monkeys lived in Florida.”

  “Actually, they didn’t originally. They escaped a tourist attraction back in the thirties, and thrived in the forest.”

  She drifted along the sapphire river, watching them play. “What kind of trees are those, with the roots all woven together above the water?”

  “Mangroves.”

  “They’re gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

  When the group of monkeys ran off out of sight, she resumed paddling. “This is truly amazing, Trevor. Thank you so much for taking me.”

  “Anytime.” He smiled and looked around at the forest. “It’s always nice coming here with someone who’s never seen it before. Makes you appreciate the beauty of it all the more, as if seeing it for the first time.”

  “I can’t imagine ever getting tired of this.”

  “Me neither. I’ve been coming here for as long as I can remember, and it never gets old or boring.”

  Gia caught movement from the shore in her peripheral vision. Hoping to see more monkeys, she slowed the kayak.

  A woman stood on the shore, perfectly still, staring across the river as if in a trance. She leaned heavily on the long walking stick she held upright beside her. Her full-length, hooded cloak hung limply in the dampness. Not just any woman. It was the same mysterious elderly woman she’d run into the day she’d found Marcia’s body.

  If Gia could just talk to her, maybe get her to go into the police station and tell Captain Hayes she’d seen Gia moments before Gia had found Marcia’s body, he’d have to leave her alone. He might not stop coming into the café for free coffee, but at least he’d have to stop with his snide comments and condescending looks.

  She dipped the paddle into the water and turned the kayak toward shore.

  “Hey,” Trevor yelled. “Where are you going?”

  She spared him a quick glance and put her finger against her lips to hush him. She didn’t want the woman to run off before she could speak to her.

  When he realized she wasn’t going to turn back, Trevor followed.

  The gentle current carried her farther down the river, but she managed to get the kayak close to the marshy shoreline while still keeping the woman in sight. When she’d maneu
vered as close as she could, Gia used the paddle to hold the kayak still, then just sat there, with no clue how to get out. How hard could it be?

  She dug the paddle into the muck and used it to steady herself, then put the other hand on the side of the kayak and tried to stand up. The kayak tilted and dumped her onto her knees in the squishy bottom. She jumped up quickly, suddenly away of all the critters that could be lurking nearby, and scanned the area. All seemed clear.

  Trevor pulled his kayak beside her and stopped. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and searched for the woman.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered.

  Careful to keep her voice low, she answered, “I have to get out for a minute.”

  He looked around, then laid his paddle across the kayak behind his seat and tilted it until he could use it to hold the kayak still. He scooted up out of the compartment the seat was in and sat on the kayak behind it, then smoothly swung his leg over and stood.

  So that’s how you do it. Seemed easy enough. Better than her way.

  She handed him her paddle and started along the shore. At least the water was crystal clear, so she could see any critters that might be waiting to eat her. Sweat trickled down her temple. She wiped it away with her arm, careful not to impede her view.

  The woman still stood in the same spot, staring at something on the far side of the river.

  Gia scanned the opposite shore but couldn’t see anything of interest, so she resumed walking toward her.

  “Gia, stop.” Trevor had pulled the kayaks farther up onto the shore and laid the paddles across the seat compartment. He started to follow her. “You have to stop.”

  She pointed toward the woman and looked back at him, willing him to understand.

  Trevor craned his neck to see past her, then drew his eyebrows together and shook his head.

  Gia turned back around just in time to see the very top of the woman’s stick disappear into the forest along with the back of her cape, and then she was gone.

  Gia hurried to reach the spot the woman had just vacated, then spared a quick glance across the river. Whatever had held the woman’s gaze was either gone or Gia couldn’t see it. She gave up, turned around, and caught sight of the woman moving through the brush at a slow but steady pace. She started after her.

  “Gia, this isn’t safe.” Trevor had almost caught up.

  Surely it couldn’t be too dangerous if an older woman who relied on a stick to walk was navigating the path so easily. There was probably a trail just into the brush.

  Gia hurried as quickly as she could, but pricker bushes caught at her, scratching her bare legs. Thankfully, she’d worn sneakers with her shorts instead of sandals. Of course, they were probably ruined after her plunge into the river. Maybe she should just give up and turn back. She could always let Leo, or Hunt if she ever heard from him again, know where she’d seen the woman, and let them come back and search for her.

  But if the woman disappeared, Gia might never find her again. Did it really matter? There was no way for Hayes to pin Marcia’s murder on her. Did his opinion matter that much? No. She stopped and looked around. She’d been so focused on catching the woman she hadn’t noticed her surroundings. She stood in the middle of the thick forest. No trail was visible.

  If not for the sounds of Trevor bumbling through the thicket behind her, she’d have thought she was the only person around for miles. Her and the woman she’d lost sight of.

  A black blur through the trees not far ahead propelled her forward. Hopefully, it was the woman and not a bear. If she couldn’t catch her this time, she’d head back, but she had to give it one more shot. What if the woman had witnessed Marcia’s murder?

  Gia stumbled out of the forest into a clearing. The woman stood at the far end, holding her stick, staring straight at Gia.

  Or what if the woman had killed Marcia?

  Chapter 16

  “What do you want?” the woman yelled across the clearing. It was the same gravelly voice Gia remembered from the trail. The woman stood stiff, clutching her stick tightly with both hands.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Gia held her hands up in front of her in a gesture of surrender. She’d probably scared the poor woman half to death chasing after her in the middle of the forest. “I just wanted to ask you a few questions. Do you remember me?”

  The woman shook her head.

  “We met on the trail last week. I had my dog with me, and you offered me a piece of advice.”

  The woman tilted her head, but her expression remained hidden in the shadows beneath her hood. “A big, black dog.”

  “Yes.”

  “Beautiful animal.” The woman took a few steps closer. “With intelligent eyes and a kind soul.”

  “Yup. That’s Thor.”

  Trevor stumbled out of the woods at Gia’s side and plowed into her, almost knocking both of them down. “Are you crazy? What were you think—”

  “I’m sorry, Trevor. I needed to speak to someone.”

  Trevor studied the woman as if he hadn’t noticed her before. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” Gia moved forward slowly, careful not to spook the woman, and closed the gap between them.

  Trevor kept pace at her side.

  When she reached the woman, she held out a hand. “I’m Gia Morelli. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  After glancing back and forth between the two of them, the woman finally took her hand. “Cybil Devane.”

  Gia gestured toward Trevor. “And this is my friend, Trevor Barnes.”

  “Nice to meet you, Trevor.” She took his hand and held it. “Such contentment. You are one who is truly at peace.”

  Trevor smiled. “I am indeed.”

  “This one, on the other hand.” She released his hand, pointed toward Gia, and narrowed her eyes. “Last time I saw you, you seemed very conflicted. This time, not quite as much. Did you take my advice?”

  “Actually, I wasn’t sure if you were speaking figuratively or literally.”

  “Well, you certainly were headed down the less traveled trail in the forest, but I was referring to your state of mind at the time.” The woman pulled her cloak tighter around her. “You seemed conflicted, your expression troubled. It just hit me, as it sometimes does, that you were making the wrong choice.”

  Gia was pretty sure she’d been thinking of heading back to New York at the time the woman had stopped her. Lately, she’d been thinking more and more of staying in Florida. “And now? Do I still seem conflicted?”

  Cybil shifted the hood of her cloak back a bit, revealing her bright blue eyes and thick black hair interspersed with strands of white. She stared hard at Gia for a moment. “You seem less conflicted. More in control. I think you are maybe headed in the right direction now.”

  Maybe staying and fighting for her café was the right decision. Maybe she’d even win the fight. “Can you see how things will turn out?”

  “Oh, dear, no.” Cybil laughed, a wonderful sound, like wind chimes tinkling. “I’m not a prophet, just sometimes get impressions based on what I see in someone’s expression. No psychic talent, I’m afraid, just keen powers of observation.”

  Gia laughed. She liked Cybil. The thought of her having any involvement in Marcia’s murder seemed unlikely. But she pressed on. “Did you happen to see anyone else in the woods that day?”

  “I’m sure I saw a lot of people.”

  Gia studied the walking stick. It seemed to be the same one she’d seen her with last time. It reached above her head, seemed to be made from a large branch. It didn’t appear to have any bloodstains. “The woman I’m asking about was found dead a little while after I ran into you.”

  Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh my.”

  “Her name was Marcia Steers.”

  Cybil shook her head
. “Doesn’t ring any bells.”

  “She was wearing a hot pink sundress and high-heeled, leopard print sandals.”

  “Oh goodness. She certainly would have stood out hiking through the forest in a getup like that.”

  “But you don’t remember seeing her?”

  “I’m sorry, dear, but no.”

  Gia forced a smile as the one good lead she’d thought she had fizzled and died. “Thank you, Cybil.”

  “Of course, dear. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.” She smiled. “And for the advice. It helped a lot.”

  “You’re very welcome.” She started to turn away, then stopped and turned back to Gia, deep furrows marring her brow. “The only other person I recall seeing in the woods that day was that police officer.”

  “Police officer?”

  “Yes. I’ve seen him around town before. Tall fellow. Dark hair.”

  Captain Hayes had dark hair. Then again, so did Hunt. But what would Hunt have been doing in the forest? Captain Hayes, on the other hand, had shown up almost immediately after the 911 call had been made and had admitted to camping nearby with his son. “What was the officer doing when you saw him?”

  She closed her eyes and frowned as if trying to remember. “Seemed as if he were looking for something. Just kind of wandering through the woods, looking around, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder.”

  “Was he on the trail?”

  “No, I saw him earlier, before I started out on the trail.” She opened her eyes. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I remember.”

  “Thank you. That helps a lot. Can I ask you something, though?”

  “Why stop now?” Mischief danced in Cybil’s eyes.

  Gia grinned. “Do you often hike through the woods not on trails?”

  “All the time.”

  “Isn’t it dangerous?”

  “I’ve been hiking these here woods since I was a child. Besides, what’s life without a little danger?” She winked. “Keeps things interesting.”