Banana Chocolate & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 2

by Susan Gillard

  “And then we started watching the game,” said Ryan. “It felt like a real vacation.”

  Heather smiled. Ryan was waiting for a detective on the force to retire so that he could take over the position. It was supposed to happen in the near future, and Ryan had decided that since he was near the beach, he should treat the time off like a vacation. Heather thought part of him was itching to begin detective work again. He certainly could use some relaxation time, but he wasn't somebody used to sitting back and doing nothing.

  “What’s Lilly up to now?”

  Ryan and Jamie exchanged a look.

  “She’s talking to her friends,” Ryan said. “About what she should wear on her first day of school tomorrow.”

  “Uh oh. A big decision,” Heather said. “Maybe I should go check on her.”

  Heather headed down the hall to her daughter's room. She knocked on the door, and Lilly told her to come in. She was just finishing a video chat on her tablet with her best friend, Nicolas. Heather was able to tell him that they all missed him and wished him the best of luck with his first day of school too.

  Then, Heather asked, “I heard you were trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow with some friends’ help. How is it going?”

  Lilly sighed. "It was good to catch up with my friends, but no one was helpful. Nicolas said I probably look nice in everything and couldn't make any decisions. And Marlene was too worried about picking out her own outfit to help me much. I wanted to tell her that she's going to school with the same people that she's been going to school with forever. Everyone there knows she's cool. But no one here knows anything about me. And I'm nervous."

  “Honey, I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about. You make friends better than anyone I know.”

  “But you’re great with people too, mom. And your donut shop neighbors were mean to you too. Just because you were new.”

  “That was a little disheartening, but we managed to win most of them over. Everyone except Mr. Rankle seems to be warming up to us.”

  “But that’s because you solved a crime on the street,” said Lilly. “I don’t think I’m going to be doing that.”

  Heather nodded. “I can see why you’re nervous. New experiences are often nerve-wracking. I’m going to attempt scuba diving tomorrow and am nervous too. It’s something new. And underwater.”

  “You’re really going scuba diving tomorrow?”

  “Yes. And if everything goes well, and after all the adults are certified, we can look into you going on a dive too.”

  "That would be amazing," said Lilly. "I bet it would be beautiful. And some types of fish have been around as long as the dinosaurs."

  "See? There are lots of positive aspects to something new and different."

  “I do want to go to school. And I do want to make new friends.”

  "Then," Heather said. "I think the best thing to do is to be yourself. It's worked before."

  Lilly laughed. “I guess you’re right.”

  “And do you want my advice on what to wear?”

  “Yes, please!”

  “I think you should wear whatever makes you feel good. It doesn’t have to be the “coolest” thing in your closet. It should be what you feel comfortable in, and what makes you feel like you look nice.”

  “You know, when you put it like that, I think I have the perfect outfit,” Lilly said.

  She pulled it out of her closet and showed her mom.

  “It is perfect,” Heather agreed.

  Lilly smiled. “I guess I’m all set for school then. That was my only homework for the night.”

  “Then let’s go figure out dinner. We both have busy days tomorrow and should get to bed early.”

  Lilly nodded. “I think tomorrow will be fine. And you’ll have a great time scuba diving.”

  “Thanks,” said Heather.

  “As long as no murder cases interrupt it,” Lilly added.

  Scuba and Shouting

  They sent Lilly off to school with high spirits and some Banana Chocolate Donuts in her lunch. Heather was still not completely excited for her adventure that morning but felt some of the enthusiasm from the others in her group rubbing off on her.

  She promised Eva and Leila to give them a detailed report of how the dive went, and the two women promised with a laugh that they would keep her updated on how their search for senior activities progressed.

  “We’ll also let you know if we meet any eligible bachelors,” Leila said. “Who knows? Maybe they’ll still have their original teeth.”

  “I think it will be hard to find someone to keep up with you two,” said Heather.

  “I agree,” Eva laughed. “But don’t let us keep you from your fun.”

  Heather nodded, hoping that she would find the outing fun like everyone else expected it to be. Why was she feeling so hesitant? Was she nervous because this was something different, or did she really believe that something would go wrong?

  She tried to push her nerves and bad feelings away and traveled with her bestie and their respective partners to the beach. Amy was joking about how she would look in her diving mask and was relieving the tension Heather felt.

  They saw the boat house marked “Shelly’s Scuba School” and headed to the nearby dock where they were told to meet their instructors. There were a few other people there eager to begin the diving lesson. There was a newlywed couple who were just beginning their honeymoon, and three young women friends who were on a “summer’s not quite over” trip. They were chatting amicably, but also began to check their watches. It was time for them to begin, but they had not been greeted yet.

  “Are we sure we’re in the right place?” Amy asked.

  “The reservation I made said to meet at the dock,” Heather said, shrugging.

  Ryan scanned the area and pointed. “It looks like they’re coming now.”

  Two people in wetsuits bearing the logo for "Shelly's Scuba School" approached them, carrying air tanks and supplies between them. The woman had short brown hair and a confident air about her. The man looked like he was still stuck in his awkward teen years even though he must have been in his thirties. He had unruly curly hair and a nervous disposition.

  “Shelly isn’t here?” the man asked.

  "That's all right," the woman said, trying to play it off as if it were intentional. "Everyone welcome to Shelly's Scuba School. I'm Julie, and this is Micah. We're going to support you today as Shelly teaches you all how to dive. Before you go into the deeper water, we're going to make sure you all know how to use your equipment and are adequately prepared to swim with it on. It's a multi-step process that—"

  They weren’t able to hear any of the steps because she was drowned out by an intentionally loud boat motor.

  The boat pulled up close to the dock, and the man at the helm waved to them. He had on sunglasses and had a crooked smile.

  “I see that Shelly’s school is keeping you waiting,” he called. “Come on over to Club Scuba where you’ll all receive personal attention.”

  “What are you doing here, Hank?” Julie yelled.

  “I’m checking to make sure that all scuba customers are cared for. If you can’t care for them there, I’ll take them over to my place. Club Scuba has state of the art equipment and more concern for wasting your time than Shelly seems to.”

  “Don’t you talk about her like that!” Micah said, angrily.

  “I’m sorry for this distraction,” Julie said to the group. “We are getting started now.”

  “I didn’t know this came with a show,” Amy said. “We should have brought popcorn.”

  “And soda,” Jamie agreed.

  “This certainly is a dramatic start to the dive,” Heather said. “Should we be worried that Shelly isn’t here?”

  “You’re not suggesting—“ Ryan started.

  “I’m not suggesting anything,” Heather said. “Just wondering about our instructor.”

  “So do I have any takers?” Hank Club asked
. “I know we’re close in location, and price and services. So the main difference you have to consider is the instructor themselves. Do you want to entrust yourself in the care of a flaky woman who can’t show up on time? Or the charismatic man who went out of his way to check that you were being cared for?”

  The young women in the group on the dock were looking at one another and considering the offer.

  “If you don’t get out of here, you’re going to be the one who needs caring for,” Micah said.

  “Was that a threat?” Hank Club asked. “If so, it was a very awkward one.”

  “It’s times like this I miss having my badge,” said Ryan.

  "If this escalates, I don't think Detective Smith would object to your stepping in to defuse the situation," Heather said. "But I think the best thing to do would be to find Shelly. I'll go check the boat house first."

  “I’ll come too,” Amy said.

  They left the group. Shelly’s assistants and Hank Club were still verbally sparring with one another. Ryan was getting ready to step in if need be. The rest of the new divers were feeling awkward about the encounter.

  Heather and Amy approached the clean white boat house. She reached for the doorknob and couldn’t help but notice that it was loose in the frame.

  “That’s odd,” she commented.

  As they opened the door, they saw the reason for Shelly’s lateness. She was arguing with a tall man who just grabbed her by the arm.

  “You’ll be sorry, Shelly,” he said.

  Shelly in Danger

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Shelly said, trying to pry the man’s hand off her arm.

  “You’re telling me I’m imagining things?” he asked.

  “I guess so,” Shelly said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Tommy is always around here. Why is that?”

  “Maybe to make you mad,” she said. “It seems to be working. I certainly haven’t invited him here.”

  “Really? You’re not going on any late-night dives with him again?”

  “Dylan, let go of me. I have a class to teach. It’s my job. Remember when you used to have one?”

  “I won’t let you two-time me, Shelly,” he said, shaking her.

  “Stop it,” she said.

  It didn’t look like Dylan planned on letting her go, so Heather stepped in.

  “I think you should know that one of the divers waiting for Shelly is a police officer, so I think you should let her go.”

  Dylan let go immediately. “I wasn’t going to hurt her.”

  “Well, it doesn’t look that way to us,” said Heather.

  Dylan walked to the door, but turned back to say, “I’ll call you later, Shelly.”

  "Only if you regain your sense," said Shelly. "There's nothing going on between Tommy and me."

  Dylan left rather than reply. Shelly took a deep breath.

  “Are you okay?” Heather asked.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that,” Shelly said. “My boyfriend can be a jerk.”

  “Maybe he shouldn’t be your boyfriend anymore,” Amy suggested.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Shelly said. “He thinks I’m sneaking around with my ex, and I’m not. I don’t seem to know what I’m doing in my love life. But I do know all about scuba. I’ll make sure you are all safe and have a wonderful time.”

  “I’m sure we will,” Heather said. “We’ve been looking forward to it.”

  “We should probably move fast though,” Amy said. “The Club Scuba guy is outside, trying to steal your customers.”

  Shelly groaned. “He’s shameless. I know we’re close by and are competitors, but there are plenty of people who want to learn how to scuba dive in Key West. If we both provide quality service, we both should be able to survive.”

  She walked up to the supply closet and unlocked its see-through door. Heather was surprised to see that it was locked with a number combination lock instead of with a lock and key. However, as she thought more about it, she could see why it made sense. Shelly had assistants who would have to get into the closet as well, and not needing a physical key meant that this was one less item that they would have to fit into their wetsuits.

  Shelly entered the four-digit combination and removed an air tank from the closet. Heather noticed a small scratch in its paint.

  “Come on,” Shelly said, as she relocked the door. “Let’s see if anyone left to join the Club.”

  Heather and Amy laughed, but their laughter stopped when they reached the dock. Ryan had been forced to step in as a referee for the shouting match.

  “He can’t say those things about Shelly,” Micah was saying.

  "Let's stop causing such a commotion," Ryan said. "Those that wish to go with Club, please go now. Those that wish to stay with Shelly should remain. And then let's have the boat move along."

  No one moved to take Hank Club up on his offer, and he scowled. Then when we saw Shelly, he called out, "Look who finally decided to grace us all with her presence."

  “Good morning,” Shelly said. “I trust my assistants have gotten you all prepped for what the plans of the day are. I’m sorry you don’t have any assistants right now, Hank. As I understand it, no one can stand working for you for too long.”

  “I don’t need anybody,” Hank Club said. “And for my final offer, anyone who wants to see what real scuba diving is like is free to come by my school anytime. I’ll give you a great deal.”

  Then he sailed off in his boat.

  "Sorry about that," Shelly said. "But now I say we dive right in. But don't worry. Not into the water quite yet. First, my assistants and I will demonstrate how to use the equipment. Then we'll get you all comfortable with it and set you up with your own. We'll slowly but surely work our way into getting you into the water and seeing some amazing sights."

  The group smiled, ready to begin after what had already been an intense morning. Shelly explained about the different parts of her swimming outfit including the flippers and mask. Then she looked for her air tank to explain how breathing underwater would work. She was looking at the two tanks that her assistants had brought out, but Micah handed her the one with the scratch on it.

  “Here you go,” he said.

  "Thanks," said Shelly, attaching it. She faced her pupils. "This is much more comfortable in the water, but I want everyone to understand how it works first. This scuba regulator takes the air from our tanks to our mouths. We're going to be using this to breathe underwater. However, it will be a little different from regular breathing on land. You'll want to pause a moment after inhaling. The pattern will be: exhale, inhale, and pause. I promise you'll all get used to it. And let me show how it works."

  She put the mouthpiece in and demonstrated the breathing pattern for a few minutes. Heather was just started to feel confident in day’s activities when something went horribly wrong.

  Shelly started to look disoriented, and then she keeled over. Julie and Micah hurried over to her and removed her gear.

  “Shelly,” Micah said. “Please be okay.”

  Heather was in shock, realizing that something terrible had happened before they even got into the water. She shook herself into action.

  “Call for an ambulance,” Heather told Amy, as she and Ryan went to check on their instructor. Heather felt for a pulse and then shook her head.

  “No,” Heather said. “We need to call Detective Smith. Shelly is dead.”

  The Other Detectives

  “This is becoming a habit. How is it that you’re at the scene of the crime before we are?” Detective Smith asked.

  “Heather was trying to get out of going underwater,” Amy joked.

  Detective Smith was a meticulous man. He even wrote down Amy’s comment in his notes. Heather was disappointed that such an able detective was retiring, even if it meant that Ryan would finally be able to begin work at the Key West Police Force.

  Detective Peters also wrote down the comment when he saw his partner doing
so. Miguel Peters was also a good detective but was young and new to his position. He often checked with his partner to make sure that he was taking the correct steps in solving the crime. Detective Peters had good investigative instincts but hadn't learned to trust those instincts yet.

  “Now what did you see happen?” Detective Smith asked.

  They went through the details of the morning with Ryan and Jamie explaining what happened on the dock, and Heather and Amy explaining finding Shelly in the boat house. They ended by detailing how Shelly had been showing them how to breathe with the equipment when she suddenly fell.

  “The tank was tampered with, wasn’t it?” Heather asked.

  “It certainly looks that way,” Peters said, before catching a look from his partner. “To us detectives who don’t share information on a case.”

  "Come on," Amy said. "Are you going to go through that again? We are licensed investigators, and we did help solve your last case."

  “They did, sir,” Peters said.

  “We saved Shelly from a fight with her boyfriend, and then we saw her die in front of us,” Heather said. “This makes us involved. We want to catch whoever did this to her. Preferably with your help.”

  “But even without it, you’d be trying to solve the crime?” Detective Smith asked.

  Heather and Amy gave him their biggest smiles.

  “All right,” Detective Smith said. “We can share some information with you, and you’ll do likewise. However, I don’t want you to do anything dangerous or anything that could interfere with leads we are working on.”

  “I think we have a deal,” said Heather. “Was the tank tampered with?”

  “Based on the description everyone gave of the events, it does look that way,” said Detective Smith. “The medical examiner needs to finish his report, but it does look like there are signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

  “The killer poisoned the air in her tank,” Heather said.

  “This lets all the air out of our fun,” said Amy. “We can’t let the killer get away with this.”