A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 Read Online Free PDF Page A

the
algae-covered pond in the park, with Litigation Lizzie at his heels, magically
cured of whatever hip ailment had allegedly put her in the chair. Marilyn got
it all on her phone, hoping belatedly that neither of them was allergic to
bees. When one of the nasty little creatures stung her just above the elbow,
she stifled a scream and disappeared behind the building, fleeing through the
bushes on the other side. She was most of the way back to her car when Melvin
and Lizzie emerged, dripping, from the pond, green slime and particles clinging
to their clothing. Figuring that she’d had enough of an adventure for one day,
Marilyn headed home.
    **
    The
day after the beehive incident, Marilyn was sipping coffee in her usual
observation spot, down the street from Litigation Lizzie’s house, when a tap on
her window startled her badly enough to cause her to splash hot coffee all over
her pale yellow tank top. Jerking her head to the right, she saw
tall-dark-and-handsome Detective Bernard Cortland, standing there, looking into
the car.
    “Hi,”
she smiled brightly, after rolling down the window, despite her annoyance at
the spilled coffee.
    “Good
morning,” Bernard said casually. “What brings you here at this hour?” he asked,
glancing at his watch.
    “Oh…uh…I
just…I’m enjoying some coffee in the shade before I head in to the shop,” she
flashed another smile.
    “Mmmhmm…and
why have you been enjoying coffee in this particular spot all day, every day
this week?” the detective raised an eyebrow at her.
    “Ummm…what?
I don’t understand…” she faltered.
    Bernard
broke in before she could make something up. “We got a call from the neighbors,
complaining about a woman sitting in a car all day. When I ran the license plate
and saw that it was you, I came out myself, rather than sending a patrol car.
Wanna tell me what’s going on here, Marilyn?” he asked, peering at her over the
top of his Wayfarer sunglasses.
    “No,”
she shook her head, not wanting to look at him.
    “Are
you doing something illegal?” he probed.
    “No!”
she exclaimed. “At least…I don’t think so.”
    “Okay,
I’m going to have to ask you to find somewhere outside of this area to have
your morning coffee,” he directed, seeing that she wasn’t going to elaborate.
    She
bit her lower lip, saying nothing, but giving him a pained look.
    He
sighed, wishing that he didn’t have such a soft spot for the winsome pie shop
owner. “Are you in trouble, Marilyn?” he asked quietly.
    “It’s
a long story, Bernard,” she frowned, wishing that she could enlist his help,
but knowing that there was little or nothing that he could do in a civil
matter.
    “I
can only imagine,” the detective remarked dryly. “I’m not going to escort you
out of the neighborhood, but I can’t leave until you do, so…” he made a subtle
“move along” gesture by inclining his head.
    “I’m
going, I’m going,” Marilyn sighed, putting her half-empty cup of coffee back
into the cup-holder, and turning on the ignition. “Thanks for not subjecting me
to the long arm of the law,” she smiled.
    Bernard
inclined his head in acknowledgment, told her to have a good day, and went back
to his car. She watched him walk away in the rearview, and had a moment of
wondering what life would be like if she wasn’t so busy all the time.
     

Chapter 8
    Marilyn
and Kelcie were crushing walnuts to blend in with the graham cracker crumbs
that were used for the Key Lime tart crusts, when Tiara came in the back door
of the commercial kitchen, looking stressed.
    “You’re
early this morning,” her mother remarked, glancing up at the Felix the Cat
clock that hung next to the kitchen door.
    “I
didn’t get to teach my Yoga on the Beach class this morning because the police
had that whole section blocked off with crime scene tape,” she sighed.
    “Wow,
I wonder what happened,” Kelcie said, spooning some butter into a glass dish to
melt.
    “No
idea,”