Death by Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 5 Read Online Free PDF Page A

we go…headed for the big time.”
    **
    Kelcie was behind the front counter, taking care of any customers who came in while Tiara and Marilyn met to discuss strategy. It had been pretty quiet, once the morning rush had ended, and she looked up with a smile when the bells over the front door jangled, signaling a new arrival. Her smile faded quickly, however, when she saw Tim Eckels shuffling in carrying what looked like a Key Lime pie.
    “How may I help you?” Kelcie asked primly, pretending to wipe down the front counter and working hard to keep any tremors from her voice.
    “I brought you a pie,” Tim replied, looking at her blankly.
    “Umm…that’s not how this works. We sell pies to customers, customers don’t bring us pies,” she explained, puzzled and wary. She knew that a few months ago, Tim Eckels had brought Marilyn a Key Lime pie that had laxatives in it, which drove Marilyn and Tiara to their sickbeds for a day.
    “No, this is for you. I’m showing you that I deserve this job, not you. My pies are perfect and you don’t know my Grandma’s recipe,” he explained, his fish-eyed gaze creeping her out.
    Deciding that she’d never get rid of him if she kept arguing, she played along. “Well, thank you, that’s very kind of you,” she said, taking the pie. “You must have loved your grandmother very much.”
    “She’s dead,” he replied, blinking at her.
    “Okay,” Kelcie was at a loss for words. “Well, you have a nice day. I’m just going to take this to the back so that I can taste it on my break,” she promised, hoping he’d be gone by the time that she got back from the kitchen.
    The young woman was more than relieved when she went back to the front and Sam, the Ming Ming delivery guy was standing there, rather than Tim the Terrible.
    “Well, it’s really nice to see you,” Kelcie breathed a sigh of relief.
    “Really? I’m not even bringing food this time,” he joked.
    “Did you see a kind of funny looking middle aged guy leave here when you came in?” she asked, lowering her voice.
    “Kind of a pasty, shifty-eyed guy with glasses?” Sam asked.
    “Yup, that’s him,” Kelcie nodded. “I think he may be stalking me,” she confided, her discomfort with that fact evident.
    “Wow…really?” he frowned. “That’s terrible. Do you think he’s dangerous?”
    The young woman shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, so far he’s only done nice things, but who knows what he might be planning?”
    “I’m really sorry, that’s gotta be rough,” Sam observed compassionately.
    “Yeah. So far it’s been more annoying than anything else,” she made a face. “So anyway, enough about my troubles, what brings you in today?”
    “A fierce desire for a really decadent dessert,” he admitted. “I figure that since I did yoga this morning, I kind of earned it,” he rationalized with a guilty grin.
    “I would have to agree,” Kelcie nodded. “Because if you earned a piece of pie after doing yoga, that means I did too,” she returned his grin, glad to be having a conversation with someone normal, after having dealt with Tim.
    “Join me? I’d enjoy the company,” he offered.
    “Sorry, I can’t. I’m running the front by myself for a while because the owner and her daughter are in a meeting,” she said ruefully.
    “Well, then, I’ll just take a slice to go and eat it like a ravenous vulture at home.”
    “Okay, coming right up,” Kelcie laughed.
    Sam took his pie and headed out, saying that he hoped to see her at yoga in the morning. As he exited the shop, Detective Bernard Cortland came in, looking grim.
    “Hi, Detective, what would you like today?” Kelcie smiled, wondering about his dark expression.
    “Actually, I need to ask you some questions,” he replied.
    “Okay, sure,” she agreed hastily, wondering what was going on.
    “Do you know this man?” the detective asked, sliding a photo across the counter to her. It was a picture of an attractive man, with a