Murder at Redwood Cove Read Online Free PDF

you,” said the dentist-to-be.
    â€œSame here.”
    Charlie headed for the back of the inn, and I turned and walked down the driveway.
    The colorful flowers that had caught my eye as we drove in now enveloped me in their sweet scent. The air carried a fragrance a perfume company could only hope to catch in a bottle. A gust of wind brought the salty sea and a brush of mist on my cheeks.
    A small, hand-painted sign ahead read BEACH in blue letters and directed people to a narrow dirt path. I wound my way downward, ice plant in bright orange and deep greens on both sides of the track. A short, steep decline in the trail, a sharp turn, and I stopped. Below me waves crashed on rugged rocks, spewing foam and creating iridescent mini-rainbows. The variation of blues in the water would have been welcome on any artist’s palette.
    I took in a deep breath, and the raw strength of the area filled me. I trotted the remaining length of the trail to the beach.
    Low tide. I strolled along the packed, glistening sand. Gnarled pieces of driftwood lay scattered about, creating nature’s artwork. A gull landed near me and cocked its head inquisitively.
    I walked a short distance above the tide line and put my pack down.
    â€œSo, mister gull, do you think I have something for you?” I pulled out the sack Helen had given me, grabbed a handful of crumbs, and tossed them. The bird gobbled the closest piece and gulped it down. It quickly scooped up more as a second bird approached. The first bird raised its wings and cried out as if to say, “They’re mine, all mine.”
    I reached in for more bread and looked up. The sky was suddenly swarming with gulls. Some began to land around me; others circled and screamed overhead. I flung a handful of chunks into the crowd. One bird savagely lunged at another, chasing it away. An immature gray gull moved aside as a large adult stabbed at a morsel the smaller bird had been eyeing.
    Greed. Fear. Competition. All reasons to attack. And reasons to kill. Was Bob murdered? Why would a man so familiar with the area fall to his death?
    I tossed a final handful of crumbs upward. Two birds in the air fought over one large piece, their beaks locked together, wings flapping furiously.
    As I packed the bag away, the ever-growing group of gulls came closer, their beaks opened wide, shrieking. The Hitchcock movie The Birds came to mind for a split second. I stepped back uneasily, then laughed. “Off with you!” I flung my hands in the air and the group rose as one, their raucous cries filling the air.
    I picked up my backpack. “Later, guys.”
    Searching for somewhere to sit, I spied an outcropping of rugged black rocks that hid the rest of the beach from sight. A boulder the size of a dinosaur egg nestled in the natural windbreak, baking in the sun. The perfect backrest.
    I walked over and placed my backpack next to the rock, pulled out the mat and my fanny pack, and sat, letting the warmth of the rock soak into my back. A few stalwart birds remained, lurking nearby. I took a small memo pad and pen out of my pouch. I flipped the cover back and gazed at the blank paper. Murder. Was it? Stop it, Kelly. You need to concentrate on your job right now, which is to write the report .
    Tommy rounded the corner with Fred on his heels. “Hi.” The boy stumbled in the sand, waved briefly, put his head down, and continued walking.
    I had to think fast. I might be able to find out more about the day Bob died and what happened at school to keep him from his meeting. “I have cookies.” I reached into my pack. “Want some?”
    He paused. “Are those my mom’s?”
    â€œYes.” I held one out, the top studded with chunks of chocolate.
    â€œThey’re the best.” He came over and started to sit in the sand.
    â€œHere, sit on the mat.” I patted a spot beside me.
    He hesitated, then sat on the far edge. Fred plopped down next to him.
    I