The Lime and the Dead: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

ready to enjoy a period of time where she did absolutely nothing. She
planned to escape into the safe and comfortable world of her latest chick lit
novel, even out her tan, and possibly head to the beach with Tiara later. She
sprayed on her dry tanning oil and was smoothing it into her glistening skin
when a movement over to her left edged into her peripheral vision. She froze
for a moment, then slowly took out her earbuds, and turned her head to the
left. There it was again! The bushes rattled as though someone was spying on
her.
    “Hello?”
she called out, upset that it was probably Tim the Terrible. The bushes rustled
more frantically, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when a small
tabby cat leaped out toward her.
    “Oh!”
she exclaimed, more than a bit startled, then laughed at her paranoia. “Well,
hi kitty,” she cooed, as the tiny creature regarded her curiously.
    She
sat up in the lounger and patted the side of her leg, beckoning the cat, who
mewed in response, then sidled over noncommittally. The thin but
healthy-looking animal wound around Marilyn’s legs and she picked it up,
scratching it between the ears.
    “You
must be Maisie,” she observed, holding the cat up and looking into its huge
green eyes. “Poor thing,” she mused. “As much as I hate to do it…I have to send
you back,” she said, carrying the purring feline to the gate, opening it and
shooing her outside, toward Tim’s cottage. She nearly fainted with fright again
when she swung the gate open to let the cat out of the yard, and her neighbor
was standing just outside of it.
    Putting
her hand over her heart, she admonished the strange man. “You have got to stop
surprising me like that, my heart can’t take the adrenalin overload!” She took
a deep breath. “Well, the mystery is solved, I’ve found her,” she said, trying
to be nice.
    “What?”
Tim seemed alarmed. “Found who?”
    Surprised
that she had finally rattled the cool-as-a-cucumber neighbor, Marilyn raised
her eyebrows. “Maisie…your cat,” she explained when he gave her a blank look.
    He
looked at her quizzically, then followed her gaze down to the animal who was
busily head-butting Marilyn’s ankles and twining figure-eights around them.
“Oh. That’s not my cat,” he said, regarding the cuddly creature with utter
disinterest, then turning and walking away. She stood staring after him,
wondering what he was up to, and why he’d been loitering outside her gate. She
hoped that she wouldn’t have to take formal action to keep him away from her
property, but if his eccentric behavior continued, it would certainly be a step
to consider.
    By
the time Marilyn returned to her lounger, her smoothie had melted into a
sickly-sweet, lukewarm, pale green soup.
    “Great,”
she said with a grimace, taking the ruined treat into the house and dumping it
into the sink. Contemplating her next move, she decided that the best option
for trying to salvage some sort of peaceful time out of this day, would be to
indulge in a little retail therapy, so she changed out of her swim suit, pulled
on white linen capris and a lime green tank top, locked her doors and windows
and headed for the mall. It was a relief just to get away from the pressures of
work, and the weirdness of her new neighbor. She didn’t have anything specific
that she was looking for, but knew that getting away from it all, “girl-style,”
could only help lift her mood.
    When
Marilyn walked into her favorite store in the mall, a women’s clothing store
called “ Cheeky Chic ,” she noticed some sort of commotion in the center
of the store, and followed the crowd that was gathering to see what was going
on. Sighing when she recognized the camera crew and producer from Real
Girlfriends of the Yacht Club, she turned quickly away, fully intending to
get out of the store before anyone recognized her.
    “Marilyn!
Marilyn Hayes! Wait!” she heard Sabra Remington’s nasal voice, and turned to
see the