Read Online A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 by Summer Prescott - Free Book Online

a click as Tiara unlocked it and let her in. Sharing a group hug with the
girls, Marilyn’s thin veil of toughness crumbled and she burst into tears.
    “Mom,
it’s okay,” Tiara assured her, leading her to the desk chair. “We’re not hurt,
we just kind of freaked out and wanted to get away from that dude – he seems a
little crazy.” Kelcie nodded her agreement, both of them looking at her with
concern.
    “I
know, I’m sorry. It’s just that everything is going wrong, and now there’s this
big mess and we might lose this business, and I’m just so tired of dealing with
drama,” she sobbed, feeling like an idiot.
    “ I’m
going to go get her some water ,” Kelcie mouthed to Tiara over her mother’s
head, and slipped out the door, returning in short order with a glass of ice
water.
    “Thank
you,” Marilyn sniffled, leaning her head on her hand.
    “What
was his problem, anyway?” Tiara frowned.
    “He
thinks that I killed his aunt,” her mother replied, shaking her head.
     

Chapter 15
    Marilyn
had shown her insurance agent the mess in the shop, then she and the girls
cleaned up all of the sticky goo that seemed to fill every nook, cranny and
corner. Two of the four display cases would have to be replaced rather than
repaired, she would need to have a new front counter built, her cash register
and computer had been broken beyond repair, and every contractor in town seemed
to be previously committed for months. She couldn’t rebuild things herself, and
was at a loss as to how she should proceed. The insurance company would cover
the costs to return the shop to its former state, and then sue Melvin Bland on
her behalf, but all the funding in the world amounted to exactly nothing if she
couldn’t find a contractor willing to do the work.
    Taking
the last couple of black plastic trash bags out to the dumpster behind the
building, Marilyn saw an ancient brick-red pickup truck pull into a parking
space near her back door. Understandably paranoid, she set her bags down and
stood, hands on hips, waiting to see who would emerge from the vehicle.
    “Hey
there, pie lady!” Captain Bob called out as he stepped carefully down from the
truck.
    “Hello,”
she replied, relieved to see a friendly face. “What are you doing in this neck
of the woods?”
    “I
heard that you’d run into some trouble, so I came to see if I could lend a
hand,” he smiled affably, reaching for the trash bags and tossing them in the
dumpster as though they weighed no more than a feather.
    “Well,
that’s very kind of you,” Marilyn grinned back. “How did you happen to hear
about our…issues?”
    “You
know how it is…small island and all,” he shrugged. “How bad was it?”
    “Come
on in, I’ll show you what’s left of my shop,” she made a face.
    Once
inside, Captain Bob looked around with a keen eye, taking in all of the details
that Marilyn pointed out, shaking his head and clucking his disapproval.
    “Well,
isn’t this just a fine mess?” he said grimly. “When will you be able to
reopen?”
    “I’m
not sure yet,” she shrugged helplessly. “My insurance company said that they’ll
fund the project and sue on my behalf, but I can’t find a single contractor on
the island who has any availability in the next sixth months or so. I don’t
know what to do,” she added, dejected. “I can’t take the hit financially that
being closed for half a year would bring.”
    “Don’t
you worry your pretty little head about that, pie lady,” he said, punching
numbers into his phone. In a matter of minutes he had contacted a contractor,
Reggie Hutchins, whom he assured Marilyn was one of the best in town, and made
arrangements for him to meet with her first thing in the morning.
    “Wow,
that’s amazing, thank you so much,” she exclaimed. “How can I ever repay you
for your kindness?”
    “Well
now, I have been hankering for a slice of pie lately,” he pursed his lips,
thinking. “How about after you meet with