Read Online Deadly in High Heels by Gemma Halliday - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gemma Halliday
Tags: General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, cozy mystery, Weddings - Planning, Women fashion designers
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on the white sandy shores outside the resort.
Despite the fact that a girl had died here just yesterday, I had to admit that the scene was the farthest from sinister you could get. To my right sat a family with two adorable young boys and a teenager in a pair of shades and a straw hat, the two boys giggling as they threw pieces of pineapple at each other. To the left I could see Miss California, Miss New Mexico, and Miss Arkansas giggling over breakfast smoothies together. And near the buffet a long line of men in slacks with duck-emblazoned shirts was starting to form. In every way it seemed like your average vacation hub. Except somewhere among its vacationers, a murderer lurked.
I don't think you're safe! do u have pprspry?
I stared at the text my mother responded with, mentally sounding out the last word with a myriad of different vowels. Finally I gave up.
What?
A few seconds later her response came in PEPPER SPRAY
I rolled my eyes with abandon this time. Hey, she couldn't see me, right? Not allowed on the plane.
what??!! ur unarmed?!!
Easy on the exclamation points. you don't wanna hurt yourself
There was a pause, then: r u tryin to be funny?
I smirked. did it work?
ur stepfather is not laughing
How she could type out the entire word of "stepfather" but couldn't type out "pepper spray," I had no idea. Trying to decipher how my mother texted was like trying to decipher Kesha's dress code.
i'm safe, luv u, gotta go , I typed, then I strategically set my phone to silent.
*
After breakfast Dana, Marco, and I wandered around the gift shop, took a leisurely walk through the gardens on the grounds, and generally meandered about, not quite sure what to do with ourselves. Finally we found ourselves back at the Lost Aloha Tiki Shack. While it was a little early in the day for imbibing, the three of us ordered pineapple Mango smoothies and sipped them as we strolled down the beach.
Again I was struck by the dichotomy of the tragedy that had occurred at the resort the day before and the seemingly serene landscape before me. The beach was clean white sand stretching as far as the eye could see, broken only by rock formations covered in various tropical foliage at random intervals. The ocean was a perfect crystal blue like some sort of painting. And not a cloud dared mar the sky above us as the warm sun beat down on my bare shoulders.
About halfway down the beach Marco grabbed my arm in a vice grip, shaking me out of my admiration for the tropical landscape.
"There he is!" Marco stage-whispered to me.
"Who?" I asked, scanning the beach. A smattering of tourists filled it, both patrons of the resort and locals from the looks of them.
"There!" Marco pointed an arm straight ahead to where a large, rotund man lay sunning himself on a beach chair, his ample shoulders pinking under the sun as they peeked out of a white tank top straining against his beach-ball-sized belly. "Isn't that Dempsey?"
I had to admit, I'd only caught a glimpse of him before. I honestly couldn't be sure.
However it seemed Dana could. "That is definitely Dempsey." She frowned. "How can he be sitting out here enjoying the beach when his client was just killed?" she asked.
I shrugged. Though I supposed there was no law against mourning in the sunshine.
"Let's go interrogate him about the director position," Marco said.
My turn to grab his arm. "Whoa there Fablock. You almost interrogated me right out of a job at breakfast. I say we let the poor man enjoy his day in peace."
Marco looked at me as if I'd grown two heads. "You're joking, right? What if he knows something about who killed Jennifer?"
"Then he would've told the police."
Again with the two-headed look.
"Okay, fine," I gave up, throwing my hands in the air. "We can go offer our condolences."
"And interrogate him!" Marco said.
"And talk to him," I amended.
"You're no fun," Marco mumbled.
Dana wisely kept quiet during the exchange, sipping at her smoothie as the three of
Despite the fact that a girl had died here just yesterday, I had to admit that the scene was the farthest from sinister you could get. To my right sat a family with two adorable young boys and a teenager in a pair of shades and a straw hat, the two boys giggling as they threw pieces of pineapple at each other. To the left I could see Miss California, Miss New Mexico, and Miss Arkansas giggling over breakfast smoothies together. And near the buffet a long line of men in slacks with duck-emblazoned shirts was starting to form. In every way it seemed like your average vacation hub. Except somewhere among its vacationers, a murderer lurked.
I don't think you're safe! do u have pprspry?
I stared at the text my mother responded with, mentally sounding out the last word with a myriad of different vowels. Finally I gave up.
What?
A few seconds later her response came in PEPPER SPRAY
I rolled my eyes with abandon this time. Hey, she couldn't see me, right? Not allowed on the plane.
what??!! ur unarmed?!!
Easy on the exclamation points. you don't wanna hurt yourself
There was a pause, then: r u tryin to be funny?
I smirked. did it work?
ur stepfather is not laughing
How she could type out the entire word of "stepfather" but couldn't type out "pepper spray," I had no idea. Trying to decipher how my mother texted was like trying to decipher Kesha's dress code.
i'm safe, luv u, gotta go , I typed, then I strategically set my phone to silent.
*
After breakfast Dana, Marco, and I wandered around the gift shop, took a leisurely walk through the gardens on the grounds, and generally meandered about, not quite sure what to do with ourselves. Finally we found ourselves back at the Lost Aloha Tiki Shack. While it was a little early in the day for imbibing, the three of us ordered pineapple Mango smoothies and sipped them as we strolled down the beach.
Again I was struck by the dichotomy of the tragedy that had occurred at the resort the day before and the seemingly serene landscape before me. The beach was clean white sand stretching as far as the eye could see, broken only by rock formations covered in various tropical foliage at random intervals. The ocean was a perfect crystal blue like some sort of painting. And not a cloud dared mar the sky above us as the warm sun beat down on my bare shoulders.
About halfway down the beach Marco grabbed my arm in a vice grip, shaking me out of my admiration for the tropical landscape.
"There he is!" Marco stage-whispered to me.
"Who?" I asked, scanning the beach. A smattering of tourists filled it, both patrons of the resort and locals from the looks of them.
"There!" Marco pointed an arm straight ahead to where a large, rotund man lay sunning himself on a beach chair, his ample shoulders pinking under the sun as they peeked out of a white tank top straining against his beach-ball-sized belly. "Isn't that Dempsey?"
I had to admit, I'd only caught a glimpse of him before. I honestly couldn't be sure.
However it seemed Dana could. "That is definitely Dempsey." She frowned. "How can he be sitting out here enjoying the beach when his client was just killed?" she asked.
I shrugged. Though I supposed there was no law against mourning in the sunshine.
"Let's go interrogate him about the director position," Marco said.
My turn to grab his arm. "Whoa there Fablock. You almost interrogated me right out of a job at breakfast. I say we let the poor man enjoy his day in peace."
Marco looked at me as if I'd grown two heads. "You're joking, right? What if he knows something about who killed Jennifer?"
"Then he would've told the police."
Again with the two-headed look.
"Okay, fine," I gave up, throwing my hands in the air. "We can go offer our condolences."
"And interrogate him!" Marco said.
"And talk to him," I amended.
"You're no fun," Marco mumbled.
Dana wisely kept quiet during the exchange, sipping at her smoothie as the three of
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