Read Online Death By Blue Water (A Hayden Kent Mystery Book 1) by Kait Carson - Free Book Online

cops have information linking her to the dead man? Why would she kill a stranger? Why would she kill anyone? Why did the cops think it was a murder and not an accident? She’d done some strange things when she had migraines. The memory blackouts were frightening enough. To compound them, she had no choice but to believe what other people told her about her actions. She had no recollection of Friday after she went to bed. This could be the worst migraine blackout yet.
    She lay on her bed and reached for the phone. Tiger Cat jumped up next to her and snuggled under her chin. Her hand detoured from reaching for the phone to pet the cat’s smooth coat.
    “Okay, Tiger. You were here. What did I do? When did I leave? Did I leave with anyone?” A crescendo of ever-increasing purrs, painful to Hayden’s brain, responded to her questions. The pain of today’s migraine swallowed her whole and spit her out on Friday night.
    Every time she’d thought of Richard’s visit to pick up Kevin’s stuff, she’d felt a familiar constriction in her head. Besides his electronic gear, Kevin mostly left his dive gear in her hall closet. Diving was the one constant in their relationship. She’d been thrilled when she realized he loved the underwater world as intensely as she did. Best of all, he had a boat. They’d fallen into the habit of taking his boat to the slip at the end of her street every Saturday and Sunday morning. Since they launched their trips from her house, some of his clothes—really just a couple of changes— had found their way to her closet. She berated herself for not realizing how small a commitment the meager wardrobe revealed. Once Richard took what little she had, the Kevin chapter of her life would close. Despite her brave words to Grant, Hayden knew if Kevin came through the door, she’d take him back in a heartbeat. Up until Kevin’s phone call, she’d thought his feelings were the same as hers.
    She saw herself again as she picked up her phone and scrolled through the stored numbers. Richard’s early morning call arranging to pick up his brother’s stuff was still in memory. She pushed the call button and bit her lip. His voicemail answered, and she left a message to cancel the meeting. No way could she consider having Richard in the house. Her emotions were too unstable. Marry that instability to the migraine, she knew her emotions would rule.
    She’d thought about canceling the dive trip too, but the effort was too much right then. Her migraines often went on for two days. Even if they didn’t, she’d feel beat up the next day. Hayden decided to wait on calling Cappy. They’d been friends long enough she could cancel at the last minute if she had to. The last thing she remembered about Friday night was filling a plastic bag with ice cubes and going to bed.
    But Saturday morning Hayden woke up in a lounge chair at Faulkner Marina. She wore a wet bathing suit, the sun was just beginning to lighten the sky, and her car sat in its regular space. The marina catered to dive boats of all sizes and she had a couple of friends who kept boats there too. She had no recall of how, when, or why she was there. Her wet bathing suit indicated she’d been in water. The salt crust on her skin meant little. It could have been the marina pool, the ocean, or the bay.
    Hayden had looked around, trying to get her bearings. Two sets of keys sat on the table beside her. Hayden picked her set up and made her way to the parking lot. There was no recollection of anything between going to bed and waking in the marina.
    Hayden tried to get out of bed, but the movement brought waves of nausea and she lay back down. She gripped the side of the mattress so hard she heard the fabric rip. The room spun. Please God, don’t let me have another blackout. I couldn’t stand it if I woke up somewhere else again .
    Managing to get herself out of bed, Hayden stumbled to the bathroom. She tried to choke down some painkillers but promptly