Read Online Death by Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 5 by Summer Prescott - Free Book Online
Authors: Summer Prescott
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“You’re not going anywhere,” she stated, hoping that the detective would hurry up and get to the back yard before she actually had to use the mace. She was utterly convinced that the doughy man was a homicidal maniac, and couldn’t wait until Bernard placed him in cuffs and dragged him away to jail where he belonged.
“Marilyn, lower that mace,” the detective barked when he came around the corner.
“Absolutely not! This man is a dangerous criminal,” she insisted, brandishing the mace in Tim’s face.
“No, he’s not,” Bernard said, coming up behind her. “Mr. Eckels, if you’ll excuse us,” he said, dismissing the mystified neighbor, who stared blankly at him. “Mr. Eckels,” he said, louder this time, breaking him out of his reverie. “You can go on home now,” he ordered, his face and tone unmistakable. Tim wandered back through the trees muttering to himself while Marilyn fixed the detective with a fierce glare.
“Are you crazy? You just let him go? I had him cornered!” She wanted to stomp her feet in frustration. “What were you thinking?”
“If you let me get a word in edgewise, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” he looked at her pointedly.
“This had better be good,” she warned.
“It’s not good, it’s bad,” he said grimly.
Chapter 16
Tiara followed Sam and Kelcie with her lights off, leaving a proper amount of distance between his car and hers so that she wouldn’t be spotted. She was thankful that the route that Sam took was through neighborhoods and avoided overly populated areas where she’d be likely to be stopped for not having her lights on. She guessed, by the direction that they were going, that they were headed to the beach, and her hunch turned out to be correct. She was relieved that, at least as far as she could tell, she was the only one following the couple, which meant that they wouldn’t be bothered by the stalker…at least for now. She watched as Sam got out of the car first, opening Kelcie’s door and helping her out, glad that her friend met someone who was actually nice to her.
They disappeared down the beach and Tiara decided to stay put and wait until they came back to the car to resume her surveillance. Roughly half an hour later, with her stomach growling from hunger and her back aching from sitting in a car all night, she spotted Sam and Kelcie walking slowly back up the beach, up to their ankles in the warm surf. Kelcie looked tired, and Tiara hoped that she wasn’t pushing herself too hard after her traumatic incident with Thomas. She stopped, staring out at the water, and Sam came trotting back up to the car. He pulled out a blanket and what looked like a bottle of wine and headed back down the beach to where Kelcie stood with her feet in the surf. Laying the blanket out, he sat down and patted the spot next to him. Kelcie made her way to the blanket and plopped down beside him.
**
“I can’t believe how tired I am,” Kelcie shook her head, leaving her sandy feet off of the blanket and tucking her knees to her chest.
“Well, you’ve been through a lot lately,” Sam replied, his voice tender.
“It makes me so sad,” her eyes filled with tears. “I thought that Thomas was a little rough around the edges, but basically a nice guy, and he turned out to be abusive and awful. Then there’s this guy who has been stalking me, and that really freaks me out…” she trailed off, trying not to cry.
“What has he done that’s so awful?” Sam asked.
“Who?” Kelcie was confused.
“The…uh…the stalker,” he replied, sounding awkward.
“Oh, well, he followed me around and left gifts and flowers, and one time he even re-did the landscaping in front of my building,” she said quietly, remembering.
“Well, forgive me for saying so, but those don’t sound like bad things,” he chuckled.
“I know. In and of themselves, they’re not bad things. What’s bad is the thought that someone is always watching, always
“Marilyn, lower that mace,” the detective barked when he came around the corner.
“Absolutely not! This man is a dangerous criminal,” she insisted, brandishing the mace in Tim’s face.
“No, he’s not,” Bernard said, coming up behind her. “Mr. Eckels, if you’ll excuse us,” he said, dismissing the mystified neighbor, who stared blankly at him. “Mr. Eckels,” he said, louder this time, breaking him out of his reverie. “You can go on home now,” he ordered, his face and tone unmistakable. Tim wandered back through the trees muttering to himself while Marilyn fixed the detective with a fierce glare.
“Are you crazy? You just let him go? I had him cornered!” She wanted to stomp her feet in frustration. “What were you thinking?”
“If you let me get a word in edgewise, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” he looked at her pointedly.
“This had better be good,” she warned.
“It’s not good, it’s bad,” he said grimly.
Chapter 16
Tiara followed Sam and Kelcie with her lights off, leaving a proper amount of distance between his car and hers so that she wouldn’t be spotted. She was thankful that the route that Sam took was through neighborhoods and avoided overly populated areas where she’d be likely to be stopped for not having her lights on. She guessed, by the direction that they were going, that they were headed to the beach, and her hunch turned out to be correct. She was relieved that, at least as far as she could tell, she was the only one following the couple, which meant that they wouldn’t be bothered by the stalker…at least for now. She watched as Sam got out of the car first, opening Kelcie’s door and helping her out, glad that her friend met someone who was actually nice to her.
They disappeared down the beach and Tiara decided to stay put and wait until they came back to the car to resume her surveillance. Roughly half an hour later, with her stomach growling from hunger and her back aching from sitting in a car all night, she spotted Sam and Kelcie walking slowly back up the beach, up to their ankles in the warm surf. Kelcie looked tired, and Tiara hoped that she wasn’t pushing herself too hard after her traumatic incident with Thomas. She stopped, staring out at the water, and Sam came trotting back up to the car. He pulled out a blanket and what looked like a bottle of wine and headed back down the beach to where Kelcie stood with her feet in the surf. Laying the blanket out, he sat down and patted the spot next to him. Kelcie made her way to the blanket and plopped down beside him.
**
“I can’t believe how tired I am,” Kelcie shook her head, leaving her sandy feet off of the blanket and tucking her knees to her chest.
“Well, you’ve been through a lot lately,” Sam replied, his voice tender.
“It makes me so sad,” her eyes filled with tears. “I thought that Thomas was a little rough around the edges, but basically a nice guy, and he turned out to be abusive and awful. Then there’s this guy who has been stalking me, and that really freaks me out…” she trailed off, trying not to cry.
“What has he done that’s so awful?” Sam asked.
“Who?” Kelcie was confused.
“The…uh…the stalker,” he replied, sounding awkward.
“Oh, well, he followed me around and left gifts and flowers, and one time he even re-did the landscaping in front of my building,” she said quietly, remembering.
“Well, forgive me for saying so, but those don’t sound like bad things,” he chuckled.
“I know. In and of themselves, they’re not bad things. What’s bad is the thought that someone is always watching, always
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