Read Online Hurricane Bay by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B

“Okay, look, both of you, I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have gone out there, and I won’t go visiting Latham alone again. Actually I wasn’t planning on visiting him again anyway. It’s not like it was a social call. But the trust funds mean that there’s a connection between Latham and Sheila. I was just hoping that maybe she had said something to him. I want to believe with all my heart that Sheila is just being rude and careless, forgetting all about me. I’d love for someone to tell me she’s on vacation in Switzerland with a wine baron. But I just don’t believe it. And asking Andy Latham if he had seen her, if he knew where she was, seemed like an intelligent move to make. She may hate him, but whether she likes it or not, they’re connected through her mother’s will.”
    â€œHe’d be the last person Sheila would go to,” Cindy murmured.
    â€œYes, but because of the money, she might have told him if she was going to be away, or she might have made an appointment with him regarding the trust or something. Look, he’s never been my favorite person, either. But I still don’t think he’s actually dangerous,” Kelsey said, defending herself.
    From somewhere a muted ringing sounded.
    â€œExcuse me,” she said, looking pointedly at Dane. He was still blocking her way. “Cell phone.”
    He backed away. Just a hair. She didn’t want to touch him, but she was going to have to brush by him.
    She did. She scraped by his taut form. She still carried the aroma of a subtle perfume.
    Once past him, she dug into her purse, which she had tossed on the far end of the bar. She glanced at the caller ID and said a cheerful, “Hey!” into the phone. She listened to the voice at the other end, then spoke again. “No, she hasn’t shown yet.” She looked across the kitchen at Cindy and Dane, who were both staring at her. “I’m not alone,” she said into her phone. “Cindy and Dane are here.”
    Cindy arched a brow to Dane, but her question was quickly answered.
    â€œLarry says hello to you both,” Kelsey said.
    Larry Miller. The weekender who had almost been one of them. Dane had heard that Larry was around now and then, but he hadn’t seen him. Larry’s father had passed away, and his mother had moved somewhere up north. They had sold the condo they kept on the Keys, as well, so even Larry’s little place was gone. Maybe property was what made a place home. He had Hurricane Bay, so perhaps it had been inevitable that he would come back.
    Larry hadn’t really been an islander, but he’d still run with their crowd. Good old Larry…
    Poor Larry.
    He had fallen in love with Sheila, married her, tried to give her the world. A decent guy. Studious, cautious, a talented artist.
    â€œTell him hello for me,” Cindy said.
    â€œDitto.”
    Kelsey nodded. “Cindy and Dane say hello.” She listened while Larry spoke, staring out the sliding glass door from the kitchen to the patio. “Yeah, I know, everyone is saying the same thing.” She gazed at Cindy and Dane again. Her look said that phone calls should be private. But she didn’t move away, and Dane wasn’t about to be courteous and suggest he and Cindy go somewhere. Kelsey kept talking into her phone. “Maybe she’ll show up, maybe she won’t. Anyway, I’m still going to spend the week at the duplex. With Cindy. Yeah, she’s right next door. Nate’s in good shape—hey, he said he saw you a couple of weeks ago. You didn’t mention that you’d been down here.”
    Whatever he said next, Kelsey didn’t answer. “Listen, I’ll call you as soon as I hear from Sheila or find out what she’s up to, okay?”
    She touched a button on her phone and returned it to her purse, then slid back up on the bar stool. “Larry is concerned,” she