Read Death by Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 5 for Free Online Page A

looking at him apologetically.
    Waiting until Bill had disappeared up the stairs, Kelcie wrapped her arms around herself and approached a very stunned Marilyn. “Ms. Hayes, are you okay? What are you doing here?”
    “I was in the neighborhood, and stopped to see if you needed anything,” her boss hedged.
    “That’s really sweet, but as soon as the tub is fixed, I’m headed for bed.”
    “Good, that’s a good idea,” Marilyn mumbled. “I’m headed to bed myself. Have a good sleep.”
    “You too,” Kelcie said, baffled, as she watched her boss walk away.
     

Chapter 10
    Marilyn drove home, rattled by her encounter with the innocent repairman, thinking that there must be something that she could do to discover the identity of Kelcie’s stalker, and hopefully, tie them somehow to Camden’s murder. She was no detective, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to add two and two to come up with four. Camden had been a good friend of Kelcie’s, they’d been seen together in public recently, and Kelcie had a stalker. Clearly, someone deranged enough to hide in a young woman’s bushes, spying on her, might be capable of murder. Camden had been a nice young man from a good family, with a bright future ahead of him. An insecure stalker would have every reason to hate someone upon whom fate smiled so brightly.
    When she pulled into her driveway, she saw Tiara, sitting on the porch swing, waiting. She couldn’t be sure, but it certainly appeared from a distance as though her daughter wasn’t entirely happy about something.
    “Where were you?” she challenged, when Marilyn came up the porch steps.
    “I went for a drive, why?” her mother fibbed.
    “You went for a drive? A four hour drive? Really, Mom? I’m not stupid you know,” Tiara huffed, seeing right through her mother’s ruse. “We were supposed to go over the new business plan tonight, remember?"
    Marilyn’s face fell. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot,” she exclaimed, dismayed.
    “Yeah, I figured that out a couple of hours ago,” her daughter pouted. “Did you at least gather any good information while you were out looking for Kelcie’s stalker?” she asked, not beating around the bush.
    “I…I don’t know what you mean,” her mother’s face couldn’t even begin to hide her guilt.
    “Seriously, Mom? You’re really not good at the poker face thing. I know you. I know that you’re as frustrated as I am that Kelcie is still being stalked, and now you’re worried because you think her stalker might actually be a murderer too…I get it. So you might as well be honest with me,” she stared, unblinking at her mother.
    Marilyn sighed, accepting defeat. “Fine, I’ll tell you what happened,” she glanced over at Tim Eckels’ cottage warily. “But let’s move this inside, shall we?” she steered her daughter to the door.
    Tiara had a good laugh at her mother’s expense. “I’m sorry,” she said, still guffawing. “But you verses the repairman…oh I wish I could’ve seen it,” she dissolved into another gale of laughter.
    Her mother shook her head, frustrated. “I just wish I could’ve stayed there long enough to find out something that would be helpful,” she picked up Fluffy, the grey tabby that Tiara had rescued, and began stroking her absently.
    “Well, you know, the police are working on this, and they actually do have the skills and resources to find the bad guys,” her daughter reminded her.
    “Yes, they do. But you know as well as I do that I’m not one to sit back and wait for other people to solve my problems for me. I function much better when I’m taking action,” Marilyn asserted.
    “Then how about we take some action on this business plan,” Tiara insisted, giving her a look.
    “Right. Of course. I’m sorry, honey, you know how I get,” her mother shrugged.
    “Oh believe me, I know.”
    **
    After Bill, the repairman, left, Kelcie got into her pajamas and headed for bed. She was more