Read Murder By Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 4 for Free Online Page B

while he shook out his mat and rolled it up, she thought she might have to do a handstand on his feet to get his attention.
    “Drew, I need to speak with you,” she said finally, when he’d made it clear that he was going to avoid interacting with her if at all possible.
    “I’m really kind of busy…” the instructor hedged, glancing at his waterproof diving watch.
    “I’m sure you are, but I would also like think that you’d have an interest in helping me clear my daughter’s name,” Marilyn gave him a look.
    “I’m sorry, there’s nothing that I can do,” he shrugged. I don’t know what Tiara got herself mixed up into, but that Carlos Mechago is one scary dude and I don’t want anything to do with any of this,” the professional beach bum shook his head.
    “I’ll just remind you that Tiara wouldn’t be “mixed up” in any of this if it hadn’t been for her association with you, so you might want to be a bit more generous with your time and information,” Marilyn ordered, hands on hips, eyes steely.
    “Look, I don’t know anything, okay? All I know is that you don’t mess with Mechago, and your daughter just wouldn’t let it go. She pointed the cops in his direction and now he’s out for revenge. I hope she’s somewhere safe right now. If I were you, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight,” Drew advised, continuing to load his duffel bag.
    “And yet you’ve let her out of yours,” Marilyn accused, remarking on his absence of late.
    “In case you hadn’t heard, I have enough of my own problems to deal with. Tiara’s young, I think she reads more into things than she should sometimes,” he remarked.
    “Unbelievable,” Marilyn shook her head, wanting to address his callous treatment of her daughter’s feelings, but having bigger fish to fry at the moment. “One last thing…do you think Carlos killed Pedro?” she asked, trying hard to keep her tone civil.
    Drew stood, itching to get out of there, and finally looked Marilyn directly in the eye. “I think he’s the only one with the means and the motive,” he replied. “And I think that it was really a bogus move that he trashed my boat to do it.”
    “My daughter’s life and future might be at risk, and you’re worried about your boat,” Marilyn was astounded. “You are a piece of work.”
     

Chapter 11
    Marilyn sat in her car, across the street from Carlos Mechago’s warehouse, sipping her coffee from a ceramic travel mug with a Key Lime pie logo on it. She’d crept out of her house before the sun came up, in hopes of catching a glimpse of some sort of suspicious activity at the warehouse. Even if she saw nothing, she was fully prepared to confront Carlos about setting up her innocent daughter. What’s the worst that he could do to her, here on a public street?
    As the sun peeked over the horizon, first one truck arrived, then another. Workers who must’ve parked on the side of the building that Marilyn couldn’t see opened the large overhead bay doors and began unloading boxes. Everything looked completely legitimate, and she began to wonder why she had even come here to watch in the first place. The car engine was off, and Marilyn leaned her head on her hand, her bare arm resting on top of the rolled down window.
    “Lovely morning, isn’t it?” the voice of Carlos Mechago at her elbow startled her out of her boredom, making her heart race.
    “Actually, no. I haven’t had a lovely morning since my daughter was arrested,” she snapped, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut with more force than was necessary.
    “I hadn’t heard,” he managed to look authentically surprised. “What happened?”
    “As if you didn’t know,” Marilyn snarled, fed up at being trifled with. She was obviously the only advocate for Tiara – Drew didn’t seem to care at all, and Bernard had made the arrest – so she was left to make things right on her own. “Why can’t you just leave that poor innocent girl