need to get my purse.” I pointed to one of the tables. “It’s right there.”
“Okay. Then go out the front. I just finished mopping the kitchen floor.”
Maybe that’s what caused the perspiration and short breath. But I didn’t think so. I grabbed my purse. “Good night.”
Vivi ignored me, pouring herself a glass of bourbon. I left, slung my purse over my shoulder, walked down to the edge of the water, and plopped down in the warm sand. By now only a few stragglers remained on the beach. Soft laughs and bits of conversation drifted around. Farther to the west, because of how the shoreline curved, I could see the lights of the high-rises in Destin. The putter of a boat’s engine sounded in the harbor.
I sat for fifteen minutes, hands wrapped around my knees, wondering if I should go back to talk to Vivi about the argument I’d just overheard. What would I say? We were hardly bosom buddies. I finally got up and trekked back toward my car. Vivi sat, hand on head, looking down into an empty glass as I sneaked by the Sea Glass, hoping she wouldn’t see me.
* * *
The tarp snapped open way too early on Sunday morning. Sunlight slapped my face and a soft breeze had me jumping up. I looked right into the dark green eyes of a man with too long lashes that made me envy him and a stubbled face that made me want to jump him.
“What the heck?” I asked, trying to cover how flustered I was. Working around kids all the time had taught me not to swear. I squinted toward the sun and figured it must be around seven in the morning.
“You were snoring. Of course, at first I thought a wounded animal had somehow crawled up under here.”
This guy was a riot. Sure, my snoring was a legend within my family, and with two older brothers, that was an accomplishment or a curse, depending on your viewpoint. But who was this guy to point it out? “Well, obviously I’m not a wounded animal, so you can just be on your way.” I shooed my hands at him.
His eyes said he didn’t quite believe me, and maybe he wasn’t all that wrong about the wounded part. But hey, who wasn’t? I sat back on the bench I’d slept on, put on my running shoes, and grabbed my purse. My hair was probably sticking out all over the place. But I didn’t care. At least, I shouldn’t care. When the first thing a man knows about you is that you snore like a rusty chainsaw, the prospect of a future romance is dismal—not that I was interested, even given the earlier jumping thought. Imagine my surprise when instead of leaving, he stuck out his hand.
“Rhett B—”
“For heaven’s sake, don’t tell me your last name is Butler.” He did bear a small resemblance to Clark Gable, who’d played Rhett Butler in the movie Gone with the Wind. I climbed out of the boat and snapped the tarp back into place. I hoped he didn’t know Vivi and wouldn’t mention I was sleeping on Boone’s boat. I headed down the dock.
“And you are?” he asked. His voice sent rumbles through my stomach, or maybe I was just hungry.
“Scarlett O’Hara.”
His chuckle followed me. “I won’t tell Vivi you were sleeping on Boone’s boat. But if you keep it up, you’re going to have to explain it to me.” The charming Southern drawl belied the words.
Drat, he did know Vivi and that I was on Boone’s boat. I didn’t break stride or hurry up, too much anyway. This time there was no following chuckle.
* * *
I walked along the marina, heading toward the small parking lot on the east side of the Sea Glass, where I’d left my car. I would drive into Destin, just to the west of here, and shower at one of the beachside free showers meant for washing off sand. It wasn’t ideal, but worked well enough because it was hot out. Thankfully, my brown hair was so short it was wash and go.
As I approached the back of the Sea Glass, I saw a foot sticking out behind the dumpster that served the Briny Pirate, the Sea Glass, and this side of the marina. A gnarly-looking foot in an old black sandal. I veered over to see if it was one of our customers who was drunk or had passed out. It took me a moment to get there and another moment for me to recognize Elwell Pugh because his head was turned away from me. But he hadn’t had that much to drink yesterday, had he?
“Elwell?” Then I noticed his armadillo shell hat off to one side. I took another step closer. That’s when I spotted a channel knife sticking out of the other side of his neck.
CHAPTER 4
I dropped my purse, screamed, and then clapped my hands to my mouth. I bent down to retrieve my purse, which had landed perilously close to Elwell’s outstretched hand. I spotted blood.
A roar filled my head. I saw multiples of Elwell. Everything dimmed. I landed on my bum and skittered backward, dragging my purse until I bumped into something. Hands grabbed me under my armpits and hauled me up. I looked over my shoulder. Rhett let me go.
“He’s dead.” I pointed at Elwell. “Dead. Call the police,” I said. My voice shook. I pressed a hand to my stomach.
Rhett moved to my side and looked down at Elwell for a few seconds, his face creased. He took my arm and gently tugged me a few feet away, leaning me up against the back of the Sea Glass. “Are you okay?” His look was all wary concern. “Stupid question. No one could be.” He pulled out his phone, watching me closely while he input a number. One longer than 911.
“Delores? This is Rhett. We’ve got a situation over at the Sea Glass.”
Situation? I snatched the phone from him. “Delores, I don’t know who the heck you are, but what ‘we’ve’ got is a dead body.” I gulped in a couple of breaths. My legs suddenly seemed to give up the job they were meant to do. Rhett took the phone back from me. He leaned into me so I’d stay upright. His body warm against my cold one. He felt way better pressed up against me than I wanted him to. Way better.
“Yeah, that’s right, there’s a dead body,” he said. “It’s Elwell.” He listened for a minute. “Okay. We’ll wait here.” After he hung up, Rhett turned to me. He looked so calm. Maybe too calm.
“What are you doing out here anyway?” I asked.
“You’re not the only one who sleeps on a boat. Although mine is a heck of a lot more comfortable than Boone’s.” His green eyes stared into my brown ones. “They don’t need to know I found you sleeping on Boone’s boat. A stranger, someone new in town, being around with Elwell dead.” He paused. “It wouldn’t look good for you. Far as I could tell, you were out for a mornin’ stroll. I heard you scream and came to your rescue.”
I wanted to argue with the “rescued.” I didn’t need anyone to rescue me, but waves of emotion crashed through me. I nodded. He was probably right about the police. But why would he keep that secret for me—a stranger, as he said—when it was obvious that Elwell had been murdered. Maybe he had a secret of his own to keep.
* * *
An hour later, I stood off to one side of the action. I guess Delores was a dispatcher because the sheriff’s department personnel had shown up. Someone had handed me a bottle of water. Despite the increasing heat as the sun rose, I still shivered. Rhett was talking to a sheriff’s deputy, and they both kept looking over at me, which was kind of freaking me out. Okay, really
