Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

Author:Linda Gerber
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Law & Crime, Inns & Hostels, Action & Adventure, True Crime, Juvenile Fiction, Hotels, Mysteries & Detective Stories, General, Fathers and Daughters, Resorts, Murder, Islands, Fiction, Travel, Love & Romance, Mystery and Detective Stories
ISBN: 9780142411179
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
Published: 2008-05-14T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Darlene stalked back to the Plantation House without another word. I mumbled good-bye to Seth and ran after her.

“Wait!” I grabbed her hand. “What is it?”

“You promised, Aphra,” she said. “I asked you to stay put.”

“But the storm. I . . . thought I should go stack the deck chairs and—”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.” She pulled away and stomped up the stairs onto the lanai.

“Darlene! What’s up with my dad?”

The anger cracked as she turned to look at me, and I caught a glimpse of the worry behind it. That scared me even more. She ran a hand through her wet hair. “I don’t know what it is for sure. He’s having trouble breathing. I think he might be having some kind of an allergic reaction. We’ve got to get him to the hospital.”

“How? The closest one is—”

“I know. That’s what I need you for. After Mr. Watts came in, Frank went back to the city to grab Junior. They should be coming in any minute. You need to get up there and tell Frank to wait. I’ll get Jack ready. Send Junior down to help me get your dad to the landing pad. We’ve got to put him on the return flight to the city.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I threw down my shirt and raced around to the side of the lanai, where the guest cart sat in the middle of a huge puddle of water. I sloshed to the cart, slid onto the seat, and reached down to turn the switch. Nothing. I tried again. Not even a whimper. Battery must’ve been dead. Probably shorted out from the rain. I took off on foot.

Rain lashed against my face and ran in rivers down the hill toward me. The steps were slick with mud. I stumbled and fell twice, the second time scraping my shin on the sharp corner of one of the stone steps. By the time I limped to the top of the hill, the helicopter was sitting in the middle of the giant painted circle, rotors turning slowly in the wind.

Frank was already unloading boxes from the cargo hold.

“Hey, Frank! Where’s Junior?”

He waved to me and shouted over the wind, “Hey, darlin’! Had to leave him back in the city.” He looked over my shoulder. “Where’s your daddy?”

“That’s why I’m here. He’s sick! Darlene says he needs to go to the hospital, and she wants you to wait so you can take him back with you.”

“No can do.” He closed the door and fastened the latches. “This bird’s not leavin’ the ground till the storm passes. Squall just about took us down comin’ ’round the Point. Too dangerous.”

“But he needs a doctor!”

“He’ll need a mortician if I try to take off in this wind.” He opened a small compartment and pulled out a length of rope.

I stepped over the landing skid and ducked to peer under the belly of the chopper, where Frank bent over the securing line, threading it through a mooring anchor.

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