Dread and Berried (A Seasoned Sleuth Cozy Mystery Book 11) by Gretchen Allen

Author:Gretchen Allen [Allen, Gretchen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Summer Prescott Books
Published: 2023-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Loretta began a second pot of coffee then searched the pantry for three Styrofoam cups. With Kelly’s help, she carried the filled cups out to the boat dock. “Good morning,” she called out. Tessa appeared first.

“Good morning,” Tessa said. “Is that coffee?”

“We thought you could use a cup,” Kelly said.

“You have no idea how amazing you are,” Tessa said. She had secured the boat close to the dock overnight. Loretta leaned out slightly and handed the cup off to her. “We have snacks on board, but no hot coffee. Thank you very much.”

“What’s this?” her companion Eric asked. “Coffee? You guys are the best.”

“What about Otis?” Kelly asked. “Have you seen him this morning?”

Tessa shook her head as she sipped her coffee. “Eric tried to rouse him earlier, but he couldn’t get a response.”

“I assume the guy was sleeping,” Eric said.

“Do you all know each other?” Loretta asked suddenly.

“Know each other? Yeah, we’ve run into each other before,” Eric said.

“I thought you were all strangers to each other,” Kelly said.

“I don’t know much about the guy,” Tessa said. “But we have seen him before. We’ve been out here looking for this money before now. All of us have.”

“Do you have any idea who might have been at the bottom of the lake?” Loretta asked.

“Not a clue,” Eric said. “I figure it was another searcher.”

“I wonder if that’s what Otis meant before,” Tessa said.

“Meant about what?” Loretta asked.

“Well, when we found out there was a dead body down there, Otis acted a little strange,” Tessa said. “At first, his face got real red, but then he started laughing and said it served whoever it was right for looking for things that didn’t belong to them.”

“But isn’t that what you are all doing out there?” Kelly asked.

“Essentially, yes,” Eric said. “But some people start feeling like the treasure belongs to them, you know? They get so obsessed with finding it that they trick themselves into believing that they’re entitled to it.”

“Do you think Otis believes he’s entitled to it?” Loretta asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” Tessa said. “I suppose the only people that are truly entitled to it are the ones who had the money in the bank when it was robbed.”

“You’re right about that,” Loretta said. “Are you all planning to stick around for a little while?”

Eric shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I’d like to get out of here as soon as we’re able to this morning.”

“If you hear from Otis, let him know we have coffee available at the house if he wants some,” Loretta said.

“Yeah, will do,” Eric said. He eyed the other boat for a moment. “I still wonder where he went to.”

“Maybe he’s in the boat passed out or something,” Kelly suggested.

“Should we have someone check on him?” Tessa asked.

“Maybe, if he doesn’t make an appearance in a little while,” Eric said.

“If we don’t see or hear anything from him in an hour or two, why don’t I ask the police to check it out?” Loretta offered.

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