Resorts and Revelations: A Cozy Tiffany Black Mystery by A.R. Winters

Author:A.R. Winters [Winters, A.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Stone-a-mona! How about that drink?” Geoff spread his arms wide.

As we exited the restaurant, the Ludlow family made their way to dinner.

“Don’t you want to eat with your family?” Stone asked.

Geoff eyed them all for a moment. A long moment.

“Why, of course, I do. Sure.” He didn’t sound very sure.

“We’ll meet up later then. Enjoy your meal.” Stone smiled and walked away.

“You were a paratrooper, weren’t you? A frogman!” Geoff went on. “Demolitions expert!”

“Later,” Stone waved.

For his sake, we hurried out the door.

“Geoff really wants to start a bromance with you, Stone,” Nanna said.

Stone frowned. “He can keep wishing.”

“Eventually he’ll corner you,” I said. “We can try to run defense, but I know his type.”

“Determined,” Stone said.

“Obsessed,” I said. “But why?”

“I looked him up,” Rosie said. “He’s small-time, as far as Hollywood goes. But he’s done some big projects with foreign filmmakers. Most of them are just rip-offs of American films. The ones he’s done independently are true story action movies.”

“He wants your true action story?” I looked at Stone.

“For free,” Nanna said. “If you ask me, you should write a book, Stone. Then he can buy the rights. Otherwise, he’s just going to get you drunk and try to drag war stories out of you.”

Stone gave Nanna an impressed look. “Y’know, I was thinking the same thing.”

“If Geoff was a woman, that would be a different story,” Nanna said.

“No, it wouldn’t,” I said. I didn’t finish the thought. Because if Geoff was a woman, I would kick his butt up and down the beach.

“Okay, what now? We should probably start running backgrounds. Start with Lyle, but check the rest of Val’s squad, too.”

“And Val as well,” I said. “I’d like to see a detailed map of Molokai. Not Google Earth, either.”

“I can do that for you,” Rosie said.

“I’m getting the feeling that Lyle knows this island. That he’s been here before. He didn’t resist when Margot told him to get lost. Not a word. And if he knows the restaurants—”

“He probably knows more,” Nanna said.

“It took us a while to find a place in town,” Rosie agreed. “When the kitchen was closed. Reading reviews and posted menus. So you may be right. He knew where he was going. Maybe there was a place he wanted to go.”

“And maybe there’s another,” I said.

“Not just a place to eat, but a place to stay,” Rosie said. “That’s good thinking. But the cops already canvassed the island. They didn’t turn him up.”

“We’ve just gotta look deeper. Maybe Myers and Oswald aren’t aware that Lyle is familiar with Molokai.”

“Right,” Stone said. “They’d start out just checking the tourist areas, hotels, and restaurants. But there is life here that’s real. Not touristy. If you’re right, he may have connections.”

“Kind of a leap,” I said.

“Except they don’t know where he is,” Rosie pointed out. “They’re asking us.”

“I’m going to let that buoy my spirits.”

“It’s funny. The last time we were stuck on an island, we had a pretty good idea where our suspect was, even when we didn’t see him sneaking around.

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