Troubled Waters (An Enchanted Waters Mystery Book 9) by Jenna St. James & Stephanie Damore

Author:Jenna St. James & Stephanie Damore [James, Jenna St. & Damore, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-02-18T00:00:00+00:00

11

Jace, Glo and I left the PADA station and hopped back in the Polaris to head to the Monkfish Motel. It was only 5:30, so we had plenty of time. I was about to suggest we stop and grab a bite to eat when we drove by the park and saw the crowd already starting to gather.

“I smell food,” Glo said from Jace’s shoulder. “We need to stop.”

“On the way back from the motel,” I said. “Promise.”

“The detective is right,” Jace said before Glo could argue. “We need to get to the motel and question this Nemo, and then we can take a break for a while and grab a bite to eat in the park.”

“Let’s hope Nemo can help us with Laura’s alibi,” I said. “We need to start eliminating suspects.”

“Ooooh, I really hope it’s her,” Glo said. “I want to torch more than her hair this time.”

“What is it with you and all the torching lately?” I asked.

“Would you rather I slice her with my claws? Or strike fear in her heart with my formidable presence? Back in the day people would cower in fear when they spotted me.” Her scales glowed red and purple “Those were the glory days!”

As Glo continued to reminisce on the good ole days, I tuned her out and drove to the Monkfish Motel. It wasn’t until I pulled into the parking lot and Glo set her eyes on the rundown business that she stopped talking.

“Yeesh!” she said. “I’ve seen rusted-out dumpsters that look better than this place.”

“I wouldn’t want to stay here,” Jace agreed. “Laura must be pretty hard up for money to rent a room here.”

It was your typical motel in which you drive in and park in front of your door, but unlike most motels, this one was pretty small—I counted eight rooms total.

The exterior of the single-story building looked to have been painted white at one time. Now it was mostly exposed, chipped cinder blocks, with rusty metal shutters. The office was in the center, with four individual rooms on each side. A dysfunctional neon sign blinked out front with only the MNKSH of MONKFISH working.

“Let’s hope Nemo is here by now,” I said, pulling to a stop in front of the office.

Inside was no better. The walls were covered in dated wood paneling and the burnt orange carpet was stained. The smell of stale cigarettes permeated the air, and everything felt damp and humid.

Glo sniffed the air and wrinkled her snout. “Is this a motel or a crime scene at a sleazy bar?”

I tried to ignore the space, and focused on the front desk clerk instead.

“Nemo?” I said as I approached.

The shrimp shifter was tall with red hair and freckles, and the smile he gave me nearly blinded me. I guessed him to be just out of high school, but I couldn’t be positive.

“That’s me,” he said enthusiastically. “You must be with PADA? Right? How can I help?” He leaned over the counter, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “And, don’t worry, I’ve been told to cooperate with whatever you want.

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