Flip-Flops and Murder (Barefoot Sleuth Mysteries ~ Book 1) by H.Y. Hanna

Author:H.Y. Hanna [Hanna, H.Y.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisheart Press
Published: 2020-07-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Ellie didn’t sleep well that night. She managed to drift off around midnight but was suddenly wide awake again a couple of hours later. She rose on her elbow and glanced at the bedside clock, which read: 2:15 a.m.

Bloody jet lag! she thought as she flopped back on her pillow and tried to get comfortable again. She tossed and turned for another hour before finally dozing off again, and then she had weird dreams. She dreamt about pirates stealing her aunt away and handsome doctors with parrots on their shoulders. When she was woken at last by a ray of sunshine stealing between the curtains, she was bleary-eyed and in a bad mood.

All she wanted to do was turn over and burrow under the blankets again, but when Ellie saw that it was nearly nine o’clock, she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She’d read somewhere that the best way to get over jet lag was to get into a good routine. Besides, her stomach was rumbling and she was pleased to be getting her appetite back at last, so she wanted to catch the breakfast buffet.

Ellie arrived at the Gulf Breeze Café—the hotel’s all-day restaurant—to find it buzzing with guests. People were lining up at the buffet and eagerly helping themselves from the smorgasbord of food on offer. There were mounds of crispy bacon alongside sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and creamy scrambled eggs, soft buttermilk pancakes with rich maple syrup, golden hash browns and fried potatoes, baskets of freshly baked bagels, muffins and pastries, flavored yogurts, fresh fruit salad, and more.

Ellie’s eyes nearly popped out. She had never seen so much food in one place in her life! It all looked incredible and she was suddenly starving. She almost grabbed a plate to join the line before she remembered that she had to pick a table first. Turning, she surveyed the restaurant. There was an interior dining room, but most people were choosing to sit on the large wooden deck outside, with views straight out over the beach.

Ellie went out to join them and was just about to sit down at the nearest empty table when she heard a familiar loud squawking. She looked up to see Hemingway the scarlet macaw perched on a stand in one corner of the deck. He was surrounded by children who were laughing and pointing to him as he held nuts in one claw and cracked them with his beak.

Not everyone seemed to be so amused with the parrot though. Ellie noticed a woman sitting at a table near the stand who winced every time Hemingway squawked loudly. It was Ann, Ellie realized. Obviously, the young woman hadn’t forgotten her last encounter with the macaw and she was keeping a wary eye on him as she ate.

On an impulse, Ellie walked over to Ann’s table and asked brightly: “Hi! Mind if I join you?”

“Oh, sure… of course,” said Ann, indicating the empty chair next to her.

Ellie sat down and, as a waiter filled her cup with hot coffee, she studied the other woman surreptitiously.

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