Miami Mayhem: A Cozy Travel Mystery (Skye Lennox Mysteries Book 3) by Maisy Marple

Author:Maisy Marple [Marple, Maisy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CCS Publishing
Published: 2025-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

7

"This is a terrible idea," Henry whispered as they crouched behind Rossi's dumpster, Miami's afternoon rain soaking through their clothes. "Just in case anyone was wondering, I am officially registering my protest."

"Noted," Skye replied, checking her phone again. Isabella's cryptic message had led them here, back to the scene of Marco's murder. The truth is in the cellar. Not where they looked. Where he taught me.

"Surely there's a better way to do this than breaking and entering," Henry continued. "Like, oh, I don't know, waiting for Detective Martinez?"

"Martinez has her hands full processing what we found at the airport," Aidan reminded him. "And we're not breaking and entering. We have a key."

They all looked at Jemma, who held up a ring of keys with a flourish. "The hostess thinks I'm the new wine distributor's assistant. Amazing what you can accomplish with a clipboard and an attitude."

"That's still technically illegal," Henry pointed out.

"Says the man who was impersonating a French wine expert two days ago," Jemma countered.

"Zat was different! I was... method acting."

"Both of you, quiet," Skye interrupted. "The delivery truck just left. This is our window."

They moved quickly through the rain to the service entrance. Jemma's borrowed keys worked smoothly, and moments later they were inside the restaurant's kitchen. The space felt eerily empty, the usually bustling prep area silent in the mid-afternoon lull between lunch and dinner service.

"The cellar access is this way," Skye said, leading them toward the stairs she'd discovered during their previous visit.

"Wait," Henry grabbed her arm. "Listen."

Voices drifted up from below - at least two people having a heated discussion in Italian.

"Great," Aidan muttered. "More complications."

"We need to know what they're saying," Skye whispered. "Henry?"

"Why are you looking at me? Just because I know wine doesn't mean I speak Italian!"

"No," Jemma pulled out her phone, "but Google Translate does. Get closer."

They crept down the stairs, stopping just out of sight of the cellar entrance. Jemma held up her phone, its translation app running.

"...cannot be moved tonight," a man was saying. "The police are watching too closely."

"The boss doesn't care about the police," a second voice replied. "Everything goes. Tonight. Including the special inventory behind the north wall."

"That would be suspicious. We should wait..."

"Like your friend Marco waited? That worked out well for him, no?"

The threat in the man's voice was unmistakable. Footsteps approached the stairs, and the team quickly retreated to the kitchen, ducking behind a massive refrigerator just as two men emerged. Skye recognized one as the enforcer from the wine auction. The other was younger, nervous-looking, probably one of the restaurant's actual employees.

Once the men's footsteps had faded, Aidan let out a breath. "Well, that was informative."

"And terrifying," Henry added. "Can we go now?"

"No," Skye was already moving toward the stairs. "We need to find whatever's behind that north wall before they move it."

The cellar was exactly as Skye remembered it - rows of wine racks stretching into the shadows, the temperature carefully controlled to protect the valuable bottles. But this time, they were looking at it with new eyes.

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