Murder in a Cup by Lauren Elliott

Author:Lauren Elliott [Elliott, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Poached eggs on toast consumed and a hot cup of lavender and honey tea in hand, Shay headed out to the beach to try to collect her thoughts and sort through her crazy emotions. She sat on a log, stared at the crimson water reflecting the setting sun’s colors, and spotted a piece of driftwood bobbing up and down in the rolling waves.

It reminded her of how many times in her life she had felt like that piece of wood with no clear direction, dependent on the wave of life, completely at the mercy of the rolling waves and whatever path was thrust upon it. She visualized pushing the small floating log so it would take a different path to the shore. It twisted and turned with the waves and rolled sideways, fighting to upright itself only to return to the same path the waves had led it.

She drew in a deep, slow breath; refocused; and mentally tried to force it to take a different path than the one it was being guided on by the waves just as she had wanted to do with her own life for years. But just as it had been with her, the log continued to bob along the path of least resistance as it made its way toward the shore. She bore down, and a rush of energy surged through her. The log jumped and rode to the shore in the wave’s curl instead of being pushed by it. She raised her brow as the wood tumbled onto the shore. Same end but a different path taken.

She hugged her warm teacup to her chest and shivered in the cooling evening air. Behind her Spirit barked, and she turned to see him sitting at the bottom of the porch steps, wagging his tail.

“You finally decided to come home, did you?” She laughed and walked across the sand and pebbles to the wooden sidewalk. He barked a greeting again and then whined and darted up onto the porch.

“Shay? Are you home?” Zoey’s all-too-familiar voice called, accompanied by a banging on the kitchen door.

Spirit let out a yip, wagged his tail, and looked back at Shay as she hurriedly ascended the steps and joined him.

“Hi, Zoey,” Shay said, leaning over the side railing. “I’m here. Come on around.” Her eyes widened when Zoey grabbed the handles of two oversized suitcases and proceeded to puff and groan, while maneuvering one bag then the other across the uneven boards of the planked sidewalk to the porch steps.

“Um . . .” Shay tried to formulate the words to express her confusion when Zoey left them at the bottom and climbed up the stairs. “Are you going on another trip?” Shay asked, mystified by what she’d just witnessed.

“Nope, but I’ve done it.” Zoey huffed and sat down hard on a porch chair. “I’ve told Liam that the cottage just isn’t big enough for the three of us, and I’ve moved out.”

Shay uncertainly eyed the two large suitcases and then Zoey.

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