Murder in the Keys (A Melody Scott Snapshot Mystery Book 1) by Victoria DeLuis

Author:Victoria DeLuis [DeLuis, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Deryn Publishing
Published: 2024-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The next morning dawned bright and cheerful. Despite the murder investigation hanging over my head like a guillotine operated by a narcoleptic executioner — unpredictable, suspenseful, and currently delayed — duty called. I had a job to do, and today, the resort had booked me on one of their excursions.

I pointed my camera at the crystal-clear waters of the Florida Keys and steadied myself on the edge of the boat as a small pod of manatees approached. Or rather, an aggregation of manatees, as I learnt they were called. Just watching the gentle giants as they were gliding gracefully beneath the surface, forever lodged them within a special place in my heart. Their serene presence was just the balm my soul needed after the last few days.

I snapped a few photos, marvelling at the way the sunlight filtered through the water and cast an ethereal glow on the manatees’ grey and wrinkled skin. I almost squealed when a mother and calf swam side-by-side close to the boat, but my excitement was fleeting as my mind kept creeping back to Straken’s murder and the possibility that the Sheriff might arrest Harry at any second.

Harry was like me in some respects. He was born to be free and to roam as he saw fit. He’d settled in Florida for the last few years, but before that, he was in Queensland, Australia, and before that, Fiji. Even with the majesty of the manatees before me, my mind kept picturing Harry behind bars. His freedom curtailed. There had to be something I could do to prove his innocence. I just wished I knew what. The question swirled around my head as we returned to the resort, and as I packed away my camera and grabbed a snack whilst waiting for Harry to arrive.

“There you are,” Harry said as he rested his hand on my shoulder at the bar.

I turned to see his face beaming down at me with a smile that could melt a glacier. Bless his free spirit, today he seemed to be made of sunshine and good vibes.

“Hey, Sunshine.” He pulled me for a hug. “You, okay?”

“I should be asking you that question.”

“I’ve had better weeks.” He gave me a playful nudge with his elbow before adding that he’d had worse ones, too. “You want to take a short walk along the beach? Clear your head before we head out.”

“That sounds lovely.”

Within moments, I was barefoot and relishing the feel of the warm, squishy sand beneath my toes. The light breeze made the strands of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail flap around my head, and gently swayed the fronds of a lone palm in the distance. This is what I’d pictured when coming to the Keys. Moments of work, interspersed with lazy walks along the beach, and exciting excursions designed to show me the best Florida had to offer. Never in a million years did I imagine discovering a body and getting caught up in a murder investigation.

“I’m sorry things haven’t panned out the way we planned,” Harry said as if reading my mind.

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