Murder on Mustang Beach by Alicia Bessette

Author:Alicia Bessette [Bessette, Alicia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

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• • •

“Addison Battle?” Hudson cracked the caps off three Cattail Island Blondes. “Years ago, that coot burned me in a Hold’em tourney. I lost four bucks in the first ten minutes alone.” My uncle seemed confident that the old barber would turn up safe and sound. “Addison might be older than sin,” he said, “but he’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve.”

Bottles in hand, Hudson, Toby, and I followed Scupper across the back lawn. I’d kicked off my flip-flops, and the grass was so dry it felt like tiny blades stabbing the soles of my feet.

“I hope it goes without saying that I want you to be careful, cub,” my uncle said. “Proceed with caution.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about.” I pecked him on his whiskered cheek. “I mean, seriously—how much trouble can I get into?”

Toby and Hudson shared a look. We all sat on the dock’s edge, our legs dangling, our feet in the water. Scupper trotted to the end of the dock and sat, as still as a ship’s figurehead except for the occasional twitch of his pointy ears.

“I don’t know about y’all,” Hudson said, “but I could go for an old-fashioned thunderstorm.”

“So could the grass,” I said.

“And just about every plant on this island,” Toby said. “There’s no rain in the forecast, as far as I’ve heard.”

“We need one of those good surprise Outer Banks rainstorms,” my uncle said. “The ones that move so fast they barely have time to show up on the radar.”

We sipped our beers and pointed out stars and planets as they blinked into the black sky.

“What are they saying about the new foal?” Hudson asked—which struck me as random, but I didn’t comment.

“It’s not quite time yet,” I said. “Any day now, though.”

“Oh yeah? How do you know so much?”

“Geri-Lynn Humfeld runs the Mustang Beach Sanctuary. I delivered a book to her, and we’re becoming friends.” As the words left my mouth, I was struck by how true they felt. I really was hoping she and I were becoming friends. I’d never had many friends. In Charlotte, I got along well with my work colleagues, but inherent rivalry, however good-natured, prevented any intimacy. Since moving back home, there hadn’t been many opportunities to make female friends. I’d been spending most of my downtime with Toby. Or with the MotherVine, after hours.

Groaning, my uncle got to his feet. “Late nights are for the youths. Good night.”

Scupper escorted him to the house.

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