A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 by Summer Prescott

toward the galley.
    “And
I have pies for you,” Marilyn smiled, handing him the large bag she had
brought, which contained, not only two pies, but an assortment of tarts,
pastries, and cupcakes as well.
    Bob
nodded appreciatively, his eyes lighting up when he peered into the bag. “I’ll
stow these down below, and we’ll get underway.”
    He
gave them each a life vest during a safety briefing, and familiarized them with
the different areas of the boat, showing the ladies where they would be
fishing, where lunch would be served, and of course, where the bathroom was
located. When he was satisfied that they would all be safe and sound, he slowly
pulled away from the dock and made for the open water.
    The
fresh morning air, and the salt mist on her face was just the escape that
Marilyn needed, and she breathed deeply, closing her eyes and tilting her face
toward the sun, a contented smile playing about the corners of her lips. The
boat cut through the waves gracefully, taking them out to sea, and the women
basked in the sun, enjoying the ride. After nearly an hour, Captain Bob slowed
to a halt and dropped anchor.
    “Who
wants to begin?” he asked, clapping his hands together. Kelcie, Tiara and
Marilyn looked at each other and back at the captain.
    “I
hope you don’t mind, Captain, but, if it’s okay with you…we’d just as soon go
for a swim and sunbathe out here. We don’t really care to fish, no offense,”
Tiara said, hoping he would understand.
    “Well
then, ladies, that’s much less work for me!” he agreed cheerfully. “Luckily, I
brought a book. There’s a cooler aft that has beers, sodas and bottled water in
it, so be sure to help yourselves and stay hydrated. I’ll feel better about things
if you keep the life vests on while you’re in the water if you don’t mind – the
insurance company is particular about things like that,” he winked.
    “Of
course, no problem,” Marilyn said, relieved that her brave daughter had been
bold enough to broach the subject.
    The
three of them sprayed down with sunscreen, then spent about an hour in the
water before coming aboard to enjoy just lying in the sun. Tiara took drink
orders and came back with water for herself and beers for Kelcie and Marilyn.
    “Captain
Bob, do you have a bottle opener?” she asked politely.
    “Does
a tuna flop on the deck?” he quipped, setting his book down on the table next
to him. “Aye, lass, it’s in the drawer next to the sink in the galley,” he
directed.
    She
retrieved the bottle opener and handed it to her mother, who opened her beer,
then passed the opener to Kelcie. Marilyn had just taken a long, ice-cold draw
of her beer, when she heard Kelcie say, “Ooops!” and saw her reach down between
the vinyl covered boat cushions.
    “Lost
my bottle cap,” she explained apologetically as she fished between the
cushions, trying to find it. “Got it,” she said, holding it up proudly before
tossing it into the trash receptacle. “But there’s something else down there
too, I felt it,” she said, plunging her small hand into the crevice again, and
coming up with something bigger this time. Marilyn gasped as she recognized it
instantly.
    “Mom,
is that Dad’s knife?” Tiara asked, eyes wide.
    Marilyn
took another swallow of beer. “It certainly looks like it,” she nodded. “Hand
it here, there’s one way to tell for sure,” she held her hand out to Kelcie,
who was holding the knife like it was a dead fish.
    “Yes,”
she nodded. “This is definitely Daniel’s knife, your grandfathers initials are
etched into the top part of the blade.” The knife was covered in a sticky brown
substance that made her stomach churn.
    “So
that’s where that came from,” Captain Bob mused jovially, having returned to
the group. “I saw it lying on the deck a few days ago, and I’ve been using it
to gut fish,” he held out his hand to Marilyn. “Let me clean that up a bit
lass, these gutting knives can get pretty nasty