Rip Tide (A Ripple Effect Cozy Mystery, Book 2) by Jeanne Glidewell Page A

locations and possible individuals who could substantiate Milo's claims. He needed a verifiable alibi for Milo if he had any hope of convincing the investigating team his son-in-law could not have murdered his friend. "Go on. But stick to the basic facts, outlining your whereabouts that afternoon. I don't need to know what kind of fishing lures you use."
    "Sorry, sir. So, anyway, I still wanted to apologize and try to work things out between us, but he wasn't at our floundering hole, nor did I see his boat anywhere else I checked. But I couldn't cover the entire bay, you know."
    I thought Milo's description of his encounter with Cooper—"little tussle"—was a gross understatement. However, from his demeanor, I thought Milo might be telling the truth. I was certain Rip did too, because his manner softened as he said, "Go on. What happened next? That detail won't help your alibi much, I'm afraid."
    "Why?" I asked. It sounded to me like a fortuitous detail. "Surely, someone saw him leave in his boat and can attest to his whereabouts at the time. His subcontractors could also verify his presence at the project after he left Crabby's and returned to work. It would take a good deal of time to go out in the Gulf, kill Cooper, and make it back to shore, all before returning to his job."
    "Yes, dear, that's true. But he didn't return to work. Isn't that right, Milo?" Rip didn't pause for a response from our shell-shocked son-in-law. "And it's his whereabouts at the time that's going to further incriminate him."
    "Oh," was all I could say.
    Rip directed his next comments to Regina and me. "As you're aware, Milo's boat is unique. Kitschy, but unique. And, you're absolutely right, Rapella. Several witnesses at the boat ramp, as well as on the beach, did see him leave in his boat. But the witnesses all told the detectives the Maverick was headed directly toward the area where Cooper Claypool's body was found. That doesn't exactly scream 'innocent' to the detectives, I'm afraid."
    "Oh, dear God," Milo muttered. "I hadn't thought of that. First, I was going to check to see if he was spear-fishing out there, but changed my mind. Now I wish I'd stuck to my original plan. I may have been able to thwart the murder somehow. But it's crazy to go spear-fishing out in the deeper water alone, and I couldn't imagine that even Cooper would do something that foolish. I decided our flounder hole was more likely and changed directions just before I cleared the island, already out of view of the beach goers and people launching their boats at the ramp. I went back into Allyn's Bight instead of heading on out to the Gulf. You see, I was low on fuel already and was hesitant to venture out that far. Oh, dear Lord. What am I going to do?"
    "Son, I think you need to report to the police station forthwith and give a full and detailed statement. A completely honest one. Spare no details. Tell the detectives exactly what you told me and anything else you can recall. That would bode much better for you than to force the detectives to confront you, which, according to Branson Reeves, is on their agenda for this afternoon. You don't want to look like you have something to hide. And I wouldn't dally if I were you. Squad cars could be pulling into your driveway at any second."
    Three sets of eyes were trained on Milo. He sat quietly, in deep thought. I wondered what was going through his mind as we all waited for him to respond.
    "Okay, I will. I'll head over there right now," Milo finally said, looking as if he'd rather be reporting to the front lines of an attack on an ISIS training camp with only a pocketknife for protection. The reticent expression worn by Milo, who was just shy of fifty-two, resembled that of a grade-schooler who'd been sent to the principal's office for peeking under a girl's skirt on the playground as he asked, "Will you come with me, sir?"
    "It's Rip, not sir, Milo. In fact, I'd be fine if you called me Dad, Pappy, or even my given name,