“I told you, I’ve got a job.” Bikini Girl’s voice was louder now. “I start tomorrow, so as soon as I get a couple of paychecks I’ll send you the rent, okay?”
Maybe she was visiting her grandparents, Dorothy considered. Of course, Hibiscus Pointe had strict rules regarding how long visitors, even relatives, could stay. The owners association didn’t generally approve of renters, but they’d loosened the rules when the economy tanked.
“Forget it, then!” Bikini Girl practically shouted. “I don’t have to listen to this, especially from my own sister. You’ll get your stupid money. Have fun freezing in New Jersey.” She tossed her phone toward the chic straw bag beside her chair, but it missed and hit the concrete.
Dorothy pursed her lips. Those fancy phones were expensive. It didn’t sound as if the young woman could afford another one, either.
With an audible sigh, Bikini Girl retrieved her seemingly intact phone and flopped onto her flat, tanned stomach. Was that a tear sparkling on her cheek, Dorothy wondered, or a stray speck of glitter from last night’s eyeliner?
She couldn’t be at the pool before 8:00 a.m. to catch the rays. More likely the girl was catching up on sleep after a wild evening in the clubs downtown. Milano was something of an entertainment mecca for the trendy, Gulf Shore after-dark crowd.
A shadow fell over Dorothy’s legs.
“Well, well. Imagine meeting you here, Dorothy. Have you gotten those crack-of-dawn laps in yet?” Gladys Rumway, wearing a tentlike, aqua-print dress, wraparound sunglasses and a huge floppy hat, gave her a magenta-lipsticked smile.
“Not yet,” Dorothy admitted. “I was just about to hit the water.” She reached for her bathing cap, hopeful of a quick escape. Gladys was a talker.
“I just don’t get why you’re always swimming, at your age,” the big woman went on. “You know what really killed Esther Williams? All that chlorine.”
Bikini Girl suddenly launched herself out of her lounge chair and stepped to the side of the pool. Now that she was standing, Dorothy could get a better look at her: tall, athletic and extremely pretty, in a natural way. The girl adjusted her minuscule bikini bottoms and executed a perfect dive into the water, sending a wall of cold water onto Gladys’s back.
Gladys whirled like a furious manatee. “Watch it, you hussy!” she shouted as the girl surfaced at the far end of the pool.
Dorothy hid a smile. Was it her imagination, or had Bikini Girl just winked at her?
“Margaret Sloan’s granddaughter, apparently.” Gladys gave an unattractive snort. “Does she call that piece of thread a swimsuit?” She looked pointedly at the pool rules posted beside the well-disguised equipment closet. Number Seven: Clothing Required.
Dorothy kept her mouth shut. The suit was darling, if truth be told. And if the girl had the figure, which she clearly did, she had every right to flaunt it. “I was so sorry to hear about Margaret,” she said. “I didn’t know her well, but she seemed like a lovely person.”
“Hmmph,” Gladys said. “Hard to believe she was related to that piece of work.” She leaned closer to Dorothy. “I heard Margaret left her fancy condo in the Towers to her son Syd, the Hollywood movie producer. Like he needs it.”
Dorothy drew back slightly to escape the spritz of spit that accompanied Gladys’s words. Hurriedly, she began to push her dark silver waves under her bathing cap.
Gladys leaned in another two inches. “Anyway, I have big news. Guess who’s getting married?”
“I have no idea,” Dorothy said. These days, weddings were few and far between, thanks to the lopsided male-female ratio at Hibiscus Pointe—and the rest of Southwest Florida, for that matter. The arrival of any new man with a pulse was cause for ridiculous celebration—and cut-throat competition—in every senior community.
“Dr. A!” Gladys revealed with glee.
Well, that certainly got Dorothy’s attention. Dr. Anthony Amoretto was a prominent cardiologist in Milano, young and extremely popular with his female patients. In fact, she had her monthly checkup scheduled with him tomorrow morning.
“Can you believe it?” Gladys was clearly beside herself. “According to my sources, the lucky lady is Mia Rivera-Jones. You know, that skinny socialite who always has her picture in Milan-O Magazine?”
“I’m very happy for them.” In truth, she didn’t care much one way or the other. She was thankfully immune to Dr. A’s charms.
“There are going to be some very disappointed ladies around the complex,” Gladys said. “Not me, of course.”
“Oh, heavens, no,” Dorothy murmured. Now that she’d been reminded about her appointment with the swoon-inducing Dr. A, she’d better get those morning laps done. If she stuck around too long gossiping, the late-February sun would soon be scorching. “See you at dinner, Gladys,” she called as she headed toward the steps at the shallow end of the pool.
Margaret Sloan’s granddaughter, or whoever she was, did a flip turn at the wall and glided gracefully for several feet before breaking into an effortless crawl. The girl was like a seal in the water.
Dorothy admired good form. It was so rare to see these days.
She dipped all the way into the pool and let the gentle coolness rush over her head. Without a doubt, Bikini Girl would be far better company than that busybody Gladys.
Don’t miss CARDIAC ARREST, book one of the Ladies Smythe & Westin series by Lisa Q. Mathews, available now wherever Carina Press ebooks are sold.
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Copyright © 2015 by Lisa Q. Mathews
Acknowledgments
I’m supported by an incredible team of women who deserve a big thank-you. My critique partner, Jennifer Anderson. My best friend, Melinda Crown. My editor, Deb Nemeth. Additionally, my family, husband and children. Without them, I’d still be telling my stories to strangers in line at the market. And of course, I must thank my readers. Without you, there’d be no point. No inspiration. No motivation. No joy in the process. So, thank you, readers, for making it all worthwhile.
Also available from Julie Anne Lindsey
and Carina Press
Geek Girl Mysteries series:
A Geek Girl’s Guide to Murder
A Geek Girl’s Guide to Arsenic
Patience Price Mysteries series:
Murder by the Seaside
Murder Comes Ashore
Murder in Real Time
About the Author
Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who writes the stories that keep her up at night. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for words and proclivity for fun. Julie lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Today, she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). She is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyons Literary Agency. Julie sometimes writes as Julie Chase. Learn more about Julie Anne Lindsey at julieannelindsey.com.
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The Geek Girl Mysteries series by Julie Anne Lindsey
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A GEEK GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER (The Geek Girl Mysteries, book one)
A GEEK GIRL’S GUIDE TO ARSENIC (The Geek Girl Mysteries, book two)
A GEEK GIRL’S GUIDE TO JUSTICE (The Geek Girl Mysteries, book three, October 2016)
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NO ONE TO TRUST (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book two)
NO PLACE LIKE ROME (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book three)
NO BIZ LIKE SHOWBIZ (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book four)
NO TEST FOR THE WICKED (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book five)
NO WOMAN LEFT BEHIND (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book six)
NO ROOM FOR ERROR (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book seven)
NO STRINGS ATTACHED (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book eight)
NO LIVING SOUL (A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, book nine)
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The Celeste Eagan Mystery series by Emery Harper
Follow the zany antics of Celeste Eagan: prep school teacher by day, amateur sleuth by night.
PERSON OF INTEREST (A Celeste Eagan Mystery, book one)
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ISBN-13: 9781459290501
A Geek Girl’s Guide to Justice
Copyright © 2016 by Julie Anne Lindsey
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A Geek Girl's Guide to Justice (The Geek Girl Mysteries) Page 29