Dead in the Water: A fun and fast-paced private investigator cozy mystery/beach read (Maggie PI Mysteries Book 5)

by Rose Pressey

  “I don’t know if it’s good information, but I hope it makes you feel better. I don’t like the thought of you being upset.”

  He really didn’t know me, so I figured that was just another one of his ladies’ man moves.

  “I’m sensing that you really don’t like me much,” he said.

  I took another drink from my glass. “It’s just something I heard, I guess.”

  “What did you hear?” he asked.

  “I heard that you’re a ladies’ man. A big flirt and all that,” I said.

  He laughed. “Who did you hear that from?”

  “A man we met at a cigar bar.”

  “Really? He said that, huh?”

  “Yes, that’s what he said.”

  “I think he says that about everyone,” he said.

  “So you have a girlfriend? One girlfriend?”

  “No, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  “A wife?”

  “I have no wife.”

  I quirked an eyebrow.

  “I’m single right now.”

  “Interesting,” I said.

  “I suppose you shouldn’t always believe what you hear.”

  I chuckled. “Oh, believe me, I don’t believe anything. I’m probably the most skeptical person you’ll ever meet.”

  “That I believe,” he said. “I guess you’re probably a bit suspicious of everyone.”

  “You can read my personality already?”

  “Some things are obvious,’ he said.

  “Good to know,” I said.

  Chapter 25

  “I happened to think about something that Mr. Boles told me,” Reynolds said.

  I quirked an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

  I hoped this was good after he’d brought me all the way to this bar. It was probably nothing.

  “This is probably a minor detail. But the lawyer said that some woman was in the office one day throwing things around and breaking stuff.”

  “Wow, that seems a bit outrageous. What was the reason?”

  “I guess she felt like she didn’t get what she deserved in her divorce.”

  The word ‘divorce’ hit me. It was probably a stretch, but the neighbor Annie Jensen had just gotten a divorce. Her husband’s lawyer had been murdered and so had the paralegal working for him. Maybe there was a connection there, but like I said, it was a stretch. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful for this information, but was this all he had? Maybe it would turn out to be something important, but he could’ve just told me this while standing by my apartment door.

  “That’s it?” I asked.

  “What do you mean, that’s it? I thought that was pretty good. It shows that I actually remembered something.”

  “You don’t remember things often?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Well, I thought it showed that I was trying to help you. Maybe I was wrong.” He looked straight ahead.

  “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to.”

  He studied the wall for a moment and then turned to me, flashing that gorgeous smile. “It’s okay. You’re stressed. I can let it go this time.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You really do think you’re a charmer, don’t you?”

  “Am I not?”

  “Mr. Boles didn’t tell you this woman’s name?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Unfortunately, no.”

  My phone dinged. It was Jake wondering if I was okay.

  Almost done. Can’t wait to see you.

  “Boyfriend?” he asked.

  “Yes, and I really should get going.”

  “You’re right. I’ve held you up for too long.” He finished off the beer.

  “Again, thank you for the information. I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

  “It’s no problem. I enjoyed your company,” he said.

  Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. Someone was dressed in black and I thought for sure it was the person I’d seen at the pool. But when I looked in that direction they’d already gone. I jumped up from the barstool and headed that way. Reynold hopped up from his barstool and hurried after me. This was more than a little creepy.

  “Are you leaving without saying goodbye? Did I do something wrong?” he asked as he followed along.

  “I thought for sure I saw that person who was watching me at the pool earlier. Maybe they went into the restroom.”

  We were in the bar hallway that led to the restrooms.

  “You check the men’s room and I’ll check the women’s,” I said, pointing.

  “Sure,” he said. “Be careful.”

  I’d be just fine, but now I had to worry about him. I was used to working alone. Well, except for Dorothy. But even though she was advanced in age she could handle herself pretty darn well. I eased the door open and peeked inside. So far, the small space appeared empty. It would be hard for anyone to hide. Though I needed to check the three stalls.

  My heart beat faster as I stepped inside the room. My flip-flops squeaked across the sticky floor. Someone hadn’t done a good job of mopping. When I reached the first stall I stopped. My anxiety spiked. There were no legs under the stall door, but that didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t hiding in there. I eased the door open. No one was there. I checked all the stalls. No one was in the room. Once back in the hallway I found Reynold already there waiting for me.

  “No one’s in there,” he said.

  “I didn’t think there was anywhere else for the person to go, so I must have imagined it.”

  I guessed I was really losing it. Maybe I just needed to go home to bed. That wouldn’t happen though. Jake would be waiting so I needed to get out of there.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine. I guess I’m tired.”

  “I can walk you back home.”

  “No, no, that’s fine,” I said with a wave of my hand.

  What if Jake came by my place early and saw me walking with this ladies’ man? After paying for the drinks, he walked me outside. We stopped in front of the door to say our goodbyes.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you?” he asked. “I don’t feel good about not walking you back.”

  “I know how to take care of myself,” I said. “After all, I’m a private investigator, remember?”

  He looked at me as if he was skeptical. “All right. I’ll see you around, I guess.”

  “Yeah, thanks again,” I said as I tossed up my hand in a wave and headed down the sidewalk.

  After what had happened earlier I wouldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t nervous about walking alone. But I kept telling myself that things were fine and that I shouldn’t worry so much. I couldn’t stop the thoughts though because the creepy feeling had taken a strong hold on me. No matter how hard I tried to shake the feeling, I sensed someone was back there walking behind me.

  I kept glancing over my shoulder, but I saw no one. I tried to steady my breathing so that I wouldn’t have a full-on panic attack before I even got home. At least my building was in sight now. I was almost there.

  The rev of an engine caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the car headed right toward the sidewalk for me. It was that same black car that I’d seen before. I’d known it had been following me. And now it was trying to mow me down.

  I jumped to the right and into a bush, groaning as my body hit the ground. The roar of the engine reverberated in my ears. When I finally looked up the car had moved back onto the road and was headed away from me.

  Thank goodness I had managed to dodge it. But I had a feeling the car might turn around and come at me again. I had to get away quickly. I still wasn’t quite back to the courtyard for my apartment though. And the only way to get there was the sidewalk where the offense had occurred. So I could either attempt to walk down the sidewalk again or I could scale the fence in front of me.

  Attempting the fence seemed like the only logical option. I didn’t want to risk being hit by the car agai
n. Iron spikes stuck up on the top, but it wasn’t too tall, so I would take my chances. I touched one of the spikes. They didn’t seem sharp or anything. At least I hoped not. Maybe I’d think differently when I impaled myself on one. A metal piece ran along the bottom and the top, so I’d be able to place my feet there and use those to move myself over.

  Unfortunately, I’d never been an athletic person, so this wasn’t going to be a pretty sight. Thank goodness no one was around to see me. And to think that Reynold had almost walked me home. He would’ve definitely been hit because he would’ve been on the outer side of me closer to the car. Well, I assumed he would since that was the way we had walked to the bar. He was being a gentleman. And it could’ve possibly cost him his life. That was terrible. Thank goodness it hadn’t happened.

  I needed to move quickly before the car returned. I ran over to the fence and placed my feet on that bottom part, praying that it wouldn’t break. Then I managed to hoist myself over in one giant leap. I couldn’t believe I’d managed that. I guessed when the adrenaline was pumping I was able to do a lot more than I ever realized.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” someone yelled from behind me.

  I looked over and saw a man shaking his fist at me.

  “I’m trying to save myself from being killed,” I yelled.

  That answer obviously had caught him off guard. He probably thought I was a burglar. There was no need in trying to explain it to him anymore. I just needed to get to my apartment. At least I was on the path headed toward the courtyard now. The roar of the engine caught my attention.

  From over my shoulder I saw the car drive past slowly this time. They were definitely looking for me. Thank goodness they couldn’t fit the car in this small space leading to the courtyard. They would’ve come after me for sure. What if they parked the car and came after me? This was probably the same person who had been leering at me while I was in the pool.

  I wished I’d gotten the license plate number off the car. Taking a chance of them coming after me again wasn’t worth the risk though. Plus, I didn’t have my gun with me this time. I’d known I should’ve taken it to the bar with me. I ran down the path toward my apartment, dashing around the corner. My hands shook as I fumbled with the key. I kept glancing over to see if they had come after me.

  Finally, I shoved the key into the lock and turned it with my shaky hand. Once inside I slammed the door behind me and secured the lock. I leaned against the door and tried to catch my breath. That was the closest I’d come to death in at least a week.

  I managed to get my phone from my pocket. I’d text Jake immediately. Wait. This warranted an actual phone call. Forget the text.

  “I was wondering if you were going to call me,” he said in a cheery voice.

  “I was almost hit by a car.”

  He paused as if trying to register what I’d said. Finally, he blurted out, “Are you serious?”

  “Completely serious,” I said.

  He should know by now that I was totally serious. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to him because I was known to get in a few sticky situations every now and then.

  “What happened? Did you walk out in front of a car?” he asked.

  “I didn’t walk out in front of a car. Do you think I’m that crazy?”

  “No, I’m just trying to wrap my head around it,” he said.

  Apparently he was at a loss for the right words.

  “Someone tried to hit me with their car,” I continued.

  “Who was this person?” Jake asked. “Are you all right?”

  “Well, other than the grass stains, some leaves in my hair, and a little scrape on my leg, I think I’m all right. Unless they come back after me again.”

  “You don’t know who this person was?”

  “I don’t know, but I know what kind of car they were in. It’s the same car I saw before.”

  “Maggie, this is so dangerous. I wish you wouldn’t do this anymore.”

  “What? Be a private investigator? That’s not going to happen.”

  “I realize that would be too much to ask, but you can understand why I’m worried about you,” Jake said. “Where are you now?”

  “I’m back at my apartment. I’m locked in here and afraid to go outside.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you admit that.”

  “That’s okay, the fear will go away soon,” I said.

  “I’m sure it will,” he said. “I’m on my way over there. I need to see for myself that you’re all right. We’ll figure out who did this.”

  A knock sounded on the door and I screamed.

  “Maggie? Maggie? What’s wrong?” Jake asked in a panic.

  “There’s someone at the door,” I whispered.

  “Don’t answer it,” he said.

  I went over to the tiny window that looked out over the pool. Peeking out the blind, I saw that Reynold had returned. What was he doing here? Was he hiding something behind his back? A knife? A machete? Now I had to explain to Jake who was at the door. I would just have to say it was the neighbor. I’d sure been fibbing a lot lately.

  Okay, not so much lying as just leaving out the truth. But telling Jake that the neighbor was here would definitely be a lie. But what other choice did I have? Telling the truth? Yes, I supposed that was the best thing.

  “Maggie, are you there?” Jake asked again. “Who’s at the door?”

  “Just someone who was visiting a neighbor. He happens to be a lawyer and gave me information about the case.”

  Of course, there was silence.

  Jake said, “He just happens to know the case you’re working on?”

  “Are you coming over here? Because I need to answer the door, Jake,” I said.

  “Don’t open that door,” Jake said. “Not until I get there. How do you know this guy wasn’t the one who tried to hit you?”

  “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t do that,” I said.

  Chapter 26

  “I guess you’re wondering what I’m doing here?” Reynold asked when I opened the door.

  “The thought had crossed my mind, yes,” I said.

  Had he come back to kill me? Was he the killer?

  He whipped out my wallet and handed it to me.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I didn’t realize I’d lost it.”

  “You’re welcome. I knew you’d be looking for it so I thought I’d bring it back over. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

  “No, no, it’s okay. I’m just a little shaken up by what happened on my walk back,” I said.

  “Why? Did someone follow you home? I knew I should’ve walked with you.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t because someone almost hit me with their car.”

  His eyes widened. “Someone almost hit you?”

  “Yes, and if you had walked me home they probably would’ve hit and killed you. I managed to jump into the bush, but you would’ve been right in the path.”

  “Are you hurt?” He looked me up and down.

  “No, other than the scrape on my leg here.” I pointed.

  He picked a leaf from my hair. “Plus, a little bit of foliage. Did you get a look at who did this?”

  “Just the car, not the person driving.”

  “You should call the police,” he said.

  “I have and they’re on their way,” I said.

  “Would you like for me to stay with you until they arrive?”

  “That’s probably not a good idea.”

  He didn’t realize why I said that, but nevertheless, he answered, “Okay, you have my number. Call me if you need anything. Please be careful. I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I said.

  That was what I was supposed to say, but in reality, I didn’t know that I would be fine. All I could do was hope and try my best. It was nice that he had offered to stay though. If he had been the one guilty, then surely he wouldn’t offer to do that.

  Just as he turned to walk away, Jake and a couple
other officers came around the corner. It was too late. I had hoped he would get out of there before Jake showed up. This would make matters worse with Jake.

  “Looks like the police are here. I should leave,” Reynold said.

  Why did he want to leave so soon? It seemed as if he didn’t want to speak with the police.

  When Jake walked up, he said, “Who are you?”

  “My name is Reynold Mitchell. I’m friends with Maggie.” He looked at me for validation.

  I wasn’t sure I’d call him a friend after one drink together.

  “He’s the one I told you about. He brought my wallet back.” I waved my wallet.

  “And where were you when this accident occurred?” Jake asked.

  “I’d gone to my car in the opposite direction.” Reynold looked confused as to why he was being questioned. I totally understood why he felt that way.

  “We’ll look around and see if we find any evidence,” the other officer said, leaving Jake alone with Reynold and me.

  Did they know that Jake was going to bombard Reynold with questions?

  “I think that’s enough questions right now, Jake,” I said.

  “You know how to get in touch with me if anything else comes up,” Reynold said.

  “I’ll call you,” Jake said.

  Oh, my gosh. Now Jake was basically telling the guy to stay away. We had to have a talk about this.

  “I hope you find out who did this,” Reynold said. “I’d hate for anything to ever happen to Maggie. She’s a great girl. You got a good catch.” Reynold flashed that gorgeous smile before walking away.

  “There’s something about that guy I don’t like.” Jake stared at Reynold’s back as he walked away.

  “Maybe it’s the fact that I went out for a drink with him,” I said.

  “I’m suspicious of him. You were with this guy and then all of a sudden, you’re almost run over. It was probably him. Did you turn him down?” Jake had a slight smile on his face.

  “As a matter of fact, I told him that I had to meet my boyfriend. And that’s why I left. He said on the phone that he had information about the case.”

  “Yeah, that’s a line,” Jake said.

  “Why do you say that? Have you used it before?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.