A Deadly Slice of Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 6 Read Free Page B

I’ll call the police,” she promised, seething.
    A
vein down the center of her ex-husband’s forehead throbbed as he stared at her,
shocked to the core that she had actually stood up to him. He looked as though
he was about to say something, then thought better of it, turning on his heel
and stalking out the front door, daring to act offended. Marilyn took a deep
breath and let it out with a shudder of relief after he’d gone, wrapping her arms
around her middle and willing herself not to cry.
    “Ms.
Hayes…are you okay?” she heard Kelcie ask softly from the doorway to the
kitchen.
    Marilyn
turned around, having forgotten that the young woman was in the back putting
finishing touches on a batch of tarts. “Yes, Kelcie, I’m fine,” she nodded,
sounding shaken. “I’m sorry that you had to hear that,” she said quietly.
    “Sounds
to me like divorcing that guy was probably a really good idea,” she observed,
wide-eyed.
    “In
more ways than one, sweetie,” her boss mused, staring blankly at the door
through which her ex had just left.
     

Chapter 5
    Marilyn
was finding it difficult to determine at a glance whether or not the listings
that she’d found online for Elizabeth Melman actually pertained to the
Elizabeth Melman that she was looking for, and she didn’t feel like spending
the time to go through each one to check them out, so, on a hunch, she searched
the name of the woman’s attorney instead. On the law firm’s website, there was
a link which led to an external source called CaseRecall.com , so she
followed the link and entered Elizabeth’s name under the box that said
“Plaintiff.” Pages of entries started loading, and Marilyn was shocked to see
that Ms. Melman had filed, and won, more than a dozen personal injury lawsuits,
having sustained everything from whiplash to a sprained wrist and more. In
every instance, she had been the “victim” of some sort of accident at a local
business.
    “How
is this possible?” Marilyn murmured aloud, scanning the various cases for details,
and seeing evidence photos depicting Elizabeth as the victim, wearing neck
braces, slings, casts, and even being moved about in a wheelchair.
    “Ms.
Hayes…I finished the tarts. Do you want me to take over up here?” Kelcie called
from the doorway of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
    “No,
I’ve got this,” her boss replied, tearing her eyes from the screen. “We’re not
busy today, why don’t you go ahead and take off early. I’ll clock you out at
your normal time.”
    “Really?”
the young woman was delighted at the prospect of leaving early and still
getting paid for her entire shift.
    “Yep,
I’m good here. Go have fun,” Marilyn smiled, noting how Kelcie had brightened
at her suggestion.
    “Yes
ma’am, thank you,” she called over her shoulder, untying her apron on the way
back to the kitchen.
    Marilyn
continued to scroll through court cases involving Elizabeth Melman, and again
didn’t hear the door when a man about her age entered.
    “Well,
it’s no wonder this place isn’t taken care of properly,” the man sneered. “You’re
so busy playing on your computer that you ignore your customers when they come
into the store.” He was dark-haired and pale, wearing long pants and a
button-down shirt, which made him a bit of an anomaly on the island, where most
of the patrons were tanned and sported swimsuits or shorts.
    Marilyn
looked up, confused, wondering who this man was and what on earth he was
talking about. “Excuse me?” she said, trying to give him the benefit of the
doubt.
    “What
a dump,” he made a face, looking around at her brightly-painted, cozy little
shop.
    “Look
here, I don’t know who you think you are…” she stood, astounded at the pasty
stranger’s rudeness.
    “I’m
Melvin Bland, Elizabeth Melman’s nephew, that’s who, and what you did to my
aunt because of your carelessness is completely unacceptable,” the man’s face
reddened and he looked as