Death by Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 5 Read Free Page A

grocery bag on her doorstep, and she viewed it with suspicion. Looking around, she saw no one, and wondered who could have rung the bell. With the toe of her flip flop, she moved aside the top of the plastic bag to see what was inside, trembling a bit when she saw that it was a carton of ice cream. Had her stalker been hiding in the bushes when the Chinese food was delivered? If so, was he there still? Kelcie shuddered, reached down and picked up the bag in a manner that suggested it contained a dead animal rather than a dairy treat, and quickly closed and locked her door.
    Trying desperately to be rational and to settle down her racing pulse, she tried to think of all innocent possibilities before leaping to the conclusion that her stalker had been and currently may still be camped out in the bushes surrounding her windows. Maybe Thomas had felt bad about the way that he had treated her and decided to make it up to her with her favorite dessert. Maybe Tiara and Marilyn had just wanted her to feel loved after she texted them about the breakup. Or, maybe…this was an escalation. Taking matters into her own hands, Kelcie texted Marilyn, Tiara and Thomas, thanking them for the ice cream. Marilyn and Tiara responded immediately with questions, so it clearly hadn’t been from them, and Thomas’s message bounced back, indicating that her access to him had been blocked. Sighing, the sad and worried young woman picked up the phone and dialed Bernard Cortland’s number.
     

Chapter 4
    “So, what are you going to do?” Marilyn asked, her maternal instincts making her want to take Kelcie under her wing.
    “I talked to the landlord and he said there’s no way that he’ll take out the bushes around my windows. He also hinted that he really didn’t appreciate having a tenant with so much drama going on in her life, so I gave him notice and he’s letting me out of my lease with no penalty.”
    “Well, how very magnanimous of him,” Tiara drawled sarcastically.
    “Yeah, I was surprised that he agreed to it. He’s even giving me back my security deposit, so, he may be rude and unpleasant, but at least in this respect, he’s being fair,” Kelcie shrugged, trying to be positive.
    “So, where are you going to go?” Marilyn asked, worried. Kelcie was more than an employee to her, she’d become like family.
    “I found an attic apartment just a few blocks from here, so I won’t have to walk as far to get home.”
    “Well, that’s good, but we’re still going to be accompanying you until this mess is resolved,” she answered firmly.
    “I know…and thanks,” Kelcie smiled weakly.
    “Have you heard from Thomas?” her boss asked.
    “He blocked my number,” she murmured.
    “Good riddance,” Tiara snorted. Her mother gave her a reproving look.
    “Let’s try to be a bit sensitive, shall we?” Marilyn suggested, eyeing her daughter pointedly.
    “No, I’m serious. He was a jerk, Kelcie deserves much better,” she insisted, crossing her arms and giving her mother a challenging glare.
    “So when are you moving?” Marilyn changed the subject, deciding to let Tiara’s lack of diplomacy pass.
    “If I can have this Sunday off, my friend Camden will be able to help me move. One of his dad’s companies has big trucks, so we’ll be able to get all of my stuff to the new place in one trip. Will you two be able to handle the store without me?” she asked.
    “We’ll manage, sweetie,” Marilyn assured her. “We limped along with just the two of us before we hired you, so we’ll just step up our game for a day. Bring your friend over for a piece of pie when you two are done.”
    “Okay, great,” Kelsie nodded gratefully.
    “Is that the hot tennis guy from the country club?” Tiara asked, waggling her eyebrows.
    The young woman blushed. “Yeah, that’s him. We used to date, but we’re just friends now,” she explained.
    “You never know, history could repeat itself…” Marilyn’s daughter mused,