Elisabeth Crabtree - Pink Flamingo Hotel 01 - Death by Pink Flamingo Read Free Page A

had a feeling that Victoria would nod enthusiastically at anything Luke Casey said.
    “She takes some get ting used to,” Ryan admitted with an amused look on his face. “Why don’t you go talk to the hot dog vendor on the boardwalk? He might know who the kids were.”
    Victoria took Luke’s arm. “I’d be happy to introduce you.”
    “I t’s all right. I’ve met him,” he said with a quizzical look on his face as he glanced down at her hand.
    Without missing a beat, Victoria said, “Well, then you can introduce me,” as she led him to the vendor.
    Ryan smiled at me, his cheeks dimpling in the process. “Hi, Anna, how have you been?”
    “Oh, just peachy, Ryan .” I bent over and hauled Felix up into my arms, cradling him like a baby. “I’m surprised they sent you. I was looking forward to seeing a bunch of officers in uniform swarming the place.”
    Ryan chuckled. “I called off the swat team in the nick of time.” He grabbed Felix’s neck and pulled him out of my arms. “ Sylvia has my number on speed dial. She was almost arrested last year for bugging 911 over things like this. I told her to give me a call the next time something happens.” He looked the flamingo over before holding him out. “Where do you want him?”
    “You don’t want to take him in for evidence?” I teased. “Dust him for fingerprints?”
    “Maybe next time. Wasn’t he on a pedestal at one time?”
    “ Part of it broke off during the last hurricane and Sylvia must have broken off the other half sometime during the last week.”
    “ You really should consider putting him into concrete or something or you’re going to lose him.”
    “ I hope not. He’s an institution. Besides, the kids never take him far,” I said, as I led him to the side of the hotel and a small little garden beside the indoor pool. I opened the iron gate and pointed to the corner of the garden near the wall and a palm tree. “Let’s put Felix there for now.”
    Ryan sank the flamingo down into the gro und, twisting it back and forth, as I looked over the iron fence toward the vast wasteland next to the hotel. A hurricane had taken out a good portion of the boardwalk and the businesses next to the hotel. Only remnants of what was once there remained. The Pink Flamingo was very lucky. We had gotten away with minimal damage compared with the other side, and what damage was there, Uncle Max had managed to fix before he died. Now if only someone would come along and fix the eyesore next door .
    A movement to my right caught my eye. I looked through the window and into the indoor pool area. Jesse Maddox was lying on one of the lounge chairs.
    I did a double take. Jesse Maddox? Here? It can’t be. My heart began to beat faster. It had been nine long years since Jesse Maddox moved out of town without even a goodbye. Twelve, since he had proposed marriage on the beach during our freshman year of high school. Thirteen, since he proposed during study hall in junior high and sixteen since he proposed during recess. Jesse was always ahead of the class.
    I shook my head in disbelief. It can’t be Jesse . Suddenly, the man on the lounge chair sat up and all I could think as I looked at my ex-boyfriend and childhood sweetheart lounging by the pool was, we’re not open, yet .
    “ What’s back here? Rocks?” Ryan asked as he tried to shove Felix into the ground. “I think I might need a shovel.”
    “Yeah, I’ll go get one,” I said, still rooted to the spot, unwilling to move away from the window. I turned back toward Jesse as Danielle Nelson, one of the Flamingo’s housekeepers walked into the room. She sauntered over to Jesse and dropped a towel into his lap before striking a seductive pose. She thrust out one hip and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder as he rose to his feet.
    Oh, he’s definitely grown up , I thought, as he stood in front of Danielle.
    I watched, transfixed at the window, as Danielle took hotel courtesy to the next level.