Death on the Beach Read online

  Are there alligators in this part of the country?

  I shake off the skin crawly feeling brought on by the thought of being attacked and mauled by a rogue alligator.

  "Besides it's too hot. We'd be passed out on the side of the road in no time."

  "Thank goodness you seem to be thinking logically for once. I'll get back with you as soon as I can."

  I hold the phone out to Dixie. "I guess you heard enough to know that he's making some calls to get us help."

  Dixie takes her phone, sticks it in her pocket. "Yes. Thank goodness!" She sighs. "I reckon he's pretty mad, right?"

  I shrug. "You know Ben. Ever since it's been just the two of us it seems like he thinks he has to take care of me." I sniff. "Such a man logic thing. But he means well."

  Dixie laughs. "I'm usually the one taking up for Ben to you. Are you suffering from a case of heat stroke?"

  I laugh, too. "It's not like me is it? But he does mean well and I sometimes," at Dixie's doubtful look I amended, "okay, all the time, don't appreciate having him in my life. Mama always said we were a pig-headed bunch. I guess Ben and I have it in spades."

  Before Dixie can comment on that, her phone rings. She answers and I know immediately she is talking to Ben. "Trooper Daniel Crowe. About thirty minutes. Thanks, Ben."

  Disconnecting the call, she relays the message to me. "Ben is sending a friend of his who is an Alabama trooper on duty today and in this area. He should be here in about thirty minutes."

  "Yeah. Yeah. I got that from your end of the conversation." I pull two more bottles of water out of the cooler, open them and hand one to her. These were our last two bottles. The small cooler only holds four. But, at least we know help is on the way. Tapping my bottle against my friend's, I take a sip and slump in my seat. “At least we know help is on the way. And pretty quickly too.”

  "Hey, there's a car coming up the road from behind us!" Dixie says, looking in the rear view mirror.

  I sit up and turn to look behind us.

  Sure enough, a very shiny black car with a BMW symbol on the hood is slowing as it comes even with us. The passenger side window goes down and a dark haired man looks over at us with a smile.

  The BMW eases over onto the shoulder in front of our car. I notice it has Massachusetts tags and wonder what he is doing way down here this time of year. Snowbirds are long gone. They can't take the heat of a coastal summer.

  Dixie gives me a panicked look as she turns the key far enough to engage the engine and pushes the door lock button multiple times.

  "Oh no! Why is he stopping?"

  "Calm down. And stop mashing that button to death." I respond, annoyed by the locking, unlocking sounds. "We'd have been happy to see him if we hadn't been able to get in touch with Ben." However, I look sideways at the tall man walking towards us.

  Probably a bit over six feet, I think to myself. Short dark hair. Aviator sunglasses. Khaki shorts and a light blue polo shirt with a logo I can't quite make out yet. Scuffed loafers on his feet. Big smile. Hands empty. So at least he isn't planning on robbing us at gunpoint. Unless he has the gun hidden in his pocket. Or the waistband of his shorts.

  I think longingly of my own handgun. Ben gave it to me a few years ago, taught me to shoot it and took me to get my carry license. I’d left it behind today, but now wished I had brought it.

  This guy is handsome and harmless looking. But, more than one serial killer has used good looks and charm on victims, whispers a voice in my head. I shush it. For the moment.

  Dixie's window begins going up.

  "Dixie." I hiss. "Stop that."

  "What if he's dangerous?" She questions, mirroring my own inner thoughts.

  My heart rate accelerates and I’m sure if it’s because I am truly scared or because I am picking up on Dixie’s fears.

  The window came within two inches of the top and stopped. I notice the stranger's amused grin as he bends to look in the window at us.

  "Do you ladies need some help?"

  Brown eyes, I note as Dixie quavers. "No, thank you. We've got some help on the way already."

  "I'm happy to drive the two of you to the next town so you can at least cool off while you wait for assistance. You can call whoever it is and let them know."

  He looks pretty harmless, I think. Checking my watch, I see that our trooper assistance should be arriving shortly, so the point is moot.

  "Thanks so much for the offer." I say across Dixie. "Our help should be here any minute though."

  And, just like magic, an Alabama state trooper car comes into view and pulls in behind us. It hadn’t taken thirty minutes after all.

  The officer exits the car and walks straight toward us. I note the tense body language, right hand cocked like he would unholster his gun any minute, and know he is in 'cop mode' because of the man standing outside our car.

  "Everything okay here?" Asks the trooper as he comes even with the back of our car, eyes on the man standing there.

  "Of course, Officer." Says the stranger. "I had just stopped to offer assistance to these ladies and they told me help was on the way." He holds out his hand. "Alex Landers. From Boston on my way to Destin."

  The officer’s face remains wary, but he steps closer. "Officer Crowe. Local state trooper and a friend of the ladies' family."

  The two men shake hands and Alex turns back to the car. "Now that you're in safe hands, I'll be one my way."

  Dixie smiles, eases the window down and sticks out her hand. "Sorry to be so standoffish." She says. "But we don't know you from Adam."

  Alex chuckles. "You're right to be cautious." He shakes Dixie's hand, and then squats a bit to peer at me. "You two travel safe to your destination."

  I notice he has an easy walk. Like he owns the world. He is probably doing pretty well for himself since he has a BMW. And he is going to Destin. I wonder if we’ll run into him there. And do I want to?

  The three of us remain silent as the BMW pulls out and goes on down the road. Then, Officer Crowe leans in the window and says. "Now. Which one of you is Lily Gayle? I've got a message from Ben."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Standing on the balcony of our eighteenth floor gulf front condo, I drink in the blue green water extending in a hypnotic dance all the way to the horizon. Emerald close to shore, just as advertised, fading into a gorgeous royal blue.

  A school of dolphins swims by right then as though someone has choreographed a welcome to delight and entertain me on arrival. Who could ask for more? I feel some of the tension of the day drain from my shoulders.

  Officer Crowe had brought gasoline with him. Enough to get us on our way, and then, followed us through the national forest to the next town where Dixie had filled the gas tank to the point it ran down the side of her car a bit.

  She’d wiped it away with a sheepish look at Officer Crowe. He’d pretended not to understand she’d been overcompensating for running out of gas. Nice man. I’d have to remember to tell Ben when we got home.

  We’d managed to get to our condo building with no further drama. I’d’ve died if we got here only to discover there was a mistake with our reservation on top of everything else. Things like that do happen and we’d already had some bad juju.

  But the young woman at the desk had smiled, checked us in and handed over our key cards along with a packet of information. I’d breathed a sigh of relief.

  Dixie and I had piled our luggage on a dolly and taken the elevator to the top of the building. When we’d opened the door, it had looked like we were on a cruise ship. This high up, there was no land visible from inside the condo. Only that vast, rolling, beautiful water stretching to the horizon.

  Leaning on the rail, I tilt my face up into the sun’s rays, letting them wash over my face, further relaxing the tension of the day from my body. Memories of other years at another beach with Dixie wash through me like a kaleidoscope. From preschool to teenagers to now. So many memories.

  As the sun continues to beat on my face, vision
s of sun damage and wrinkles flash through my head, but I shake them away. Not today, I think. Not today.

  "Wow! This view is fantastic!" Dixie exclaims as she comes out onto the balcony, interrupting my conflicting thoughts. "We're in some pretty tall cotton for a couple of country girls from Mercy, Mississippi."

  I keep my face to the sun, eyes closed as I hear the sliding door close behind me followed by the sound of a chair being pulled across concrete.

  When no other conversation is forthcoming, curiosity gets the best of me so I open my eyes and turn to see what Dixie is up to.

  I frown as I see what she’s doing. "I don't know why you brought that laptop all the way down here. And, I sure as shootin' hope you're not planning on being on social media the whole time we're here."

  Dixie shakes her head. "Well, of course not! I brought it to find great places to visit and to eat and to play while we're here."

  I laugh. "That's what the concierge downstairs is for. And all those brochures in the check-in package she handed to us."

  Dixie gets her stubborn look on her face. "Those people are paid to recommend certain places whether they're actually good or not."

  She mouses around on the screen in front of her. "I want to find the places that people have recommended because they had some real fun and good food."

  I ease onto a bar height stool that lets me sit and still kept me high enough above the railing to see everything clearly. This might take a while. Dixie believes in being thorough in her research. But I am fine with that. We’ve arrived. We are in our top of the building condo with a magnificent view. I can continue enjoy the scenery and sunshine while she quiets her suspicions of the local concierge recommendations.

  Glancing down to the beach, I note all the rental chairs are full and quite a few non-rental chairs dotted the beach around them.

  We'd best get down there early in the morning if we want a front row seat for the day while we were here. And I definitely do. I want nothing between me and the water.

  I pick up a glass of ice water I’d put on the table when I came out onto the balcony. The sides are covered in moisture even after just a few minutes out here. I take a sip, relishing the feel of the cold water on my tongue.

  "Put that old thing up for now and let's just enjoy this view."

  Dixie snaps the computer shut and joins me at the tall table, gazing out into the distance. "I sure am glad you insisted on getting a condo way up toward the top. As long as you don't look down, it's like we're sittin' on the edge of the world and we own it all."

  "Why, Dixie! You're gettin' all poetic in your old age, girl."

  Dixie laughs. "Don't get used to it. I'm sure it'll pass as soon as our vacation is over."

  "I'm glad we stopped at that place Ben told us about and picked up the ruby reds shrimp boil dinner.” I say to Dixie. “Now we can just relax up here our first night and get geared up for the rest of the weekend."

  I raise my arms over my head, stretching. "I don't know about you, but I'm stiff from so much sitting on that drive down here. I’m not remotely in the mood to cook anything."

  Dixie gives me a look, frowning. “You cook?”

  I pick a cube of ice out of my glass and throw it at her. “Very funny. You know I do.”

  “Hmm.” She scrunches up her forehead, like she is concentrating really hard. I throw another piece of ice. It bounces off her chin, making her yelp.

  “Okay. Okay.” She says, rubbing her chin. “I reckon you can cook a few things.”

  “A few things, my foot.” I say, tossing my head. “You know good and well I can cook up a storm when I want to.”

  She still looks skeptical. I can’t really blame her. I haven’t had much call to do a lot of cooking in years since it was just me these days. I’ve been widowed a while now and haven’t found anyone I want to settle down with.

  "There is one thing we need to do. And do it right quick, too, if you're set on relaxing up here the rest of the evening." Dixie comments.

  I raise my eyebrows.

  "We need to go and talk to whoever's in that little hut down there about renting chairs." She points down to the boardwalk extending from the condo building to a small building where steps led down to the gorgeous white sands of the beach.

  I jump up. "You’re right. I was thinking first thing tomorrow morning just because I’m feeling lazy. I was 'bout near set for the evening already. Let's go on down right now and then we'll have that handled."

  ###

  The young eye-candy boy in the hut looks bored from the tips of his sun bleached blonde hair, past his golden brown shoulders all the way to the tips of his sandy toes.

  Guess two old ladies like Dixie and I don’t hold much interest for him.

  In response to our inquiry about booking chairs for the long weekend, he tells us that there are no front row seats available the next day, but that he can put us in seats in the middle tomorrow and then move us to the front row the next day after a rental expires.

  I sigh. I'd so looked forward to baking on the beach with the ocean right at my feet. However, I can wait another day. I pay the fee for four days, and then Dixie and I wander back into the lobby area of the condo building where, much to my surprise, I spot the man who stopped to help us earlier waiting for an elevator.

  I nudge Dixie and point. "Look. There's that guy from Boston who stopped to help us."

  Dixie swivels her head to look, then stops in her tracks. "I don't like this." She says.

  "What in the world do you mean?"

  Turning her back to the elevator bank and pulling me into the small lobby bar, she says. "I don't like it that he's in this condo building. It gives me a bad feeling."

  As though he can feel our eyes on him, Alex turns from the elevator and sees us standing in the doorway to the bar. He smiles and starts over toward us.

  Dixie squeaks and clutches my arm. "He's coming over here."

  I pull my arm away and move to a small table near the door, motioning Dixie to follow. "Get a grip on yourself." I whisper once Dixie sits down. "I'm sure he's harmless."

  "Of all the gin joints...." Alex says as he comes up to our table, smiling.

  Dixie and I look at each other and laugh.

  "Casablanca." I say.

  Alex pulls out a chair and sits down. "I must buy a round of drinks for two fellow aficionados of the classics. Name your poison, ladies."

  Rolling his eyes at our choice of cosmopolitans, he heads off to the bar across the room. I raise my eyebrows at Dixie. She sighs.

  “I’m still very suspicious about him just happening to be in the same condo building as us.”

  She makes air quotes and I grab her hands before Alex can see her.

  “You aren’t so suspicious that you turned down a free drink.” I point out.

  “My mama didn’t raise a fool. When a man wants to buy me a drink – and is where I can see his every move – I’m all for it.”

  I restrain myself from rolling my eyes. “Do you actually think he’s going to spike our drinks and abduct us or something?”

  Dixie fiddles with one of the bar napkins lying on the table. “When you put it like that it does seem like I might be over reacting.” She holds up her hand to stop me from speaking. “Hush. He’s coming back.”

  Alex arrives at the table with our drinks along with a bourbon on the rocks for himself.

  He distributes our drinks and sits down at the table. "What a lucky coincidence that we're in the same condo building.”

  I have to restrain myself from making eye contact with Dixie.

  Alex goes on. “I wondered if the two of you made it here all right." Of course, you had the help of the state trooper, so it should be a given that you didn't have any more difficulties." He takes a sip of his bourbon and then tosses back the hair that has fallen into his eyes.

  I smile, liking his demeanor. And the brown eyes the color of old whiskey in firelight. Mentally I shake my head. Where had that thought come from? D
own girl!

  "Yes. We were fine.” I answer, taking a sip of my own drink. Yum! Just the right amount of vodka. “We just needed some help with gasoline. We didn't realize we'd be traveling through a national forest and didn't fill up with gas in time."

  Dixie kicks me under the table. I turns a puzzled gaze to her, silently asking What?

  "Did I hear you tell the trooper you're from Boston?" Dixie asks. "This seems like a strange destination for someone from there. Don't y'all have beaches a lot closer than this?"

  I shoot her a startled look. What in tarnation was Dixie up to with the rude questions?

  Alex looks a bit disconcerted, but answers. "My sister and I have been coming to Destin since we were children. An aunt and uncle lived here and hosted us for a week every summer. So it's tradition for us to be here."

  I shift in my seat and clear my throat, drawing his attention back to me. "I don't know why Dixie is giving you the third degree with all these questions." I say with a hard look at her. "She's usually so friendly to everyone she meets. She must be tired from the drive down. You'll have to forgive her."

  Dixie takes a sip from her drink, but I know her far too well. She hasn’t changed her mind one little bit.

  "I'm so sorry, Alex.” Dixie goes on. “Lily Gayle is right. I don't usually act so rude to people."

  Butter wouldn’t melt in that girl’s mouth. And, since Alex isn’t from the south, he has no idea that Dixie is putting on her ‘company manners”. Civility and no more.

  Alex grins at her. "No offense taken. I'm sure you're just being cautious. As you said back there on the road, the two of you don't know me from Adam."

  Finishing off his drink, he stands. "And on that note, I'll leave the two of you for now."

  Neither of us speaks as we watch him board an elevator, disappearing from sight.

  "Well." I say. "You're sure in a state this evening. I've never known you to act like this with anyone."

  Dixie sighs, runs a hand over her eyes. "I’m wore slap out and that drink just took the last of my get up and go. Let's call it a night."