A Watery Death (A Missing Pieces Mystery Book 7) by Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene Read Free Book Online Page A

We have to find a way to make it work, even if that means hiring more police officers full-time.”
    Rick and Dab both drew the line at that suggestion.
    “No one wants to spend extra money,” Dab reminded me.
    “We’ve been making extra money in taxes from the Andalusia,” I said. “We could spend that on new officers.”
    “Let’s get Cailey and Cody in on this too.” Rick grinned. “Share the guilt. We’ll see you tonight.”
    The town council meeting was at seven p.m. I needed to be there by six-thirty to make sure I’d seen all the information that Chris Slayton was presenting. That was part of my job as mayor, to facilitate the meetings. I rarely got to use my voting power since it only came up if there was a tie between our four council members.
    It was five p.m., and though I could have stayed open later with the sunlight lasting until at least eight-thirty or nine, I had to close shop and get ready for the meeting. It hadn’t been a bad day, profit wise, even though it was unlikely I would ever see the five hundred dollars back that I’d given Captain Lucky. At least I’d tried to help him.
    Mary Catherine was standing at the side of the boardwalk almost leaning over the rail above the water. I walked up behind her. She was so engrossed in what she was doing, she didn’t even notice me until Baylor made a sound between a meow and a cry. He was draped around her neck as usual now, almost blending in with her blond hair.
    “Oh!” she said. “I’m sorry, Dae. I didn’t see you there.”
    “That’s okay.” I peered over the edge of the rail too. “Just wondering what was so interesting.”
    There were three fish with their heads sticking out of the water. They were staring at Mary Catherine and ducked down into the sound when they saw me. Because my grandfather worked with fish, and I’d grown up on an island, I knew the fish were perch. I also knew there was good fishing off the sandbar that fronted the Duck Shoppes, though it was against the law to fish from the boardwalk.
    “My friends were just telling me about a problem,” she explained. “It has to do with Captain Lucky’s death.”
    My own gifts being what they were, I never doubted what she told me.
    “Did they see who killed him?”
    “Not exactly. They don’t live on the other side of Duck, but they have friends who do. There’s something unusual about the way Captain Lucky died. It’s hard to translate exactly what they’re saying. You know how sometimes a fish can be garbled or misunderstand what they see. They’re in the water, for the most part, and that tends to limit their view.”
    “What part about his death can they explain?”
    “They’re worried about creatures who usually don’t venture up from the deepest parts of the sea. They say Captain Lucky’s death has something to do with them.”
    I thought about the orange and blue scales I’d found on the pier and in Captain Lucky’s stateroom, but I didn’t mention the seafolk.
    “Are we talking kraken or something?” I half joked, trying to understand.
    “I’m not sure.” Her forehead furrowed above her deep blue eyes. “The word they’re using to describe this creature is unfamiliar to me.”
    I peeked through the rail at the little fish again. They seemed to be listening to what we were saying. “What’s the word?” I whispered.
    “ Atargatis . Do you know it?”
    “No. I don’t recognize it. I guess that’s the only trouble about communicating with animals.”
    “It’s not that much different than when we find something remarkable and have to figure out what it means. I rather enjoy it.” She stared off at the large expanse of water that was still colorful with kayaks and bright sailboats heading away from shore.
    “Well, if you hear anything else, let me know.” I smiled at her. “I have to get ready for the council meeting. I think I’m going to recommend that we never have another council meeting right before the Fourth of July