Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) by Kathi Daley Read Free Book Online

like crazy to the surface instead. I’m pretty sure I set some kind of personal best as I made it back to shore.”
    “Are you going to be okay?” Hunter’s voice was filled with concern.
    Tj let out a long breath. “Dylan thinks the killer could still have been in the area when I arrived at the cove. I know this is crazy, but I’ve been worried that he saw me discover the body and might come around to tie up loose ends. Every time I hear a creak or a groan, I jump up and look around. I know it’s crazy to be so jumpy. Echo would hear someone coming long before I heard anything.”
    “You think that whoever killed Tonya might have followed you back to the resort?” Hunter asked.
    “I don’t know. Probably not , but you know how the mind likes to play tricks.”
    “I heard your dad took the girls to Disney World,” Hunter said. “Is anyone there at the house with you?”
    “Echo and the cat s. Grandpa is out with the guys, although I don’t expect him to be late. Besides, there are twenty-four models and a dozen staff members a shout away. I’m sure I’ll be fine, even if there is a stalker on the loose.”
    “I’m just finishing up at the hospital. How about I come by and let you buy me a drink?”
    “A gentleman should pay,” Tj teased.
    “You own the bar.”
    Tj laughed. “I’d love to have a drink with you, but I don’t really feel like going over to the bar. I have stuff here. Meet me at the house? Have you eaten?”
    “Not yet .”
    “Okay , then how about I call over to the Grill and order some takeout? It should be ready by the time you get here. Any preferences?”
    “A steak sounds good.”
    “Aren’t you the one who is always lecturing everyone about cutting back on red meat?”
    “Okay, then how about salmon ?”
    “Salmon sounds good,” Tj agreed. “I was thinking that . . .”
    “Thinking that?” Hunter prompted when Tj stopped speaking.
    “Shhh. I heard something.”
    “Like the house settling?” Hunter asked.
    “No,” Tj whispered. “This was something else, and Echo is growling. Hang on.”
    Tj felt bad that the last thing Hunter heard before she dropped the phone and lost the connection was her bloodcurdling scream , followed by the shattering of the wineglass that had been sitting on the table next to her as it hit the wood floor.
     

Chapter 5
Thursday, June 19
    Tj met Dylan the next morning on the deck of the Lakeside Bar and Grill. It was cold in the morning, but the staff had lit the heaters and built a fire in the large rock fire pit in the center of the outdoor area. The Tropical Tan people had ordered seasonal fruit, yogurt, egg-white omelets, and grilled salmon to be made available between seven and nine. In Tj’s opinion, the brunch was a total waste because the models never seemed to eat. Still, it was a beautiful sunny morning. Lack of even a breeze made the surface of the lake appear as smooth as a sheet of glass. A few families had started to gather on the beach, where a bandstand had been set up for the day’s events. The area surrounding the bandstand would be packed with spectators cheering on their favorite models within a few hours. Tj knew that the kind of crowd that tended to follow the girls was most times heavy drinkers, so she made a note to remind herself to check with Logan to ensure that they had plenty of rum on-site for the hundreds of frozen cocktails they were likely to sell that day.
    “And then what happened?” Dylan laughed as Tj retold the story of what had happened the previous evening.
    “I picked up a broom and shooed him out.”
    It turned out that the late -night intruder had been a raccoon that had crawled in through an open window. Tj normally wasn’t afraid of small animals, but she’d already freaked herself out with thoughts of a killer lurking in the shadows, so when the raccoon jumped out at her unexpectedly, she’d panicked. By the time she’d had the presence of mind to call Hunter back, he’d already called