Heavenly Honeymoon (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 15) by Kathi Daley Read Free Book Online Page A

line of reasoning. What is a chandella?”
    “It’s not a what, it’s a who. She’s Jensen’s mistress, or at least one of them. I saw Ricardo arguing with a tall dark-haired woman when Charlie and I were out jogging yesterday. When I described her to Talin, he said it sounded like Chandella. I saw Ricardo grab her and drag her into a breezeway, but when I went to investigate she was gone. I saw him walking toward the hotel but didn’t see where she disappeared to. She seemed pretty mad.”
    “Chandella wasn’t on the yacht,” Zak pointed out.
    “No, but maybe Jensen found out that Ricardo was messing with his mistress and put an end to it.”
    Zak frowned. “I don’t know. Jensen orchestrated the entire evening. He was responsible for everyone who was on board. Why would he participate in an act to defend his mistress with his wife on board?”
    “Her presence suggests that jealousy wasn’t a motive in Ricardo’s death. Maybe she was a smoke screen. Maybe we all were.”
    “Maybe,” Zak admitted. “We’ll keep Jensen on the list, but I doubt Della did it. She’s pretty far along in her pregnancy.”
    I thought about it. “Maybe she didn’t plunge the knife into the man’s back, but she could have been working with the killer. She certainly would have the ability to sneak someone on board ahead of time and then hide them so no one knew they were there. Someone like my dark-skinned man, for example.”
    “Okay, we’ll leave her on the list for now,” Zak agreed. “So back to Jimenez. Let’s see if he’d been on the island before.”
    “How are you going to figure that out?” I asked.
    “I can access passport information as well as resort records to see if he’s stayed here before. It’ll take a few minutes.”
    “He seemed to know a lot of people, so I’m betting he’s a regular visitor. I think I’ll call Ellie while you’re doing that. I can’t help but wonder how her trip is going. The suspense of not knowing is making me nuts.”
    “Okay. Tell her hi for me.”
    I took the phone and walked over to the rock wall separating the patio from the beach. I didn’t want to disturb Zak while he worked and I didn’t want to have to monitor what I said to my best friend. Zak tended to side with Levi in the fact that he believed the opportunity he was being offered was too good to pass up. I, on the other hand, sided with Ellie in her desire for the best friend unit to remain intact. Besides, I really didn’t see how Ellie could choose between her home and her boyfriend.
    “So how are things going?” I asked as soon as she picked up.
    “They’re going. Levi met with the head coach yesterday and he really liked what he had to say. He promised me that he would sleep on it for a day or two, but I can tell he’s already made up his mind. I overheard him talking to the new principal at the high school. He wouldn’t share this information with him if he weren’t planning to give notice.”
    I felt my heart sink. “What are you going to do?”
    “I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the long run, but for now I’m staying put in Ashton Falls. I love Levi, but I love living in the boathouse and I love my business. My mom is in Ashton Falls, as is my best friend in the whole world. I don’t see how I can leave.”
    I could tell that Ellie was crying, but I didn’t say anything. I wished I could be there with her while she dealt with this life-altering situation.
    “Have you told Levi that you aren’t going to move with him?” I asked.
    “Sort of. I told him that I wanted to stay in Ashton Falls. He thinks we can keep our relationship going long distance, and while I agree we can keep the friends part of us alive from four hundred miles apart, I really don’t think we can keep the couple thing going.”
    I hated to admit it, but I had to agree with Ellie. Long-distance relationships rarely stood the test of time.
    “Maybe he’ll hate it,” I suggested. “Maybe once he gets there