Live and Lime Die: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 8 by Summer Prescott Read Free Book Online Page B

attempting to ask me another question, Detective?”
    “Mr.
Eckels, did you glue Samuel Freed’s eyes shut?” he asked, tiring of the game.
    “Yes.”
    “Was
he alive at the time?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why
did you do that?” Ferguson was morbidly fascinated.
    “Because
he had been looking at her in an inappropriate manner.”
    “By
her, you mean Tiara Hayes?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did
you glue his lips shut as well?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why?”
the detective was on a roll now, glad that he was finally getting some answers.
    “Because
he said some vile things after she went into the house.”
    “And
his hands?”
    “Yes,
just seemed appropriate.”
    “Mr.
Eckels, did you put makeup on Samuel Freed?”
    “Yes.”
    “What
reason could you possibly have for doing that?” Ferguson demanded.
    Tim
giggled, then caught himself and turned it into a slight cough, placing his
fingertips over his mouth for a moment. “That…” he replied, with a sly grin.
“That was just for my amusement.”
    The
detective was nonplussed, staring at the seriously strange man in front of him
and not knowing quite what to say.
    “How
did Mr. Freed die?” Ferguson finally asked, ready for this interview to be
over.
    “One
would hope, that since you recovered the body, you would already know that,”
Tim tilted his head to the side again.
    The
detective let that pass. “What happened after you did your gluing and
painting?” he asked, not bothering to conceal his disgust.
    “I
gave him a ride to the commercial docks and dropped him off.”
    “Dropped
him off a dock?”
    “No,
dropped him off as in “let him out of my car,” Tim sighed.
    “Then
what?”
    “I
went home.”
    “When
did you arrive at your home address?” Ferguson persisted.
    “8:57.”
    “Why
am I not surprised?” the detective shook his head.
    “Is
that a rhetorical question?” Tim asked, wondering if the detective knew what
rhetorical meant.
    Ferguson
stared at him blankly. “So you’ve confessed to gluing together a man’s eyes,
lips and fingers, as well as putting makeup on him, and you expect me to
believe that you didn’t kill him?”
    “No.”
    “No?”
The detective was too baffled to hide it. “Are you confessing to this murder,
Mr. Eckels?”
    Tim’s
disdain was palpable. “Of course I’m not confessing to the murder, Detective, I
didn’t kill him. You asked me if I expected you to believe me – I don’t. But
then, you don’t have to believe me…I have proof,” he smiled an eerie smile.
     

Chapter 14
    Marilyn
anxiously awaited the arrival of the officers who would be looking into the
vandalism that had occurred and wondered what on earth was going on with her
neighbor. Tiara had gotten to know him a bit, and thought of him as “a little
weird, but definitely harmless.” She was glad that her daughter didn’t have to
witness him being taken away by the police, probably for protecting her. He’d
always been oddly protective of Tiara, even before she’d come to trust and like
him.
    It
had been tempting to see what the paper was, that was wrapped around the rock
or whatever it was that had come through her window, but knowing that she could
unwittingly be contaminating evidence by touching it, she left it alone.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she heard a car pull up in her driveway, and looked
outside to see two uniformed officers approaching. She told them what had
happened and brought them inside to survey the damage, asking if either of them
would like some coffee. They demurred and she sat at the kitchen counter,
leaving them alone to conduct their investigation.
    It
had been a crazy night, and she was operating on just a few hours of sleep, so
she brewed some coffee for herself, and scrolled half-heartedly through her
Pinterest app, trying to pass the time while the police collected evidence.
    “Ma’am?”
the handsome Hispanic officer came into the kitchen, startling her a bit.
    “Yes?”
she hopped down from her bar stool to meet