Sand City Murders by MK Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

the legal limit. Still, her beauty was there, in her face mainly: a gorgeous friendly smile and bright green eyes.
    “I heard what happened up at Boxtop,” she started as soon as I sat down. “What’s up with that?”
    “Like I know?” I tried to be evasive.
    “That’s the second girl in two weeks, Patrick… I’m getting kind of scared now.” She took my hand. “You must know something.”
    “Not anything we didn’t print.”
    “Really?”
    The side door swung open and a dark figure stepped in. Behind him I could hear the rain starting to fall. He was wearing a tweed cap and a black overcoat, impeccably dressed, I would say. Not your usual Partners customer. I didn’t get a really good look but he walked right up to the far end of the bar. Suzy ambled down towards him. I could see her smile and talk to the man. A small look of surprise crossed her face, and then she reached underneath for a bottle of scotch. She poured a double. I saw him put a twenty on the counter. He raised his glass, turned in my direction, and I thought, gave me an odd little smile. He belted back his drink and was gone before I knew it. Suzy came back to my end of the bar.
    “You know that guy?”
    “Me?”
    “Well, big spender… only wanted our best scotch, not the blend.”
    “Hmm… never saw him before,” I replied, but that wasn’t quite true. He did seem familiar, I just couldn’t place from where. My mind started drifting. I took another sip of beer. When I looked up, Suzy was down by the regulars doing refills. She walked back to the middle of the bar and started drying glasses with a dish rag.
    “Supper?” I called out.
    “Not tonight, Patrick. Kitchen’s closed… but I can nuke some chowder.”
    “No thanks… I’m going on a diet anyway.”
    “You? A diet. Are you kidding? You’re skinny as a rail.”
    “I’m just sick of eating fish.”
    Suzy came over to me and spoke in a quieter voice. She always took me too seriously. “You should try the fruit diet.”
    “The fruit diet. What’s that?”
    “You can eat anything you want, and as much as you want, so long as it has fruit in it.”
    “What, like bananas and bacon?”
    “Don’t be gross.”
    “Hawaiian pizza?”
    “Good luck finishing a whole slice.”
    “Wait— isn’t tomato sauce a fruit?”
    “Not sure that counts.” Suzy paused to think. “I’m talking more like fruit yogurt. Or just fruit... by itself.”
    “Apple pie? Can you eat a whole apple pie?”
    “I guess...”
    “Where did you hear about this?”
    “The Internet.”
    “Figures.” I gave her a once over. “Have you lost weight, Suzy?” I asked.
    She grinned. “Patrick… you noticed. And yes, I lost ten pounds. I’m on a new kick.”
    “The fruit diet?”
    “No, a bicycle, silly.”
    “A bicycle, like a real bicycle?”
    She nodded and smiled.
    “In this weather?”
    “You don’t know the half of it.”
    “Another DWI?” I asked.
    “Can’t fool you, can I, Patrick...”
    “Guess not. Still, all for the best, right?”
    She nodded. “It’s not so bad. I get all bundled up when it’s cold. Hat, gloves, my leather jacket even. And there’s a basket on the front. I can go grocery shopping. It’s not that far… Can’t wait for summer though. Then it’ll be fun to ride around.”
    My mind leapt forward in time to June. The streets would be lousy with bikes. Suzy was right. Having a car in the Village almost seemed stupid. Most of the time you were just stuck in beach traffic.
    “Did you talk to Murray?” Suzy asked and drew me back to March.
    “Murray?”
    “He said he called you…”
    “Oh yeah, he left a message, I think.”
    “Open mic night again next Thursday. You coming?”
    “Coming or playing?”
    “Either. You were pretty good last time.”
    “Pretty good?”
    “Well, you do have your off nights.”
    “That’s because of the PA. If I can’t hear myself through the monitor I go flat and it all goes south.”
    “Well...?”
     
    It’s