A Watery Death (A Missing Pieces Mystery Book 7) by Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene

mother, Jean, and my grandmother, Eleanore. Some of them, like Trudy and Tim, I grew up with. Some of them had grown up with Gramps and could still remember when he was the sheriff.
    That’s the way it was, generations of hardworking Bankers who had survived hurricanes and floods and still stayed on this narrow strip of land. My kind of town.
    Mary Catherine was downstairs by the time I was ready to go. She was a vision in a dark green top and matching Capri pants.
    “I love your sandals,” I told her. “I hope they’re comfortable. Gramps has the golf cart, so we’ll have to walk to town hall.”
    “Thank you. Not a problem walking there. I never wear anything uncomfortable. There was a time, around my third marriage, that I dressed for other people. But after my third husband passed away, I started only dressing for myself.”
    “A wise choice,” I complimented. “I guess I’ve always been too interested in being comfortable to care what anyone else thought.”
    “You’re a smart woman, Dae,” she said. “Are you ready to go?”
    I looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was already six-fifteen—no time for food. I’d have to eat after the meeting. “I guess we’d better leave. They look at me funny when I’m late.”
    The sweet twilight was coloring the sky above us with pink and orange bands that braided themselves through the blue. Headlights were starting to come on in the lines of traffic, though there was still almost two hours before dark.
    We walked carefully in our summer sandals along the side of the road, mindful of a few tall weeds snagging our legs. I’d have to mention that to our public works’ guys. Young men in golf carts and pickup trucks whistled and yelled at us. I ignored them, but Mary Catherine got a kick out of it and yelled back.
    “It reminds me of my younger days.” Her pretty face was flushed with pink. “I was quite a looker back then!”
    “I think you’re quite a looker right now.”
    “Thank you, Dae. And I appreciate you welcoming me into your family as you have. Not everyone would be so happy to see another woman with her grandfather.”
    “You make Gramps happy in a way I can’t remember him being happy. How could I not like it?”
    It hit me as we were passing the crowded Duck Shoppes parking lot that I had left a packet of information for the meeting at home. I’d been in such a last minute rush that it had completely slipped my mind.
    “I have to go back home,” I told her. “Maybe you could tell Nancy that I’m just running a few minutes late.”
    “Of course. I’ll be glad to let everyone know. Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
    “It would be better if you could keep them all calm. I should still be there before the meeting starts. Thanks, Mary Catherine.”
    I ran back to the house, thinking that this would be a great time for Gramps to have decided to leave the crime scene on the ship. I could make better time with the golf cart going to town hall, maybe. If nothing else, it would be easier on me.
    But the drive was still empty when I got back. We’d had to start using the front door all the time until we could afford to get the back porch repaired after a February storm had damaged it.
    I let myself in—we never locked the back door, but Gramps insisted on locking the front door. The key didn’t want to work, but I finally got it open. Treasure was sitting on my report, cleaning himself, but paused long enough to study me and wonder why I was back so soon.
    “You’re sitting on my report.” I slowly slid the thick file from under him. He gave me the look , and I knew he wasn’t happy that I’d interrupted him. “Sorry. I’ll see you later.”
    The door was even harder to lock behind me, but I finally managed and turned to head back to Duck Road.
    Someone was waiting for me. I dropped my file in the dew-kissed grass.
     

Chapter Five
     
    It wasn’t unusual for a resident of Duck to ask me personally for a favor or