Murder At Tropical Cove Marina (Cozy Mystery) (Sea Cozy Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

rounds: I needed to collect the trash, spray down the docks, and pick up some of the fronds that fell from the palm trees during last night’s thunderstorm. To make the work a little easier, my father just bought a golf cart to tool around the premises. It makes the work get done twice as fast; you can easily get to your destination quickly, and carry heavy items back and forth from the office to the docks. My father loved the golf cart, he tooled around a lot—said it is better for his hips and knees rather than walking. As I drove the golf cart to the trash can right before you enter the docks, I waved hello to Bettie, a new boater in the community. She and her husband are retired and planned an excursion all along the coast of Florida stopping at as many marinas as they can before they reached their final destination: ‘The Keys’. She is a little eccentric and a busybody but other than that she seemed nice.
    I waved my hand in front of my nose as I approached the smelly, fishy trashcan. As I put my gloves on I thought, “ Boy, why do those fisherman have to throw their old bait and half rotted fish in our trash can. It sure can stink up the area? One of these days, I will have to get around to putting up a sign. One that says, ‘Trash Can For Marina Patrons Only, No Fish or Bait’.” I held my breath and pulled out the black plastic bag from the trash and as I was doing so the bottom of the plastic bag broke through.
    “Aaargh! Just my luck,” I grumbled to myself.
    As I reached into the cart for my broom, I heard “Hey Maddie, ya’ll need some help, I can give ya’ll a hand.”
    “Oh, hey there Shawn.”
    “Ya’ll can call me Croc if you like.”
    “Sure. Thanks for the help, Sha—er, I mean, Croc. Just my luck things aren’t going so great today.”
    As we both picked up the trash that had fallen on the ground, I noticed several bottles of empty teak oil. “It looks like someone has been busy cleaning up the wood on their boat.”
    Croc replied, “Yeah, over the weekend it looks like Robert was helpin’ Ms. Johnson work. They was sandin’ and stainin’ the wood slats of her hatch.
    “Oh really?” I thought to myself, “ That thing was sure becoming an eyesore.” Over the past two years, she let the boat sit in the salty waters allowing the sun to bake it, rotting away the once so beautiful, brightwork and teak hatch. What was even worse was the hull; it was covered in a multitude of barnacles and clusters of oysters, some of which were the size of my fist.
    “They all looked sort of chummy if ya catch my drift,” Croc replied, with a knowing smile.
    “Looked chummy? What do you mean? I responded.
    “Well, y’know all laughin’ and flirtin’ and carryin’ on like.” Croc answered.
    I frowned. “He’s married, you know.”
    “You don’t say. Really?” His comment was dripping with sarcasm. He gave a chuckle, “Wouldn’t have known by lookin’ at em.”
    “I wonder where Carol was,” I said out loud to myself.
    “Who?” Croc asked, interrupting my thought.
    “Oh sorry, I was just talking to myself. Carol’s his wife.”
    “Oh, her?” Prob’ly readin’ herself some more bible scriptures. I tell you, that lady done read so much it turned her hair totally white!” He laughed at his own joke.
    Despite myself, I gave a giggle. Croc had a way about him that just made you want to laugh. “I don’t think it works that way, Croc.”
    “Yes it does. I tell ya. Every time you read a book, another hair goes white.”
    I looked at his dark hair. “You don’t have any gray hair.”
    He puffed out his chest with pride. “That’s right. I ain’t never read no book, neither.” We both laughed.
    As we finished cleaning up the remaining trash from the ground, I said, “You know what, you’re just the person I wanted to see today.”
    “Lucky me. Maybe this was a sign from above. Whatcha ya’ll need”?
    His earnest puppy-dog look caught me by surprise, and for a moment I