Read Swept Away: A Squeaky Clean Honeymoon Novella (Squeaky Clean Mysteries Book 12) Online
Authors: Christy Barritt
“There are no cars here right now. Let’s peek inside.”
We crept closer to the house, remaining low and quiet. Finally, once we reached the edge of the woods, we gave one last glance at the driveway. When we saw no one was coming, we darted toward the house and pressed ourselves against the grungy wood siding.
The crawlspace was propped up on cinder blocks, and numerous pieces of trash littered the ground beneath it. High grass shot up around the edges.
If there was ever a good place for a snake to hide, this was it.
Riley glanced in the first window.
“What do you see?” I asked. The window was too high for me to get a good look.
“Nothing. Just an empty, dumpy living room. There are some chip bags and soda bottles that look fairly new.”
“Let’s keep looking. We don’t have much time.”
We hurried to the next window. An empty kitchen.
We skirted around the backside of the house, and, as I did so, I spotted a boathouse at the end of a bulkheaded pier.
Was this where the men had disappeared when we followed them that day on the water? It was a good possibility.
We darted to one of the windows on this side of the house. This would be a perfect spot for that picture to have been taken. It was facing the water.
I glanced back.
And I could see the causeway.
Riley boosted himself up to get a better look. “They’re here, Gabby. Vivian and Cheryl. They’re really here.”
My adrenaline surged. “Are they okay?”
“They’re tied up, but they’re alive.”
Just then, I heard a boat humming in the distance. The men were coming back.
“We’ve got to hide,” I mumbled.
We darted back into the thick grove of creepy-looking banyan trees before we could be spotted.
“Let’s call the chief,” I told Riley. “We can’t do this on our own. If these guys are as scary as Joey said, we shouldn’t mess with them.”
“I agree.” Riley pulled out his phone and dialed.
As he did, the boat pulled into the decrepit boathouse. A few minutes later, three men got out.
I recognized one of them as Skip. I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Hardly anything, at least.
I did hear, “Grab Joey, and get out of here.” “Load up the boat.” “Rest of the crew arriving soon.”
Great. Time was working against us.
Even more-so than I’d assumed.
Five minutes after the men entered the house, they exited with Vivian and Cheryl in tow.
The good news was that the women were alive. We just had to keep it that way.
“Those two nosy neighbors are dead,” Skip muttered. “Apparently their bodies washed up on shore this morning. Plus Wally sent me pictures.”
“What are you doing with these two?”
“They know too much. We need to get rid of them.”
“And Joey?”
“Her too. Her testimony at trial would put me away for life. I can’t let that happen.”
His words left a cold sense of urgency in my gut.
I needed to quickly come up with a plan to keep all of us from getting killed.
“
W
e need to stop them
,” Riley muttered as he crouched beside me.
I stared at the scene playing out in front of us. “I know. But we need to do it without getting ourselves killed. I mean, honeymoon tragedies are the worst. It’s not the way I want to make it onto
Dateline
.”
“Maybe we could just buy time until Old Yeller arrives,” Riley said.
“What else can we do?”
My muscles tensed, ready to act. Before I could act, movement in the distance caught my eye.
Someone charged from the other side of the lawn.
My eyes widened when I saw who it was. Homer Murphy.
What was he doing here? Was he a part of this? If not, how had he found us? My gut told me he wasn’t on their side.
“He’s going to get himself killed,” I whispered. I closed my eyes, praying for wisdom. And a good outcome. So many innocent lives were on the line.
Skip pulled out his gun and aimed it at Homer. The women screamed. Skip’s minions jumped into action.
“The police are offering a reward for anyone with information on you,” Homer yelled. “I need that money, so hand those ladies over.”
This was just awesome. Homer was not only trying to be a hero, but he was high while doing so. He had no idea the consequences he might face.
I expected the men to shoot him on the spot. Instead, Skip started laughing. He thought this was hysterical, I realized.
“You think we’re just going to hand them over?” Skip said. “In case you haven’t noticed, you’re outnumbered.”
“I tracked you down after talking to some guys at the bar,” Homer said. “I heard you’ve been taking people’s boats on joyrides. It wasn’t hard to find you here.”
The good news was that Homer had bought us some time. Where was Yeller? This island wasn’t that big. It shouldn’t take him too long to get here.
Skip’s minions shoved the women closer to the woods—closer to us. If we could just grab them . . .
“What do you want to do?” Riley whispered.
“We’ve got to get the women away from those guys, especially if they start firing.” The problem was, how did we safely do that? I wasn’t sure.
Homer stepped closer, all drunken courage and ignorance. “Hand them over.” He held up his gun. “Now.”
Skip laughed even harder. “You’re crazy if you think we’re going to hand them over.”
I reached into my purse and pulled out my own gun. I didn’t want to use it. I
really
didn’t want to use it. There was so much that could go wrong.
But if Skip got away with these women, they were going to die.
Which was the lesser of two evils?
I couldn’t let the innocent suffer, I realized. I had to do something.
“We need to grab them while we can,” I whispered. “They get on that boat and they’re dead.”
Just then, Homer charged toward Skip. The men fired. The women screamed.
Riley and I jumped into action.
We dove toward Vivian and Cheryl, desperate to keep them away from the gunfire. Riley threw Cheryl on the ground, covering her body with his. I grabbed Vivian, knocking her out of the line of fire. The pain that ripped across my skin on contact was the least of my worries at the moment.
Her eyes widened in fear when she saw me, but I didn’t have time to explain other than muttering, “We’re here to help.”
Bullets continued to fly around us. Our arrival had offered a distraction, apparently. While Skip looked back to see what was going on, Homer managed to hit him in the arm with a bullet.
The man muttered in pain and clutched his bicep.
One of Skip’s men fired back, and Homer fell to the ground.
No!
That was when Skip turned his full attention on Riley and me. He still grasped his arm, where blood burst. But his adrenaline and vengeance must have kept him going.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “I guess good old Wally didn’t finish the two of you off after all. I’m going to have to have a long talk with him about that.”
“Just let us go,” I told him. “We don’t want trouble.”
“You couldn’t prove that by me,” Skip said. He reached for his gun, his face twisted with pain. Nothing was going to stop him. “Now we have four people to take care of. I should have just finished you all off myself and saved all of us a ton of trouble.”
I hovered in front of Vivian, trying to shield her from this.
Just then, another gunshot rang out. I froze, fearing I’d been fired on.
Then I saw Skip sink to the ground.
My gaze jerked behind him. Homer. Homer wasn’t dead. He’d found enough strength to pull the trigger one more time.
As Skip’s men turned toward Homer, I kicked Skip’s gun out of the way before grabbing my own.
Homer hit another of the men in the shoulder. The gun flew from his hand.
I aimed and shot the knee of another man.
Just as I did, police cars pulled down the road. Old Yeller was here.
Maybe all of this was really over.
“
W
ell
, we have two more days here in Florida,” Riley said as we lounged on the beach watching the sunset. “The bad guys are in jail. Your sunburn is healing nicely. We have no more excuses not to enjoy ourselves.”
That was right. We’d found an all-natural sunburn solution of using vinegar and coconut oil. I’d slathered it all over me last night, and, to my surprise, my burn was considerably better this morning.
I leaned over and kissed him. “That’s right. No more excuses.”
“Though this wasn’t the way I’d planned to spend our honeymoon, I’m glad we were able to help Vivian, Cheryl, and Joey,” Riley said. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if we’d sat back and done nothing.”
“Just one more thing to love about you.”
Commotion in the distance caught my eye. The cast of
Looking for Love
was packing up and getting ready to call it quits. With Wally being questioned as part of this investigation, Vivian having been kidnapped, and Elite having been framed, the whole season didn’t stand a chance.
The good news was that Ricky had been offered a part in a movie, and Alastair was talking about using the women in a new series he was producing about life as modern singles. I had a feeling everything would work out.
Someone came running over to us across the sand. Joey.
She gave both Riley and me a hug. “I just wanted to say thank you. Without you both I might be dead right now. I can finally have my life back—a life without Skip. Devin thinks he’ll be spending a long time in jail.”
“One piece of advice,” I started. “Stay away from guys like him. And Ricky.”
“Of course. I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”
“Did Vivian ever tell you what she wanted to talk with you about?”
“Apparently Skip cornered her at the airport on our way here. We took two separate flights, so he didn’t see me. He asked her if I was on the show. Anyway, she got weirded out, but for some reason she wanted to share that with me as a warning. Maybe she’s not heartless after all.”
Alastair lumbered through the sand to join us. “I wanted to add my thanks as well. We’ll be airing two more episodes of the show. Ratings are through the roof, and we’re hoping to start up next season early. If the two of you ever want to think about reality TV . . .”
“Definitely not interested,” Riley said. “But thanks.”
“Enjoy the rest of your vacation.” Alastair waved before he and Joey walked away.
I drew in a long, contented breath.
Skip and his men were in jail. Homer had been scared straight and was now in rehab. The charges against Wally would probably be dropped, considering the circumstances. His wife was safe. Vivian was safe.
Meanwhile, Larry and Leonard were practically legends in town after people heard about their role in helping us put the bad guys away. Both of the men might as well have been Cary Grant the way all the single lady retirees looked at them now.
All in all, everything had worked out.
“I say we enjoy the beach, enjoy each other, and chill out,” I finally said.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“I love you, babe.”
“I love you too.”
“I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do with you by my side,” I told him, meaning it with every ounce of my being.
“That’s the highest compliment ever. Now, let’s get to enjoying this honeymoon. You are wearing sunscreen, right?”
I touched my shoulder. “You know it.”
“Just making sure.”
I slid my sunglasses on before leaning toward him and planting another kiss on his lips. “We got swept away in this mystery. Now it’s time to get swept away with each other.”
On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire drops out of school and starts her own crime-scene cleaning business. When a routine cleaning job uncovers a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong person is in jail. But the owner of the weapon is a powerful foe . . . and willing to do anything to keep Gabby quiet. With the help of her new neighbor, Riley Thomas, a man whose life and faith fascinate her, Gabby seeks to find the killer before another murder occurs.
In this smart and suspenseful sequel to
Hazardous Duty
, crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire finds herself stuck doing mold remediation to pay the bills. Her first day on the job, she uncovers a surprise in the crawlspace of a dilapidated home: Elvis, dead as a doornail and still wearing his blue-suede shoes. How could she possibly keep her nose out of a case like this?
I
t Came
Upon a Midnight Crime
(Book 2.5, a Novella)
Someone is intent on destroying the true meaning of Christmas—at least, destroying anything that hints of it. All around crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire’s hometown, anything pointing to Jesus as “the reason for the season” is being sabotaged. The crimes become more twisted as dismembered body parts are found at the vandalisms. Someone is determined to destroy Christmas . . . but Gabby is just as determined to find the Grinch and let peace on earth and goodwill prevail.
Gabby St. Claire knows her best friend, Sierra, isn’t guilty of killing three people in what appears to be an eco-terrorist attack. But Sierra has disappeared, her only contact a frantic phone call to Gabby proclaiming she’s being hunted. Gabby is determined to prove her friend is innocent and to keep Sierra alive. While trying to track down the real perpetrator, Gabby notices a disturbing trend at the crime scenes she’s cleaning, one that ties random crimes together—and points to Sierra as the guilty party. Just what has her friend gotten herself involved in?
“Promise me one thing. No snooping. Just for one week.” Gabby St. Claire knows that her fiancé’s request is a simple one she should be able to honor. After all, Riley’s law school reunion and attorneys’ conference at a posh resort is a chance for them to get away from the mysteries Gabby often finds herself involved in as a crime-scene cleaner. Then an old friend of Riley’s goes missing. Gabby suspects one of Riley’s buddies might be behind the disappearance. When the missing woman’s mom asks Gabby for help, how can she say no?
Gabby St. Claire is back to crime-scene cleaning and needs help after a weekend killing spree fills her work docket. A serial killer her fiancé put behind bars has escaped. His last words to Riley were:
I’ll get out, and I’ll get even
. Pictures of Gabby are found in the man’s prison cell, messages are left for Gabby at crime scenes, someone keeps slipping in and out of her apartment, and her temporary assistant disappears. The search for answers becomes darker when Gabby realizes she’s dealing with a criminal who is truly the scum of the earth. He will do anything to make Gabby’s and Riley’s lives a living nightmare.
T
o Love
, Honor, and Perish
(Book 6)
Just when Gabby St. Claire’s life is on the right track, the unthinkable happens. Her fiancé, Riley Thomas, is shot and in life-threatening condition only a week before their wedding. Gabby is determined to figure out who pulled the trigger, even if investigating puts her own life at risk. As she digs deeper into the case, she discovers secrets better left alone. Doubts arise in her mind, and the one man with answers lies on death’s doorstep. Then an old foe returns and tests everything Gabby is made of—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Will all she’s worked for be destroyed?
Gabby St. Claire feels her life is smeared with the stain of tragedy. She takes a short-term gig as a private investigator—a cold case that’s eluded detectives for ten years. The mass murder of a wealthy family seems impossible to solve, but Gabby brings more clues to light. Add to the mix a flirtatious client, travels to an exciting new city, and some quirky—albeit temporary—new sidekicks, and things get complicated. With every new development, Gabby prays that her “mucky streak” will end and the future will become clear. Yet every answer she uncovers leads her closer to danger—both for her life and for her heart.
Gabby St. Claire is crying “foul play” in every sense of the phrase. When the crime-scene cleaner agrees to go undercover at a local community theater, she discovers more than backstage bickering, atrocious acting, and rotten writing. The female lead is dead, and an old classmate who has staked everything on the musical production’s success is about to go under. In her dual role of investigator and star of the show, Gabby finds the stakes rising faster than the opening-night curtain. She must face her past and make monumental decisions, not just about the play but also concerning her future relationships and career. Will Gabby find the killer before the curtain goes down—not only on the play, but also on life as she knows it?
Gabby St. Claire is determined to get back in the saddle again. While in Oklahoma for a forensic conference, she meets her soon-to-be stepbrother, Trace Ryan, an up-and-coming country singer. A woman he was dating has disappeared, and he suspects a crazy fan may be behind it. Gabby agrees to investigate, as she tries to juggle her conference, navigate being alone in a new place, and locate a woman who may not want to be found. She discovers that sometimes taking life by the horns means staring danger in the face, no matter the consequences.
D
ust and Obey
(Book 10)
When Gabby St. Claire’s ex-fiancé, Riley Thomas, asks for her help in investigating a possible murder at a couples retreat, she knows she should say no. She knows she should run far, far away from the danger of both being around Riley and the crime. But her nosy instincts and determination take precedence over her logic. Gabby and Riley must work together to find the killer. In the process, they have to confront demons from their past and deal with their present relationship.
T
hrill Squeaker
(Book 11
)
An abandoned theme park. An unsolved murder. A decision that will change Gabby’s life forever. Restoring an old amusement park and turning it into a destination resort seems like a fun idea for former crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire. The side job gives her the chance to spend time with her friends, something she’s missed since beginning a new career. The job turns out to be more than Gabby bargained for when she finds a dead body on her first day. Add to the mix legends of Bigfoot, creepy clowns, and ghostlike remnants of happier times at the park, and her stay begins to feel like a rollercoaster ride. Someone doesn’t want the decrepit Mythical Falls to open again, but just how far is this person willing to go to ensure this venture fails? As the stakes rise and danger creeps closer, will Gabby be able to restore things in her own life that time has destroyed—including broken relationships? Or is her future closer to the fate of the doomed Mythical Falls?
C
unning
Attractions
(Book 12)
Coming soon
W
hile You Were Sweeping
, a Riley Thomas Novella
Riley Thomas is trying to come to terms with life after a traumatic brain injury turned his world upside down. Away from everything familiar—including his crime-scene-cleaning former fiancée and his career as a social-rights attorney—he’s determined to prove himself and regain his old life. But when he claims he witnessed his neighbor shoot and kill someone, everyone thinks he’s crazy. When all evidence of the crime disappears, even Riley has to wonder if he’s losing his mind.
N
ote
:
While You Were Sweeping
is a spin-off mystery written in conjunction with the Squeaky Clean series featuring crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire.