The Black Palmetto (31 page)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Sam got a cold bottle of beer from the fridge and stepped out onto the deck of
Slipstream.
He took a seat in one of the chairs under the awning at the stern. Pete, the pelican with the lame foot, stared at him from a timber a few feet away. Sam wished he had something to feed him. A fish jumped nearby and Pete snapped his head around toward the noise. He dived into the water, came up with something in his beak, and floated there for a minute while he swallowed it.

Though Sam had been home for several days, he had slept with one eye open, until the night before. He’d had dinner at the marina bar and grill, and a news alert came on the TV behind the bar. Senator Blaine had been found dead on the sidewalk outside his Georgetown condo. The reporter said the authorities thought the senator might have been shot by a robber. Sam had gone back to his boat and slept for ten hours straight.

Footsteps rattled the dock boards and he turned to see Simone nearing the boat with an overnight bag in her hand. She looked stunning in shorts, blouse, and sunglasses. When she stepped aboard and saw him, she smiled behind the shades and headed over.

“Simone.” He stood, took the bag and set it on the locker close by. “What’s the occasion?”

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I thought we might celebrate.”

Sam smiled. “Yeah, I’m up for that. Gin and tonic?”

“That sounds good.”

“Okay. Coming up.” He headed toward the door and glanced at the bag on the way by. A paperback book protruded from the side pocket with an airline boarding pass stuck inside. Slowing for a better view, he saw that it was for a flight that morning, from Washington Dulles to Miami. He went on and came back with the drink.

“You see the news about Senator Blaine?” he asked, handing her the glass.

Simone took a sip of the drink. “Yeah, I saw that.”

“You suppose they’ll ever catch the killer?”

“Not a chance.” She took off the sunglasses, lay her head back, and closed her eyes. “This is so nice. Why don’t you take me on a romantic cruise, maybe over to the Bahamas? We can hit the beaches and relax for a few weeks, maybe spend some of that money.”

Sam’s pulse swished in his ears. He could think of nothing he would enjoy more than cruising the islands with Simone, remembering how terrific she looked in a bikini.

“I’ll check my calendar, but I think I can swing that. You break it off with Karl?”

She gave him a smile, and something fluttered in his chest. “You were right, before. I just made him up.”

A word about the author…

Paul Carr is the author of
Long Way Down
,
The Cayman Switch
, and
The Black Palmetto
. A U.S. Navy veteran, he studied economics at Mercer University and worked in financial and computer-related positions before becoming an author.

He lives on a lake in Georgia with his wife, Elaine, where he is busy on his next Sam Mackenzie thriller.

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