Free Found: A Matt Royal Mystery by H. Terrell Griffin Page A

was definitely on the upswing.
    A car turned onto Broadway from Gulf of Mexico Drive, its headlight beams startling me for a second. I moved to the left edge of the road, giving it plenty of room to pass. I could hear the car as it approached and knew it was slowing. I looked over my shoulder, but the headlights’ glare obscured my view. I stepped onto the grass berm, looking for an escape route. I had no reason to fear a strange car in my own neighborhood, but the adrenalin was beginning to flow into my system. I told myself I was being stupid, imagining things, finding threats where there were none. Still, better safe than sorry.
    I was a step or two from bolting into the yard of a dark house, when the car came to a stop and a familiar voice said, “Hey, Matt. You’re out early.”
    I turned to see a Longboat Key Police squad car and an officer I’d known for years. “Morning, Joe. Just running off last night’s pizza. How’s the night shift working out for you?”
    “Kind of quiet, but I did see a black Corolla that’s on my ‘watch for’ list. The same one that was tailing J.D. yesterday.”
    “Where?”
    “Parked a couple of houses down from yours. I ran him off, but I’ve been driving by every half hour or so to make sure he hasn’t come back.”
    “Was it the same driver Steve Carey stopped yesterday?”
    “Yeah. Some private eye from Tampa named Ben Appleby. Said he was working a case but wouldn’t tell me anything else. I had no reason to hold him, but I told him it would be in his best interest to get off the island until daylight.”
    “When was that?”
    “A little after two. He hadn’t been there long. I drove by an hour or so before, and he wasn’t in the area.”
    “Thanks, Joe. I’ll tell J.D. I wonder what this guy’s up to.”
    “No telling. Take it easy, Matt.” The window slid up and the car moved on.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    It was still dark and J.D. was fast asleep when I returned to the cottage. I looked at my watch. Almost six. I took a shower in the guest bathroom and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt I found in the dirty clothes hamper. They would probably last one more day. I drained the coffee pot and made fresh, poured myself a cup, and went back to the sofa.
    Why was Appleby watching my house in the middle of the night? Maybe it was time to pay him a visit. If J.D. was in danger, I needed to know about it. Should I tell her I was going to Tampa? Not a chance. She’d think I’d gone into protective mode and that would piss her off. She had told me often enough that she didn’t need my protection. I’d have to think on that some more.
    “You’re up early,” said J.D. as she came out of our bedroom. Her hair was tousled and the left side of her face was a bit wrinkled from where it had rested on the pillow. She was barefoot and wearing nothing but the old T-shirt she slept in. “Couldn’t sleep?”
    “Not well.”
    “Want to go for a run?”
    “Already been.”
    “Wow, aren’t we industrious.”
    “Want some coffee?” I asked. “I just made it.”
    “That’ll help.” She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a mug bearing the logo of the Miami-Dade Police Department. “What’s on your agenda today?” she asked.
    “Not sure.” I hated lying to her, but I thought it’d be better than starting an argument. “What about you?”
    “I’ll see if I can get with that witness Porter King and then I think I’ll go have a conversation with Captain McAllister. See if there’s anything new on Katie.”
    “Are you going to tell him about the photo you got?”
    “No. At least not yet. I need to know more about what’s going on.”
    “I ran into one of your cops this morning, Joe Carson. He said he’d had to run off that P.I. from Tampa, Appleby, about two this morning.”
    “Where was he?”
    “Parked down the street.”
    “Doing what?”
    “According to Joe, he was just sitting there. Maybe watching the house. I don’t know.”
    “I