Free Shamrock Shenanigans (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 19) by Kathi Daley Page A

beach, the scent in the air was going to be something else entirely.
    Charlie raced back and forth in front of us as Zak and I walked hand in hand down the narrow path the cook had instructed him to take.
    “Did you happen to notice if anyone other than Piper was missing from breakfast?” I asked conversationally. I’d pretty much narrowed down the suspect list to three, yet I still felt it prudent to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the others.
    “I didn’t see either Susan or Luke. Armand mentioned that Luke had gone out for a walk because of the break in the storm, and I assumed Susan was still sick.”
    “About that: She said she first became ill after finishing dinner the first night and was sick all night. She felt better the next morning and actually thought she’d recovered until she ate the soup last evening. Do you think someone could be adding something to her food to make her sick?”
    “I suppose it’s possible, but why would anyone do that?”
    “I have no idea. And the logistics of something like that would be tricky unless it was either the cook or Byron doing the adding. The way she described her illness didn’t seem typical of the flu.”
    “There are all kinds of flu,” Zak reminded me.
    “True. Still, my Zodar is telling me that there’s something off about this whole thing. I just haven’t figured out what yet.”
    Zak and I continued to discuss the various aspects of the investigation until we came to the wooden staircase that led down to the boathouse. We carefully made our way down and then let ourselves in through the side door, which the cook had assured Zak would be unlocked.
    “There’s no boat,” I observed.
    “The cook said Lord Dunphy doesn’t own one. In fact, the boathouse has been nothing more than an access to the beach for over twenty years.”
    “I’m surprised the waves haven’t destroyed it. They sounded pretty big the past couple of days.”
    “When we were at the top of the stairs I noticed that this part of the beach is protected by a reef. I imagine that’s why the boathouse was built here in the first place.”
    I supposed that made sense. It really was a pretty cool old building, even if it was falling into a state of disrepair. Zak and I walked along the wooden decking, which, unlike the rest of the structure, looked to be brand new, as we made our way toward the door at the front, which would lead out onto the beach. The view was breathtaking. The tiny waves that rolled in from the open sea didn’t at all resemble the giant waves I’d heard breaking in the background for the past two days. Charlie was in heaven, running up and down the beach, chasing the birds. It was nice to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine after days of rain.
    We decided to walk down the beach back toward the castle, which could be seen high up on the bluff. It was beautiful here, but I had to admit the isolation of the castle when the bridge was out and the residents and staff were unable to get into town would get tiresome after a while. One of the things I love most about my own hometown was that you could enjoy the feeling of isolation yet still be close to town and neighbors.
    “It looks like we aren’t the only ones to decide to take advantage of the nice day,” I commented as I noticed two people farther down the beach at the foot of the castle.
    “It looks like Luke,” Zak said.
    “And Susan,” I added. “I knew the two of them were making eyes at each other. If Susan hadn’t been sick that first night, I bet they would have hooked up then, as I predicted.”
    “Should we turn around to give them some privacy?” Zak wondered.
    “I can’t see them any longer. It looks like they must have gone on around the bend. Let’s go ahead and walk down to the bend, then turn around.”
    Zak and I continued to walk down the beach with Charlie, chatting about the magic of the scenery. It really was the best time we’d had since we’d been in the Emerald