Free Terror on Tybee Island (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 3) by Deborah Malone

walk through the door any minute.
    “I guess Grace didn’t take too kindly to Jasmine?” Dee Dee took a long sip from her sweet tea, let out a big “ahhh,” and set her glass back down.
    “Ha! That’s an understatement. Grace was out for blood. I don’t know how she did it, but she dug up all the dirt she could on Jasmine, and then made sure everyone in the club knew about it.”
    “What did she discover that was so awful?” I was beginning to get a feel of just how mean and spiteful Grace had been.
    “She’d made some bad decisions when she was young. We’ve all done things in our youth we wish we could go back and change. Grace found out Jasmine served time in jail for possession of marijuana. Even though it had been over fifteen years, members didn’t want someone with a record for their president.”
    Another waitress returned with our orders. The food looked and smelled delicious.
    “Wow, get a gander at these sandwiches. They’re Papa Bear size.” Dee Dee was right. The portions were the largest I’d seen. Steak fries covered three-fourths of the plate. We took a few minutes to doctor with condiments waiting on the table.
    “Mmm, this is good.” A glob of tartar sauce oozed out on the corner of Dee Dee’s mouth. I pointed to my mouth to clue her in. She shot us an embarrassed look and wiped off the offending sauce. Quiet enveloped our table while we tamed our hunger. Once sated, we talked between bites.
    “Ruth, what did Jasmine do when she wasn’t allowed to run?” I dipped a crispy fry in a lake of ketchup and popped it in my mouth.
    “She was madder than a pirate who’d lost his booty. Jasmine stood up at the meeting and told Grace she was going to put a stop to her antics. Then she just walked out. I haven’t seen her at another meeting.” Ruth pushed her empty plate away.
    “Ladies, would you like dessert?” Our lady pirate offered dessert menus.
    “I don’t know. I’m full as a tick.” I patted my belly to prove it.
    Dee Dee elbowed me. “Hey, speak for yourself.” She pointed to a picture on the menu. “Look at this.” She jabbed her finger at a chocolate dessert. “Pirate’s Booty. I’ll have this please.”
    My mouth watered. “Wanna share?”
    “I don’t think so.” Dee Dee looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Ruth said she’d share with me so we ordered two Pirate’s Booty double chocolate desserts. Oh well, what’s a girl to do? After all, we were on vacation.
    We sat back to wait. “Ruth, can you tell us how we could get in touch with Jasmine?”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    S he works at one of the local tourist shops, Pirate’s Treasure. She’s listed in the phone book as Jasmine Watters.”
    “Dee Dee, are you getting this down?” She nodded as she wrote in her notebook.
    The waitress returned with our desserts. I cut mine in half and handed Ruth a portion. Dee Dee stuck her finger in the icing and plopped the gooey sweetness into her mouth. “Mmm. Aren’t you glad you ordered your own?”
    The next few minutes were quiet except for a few mmms and aahs as we devoured the scrumptious treat. We thanked Ruth for her help and said our good-byes.
    “The list grows longer,” Dee Dee noted.
    “Who’s on the roll so far?”
    Dee Dee retrieved her notebook and shoved it toward me. “Take a gander.”
    1.  Mary Sue Bartlett – Grace’s former cook.
    2.   Bert Watkins – Grace’s ex-husband.
    3.  Jasmine Watters – wanted to run for president of Save the Turtles.
    “Dee I know we don’t have George written down. I mean there’s no need for him to be on the list, but I still have qualms about him.”
    I drove back toward the Inn.
    Dee surveyed our list of suspects. “We can’t forget to find out his address and tag number tonight so Beau can run a background check on him.”
    I had an idea and slowed to make a turn. “Let’s take a detour and check out the lighthouse.”
    “Sounds good to me. Your camera’s in the backseat if you want