Free Death by Lime: A Key West Culinary Cozy - Book 5 by Summer Prescott

trembling Kelcie, but opened her arms wide when her weary daughter came up the beach to the parking lot and enveloped her in a warm group hug.
    “I’m so proud of you,” she said, kissing her daughter’s hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. “But I swear, young lady, if you ever pull anything like that again…” she warned.
    “I know, I know, Mom. It’s all good,” she replied. “Let’s get Kelcie home,” she said, indicating the miserable, shivering young woman with a glance.
    “I agree. It’s girls night, and I won’t take no for an answer,” Marilyn declared, her arm still around her traumatized assistant, who indicated her agreement with a shaky nod.
    Bernard approached them as the uniformed officers wrestled the belligerent killer into a squad car.
    “Are you going home with Marilyn?” he asked Kelcie, who nodded again. “Good. I’ll need to get a statement from you, but it can wait until the morning,” he advised her. “Get some rest – I know that this couldn’t have been easy for you.”
    “Thanks, Bernard,” Marilyn smiled gratefully.
    “And you…” he looked at Tiara, who stood protectively by Kelcie’s side, shielding her from the sight of her stalker struggling with the police. “Should I let you know if there’s an opening for another officer?” he teased.
    “Nah, I think I’ve dealt with enough bad guys for a lifetime,” she grinned at his compliment.
    “That’s right, young lady, you shouldn’t…” her mother began.
    “Uh, we’re just going to be on our way, if you don’t mind, Detective,” Tiara interrupted before her mother could go off on a tangent.
    “Take it easy, ladies,” he gave them a brief smile before heading over to his car.
     

Chapter 18
    “How does it feel to be able to walk alone again without being afraid?” Marilyn asked Kelcie as they prepared vanilla cupcakes with key lime filling and buttercream frosting.
    “Honestly, I’m still pretty paranoid. I’m hyper-aware of everything that’s going on around me, and I jump if I hear unfamiliar sounds, but it’s getting better with every day that passes. It’s nice not to have to be afraid to open my door…although I still haven’t ordered takeout for quite some time,” she smiled ruefully.
    “Well, that’s completely understandable,” her boss replied, finishing the frosting on a cupcake with a flourish. They both heard the bell over the door jangle.
    “Do you want me to get that?” Kelcie asked, peeling off her plastic gloves.
    “Would you please? Tiara hasn’t returned from her dental appointment yet.”
    “Of course, no problem, I’ll be right back,” the assistant assured her.
    Marilyn had a strange feeling that for whatever reason, she should follow Kelcie to make sure everything was okay, so she stood, out of sight, behind the door that led from the front to the kitchen, observing.
    Kelcie squared her shoulders when she saw who was standing in front of the counter. “Good morning, Mr. Eckels, how may I help you?” she asked politely, not even bothering to try out a smile.
    “You hated my pie. They told me. My grandma makes the best pie, and you hated it, and you took the job that I was supposed to have,” he accused, blinking rapidly at her.
    Marilyn observed Kelcie’s back stiffen, and saw a red flush creeping up the back of her neck to the tips of her ears.
    “You know what, Terrible Tim? I’ve had just about enough of your weirdness and accusations. I didn’t even try your stupid pie because I thought that you might be trying to make me sick, like you did with Ms. Hayes and Tiara when you gave them a pie. The detective took the pie for evidence because you act so creepy all the time that we thought you might be dangerous. I applied for this job just like you. I got it. I work my tail off every second that I’m here, and I deserve to be here, so you need to quit hassling me, because I’m not going to stand for it anymore. Either you pick something out of the