Bob smiled. “How about we make a deal on that? I tell you something, and you let me take you for coffee when you get better?”

  “Bob, we agreed to next week, remember?” Skye said. “Just tell me something else you know about him.”

  He paused to think before responding. “Other than the random stuff? He’s said to know a lot about making cocktails. Some people say he’s actually good at it. I wouldn’t know because I’ve never tried that stuff.”

  “By cocktails, you mean?”

  “Those peddled on the street. There are places to get them around here, but I’m not going to tell you that,” Bob replied.

  “Is Mcheshi Avenue one of those places?” Skye asked.

  Bob tilted his head. “Where are you going with this?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “Yeah, that’s where the magic happens. He’s there a lot,” he confirmed.

  Skye nodded slowly. Tony was either working for Herbo to send a message or he was working for his mother, Curilla. In both cases, he might know where to get pure brown lace. There was only one way to find out. First, Skye needed to get rid of her nagging headache.

  It took several naps and a couple bowls of chicken broth for Skye to feel good again. By the next morning, the only things that reminded her of the incident was the faint discomfort in her right arm and the marks on her van.

  She’d told Kris everything that Bob told her, and they’d come to the same conclusion—Tony would be hard to find, although they asked Bob to look out for him. In the meantime, talking to Curilla would give them more answers and was safer than going back to Mcheshi Avenue. Kris had reluctantly agreed to support Skye until they got to the bottom of it.

  Right after breakfast, with Kris at the wheel, they drove to Curilla’s house.

  Once they got there, it took a few knocks for them to realize there was no one home.

  “Now what?” Kris asked.

  “We look around.”

  They circled the house twice, looking for clues, and found nothing.

  “Should we break in?” Skye asked.

  “Let me think about that… No!” Kris shook her head. “We’re not breaking in! We can wait for her to show up.”

  Sometimes, Kris was no fun. “Fine. Let’s head to my property and chill a bit.”

  Soon, they were relaxing on the beach with some fresh juice that Kris had brought in a little cooler. As they chatted, Skye spotted a thin sliver of smoke rising from the nearby hills.

  “I wonder who’s up there?” Skye asked.

  “Probably some kids,” Kris replied.

  “Or Curilla. She told me she likes going to look for plants there.”

  Kris pursed her lips. “You think she’d be up there? She doesn’t look like the type to burn firewood.”

  “She also doesn’t look like the type to date Nelson. Besides, if she’s not running from something, why not? It’s a typical day for her.”

  “You wanna have a look?”

  “It’s better than sitting here all day.”

  It wasn’t a long drive. They reached the sign that read “Seda Hills” and got off the main road onto a dirt one. As they got closer to the source of the smoke, it faded.

  “Let’s look near the cliff,” Kris said.

  “You be my guide. Take me there,” Skye replied.

  The dirt road narrowed to the point where the van couldn’t pass, so they parked by the side of the road, the van sheltered under a tree, and covered the rest of the narrow path on foot. The further they walked, the more trees they encountered. Soon, they were surrounded by a small forest. They kept going until they got to the cliff, keeping an eye on the plumes of smoke through the gaps in the trees. It wasn’t long before they emerged into a clearing. Before them was a cliff that overlooked the ocean and the shores below. An unexpected sight met them.

  They saw Curilla carrying a bundle of firewood toward a smoking firepit in order to start another bonfire. She stopped when she saw them.

  Curilla broke into a smile. “You survived.”

  Skye didn’t know how to react to this. Fighting back a stutter, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? And smart as I am, I don’t think you’re a figment of my imagination,” Curilla replied. “Welcome.”

  Skye scanned the area. There was a small tent a few meters away. She didn’t think Curilla was going to sleep there. It seemed more like a hangout spot for the day.

  “You’re talking about the accident, aren’t you?” Skye asked.

  Curilla feigned surprise. “You had an accident? Where?”

  “You know where.”

  “If you did, my apologies. I was talking about finding this place. So many people freak out before they get to the Garden of Eden. I hope you have no injuries?”

  “Cut the charade, Curilla. Where’s your son Tony?” Kris asked.

  “Your friend is feisty. She reminds me of my younger days,” Curilla said as she arranged the firewood in the pit.

  “She asked you a question,” Skye said.

  “Tony is an adult, and I don’t need to know where he is. Why?”

  “He’s the one who ran me off the road yesterday. I’m sure you know that by now,” Skye replied.

  Curilla shook her head. “He’s not very good at this running people off the road thing, is he?”

  “What did you do to Marge?” Skye asked.

  The older woman let out a shriek. “Easy there, miss. What’s the rush?”

  “This isn’t a game, Curilla,” Skye said, taking a step forward.

  Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t play games when it comes to Marge.”

  “So, what did you do to her?” Skye asked.

  “She got her just rewards.”

  “By that, you mean death?” Kris asked.

  “Death was being kind to her. She deserved far worse,” Curilla replied.

  “Where did you get the brown lace?” Kris asked.

  Curilla grinned. “It’s good to have someone who’s resourceful sometimes. It wasn’t hard to convince that old hag to have some evening tea with me to discuss important estate matters. It’s a pity she didn’t listen to me. She might be around today.”

  “You killed someone. Doesn’t that bother you?” Skye asked.

  Curilla chuckled. “Why would it? What will they do to me? What will you do to me?”

  Skye took another step toward her. “I’ll turn you over to the police.”

  “Take one more step forward and you’ll be joining Marge, wherever the heck she is,” a male voice growled.

  Skye stopped in her tracks. She turned her head slightly and stared at the entrance of the small tent, where Tony was stepping out. The rifle he held was pointed straight at Skye.

  23

  Unlike most people, Skye’s ears twitched to show she was truly afraid. She didn’t flutter her eyelids, have a trembling lower lip, break a cold sweat, or have a chill go down her spine like regular people. For her, it was her ears. They would twitch. She didn’t have large ears and always wondered how they looked when this happened. She imagined they flapped like an elephant’s, because they felt that way. It was a ridiculous thought, which, at the moment, didn’t matter. What mattered was that Tony, who she’d been told was unpredictable, was pointing a rifle at her chest.

  “I said, don’t move!” Tony bellowed.

  “I’m not moving,” Skye replied. It was only when Kris bumped into her that she realized Tony had been talking to her. “Stay still, Kris.”

  “Gotcha,” Kris whispered.

  “So, you’re here looking for me?” Tony asked as he straightened his stance.

  “For both of you, actually,” Skye replied.

  He smirked. “Why?”

  “Because I want to know why you tried to run me off the road yesterday.”

  “Occupational hazard. You look to be in fine form though. Are you sure you had an accident?” He shrugged.

  “You didn’t do a great job of hiding your license plate,” Skye said. “I traced the truck you used. It could use a new flame sticker, by the way.”

  “You should be grateful for that mouth. At least it’s intact, for now,” Tony said.

  “What do you mean ‘for now’?” Skye asked.

  “You don’t think you two are leaving here the same way you came in. You should’ve minded your business,” he laughed.

  “The same way Marge should’ve?” Skye prodded.

  Tony bit his lower lip. “You need to watch your mouth now.”

  “I’d like to. But since I’ve got nothing going for me, what’s the point? You better just tell me what happened and get it over with,” Skye replied.

  Suddenly, he rushed toward her, but he wasn’t too keen on watching his step. He tripped on one of the sticks Curilla had left next to the firepit, and his left leg flew into the air, along with him. As he went toward the ground, the rifle left his grip and rolled over the cliff’s edge into the water below.

  “What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Curilla shouted.

  All Tony could do was groan as he clutched his back. Curilla rushed to him and turned him over. He’d landed on a rock and was clearly in pain.

  “Oh, Lord, I think he hurt his back,” Curilla said. “Please, call an ambulance.”

  Skye thought she was being dramatic, but when she saw Tony’s shirt turning red around his lower back, she called. She also took the chance to call the police.

  Fifteen minutes later, Detective Bowe and an ambulance arrived together. Tony was given first aid and stabilized. While he was placed on a stretcher to be rushed to the hospital, Curilla was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car.

  “We agreed you wouldn’t try anything silly,” Detective Bowe said.

  “I didn’t expect this! I just wanted to talk to her. We were caught by surprise.”

  “As much as I hate to admit it, it seems like you found Marge’s killer. It’s time to talk to her now,” he said.

  “I hope she confesses. She already told us that she and her son plotted it.”

  “But, Skye, the question is why? There’s no motive yet.”

  “I have no doubt you’ll figure that out soon.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” He gave her a small smile, and once again, she couldn’t help noticing his dimples were on full display. “And by the way, call me Declan.”

  Skye nodded and felt her cheeks warm. Oh, good grief, she was a grown woman! Why did he always have this effect on her?

  Declan pulled out his car keys. “Follow us to the station. I want to hear the whole story.”

  As they left, crime scene investigators combed the cliff edge with evidence bags. Another party went to retrieve the gun. Skye hoped that her troubles were finally over.

  They spent two hours at the police station, where Skye told investigators everything she knew about recent events, from bumping into Curilla and Nelson to nearly dying at the cliff. When they were released to head home, they were exhausted. As soon as she got to the apartment, Skye hit the sack and fell into a deep sleep.

  The next morning, she was woken up by a hard knock on her door. When she opened it, it was Declan.

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  Still sleepy, Skye nodded. “Yeah, sure. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll be right back.”

  She quickly went to the bathroom and tossed her hair into a messy bun. Before she turned to leave, she swiped on a bit of lip gloss. She glanced in the mirror. Not perfect, but it would have to do.

  He was on the couch when she returned. “Can I make you a coffee?”

  “I’d love that.” He followed her to the kitchen and sat on a counter stool. “Sorry to bother you like this, but I thought it would be good to give you an update on the investigation.”

  Skye busied herself with the making the coffee. For some reason, she felt nervous. “I’m all ears.”

  “We spoke to Curilla. She’s a wily lady, that one, but she eventually caved in and confessed. She wanted Marge dead and asked her son, Tony, to provide the poison, which he did. He’s close to the suppliers and got the purest batch for maximum effect. She then invited Marge over for evening tea and spiked one of her drinks. Marge didn’t last the night. Curilla stayed up that night because she knew Marge was going to be dead. You just happened to be a convenient suspect she tried to frame.”

  Skye handed Declan a mug of steaming coffee, along with sugar and cream. “She’s a good liar. I was barking up the wrong tree all this time.”

  “She’s mastered her craft. When you got too close to Curilla and her movements, she got uncomfortable that you’d unmask them. She told her son to cover up their tracks by causing an accident. His success rate with such missions is hit-or-miss, and he clearly didn’t succeed because you’re still here…thankfully.” Declan gave her a small smile that sent tingles up Skye’s spine. After a moment’s hesitation, he cleared his throat and continued. “His main business is making cocktails, not eliminating people. That’s why it didn’t work.”

  “I’m not surprised that Tony was there to do the dirty work. Did she say why she wanted Marge dead?”

  “Other than the fact she despised her, she was angry that Marge was blocking a deal she was making with Nelson.”

  “I could’ve sworn she also wanted Nelson to herself.”

  The detective took a sip of coffee and shook his head. “They’ve done a lot of business together over the years. This was about money. With Marge out of the way, they could both make a huge fortune.”

  “Are you saying that Nelson was part of the plan?”

  Detective Bowe shook his head. “So far, there’s nothing tying him to the murder. Curilla said he didn’t know about it, and he says he’s innocent. So, we brought him in for more questioning but then released him.”

  Skye frowned. “Something tells me he knows something.”

  “The law needs evidence, and there’s none at the moment. This case is closed. Get some rest and do something productive,” he said firmly.

  “I hear you loud and clear, sir,” Skye replied. “Oh! What about the suspect with the ponytail?”

  “A distraction. Curilla lied to you to lead you off the scent. She knows not many people in Fedha have ponytails. You were out there alone that night. That’s why we couldn’t find footprints or fingerprints that matched with his around the van.”

  Skye sighed in relief. “This is so good to hear. I feel lighter already.”

  “I figured it would be a good way to start the day.” He rose to leave.

  “How’s Tony doing?”

  “He broke a few discs in his spine. He’ll need some time to recover, but he’ll get there. Of course, he’ll recover behind bars,” he said. “Guess what shoe size he wears?”

  “Let me think…” Skye teased. “Twelve.”

  “Bingo. That’s all I have for now. I need to go and interrogate him at the hospital. See you later.”

  Skye locked the door once he left and turned to head to the bedroom. She found Kris standing in the hallway.

  “How much did you hear?” Skye asked.

  “Nearly everything. So, it’s over now?” Kris said.

  “I sure hope so. Get dressed. I need your help with something,” Skye said as she rushed to the bedroom.

  “He told you to hang up your boots,” Kris said.

  “And I have, but we have some unfinished business to attend to. Trust me!”

  The unfinished business needed to be tackled before it got too hot, and Skye was grateful it only took an hour of digging up more of her property with Kris’s help to find what her mother had asked for. It was a small, dented, slightly rusty, metal case. It was light, so Skye knew there was no gold or precious metal inside. When she shook it, something moved. The tiny padlock had long weakened, and she dismantled it with ease. Inside, she found a miniature family portrait wrapped in a clear polythene bag.

  “That’s a slice of history right there. Is that you seated on your father’s lap?” Kris asked.

  Skye nodded, and a tear rolled down her cheek as memory after memory flooded back. She longed for those days again, when she didn't have to make tough decisions and her whole family was together.

  Maybe she could try and convince her parents to join her for a few weeks.

  “Let’s get out the tents,” Skye said.

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Kris asked. “Linus said he’ll give you the approvals you need.”

  “Forget Linus. He might give it to me with a catch, and I’m not selling.”

  “Okay. Then this is me asking… Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes,” Skye replied, wiping off the tears with the back of her hand. “I’m not building a motel anymore. It will erase the memory of this place. I’ll mark out the house’s outline and leave it like that. It’s going to be a campsite.”

  As Kris walked to the van, she spotted the brown dog. “What if he has a say about it?”

  Skye walked up to the dog. The closer she got, the more it backtracked, but it never ran away or snarled. When she was a foot away, the dog started wagging its tail. Skye got to it and patted its head.

  “I’ll call you Simba. You’ll be the lion looking out for me here, won’t you?” The dog wagged its tail faster.

  This was a fresh chapter, and she was ready for it. There was zero chance of more strange happenings finding her with the beauty of a bonfire under the open night sky.

  At least, she hoped not.

  See what kind of trouble Skye finds next in Campfire Fatality.

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  Thanks for reading Murder by the Sea. We hope you enjoyed this authentic Kenyan adventure with Skye. There are many more adventures on the way. If you could take a minute and leave a review for me on Amazon and/or Goodreads, that would be really nice :)

  The next book in the Skye Williams Kenyan Cozy Mystery is called Campfire Fatality and you can order it now on Amazon.

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