Melissa Good: Thicker Than Water

Thicker Than Water

Melissa Good

Copyright © 2004 by Melissa Good

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, trans-mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The characters, incidents and dialogue herein are fictional and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ISBN 1-932300-24-4

First Printing 2004

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover design by Donna Pawlowski

Published by:

Yellow Rose Books

PMB 210, 8691 9th Avenue

Port Arthur, Texas 77642-8025

Find us on the World Wide Web at

http://www.regalcrest.biz

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter

One

THE DAY WAS a perfect one for a festival: the sky a perfect deep blue, and the sun mitigated by a cool breeze coming off the aqua and green ocean waters. The infectious rhythm of salsa mixed with voices in a kaleidoscope of languages, moving through air filled with spicy scents and the pungent aroma of Cuban coffee.

One tall, one shorter, one dark, the other fair—but both had the same subtle confidence and the tanned skin of a native, and they rambled through the Latin festival with a sense of comfortable familiarity.

The shorter, blond one stopped at a stall and examined a long, striped skirt in a multitude of loud colors. “What do you think, Dar?” she asked, holding it up to her body. “Is it me?”

Her taller companion studied the effect. “Only if you’re Car-men Miranda on mescaline.” Dar plucked the skirt from the blonde’s fingers and hung it back up. “C’mon, Kerry. I think I see something more your style.”

They walked a little further and stopped in front of a booth selling embroidered vests. “There.” Dar pointed with one hand, her other held close to her body by a sedate muslin sling. “I like the one with the parrots.”

Kerry selected the indicated garment and slipped it on. It fit her neatly, and she buttoned it, then held her arms away from her body. “Yes?”

Dar dug a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it over to the woman behind the booth. “Yes.” She bumped Kerry, indicating the area where all the food booths were. “There’re a lot more people here this year than last year.”

Kerry looked around. The beach area was packed with bodies, a stage on either end spilled music into the air while the center was filled with arts and crafts exhibits, vendors, and rows of His-panic and Latin inspired foods. “Sure is.”

It was colorful and loud and fun, and a sorely needed break 2 Melissa Good for both of them after a very long week at their mutual workplace.

Kerry took off her new vest and tucked it inside the canvas bag slung over her arm. She was dressed in a tank top and denim shorts, which nearly matched what Dar was wearing save that her partner’s shirt was red and Kerry’s was a light, placid blue.

“How’s your shoulder?”

Dar shifted her arm slightly. Injured several weeks earlier by a maliciously aimed baseball bat, the limb had been slow to heal, and she’d returned to using a sling that morning to try and ease the nagging ache. “Better. Want to go sit down and watch the dancing?”

“Sure.”

They walked over to the right hand stage, sat down at one of the few empty tables, and leaned back to watch two experienced salsa dancers giving an exhibition. After a few minutes, Kerry moved closer to Dar. “Can we try that?”

Dar cocked her head. “What, salsa? Ker, you know dancing isn’t one of my many skills.”

“Hm.” Kerry rested her chin on her hand. “It looks fun.

Maybe we could take classes. I think the club on the island has them.”

“I don’t think my hips are structurally capable of doing that move.” Dar pointed. “Without dislocating a major joint, I mean.”

“Mmm…I don’t know, you’ve got some pretty good moves.”

Kerry saw Dar’s eyebrows lift and she relented, chuckling instead.

“Ah, it’s nice to have a weekend off, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Dar answered. “It really is.” The past month had been a difficult one and not what Dar considered entirely successful. In the process of executing a government contract, she’d stumbled on a criminal scandal and the news had been less than welcome. She exhaled. “Glad the Navy’s investigation is under the bridge and we can move on.”

“To the next base?” Kerry asked, inwardly hoping that wasn’t on the agenda. The investigation that Dar had triggered had thrown the naval base where she’d grown up into chaos, along with some old family friendships. It had been tough on her emo-tionally as well as physically, and by extension, tough on Kerry as well.

“Probably not,” Dar answered. “That contract’s on hold right now.”

Kerry straightened in surprise. “On hold?”

Dar shrugged her good shoulder. “I expected it. Waves that big probably washed up on the White House steps. Alastair said there were some questions being raised.”

“Questions? What kind of questions? We didn’t make that Thicker Than Water 3

stuff up.”

“I know.” Dar comfortingly patted her on the back. “But it’s a lot of stink, and they’ll probably have to figure out who to blame now. Other than us, of course.”

“Great.” Kerry frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Dar signaled the waitress. “Dos cervesas, por favor.” She half turned to Kerry. “I wasn’t ready to rush into the next one anyway.

Things’ll settle down.” She hesitated. “And I didn’t tell you because Alastair just told me last night. I didn’t want to ruin our dinner with business.”

A nice, romantic dinner out on the boat. Kerry scrunched her face into a wry expression, unable to disagree with the motive.

“You have a point there.”

“Glad you agree.”

The music altered and two new dancers, dressed in flamenco outfits, came up on stage. They danced with a great deal of energy, stamping and kicking with gusto.

Kerry watched them, her mind turning over Dar’s words. She gave the waitress a brief grin as she was handed a cold bottle, then she touched her beer to Dar’s. “Well, here’s to better luck in the next few weeks. I don’t want another couple like the last few.”

Dar clinked her bottle. “You’re on.”

IT WAS VERY late afternoon before they got home. Kerry put her bag of goodies on the couch and wandered into the kitchen, her mind sorting over the possibilities for dinner. “Hey, you in the mood for chicken?” she asked as she passed Dar standing in the open back door.

“C’mon, Chino.” Dar closed the door and allowed their Labrador retriever to precede her into the living room. “Sure.”

She thumped down onto a seat at the living room table and sorted through their mail. “You feel like watching a movie tonight? They have some decent stuff on pay per view.”

“You, me, a movie, and some popcorn?” Kerry grinned. “I think I could handle that. Pick something nice and gory.” She removed a few things from the freezer and set them on the counter before she joined Dar in the living room.

Their mail was a collection of the usual junk she noted as she picked up a few pieces and turned them over. Free software, applications for mortgages, pre-approved credit cards… “Spam.”

She noticed a purple envelope, extracted it from the pile, and turned it over to look at the address.

“Hm.” The envelope was addressed to her and she acknowledged the logo on the top with a grimace. “Ah.”

4 Melissa Good