The Coral Killer Read online

  The Coral Killer

  Ruby West Cozy Mystery #1

  Anna Travis

  Copyright © 2019 Anna Travis

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Some real places have been mentioned, but the story, the Island of Leyenda, and its characters are completely fictional. The author worked hard on this, so it would be great if you could respect the copyright.

  For Jamie Vanasdale.

  My high school best friend.

  Who knew I was creative before I did.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About the Author

  Grannie’s Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta Recipe

  Chapter One

  R uby stared at her buzzing phone in disbelief. After a moment she shook herself and tapped out a quick text back.

  Very funny, David.

  “Ruby?”

  Ruby’s head whipped around.

  “Oh, hey Grannie,” she said, trying to pin a smile on her face. “You snuck up on me.”

  Grannie’s eyebrow shot up.

  “I’ve called your name four times,” she said. “Is there something wrong, Ruby?”

  “No,” Ruby said quickly. A little too quickly. “David’s just trying to be funny. What did you need?”

  “I said we just got a delivery order,” Grannie said. She handed Ruby a sheet of paper. “It’s for Sandy Turtle Cove again. One SUP. Drop off’s at three.”

  Ruby glanced at the address on the page.

  “Rental or resident?”

  “Rental, dear.”

  “Thanks, Grannie,” Ruby said. “I’ll get right on it.”

  She planted a kiss on Grannie’s cheek and grabbed her bag. Instantly, there was a whimper by Ruby’s knees, and their big Australian Shepherd licked her hand. Ruby looked down at the pouting, blue eyes.

  “You can come, Angel,” Ruby said.

  Angel whipped around in a tight, happy circle and dashed off to the laundry room. She was back two seconds later, with her leash in her teeth. Ruby took it, and the girl and her dog headed outside.

  The phone buzzed, and Ruby stopped to frown at it with a sick, angry feeling in her stomach. A minute passed, and then the phone buzzed again.

  I’m serious Ruby. Got the job. We can get a place. See how it goes.

  Disappointment washed over her, and Ruby shoved the phone into her backpack. She didn’t even bother to answer. Instead Ruby pressed her lips together and headed outside before Grannie could ask her any more questions.

  The bag buzzed at her again, and Ruby frowned at it before tossing both it and the leash into her Jeep. She stomped off towards the paddle shed. Maybe, if she was really lucky, somebody would steal her bag and the phone, and then she wouldn’t have to answer David.

  “Yeah, right,” Ruby muttered to herself. “Like that’s going to happen in Leyenda.”

  Leyenda was a small island town on the southeast coast of Florida. The locals made a living off the tourists, who came with cash to spend and left happy and sunburned.

  Crime really wasn’t an issue on Leyenda.

  Ruby pulled open the paddle shed, which wasn’t locked, and grabbed an adult life jacket and paddle. Then she hoisted one of the big stand up paddle boards off the rack, and headed back to the Jeep.

  Ruby loved the old, green thing, and more than once she had turned down Grannie’s offers for an upgrade.

  Ruby was a slender little redhead, but she was used to hauling the massive boards around, so she had the SUP strapped to the roof rack in less than five minutes.

  There was a barking, and Ruby looked back towards the paddle shed. Angel was down on their empty dock, doing her best to chase away the pelicans that insisted on perching there. She shook her head at the dog and lifted the tiny whistle that hung around her neck and blew. No sound came out, but Angel’s ears perked up and the dog came racing for the Jeep.

  Angel bounded in and plopped down in the passenger seat, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

  “You’re fighting a losing battle, you know, with those pelicans,” Ruby said. She shook her head, climbed up into her seat, and tightened her red ponytail. Then she turned the key and put the Jeep into gear, trying to ignore the phone buzzing in her backpack.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Ruby shifted the Jeep and wound her way out of the jumbled neighborhood. Beach bungalows and mansions backed up to the Indian River, with the occasional old fashioned farmhouse like her Grannie’s thrown in the mix. Leyenda had several residential areas like this one, including the one Ruby’s parents lived in, which was just a few miles further down the island.

  Ruby turned south onto A1A. Her bag buzzed again, and Angel looked down and whimpered at it.

  “Yeah, I hear it. I’ll answer it when we stop,” Ruby grumbled. “See how it goes! You’d think meeting a guy flying out on a mission trip would be a sure bet!”

  Ruby didn’t know whether to be furious or to cry.

  Angel whimpered again and Ruby reached over to ruffle the dog’s fluffy head. She glanced at her watch. Only 2:40. Plenty of time to spare.

  With a sigh, Ruby pulled off the road and wiped at the hot angry tears threatening to force their way out. “How could I leave Grannie? Just to ‘See how it goes?’ She needs me!”

  The dog stared at Ruby, clearly puzzled as to why they had stopped in the middle of nowhere, and Ruby’s heart sank. She couldn’t use Grannie as an excuse.

  Yes, her grandmother was a widow, but in the ten years since Granddaddy had gone to be with Jesus, Grannie West had shown herself more than able to take care of herself. The family had all thought her a bit off her rocker when she started the adventure rental company, but West’s Quests was a huge success. Grannie’s crazy idea turned out to be a real business that ran charters, eco tours, and rented out bikes, boards, and kayaks.

  When Ruby finished college a few months ago, she had felt totally lost, so when Grannie invited Ruby to come take care of her and help run West’s Quests, Ruby jumped at the chance.

  Over the last two months Ruby had decided that her sixty-eight year old Grannie didn’t need anyone to take care of her. In fact, Ruby had the sneaking suspicion that West’s Quests was not the only thing Grannie had going for her.

  No. Ruby could not use Grannie as her excuse.

  Angel whimpered again, and Ruby dug out her forever-buzzing phone.

  “He sure knew all the church answers, but, but— Aagh!” She tapped out an angry response.

  You know I wanted more than that.

  An answer buzzed back before she could sit the phone down.

  Nobody’s that old-fashioned anymore, Ruby.

  I am, she tapped. You said YOU were.

  The pause was longer this time, but just as she was about to put away the phone it buzzed again.

  Come on, Ruby. Change your mind. Last chance…

  Ruby stared at the phone. What if this really was her last chance?

  Her mind started to run away with her. She could end up alone, or she could try it his way, and—

  “No!” Ruby shouted at the screen, even though there was no one to hear her but the dog. She wanted to shake Davi
d. To tell him what a jerk he was for leading her on. Instead she angrily texted the best answer she could come up with.

  No thanks! Have a nice life.

  She shoved the phone in the glove box, where she would not hear it buzz if David answered her, and then turned to her dog as a few angry tears spilled out.

  “I’m sick of dating! If God wants me to have a husband, He’ll have to find one Himself!”

  Chapter Two

  W hen the Sandy Turtle Cove was put in, the developers dug channels up into the island so that they could put in as many waterfront properties as humanly possible. Half of the houses were owned by residents, but the other half were used as tourist rentals. Either way, since everyone was sitting right on the water, plenty of people were happy to pay West’s Quests for door-to-door delivery.

  It was impossible to miss the gated community. There were big signs along the highway, and a huge flag with a turtle scooting through sand waved from a pole at the entrance.

  Ruby slowed the Jeep just as she was nearing the gate. A shiny sedan was parked on the two-lane road.

  “That’s funny,” Ruby said. “That’s a pretty new car to be broken down.” She moved into the on-coming lane and pulled up next to the blue Sedan sitting half on the road and half in the ditch. The hood was propped open and a big man frowned at the engine.

  “You okay, mister?” she asked.

  The guy straightened up, flipping the lid shut on the cooler by his feet as he turned towards Ruby.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, mopping his forehead. He waved a sweaty hand at the engine. “It’s a rental. They said they’d send someone over, but I thought I’d have a peek while I’m waiting.”

  “Oh, okay,” Ruby said. She pointed at the gatehouse leading into the Sandy Turtle Cove. “Well, if you start to get burnt out here, go knock at the gate. I’m sure they’d let you sit in the AC for a bit.”

  “Aw, that’s nice, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon,” the guy said with a wide smile. “Besides, I’m working on my tan. Can’t go home without one.”

  Ruby’s right eyebrow shot up. This guy was not dressed for getting a tan. But she had no desire to talk to anyone just now, so she waved goodbye and drove on to the gatehouse.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Ruby rolled up to the gate and pulled out the paperwork Grannie had given her. The gatehouse door slid open and a scrawny fellow stepped out.

  “Hey Jimmy,” Ruby said with a smile. “Got a SUP delivery for… Number 5801.”

  “All right, Ruby. Gimme a sec,” Jimmy answered. He grabbed a clipboard from inside the little house and scanned down the list.

  “Let me guess,” Ruby sighed. “They forgot to call you and say I was coming?”

  Jimmy made a face. He stuck his head back in the AC and Ruby heard him call out, “Anybody get a call from 5801? Ruby’s got a delivery.”

  He came back out and leaned on the Jeep.

  “Sorry, Ruby, no call, no getting in,” he said.

  Ruby rolled her eyes. She started to put the Jeep back in gear, but Jimmy cleared his throat.

  “You still dating that guy? The one from the mainland?”

  Ruby’s face flushed an she hesitated a bit too long. A light went off in Jimmy’s eyes.

  Crap, crap, crap, Ruby thought.

  “You know what, Ruby? I can let you in this time,” Jimmy said. “Just make sure they call when you come back to get the board, right?” He reached inside the gatehouse and pushed a button. The gate lifted and Ruby rolled through.

  “Hey, Ruby?” Jimmy called.

  She sighed and stopped just inside the gate so Jimmy could trot over.

  “Gilligan’s has this great new rum runner drink—”

  Ruby held up a hand, cutting him off.

  “Sorry Jimmy,” she said. “Thanks for letting me in and all, but I’m kinda done with dating.”

  She revved up the Jeep and drove away, leaving Jimmy scratching his head.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  All the Cove houses were on stilts, and there was a blue car parked beneath 5801 Driftwood Drive when Ruby pulled up. She stopped on the side of the road and scratched Angel’s ears.

  “Well, girl, at least they’re home,” Ruby said. “We can drop this off and get today over with! Stay here.”

  Angel shook her fur out and gave an obedient yip. Ruby climbed out of the Jeep, taking Grannie’s paperwork, the paddle, and the life jacket with her.

  She hadn’t gotten far when a horrible smell caused her nose to wrinkle up, and the odor got worse as she walked towards the house and headed up the stairs. Something nearby smelled like rotten fish. A lot of rotten fish.

  “Wow,” Ruby said, thankful she had left Angel in the Jeep. No way did she want to ride home with the dog after she rolled around in these bushes.

  She hurried to the top of the stairs with its typical Sandy Turtle Cove porch and sliding glass door. Ruby glanced around. The Cove was nice enough, but it had nothing on Grannie’s one-acre farmhouse, or the one her parents lived in.

  Ruby knocked on the glass and stepped back with her best don’t-shoot-me-I’m-the-paddle-girl smile.

  Nothing happened.

  Ruby knocked again, and squinted to look inside.

  “Great,” she muttered. “All the lights are off.”

  She started the timer on her watch and leaned over the railing to peek at Angel in the Jeep. West’s Quests had a wait policy: deliveries will wait twenty-five minutes, but after that Ruby could take the gear home and still charge your card for a one-day rental. Ruby plunked down on a porch chair to wait, glad she hadn’t unstrapped the board from the Jeep yet.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Twenty minutes passed before Ruby heard another car pull up. Footsteps echoed up the concrete stairs and Ruby got to her feet, thankful not to have to spend another minute gagging on fish fumes.

  A brunette appeared at the top of the steps and Ruby put her smile back on.

  “Hi!” Ruby said.

  The woman took a step back in surprise.

  “Who are you?” she said with a scowl. “Is that your car in my spot?”

  “Car? Um, no,” Ruby said, still trying to smile. She wiggled the paddle and held up the jacket. “I’m here with West’s Quests—”

  “Who?” the brunette demanded.

  “West’s Quests,” Ruby tried again. “Adventure rentals… You asked for a stand up paddleboard delivery today—”

  “I never ordered any boards,” the woman said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

  Ruby had already stepped to the side, but the brunette pushed past her and stuck her key in the sliding glass door.

  “Okay, well,” Ruby started to remind the lady about the delivery policy, but the brunette stepped inside and slammed the glass door shut behind herself.

  “Wow,” Ruby said to herself as she picked up her things and headed down the stairs.

  She was halfway down when the screaming started.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Ruby dropped her things and dashed back up to the glass door. She flung it open and rushed over to the brunette, who was standing at the kitchen counter, still screaming.

  “What’s wrong? What—”

  Ruby skidded to a halt.

  A woman’s body lay sprawled across the tile behind the counter.

  A plastic carry tote with cleaning supplies lay beside her, its squirt bottles, scrub brushes, and other gadgets were scattered across the kitchen floor.

  Ruby did not bother to bend down and check for a pulse: it was obvious she was dead.

  The brunette spun around.

  “Did you do this?” she shrieked. “Did you kill the cleaning lady?”

  Ruby felt like she had been slapped.

  “What?” she gasped. “Me? No! This is your rental!”

  Ruby looked down at the body again, and this time she saw something that made the blood in her veins run cold. She grabbed the brunette and started dragging her back from the body.

  “Move,
lady!” Ruby shouted, but the woman twisted in her arms and started screaming again.

  “Look at her hand!” Ruby said, still moving backwards as they kicked the scattered cleaning supplies and a card reader across the floor. Ruby was small, but she was strong, and she forced the brunette backwards.

  The color drained out of the brunette’s face. “What is that? Why are there two holes in her hand?”

  “Snakebite,” Ruby said, making herself look at the body. There were two holes, and what was worse, they looked as if the snake had gnawed on the woman for a while. Only a few snakes chew like that…

  The floor shook as an older man came bounding up the stairs and into the rental, but before Ruby could say anything, the brunette gasped.

  “Snake!” she shrieked, knocking Ruby and the man out of her way.

  Ruby and the man both looked down in time to see a flash of yellow and red slide under the body. Ruby swallowed. There was a coral snake hiding under the body. They must have startled it when they kicked those cleaning supplies.

  Ruby sucked in a breath, but the room started to spin anyway.

  The old man looked at her, frowning.

  “Get out, girly,” he said. “I’ll get the snake.”

  “It’s… It’s poisonous,” Ruby whispered.

  “I know,” he muttered. “Get out of here and call for help!”

  The old man stepped towards the body and the snake. Ruby couldn’t help herself: the sight of him reaching for that snake sent her running out the door as fast as her wobbly legs could carry her.

  Chapter Three

  W ithin five minutes Ruby found herself sitting on the tailgate of her Jeep while a gentleman in his late forties gave her a quick check-over. The snake was tied in a pillowcase and laying in the front seat of the ambulance and Angel sat with her head in Ruby’s lap.

  “Ruby, hon, did you come into contact with any venom?” the man said.

  Ruby shook her head.

  “No, she was dead when I got there,” Ruby said. “The coral was hiding under her…”

  The paramedic shone a flashlight in her eyes.