1 Sunshine Hunter Read online

  “I checked the menu for the hotel restaurant, and it looks really good,” I told him. “And they have Reuben sandwiches. We could make it easy on ourselves and eat here. That will get us to the beach sooner. “

  “Ok by me,” he said turning off the television. “Let’s go.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  We were seated at a corner table in the restaurant. There were windows on both sides allowing us a view up and down the beach. It was spectacular. The pristine white sand beach was stunning; the glistening blue-green water of the gulf enticing. The dining room was light and airy with white walls, white columns, and white window frames. Light blue linen tablecloths with gold and dark blue accents added to the room’s oceanic atmosphere. Rich, mahogany wood floors gave the room warmth. I felt so relaxed. This was a welcome change from the fast pace of Slimmers and the racquetball club.

  I looked around the room. There weren’t too many diners at this time of day. If there had been a crowd for lunch, most of them had moved on to other things. A family of four was at a table in the opposite corner of the room. The children were somewhat noisy, but it was an excited noisy. They were enjoying their vacation, and their happiness brought a smile to my face. A man in business attire was seated alone a few tables over from ours, and I could see this would be a great place to slip away from the office, relax for lunch, and read a newspaper. The only other diner was a skinny guy seated with his back to us. His dark curly hair was shoulder-length, and he was hunched over his plate.

  An attractive waiter arrived to take our order. Darby smiled broadly at him and ordered for both of us, “Two corned beef Reuben sandwiches and raspberry iced tea, please.”

  “Ahhh …” Darby sighed, leaning back in his chair. “This place is beautiful. Isn’t this fantastic? I’m so glad you decided to come with me.”

  “I am, too,” I said with a big smile. “Darby, I have to ask you.” I shook my head as I wondered. “Do you always take vacations by yourself? Who does that?”

  “Lots of people take vacations by themselves,” he said. “It’s a great way to see new places and meet new people.”

  I had never thought about it like that before. “What did you have planned for the week?” I asked him.

  “I think there are boat races down in Sarasota tomorrow, and there are a couple of good restaurants I want to check out.” He paused before saying quickly, “And I have plans to meet someone on Thursday. You’re welcome to come with me anywhere.”

  “What did you say?” I asked with a puzzled look on my face. I think he tried to sneak something past me. “Plans to meet someone? Do you a friend here? A girlfriend?”

  “Promise not to laugh?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

  That could only mean one thing, “Oh, Darby, don’t tell me! You met someone online!” The businessman looked our way. I lowered my voice and said again with emphasis, “You met someone online!”

  “Well, I’m not the first person to meet someone online,” he mocked me. “We’ve been talking for a while, and Florida seemed like a great place to come and meet someone new. See, like I said, you travel and meet new people.”

  I laughed. I knew he wasn’t sure if he should laugh with me or be annoyed. “Well,” I reached over and touched his arm to reassure him, “I think it’s great. Tell me all about her.”

  “I don’t want to say anything yet. I don’t want to jinx it. But you come with me.” He saw my doubtful look. “We’re meeting at a Polynesian restaurant, and I would really be more comfortable if you came with me. If everything goes well, you can take the car after dinner and head back to the hotel.”

  That made sense. “Ok, if you’re sure,” I said.

  “I am,” he said definitively. “Now that that’s settled, what do you want to do while you’re here?”

  “I promised Sam I would run on the beach to stay in shape, and I definitely want to do some shopping. There has to be a racquet club somewhere in St. Petersburg, and I’d like to get a couple of games in. Beyond that, I’m open to anything or nothing. The beach is a good place for me.”

  Our food arrived and we spent the next half hour chatting and eating Reuben sandwiches that, according to Darby, were almost as good as mine.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The sand was hot and felt wonderful under my feet. I breathed in deeply. I loved the smell of the ocean as well as the coconut and pineapple smells of lotions and oils. The lotion in my bag had the same scent with an spf of 30 since I was fair and prone to sunburn.

  “Where to, Darby?” I asked as I looked over the beach.

  “Let’s go over there,” he said as he pointed to his right. “There’s an open chair with an umbrella.”

  “You can take the chair,” I told him. “I like my towel on the sand.”

  I packed three swimsuits for the trip and had chosen my favorite to wear today - a midnight blue, strapless, one-piece suit with high-cut legs. Bright pink flowers peeked out from the shirring on the side. Darby was wearing board shorts with a colorful tropical print. He looked like he should be surfing the big waves off the California coast instead of here in Florida. He was completely adorable, and I could see several of the girls on the beach looking his way.

  There were quite a few people on the beach, but it wasn’t crowded. Besides the normal couples and individuals, there were several families, and a few groups of teenagers. Approximately a hundred yards to our south, there was a volleyball game in progress.

  I unpacked my bag, spread out my towel, and sat down. Everything was almost perfect. I couldn’t help but wish Mick was here beside me. My phone was in my purse back in the hotel room, so I couldn’t check to see if he had called again. Darby had already settled back in his chair and was taking in the sights. His smile was permanently plastered on his face.

  I applied my tanning lotion liberally. I smelled like a pina colada. The scent almost made me want to forego the beach and head for the pool bar, but I was settled, so I lie back to allow the sun to have its way with me.

  An hour later, Darby was poking me with his foot and saying, “Hey, roll over, you’ve nearly reached lobster level.”

  I must have dozed off. I could only hope I hadn’t been lying there with my mouth open, or worse, snoring. Not that I snored, but it would be just my luck I would start today.

  “I’m headed for the volleyball game,” he said. “Want to come?”

  “No, you go without me,” I told him. “I want to turn over for a while and read my book.” I held my bottle of lotion up to him. “Help me with some lotion on my back before you go?”

  “Sure,” he said. He knelt down and took the bottle from my hand. The quick massage felt wonderful.

  “Have fun,” I called after him as he loped on down the beach. Once again, girls turned to look at him, and several started walking toward the volleyball court after him. He certainly wouldn’t have any trouble meeting new people here. I hadn’t even thought about meeting anyone new and wouldn’t have noticed anyone looking at me anyway.

  I hoped I wasn’t burning, and I really needed to cool off. I stood up and walked to the water’s edge. Five teenage guys with stand-up paddle boards were on the water directly in front of me. I had noticed them earlier. They’d been on the water for quite a while now and were laughing and having a good time. Occasionally a wave would come along they could actually ride. It was fun to watch them try.

  I waded in up to my knees and splashed water on my arms and legs. My senses were heightened as I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the waves, smelled the sea salt in the air, and felt the cool water lapping at my legs. I moved to my right through the water so I wouldn’t be directly in the path of the guys and their boards. I walked out until the water was almost up to my shoulders. It felt wonderful.

  The guys started whooping and getting excited again. A wave was coming, and it was a surprisingly big one. I turned my back to it thinking it would just wash over me, but the wave knocked me down and drove me to my knees under the water. I ca
me up sputtering and pushed my hair back out of my eyes. A couple of the guys were already coming back out with their boards, and one of them pointed in my direction and smiled. I looked behind me to see what he was pointing at. There was nothing there. I turned back and he was still smiling at me. I looked down. Oh my gosh! My right breast had popped out of my suit and appeared to be bobbing on the water. I turned away from the guys and the beach as fast as I could and adjusted my suit. A strapless swimsuit and an unexpected wave were definitely not a good combination.

  This wasn’t the first time something like this happened to me. I once went to a company picnic with cheater Louie. There were games, lots of food, miniature golf, and swimming to include an awesome water slide. At the top of the slide, the park attendant would tell you when you could go down. For safety’s sake, you had to wait until the person ahead of you had time to move away from the end of the slide. The attendant gave me the go-ahead, and off I went not realizing Louie and two of his drunken friends had completely ignored the attendant and were right behind me. I hit the water and those three oafs landed on top of me, pinning me to the bottom of the 3-foot pool. Someone grabbed my arm and dragged me up from the bottom. The guys were high-fiving while I was slightly dazed and trying to gather my wits about me. A woman at the edge of the pool suggested I might want to adjust myself. I looked down and my right breast had popped out of my suit. Later, several of the men at the picnic thanked me for the entertainment.

  Stupid right breast. I obviously needed to give up swimming.

  I was embarrassed and wondered how many people on the beach had seen what happened. I made my way back to my towel as fast as I could. I pulled my book from my bag and turned over onto my stomach.

  As soon as I started to read, I wished I had brought some chick-lit instead. The beach didn’t seem the place for Drills, Skills, and Strategies for Racquetball. I was serious about the sport, but not that serious at the moment. I put the book aside, lay my head down, and concentrated on the sounds of the beach. Gulls were screeching overhead, and waves were gently lapping at the shore. There was laughter from a small group of people to my left and occasional cheers and clapping came from the volleyball group to my right. The sun was hot …

  I awoke with a start, turned over, and sat up. I had dozed off again. What had awakened me? Darby was still with the volleyball players, but it looked like the game was breaking up. The group to my right was packing up their belongings, the guys with the boards were gone, and I noticed other people on the beach picking up their towels and bags and heading in to the hotel or out to the parking lot. I saw someone who I thought looked like the skinny guy from the restaurant. He was now on the beach, seated on a towel, and facing the ocean. He wasn’t in a hurry to go anywhere.

  I realized the sun wasn’t quite as bright as it had been. I looked behind me and saw there were dark clouds coming in from the east. This would either be a late afternoon soaker as was common in Florida, or it was a front coming in that would bring rain for the evening.

  Just as I finished packing my bag, Darby was back with his big smile and saying, “That was a blast! You have to join in next time. I know you’d be great, and you could consider it more training.”

  The raindrops were starting to come. I looked around and saw almost everyone was off the beach now except the knucklehead skinny guy. He was still sitting on his towel facing the ocean.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  It had been a long day, so we decided to stay in for the evening. The door between our rooms was open again. Darby had gone out to buy drinks and snacks. Our plans were to crash on his bed, eat junk food, and watch the new episode of Iron Chef.

  I fished my phone out of my purse and turned it on. Two more calls from Samantha today, only one more from Mick. There were no voice mail messages, so there couldn’t be anything urgent from either of them, but it wasn’t like Samantha to call me when I was on vacation. I punched her speed dial number. She finally answered on the fourth ring.

  “Hi, Sam. I’m returning your calls. What’s up?” I didn’t give her a chance to answer. “We got here just fine, I’m feeling better, and we’re having a good time, so you don’t have to worry about me,” I told her.

  “I’m not worried,” she said with a small laugh. “I called because I thought you should know something.”

  “Ok. What?” I asked. I felt apprehensive. This didn’t sound like it could be anything good. Her voice wasn’t as cheerful as usual.

  “Jerry had a heart attack on Saturday night.” She paused before continuing with her news. “Susan, he died on a court.”

  “Oh my gosh, Sam, that’s horrible.” My stomach flopped over, and I felt sick. “What happened?”

  “After you left, a couple of those cable guys were drunk and got into it,” she said. “They were on court number one, so Jerry was able see them arguing. He went in to break it up, but before he could, he collapsed right there on the spot. The paramedics arrived within five minutes, but he was already dead. All we know is he had a massive heart attack.”

  “I remember hearing sirens as I was dropping off to sleep,” I told her. “I had no idea they were headed to the club. I don’t know what to say, Sam. Do they think the heart attack was from steroids? I always suspected he was taking them. I feel so badly for his family.”

  “I don’t know about steroids,” she said. “Larry’s cousin, Dick, works down at the police station, and he told Larry that for now, it’s simply being ruled as a heart attack, and they can’t find any family other than an uncle who barely knew him.”

  “What about the man who shows up on Thursday nights with the packages?” I asked her. “Do they know who he is?” I had to put my theory out there. “I bet he’s a drug dealer, and there are steroids in those packages. Did Larry tell Dick about him?”

  “Susan, as far as I know, there’s nothing more,” she said. “It was a heart attack. There won’t be any calling hours, but his uncle has arranged a grave-side ceremony at Shady Rest Cemetery for Thursday morning.”

  “We won’t be back until Sunday afternoon, so I’ll miss it,” I told her. “If you can get his uncle’s address, or find someone close to him, let me know so I can send a card or flowers.”

  “Ok, I’ll do that,” she said.

  “Thanks for letting me know, Sam. I really appreciate it,” I told her sincerely.

  “You’re welcome. And by the way, I don’t know if I should bring this up, but I did ask Husky about Mick being married, and his reaction was, ‘What? I thought he got a divorce.’ So, if it makes you feel any better, Husky had no idea Mick was still married.”

  “Well, I guess that’s something.” I sighed. “I’ll probably call Mick later this week and give him more of a chance to explain. I haven’t made any real decisions about any of this yet.”

  Samantha sounded sad, “I hope this works out for you, Susan. Larry and I like Mick a lot, but you know we love you, and we want you to be happy.”

  “Thanks, Sam. Tell Larry I said hello, and thanks again for all the information.” We said our good-byes, and I closed my phone.

  Darby would be back shortly, and I would fill him in about Jerry, but I had a nagging thought in the back of my mind that the man from Thursday nights was somehow involved in his death. I didn’t know how I could find out anything while I was in Florida, but I was definitely going to look into it when we got home.

  Chapter Five

  We were speeding south on I-76 on our way to the boat races in Sarasota. All four windows of the Fusion were down, the wind was whipping around inside the car, but my hair wasn’t getting tangled this time. I had pulled it back into a ponytail, twisted it, and clipped it onto the top of my head. I would let it down once we reached our destination, but for now, it was safe from the wind.

  It was a perfect summer day. The temperature had dropped to a more normal 87°, and the humidity was more bearable after the rain had come through last evening.

  “Do you think you should slow down a little bit?
” I prodded Darby. After a year of too many tickets, I was more aware of speeding. At least I was when I wasn’t out of my mind with anger and driving while freaked out.

  “Nah, everything is under control,” he said smiling. “Have you ever been to the boat races?”

  “No, I haven’t,” I told him. “What can I expect? Do they drive around in a circle like at NASCAR?”

  Darby chuckled. “No. Today we’re going to see some powerboat drag racing. I think they’re running the quarter-mile today. The boats are killer, and they can run the quarter mile over 200 miles per hour – in about four seconds. You have to see it to believe it. And no one likes to see a crash, but if a driver loses control, accidents do happen.”

  “Ok,” I said. “This sounds like fun. I’ve been to the drag races before. A friend of mine from school ran a classic Mustang at Norwalk, and he let me ride down the track with him once. I almost had him convinced to let me drive the next -”

  Before I could finish my sentence, a green Sonic zipped up on our right and moved into our lane. Darby laid on the horn. “Come on, buddy, get over,” he yelled. But the car continued into our lane forcing us onto the grassy median between the northbound and southbound lanes. The back of the car fishtailed, and I was sure we were going to lose control. A bridge abutment was just ahead. I put my hands out to brace myself. I glanced at Darby and saw he had a steely look of determination as he hit the gas and sped up. I felt myself starting to scream as I was sure he was propelling us into the abutment. I closed my eyes awaiting the inevitable impact, but there was no collision. Darby had managed to maintain control and pull out from the grass and back onto the highway. The green Sonic was far down the highway now.