Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“Is Hurd excited about your cigarette butts?” Ham asked.

“What’s this about cigarette butts?” Ginny asked.

Holly got to her feet. “Ham will explain it to you. I’m going to head home; drinking wine at lunch always makes me want a nap.”

“We still going flying?” Ginny asked.

“How about tomorrow afternoon, say four o’clock?”

“I’m good then. See ya.”

Holly kissed them both and drove toward home. Once, she looked into the glove compartment just to be sure the bag was still there.

15

As Holly approached her front gate she saw a car parked on the side of the road a few yards from the gate-a blue Chevrolet, she thought. As she pulled up to the gate, Jimmy Weathers stuck his head outside the window and waved. She beckoned him to follow.

They both got out of their cars at the front door, and Daisy ran to greet Jimmy. “Hey, Jimmy,” Holly said.

“Hey, Holly, can I come in a minute?”

“Sure.” Holly unlocked the front door, and they entered. “That your car?” she asked.

“No, it’s an unmarked police car. Bruno promoted me to detective, so I’m working in a plain car and civvies now.”

“Congratulations, Jimmy. You want something to drink?”

“Something soft would be good; I’m working.”

Holly got a Diet Coke out of the fridge and handed it to him. “How’s your investigation going?”

“Well, Hurd and Lauren have kind of started to get in my way. I just spent a couple of hours with Lauren at the marina.”

“I guess that’s partly my fault,” Holly said. “I called Hurd when Daisy found the body on the beach. I don’t think you’re going to be able to do much about Hurd and his new unit, except develop your own leads, and even then you’ll have to keep him updated on what you turn up.”

“I talked to him a few minutes ago,” Jimmy said. “He told me about the cigarette butts. Do you think you could give them to me?”

“Hurd’s coming by to pick them up later,” Holly said. “Anyway, you’d just have to send them to the state lab for testing, which is what Hurd will do, too.”

“I guess I just wanted to impress Bruno with them,” Jimmy said.

“Catch the perp,” Holly said. “That’ll impress him. Tell me, does Bruno smoke?”

“I don’t think so.”

“He was quitting when I knew him,” Holly said. “I just wondered if he’s started again.”

“I’ve never seen him smoke. Is Bruno a suspect in your mind?”

“I don’t have any reason to suspect him,” Holly replied, “but I don’t have any reason not to, either.”

“He has a boat at the Indian River Marina,” Jimmy said.

“Oh?”

“But so do I.”

“What kind of a boat do you have?”