No Place to Deceive Read online

  NO PLACE TO DECEIVE

  (MURDER IN THE KEYS: BOOK #5)

  JADEN SKYE

  About Jaden Skye

  #1 bestselling author Jaden Skye is author of the bestselling romantic suspense series CARIBBEAN MURDER, which includes 16 books (and counting), and which begins with DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1), a free download!

  Jaden is also author of the romance series A PERFECT STRANGER.

  Jaden is also author of the new romantic suspense series MURDER IN THE KEYS, which begins with NO PLACE TO DIE (Book #1).

  Jaden has always been fascinated with mystery, wrongful death, lies, deception and the power of the truth to prevail. Her romantic suspense/mystery novels feature strong female protagonists who must overcome insurmountable obstacles, and through them, she seeks to get to the very heart of the nature of justice and love. Please visit www.jadenskye.com to find links to stay in touch with Jaden via Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her blog, and a whole bunch of other places. Jaden loves

  Books by Jaden Skye

  THE CARIBBEAN MURDER SERIES

  DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)

  DEATH BY DIVORCE (Book #2)

  DEATH BY MARRIAGE (Book #3)

  DEATH BY DESIRE (Book #4)

  DEATH BY DECEIT (Book #5)

  DEATH BY JEALOUSY (Book #6)

  DEATH BY PROPOSAL (Book #7)

  DEATH BY OBSESSION (Book #8)

  DEATH BY DEVOTION (Book #9)

  DEATH BY BETRAYAL (Book #10)

  DEATH BY REQUEST (Book #11)

  DEATH BY ENGAGEMENT (Book #12)

  DEATH BY SEDUCTION (Book #13)

  DEATH BY TEMPTATION (Book #14)

  DEATH BY INVITATION (Book #15)

  DEATH BY WEDDING (Book #16)

  THE TOM’S RIVER SAGA

  A PERFECT STRANGER (Book #1)

  MURDER IN THE KEYS

  NO PLACE TO DIE (Book #1)

  NO PLACE TO VANISH (Book #2)

  NO PLACE FOR VENGEANCE (Book #3)

  NO PLACE FOR MARRIAGE (Book #4)

  NO PLACE TO DECEIVE (Book #5)

  THE KILLING GAME

  INVITATION TO DIE (Book #1)

  INVITATION TO MADNESS (Book #2)

  INVITATION TO AGONY (Book #3)

  Tap here to download Jaden Skye books now!

  Copyright © 2018 by Jaden Skye

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  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

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  PROLOGUE

  There was something electric in the beach air today that thrilled Sam. The huge waves had finally subsided and he walked barefoot in between the flotsam and jetsam the ocean had spewed onto the craggy shore. There was nothing he loved more than the beach after a storm.

  He bent over to pick up a broken shell, as he usually did. But this time something else caught his eye. It was big, solid—and it frightened him.

  Sam stopped and stared. A few feet away, under a pile of driftwood, a human leg stuck out.

  Sam felt as if he were in a dream.

  He ran over, pulled the wood off the body, and gasped. An older man, same age as him almost, lay there. Dead. His skull appeared to be brutally crushed in. The vicious blows all over the face told a story of pain and torment.

  “NO!” Sam shouted wildly to the empty sky as he leaned over the corpse, wondering what humanity had come to.

  *

  It seemed like no time at all before the beach was filled with cops, reporters, and photographers. Photos were being taken of the body. Yellow ribbons were being set up around the crime scene to keep people out and preserve whatever evidence hadn’t been washed away.

  What the hell good would it do? thought Sam. The ocean kept rolling in and out, washing all the evidence away. It probably had already. There was no chance this guy’s killer could have left any footprints that hadn’t been destroyed.

  “Did you know the victim, buddy?” one police officer asked.

  “No,” Sam answered, “I didn’t know the guy. Never saw him before in my life. I was just strolling the beach like I do every day.”

  Sam heard a cop mention that despite the injuries, it wouldn’t be hard to identify the victim. In fact, someone at the scene had recognized him right away. Morton Townsend. Owned a string of medical clinics in town. He donated a lot to charity, too. In fact, his picture was in the paper regularly.

  Very nice, thought Sam.

  And what good did all that do?

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was already mid-summer and the heat had grown thicker, making it humid and sultry down in Key West. Dressed in thin summer clothes, Olivia and Wayne were now in their office, just finishing lunch. They’d spent the morning going over their last case, congratulating each other and taking inventory of what had happened. After lunch they planned to look at what came next. No doubt about it, they’d done wonderfully in the short time since they’d opened their private investigation firm. And it was amazing working together.

  The heat was getting to Olivia, though, and she ran her hands through her long hair.

  “Too hot,” she breathed, taking another glass of water and drinking it quickly.

  Wayne got up and pulled the cord of the overhead fan, to oblige. Unfortunately, it just whirred the warm air around. Olivia couldn’t help but smile. Not only was Wayne smart and handsome, but he made her smile again and again. He always took the simplest possible way to solve whatever faced them.

  “The fan is nice, but how about some central air conditioning?” Olivia quipped as she felt drops of perspiration drip down her forehead.

  Wayne’s eyes sparkled. “The fan is healthier for us,” he replied. “What’s wrong with heat when summer comes? I, for one, love it.”

  “And I, for one, am getting sleepy,” Olivia remarked, feeling herself wilting. “And we still have a long afternoon to go.” They had said that their afternoon would be devoted to getting their next case. So far, they’d easily received a great deal of publicity; many people had called for help. The problem was they could only take one case at a time. Usually there was only a brief window open after one case ended before they could take on the next.


  “No worries,” Wayne always remarked, “our cases are out there waiting for us. We just have to let people know that we’re free when the time comes.”

  Olivia enjoyed Wayne’s boundless optimism. So far it had worked, too. Cases had come to them naturally. But still, at that moment, when the phone rang, Olivia couldn’t have possibly imagined that in the blink of an eye, their afternoon work would be done. And, before they knew it, they’d be on their way to Key Biscayne.

  Not expecting anything in particular, Olivia let the phone ring a few times before she leaned over and picked it up.

  “Olivia Wells? Is this Olivia Wells?” A taut young woman’s voice was on the other end.

  “Yes, it is,” replied Olivia, alerted.

  “You’re the Olivia Wells of Wells and Darrington Private Investigations?” The troubled young woman needed to be sure.

  “I am,” Olivia spoke slowly, as she flipped on the speakerphone so Wayne could hear the call as well.

  “This is Penny Townsend,” the young woman breathed. “I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened in Key Biscayne yesterday?”

  Olivia vaguely remembered a report of a murder on the news. But Wayne nodded emphatically, indicating that he knew all about it.

  “Please fill me in,” Olivia replied.

  “My father—my father—” The young woman’s voice cracked as she suddenly broke down sobbing.

  “I’m so sorry.” Olivia zeroed in strongly.

  “Someone’s killed my father and we need help,” the young woman continued in a raspy tone. “My mother’s going crazy, she’s totally out of control. The police are on it, but it’s not enough. To them it’s only routine business. To us it’s our whole life.”

  Wayne shook his head as he listened. “You’ve got a fine police force down there,” he said loudly. But of course the woman on the phone could barely hear him.

  “There’s no way this should have happened,” she went on. “My father was a good man, he had no enemies, believe me. We need you. My brother and I will not leave any stone unturned until we find the monster who did it. It was a horrible killing. My father suffered a lot.”

  “Awful,” Olivia breathed as Wayne took a few steps closer, listening carefully to every word that was said.

  “Thank God, I heard about you and your partner on the news during your last case,” Penny continued. “Everyone down in the Keys heard about it and says you’re absolutely tops.”

  “Thank you,” Olivia responded.

  “And I like the idea of having a woman detective down here with us, too. It’ll be good for my mother. She’s become unmoored.”

  “Does your mother want us down there on the case as well?” Olivia asked quickly.

  “My mother doesn’t know what she wants at this moment. You can’t ask her a thing. I’m taking over for now, along with my brother Lance. Lance agrees with me about hiring you and that’s enough. Are you free? Can you both come down immediately?”

  Olivia took a long breath and glanced at Wayne, who strongly nodded yes.

  “Fortunately, we are free right now,” Olivia slowly replied.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Penny exclaimed. “You have no idea how much this means to me. Do you want me to book the flight down here for you? My brother will make the hotel arrangements.”

  “We can book the flight,” said Olivia quietly.

  “Charge it to my card.” Penny’s voice got louder. “Charge everything to my card, including whatever fees you have. I’ll text you the number. But get here fast, please. My father’s gone, he’s dead. And who knows what’s coming next? We’re all alone. There’s no one left to take care of us now.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  As they boarded the plane for Key Biscayne and took their seats, Olivia moved closer to Wayne. The sky was clear and the flight was expected to land on time. Arrangements to leave had gone easily. Olivia and Wayne had packed quickly and he called to make reservations at the hotel.

  “We’ll get rooms down the hall from each other,” Wayne said.

  “Good,” said Olivia lightly, although she felt a tinge of disappointment. Actually, business was all they had focused on for a while now. Neither of them had said a word about their sudden, passionate embrace as their last case was ending. The kiss had struck like lightning and had been unforgettable, at least for Olivia. It had definitely changed the equilibrium between them, she thought. Olivia was surprised that Wayne hadn’t reached out again. But she knew above all that Wayne was careful and thoughtful. He wasn’t someone who would allow passing impulses to take over his life. Had their embrace been only a passing impulse for him, Olivia wondered, or was there something deeper growing inside?

  The plane lifted flawlessly into the cloudless sky as Wayne looked over at Olivia.

  “This is magical, isn’t it?” he said softly.

  That was a great way of putting it, thought Olivia. “It definitely is,” she agreed, hoping that Wayne was speaking about their relationship. There had been an inevitable quality about it and working together had only made their connection deeper.

  “I can’t get over the way cases just keep falling in our laps,” Wayne added.

  Olivia paused a moment. Wayne wasn’t talking about his feelings for her, but about the cases they worked on, the business they were building together. In fact, right after they’d packed, they both dove into their computers, focusing on whatever information was now publicly available about the murder.

  She had better listen carefully, Olivia thought. There was no point in getting pulled into something that wasn’t mutual between them. Perhaps the closeness between them was only happening in her mind?

  “We’ve certainly been fortunate about getting cases,” Olivia responded lightly, pulling a bit away in her seat, closer to the plane’s window.

  “Agreed. Let’s go over what we know now about Morton Townsend,” Wayne continued. “It’s good to be as prepared as possible when we arrive.”

  Olivia felt upset momentarily. There would have been nothing wrong with spending a moment reflecting on how good it was to be together, she thought.

  “Morton owned and ran a string of health clinics,” Wayne continued. “They were small, boutique operations for those who want special attention. These kinds of medical practices are becoming more common these days.”

  Olivia was aware of that. “I know about those operations,” she commented. In fact, her own parents belonged to a practice like that. And so did her first fiancé, who had passed away after his long battle with cancer. He’d joined a small, boutique practice too late, though, after his chances were basically over. It was painful thinking of him now. Olivia looked out the plane window and rubbed her hands over her face.

  “Anyway, so far, I haven’t seen anything at all questionable about Morton Townsend,” Wayne continued. “He was a married man with three grown children, a long-term marriage, and a fine reputation, including charitable contributions and works.”

  Olivia felt grateful for the research Wayne had done already. He was good at it and enjoyed it.

  “Morton also had a few clinics in Nashville, Tennessee, it seems,” Wayne continued. “He spent half a week there and half a week in Key Biscayne.”

  “Sounds like an interesting balance,” Olivia remarked. “We’ll have to look into both locations.”

  “Not immediately.” Wayne raised his hand. “First we have to check in with the police in Key Biscayne and discover their overall strategy. The murder took place in Key Biscayne, so the police down there are in charge.”

  Olivia and Wayne usually checked in with the local police as soon as they arrived on a case and Olivia was fine with that. As a previous officer on the police force, Wayne was more sensitive to protocol than she was. Olivia was newer at this work. After her first fiancé had died, Olivia stayed alone for a while. Then she’d met Todd, had a whirlwind romance, and quickly became engaged. But to her great horror, on the very night of their beautiful engagement, Todd ha
d been murdered.

  The murder of her second fiancé, Todd, had been so shocking and devastating that it literally pulled Olivia out of the life she’d been living. She then turned into someone obsessed with finding killers. It was the only way she could make sense of what had happened to her and go forward. Olivia had become a licensed private detective, with a keen eye and a surprising talent for seeing beneath the surface and unleashing the truth.

  Olivia now tossed her long, beautiful blonde hair over her shoulders and smiled. It was actually exciting to be embarking upon a new case. There was no reason to dwell upon whether or not her relationship with Wayne was going to deepen. In fact, thinking that way could become a terrible distraction. She tossed a quick look at Wayne out of the corner of her eye. He was completely absorbed on the computer, going over his research on the case.

  “From the nature of the injuries described, this crime had to be personal,” Wayne mumbled.

  “How so?” Olivia wanted more details.

  “Mort’s skull was crushed badly along with the bones in his face,” said Wayne. “Whoever did this was getting back at him for something, hated his guts.”

  “You can’t jump to that conclusion yet.” Olivia felt jarred. “It could have been a business deal gone bad, or someone could have been hired to take him out.”

  “No.” Wayne showed her a picture of the body.

  Olivia looked at it and shivered. Wayne was right. The killing had been intensely grisly. Many more blows than needed.

  “Overkill,” said Wayne.

  Olivia agreed. “Why?”

  “That’s what we have to figure out,” he replied crisply.

  “It does seem like some kind of vendetta,” Olivia added. “From the sound of his life, there was no reason for it, though. On the surface, everything seemed to be going smoothly. We’ve got a lot of digging to do.”