A Dangerous Harbor (34 page)

Raul scanned the writing on the single page then looked up at Katy. "The parrot, my parrot was saved. Someone found him alive, completely unharmed, sitting by the road outside the gate to my property." His eyes searched hers. A link to his past was back to haunt him. Would he be able to let go and start anew as he'd promised? "My sergeant brought him here to your boat because he thought…. Then where is…?"

Katy looked up at him and waved her two-page handwritten letter in front of his face, laughing. "Your parrot has been shanghaied."

"Shanghaied?"

"It's only fitting, you know. Pirates and parrots go together." She scanned the second page and snorted. "Listen. She writes, '
She
only speaks Spanish but it's such a pathetic little thing we thought we'd take her with us, teach her some English. The kitten seems to like her so when our adventure gets us to Puerto Vallarta, I'll take the bird home with me. This girl needs some new feathers and I'm the one to give them to her.'" Katy shook her head. "My sister thinks your bird is a
she
. Oh. That's why… Raul, I told Leila about your parrot, the house, your family. This is Leila's gift to us."

He smiled, the long dimples giving his face a simple joy. "Then she has my blessing."

"I can't believe I didn't see it coming."

"That she would take your boat and my bird?"

"Not that. This has Gabe written all over it and Leila just happened to be ripe for the picking."

"You're not making any sense."

"The sailboat, as my sister Leila likes to remind me, was left to both of us, and Leila is on vacation and Gabe has talked her into taking him south. I only hope he doesn't push her out on some lonely dock and sail away."

"Would he do that?"

"Oh, yes, my darling, he would," she said, reaching out to grab his hand and lead him away. "Let's go have that breakfast you promised me and I'll tell you the whole story."

The End

For more about RP
Dahlke

www.rpdahlke.com

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Praise for RP
Dahlke's
Books:

A DEAD RED CADILLAC:

"Ex model and
motorhead
,
Lalla
Bains
, pilots us through a murder investigation with more twists and turns than the coast highway and with an ending more satisfying than the purr of a perfectly tuned '58 Cadillac." Lesley Diehl, author of
A Deadly Draught
, Mainly Murder Press;
Dumpster Dying,
Oak Tree Press 
www.lesleydiehl.com
http://anotherdraught.blogspot.com/

"Fresh and fun! With its engaging, down-on-her-luck sleuth, homicidal Caddy and a decades-old mystery, R.P.
Dahlke's
promising debut, A DEAD RED CADILLAC, will keep you turning those pages and guessing wrong right up to its surprising conclusion."

 
Kris
Neri
, Lefty Award-nominated author of REVENGE FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE

"Fast paced and fun with an outwardly tough but inwardly vulnerable lady-pilot, drug smuggling and plenty of eccentric characters."

Rhys Bowen, award-winning author of the Molly Murphy and Royal
Spyness
mysteries. Bless the Bride, March 2011

A DEAD RED HEART:

"Author R P
Dahlke
has combined suspenseful murder and even humor in the creation of A Dead Red Heart. I found myself changing my opinion about each character at least once as I turned the pages. And I have to admit, I didn't come up with the real murderer until the end. This author really kept me guessing and changing my mind." Martha
Cheves
, Reviewer, Stir, Laugh, Repeat

"I'm a sucker for places I've never been and I'm overjoyed when I come across a setting/location that puts me there as R. P.
Dahlke
does with
Modesto
,
Calif.

Also I love a kick-butt heroine with a sense of humor and a good heart.
Lalla
Bains
is all that and more. A former model turned crop-duster pilot (sounds weird, but good writing and plotting makes it plausible) Sheriff Caleb Stone is her long-time boyfriend. Their interactions are funny, aggravating or heart-rending.
Lalla's
family owns the crop dusting business. Another memorable character is her dad who fights against odds to keep the company going when there are those who'd like to see it go under. If it kills her,
Lalla
, a woman addicted to danger, won't let them have their way."
Gerrie
Ferris Finger, Award Winning Author of End Game

More of
Lalla
Bains
can be found at Kindle:
http://tinyurl.com/6hdg3bf