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  PIER PRESSURE

  By Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey’s book are fun!”

  Janet Evanovich

  Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.” Coffee Time Romance

  “Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”

  ParaNormalRomance

  “I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”

  Fallen Angel Review

  Maggie Thomas, P.I. and her orthopedic shoe wearing sidekick Dorothy Raye return. When Maggie witnesses a horrific accident it doesn’t take long for her to discover it was no accident. The victim’s wife hires Maggie to find the killer. But Detective Jake Jackson thinks he already knows the identity of the killer. Maggie disagrees. Who is right and will their opposing views cause friction in their new relationship?

  Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)

  Paranormal P.I. Series

  What the Hex?

  The Hex With It

  Chase Charley Series:

  Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake

  Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes

  Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:

  These Haunts are Made for Walking

  A Walk on the Haunted Side

  Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk

  Walk this Way, Haunt this Way

  Take a Haunted Walk With Me

  Hauntin’ After Midnight

  Haunted Vintage Series:

  Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt

  Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

  Book 4 – Haunted is Always in Fashion

  Book 5 – If the Haunting Fits, Wear It June 2017

  Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Crime Wave

  Book 2 – Murder is a Beach

  Book 3 – Wipe Out

  Book 4 – Coming August 2017

  The Halloween LaVeau Series:

  Book 1 – Forever Charmed

  Book 2 – Charmed Again

  Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm

  Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure

  Book 5 – A Charmed Life

  Book 6 – Charmed Ever After

  Book 7—Once Upon a Charmed Time

  Book 8 – Charmed to Death

  The Hadley Wilds Series:

  Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style

  The Rylie Cruz Series:

  Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf

  Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire

  Book 3 – How to Date a Demon

  The Larue Donovan Series:

  Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends

  Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out

  Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door

  Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams

  The Mystic Café Series:

  Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells

  Book 2 – Pies and Potions

  Book 3 — Spells a la Carte

  The Veronica Mason Series:

  Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead

  A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:

  Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel

  Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide

  The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House

  Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Dedication

  This is to you and you know who you are.

  Acknowledgements

  To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.

  Index

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 1

  My day started perfectly. It felt as if I was in paradise. This lasted approximately five minutes before utter chaos surrounded me.

  Allow me to explain. The sun beat down on me, bathing my skin in warmth. The endless blue sky stretched out above me. I lay on my back, allowing the calm to engulf me. The boat swayed back and forth in rhythm with the water. I wore my newest yellow bikini—my collection of swimwear had grown significantly since arriving in Miami. To shade my head I wore a large floppy straw hat. Oversized black sunglasses covered my eyes, not to mention half my face. This was the life.

  Since taking over my uncle Griffin Thomas’ detective agency I’d encountered numerous dangerous situations and even solved a few cases. I’d dodged bullets, been involved in car chases, and almost been eaten by a shark. They’d said it was seaweed stuck to my leg, but I wasn’t convinced. When I took over the business I’d thought I’d have a few insurance fraud cases, or maybe follow cheating spouses. It had been much more than that. For that reason, I was enjoying a chance to unwind and relax. Sunning on a boat off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean seemed like a little slice of heaven. Yes, Thomas Detective Agency was all mine now. Maggie Thomas, P.I.—that was me.

  Of course, I wasn’t alone on this boat. That was another wonderful part of my day.

  Detective Jake Jackson had come into my life like a whirlwind after the first murder case. After solving that case, there had been others, and he seemed to be there for every one of them. Lucky for me Jake had been there. Not only was he dashingly handsome, he’d helped me out of a jam a time or two. It was always nice to know someone had my back. Although I still felt as if he doubted my detective skills, but I didn’t care right now. I was enjoying our time together.

  It had been Jake’s idea to take me out on this boat. He said we both needed to unwind after that last dangerous investigation. With him currently shirtless and behind the wheel of the boat, I admired Jake’s sculpted physique. His broad shoulders tapered down to a trim waist. I’d known that underneath those dress shirts and trousers he always wore for work he was hiding a buff body.

  Normally Jake’s short dark hair was never out of place, but today the wind had given it a wild, unkempt look. Jake’s skin glistened with a golden glow in the sunlight. He glanced back and flashed his pearly white teeth. His eyes matched the color of the dazzling blue water.

  Things had been happening nonstop since I’d arrived in Miami. At least I wasn’t alone in my agency. My assistant Dorothy Raye made eve
ry work day interesting. She liked to spend her time knitting and shoving peppermint candies covered in lint at me or anyone who would take one. Crossword puzzles and Bunco were also some of her hobbies. More about her later.

  I moved my big sunglasses down and peeked at Jake. He was at the front of the boat. I was glad he was navigating instead of me. I sat up and looked around at the water. It was easy to feel like nothing more than a tiny speck in the immense universe out here on the ocean. There was another boat not too far away though. It was much bigger than Jake’s cuddy cabin, but his boat was the perfect size for us.

  Jake certainly enhanced the scenery and that was saying a lot considering the surroundings of the vast ocean around us. His arm and back muscles flexed as he navigated. I was still learning about boats, but I’d figured a few things about them since meeting Jake. Jake liked to fish, but I was more of a relaxing-in-the-warm-sun kind of girl.

  As I watched the other boat, a huge bang echoed on the wind. A plume of flames shot skyward. The boat had exploded right before my eyes.

  I screamed out in shock. Jake raced back to me, almost slipping as the boat moved with a wave. His first instinct was to check on me. No need to worry about me. I was fine, but I couldn’t say the same for the poor people on that boat. If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it. I'd seen things like this in the movies, but that was make believe. This was real life, although it seemed surreal at the moment. My heartbeat thumped in my ear. After seeing something like that my adrenaline was pumping. All that was left was the debris from the once large white boat.

  “Maggie, are you hurt?” Jake asked.

  I stared at what remained of the boat. Flames came from what was left of the thing. “I’m okay.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off that boat. Who was on it? What a horrific event. Why would the boat have blown up? Boats didn’t just blow up. At least not that I knew of. Would our boat blow up next? Maybe I should abandon ship. Jake pulled out his phone and called for help. Next he headed in the direction of the boat.

  “Do you think anyone survived?” I asked.

  “It’s unlikely with the level of explosion.”

  We moved closer to boat. It was basically nothing more than debris. Pieces floated in the water around the larger section that remained. I had no idea what anything was. It would be hard to make out what the pieces had once been. It was a horrific scene. I didn’t see bodies, but that didn’t mean they weren’t in the water on the other side of the boat wreckage.

  “I have to take you back to shore,” Jake said.

  “What do you mean you have to take me back to shore?” I asked.

  “The police will be here soon. It’s too dangerous out here for you. What if there’s another explosion?”

  “I don’t think there’s anything left to explode on that boat.” I gestured.

  Did he mean his boat? If that was the case maybe we should go back.

  “With the flames there could be another explosion,” Jake said.

  Okay, whew. Maybe he wasn’t talking about our boat. The faint sound of crackling carried across the wind. Other than that things were peaceful again on the water. A stark contrast to the scene of the exploding boat.

  “What do you think happened?” I asked Jake, standing beside him at the front of the boat.

  “I don’t know. Maybe there was a malfunction.”

  That made me nervous considering we were currently on a boat. What if this one had a malfunction? What did that even mean? What kind of malfunction?

  Jake sped toward the shore. It looked as if I didn’t have a say in this. Though I supposed he was the police and I was only a private investigator. I watched the scene as we moved farther away from the accident. A short time later, Jake and I were back at the dock.

  We’d barely gotten off the boat when the sirens sounded. Police cars descended around the shore area and boats converged on the ocean, headed for the flames. They had almost stopped now. I wanted to tell Jake that there had been no other explosions, but I figured I’d bite my tongue and not mention that detail.

  Even with chaos around us, Jake managed to keep his cool as usual. He tied the boat up at the dock. Water slapped against the hull of the boat. People had started to gather around now. I suppose the explosion and flames had attracted attention. It was hard not to look. I couldn’t stop thinking about whoever had been on the boat. Jake approached me, snapping my attention back to my surroundings.

  “Maggie, can you walk back to your office? I can come by after I’m done here.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Why would I do that? I’m hanging around here. I have to help with this, since I saw it happen. You understand, right?”

  “Yes, I saw it too. I’m sure the other officers will want to speak with you.” He touched my arm. “Eventually.”

  Was this that whole ‘protect Maggie’ thing that Jake liked to do? When would he learn that I was tough and could handle tough situations? Sure, I got myself into a pickle every now and then, but I was still alive and kicking.

  “I’ll call you soon.” Jake watched my face for a reaction. He probably sensed that I was upset with him.

  Without saying a word, I turned and headed down the sidewalk in the direction of my office. This was probably the angriest I’d ever been with Jake.

  When I glanced over and spotted Jake’s partner I grew even madder. Abby Zahn and I made eye contact. She probably wasn’t shocked when I glared at her. She acted as if I was nothing more than an annoyance. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore a white blouse and gray slacks. Everything she wore looked elegant and effortless. I turned my attention away from her. I wouldn’t even look back at Jake.

  I tried to push the thoughts from my mind. Allowing the warm breeze to caress my skin, I walked along, as if I didn’t have a care in the world. I didn’t want to give Abby the satisfaction of thinking she had any kind of effect on me. The heat from the sun warmed my skin and the sound of the waves carried across the wind.

  I took my time walking to my office. I had a lot of things on my mind. Okay, just one thing—Jake and his refusal to let me stick around for this investigation. What if I just took it on myself to investigate this crime? After all, I was a private investigator and I had that right. It could have been nothing more than something wrong with the boat, but I was awfully suspicious that this was more than just an accident.

  How would I find out? Jake probably wouldn’t tell me anything if he thought I was trying to investigate. Maybe I needed another friend at the police station. Perhaps a leggy blonde who was partners with Detective Jake Jackson. After all, I hadn’t given Abby much of a chance to be friendly. I could invite her out for a lunch date and we could get to know each other. Maybe we’d become friends. Yeah, right.

  Palm trees swayed with the wind. The sun beat down on me as I walked down the sidewalk. How much longer could I hold out before I glanced over my shoulder? I counted down in my mind. One, two, three… If I made it to one hundred then I figured one quick look wouldn’t hurt. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen… I peeked over my shoulder. Okay, so I hadn’t made it to one hundred. I had no self-control. Or did I? Sometimes I really could be stubborn. This just didn’t happen to be one of those times. It didn’t matter though because I didn’t see Jake or Abby. I was getting further away now and I wouldn’t be able to make out any of the activity anyway.

  When I turned the corner into the parking lot adjacent to my office building, I spotted my assistant Dorothy Raye with her boyfriend Morton Grant. They were standing beside his shiny new red scooter and Dorothy was laughing. Apparently Morton had told a hilarious joke. Dorothy had fashioned her gray hair in her usual helmet style. It wasn’t totally business as usual though. Today she wore a new shade of bright pink lipstick. Her toenails had been painted to match the lipstick. They peeked out from her white sandals. Morton had a slight stature. I believed Dorothy was maybe an inch taller than him. He was decked out in shorts and a button
down shirt with sandals… and socks. They looked like tourists who were about to board a cruise ship.

  I couldn’t believe that Morton was driving the scooter. He had cataracts and he couldn’t hear out of his left ear. I just hoped he kept the thing on the sidewalks, though anyone walking might be in danger if he was nearby. They hadn’t even noticed that I was approaching. The lovebirds were busy staring at each other.

  I’d inherited Dorothy along with the agency. She loved peppermints and tried to force them on anyone she came in contact with. She constantly fed the seagulls and denied it, even though they continued to attack me. I swatted at the birds as I walked closer to my office door. Dorothy loved knitting and she used the needles as if they were swords sometimes. She was sassy, opinionated, and told me what to do most of the time.

  However, I loved her for all those reasons. Dorothy and I were not just work partners, but friends. With no family to speak of, it was nice having someone who was like family to me now.

  Morton and Dorothy still hadn’t noticed and I supposed I would just let them have their fun. I might have to put my foot down if she tried to get on the back of the scooter with him.

  My office was small, but I liked to call it cozy. If I looked out the tiny window I got a sliver of a view of the beach. I still hadn’t been able to update the furniture in the place. It looked like an office straight out of the sixties. I sat down behind my desk to go over some of the files I had on measly cases. I loved that I had work, don’t get me wrong. I was happy to have the measly cases, but I was still fuming that I couldn’t get involved on the big case—the one that would lead to something substantial.

  A couple seconds later Dorothy walked through the door. She was practically skipping.

  “Well, aren’t you happy,” I said with a click of my tongue.

  Dorothy stopped in her tracks. “I can see by the frown on your face that you’re not. What happened?”