Key West Gone into the Night Elizabeth Hilleren (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

Key West

Gone into the Night

A Key West Murder Mystery

Elizabeth Hilleren

BOOKS

BY

ELIZABETH HILLEREN

Napa Valley Books

SLOW REVENGE

TRISTAN

Key West Murder Mystery Series

ZERO DUVAL

SHARKEY’S KEY WEST

KEY WEST DAZE

KEY WEST COLD CASE PACT

KEY WEST SETUP

RISKY SITUATION

KEY WEST FATAL TANGENTS

KEY WEST SHALLOW WATER

KEY WEST DECEPTION

KEY WEST OVER THE EDGE

KEY WEST ENGAGING MURDER

KEY WEST SHADOWFIRE

KEY WEST NINE HOURS TO KILL

KEY WEST KILLER ART

KEY WEST GONE INTO THE NIGHT

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events, locales or people, living or dead, are entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.  Locations and establishments are fictional or if real are used fictionally.

Copyright © 2021 Elizabeth Hilleren

All rights reserved.

    Cast list

Susan Abbott, mother or Tyler and Mateo

Javier Trujillo, Chilean father of Baby Mateo

Baby Mateo Trujillo

Tyler Abbott, Carl’s seven-year-old son

Carl Abbott, father of Tyler

Ricardo Vasquez, uncle of Javier Trujillo

Consuela Lopez, girlfriend of Vasquez

Stephanie Williams, Susan Abbott’s Mother

Other players

Detective Burt Harris, KWPD

Alex Sloan, ex-bounty hunter

Detective David Sharkey, KWPD

Mckenzie Jones, reporter

Arron Connor, reporter/photographer

Robbin Vanderbilt, reporter

R. Sloan, attorney, son of Alex

Piper Taylor, paralegal to Sloan

Officer Jordan McCabe, KWPD

Nurse Amy Crosby, Alex’s girlfriend

Billy Nash, homeless boy

Frank Demonte, medical examiner

Named Incidentals

Officer Debbie Anderson, KWPD

Shirley Reiner, manager at Sands Inn Motel

Jack Taylor, head of the Forensics team

Inspector Gomez, from Chile

Dr. Jim Olson, from the ER

Silvia Santos, KWPD facial recognition technician

Rita and Kirk Polly, fake abductors

Leslie Graham, kayaker

Gretchen, in the processing lab

Natalie Stone, KWPD HR

Rex Jamison, forensic psychologist and author

Roslyn Jamison, wife of Rex

Hank Foster, the homeless guy

Nancy Duckworth, social services

Officer Cruz Rosario. KWPD

Officer Jenny Springfield, KWPD

Chelsea Burke, attorney

Clancy O’Brian, ads manager

Contents

Cast list

Friday Night.

Saturday Morning

Sunday Morning

Monday Morning

Tuesday  Morning

Wednesday  Morning

Thursday  Morning

Friday  Morning

Saturday  Morning

Sunday morning

Three weeks later - the rest of the story

Key West   Gone into the Night

Friday Night.  

The rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.  It was a hot and cloudy night in Key West and the tourists moved down the streets like water trickling from here toward where it would become the flood of a crowded Friday downtown night.

Susan Abbott sat on a plastic chair outside her motel room waiting for her cell phone to ring.

She jumped when it rang.

“It’s late,” she said.

“I know, my lovely.  It will not take long. I’ll pick you up at the end of your block in front of the café.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’m leaving now.”

She put the phone back in her purse, went inside, and picked up little Mateo. “I love you,” she whispered, as she laid him down in the travel crib.  Tyler was sprawled out in the middle of the king-size bed. She climbed onto the bed and leaned down and kissed his forehead. His eyes opened.

“I love you, Mama. Are you going out?”

“Yes, just for a little while. I’ll lock the door so you’re safe.”

“Okay…” he said in a sleepy voice.

“I love you, Tyler.” She pulled the blanket up over his shoulders but saw that he was already back to sleep.

Gathering her purse and keys, she locked the motel room door and headed to meet Javier.

He arrived at the Cafe the same time she did. She climbed into the car and he pulled out onto the street.

“Hola, Susan. You look wonderful,” he said, glancing over at her with a quick smile.

“I can’t be gone long. I left the children sleeping,” she said.

“There’s a place up here where we can talk.”

Susan watched as he turned onto Government Road and headed away from the city lights.

“I can’t be gone long. The children are alone.”

He nodded but kept driving.

“Stop,” she demanded.  She sounded on the verge of hysteria.

“Relax. It’s good to see you.” He stopped the car in a clearing that led to a coral road and turned towards her. “What’s so important that you had to see me in person?  I’m a businessman.  I don’t have time to be a father.”

“You never responded to my letter about the baby… I lost my job.  The money I get from Carl is not enough for two babies.”

Javier stared at her. It was almost a minute before he spoke.

“There’s a way that I can help you. But it has one important condition.”

“I thought I could raise him on my own. But without my job…” she said.

“Look, I don’t yet know for certain that he’s mine.”

Susan pulled out a piece of paper from her purse. “It’s Mateo’s birth certificate. It’s legal.”

“That paper just records what you told them.  Putting my name on a piece of paper doesn’t actually make him mine.”

She pulled out a picture of Mateo. Her voice softened, “He looks like you.”

While Javier looked at the picture she said, “He’s a three-month-old now.”

He smiled. “He’s a very handsome baby. Maybe he’s mine. Can I have the birth certificate?”

“Yes. It’s a certified copy.”

“So, what can I do for you?” His handsome face was now somber.

“I need you to pay child support,” Susan said.  “I thought I could make it, but they had a force reduction at my company. They laid off a slew of people.  I don’t have a job. I only have the money that Carl pays me. I have trouble trying to get by on that. I can’t afford to pay for day care for two to get another job.” Her eyes filled