Gone with the Salt Wind

a Katie Drew Mystery

A romance novelist vanishes without a trace.

A blood-smudged draft lands on my pastry tray.

The coffee is ice-cold, the clues are red-hot, and the whole town hums with whispers and secrets.

I am Katie Drew, barista, reluctant detective, and keeper of the best gossip on Perdido Beach. Daisy's nose twitches, and Aunt Nancy stirs calm into every storm.

A washed-up manuscript spills secrets no publisher wants told. The author's assistant drops breadcrumbs no one should ignore. Typed threats stack higher than my muffin trays. The publishing world's shadows press close. A tale spun on paper starts erasing lives in real time.

A word here, a lie there, and suddenly gossip becomes danger. Every page hides more than ink. Rumors twist. Alibis unravel. Each clue pulls me deeper, and the waves never keep their silence.

If I do not untangle these drafts before the next tide, the last chapter could be written in blood. The beach hides more than footprints. The truth waits beneath the cover.

Need wait for safety

I trouble following the story, not sure who was really the victim and the Villain.