I briefly considered giving up my mission and going back to sleep, but my better nature (or maybe just stubborn curiosity) got the upper hand and I struggled out of my lovely warm comfy bed. Charles opened one eye and promptly closed it again. Aaron had told me that Ralph Harper liked to have his breakfast at the Shrimp Shack on the days he was taking out his boat. Most fishing charter boats, I knew, left harbor at five. Shudder. I guessed that Ralph would get his boat ready for the day, and then leave his crew to wait for the clients, while he went for his breakfast. Meaning, he’d be at the Shrimp Shack around four thirty. Therefore, so would I. If he wasn’t there today, I’d just have to try another approach. Shower, makeup, and proper clothes could wait until later. I splashed water on my face, gathered my hair into a ponytail, pulled on jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers and headed out. The sun wasn’t even up yet when I drove toward town, and there was no traffic on the highway.
