by Carrie Doyle
“Evil spirits?” asked Plum, hoping she had misheard.
“I am sure no one wishes you harm,” said Juan Kevin quickly.
Carmen’s eyes widened in amazement. “You know that’s not true. You were here when I found that poisonous snake by the pool.”
“Poisonous snake?” exclaimed Plum with alarm. She glanced around the lawn as if one was currently lurking in the grass. “They have snakes on the island? I’m terrified of snakes.”
Plum wondered how quickly she could bolt out of the party.
“We do not have snakes,” said Juan Kevin quickly. “Just small garden snakes, nothing big or lethal.”
“But there was one on my patio,” insisted Carmen.
“An aberration,” said Juan Kevin.
Carmen ignored him and gave Plum a worried look. “That is how I know that there is a bacá trying to harm me.”
“What’s a bacá?” asked Plum.
“It is a spirit that causes sickness to the unsuspecting. My stepson Martin believes this property to be his, and he is using his magic to chase me away. I have no doubt he left the snake to kill me. But it didn’t work. It was fortunate that Juan Kevin stopped by and removed it. He saved my life.”
Plum gave Juan Kevin a sidelong glance. “How very valiant of you.”
“To protect and to serve, that’s my motto,” he said with a smile.
“Unfortunately, Juan Kevin is a busy man and cannot always protect me,” whispered Carmen with urgency. “And Martin will not be stopped.”
“You don’t know that,” reprimanded Juan Kevin. “There is no proof.”
“He threatens me. He says he will destroy me. He blames me for the death of my beloved Emilio. I am prepared for him to send a brujo to kill me.”
“What’s a brujo?” asked Plum, who felt clueless for the second time in a minute. It was a feeling she did not appreciate.
“Carmen believes in fukú,” explained Juan Kevin. “Bad omens. A brujo is a male sorcerer, and she thinks one will come and make her sick.”
“Or worse!” insisted Carmen. She turned to Plum. “It is true I believe in fukú,” confirmed Carmen, quickly making the sign of the cross and whispering, “Zafa.” At normal volume, she said, “And I will be prepared.”
“But if this is true, can’t you go to the police or something?” asked Plum with a twinge of impatience.
“The police will not help me. They are loyal to Emilio and his first wife, Alexandra.”
“They seem pretty useless anyway. There’s that horrible man, Captain Diaz. Clearly a woman hater,” said Plum with certainty.
“You’ve met him already?” asked Carmen.
“Yes. Odious man.”
“Miss Lockhart does not hold back her feelings,” said Juan Kevin.
“Why should I?”
“Captain Diaz does not like the visitors to the island. He feels that they disrespect him,” said Carmen.
“That’s no excuse for condescension,” said Plum.
At that moment the party was disrupted by a noisy group that had arrived and was ordering the waiter to bring them drinks. The manner in which they spoke revealed that they had already imbibed several cocktails, and indeed, one of the scantily clad women was leaning against a man as if she would fall down without his support.
“Oh no,” Carmen moaned, her face awash in horror. “He’s not allowed here.”
“It’s a charity event. He may have bought a ticket,” said Juan Kevin.
“He will cause a scene.”
“Let me guess…is that your stepson?” asked Plum.
“Yes, he’s the one in the blue shirt,” said Carmen.
Plum followed Carmen’s gaze to the man who stood in the center of the group. He was a muscular, hard-faced young man with pugnacious eyes that were staring at Carmen with venom. A thick, gold chain hung around his neck, and his shiny silk shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a nest of chest hair. The women around him stared at him adoringly.
“He’s coming over here,” said Carmen with fear in her voice.
“Don’t worry,” said Juan Kevin.
As she watched Martin stride toward them in his super tight pants flanked by his crew, Plum felt as if she were witnessing the precursor to a rumble. She wouldn’t be surprised if everyone started snapping their fingers and broke into song like in West Side Story. But as he moved closer, the hatred on Martin’s face became more visible, and Carmen’s genuine fear was palpable. No wonder she believes in evil spirits, Plum thought. This guy looked like the devil himself.
“Hello, Martin, how are you?” asked Juan Kevin cheerfully.
Martin responded in Spanish—no doubt something offensive, judging by the astonished looks on Carmen and Juan Kevin’s faces.
“This is Miss Plum Lockhart,” said Juan Kevin in English, as if everything were normal. “She has just moved to the island to work for Jonathan Mayhew.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Plum.
Martin sized her up, and then his nostrils flared. “Word of advice. Don’t hang around this piece of trash if you want to be successful here,” he said, motioning toward Carmen.
“Stop that at once, Martin,” scolded Juan Kevin. “There is no reason to be impolite to your hostess.”
“My hostess?” snorted Martin. “You mean the whore that seduced my father and stole my inheritance. My dad is barely in the ground and she’s out at bars trying to pick up guys.”
“That’s not true,” Carmen insisted. Her large eyes widened and were flooded with tears.
“Oh yeah? You and that face-lift were out sweeping for rich men at the bar the other night.”
“I was having drinks with a friend,” Carmen said softly.
Martin chortled, a long, slow, evil cackle that reminded Plum of the sounds emitted by a villain in a cartoon.
“Martin, we are here for a good cause. Your attitude towards Carmen is noted. Now please be gracious. Let’s not cause a scene,” advised Juan Kevin.
“She’s the one who caused the scene,” roared Martin.
Other guests turned and stared. Plum took a step back, eager to be away from the volatile Martin. Juan Kevin moved closely to Martin and stood so their bodies were an inch apart. The director of security was about a foot taller than the trust-fund kid and glared down at him intimidatingly.
“We are here for the children. Do not be disrespectful. I will ask you and your friends to leave at once.”
Martin looked like he was about to challenge him but instead just shook his head and spat at the ground.
“I want to get away from that whore anyway!” he said.
He motioned to his crew and said something in Spanish. They all made a rowdy departure, but not before Martin kicked over a small table that held a tray of drinks on his way out.
“Lovely guy,” murmured Plum.
Carmen burst into tears and ran into the house.
Chapter 11
It took about a quarter of an hour, but Plum and Juan Kevin were finally able to console Carmen. Initially she had sobbed into Juan Kevin’s arms, and he patted her back as she did so, raising Plum’s suspicions that there was something more to their relationship than Juan Kevin had revealed. Then they sat with Carmen in what had been her late husband’s study and settled her into a chocolate-brown leather sofa. A maid had brought her water, and Carmen clutched a lace handkerchief that she used to blot the tears running down her cheeks.
The walls of the room were covered with dozens of photographs of Emilio Rijo greeting various dignitaries who had visited the island, as well as other snaps of him around the world. He was with Queen Elizabeth, shaking her gloved hand at the grand entrance of the hotel at Las Frutas. There was one of him and Harrison Ford at a black-tie gala. Several pictures were of Emilio and former Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush on the golf course. E
milio had been attractive, with movie-star looks, and had that polished debonair glow. Nothing like his hard-faced, belligerent son Martin, who looked like a battered boxer who took too many blows to the face. Plum stood studying the pictures, noting the recent ones that featured the bombshell Carmen, while Juan Kevin tended to the widow.
“I should be used to it now, but Martin is able to cause me great pain,” said Carmen in a feeble voice.
“He should not have come,” said Juan Kevin. He placed a soothing hand on Carmen’s shoulder, a move that did not go unnoticed by Plum. “But it’s typical Martin. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“I should probably get back to my guests,” said Carmen.
“A good idea,” said Juan Kevin.
Plum gave Juan Kevin a quizzical look before turning to Carmen. “Well, hang on a second, Carmen, because we actually have some questions for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes, we want to know about two nights ago, actually, the night that Martin was referring to…”
“This is probably not the best time,” interrupted Juan Kevin. He shook his head at Plum.
“Why not?”
“Because Carmen is hosting a party. She has to return to her guests.”
“But isn’t it why we came?”
“We came to be supportive.”
“This will only take a minute,” insisted Plum.
“She’s just recovered from an upset…” Juan Kevin pressed.
“Great! She’s recovered,” said Plum, turning her attention to Carmen. “Listen, we need to know what happened that night at the bar. Because the man you were with, Nick Macpherson, is now dead, and we need to find out who killed him.”
“Yes, I heard that,” said Carmen. “It’s shocking. My interaction with him was brief. I was with my friend Leslie, and we were having drinks. Unlike what Martin implies, I do not go out often. In fact, Leslie pleaded with me to come out.”
“Who is Leslie?” interrupted Plum.
“Leslie Abernathy. She’s from Texas but spends winters here.”
“Do you know her?” Plum asked Juan Kevin.
“The name is familiar, but I do not know her.”
“And is she married?” Plum asked Carmen.
“No longer,” said Carmen. “She has had several husbands and enjoys the company of men. It was Leslie who met Nick at the bar and invited him to sit with us. He was very charming, but he had obviously had some drinks and told us his friends were annoyed with him.”
“Which friends?” asked Plum eagerly.
“He didn’t say.”
“He didn’t make a pass at you?”
“No.”
“What did you talk about?”
Carmen looked at the ceiling as if the answers were written there. “He said he was here for a bachelor party. He mentioned that he did not approve of his friend’s impending marriage and wanted to put a stop to it.”
“Really?” asked Plum.
“Yes, he said they were wrong for each other, his friend could do better. And Nick was very…open. He said he was always making trouble with his friends and thought it was funny, and in fact, at that moment he was pulling a prank on his friend. It might result in the friend ending his engagement.”
“Jason,” Plum said to Juan Kevin. Before he could respond, she turned back to Carmen. “Did he say what kind of prank?”
“We were interrupted. Martin came and yelled. Nick and I tried to talk more, but it proved impossible. Martin will not leave me alone. I’m afraid he misinterpreted that I was trying to romance this Nick. It’s not true.” She turned to Juan Kevin, tears filling her eyes again. “It’s not fair! I made his father happy. He shouldn’t hate me.”
“He behaves badly,” Juan Kevin said soothingly.
“He won’t stop harassing me. He follows me! And he spreads bad rumors about me. He has no reason to do that. I have been very nice to him!”
Juan Kevin nodded. Plum couldn’t help but snort. She didn’t realize she had made a noise out loud until they turned and stared at her.
“Why do you laugh?” asked Carmen.
“I’m not laughing, I just…well, you can’t blame him,” said Plum. “You did break up his parents’ marriage.”
“Who told you that?” she asked.
Plum looked at Juan Kevin, whose face was slowly becoming consumed with fury. “I mean, isn’t it true? Doesn’t everyone know?”
“Do people talk badly about me, Juan Kevin? Do you?” asked Carmen.
Plum was astonished that this woman could be so clueless. What did she expect? You run off with the billionaire who practically owns the entire island, and no one will gab about it?
“No one talks badly about you, Carmen,” said Juan Kevin sternly. He glared at Plum. “I wouldn’t stand for it. You don’t have to worry.”
“Thank you,” said Carmen sadly. Then she suddenly transformed, pulled herself together, and said in a brisk tone. “It’s time for us to go back to the party.”
They rose, and as they were on their way out, Plum stopped.
“One more question, are you by chance missing a turquoise earring?”
“No,” said Carmen quickly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, why?”
“No reason. We just want to return it to its rightful owner,” said Plum.
“Let’s go now,” said Juan Kevin.
***
The sun had dunked under the horizon, and by the time they emerged from Carmen’s house the night was pitch black with a large expanse of stars scattered across the sky. Plum was excited when she entered Juan Kevin’s car. It had been because of her journalistic expertise that they had inveigled all the information out of Carmen. And now they were closer to a motive. She was hoping Juan Kevin would acknowledge her efforts.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he reprimanded once they had driven out of the gate.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, stupefied. She glanced at Juan Kevin’s profile and found him glaring straight ahead, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.
“Pressed Carmen like that. She’s very fragile. It was not polite.”
“Polite? You’re joking, right?”
“Perhaps it’s okay in your country to be so…pushy, but there are ways we do things here in Paraiso.”
Plum did not like to be referred to as pushy, and any such accusation unleashed her attack mode.
“Yes, I know all about your ways here in Paraiso. It’s always tranquilo!”
“We do things differently…”
“You do things at a snail’s pace! There’s a lot of discussion but no action. If I had not pressed your beloved Carmen, then we wouldn’t know that Jason and Deepak were mad at Nick! We wouldn’t know he was planning to sabotage Jason’s marriage. That’s motive.”
“She is not my beloved Carmen.”
“Oh, puh-leeze!” sneered Plum. “You were practically throwing yourself at the merry widow. And if you ask me, she totally plays up being the damsel in distress. Sitting there in her trillion-dollar house with the lace hankie, sobbing about the mean stepson! Cry me a river!”
Juan Kevin’s temper flared. “That’s not true! She is not like that!”
“Oh, yes, she is. I know the type oh so well. She shoves her big breasts into some married guy’s face, and next thing you know, he dumps his wife or girlfriend and is walking her down the aisle!”
“Enough!” said Juan Kevin, slamming the steering wheel. “She is my friend. Do not say anything more.”
“Fine.”
They rode in hostile silence to Plum’s town house. When Juan Kevin put the car in park, he turned to her.
“In the short time I have spent with you, I have learned that you have no tolerance for th
e shortcomings of others, and you rigorously point out the flaws and deficiencies of people you cross paths with as well as the imperfections of my beloved island. I realize criticism is a sporting game from where you come from and harshness is a way of life, but I don’t appreciate cruelty of any sort. And to hear it coming out of the mouth of a beautiful and successful woman makes it all the more repugnant. If we continue to investigate this murder together, I would ask you to refrain from the negative commentary.”
Plum was incensed. How dare this security guard talk to her like that? “I would not dream of working with you again! I’m trying to solve this murder, and you are worried about being polite!”
She slammed the car door on her way out.
After huffing and puffing around her house, Plum pulled a bottle of chardonnay out of the fridge and settled down with a large bag of plantain chips. They were a recent discovery at the grocery store and would prove transformative to her waistline. But now was not time to think about that.
Plum had been so exhilarated only to have Juan Kevin demolish her excitement. His ruthless criticism of her stung. Not to mention that it was clear he was in love with Carmen, which also made Plum irate. Carmen had clearly achieved success by marriage and a wealthy husband and not through hard work, unlike Plum, who had done everything for herself. Well, let her have him, she thought. Nothing was ever going to happen between Plum and Juan Kevin. He was a nobody who worked at a resort, sneered Plum, completely ignoring that she also worked at the same resort.
As she drifted to sleep later that night, she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to get back to New York. There was nothing for her on Paraiso.
Plum woke early to her phone ringing. She squinted at the screen, her eyes still bleary with sleep. She bolted up and swung her legs around the edge of the bed. It was Juan Kevin. She debated whether or not to answer it but then decided it was best to get it over with, as he was undoubtedly calling to apologize for his insolence.
“Hello?”
“You need to come at once.”
“I think an apology is in order before you summon me,” she replied briskly.
