by Carrie Doyle
“Agreed,” said Plum.
“I’ll pick you up at eight. No need to drive your loaner.”
“Thank you. I’ll do anything to avoid that jalopy.”
***
Coconuts was busy, and Plum and Juan Kevin had to wade their way through throngs of people at the bar to order a drink. Plum was jostled by a beer-bellied man in a tank top who almost sent her white wine flying.
“Watch it,” she snapped at him.
“Ease up, sweetie,” said the tattooed woman standing with him. She had a brittle, hard face and wore the kind of short denim overalls that one might find on a cast member of a reality show about teen grandmothers.
Juan Kevin led Plum to a table in the back corner that had a Reserved for Management sign on it and motioned for her to sit down.
“The perks of working at the resort,” said Juan Kevin.
“Very nice,” said Plum, settling into her seat. “It looks like the circus is in town. What the heck is going on?”
“Twice a week a cruise ship docks in Estrella and we allow the guests to purchase day passes to Las Frutas. This affords them the opportunity to play golf or tennis, lounge on the beach, and frequent the restaurants. For the most part, it works very well, especially since they pay premiums for the golf. But the crowd that makes it to the bar is usually very animated and has spent the better part of the day drinking.”
“I’ll say.”
“I’ve arranged for the server Pedro to take a break and join us. He was the one who alerted us that Carmen was at the bar with Nick, and perhaps he remembers more than he realizes. I also ordered some food in advance to make sure we don’t drink on an empty stomach.”
Plum rolled her eyes. “That only happened one time.”
Juan Kevin smiled. “Just a precaution.”
A waiter came and placed a platter of tostadas on the table. There was tuna, shrimp, poblano pepper, and chicken. Additionally, there were garnishes such as refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayonnaise.
“These look delicious,” said Plum.
“Enjoy.”
Plum shrugged off her white shawl so it wouldn’t end up in the salsa. Although it was a hot evening, her body temperature was oscillating between boiling and freezing due to her sunburn. She’d wanted to stick to a more businesslike outfit and maintain formality with Juan Kevin, but she had to wear the bare minimum (a spaghetti-strapped floral dress) so all the aloe didn’t stick to her clothes.
“How’s the sunburn?” asked Juan Kevin, noticing her itching.
“Torture. The things you don’t think about when you decide to move to a tropical island.”
“What did you think about?”
“I didn’t,” Plum said, quickly downing a tuna tostada. “It was impulsive.”
“I don’t know you very well, but that doesn’t seem in character.”
“It wasn’t.” She abruptly stopped talking. She didn’t want to confide in Juan Kevin and open herself up to ridicule. She took a bite of her shrimp tostada to end the conversation, and thankfully, at that moment Pedro appeared at their table. Standing next to him was another young Paraison who wore a white chef’s jacket and a bandanna on his head. He was a handsome and muscular man with green eyes.
Pedro nodded hello and then said, “I thought you should also talk to Joby. After we talked last time, I told him, and he said he remembered them.”
Introductions were made, and Joby and Pedro were encouraged to sit down.
Pedro spoke first. “I wanted to tell you that Martin Rijo came here last night with his friends. I heard him saying that he wanted to kill that…” Pedro’s voice trailed off. He had been addressing Juan Kevin, but then he glanced at Plum and back at Juan Kevin.
“Go on,” prompted Juan Kevin.
Pedro said a word in Spanish that Plum didn’t know but was sure was not very nice. She was struck that he didn’t want to say the word in front of her, because she was a lady. Rather than feel riled, as she might have in the past, she thought it nice that he was considerate.
“And then?” asked Juan Kevin.
“He was bragging to his friends. He said, ‘I can make things happen. I can have people killed. I have had people killed,’” said Pedro.
“Are you sure he was not just boasting?” asked Juan Kevin.
“I do not know. But that is what I heard,” said Pedro.
“Thank you for telling us,” said Juan Kevin before turning to Joby. “What was it you thought we should know?”
“Pedro told me you asked about that man who died, Nick, and I remembered Nick because I had gone outside to have my cigarette break and saw him arguing with another man. They were both very mad.”
“Who was the other man?” asked Juan Kevin.
“Was it Martin Rijo?” asked Plum.
“No,” said Joby, shaking his head. “I believe it was his friend by the way they were talking. I couldn’t see clearly because they were behind a tree, but Nick told the friend that there was no way the marriage will take place. And the man said to him that he was just jealous, that he wanted the girl for himself. They started poking each other in the chest but didn’t fight. Nick walked away, and the other man then kicked the garbage can. Then he also walked back to the bar.”
“Wow,” said Plum.
“That’s very helpful,” said Juan Kevin.
“I didn’t think much of it until Pedro mentioned you were asking. And I remembered that the guy was named Nick because his friend said his name.”
“Well done,” said Juan Kevin.
“I only have five minutes; I need to get back to the kitchen,” said Joby.
“Oh, did you make these?” asked Plum. Her mouth was again full of a tostada. She couldn’t resist them.
“Yes.”
“They’re delicious.”
When they had left, Plum turned to Juan Kevin. “What do you think of that? Maybe Jason Manger did kill his best man after all. And maybe Kirstie suspects it and that’s why she wants him to hightail it out of here.”
“Could be.”
They were interrupted by the scent of strong cologne, the type that made Plum want to gag. She glanced up at the possessor of the stench and found her nemesis, Damián, leering down at her. His arm was looped around a young woman with long hair and dewy skin.
“It’s my killer colleague!” exclaimed Damián. He then turned to his lady friend and made introductions. “Stefania, this is Juan Kevin, the director of security at Las Frutas, and this is Plum Lockhart, my new associate.”
“I’m not your associate,” snapped Plum.
“Do you prefer killer colleague?” he said.
“You have some nerve.” Plum seethed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Stefania,” Juan Kevin said loudly, hoping to break up the bickering.
“You too,” said Stefania. “Security? Are you arresting Plum?”
“What?” asked Plum.
“No, of course not. We are having dinner,” said Juan Kevin smoothly.
“Oh, because Damián told me that there was never a murder here until Plum showed up,” said Stefania.
“Maybe Damián killed my client because he was jealous that I was able to rent out Casa Mango and he wasn’t!” barked Plum.
“I wouldn’t waste my time,” said Damián. “I do not consider you competition.”
“Nor do I consider you competition,” said Plum.
“We’re going to get back to our dinner,” said Juan Kevin. “Nice to see you.”
Damián gave Plum an unctuous grin before swaggering away.
“He is such a bastard,” raged Plum. She then went on a five-minute tangent about how much she hated Damián while Juan Kevin listened with an amused look on his face.
“He’s under your skin,” said Juan Kevin.
> “I wish he were under the ground.”
“You have very strong and passionate feelings about him.”
“All negative.”
“Are they?” mused Juan Kevin.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m only asking. In my experience, this fervor you express is usually reserved for cases when there are romantically interested parties.”
“Well, that’s not the case here,” snapped Plum.
Juan Kevin nodded but said nothing. He continued to give her a penetrating look. Was it disbelief? She wasn’t sure. Plum forced herself to look away and saw that AJ Thompson and Lila Donovan were dining at a high-top table by the bar. Lila, once again clad in all white, was tapping on her phone, completely oblivious to her surroundings. AJ caught Plum’s eye and gave her a wave.
“We should go say hi,” Plum said.
“Sure. I’ll pay, you go ahead,” he said.
“But you paid last time,” she protested.
“I never let a lady pay. Call it chivalry, and you may subject me to rants about how I’m sexist, but this is how I was brought up, and I refuse to change in this regard.”
She was about to protest, talk about women’s rights, that she shouldn’t be undermined or something like that, but she stopped herself. Juan Kevin wasn’t paying to belittle her. He was paying because he was a gentleman.
“Thank you,” she said.
Lila barely gave her a glance and returned to texting when Plum approached, but AJ looked grateful to have someone talk to him. There was a platter of half-eaten seafood and chorizo paella in front of them, but judging by the clean plate in front of Lila, it appeared that only AJ was dining.
“Any update?” he asked.
“Not really,” said Plum. “Have you seen Jason and Deepak?”
“Yes, I saw them today. They both are pretty devastated. At least Jason’s fiancée flew in. I think Deepak is struggling alone.”
“I should go talk to him tomorrow.”
“Do you think they’re going to let them go home?” asked AJ.
“I hope so,” said Plum.
“Tell her what you remembered,” prompted Lila, not looking up from her phone. From this angle, Plum had a very good view of Lila’s roots, which looked like they might need a touch-up soon.
“I don’t want to say anything that could get anyone in trouble,” began AJ.
“If it’s important to the investigation, you need to tell me,” urged Plum.
He sighed and then took a large swig of his beer and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “It’s probably nothing, but when we met the other day, I was really focused on what Jason had said that night because he was annoyed with Nick. But actually, there was one point, and it was a throwaway comment, but Deepak said this would be the last time Nick pulled his crap.”
“What crap?” asked Plum.
“He was sick of Nick cheating on his girlfriend and hitting on other people’s girlfriends. Nick would also specifically hit on women he knew his friends liked. It was a jerky move. Deepak said it was enough.”
Juan Kevin had approached in time to hear AJ’s last remarks. “What was his demeanor when he said that?” he asked.
“It was, well, I’ve always thought of Deepak as sort of a mild type. But this was a flash of anger. It was a side of him I hadn’t seen before,” said AJ.
“That’s not true,” said Lila, in between texting.
“What do you mean?” asked Plum.
Finally, Lila glanced up. Her small, blue eyes blinked like a cat’s just roused from a nap. “There was this one time back when we were in the Hamptons when Deepak lost his mind. He was hitting on some girl, and then Nick came up behind him and pulled Deepak’s swimsuit down, so he was fully exposed. And it was cold that day. If you catch my drift. Deepak was mortified. Everyone was laughing at him, so he turned around and slugged Nick, who ended up falling into the pool.”
“That’s right,” said AJ. “I remember that. I mean, again we’re talking about things that don’t stand out at the time, but now I recall that look on Deepak’s face when that happened. He was furious. And then Nick ended up dating that girl. Nick was really cruel like that, stealing chicks out from under people.”
“Sounds like it,” said Plum. “But why was anyone friends with him?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” said AJ, putting up his hand in protest. “The guy could be a lot of fun. He was hilarious, in fact. Just thought I should tell you about the dark side.”
“Thanks for letting us know,” said Juan Kevin.
“You won’t quote us on this, right?” asked AJ. “It’s all discreet?”
“Of course,” said Plum confidently. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.”
“Thanks. A couple more days then back to the grind,” said AJ. He took a bite of his paella.
“Yes, back to work,” sighed Lila. “My travelogue here is finito. I’ve posted everything there is to know about Las Frutas. My followers are really psyched.”
“Did you write up a story?” asked Plum.
“No, my followers don’t have time for that. I just post pics of me with cute backdrops. Take a few snaps of the food,” said Lila, motioning towards her empty plate.
“Did you go to journalism school?”
“No.”
“Photography school?”
“No. But I’m like, educated. I went to college. Being an influencer is a skill. Lots of people try to do it and bomb. You really need to tap into your fans’ psyches,” said Lila patronizingly.
Plum felt her anger rise. This fake journalism was destroying the entire publishing industry.
“And are you getting likes on your Las Frutas posts?”
“Yes, I took a picture of AJ’s paella ten minutes ago and already have four thousand likes. And everyone is asking where I got this cute dress I’m wearing.”
“I see,” was all Plum could say.
Lila’s eyes slid up Plum’s body, and she added, “I really think you should check out my site. I believe you could really benefit from my advice and clothing sources. We carry some extra-large clothes as well.”
“I’ll definitely check it out,” said Plum. It took all of her self-control not to throw her drink in Lila’s face.
Chapter 17
Plum and Juan Kevin left the bar and were en route to the parking lot when she realized she had left her shawl at the table. Juan Kevin said he would bring the car around while she retrieved it. She returned to her table and saw it squashed under the quaggy thighs of a middle-aged woman with stringy, jet-black hair and unbecoming makeup who had taken her seat. After negotiating its recovery with the inebriated woman, Plum made a note to ask Lucia for a good dry-cleaning service.
The stars were out and the moon a white sliver in the sky, but apart from the glittering skylights, it was quite dark. Plum was walking down the stone path toward the parking lot when a figure stepped out from the shadows and blocked her way. She found herself staring into Martin Rijo’s belligerent face. She could smell the alcohol fumes his body was emitting and took a small step backward.
“You’re not going to survive here if you keep doing what you’re doing,” he warned, jabbing a stubby finger in her face.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, adopting a light tone that belied her fear. She scanned behind him to see if per chance Juan Kevin had not yet reached the car, but there was only darkness.
“There are rules in Paraiso. And rulers. I’m a ruler, and I make the rules. You should remember that. I’m a true-blooded Rijo,” he said, before leaning over and spitting on the ground.
“Got it,” said Plum. Her heart was racing, but she dared to be brazen. “Lots of people think you killed Nick.”
“Who thinks that?” he demanded.
“People. His friends. You
were seen in a fight with Nick because he was with Carmen.”
He cackled. “I’ll have to talk to his friends about that. They shouldn’t be slandering me. They don’t know what they’re dealing with.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be harassing your stepmother.”
“She’s no mother of mine. Carmen is bad news. Everyone in her camp, bad news. You probably think our director of security, Mr. Big Man, is a good guy. That’s a joke.”
“Juan Kevin?” she asked with surprise.
Martin came very close to her again. She could feel his breath. “You think I’m dangerous? Juan Kevin puts me to shame. Word of advice, stay away from him. He’s not what you think.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Plum.
“You don’t know about the ex-wife, do you?”
Plum hated to admit ignorance. “Of course, I know all about her,” she lied.
“Then you know what kind of man he is.”
Martin snorted before giving her a last look with his narrowed eyelids and heading toward the bar. Plum exhaled.
“It took you some time. Did you find it?” asked Juan Kevin when she entered his car.
“Find what?” she asked.
“Your shawl,” he said and put the car into drive.
“Yes. It was submerged.”
Juan Kevin began analyzing the latest information they had learned that evening. Plum didn’t want to reveal her interaction with Martin and had to admit he had gotten under her skin. She sat as far away from Juan Kevin as possible and snuck small glances at him. What had Martin meant by saying Juan Kevin was dangerous? What exactly happened with his ex-wife? She realized she had put complete trust in this person she barely knew. And she had been foolish enough to put herself in the vulnerable position of being alone in a car with him. (She forgot that she often was alone in cars with men when she took Ubers in New York.) She couldn’t let on about what Martin had told her. Maybe Juan Kevin had murdered Nick and was keeping her close to find out everything she knew?
“You’re very quiet,” he said after a few minutes.
“Just tired. Sunburnt. You know, ready for bed,” she rambled.
“Yes, it’s been a long day.”
