by Sandi Scott
“Well, at least I won’t lose you in a crowd,” Aleta said, as she slipped in a pair of pearl earrings and adjusted her red shorts and white polo shirt.
“That’s the whole idea. If we get separated I’ll just stay where I am and you can find me. I’ll never see you in that get-up.” Georgie pointed at her sister as she grabbed her purse and slipped on a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses.
“You don’t think the sunglasses are a bit much?” Aleta asked. “Aside from the plunging neckline and the slit in your skirt that goes up to ya-ya.”
“It’s a wrap around skirt. The fabric has to part in order for me to walk. I have to be able to walk.” Georgie stood in front of the full-length mirror. This doesn’t go past my knee, Miss Prude.”
“I just don’t know how you manage to mold that full, hour-glass figure into a skirt like that without worrying about your all-together showing.” Aleta slung her purse over her shoulder before handing Georgie a key to the room.
“I don’t have time to explain the fine art of wearing contouring underthings to you,” Georgie huffed. “Your naturally slender frame was never in need of it.”
“We are only about two dress sizes apart.” Aleta opened the door and stood there looking at her watch and then at her sister.
“Yes, and look at the difference it has made. Take it from your older and worldlier sister, Aleta. A little cleavage goes a long way.”
“I’m going to have that printed on a t-shirt for you. A very low-cut t-shirt.”
“No one is stopping you from wearing something a little—oh—what’s the word?” Georgie asked as she walked out of the hotel room toward the elevator bank.
“Revealing?”
“No.” She slipped her arm through Aleta’s as they waited for the elevator. “Flattering. Accentuating. Maybe even a little risqué.”
“Georgie, you are too much.” Aleta groaned
“My-oh-my Georgie, don’t you look like the belle of the ball,” Daniel said, as he came around the corner to wait for the elevator with the Kaye sisters. “I must say I can see the family resemblance, but you two are as different as night and day.”
“Tell me about it.” Aleta groaned.
“It’s probably because I’m the older of the two of us,” Georgie bragged.
“Two minutes, Daniel. She was born two minutes before me. My whole life she’s been telling me and anyone else who would listen that she’s the oldest because of those two damn minutes.”
Daniel laughed loudly. “You guys are a hoot!”
As they rode the elevator down it was obvious by Daniel’s continual chit-chatting and glazed eyes that he was trying to hide the fact that he’d thrown back one drink too many. He wasn’t slurring his words or stumbling around, but he wasn’t the cool, Southern gentleman they’d arrived in Hawaii with. Something was wrong with him.
Chapter 9
The remaining members of the Mid Hostel tour group were waiting in the lobby when the elevator doors opened. Without his normal banter and chit-chat, Daniel herded everyone onto the shuttle. He barely took notice of Dottie who was standing alone looking critically at everyone around her.
“What do we say to her?” Georgie asked.
“Good morning, I guess,” Aleta replied.
But as the twins approached her, Dottie deliberately turned to face the other direction.
“I don’t think she wants to be bothered,” Aleta said sadly. “I can understand that. The reality of the whole situation is probably just hitting her. Perhaps you are right, Georgie. Maybe she didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Georgie put her hand on Aleta’s shoulder. It was obvious Aleta was thinking about her own reactions when her husband William had passed. It was at once a heartbreak and a relief. The years of suffering from the cancer were not without laughter, smiles, kind words and actions. Part of her wanted the end of the pain to come, yet part of her wanted William to stay with her no matter how they both struggled.
“Maybe later on you could talk to her, Aleta.” Georgie soothed. “Of anyone here you are probably the only one who can speak to her from an experience of loss.”
“Maybe,” Aleta said, as she watched Dottie climb aboard the bus and take a seat in the back.
Once everyone was sitting and the bus was rolling, Daniel finally stood. His face looked tired and worn. The alcohol was obviously wearing off. But, he put on a strained smile and waved to get everyone’s attention.
“Okay, y’all. We’re going to Aloha Stadium. When it’s not football season they are host to the biggest flea market in Hawaii. And don’t be afraid to haggle.” He squinted awkwardly. “We will all meet back at the shuttle in four hours. There are places to eat, rest, or shop. You’ll find whatever you are looking for there. So, have fun and meet back at the drop-off point in four hours.”
After that he flopped back down in his seat, ran his hands through his short blond hair and pulled out his cell phone.
“I wonder what he’s texting?” Aleta said to Georgie as they watched him frantically tapping the letters on his phone. Georgie shrugged and began to search for something in her purse. “What are you looking for?”
“My list of what to buy for the kids and Stan,” Georgie replied. “I know I put it in here so I wouldn’t forget.” She dug like a dog scraping up the ground to bury a beloved bone.
“What are you planning on getting for Stan?” Aleta asked.
“I’m on a quest for the loudest, most obnoxious Hawaiian shirt I can find,” Georgie said, as she continued to dig. “Aha! There you are, you list, you. Yes, a tacky shirt for Stan. Earrings for Catherine. A CD of Hawaiian music for Jonathan. A t-shirt for Andrew. Plus, I need to get something for my granddaughter and son-in-law. Catherine’s husband is hard to shop for. I am going to wait and see what they have for babies.”
“I’ll bet they’ve got some adorable things. Babies in Hawaiian prints? Just thinking about it is hilarious.”
The sisters chatted about everything but the elephant in the room that had replaced Herb. Dottie didn’t speak. No one made any attempt to talk to her. And once they arrived at the Aloha Stadium everyone scattered in all directions.
As usual, the Kaya sisters linked arms and strolled through the lane, stopping at almost every booth to take a look at what was being sold by the local merchants.
“Aleta! Look at this!” Georgie gasped. “I can mail an actual coconut to Catherine and her husband!” She held up the lumpy brown Molokai coconut. “I’m going to send one to Stan, too. I’ll have it arrive at the police station!”
“You are having too much fun with this.” Aleta chuckled.
“Come on. Send one to Emily. You know she’ll love it. Send it to the office so everyone sees it.” By this time Georgie was laughing. “I can just see her face as her secretary delivers the mail.”
By the end of the discussion, Georgie had decided to mail a Molokai coconut to all three of her children and Stan. She even mailed one to Bodhi at home so she’d have one for herself. Aleta pitched in and had one sent to her daughter, Emily, at work.
“That is a crazy idea,” Aleta said. “I bet they make a fortune selling those things. I’d send a coconut to everyone on my Christmas list if I could.”
“You aren’t lyin’ sister. It was a brilliant marketing ploy,” Georgie said, as they continued their adventure in shopping. Just as they were about to stop for some chocolate covered macadamia nuts, Aleta tugged on Georgie’s arm and pointed.
Along the rows of colorful skirts and blouses, seashell jewelry and pineapple tote bags were several simple bamboo tables with folding chairs. Real pink and purple orchids in simple vases were in the center of each table. Dottie was alone at one of the small tables, sobbing.
“I can’t not say something to her, at least,” Aleta said.
“Okay. I’ll be shopping over here for Stan. I’ll give you a few minutes and then head over so we don’t get separated.”
Aleta nodded and went to Dottie.
Georgie had no idea what Aleta would say to the woman. She had already tried to help earlier in the morning, but it didn’t go well. There was a wall up that wouldn’t be broken.
Georgie slowly strolled through one of the corner shops that had dozens if not hundreds of Hawaiian shirts for men. There were some really lovely shirts with the traditional blooming flowers and palm leaves on display. There were a few that had surfers and rolling waves on them. There were others with parrots and surfboards. But Georgie knew the perfect shirt when she saw it.
“How much is this one?” Georgie asked, ready to haggle.
The store manager came from around the counter, her big brown eyes wide with surprise.
“You want that one?” she asked, as if Georgie had asked for a cup of Ebola virus with a side of rickets.
“I do. It’s for my ex-husband.”
“That shirt has been hanging in my shop for almost six months. No one will buy it. When I got it I thought it was a joke, but nope. It was a real design by the designer I get all my men’s shirts from. He calls it his Elvis Blue Hawaii Collection,” she said, shaking her head.
“That movie Blue Hawaii has some very provocative dialogue,” Georgie replied. “If you’ve never seen it it’s worth checking out. Very scandalous for the early sixties. Very.”
“Well, that shirt is an eyesore. I’ll make you a deal.”
Georgie walked away with the tackiest shirt in all of Hawaii, and happily, she got it for next to nothing. This was turning out to be a great day. So, with her kids getting coconuts and Stan’s shirt taken care of, Georgie thought she deserved a little reward for herself. Across the way was a stand selling not just macadamia nuts dipped in chocolate, but pineapple in chocolate, guava in chocolate and dragon fruit in chocolate.
It wasn’t a tough choice. Georgie threw down her money, no haggling or questions asked, for a quarter pound of the nuts, the pineapple and the dragon fruit. Aleta would be pleased.
As she started to stroll back toward the sitting area where she’d left Aleta, she caught a glimpse of another one of her travelling companions. It was Pam’s boyfriend, Hector. Georgie didn’t see Pam anywhere. She had seen her on the bus. In fact, she found it rather odd that she was wearing a long sleeved hoodie. But, the aftermath of a night consuming alcohol takes its toll in different ways.
Georgie was going to say hello but stopped herself, Hector was busy. In fact, he was quite busy with a young woman working at a jewelry stand. His body language said it all but as Georgie inched her way closer, partially hiding behind a few racks of clothing, she could hear him talking.
“I’m planning on moving here,” Hector said. “But I’m finding it very hard to get around. The street signs confuse me.”
“Oh, you’ll get the hang of it,” the saleswoman flirted back.
“You think? A guy like me might need a guide. Maybe you’d like to show me around? That is if your boyfriend doesn’t mind.”
Still hidden behind the clothing racks, Georgie rolled her eyes at that old line.
“My boyfriend won’t mind if your girlfriend doesn’t,” the saleswoman clearly had Hector’s number.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Hector shot back without hesitation. “I told you, I’m thinking of moving here. My business allows me a lot of freedom. Especially now. Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure,” the saleswoman replied. Georgie peeked through the racks to see her leaning closer to Hector.
“The guy I worked with just died. He fell off a cliff at Germaine’s Luau yesterday,” Hector said.
“That’s terrible,” the saleswoman replied.
“Not really. The guy was a jerk. But, it helps me out of a bad business deal, that’s for sure. I’m actually kind of glad it happened.”
“That’s mean,” the clerk giggled as she pushed Hector away but not too hard.
“So, are you going to show me around or what?” Hector quickly went back to his master plan.
Georgie’s breath caught in her throat. Only a cold-blooded killer could talk so casually about a guy falling off a cliff on vacation. Normally, the list of suspects would narrow down after a little eavesdropping and spying. But not this time. This time it wasn’t who wanted Herb dead but who didn’t want him dead.
Trying to get closer, Georgie buried herself more deeply in the rack of brightly colored clothing. If Hector notices anything he’ll just think the clothes are moving with the breeze, she reasoned to herself as she pushed gently on the rack she was inside, seeing if it would roll closer to the couple. The saleswoman was telling Hector that she really needed to get back to work. Certain that Pam would be looking for Hector any minute, Georgie stealthily backed out of the clothes rack before heading back in the direction of where she left Aleta, mulling over what she heard. Did Hector have some kind of business deal going on with Herb? Did the deal go south? If it did, was it so far south that Hector would want Herb dead?”
“This is too much,” she said aloud. “Everyone wanted Herb out of the picture. I don’t think that guy knew how unpopular he really was. I wonder if there are people who feel like that around me. Am I not as sweet as I think I am?”
Georgie continued talking to herself when suddenly her name was called.
“Kaye!” She turned around to see Pam waving with a raw coconut in one hand and a tiny airplane bottle of rum in the other. “Hey, Kaye!”
“Hi, Pam.” Georgie said, looking longingly toward the sitting area where she had left her sister. It would have to wait just a few minutes.
“You’ve got to try these coconuts.” She thrust the green fruit with the straw sticking out of it at Georgie. “I could drink these all day.”
“Do they come with the rum?” Georgie asked, as she shook her head, declining to take a sip.
“No. I brought that myself.” She smiled proudly, pulling another bottle from the pockets of her hoodie, then twisting left to right and back again like a little girl would. “Hey, come with me. I need to buy a grass skirt.”
“I’d love to, but I have to meet my sister.” Georgie took a careful step back. She wasn’t safely behind a thick door with a metal latch. She was out in the open and Pam was already lit.
“Please? I need to find a coconut bra to go with it, too.” She took a long sip from her coconut. “I’m going to wear it to dinner tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Pam. Maybe Hector can go with you.” Georgie tried to be polite, but the mention of Hector’s name seemed to be some kind of negative trigger. Pam began to pick at a bandage that was around her right wrist. It looked like she’d gotten a tattoo from the way the skin was red and some marks peeked out from beneath the bandage.
“What are you so obsessed with Hector for?” Pam took a step closer, prompting Georgie to square her shoulders and stand firm.
“Well, he’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?” Georgie tried not to choke on those words. If Pam were sober she might tell her where to find him. But judging by Pam’s current condition, there might be another death among their group if she stumbled on Hector and the saleswoman. Georgie didn’t want that on her conscience.
“He is. He’s my boyfriend. No matter what. He’s mine.” Pam used the coconut in her hand to tap her chest as if Georgie might not know who Hector belonged to.
“Pam. You need to calm down,” Georgie said, as if she were speaking to one of her children when they were about to have a tantrum. “This is not how a person behaves in public.”
Inside, Georgie’s nerves were dancing like live wires but on the outside she appeared calm, confident and more than capable of cleaning Pam’s clock if necessary, even in her wrap-around skirt and plunging neckline.
“Not how a person behaves? What are you, Miss Manners?” Pam hissed, then started laughing. “I’m just joking with you, Kaye. I’m joking.”
“Go get some coffee, Pam,” Georgie said, before walking away. She wanted to run but with a person like Pam who wasn’t thinking straight she had to put on a brave face and act like s
he wasn’t scared of her. In reality, Georgie was very scared of Pam.
Chapter 10
Walking briskly, Georgie wove in and out of the brightly colored stalls. She didn’t dare look back to see if Pam was following her, so she moved at random between the rows until finally spotting Aleta still sitting at the small table. Fortunately, Aleta was alone.
“My gosh, Georgie. You look like you just ran ten miles in heels. What’s wrong?” Aleta quickly pulled a hankie from her purse and handed it to Georgie who patted her forehead, her cheek and her cleavage with it.
“You will not believe what just happened. Come on. We need to keep moving. I don’t want her to pick up on my scent.” Georgie took Aleta’s hand.
“Who?”
“Pam,” Georgie said, nervously looking over her shoulder. “She’s drunk already, and in case you have any thoughts about even looking in Hector’s direction don’t let Pam see you or else there will be a rumble.”
“You are talking gibberish, Georgie Kaye.”
“Aleta, let me tell you what has transpired over the past fifteen minutes,” Georgie said, as she pulled her sister to a park bench, pulled out the chocolate covered macadamia nuts and began her story.
By the time the bag was empty, Aleta was staring at Georgie with her mouth wide open.
“I don’t believe it. Do you think Hector had anything to do with Herb falling?”
“I don’t know. I’m starting to wonder something else.” Georgie swallowed the last of the macadamia’s. “Pam is obviously drinking too much. But she’s also wearing a hoodie when it’s eighty-five degrees outside. She’s got a Band-Aid on her wrist.”
“Oh, Georgie. You don’t think he beats her, do you?”
“I don’t know. But a guy with a temper like that might push someone over a cliff and go about living as if he didn’t do anything wrong.” Georgie wiped her mouth with the hankie Aleta had given her. “My gosh, here I am rambling on and on about Pam and Hector. What did you find out from Dottie, if anything?”
