Handbags & Homicide

by Anne Marie Stoddard

  Emma frowned. "I don't know," she said slowly, giving me a confused look. "I think so. Val wasn't one to turn down free booze."

  "Were you two close?" I asked. "I mean, after I moved away, did you become better friends with her?"

  Emma made a face. "Well, she was dating my fiancé's best friend," she said, her tone guilty. "So we saw a lot of each other. I don't want you to think I was betraying you by being nice to her," she added with a sigh. "But Val did have her moments. She could be a good person when she wanted to be."

  I pushed back the pang of jealousy. Emma and I used to be close, but ever since she'd arrived on the island, it felt like there was a rift between us. I'd only been gone from Atlanta for a short while, but it seemed that was long enough for us to have drifted apart.

  "I'm not mad at you," I said softly. "I just wondered if you and Val had a good relationship. One where she might open up to you about a secret if she were keeping one."

  "What kind of secret?" Emma's frown deepened. "Something she was keeping from Bryan?"

  "Possibly," I replied, picturing the receipt with the pregnancy test on it. I didn't want to come clean about what I knew and risk Emma having another prewedding meltdown. She was under a lot of stress, and the idea that her dead friend could have had a bun in the oven would be more than enough to push her over the edge. "I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why someone would have wanted her dead," I said.

  A dark cloud settled over Emma's features. "Kaley, you're not trying to find the killer yourself, are you? That sounds dangerous."

  I opened my mouth to respond but closed it as Mia and Jamie entered the room. "So, what should we do next?" Mia asked as she sat down and placed her nails under the heat lamp.

  "Well, the nail work is already paid for, but for a small up-charge, you can pay to add a deep-tissue massage," Jamie told her. "I usually go for that myself. Afterward, I like to relax in the sauna for a few minutes."

  I pulled my nails away from the lamp and checked to be sure they were dry. "That sounds like a great idea," I said, rising from my seat. "I think I'll skip the massage and head straight for the sauna. Emma, want to join me?" I asked, hoping we could continue our conversation in private.

  "Actually, I think I'll get that massage," she said, avoiding my gaze. "It's part of the package you gave me, and it sounds like just the thing I need to relax right now. Maybe we can meet up outside at the pool after? I'd love to get a little sun before the luau tonight. Speaking of"—she fixed me with a hopeful expression—"is there any chance you could get some extra tickets for the guys? I was hoping they could join us."

  "I'll see what I can do," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I couldn't shake the feeling that Emma was avoiding being alone with me. In fact, it felt as if she'd been doing just that ever since we'd found Val's body on the beach. But why?

  "A massage sounds good to me, too." Mia nodded. "Tell them to book me a table, too, and I'll join you as soon as my nails are dry."

  I watched as Emma hopped out of her seat and walked over to the spa's reception desk. Then I slipped my tote bag over my shoulder and said goodbye to the others before heading for the employee locker room. Once I was around the corner, I retrieved my phone from my bag and fired off a text to Harmony, asking her to meet me in the sauna so she could fill me in on what she'd learned from Coco. Then I shrugged out of my clothes and grabbed an oversized white towel from a basket near the door. Wrapping the towel securely around my body, I stowed my clothes in a free locker and padded barefoot toward the sauna.

  I opened the door and stepped inside, letting the heat roll over me. The dimly lit room wasn't much larger than a walk-in closet, with cedar benches lining three of the walls. A trough full of hot stones rested against the fourth. I perched in the corner of the empty room and leaned back, closing my eyes and letting the warmth melt the tension from my body.

  A few minutes later, I heard the door open. I cracked open an eyelid as Harmony stepped inside. She'd piled her black hair high in a messy bun and had also wrapped herself in one of the large, white towels.

  "Good, you got my text," I said, sitting up straight.

  Harmony dropped onto a bench on the opposite end of the room. She scowled at me. "I wanted to get a massage," she pouted.

  "We'll make this quick." I leaned forward, meeting her gaze. "Did you get anything out of Coco?"

  Harmony crossed one leg over the other and settled back against the wall. She closed her eyes. "Not really. I thought I could get her gabbing if she was tipsy, but no such luck. All I know is that she went to The Lava Pot just before it closed and then decided to go for a walk down by the beach." She opened her eyes and looked at me. "She did say that she saw your ex-hubby and his girlfriend at the bar, though."

  "I already knew about that," I said, unable to hide the frustration from my tone. "Did she happen to mention why she didn't approach them at The Lava Pot? The bartender told me she just sat at the bar and watched them from across the room."

  Harmony shrugged. "I don't know. She did say that they seemed to be arguing about something, but that's all I got out of her before our nails were done." She folded her arms over her chest. "I kept my end of the deal, though," she said with a greedy smile. "So you can bring my dress to the shop sometime next week when you cover my morning shifts."

  I wiped the sweat from my brow. "Sure," I said absently, shifting my attention to the box of steaming rocks along the opposite wall. I squinted. Was it my imagination, or were they burning a little brighter than usual? Several more beads of sweat rolled down my face, and I rubbed them away with the back of my hand before drying it off on my towel. I swallowed, realizing I was suddenly parched. It definitely felt like the temperature had ratcheted up several degrees since I'd entered the sauna.

  "I think I've reached my limit," I said, climbing off of the wooden bench.

  "Me too," Harmony agreed. I could see the sheen of perspiration on her face and neck. "I need to hit the water cooler."

  I placed a hand on the door and pushed. It didn't budge. Frowning, I pushed harder. Still nothing. "Does this thing always stick?" I asked Harmony as I tried again.

  "No." She snorted. "Maybe you're just out of shape."

  I rolled my eyes. Sure, I wasn't exactly Superwoman, but I also wasn't lacking in the arm-strength department, thanks to Aunt Rikki insisting that I tag along to her sunrise yoga classes over the past few weeks. I gave the door another shove, this time leaning my shoulder into it. "I think it's really stuck," I said. Despite the extreme heat, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  Harmony heaved an exasperated sigh. "Do I have to do everything?" she groused. She eyed me impatiently. "At least move over so I can give it a try."

  I stepped out of her way, and she held up her towel with one hand while pressing the door firmly with the other. Her irritated look melted away, and her brows lifted in confusion. "What the…" Harm's voice trailed off as she pushed the door again. She secured her towel more tightly around her and then placed both hands on the door. Her body tensed, and the tendons in her neck strained as she shoved. "Why won't this freaking thing open?" she asked through clenched teeth.

  I joined her, and together we threw our full body weight against the door, but it was no use. Panic seized my chest, and I looked up to find the same emotion reflected in Harmony's wide eyes. "Let's try to be calm," I said, though my voice shook. "Jamie was going to come join me in the sauna after her massage. She should be here any minute. Maybe she can open the door from the other side."

  "Or maybe we can yell loud enough to get the attention of the spa staff," Harmony suggested. I could hear a nervous tremble in her voice. She began to bang her fists against the door. "Help!" she cried. "We can't get the door open!" She paused, and we waited a few beats, listening for a response. There was none. Harmony began to pant. "Does it feel like it's getting hotter in here to you?" she gasped, wiping more beads of sweat from her face.

  I nodded. "It could ju
st be that we're exerting so much energy trying to get the door open," I said, though the visceral tug in my middle section made me think otherwise.

  Harm tapped at the little black strap on her wrist and then shook her head. "No." Now her voice was high with unmistakable panic. "According to the thermometer on my fitness band, it's jumped seven degrees since I first came in here." She gulped. "Make that nine. It's getting hotter—and fast."

  "Do you think the door could have locked by accident?" I asked, still struggling not to let the panic take over.

  Harmony's breathing became ragged, and she flung herself at the door again. "I can't die in here," she wailed, pummeling the wood with both hands. "Somebody please help!"

  I finally abandoned my own sense of composure and joined in, screaming and pounding my fists against the door. The heat was suffocating, and I gasped for air in between cries for help. It was getting harder to breathe. We really could die in here, I thought, frantically clawing at the sauna door.

  Together, Harmony and I launched ourselves at the door once more in a desperate attempt to break it down. Just as we slammed into the wood, it gave way, swinging quickly outward. We toppled into the spa's immaculate hallway, landing in a pile of towels and sweaty limbs. Cool air rolled over me, and I gulped in several mouthfuls of it.

  "Holy crap! Are you okay?" Jamie's voice was frantic. "Kaley?" She leaned over me, the color draining from her face. Her blue-green eyes were wide and fearful. "Please be okay. Say something."

  "Water," I rasped, struggling to haul myself off of Harmony.

  Jamie dashed the few feet down the hall to the water cooler and quickly filled two cups. I smiled weakly when she returned and handed me one. The chilled liquid felt like pure bliss as it slid down my throat.

  "Thanks." Still feeling dazed. I glanced at the door to the sauna, which had swung back toward the frame but remained open just a crack. "It was stuck," I told Jamie. "We couldn't push it open."

  Jamie's mouth set in a grim line. "Honey, the door wasn't stuck," she said, gesturing behind me.

  I followed her gaze, my head swimming with confusion as I stared at one of the large lobby chairs, which was toppled over on its side just beyond the doorway to the sauna. A chill zipped down my spine as the realization sunk in.

  As if to confirm my suspicion, Jamie walked over to the chair. Shutting the sauna door, she pushed the fallen piece of furniture against it. On its side, the chair was just wide enough to wedge between the door and the wall of the narrow hallway, preventing the door from budging. "This is how I found it," she said, her voice shaking. She gestured to the thermostat dial on the wall beside the door. "And this was turned all the way up. I think someone trapped you in the sauna on purpose."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  "Okay, that is it," Harmony said sharply. Her voice was hoarse from screaming. "I'm through doing you favors, Kaley. Every time I try to help you, I almost get killed."

  I couldn't argue with her. Harmony had stuck her neck out for me once before, and we'd been lucky to escape with our lives. I struggled to my feet as Jamie moved past me to help Harm stand up. Walking on wobbly legs, I made my way over to the fallen chair.

  Someone wanted me to be trapped in the sauna, I thought, staring down at the chair. And they turned up the heat. Somebody had been trying to scare me…or maybe even worse. But who? My eyes narrowed as I glanced toward the door at the end of the hall, the one that led out to the courtyard swimming pool. I could see a familiar busty blonde standing just outside. Coco. Perhaps she'd caught on when Harmony had begun prying for her alibi. Could she have been trying to silence us both?

  Not caring that I was still wearing nothing but an oversized towel, I abandoned Jamie and Harm and marched toward the exit. I flung it open, nearly knocking Coco out of the way in the process.

  "Hey! Watch it," she cried, staggering backward. She cringed as she took in my blotchy red skin and angry expression. "Yikes. You look even more terrible than usual."

  Freddy Jenkins, who'd been standing beside Coco, also flinched. "What happened, Kaley?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

  I shook my head. "You," I hissed, pointing a finger at Coco. I opened my mouth, prepared to tear into her, when a sudden movement caught my eye. I shifted my focus past Coco and Freddy and felt my blood chill. A man was watching our exchange intently, his thin lips stretched in a look of eager fascination. I recognized his chubby face and beady green eyes. I'd bumped into him earlier as I was leaving the Loco Moco Café. The man's grin evaporated as we locked gazes, and he abruptly turned and began walking briskly across the patio.

  I gripped my towel tightly and pushed past Coco and Freddy. "Hey," I called out, waving my free hand at the man. "Wait!" I lurched after him but only made it a few feet. Being overheated had zapped most of my strength. A wave of dizziness swept over me, and my legs buckled beneath me. I sat down hard on the nearest lounger, watching helplessly as the strange man exited the pool area and melted into the crowd milling about the courtyard.

  Freddy was at my side within seconds, with Jamie on his heels. He crouched beside me, his dark eyes full of concern as they searched my face. "What's going on? Do you need me to call the lifeguard over?" He lifted his hand to signal to the bronze-skinned young man sitting atop the lookout chair, but I gripped his arm. "There was this creepy guy," I said hoarsely, pointing toward the courtyard. "In an orange bathing suit and blue Atlanta Braves cap. He—"

  "Did he hurt you?" Freddy's face darkened. Without waiting for me to respond, he turned and loped in the direction I'd pointed, his long dreadlocks flying behind him.

  Jamie knelt beside me in the space where Freddy had just been. "I saw him too," she said quietly. "Kales, I recognize that guy. He was at the Lanai Lounge the other night."

  I blinked at her, feeling cold all over. "He was?"

  She nodded, a look of grim certainty on her tanned face. "Yep. He was sitting at the far corner of the bar the whole night. I caught him staring at us a few times, but at the time I didn't think anything of it. I figured maybe he was trying to work up the nerve to hit on one of the girls, but now…" She shuddered. "It just seems like too much of a coincidence that he was here right after someone trapped you in the sauna, right? And the way he just took off running when you spotted him—that was a guilty reaction if I've ever seen one." She grimaced. "Do you think he could be connected to Val's murder somehow?"

  I nodded, picturing the man's probing eyes staring at me from underneath that baseball cap. An Atlanta Braves cap. That couldn't have been a coincidence, either. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew exactly who the man was. "Remember how I mentioned that Valentina had a stalker?"

  Jamie's eyes went wide. "You think that was him? That he followed her all the way to Hawaii?"

  I nodded grimly. "Of course, I don't know for sure. Freddy didn't seem to have noticed him before I came outside, but if he manages to catch up to the creep then maybe he can identify him. He's seen the stalker before, following Val through the parking lot at the football stadium." A sudden shudder worked its way through me, and I wrapped my arms tightly around my middle. Though I wanted to join Freddy in chasing after the alleged stalker, I was too exhausted and dehydrated.

  Jamie must have seen my distress in my face. "Come on," she said, offering me her hand. "My lunch break is up. I've got to get back to the shop, but first, let's get your clothes and a big glass of water."

  I allowed her to help me up from the lounger, and together we made our way back toward the door to the spa. We'd only gone a few feet when a small, dark square on the patio tiles caught my eye. I halted and stooped for closer inspection. It was a brown leather wallet with the initials A.R. engraved in the top corner.

  "I should take this over to the pool bar," I said, picking it up and flipping it open. "I'm sure they have a lost and found—" I stopped talking as my gaze landed on the driver's license inside. Staring up at me from the little plastic card was the face of the man who'd just fled the pool area. I glanced at the name
and Georgia address on the ID and felt a smile curve over my lips. Had I just stumbled upon the identity of Valentina's stalker?

  "On second thought," I said, holding up the license so that Jamie could see. "I think I'll hold on to it for now. I'd like to return it in person so I can have a word with Mr. Andrew Ryan from Atlanta."

  Jamie bumped my fist. "Brilliant! Just promise me one thing," she said, her grin fading slightly. "Wait until I get off work to go looking for him, okay? Right now you need some rest, and Noa would kill me if I let you go after some creeper dude alone."

  I bit back a sigh. She'd made two good points. "Deal," I said reluctantly. "But as soon as your shift is over, we're going to track down this Andrew jerk. I need some answers."

  * * *

  Freddy returned to the pool area empty-handed after a few minutes of pursuit. He'd been unable to find the fleeing Mr. Ryan. Mia and Emma escorted me back to the room and left me there alone, insisting I get some rest, though I didn't manage to sleep a wink. Instead, I lay on the bed, staring at Andrew Ryan's wallet. I went through its contents several times, but nothing stood out as suspicious; it only contained a driver's license, one bank card, one credit card, and a handful of small bills. I was disappointed that there wasn't a room key inside. Without one, I couldn't be sure whether he was actually staying at the resort or if he had booked lodging nearby and had sneaked onto the property to spy on us.

  But why? I wondered as I turned the wallet over in my hands. If he really was Valentina's stalker, what reason would he have to stick around and watch our group now that she was dead? Had he set his sights on a new woman to harass, or could he be trying to ensure that no one had connected him to the crime?

  A shiver worked its way through me as I recalled bumping into the man in the café that morning, less than an hour after I'd tracked down Val's purse. I was starting to suspect that the seemingly innocent encounter had been more than a mere coincidence. Then there was the fact that he'd been at the pool, just a few yards away from the spa, when Harmony and I had been trapped and nearly cooked to death in the sauna. It was entirely possible that he could have slipped inside and wedged that chair between the door and the wall to block our escape. Had he been following me all day, waiting for a chance to attack?