Handbags & Homicide

by Anne Marie Stoddard

  Tom was sitting quietly at the opposite end of the table. Next to him, Freddy and Will were whispering to each other as they checked out a pair of hula dancers dressed in traditional grass skirts. Will caught me watching them and winked at me before turning his attention back to the hip-shaking beauties. Mia was playing with her phone, sneaking occasional glances at Will.

  Emma was snuggled up to Dante, nestled under the crook of his arm as she watched the welcoming ceremony. I shifted my gaze to Coco. She was looking down at her cup of rum punch with a forlorn look on her face. Though she'd tried to cover them with too much makeup, her eyes were still puffy from her crying fit earlier that afternoon. As I watched, the scorned woman glanced across the table at Bryan, and her expression grew even more pained.

  I followed her gaze, focusing on my ex-husband. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes glazed over as if he were lost in thought. I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Coco had been telling the truth about her run-in with Bryan on the beach. According to her, he claimed it never happened. Was he trying to cover up what he'd done, assuming that the police would think Coco was lying to save her own skin? Is she just throwing him under the bus now to get back at him for rejecting her? From personal experience, I knew they were both liars and cheats—but which one was the guilty party this time around?

  After meeting with Andrew Ryan and learning of Bryan's jealousy-fueled decision to hire an investigator to stalk Val on his behalf, I was leaning toward him as the culprit. And yet… I frowned. There was still something about the whole thing that just didn't quite add up. Hopefully my plan to sneak away and search for Valentina's phone would prove fruitful. If there was a possibility that Bryan was innocent, the evidence might be in the dead woman's texts or call logs.

  I clapped along with the rest of the luau guests as the emcee finished his welcome speech. Resort employees dressed in traditional Hawaiian garb marched between the tables, some banging drums and others carrying large platters piled high with food. Once the dishes were arranged on the large buffet, guests began filing toward the table to fill their plates. When it was my turn, I helped myself to some pineapple fried rice, vegetables, and poi, though the nervous anticipation of my little mission was having an adverse effect on my appetite. Once we were seated again, I absently poked at my rice as I listened to the others chatter about the food and entertainment.

  The hula dancers shimmied their way in between the tables, playfully encouraging the men to get up and dance with them. I watched as several dancers coaxed Dante, Freddy, and Tom up onto the stage to learn how to hula.

  "Can we talk?" I looked up, startled to find Bryan standing over me. I hadn't noticed that he'd risen from the other side of the table.

  I studied him for a few moments, suspicion brewing. Why would he want to talk to me? It was possible that Bryan was falling back into old habits, looking for me to comfort him after the great loss he'd suffered. Or maybe he knew what I'd been up to and was hoping to determine just how much I'd learned about the true identity of Valentina's murderer. Either way, with Tom preoccupied up on the stage, he couldn't prevent us from speaking. Perhaps I could use this opportunity to my own advantage.

  "Sure," I said, gesturing to the empty chair beside me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Coco watching us, her teeth clenched. I met her gaze, and she shot me a withering look before rising from her own chair and storming over to the buffet for a refill of rum punch. Is she jealous? Our conversation earlier in her room had given me the impression that she was through with Bryan, but perhaps that wasn't the case after all.

  Bryan sat down and then turned in his chair so that he was facing me. With his blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and blue and white aloha shirt, he looked like a Hawaiian Tourist Ken doll. "I know things are strained between us after everything I put you through," he said, his tone sincere. "And I realize that I never said I'm sorry." He exhaled. "So, I guess I'm doing that now."

  I blinked at him. I certainly hadn't been expecting that. "That's very big of you," I replied, unable to hide my surprise. "Thank you."

  "Kaley, can I ask you something?"

  I nodded slowly and a little reluctantly, unsure of where this was going.

  Bryan dropped his gaze down to his hands. "When we were together, was I a bit overbearing?" An unmistakable current of guilt ran through his tone, and I suddenly realized that this conversation probably wasn't just about me.

  "You could be a little jealous at times," I said, downplaying the truth a bit. "And possessive—but deep down, I always thought you trusted me." I looked him in the face. "I mean, it's not like you hired a private investigator to follow me around and watch my every move."

  The color drained from Bryan's face. "You know about Andrew," he said, his voice so low that I had to strain to hear him above the steel drum music coming from the stage.

  "I had a little run-in with him earlier today," I admitted. "But from what I gather, you had nothing to worry about. He never caught Val cheating on you."

  "So he claims," Bryan muttered, and his expression grew stony. He seemed to catch himself and shook his head as if to clear it. "Sorry," he said, the guilt returning to his voice. "I put up this big front when I'm around the team and the media, but you know that I can be insecure about stuff." He grimaced. "I just couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something from me, and I was hoping the PI could find out what that was. Val figured out what was going on when she spotted him following you girls around the nightclub on Friday night—she'd seen him around Atlanta a few times and recognized him. She confronted me about it in that little tiki bar, and we had a huge fight." He dropped his gaze to the table. "The last thing I ever said to her was that I couldn't trust her." He heaved a sigh. "That's going to haunt me for the rest of my life."

  "I'm sorry, Bry," I said, and I meant it. I couldn't help but think of my own spiteful words to Noa before I'd stormed off earlier that morning. If something were to happen to him, I'd never be able to forgive myself for leaving things the way I had. Focus, Kaley, I reminded myself, shoving my own guilt aside. "What happened after you and Val left The Lava Pot?" I asked Bryan, carefully studying his face.

  His forehead puckered. "I said good night and then went back up to my room to crash for the night. I'd assumed that she'd done the same until…" He trailed off, avoiding my gaze.

  I glanced around the table. Jamie was playing around on her phone. Mia was flirting with Will, playfully running a hand over his close-cropped blond hair. Emma was seated with her back to us as she watched Dante and the other guys dancing on stage. Coco still hadn't returned to the table. No one was paying us any mind.

  I looked back at Bryan. "So you didn't go out to the beach with Val?"

  He shook his head. "No. I was back in my room by two thirty." He must have seen the skepticism in my face because his shoulders stiffened. "Why are you asking so many questions?" He frowned.

  I decided to be up front with him. "I heard about your argument with Coco at the pool bar earlier—"

  "And you believe that lying skank over me?" he demanded, his voice growing louder. "Jeez, Kaley. After all we've been through."

  "After all we've been through?" I laughed humorlessly. "Bryan, you broke our wedding vows. I don't even know how many times you lied to me when we were together. Why should I take you at your word now?"

  Mia and Will abruptly stopped talking and turned to stare curiously at us from across the table. So did Emma. I took a calming breath and forced it back out, struggling to rein in my temper. "Look," I said, lowering my voice. "I'm just telling you what I heard."

  Bryan scowled. "Well, she needs to stop telling people that," he replied angrily, "before she lands me in hot water. I was never out on the beach that night. I already told the police that." He glared, his blue eyes boring holes through me. "And if you're going to throw around accusations, why don't you ask Emma where she and Dante were during that time? They weren't upstairs when I came back from The Lava Pot." His eyes narrowed
to slits. "Maybe the precious bride-to-be is a killer, but I don't see you giving her the third degree."

  I felt my face go slack. I looked from Bryan to Emma. Her face had gone as white as a sheet. "How could you say something like that?" she asked Bryan, the hurt in her voice unmistakable. Before he could respond, she rose from the table and hurried away, tears streaming down her cheeks.

  "Emma, wait!" Mia got up and scurried after her.

  Bryan whirled to face me. "Great. Now look what you did," he said gruffly.

  "Me?" I scoffed. "That was all you, buddy." I began to stand up from my chair, intent on checking on Emma before I made my own exit from the luau, but Bryan reached out and grasped my arm.

  "Tell me you believe I didn't hurt Val," he said. The anger had drained from his face, replaced by a look of pained desperation. "Kaley, please."

  "Hey!" I let out a sharp cry when he tightened his grip. "Let go. You're hurting me."

  "Whoa!" Will jumped up from his seat and sprinted around to our side of the table. "Bryan, what are you doing, man? Let her go." He grabbed Bryan's free arm and wrenched it back. "You're causing a scene," he said, his voice so low that I had to strain to hear it over the music. "There are tons of people here. Do you want some tourist's video clip of you having a meltdown to go viral?"

  I glanced around the nearby tables. Sure enough, several heads had already turned our way.

  Bryan grunted and released his grip on me. The tension seeped out of his body, and he sagged in his chair. "Sorry," he muttered. "I got carried away."

  "Are you okay, Kaley?" Jamie asked, moving her chair closer to mine.

  I gave a shaky nod. "I think I'm going to take a walk."

  "Want me to go with you?" Will offered.

  I forced a smile. "Thanks, but I think I just want to be alone. I need to clear my head." I rose from my seat and turned my back to Bryan, slipping between the other tables as I made my way back toward the resort.

  Jamie caught up to me after a few steps. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked, her face tight with worry. "That was intense."

  "Yeah. I'll be okay. Just a little shaken up." I glanced back at our table, where Will had taken my empty seat next to Bryan. Their heads were bowed low in conversation. "Keep an eye on Bry," I said.

  Jamie nodded. "On it." She turned and headed back to the table as I continued on my way.

  When I reached the edge of the pier, I exhaled a long sigh of relief. My knees trembled slightly as I pictured the wild look on Bryan's face when he'd grabbed me. I didn't know what to make of his actions—had he really been that upset that I might believe Coco's version of events, or had he been worried that I might figure out that he was guilty? Never in all our years together had Bryan ever laid a hand on me. The action was certainly out of character for him, and it had rattled me more than I wanted to admit out loud.

  I was also having trouble making sense of his accusation against Emma. Had she and Dante really not been up in his suite that night like she'd claimed? Why would she lie about that? Still, Emma hadn't exactly denied Bryan's claim. And the look on her face, I thought as I waited for my heart rate to return to normal. There'd been something in her eyes that I couldn't quite identify. Guilt? Worry?

  And what about Dante's cryptic warning before? He'd made it clear that he didn't want me to cause any more trouble for Emma—could it be that the engaged couple was hiding something, too? And if so, what? I couldn't think of any reason that either Dante or Emma would want to harm Valentina, but suddenly I wasn't so sure that I could rule them out. It seemed the deeper I went, the more suspects I had. Nearly everyone in the wedding party had something to hide, and I was running out of people I could trust.

  The sun had already set, and the shore was dark as I stepped onto the rapidly cooling sand. I reached into my tote bag and produced a small flashlight. Using the beam to illuminate my path, I made my way around the railing of the boardwalk to a row of dunes that were off limits to the resort guests.

  "Thank you, Jamie," I said, grinning as I spotted the metal detector nestled in the saw grass on the first dune. While I'd been getting ready for the luau, she'd driven to a nearby beach equipment rental store. I quickly scooped up the metal detector and aimed my flashlight in the direction of the area where Valentina's body had been found.

  The beach was mostly deserted at this time of night, with the majority of guests either attending the luau or enjoying dinner at one of the various restaurants on or near the resort. I turned off my flashlight and crouched low in the dark as another orb of light moved along the shore a few yards away. I heard the sounds of a young couple talking and giggling flirtatiously as they enjoyed a moonlight stroll. When the voices faded out of earshot, I turned my light back on and continued on my way.

  I listened to the waves slapping the shore as I walked quietly through the sand, following the bouncing beam of my flashlight. After a few minutes, the yellow tape that marked the crime scene came into view. Goosebumps pricked my arms as I pictured Valentina's corpse sprawled beneath that same patch of sand. If her phone was still down there, I hoped I could find it.

  Here goes nothing. I reached for the power switch on the metal detector. The device hummed to life, and I anxiously waved it over the sand in front of me. A static buzzing emanated from the device as I paced slowly across the small patch of beach, scanning the area just outside the yellow tape. A stronger signal sounded from the detector, and I dropped to my knees, digging excitedly in the sand. A few moments later, I sighed in disappointment when I unearthed a set of car keys.

  I stood and dusted myself off before resuming my search, pushing the metal detector underneath the police tape. The device signaled once more that there was something beneath the surface. I set it down and crouched low, using my hands to shovel the sand to the side. I was so focused on my digging that I didn't hear my attacker approaching until it was too late.

  I had only a second's warning as a spray of sand pelted me from behind. Then the air left my lungs in a sudden whoosh as someone shoved me down onto the beach. I cried out in surprise, my flashlight flying out of my grip as I toppled over. It landed several feet away, illuminating a small patch of the shore. "Hey!" I protested, struggling to roll over and face my assailant. Before I could move, something hard struck the back of my head with such force that my teeth nearly shattered. Blinding pain sang through me, and my vision blurred as I plunged into darkness.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The distant rush of the waves roused me. The sound was muffled by the ringing in my ears, and my head felt as if the back had caved in. Carefully, I cracked an eye open, immediately closing it again when fresh agony flared. I took a shaky breath and tried again. This time I was greeted by a bright white light. I'm dead, I thought groggily. Another wave of pain rolled through me. And this feels like hell.

  "Kaley?" Though the voice was also muffled, I was sure I recognized it. I waited for my eyes to adjust. Jamie slowly came into focus before abruptly disappearing behind the flashlight beam she was shining in my face.

  "Hey, watch where you point that thing," I muttered, lifting a hand to shield my eyes.

  Jamie exhaled. "Oh, thank God," she breathed, sounding relieved. "For a minute there, I thought you might be dead. I was about two seconds away from giving you mouth-to-mouth."

  "I'm okay," I said hoarsely. "I think." I tried to sit up, but Jamie placed a firm hand on my shoulder to stop me.

  "You shouldn't move," she instructed. "I had to complete some medical training as part of my diving instructor certification. It's important that you lie still until we determine that you don't have a neck or spinal injury."

  "I don't think anything's broken," I told her. "And we already know I can move my arms." I sucked in a ragged breath and forced it back out. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated on my toes, feeling the sand shift beneath me as I wiggled them. Everything seemed to be in working order. "I think I'm okay." I reached up and gingerly rubbed at the large bump on the back
of my head. Ouch. "Except for the fact that my brain feels like it's going to explode," I added, wincing. "What happened?"

  Jamie frowned. "When you didn't return to the luau, I came looking for you. I'm pretty sure someone whacked you on the head with the metal detector. It's a miracle they didn't crack your skull." Her brow creased. "I really should call the paramedics. You could have a concussion."

  "Don't," I pleaded. "If you call an ambulance, the police will probably show up too—and then I'll have to explain why I was out here digging through their crime scene." I grimaced. "I don't feel like spending the night behind bars."

  "I don't know," Jamie said, her tone uncertain. "You could really be hurt, Kaley."

  "I'll live," I insisted. "I just wish I knew who to thank for this migraine," I added dryly. "Did you see anyone else from the wedding party leave the luau after I did?"

  "Well…" Jamie's tone was guilty. "I got a little distracted." Her gaze dropped to her hands. "Javi called. He wants to take me out again soon." She met my gaze, and even in the dim light I could see the remorse in her expression. "I stepped away from the table for, like, five minutes—ten, tops. I'm so sorry, Kaley. This is my fault."

  "No, it's not." I tried to sound reassuring. "Was anyone still at our table when you came back? Will? Freddy? Mia?"

  She frowned. "Just Dante. Emma never came back after Bryan upset her, and Mia left with her. Dante said that Will took Bryan on a walk to try to cool him off. I'm not sure where Freddy and Tom were, and I haven't seen Coco since she stormed off during dinner."

  I sighed. "So my attacker could have been practically anyone."

  "Pretty much," Jamie agreed.

  "Great." I bit back a groan. Bryan had been really upset with me when I'd left the luau. He easily could have blown off Will and come looking for me on his own. Or maybe Coco had watched and waited until I left alone and had followed me out to the beach. She'd obviously been ticked that I was speaking to Bryan after she drunkenly poured her heart out to Jamie and me about how he'd spurned her. Even Mia could have come looking for me, angry that I'd provoked Bryan into upsetting Emma—or hell, maybe Emma herself, wanting to get back at me for making Bryan expose her false alibi. Once again I found myself taking two steps back in my progress. I wasn't any closer to determining who was behind all this foul play.