by CindySample
“Should we attend the reception?” Mother asked. “Maybe her parents only invited us to be polite.”
I thought it over for a few seconds. “No, I think they were sincere. Our plane doesn’t leave until the evening, so we have time.”
“Are you kidding?” Stan said. “This is the perfect opportunity to find the killer. Remember all those clues we picked up last time?”
As far as I recalled, my Mother and Liz had each picked up several new clients, but nary a worthwhile clue.
“I bet they’ll have a hula tribute to Keiki.” Stan’s eyes sparkled and he started swaying to the music that must be playing in his head. “I heard they do that in these situations, especially if the deceased was a dancer. Do you think I should offer––?”
“No,” Mother and I shouted simultaneously.
Stan looked hurt so I attempted to mollify him “Hey, pal, you wouldn’t catch McGarrett dancing when he should be detecting.”
He cocked his head. “Good point. Dancing might be a distraction.”
Yeah. For everyone else as well.
I glanced at my watch. “Do you want to stop by Koffee Land and check in with Regan? It’s almost noon and it’s only a ten-minute drive.”
“I could use a cup of java.” Stan yawned.
“It’s probably too soon,” Mother said. “But maybe Regan will have an update on Dave’s status.” The fine lines she tried to conceal with luxury cosmetics were now evident, proclaiming her baby boomer status.
We piled in the car and drove toward Honaunau. Dark clouds crisscrossed the sky, indicating afternoon showers were in the forecast. My ears popped once we reached 2,000 feet in altitude. The higher we climbed, the more exotic the landscaping became. Looking at the large, abundant red blossoms entwined around tall Ohia trees reminded me of a local legend.
Ohia, a Hawaiian chief, supposedly fell in love with Pele’s sister, Lehua. Pele, who wanted him for herself, was so furious with Ohia that she turned him into a tree. The other gods tried but were unable to change Ohia back into a man. When Lehua refused to leave his side, they transformed her into a beautiful red flower instead. That way the two could be united forever.
Needless to say, Pele was pissed.
Whether you’re a goddess or a mere mortal, true love does not always run smooth. Now if we could only determine who was pissed off enough to kill Keiki.
We drove through the imposing entrance to Koffee Land and followed the long curving drive to the visitor’s center. The parking lot seemed more crowded than on our last visit. The center, however, was empty except for Tiffany who stood behind the counter.
“Your parking lot is packed.” I said. “What did you do with everyone? Are they all on tour?”
Tiffany shook her head, the ebony strands of her glossy hair flying in every direction. “The television people are here today. They’re hosting some kind of reception for the contestants in the gazebo.”
Stan’s eyes lit up. “Could we take a peek?”
She smiled and shrugged. “I’m not sure. You can ask Regan if it’s okay.”
“Is she around?” I asked.
“She should be in her office.” Tiffany picked up her phone and dialed an extension. While we waited, I perused the goodies in the Donkey Ball aisle. Some folks take Xanax for anxiety. I find that chocolate is cheaper and tastier. With my brother in jail, I could use a pound or two of the over-the-counter medication.
I heard noises and glanced up, expecting to see Regan. Her handsome boss approached, dressed in an off-white suit and Panama hat, looking the picture of a nineteenth-century plantation owner.
Regan followed behind Ritz. I couldn’t imagine concentrating on work while my husband languished in jail, but she possessed an amazing loyalty to her employer.
“Ritz, you remember Dave’s family.” Regan reintroduced all of us to her boss.
He latched on to my mother’s hands. “Regan has told me about your son’s difficulties. Please let me know if I can do anything to help. The police here are not so experienced in the murder cases. I’m sure it is a big mistake.”
Mother gently released her hands from his grasp. “Thank you. I appreciate your offer. This has been a trying vacation. First Regan was in custody and now Dave.”
Ritz smiled at my sister-in-law. “I’m most relieved to have Regan back here at Koffee Land. She is the backbone of our enterprise.”
Regan’s face glowed with the compliment. The owner had definitely mastered the art of positive reinforcement.
“In the brief time that I met her, Keiki seemed like a nice girl,” Stan said, “but she’s been kind of a vacation wrecker.”
I could see Regan mouthing the words “home wrecker” under her breath.
“Ah yes, the young victim. Such a tragedy,” Ritz replied.
“Did you know her?” I asked.
He nodded. “She stopped by on occasion to see her stepfather. Keiki seemed to be a source of much frustration to Victor and his wife. A beautiful but confused young woman, I would say. She made Henry crazy, too. Have you met her brother-in-law?”
“Yes, we’ve met both Walea and Henry. How did Keiki upset him?”
“Henry mentioned she had a drug problem, but I don’t know the details. I know he was nervous when she was selected as one of the contestants for the reality show. I think he was afraid she might do something to embarrass the family.”
“Keiki was supposed to be on The Bride and the Bachelor?” I asked.
“Such a tragedy to have her young life cut short,” Ritz said. “This show might have been the impetus to turn her life around. But moving on to happier topics, have you had the opportunity to explore our beautiful island?”
“We’re going on an ATV tour in the Waipi’o Valley tomorrow,” I said.
“Ah, the Valley of the Kings. Waipi’o is indeed a special place. Make sure you don’t miss the view from the rim.” Ritz glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry. I have a meeting in Hilo. Again, please let me know if I can be of service.” We thanked him and he headed out of the center.
“Have you heard from Dave or his attorney?” I asked Regan.
“Not yet. But it’s probably too soon.” Regan chewed on her thumbnail. “I need to get back to work. Can I get you anything else?”
Mother looked ready to burst in tears. “This waiting is killing me.”
“Could we walk around the grounds?” I asked, hoping that might calm my mother while we waited to hear from the lawyer.
Regan looked relieved to get rid of us. “Sure, just don’t disturb the TV crew. They have something going on with the contestants over in the pavilion.”
We said goodbye to Regan and Tiffany then walked out of the center. A series of gold arrows pointed to various locations on the property, all of which seemed to lead in the same direction. Even without the arrows, we would have been able to locate the TV crew from the noise.
“Your sister-in-law seems to place far more importance on her career than her husband,” Mother confided as we walked side by side down the graded path.
“Maybe it’s her method of escape. Burying her head in a spreadsheet could be an accountant’s security blanket.”
“Humph.”
The noise level increased as we drew closer to the pavilion. The structure resembled a gazebo on steroids and could easily provide enough room for several hundred attendees. I didn’t see any TV cameras so this must be an informal pre-taping gathering. As we drew closer to the grand pavilion, I noticed a familiar face.
“It’s Amanda, the naturalist from the Sea Jinx,” I said to the others. “I wonder what she’s doing here.”
The three of us approached the covered structure.
“Hi, Laurel.” Amanda beamed a wide smile at us. The red hibiscus over her ear matched the short polka-dot sundress she wore. “Are you involved in the show?”
I shook my head. “My sister-in-law works at Koffee Land so we stopped to see her. What about you? How come you’re not out on the Sea
Jinx today?”
“I’m one of the contestants on The Bride and the Bachelor.” She bounced up and down in excitement, her long blonde curls and bosom bouncing in tandem. If they judged the contestants on bounciness, she was a shoe-in.
“Congratulations,” I said. “So what’s the show about?”
Amanda put her hand over her heart. “The girls are all competing for the bachelor, Jacques Andre Cointreau.”
Stan whistled. “Isn’t he the grandson of Philippe Cointreau?”
She smiled, bubbling over with youthful optimism. “Yes, we have so much in common. I think we’re a perfect match.”
“That hunk won the Survivor, the Amazing Race, and Dancing with the Stars,” Stan said. “He is a fox-trotting, sea-faring survivalist. You go get him, girl.”
She giggled. “I’ll give it my best. I just hope I can measure up to the other contestants.” She glanced around the pavilion, and I followed her gaze.
Talk about island beauty. Every girl in the room was gorgeous and dressed to kill. But Amanda was equally lovely, and I admired the way she used simple native flowers to accessorize. Some of the women glittered more than the showroom at Tiffany.
“We just learned Keiki was a contestant too,” I said. “It’s so tragic what happened to her.”
Amanda shook her head. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. We’ve known each other since high school. It would have been so much fun to be on the show together. I heard the police finally arrested her killer so that’s good.”
“They did not arrest the right man,” Mother shouted, surprising me with her intensity.
Amanda edged away from our group. If the young girl thought my mother was intimidating now, she should try negotiating a contract with the Queen of Centurion Realty.
“The man they arrested is my brother,” I explained to the frightened young woman. “We’re all upset because we know he didn’t do it. We just need to prove it to the police before we leave the island Sunday. That gives us only two more days. Do you have any idea who would want to kill Keiki?”
She shook her curls, her eyes welling with tears. “Poor Keiki. You probably heard what happened to her former boyfriend, Joey?” She looked at us and we all nodded. “Well, his brother, Timmy, hated Keiki. I was on the Sea Jinx one night when he threatened her, although I can’t imagine him following through with it.”
“How about any new boyfriends?” Stan asked. “We heard she started dating an older man.”
She pondered our question. “Keiki never mentioned anything to me. Although I did see her with––,” Amanda stopped and eyed the ground. “It was probably nothing.”
“No clue is unimportant when it comes to my son,” Mother said using a gentler tone this time. We didn’t want to frighten the young woman away if she possessed some valuable information.
Amanda toed her sandal in a circular motion in the grass, seemingly reluctant to disclose one of her friend’s possible suitors. A tall woman with a clipboard and a frown called out Amanda’s name, beckoning at her.
“I’ve gotta go,” she said.
“Please tell us what you were going to say,” I pleaded with her. She waved back at the other woman indicating she was on her way.
“Okay, I saw Steve and Keiki together a few times. But it was almost a month ago and probably didn’t mean anything. “She blasted a Crest-white smile at me. “Besides, I think Steve really likes you, Laurel.”
The clipboard-carrying woman called Amanda’s name again, angrily tapping her foot as she glared at our group.
“Sorry,” Amanda said. “I really must go.”
“Good luck, dear.” Mother patted the young woman on the arm.
Amanda smiled a thanks and scurried away to join the others. Mother and I chuckled as we left the pavilion.
“Ah, youth, the stars are aligned,” I said, “therefore it is my fate––”
“To meet my mate,” Stan sang out. “Hey, she’s a cute kid. I hope this show works out for her. Everyone deserves to meet their Mr. Right.”
My lower lip trembled, and I sensed a lone tear rolling down my cheek. Everyone does deserve to meet Ms. or Mr. Right. But once the initial romance wears off, how do you keep a relationship going strong? The unhealthy relationship of my brother and his wife saddened me, as did the memory of my own broken marriage. How could the joining of two people in love lead to so much disappointment? And tears.
And as I was discovering on this island––betrayal!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
We continued on the path that led uphill away from the pavilion toward the vista point. After a short walk, we reached the crest. Two men conversed at the base of a tall tower.
“What a spectacular view,” Mother said.
She wasn’t kidding. A lush green valley surrounded us, the undulating hills covered with tall Ohia and Koa trees, abundant ferns and an occasional zip-line tower. In the distance, the ocean sparkled as if diamonds were dancing on the crests of the waves.
We strolled over to check out the view from the tower, which was at least forty feet tall.
“This isn’t operational yet,” the shorter man announced. He wore a large diamond stud in one ear and sported dragon tattoos on each of his muscular arms. He and his arms looked vaguely familiar, but since many young men on the island had tattoos, I doubted his was the only fire-breathing arm in Hawaii.
“We were just admiring the scenery,” I said. “Will the zip-line be running soon?”
“We’re testing it today,” said the other worker. “It needs to be ready by Monday for the reality show. After that, it will open to the public. You should try it sometime.”
I looked at the belts, hooks and pulleys intended to haul a person a thousand-plus feet to the next tower with a mere two-hundred-foot drop over the valley below.
“That small contraption can hold me?” Both men laughed at my skeptical tone.
“Yes, miss,” replied the older, heavy-set man. “Trust me. If it can hold us, it can hold you.”
Stan moved closer to the tower. “Oh, you can ride tandem on this zip-line. That’s a nice feature.”
“The TV show needed to have two people go at the same time, and our boss thought that would be an added attraction. Sometimes people feel more comfortable if they’re zipping next to a friend.”
“Can more than one person ride together on the same line?” I asked.
He nodded. “Sure, you and your mom could ride together as long as your combined weight didn’t exceed 270 lbs.”
Mother glanced at me then shook her head slowly. Was she implying I’d eaten one malasada too many for her to feel comfortable flying through the air with me?
“I’ve always wanted to try zip-lining,” Stan said. “How safe is it? Someone mentioned there was an accident here not long ago.”
The men shared a look. The young tattooed fellow was about to speak when the older man laid a hand on his shoulder. “That accident had nothing to do with the safety of these lines. We’re about to take a ride to the next tower now. Stick around and watch.”
The workers climbed four sets of stairs to reach the platform at the top of the tower where a third man waited. Even from this distance, I recognized Henry, their boss, glowering at us as usual.
We watched as they hooked themselves into the harnesses and tested the clamps from the upper line. Henry gave them a thumbs-up, and they took off. They waved back at us as they flew down the line. The smaller, wiry one leaned backward and spread his colorfully inked arms out wide, displaying the familiar “hang loose” Shaka sign so popular in the islands.
“That looks like fun.” Stan’s gaze followed the men’s swift ride across the canyon.
That depends on your definition of “fun.” I’d personally prefer to pull my upper lip over my forehead than go zipping through the air.
“Regan must have an update on Dave by now,” said Mother, all business. “If not, then it’s high time we drive to the detention center and find out what’s going
on ourselves.”
We strolled past the pavilion, which was filled with more estrogen per foot than most men would want to handle. That Jacques Cointreau must be one hearty dude.
I couldn’t imagine competing for a guy on national television. It was hard enough dating someone without having millions of viewers watching your every move.
When we arrived at the center, Tiffany was busy ringing up coffee purchases. Mother and Stan needed to visit the restrooms so they headed in that direction. I knew the offices were located in the back of the building, so I decided to find out if Regan had an update yet.
I walked through the closed back door into a short hallway. The first office, dark and empty, was presumably Victor’s. In the next, Regan sat behind a functional modern desk, hands clasped under her chin, peering at rows of tiny numbers on her computer screen. I knocked on her door, and she jumped.
“Laurel, you startled me. What are you doing back here?”
“I wanted to see if you’d heard anything new about Dave.”
“The attorney called a little while ago.” Regan leaned back in her chair and rubbed both eyes.
I sat in the one extra wooden chair in her tiny office. “This has to be so hard on you.”
“It’s a nightmare. In my heart I know Dave didn’t do it, but then sometimes I wonder…” Her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened. “I wonder if my husband did kill Keiki.”
I jumped up, put my hands on her desk and leaned over, our chins practically touching. “You can’t be serious. You believe your husband––my brother–– could commit murder? You two really do have a screwed-up marriage.”
Regan shrank back in her chair. “I don’t know what to think about my marriage. I can’t remember the last time Dave confided in me about anything.” She opened a drawer, grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “And it’s been months since we’ve made love.”
Okay, this was awkward. Why did all of my family members feel obligated to share the details of their sex life, or lack thereof, with me?
Regan cleared her throat. “I better get back to work.”
