by CindySample
Quite the contender. If I were twenty years, twenty pounds and two kids lighter, I’d have auditioned for the show myself.
Not really, I thought, stealing a glance at Tom. Our last two days together had given me renewed hope for our relationship. Maybe one of these days the two of us would star in our own bride and bachelor reality show. But without millions of viewers looking on.
A couple of men wearing Koffee Land polo shirts stood under the zip-line tower. “Are the contestants taking a zip-line ride today?” I asked Ritz.
“Yes, that is one of the reasons we had to rush construction,” he replied. “The final inspection was completed Friday so the inaugural ride will be today. Jacques will zip with five of the women.” Ritz pointed to the sky where a helicopter was flying in from the south. “They can film the ride from above. Isn’t it amazing?”
He was right. It truly was remarkable. These girls were lucky. Even if they didn’t land a husband, they would still have the adventure of a lifetime.
Ritz tapped the famous island newscaster on her pink silk shoulder. She whirled, a look of annoyance crossing her delicate features. Seeing Ritz, her expression changed from irritation to delight. She leaned forward to let the elegant plantation owner air kiss each of her perfectly made-up cheeks.
“Ritz, you wonderful man, what a breathtaking spot you have here. I’m so glad you suggested it for our show.”
“But of course. Koffee Land has everything one could desire.”
Stacey’s gaze drifted over to Tom Hunter, who was eying her with his usual cool composure.
“And who is this handsome man?” Stacey widened heavily mascaraed eyes as she questioned Tom. “Are you interested in auditioning for our next Bride and the Bachelor show?
Tom smiled and crossed his hands in front of each other in a “no way” gesture. “Nope. I’m not an actor. Just a tourist.”
She smiled a brilliant smile of her own and reached into an off-white lizard handbag that screamed Prada. “Here’s my card in case you change your mind. You have a natural attractiveness. The women will eat you up.”
Hey. The only woman who got to eat Tom up was me, and I wasn’t sharing my dinner. I introduced myself to Stacey, who merely nodded. She didn’t hand over a business card so she evidently didn’t anticipate any male contenders noshing on me.
When Ritz and Stacey left to find the reality show’s director, Regan and Tiffany joined our group. My sister-in-law looked tired, but happier than I’d seen her since our arrival.
I nudged her arm. “How’s Dave?”
“He’s fine. We were up late last night, um, talking.” Regan giggled. “I told him to sleep in. He should be here any time though. He wanted to participate in catching…” she stopped when she realized Tiffany was absorbing every word. “Tif, honey, why don’t you check out the food tent and see if they need refills on coffee or anything.”
Tiffany smiled and bounded off toward the tent.
Regan shook her head. “Ah, youth. Dave wanted to be here when the police arrested Henry.” She spun around, her expression puzzled. “I haven’t seen Detective Lee yet. Didn’t you call him?”
“I left three messages. I don’t know whether something more important came up or if he decided Henry isn’t a viable suspect. Did Henry pick up his pay check yet?”
“It’s tucked away so he can’t grab it and run. Ritz said Henry was coming by to make sure everything was okay for the initial run.” She chewed on her thumb. “It’s still difficult for me to believe Henry would kill Joey and Keiki because he was worried about his reputation. Tom, do you think we could be wrong about Henry?”
“Hey, you know my position. I think you should all stay out of the detective’s way and let him solve this case,” Tom said. “I’m just here to make sure Laurel doesn’t do anything stu…” he stumbled then finished, “stupendous.”
“Nice save,” Stan remarked.
“Weeks of practice,” Tom shot back.
Men. Gay or straight. They were all annoying at times. I turned my back on both of them and glanced around to see what the contestants were up to now. The women, all equally adorable ranged from petite to tall and sported hairdos that ran the gamut from short blonde bobs to long ebony manes. The pavilion looked like a mini-United Nations with a myriad of ethnicities represented.
Amanda caught my eye and waved. The vivacious marine expert appeared to be in her element. I grabbed Tom’s hand and led him over. Between the beautiful contestants and Ms. Leung-Chandler, I wasn’t leaving Tom alone for a second. Otherwise, before I knew it, he’d be signed up as the poster boy for the The Bride and the Bachelor, Cougar Edition.
“Hi, Laurel, isn’t this exciting?” Amanda eyed Tom curiously and I introduced him as my boyfriend from California.
She furrowed her brow. “Does Steve know you have a boyfriend back home?”
My face colored and I diverted the conversation to something safer than my love life. “Did Steve find someone to help out while you’re shooting the show?”
“Timmy finally showed up for last night’s sunset sail so Steve said he could fill in for me temporarily. Steve was really ticked off about his disappearance. But Timmy has listened to my lectures for months now so he should be okay. I feel kind of bad about taking off for the show.”
“Where did Timmy go?”
Amanda’s eyes opened wide. She looked left then right as if she were about to disclose a state secret. “I asked him about it, but he said it would be better if I didn’t know. He had things to take care of. Something about his family’s honor, whatever that means.”
“So he’s been gone since Friday?” I mulled over Timmy’s disappearance for the last three days. Where had the young man gone, and what had he been up to? Too bad he hadn’t shared anything with Amanda.
“Do you get to ride on the zip-line today?” I asked.
“No, I was a last-minute substitution and the girls were already selected for the zip-lining. Jacques and I are going to picnic at the beach instead.” Her green eyes grew misty. “I think a picnic will be so much more romantic.”
She stared at the bachelor, her gaze intent. “Once he and I are alone, we can really make progress in our relationship. I’m sure none of these other girls have researched him like I have. We’re a perfect match.”
Amanda noticed Stacey Leung-Crawford beckoning to her. “Oops, gotta run.” She raced off to join the bevy of beauties heading to the viewing deck. We wished her luck then walked back to join Stan, Mother and Regan.
“Henry’s here,” Regan said. “He and Victor walked by a few minutes ago. I swear Victor looks like he’s aged a decade. Keiki’s death has really shaken him. I hope he doesn’t fall apart if Henry is arrested.”
“Does Victor need to be here today?” I asked.
“He wants to ensure the camera crew doesn’t go into any areas where our current crops are planted. We don’t need any more crop infestation. I was reviewing the numbers Victor provided from last week’s cherry picking, and they totally suck.”
I had a feeling the sucky numbers had more to do with the excess coffee in Victor’s garage than a beetle colony residing at Koffee Land.
“Has anyone ever stolen beans from Koffee Land?” I asked Regan.
She frowned. “Are you worried some of the film crew or contestants might try to break into our warehouse and steal beans? The building is locked and no one has access other than Ritz, Victor and me.”
“Why would anyone want to steal coffee beans?” Stan asked. “It’s not like you can hide them in your underwear or anything.”
Regan nodded. “Yeah, all the beans are stored in hundred-pound bags. I suppose someone could break in and steal the bags from the warehouse at night. But why?”
Financial gain for one thing. And I’d just discovered the person I suspected of stealing the beans had access to the warehouse.
Was it time to get the Kona coffee crook to ’fess up?
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
I d
ecided to discuss my suspicions with Regan before confronting Victor. I told her about the enormous coffee cache in his garage. She was understandably stunned. “That’s impossible. Victor would never steal from Koffee Land. This farm is his life.”
Being the pragmatic detective who dealt with criminals on a daily basis, Tom jumped into the conversation. “Circumstances can change people and turn honest men into thieves. Maybe he’s suffered some financial losses recently.”
Regan mulled over Tom’s comment. “Victor has been acting oddly the last month or so, but I thought it was due to the beetle infestation he was dealing with here. Or Joey’s death. Keiki had dated Joey on and off for several years and I knew Victor was fond of him.”
“What should we do?” asked my practical mother. “Do you want to discuss it with Ritz first?”
I looked around for Ritz. Stacey Leung-Crawford was formally interviewing the Koffee Land owner. No point ruining this wonderful publicity-filled moment for Ritz. Even if one of his employees was a caffeine crook.
I spun around looking for Victor. He stood by the zip-line, talking to Henry.
“Regan, why don’t you and I speak with Victor,” I said. “Give him an opportunity to explain himself. Maybe there’s a logical explanation for what he’s done. Tom, could you keep Henry occupied until Detective Lee gets here?”
Tom frowned. “I’m not obstructing an official investigation.”
“I’m not asking you to interfere with the investigation, although they haven’t done such a great job so far.” I pulled my cell out of my purse. “See, there’s nothing from, oh…crap,” I said, noticing Lee had indeed called. I’d forgotten to turn the mute off this morning. I listened to Lee’s voice mail. He and a couple of officers were en route and should arrive around eleven. I checked my watch. Ten minutes to eleven.
“Detective Lee should be here any minute,” I told Tom. “I’m sure he’d be grateful if you could detain Henry until he arrives.”
“I’ll come with you,” my mother said to Tom.
“You’re not going anywhere near Henry,” Tom said. “Your husband, my former partner, would have my badge if I put you in any danger. Why don’t you and Stan go back to the visitor center and wait for Lee and his men. You can direct them so they don’t waste time trying to locate us.”
Isn’t it amazing what a rational plan you can come up with when a real detective is involved?
Tom, Regan and I left the pavilion, passing by an array of cameras, computers, and other equipment, none of which I could name, but all of which required long thick black cords extending to the electrical outlets in the pavilion. Five contestants were sequestered in one area along with two of the Koffee Land guys who’d worked on the zip-line. Those girls must be zip-lining with Jacques today. As we walked up the hill, the scenery once again blew me away. The view from above would be jaw-dropping. In my case, since I’m afraid of heights, it would also be stomach-dropping.
Deep in conversation, Henry and Victor didn’t notice us approaching until we were almost on top of them. Henry looked up first. He held up his hand, signaling to Victor to be quiet.
“Can we help you?” Henry wore his perpetual frown. At least he wasn’t yelling for a change. If Henry was Keiki’s murderer, he was certainly the crabbiest killer I’d ever encountered.
“Tom was curious about the zip-line operation,” Regan said. “He wondered if you could show it to him before the contestants begin their rides.” When Henry looked annoyed, she elaborated. “Ritz would be grateful if you would take the time to assist his guests.”
Throwing Ritz’s name into the equation worked its desired magic. Henry could hardly refuse a request from his employer. He told Victor he’d catch up with him later, then motioned Tom to follow him up the four flights of stairs to the platform above.
“I guess I’ll return to my office,” Victor said, “I’ve got some paperwork to do.”
“How’s Kiana doing?” I asked.
He shrugged. “How do you think she is doing? She buried her daughter at sea yesterday.”
“That must have been so rough on you, especially after Joey’s fall from the tower.” I shifted my gaze to the zip-line tower where Henry and Tom chatted. Tom pointed to something on the other side of the wide canyon.
Victor reached into his shirt pocket then realized it was empty. “I left my cigarettes in my car. I’ll see you later, Regan.”
I stepped in front of Victor before he could disappear. “Have you been stealing coffee beans from Koffee Land?”
He started. “Did Keiki tell you that?”
“No, I barely knew her, but I was in your garage yesterday.”
He flinched and took a step back. “What were you doing there?”
“I offered to make some fresh coffee for your guests at the reception. Kiana told me the beans were in the pantry, but when I couldn’t locate the pantry in the house, I went into the garage and discovered your secret room.”
“Dammit,” he grumbled, “that room was supposed to be locked.”
“Laurel told me there were at least a hundred bags of beans,” Regan said, “all in Koffee Land bags. How did they get there and why are you storing them?”
Victor looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a very big truck. Off in the distance I heard the sound of a siren. So much for Detective Lee’s discreet arrival.
Victor glanced toward Henry and Tom who were climbing down from the tower. They had almost reached the bottom of the stairs.
I tilted my head and stared at the tower platform high above us. It was a long way to fall. Joey would have been cautious working so high, especially if he was by himself. But what if he wasn’t alone? What if someone he trusted stood next to him?
Not his boss. But what about the father of the girl he’d dated for several years. A man who’d been like a father figure to him. Someone he trusted and admired.
Someone he’d discovered stealing from his employer.
What would Joey have done?
And what did Victor do?
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Victor’s eyes met mine. I froze as he grew stone-faced, his eyes as hard and bleak as lava rock. As multiple sirens blared, I relaxed my tense shoulders. Regan and I had Victor cornered. There was nothing he could do now.
Except grab my wrist with his left hand and twist it behind my back. His right hand was also busy.
Aiming a gun at my head.
“Victor,” Regan screamed. Without a second’s hesitation, Victor performed some elaborate move with his leg, knocking her to the ground. She lay motionless.
“Regan,” I yelled and tried to reach her. My movement prompted a whack on the side of my head.
“Ow.” A tiny rivulet of blood seeped into my copper strands, ruining my first good hair day since we’d arrived in Hawaii.
When Tom saw the commotion, he bypassed the last six stairs and leapt to my rescue. Once on the ground, he realized nobody was messing with Victor. Not when he had a gun pressed to my perspiring forehead.
“Victor, what are you doing?” Henry yelled, as he went to help Regan up off the ground.
I wanted to ask the same question, but the gun-in-my-skull approach turned out to be the one surefire method of shutting me up.
Victor pushed me in front of him but kept his weapon glued to the back of my head. Once we were a reasonable distance from Tom and Henry, he shoved me around to face the distant pavilion. That’s when I realized we were also facing the troops.
Detective Lee, dressed in his usual Tommy Bahama apparel, strode up the hill with at least a dozen uniformed officers. There would be no escape for Victor in that direction without a shootout.
No one had asked for my opinion, but I wasn’t big on the shootout option.
Behind what looked like the entire Hawaii Police Department, a contingent of television cameras filmed all the action, including Victor and me. The bevy of contestant beauties giggled and strutted, not fully clued in to the fact that this reality
show had turned into Law and Order, the hostage version.
With all exits blocked, there was only one direction for Victor to go.
Up!
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Victor kneed me in the back and I lurched up the stairs. My red sneaker slipped off my left foot and landed on the ground. Darn. That was my comfiest shoe. He’d better let me pick it up later.
On second thought, would there be a later? What was Victor’s plan or did he even have one? As I stumbled up the stairs, with a gun inches from my back, a myriad of possibilities whirled through my brain. None of them featured a good ending.
By the time we reached the tower platform, Victor was breathing hard––either from stress, or the forty-five steps we’d just climbed. Trust me. I’d counted each one. It might be time for Victor to lay off the nicotine.
As he wheezed to catch his breath, I inched a few feet away. The gun remained leveled at my head. I could sense Victor’s brain churning in an attempt to formulate an escape plan. I decided to distract him.
“Victor,” I said, “I know you killed Joey. But I don’t believe you meant to.”
His eyes filled with sorrow. “No, I only walked up here to talk to him, alone. Keiki had called me the night before and said Joey was concerned about me. She didn’t elaborate so I didn’t know how much Joey had confided in her. I knew he saw me taking bags of coffee out of the warehouse when he worked late one night.”
“You wanted to explain to him your reasons for the theft?”
He nodded and the gun bobbled slightly. “Joey was like a son to me. His father died when he was a young kid. I thought he would be sympathetic once he realized I had no choice but to take the beans since the beetle destroyed my own crops. I did it for my family.” Victor swung his free hand out, demonstrating the size and magnificence of Koffee Land. “It’s not like Ritz would notice the loss. Or even care about the quality of the beans. All he and Pilar care about is fame.”
A voice blaring out of a megaphone filtered its way to the top of the tower.
