I whirled around and started for the stairs, but she placed a hand on my arm. "Wait a second. Please don't leave. I can't deal with hiring any more help right now, on top of everything else."
I blew out a sigh and turned to face her.
The color rose in Alana's cheeks. "I apologize. This isn't easy for me."
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said quietly. "But the fact remains there's a killer out there somewhere." I hated what I was about to say next. Even though my need for money was great, it seemed necessary. "Maybe it would be better to shut the place down for a while."
Alana leaned her head back in the chair and closed her eyes. "No. Hale wouldn't have wanted that. Plus, the money it brings in is too hard to pass up. Between you and me, I'm not sure of my financial status going forward. Hale's will won't be read for a few days."
"Carrie!" Poncho yelled from the foot of the stairs. "They need you out front."
I glanced at Alana, who gave me a dismissive wave. "Go. Today will be busy. All the guests from the resort and the locals will be here, trying to find out what happened. Remember what I said earlier. If anyone asks, tell them you know nothing. And our little conversation is to remain confidential, if you get my drift."
Oh, I got her drift all right. Her words and cell phone rang out simultaneously in my ear. She turned her back to me while she answered the call, and I in turn tried to get my bearings together. The brief flash of humanity Alana had shown seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye.
I started down the stairs, and something shiny caught my eye on one of the steps. I stooped down and picked up a key. It looked like it might belong to the front door. I shoved the key into the pocket of my pants. I'd find out who it belonged to later.
When I stepped off the bottom stair, Poncho caught my arm and drew me over to the stove. He was surrounded by a myriad of dishes on the counter, which included a stone casserole containing a side of pork, burgers for the grill, and bowls of coconut and shrimp. There was also a pitcher of what looked like margarita mix.
"What did she say to you?" he whispered. "Does she know who did it?"
I thought of her threat and shook my head. "She wanted to know what Hale said to me the other night. I kind of felt sorry for her."
Poncho's face suffused with anger. "Do not ever feel sorry for that family, ho'aloha. They have no feelings. She is just like her husband. They force people to—" He turned away from me suddenly and started chopping onions with a vigor. "Go out front. The vultures have descended."
I stared at him, puzzled. "What were you going to say?"
He shook his head stubbornly and pointed in the direction of the café. "Go!"
Yikes. I hurriedly pushed through the doors and noticed that there were already people seated at the tables outside and a small crowd waiting by the front door. I glanced at the wall clock. We didn't open for another fifteen minutes.
"It looks like a stampede forming," I whispered to Keanu.
Keanu's expression was grim as he tied an apron on. "I think it's safe to say that I won't be helping Alana upstairs today. You ladies are going to be buried. Lola may need to assist Poncho with some cooking too."
"Leave me alone," Poncho shouted from the other side of the door.
Vivian rolled her eyes. "Be nice to everyone, and if they ask, just say you have no idea what's going on. You never know who you might be speaking to. That Detective Ray's probably got some of his coworkers posing as customers."
"Look," Keanu said. "There's no proof it was anyone who worked here. Hale had a bad habit of not locking the back door until he left. There have been times when I've come in first thing the next morning to find that the alarm was not set either."
"That wasn't Hale's doing." Vivian glanced at me. "Leo closes on Sunday nights, and he always forgets to set the alarm. Sometimes the place stays like that until Tuesday morning. Hale always yelled at Leo, but he should have fired him for being such a dope."
"Like I said," Keanu continued, "there's no proof it was an employee. Anyone could have come in through the back or patio doors."
I knew he was trying to make me feel better, but I was still convinced we were all at the top of Detective Ray's suspect list.
"Is that what the police think—that the killer came in through the back?" Vivian asked.
Keanu nodded. "The only security camera is by the lobby's entrance. They had to have entered through the patio or back kitchen door."
"So it was someone familiar enough with the place who knew they didn't have to worry about being on camera," I pointed out.
"True," Vivian admitted. "But all people had to do was look up when they entered the restaurant from the lobby and they would have seen the camera. It's not exactly hidden. Anyone could have cased the joint, so to speak, and they'd have learned that there wasn't one in the rear of the building."
"Whoever did this didn't think we were coming back the other night," Keanu said, his eyes pinned on me. "They thought we'd left for the evening when you went to get Hale's drink."
Vivian lowered her head, but I caught the hint of a smile. "Maybe they thought the two of you were going out. You know, together."
Okay, I liked Viv, but at that moment I was seriously thinking about choking her. Talk about your awkward moments.
Without another word, Keanu turned and went to the front door to unlock it.
"Thanks a lot," I whispered to Vivian.
"What'd I do?"
I gritted my teeth together. "That was embarrassing for both him and me."
She grinned. "Aw, get off your high horse. He likes you. I can tell."
I was certain she must be imagining it. Before I could muster a reply, the café was suddenly filled with customers, several jostling each other for a prime place at the counter. It wasn't long before the dozen or so tables and seats at the counter were filled. I was in panic mode because even though I had a couple of days under my belt, I still had no idea what the heck I was doing. Vivian handled the tables out on the patio, while Lola, Keanu, and I rushed back and forth from the café area to the kitchen. Poncho kept yelling at everyone to stay out of his "work space," but eventually he let Lola come back to help with some simple orders, such as burgers and fries.
The room grew silent when Alana walked past me with an apron on. Without a word to anyone, she went outside to help Vivian with the crowd.
"Hey, girlie." An older lady at the table against the wall tugged on my arm. "Tell me what really happened to that little weasel Hale."
I was stunned at the words and fascinated by the sight of her well-lined, leathery face. She reeked of cigarette smoke, and the smell made my head ache. "There's nothing to tell."
She snorted and punched her seatmate in the arm. "Do you believe this? They're not gonna let us in on the dirt. People have been waiting around for years to see that creep get what was coming to him."
Egads. I stared at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know anything." I ran to get them water, but when I returned, she grabbed hold of my arm again, refusing to let me leave.
"Look, honey," she said. "I've been coming here since Mr. and Mrs. Akamu bought the place over twenty years ago. Hale was a punk kid back then. So you're not even going to tell me what happened? Rumor has it that he was stabbed."
"I don't know anything," I lied again.
Keanu came over and laid a hand on my arm. "I'll take this order, Carrie. Why don't you see if the entrees for the two men at the counter are ready?"
I uttered a silent prayer of thanks, relieved that he had saved me from the tight grip of the old gossip, but her words left me thinking. There was no proof that an employee from Loco Moco Café had committed the crime. Like Vivian said, anyone could have come in through the back door. But how would they know that the waitstaff had already left for the night?
Goose bumps dotted my arms. What if someone had been watching the Loco Moco employees that evening, waiting for everybody to leave? Maybe it was someone who'd even been a c
ustomer earlier in the day. I wondered if Detective Ray had thought of this.
I grabbed the plates from Poncho and set them in front of two men at the counter.
"Got any ketchup?" one man asked.
"Oh, of course." I reached under the counter and handed it to the man, who began to pour it all over his burger and fries. My stomach growled at the smell. I hoped I'd get a lunch break sometime today, but it didn't look promising.
I was waiting for Poncho to gather an order together when I heard the familiar clacking of high heels approaching. Alana stormed into the kitchen and slammed a piece of paper down on the order wheel that sat on the counter near Poncho. He checked it, grunted, and removed more vegetables from the stainless steel fridge.
When Poncho finished with an order, he left the order paper next to the plate. The server who took the order was then responsible for bringing it to the customer and keeping track of it until the customer was ready to leave. It was an old-fashioned way and required a great deal of organization—on his part at least—to keep everything straight. Many of the restaurants back home had computerized systems, but Keanu had told me Poncho preferred this way, and no one wanted to rock the boat. An unhappy chef was never a good thing.
"Hey." The old lady at the table waved some bills at me. "Can you cash us out?"
"Certainly." I went over to take her money, and she rose from her seat. She gave me two twenty dollar bills. The check had come to $29.15 for her and her friend. "I'll get your change."
"Keep it, honey." Her voice was raspy. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable before when I asked about your boss."
"It's fine, really," I said.
She adjusted her large canvas bag over her skinny shoulder. "They say what goes around, comes around. Serves him right for what he did to that girl so many years ago."
Was she talking about Alana? "What girl?"
"Care," Vivian yelled. "Can you get that couple in the corner? They've been waiting for about ten minutes."
By the time I had taken the order, the older woman and her friend had left.
"Shoot."
Vivian was standing next to me. "What's wrong?"
"Did you see those two women I was waiting on?" I knew I wouldn't be able to get her statement out of my head for the rest of the day.
"Paige and her sister Lorna? Yeah, they're regulars. Why?"
"She was starting to tell me something about Hale," I said.
Vivian snorted. "Don't pay them any mind. Those two are the biggest gossips on the island."
"Do you know where they live?"
She shook her head. "Somewhere in town, I guess. They're not resort guests—I can tell you that much."
I waited on a table of four, a family that was staying at the resort. They'd heard about Hale and tried to pump me for information, but when I explained that I was new, they seemed content to leave me alone.
* * *
By the time six o'clock rolled around that night, my legs ached so badly that I could barely stand. And there were still three hours to go.
I'd received a brief lunch break. I didn't know the policies for eating at the café, but Vivian explained that Hale had allowed employees one free meal a day. Poncho had been very accommodating when I'd asked for a burger and fries—okay, two orders of fries actually.
At six thirty, a couple of crewmembers began to set up for Benny and his Ukulele Wahines, the band that played at Loco Moco Café on Saturday nights. Lola explained to me how the band had been brought over from Maui after Kauai had experienced a sudden crisis of sorts while dealing with a lack of ukulele musicians. The band was a family affair that consisted of Benny, his wife, sister-in-law, and daughter.
I loved live music and couldn't wait to watch them perform, but my biggest rush of excitement came when I noticed the karaoke machine being carried onto the makeshift stage. A cloth tent had been erected overhead. Suddenly I didn't feel so tired anymore. There was a lull for a few minutes while Vivian, Lola, and I all stood around watching the crew set up.
"Still want to sing?" Vivian grinned.
"Definitely," I said.
"Girl, you must have nerves of steel," Lola said. "You could never get me up there. Maybe to dance, but no singing."
"Oh, I love it." Since I was a child, performing had always been a passion of mine, whether it be singing or acting. When I was about nine or ten, a friend's mother was nice enough to take me to see Into the Woods. I instantly fell in love with the stage and the character of Rapunzel. Afterward, whenever I wanted to escape my childhood, I would go to that magical place in my head far, far away and pretend that I too was a princess locked up in a tower, waiting for my Prince Charming to come along. Or at the very least, someone who actually cared about me.
Sure, my singing needed a little work, but if I kept practicing, I'd have to improve at some point. Hey, no one expected karaoke singers to be perfect, right?
"Tad's taking me to an audition at the Hana Hou tomorrow night. I'm so excited."
Lola snorted. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."
Vivian gave her an incredulous look. "Ah, he's harmless."
"I'm not sure about that," Lola said. "Remember the night he came out of Hale's office with a bloody nose? He was real upset. I wouldn't blame Tad if he wanted to even the score in some way. And Hale was always making fun of him, even with other customers when he thought that Tad couldn't hear them."
"Tad's no killer," Vivian said.
Before I could reply, two men sitting at a nearby table waved me over.
"Can we get our check?" The male who spoke was probably midfifties or so, bald and stout, the fat sloping over the sides of his chair. The other man was about the same age but rail thin with a full beard, shaggy brown hair, and yellow-tinged teeth. Talk about your complete opposites. The thin man winked at me, and I took an abrupt step backwards.
I tore the page out of my pad and handed it to the bald man. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."
He handed me a fifty. "Keep the change, pretty lady."
Holy cow. A twenty-dollar tip. "Thank you very much." I smiled gratefully.
"I'm Tim, by the way. This is my buddy Sam."
"Carrie. Nice to meet you."
Sam leaned back in his chair. "Hey, Carrie, do you happen to have a boyfriend?"
Oh jeez. "Yes, I do."
"That's too bad." Tim's eyes raked over me, and I suddenly longed for a cleansing shower. "I just got a new ski boat and was wondering if I could take you for a ride sometime."
This guy needed to think of a more original pickup line, and use it on women closer to his own age. Still, he was a paying customer, and I didn't want to drive his business away. "Ah, even if I didn't have a boyfriend, I wouldn't go. I can't swim."
Tim rocked back in his seat and hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. "Bet you'd look good in a bikini, even with a life preserver over it."
Ew.
"Excuse us, gentlemen."
I whirled around. Lola and Vivian were both standing behind me.
Vivian put her hand on my shoulder. "Carrie needs to go take her medication now. They just let her out of the facility last week. She's looking well, don't you think?"
The two men gave me a funny look and rose to their feet. They nodded curtly toward us and then quickly left the patio.
"What the heck did you do that for?" I was laughing so hard that I was afraid I'd drop my tray.
Lola grinned. "They pulled the same stunt on me last week. Viv came over and told them I had six kids at home. I thought that would have kept them away forever."
"What can I say—I'm a born storyteller." Vivian grabbed my hand. "Come on. Time for me to introduce you."
There were eight tables full of people on the patio, and the jitters were starting to take hold. Don't be silly. You've done this plenty of times.
"Aloha, everyone," Vivian spoke into the microphone. "Thanks for coming out for Loco Moco Café's weekly karaoke night, to be followed by the fabulous
Benny and the Ukulele Wahines! We've got a special treat for you tonight. Our newest employee, Carrie, is going to start us off. So come on—put your hands together for her."
A few appreciative whistles and clapping followed while I took the mike from Vivian and the machine started from behind.
"What am I singing?" I whispered, having forgotten to make a selection.
"Aretha Franklin's 'Respect,'" she shouted into my microphone.
Not one of my favorites, but hey, I could handle this. I drew a deep breath and dove right in. It was only a few seconds before I lost myself in the entire song. Vivian started dancing next to me, and then Lola jumped up on stage and started bumping me from the other side. I stared out across the patio and saw Keanu standing there with his arms folded, grinning at us. His eyes locked on mine, and there was a message in them that I couldn't quite figure out.
Then I missed a word. Great. He needs to go away. I shut my eyes for the rest of the song.
"R-E-S-P-E-C-T," Lola and Vivian shouted, thereby drowning me out. I actually thought I sounded pretty good for once. Maybe all the practice was finally paying off.
There was a smattering of clapping, and I opened my eyes. Keanu was applauding, the smile still in place. All of the tables but one had emptied out.
I stared at Lola and Vivian, who were high-fiving each other in honor of their great performance. "Hey, guys, was I that bad?"
Lola wiggled her hand back and forth. "Eh. You need some work on those high notes, hon. They kind of went right through me. But no worries. It's all good."
I stared at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Vivian grinned. "She means we should be thanking you."
"For what?"
Vivian jumped off the stage and slumped into one of the now vacant chairs. "Because everyone left. This is the first time I've been off my feet all day, and I owe it all to you."
CHAPTER TEN
Like the rest of the full-time staff, I was scheduled off on Sunday. For some reason, Vivian said, the café did the least amount of business that day. I thought that was strange, what with it being the weekend and all, but didn't question her explanation. I wondered, though, in light of Hale's death, if the staff would be run into the ground with nosy tourists like the day before. Vivian assured me if it was that busy, I could expect a phone call. She then informed me that she never answered her cell on Sundays.
Death of the Big Kahuna Page 9
