The fire dancing detective didn’t crack a smile. “I need to ask you a few questions, Kiki.”
No one could hear but everyone was watching. Kiki loved nothing more than an audience so she decided to milk the moment.
“Why, sure, Roland. You know that I’m always the first to hear anything around here. Ask away.” She tossed her head and smiled at those sitting nearby.
He took the wind out of her sails when he said, “Let’s talk in private. Come with me. “
She followed him off the front lanai and around the corner of the building. The parking lot was bathed in artificial light. Harold’s remains had been carted away and a crew from the fire department was hosing down the parking lot and the imu.
“Howzit going, Kiki?”
“Fine, Roland. What would you like to know?”
“Let’s start with how long you’ve been here today.”
“Let’s see. I had a wedding this morning. At Lumahai. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Just as the bride and groom arrived, the clouds parted and there was enough of a mist to produce a stunning rainbow—”
Roland interrupted. “So when did you get here?”
“Around three-thirty or four. I had to help Kimo set up for the luau. I make the lomilomi salmon. It’s tradition that I help him, because Kimo squeezes the salmon too hard. He doesn’t know his own strength.” Her right eyelash felt a bit loose as she blinked up at Roland and hoped the harsh light didn’t magnify her wrinkles.
“Did you happen to see Harold next door today?”
“Not really.”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“It’s a not really. I didn’t see him, but I know he was there because he had a damn fire going. Kicks up my asthma, actually, and it’s almost impossible to see through the smoke. Louie and Kimo tried to talk him into burning any day but luau day.”
“Anyone go over and talk to him about it today? Did Louie? Or Kimo?”
“Not me. Not Kimo. Sophie went over this morning and Harold pissed her off as usual.”
“Sophie’s the bartender.”
“That’s right. She’s a great gal. You just gotta look past the piercings and tattoos.” Kiki rolled her eyes. “I guess it’s the style nowadays, but it’s certainly not glamorous.”
Roland made a notation.
Kiki wanted to sing Sophie’s praises, make sure Roland got the message that the girl was okay.
“Sophie’s a real addition to the staff. Louie’s charming and can talk the pants off of anybody, but it’s always good to have some young blood in the mix, especially someone who can relate to the late night crowd that shows up after we all leave at nine. She doesn’t let anyone push her around, that’s for sure. Not even Harold.”
“Go on.”
“Like today. After she got back from chewing him out, Harold actually doused his rubbish fire. I asked how she managed that and she said she knew how to get to him.”
“How upset was she when she went over there?”
Kiki blinked again. Her damn eyelash was loose. She tried to press it back into place with her pinkie. “She wasn’t mad enough to kill him, if that’s what you’re thinking Roland.”
“Thanks, Kiki. I think I’ve got enough for now.”
“Hold on a second,” she said., Kiki tugged her girdle down and yanked her strapless bra up beneath the fabric of her colorful wrap-around pareau before she went on. “You know, I wouldn’t put it past Marlene Lockhart to pull something like this.”
“Marlene Lockhart,” Roland jotted a note. “The event planner?”
“Honey, I’m the event planner. She’s just an upstart whose been cozying up to Louie. Everyone knows what she really wants is the Goddess. She’d like to tear the place down and start over.”
“How do you know?”
“She contacted a friend of mine who’s a contractor and wanted to know if the building was worth remodeling or if it should just be torn down.”
“Was she here earlier?”
“She’s always hanging around where she’s not wanted.”
“Did you see her?”
“No, but—”
“Why would she kill Harold Otanami?”
“To ruin business here. To force Louie to sell to her. I’d say hearing that someone landed in the luau pit will keep quite a few customers away.”
He closed his notebook, shoved it into his back pocket. “From the size of the crowd that’s still here, I doubt it.”
“Any more questions?” She’d talk as long as he wanted, hopefully clear up any misconceptions she might have given him about Sophie. They started to walk back to the lanai together.
“Nope. None for now. Thanks.”
Kiki sighed. “About the gig Saturday night. I need you for a reception for a couple from Toledo. The bride’s mom really, really wants a fire dancer. Can you make it?”
“Sure. Consider me booked. I’ll be in touch.”
Kiki was admiring the twinkling icicle lights that had been strung up across the front of the building two Christmases ago—it didn’t matter that it was now July—when she noticed Leilani Cabral, Harold Otanami’s niece, pulling into the parking lot in her black Mercedes. In the spotlights, the expensive car was as shiny as Leilani’s ebony hair.
Everything Leilani did, everything she owned, everything she had become mirrored perfection. Rumor had it she was born and raised in a run-down plantation worker’s shack tucked in Hanapepe Valley. She’d scrapped and clawed and climbed her way to the top of the heap. Recently named Island of Kauai Properties national number one broker/agent, she hadn’t sold anything listed for under two million dollars in the last three years.
The fact that she’d married the Honorable Judge Warren Cabral was a testament to just how far she’d come—but Kiki had a feeling that Leilani didn’t think she’d gone far enough.
Concern was etched on her otherwise perfect features as Leilani stepped out of her car. Kiki couldn’t help but notice the way the woman’s eyes widened when she recognized Roland. She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and started toward them.
Kiki only knew the woman by reputation, but she wasn’t about to miss anything. The girls would want all the gossip, so Kiki lingered beside Roland as Leilani approached.
“Roland. What a surprise.” Leilani had to tip her head back to look up at the detective who towered over her. “Why is my uncle’s driveway blocked off with crime tape? Whatever’s going on over here, he still needs access to his driveway.”
“How about we find a quiet place to sit?” He flipped open his spiral bound notebook again.
Kiki kept silent—definitely a challenge—hoping to hear what Roland told Harold’s niece about the murder.
“What’s going on?” Leilani glanced toward Harold’s house and back up at Roland.
Roland cleared his throat. “Your uncle is dead.”
“Dead?” Leilani gasped. “Harold is dead?”
“Dead as a doorknob.” Kiki couldn’t help herself.
“Kiki, do you mind?” Roland nodded toward the front of the Goddess. “Don’t you have to hula or something?”
“Not really,” Kiki’s strapless bra was listing south so she reached into her sarong, gave the bra a yank and held her ground.
Leilani clasped her hands. “What happened? Did my uncle have a heart attack? I warned him about smoking. I tried to get him to have regular checkups.”
“Oh, he was smoking,” Kiki chuckled.
Roland shot her a dark glance and then looked up at the crowded lanai. “Maybe you should sit down, Leilani.”
“I’m fine. Go on.”
“Your uncle was murdered,” he said.
Even Kiki gasped. So much for the theory that Harold somehow stumbled into the open imu.
Roland turned to her again. “Really, Kiki. Go. Please.”
She huffed and made a big deal of walking away but quickly found a spot up on the lanai near the railing where she could still overhear the conver
sation. Sophie walked over to take her drink order. Kiki mouthed “white wine” and waved her off. When she looked around she noticed Roland and Leilani Cabral were still right below her but standing closer together.
“My uncle was murdered?” Leilani’s voice drifted clearly on the trades. The woman’s hands were shaking. “Who in the world would want to murder Harold? Why?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“But,” she squeezed her eyes shut. A lone tear escaped. Leilani brushed it away. “How did he die?”
“It wasn’t pretty.”
“Go on.”
“Someone split his skull open with a machete, then dumped him in the luau pit around back. We haven’t anything to go on yet.”
“A machete?” Leilani took a deep breath. “Did anyone see anything? Hear anything?”
“Initially a lot of folks were standing around the imu when Kimo opened it, but unfortunately, they’d all gone inside to the buffet line right before Harold’s body was thrown in. The cars in the lot blocked the view from the road.”
Kiki was amazed when Leilani took hold of Roland’s hand and pressed it between both of hers. The woman gazed into his eyes. Leilani’s were filled with tears.
“I hope you’ll find the bastard who did this,” she said. “My uncle was a such a hardworking, simple man.”
“Not to worry,” Roland assured her. “We’ll get ‘em. Will you be all right?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Is…is there someone…who should I call?”
He dug in his pocket, pulled out a card and wrote a phone number on the back.
“This is where your uncle will be taken after the coroner releases the body. They’ll help you.”
“Thank you, Roland. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“We’ll get the murderer,” he promised again before he paused. Then he asked, “Where were you tonight, Lei?”
Lei? Kiki thought. There’s more to them than meets the eye.
“I was up the mountain at Kokee, out of cell range, until late. I was attending a real estate seminar. Is there a problem?” Her hand fluttered to her throat. “Am I in any danger? Could some criminal out for revenge be after Warren? Or both of us?”
Though Roland hadn’t answered yet, Kiki doubted the killing was some kind of revenge against Warren Cabral. Leilani’s husband was known for letting more criminals walk than he jailed.
“Not that we know of,” Roland said. “Where is your husband?”
“On Oahu. He’ll be back tomorrow.”
Roland made a few more quick notes. When the music grew louder, Kiki was forced to lean further over the railing to hear.
“What made you stop by Harold’s tonight?” Roland asked Leilani.
She wiped the corner of her eye. “My uncle doesn’t…didn’t…have anyone but me. I haven’t talked to him in a while, so when I couldn’t reach him tonight, I decided to stop by.”
When Roland took Leilani’s arm to walk her to her car, Kiki finally stepped away from the rail. She checked her watch and realized she had a little time left before the last hula performance. She looked around, spotted a table for six filled with upscale young tourists in expensive Tommy Bahama resort wear and hoped she’d brought enough business cards to go around.
5
About Sophie’s Chat with Harold
It was time for the Maidens’ final number and not a minute too soon as far as Sophie was concerned. The dishwasher couldn’t keep up with the need for glasses and they were nearly out of red plastic Solo cups. On a normal night the older set usually cleared out in time to be home by nine. The North Shore was considered “country” and nine p.m. was like midnight for most folks but tonight the place was still packed at ten.
Once Louie put an end to the free booze, drink orders dribbled down to next to nothing. Adrenaline and shock had worn off and the crowd had quieted as the realization and horror of what they’d seen finally set in.
Sophie began to wipe down the bar with a wet towel. There was no hope for the floor. It was flip flop deep in sticky fruit juice.
As customary, Uncle Louie took the stage and gripped the microphone.
“And now, for all you kama’aina and malihini alike, it’s time for our traditional finale. The Hula Maidens are going to sing along with me as they dance to The Tiki Goddess Song. This is a number I wrote back in 1965. It’s dedicated to my late wife, my very own hula gal, Irene Kau’alanikaulana Hickam Marshall.”
As if on cue, Louie’s eyes filled with unshed tears. Old timers elbowed tourists and told them to stand, watch and listen. A hush fell over the room as Louie slowly made a half turn. With a dramatic bow and a sweep of his arm, he indicated the life-sized oil painting of his wife, Irene, hanging above the stage.
Louie whispered into the microphone loud enough for all to hear, “To you, Sweetheart, aloha.”
Danny started strumming. Brendon searched for the beat.
Then Louie began to sing and the Hula Maidens began to dance. All the regulars and return visitors held hands and began to sway back and forth in time to the music. If they didn’t exactly know the words, they tried to mouth them anyway.
Brown skinned girl of my dreams
Standing there by the shore
Dancing ‘neath the moon beams
I’ll never love anyone more.
When Louie began the chorus, everyone sang at the tops of their lungs.
My Goddess. My Tiki Goddess.
I’ll never love anyone more.
My Goddess. My Tiki Goooodess.
I’ll never never, never, never, never
Love anyone moooooore.
After a couple more verses, the crowd stretched out the last goddess until it became an off-key howl.
“Mind if I ask you a few questions, Miss Chin?”
Sophie jumped, turned around and discovered the fire dancing detective at her elbow.
“It’s Ms. Chin.”
“I shoulda known.” He introduced himself.
She couldn’t tell if Roland Sharpe was trying to be funny. As far as she was concerned, cops didn’t have a sense of humor. She scanned the room, made eye contact with Em who was chatting with a table full of guests by the front door. Em nodded, encouraging.
Sophie took a deep breath. She was nervous, too much to hope it didn’t show.
“I heard you spoke to Mr. Otanami this morning.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“About?”
She wanted to say, if you heard about it you already know what it was about. She made nice and said, “Burning his rubbish pile. I went over to tell him to put out the fire because smoke was so thick in here we were gagging on it.”
By the time she got to Harold’s sagging screen door that morning, her eyes and throat were burning. She was ready to hit him in the head with one of the two by fours on his rubbish pile.
“Miss Chin?”
The detective was waiting for an answer.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?” She asked.
“How did he respond to your asking him to put out the fire?”
“He ignored me and added more rubbish.”
“Was that the end of the conversation?”
“Not exactly.” She watched him scribble something in his notebook. “He threatened to put up a sign at the parking lot entrance.”
“What kind of sign?”
“No tourist. Haole go home.”
“Your response?”
To lie or not to lie?
“I said, ‘Try it, old man.’”
“Kiki said you threatened him.”
“Really.”
“Yeah.”
She paused. Mahalo, Kiki, for that.
“I told him he’d be sorry. Then I said no more Karaoke for you. That’s what Em said to tell him.”
Sharpe scribbled faster.
“He’d be sorry how? What did you mean by that?”
“I told him if that fire wasn’t put out, he’d never be allowed
to sing Karaoke here again.”
“No Karaoke? That’s it?”
“Yeah, but Harold lived for Karaoke. Twice a week he was in here. He’d smoke a joint, shuffle across the parking lot and down three of Louie’s famous Huli Huli Boolies. Then he’d sing Shania Twain’s “Feel Like a Woman” and Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore!” before he stumbled back home.”
“So the threat to cut off the Karaoke was the end of it?”
She tapped the silver stud pierced through the middle of her tongue against her front teeth. “Not exactly,” she admitted with a shrug.
Telling the truth just might prove to be dangerous.
“What happened next?”
“He threatened to kill me. He said, ‘Mebbe I kill you!’ Then he shook his fist at me.”
“How did you respond?”
Sophie took a deep breath and sighed. She could very well lie, but someone could have been walking by on the road or the beach. Anyone could have overheard.
“I said, ‘Watch who you threaten, old man.’ I told him, ‘Mebbe I kill you, too.’”
His pen was moving at warp speed across the miniscule notebook pages. His handwriting was as neat and even as if rolling out of a printer.
“Ms. Johnson said you were late to work tonight.”
“I left to go to town around one.”
“This is luau night. They didn’t need you here earlier?”
She shook her head no. “With Kimo and Kiki helping out, that cleared me to run into town.”
“Shopping?”
“Renewing my license.”
“The Motor Vehicles Department closes at five. The luau starts at six. When exactly did you get here?”
“Maybe around eight. It was almost dark. I had a couple other errands to run. I stopped by Walmart for some makeup and stuffs. Then I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic through Kapa’a. Even the by-pass was backed up. The air conditioning is out in my car. I was hot and frazzled and so I stopped at my place to shower.”
Mai Tai One On Page 3
