She watched Roland walk away thinking it was no wonder he didn’t smile much. That smile had practically rendered her speechless. Not only were his good looks distracting, but his presence here tonight would make it a lot harder for her to snoop around.
When it was almost time for the memorial to begin near the water’s edge, Kimo changed into a fresh aloha shirt. Kiki had his shirts custom made to fit over his “party ball,” as she affectionately called his pot belly. For tonight’s somber occasion he had donned a shirt with a black background. Unfortunately there was a row of smiling golden pineapples dancing a can-can across the front.
Kimo carried a conch shell into the center of the house, blew it, and announced to everyone that it was time to gather on the shoreline. A line instantly formed at the bar. No one wanted to walk the few hundred yards empty handed. Em wished Sophie could mix faster.
While everyone was at the beach, Em planned to slip away alone for a few minutes to check out the garden. She’d worked up a good sized case of jitters waiting for the memorial ceremony to begin.
She was just draping a piece of net over the serving tables to keep flies off the pupu platters when Leilani Cabral came strolling over with the obligatory champagne flute in hand.
Em couldn’t help but admire Leilani’s perfectly coiffed hair, her trim figure, and her manicured nails. Em’s own nails were hopeless. She had had weekly pedicures and manicures, not to mention acrylic nails on the mainland, but they were impractical for her now with all the dishwashing, swimming and gardening she did.
“Hi Leilani,” she said.
Leilani ignored her as she waggled her fingers at a couple in line at the bar and mouthed, “Nice to see you.” Then she finally turned to Em. “So, we meet again.”
“Wally is trying to get everyone down to the beach.” Em couldn’t manage feigning a warm welcome—or even a cool one for that matter. Leilani didn’t seem to care or notice. She was looking around the room.
“Have you seen Roland? We were chatting earlier, but I seemed to have lost him.” Leilani smiled over the rim of her glass.
Finders keepers, Em thought.
“He’s probably on the beach already. He’s performing tonight.”
“Oh, that’s right. His little moonlighting gig. In that case I’d better go get a good spot. I’d hate to miss it.” Leilani looked miffed. Didn’t she like Roland showing his stuff?
“How about your husband? Is he here?” Em had never laid eyes on Judge Cabral over at Harold’s or anywhere else.
“Warren had a banquet tonight at Kilohana. Actually, I have to leave early and join him.” She started to walk away and then paused. “Aren’t you going down to watch Roland?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Nor had Em missed the challenge in the woman’s voice.
Em found a place to set the tray and walked beside Leilani along a stone path that wound around a thick stand of bamboo and on down to the sand. There was something cold and calculating about Leilani Cabral that accounted for her success. She wasn’t the kind of woman Em would choose to hang out with; Leilani was obviously into competition.
“Did you try the pupus?” Em struggled to find something to say to the woman that wouldn’t sound as antagonistic as she felt.
“I’m stuffed. I had a maraschino cherry.” Leilani smiled.
Em sighed.
“I wish it was shady down here.” Leilani was looking over Em’s standard black pants and the Goddess tank top she had worn to work the last party. “I hate to sweat,” the Realtor added.
Em ignored the comment. Leilani was focused on Detective Sharpe who was ready to begin.
“Ooh, look. Roland is lighting his knives,” Shark Lady actually cooed.
“I can see that.” Try as she might not to, Em couldn’t help but fantasize as she stared across the open circle of sand that separated Roland from the crowd. There wasn’t a woman present who wasn’t staring at his perfectly sculpted, well-oiled 6’3” body glistening in the glow of the setting sun and flickering firelight.
Primal drums began to pound out an erotic beat as Roland stepped into the center of the wide arc of onlookers and paused for dramatic effect. Behind him, the deep blue-green waters of the Pacific stretched toward the brilliant ball of orange just above the horizon.
Flaming knives lit on both ends began to twirl. Hypnotically slow at first and then faster, the movement matched the tempo of the drums. Roland threw one knife high in the air, caught it as he tossed the second. He twirled one behind his back before he dropped to his knees and leaned back in the sand. Then, lowering himself onto his back, with both feet in the air, he rested the burning ends of one knife on the soles of his feet, straightened his knees and tossed it into the air.
Em glanced at Shark Lady. Beside her, Leilani was sweating.
Em checked her watch. She told the Maidens they could only dance for forty minutes after Roland finished. Any longer and the crowd would go into hula-coma.
Roland’s drummer would liven things up after the Maidens’ performance while the canoe took to the water with Wally paddled by his beefy escorts and Fernando riding along in his crystal urn. A portion of the entertainer’s ashes would be spread on the Hawaiian waters, more would be left in Las Vegas, a bit more in San Francisco. Some would remain in the urn. “Because I need him with me,” Wally explained.
There would be so much going on that Em was sure no one would miss her if she slipped away for a few minutes.
Just Em turned to leave, Sophie walked up beside her.
“I’ll be right back,” Em said. “I’m headed to the lua. Nature calls.”
“Anything you want me to do?” Sophie asked.
Em shook her head. “Just enjoy the show.”
Sophie turned to watch Roland as Em hurried back up the path alone. Drum beats drifted along the beach. Soft clouds floated by on a velvet breeze and palm fronds rustled against one another. A bullfrog hidden somewhere in the distance croaked like it was birthing a cow.
Em veered toward the expansive garden once she was out of sight behind the bamboo and glanced at her watch. She’d give herself twenty-five minutes. That way she would return to the ceremony at the water’s edge before the Maidens finished—if they didn’t end up torching themselves with flaming coconut shells. With all that feathered headgear, they’d go up as fast as Roman candles.
As she walked alone across the breathtaking grounds of Fernando’s Hideaway, the pungent scent of plumeria and night blooming jasmine perfumed the air. The yard, a multimillion dollar carpet of green, rolled on and on. The sound of the surf matched the rhythm of the guitar and ukulele notes riding on the trade winds.
Em raised her head, inhaled. She closed her eyes and imagined the ancient Hawaiians living here long before all the cars, bars, and fast food restaurants; before the hotels, timeshares, condos, mansions and pristine landscaping. A tingle ran down her spine, and she opened her eyes. She had the feeling someone was nearby, but as she scanned the area, she found she was alone.
Maybe they’re here with me, she thought. Those ancient ones. Maybe they are watching me right now. The night was so lovely, the setting so magical it was easy for her imagination to make the most of the moment. Em warned herself to snap out of it.
Hopefully it wasn’t the spirit of an ancient with a missing femur watching her. She remembered Nelg saying that there were probably countless gravesites to be discovered as more property was developed. Especially this close to the beach.
If Fernando hadn’t ended up swimming with his koi, his improvements would already be underway. Em stopped walking when she realized she had reached the spot Fernando had proudly pointed out as the location of his new guest house and pool. It was very close to the property line that his compound shared with Hale Pua, House of Flowers, the estate next door.
She hurried across the grass toward a hedge of thick, low palms that marked the lot line. She paced back, mauka, toward the mountains, then stopped, turned, and headed makai,
toward the beach.
Head down, she focused on the ground, searching for any sign that someone might have been digging recently. Harold’s murder had occurred nearly three weeks ago. With daily trade showers, new grass and weeds may have already covered any sign of disturbed ground.
This is nuts. Em glanced at her watch and edged closer to the beach. The Maidens were probably in full dance mode by now. The dense stand of yellow bamboo near the edge of the lawn hid the crowd from sight and Em from them. Now and again she saw the flickering torchlight through the leaves.
She’d all but given up when she nearly tripped over a low garden stake poking up out of the sandy soil. She dropped down to one knee. Brushing the sand with her fingertips didn’t turn up anything either so she worked her fingers down into the loose dirt. When she hit something hard she gasped and recoiled, then steadied her nerves and took a deep breath. She tugged a bit and pulled out a piece of coral worn perfectly smooth.
After another minute, she brushed her hands together and was just getting to her feet when something hard slammed into the side of her head.
Not again. It was her last conscious thought as she sank to the ground.
25
All Tied Up And No Where to Go
Em’s head pounded like a Tahitian drum. She couldn’t move her arms or legs or open her mouth and quickly realized that she was blindfolded, lying on her side with her cheek resting on a cold slab of cement. Tape sealed her lips shut. Panic set in and she tried to scream but all that came out was a muffled, “Mphhh!”
The pounding intensified, but the fog in her mind slowly began to lift. She tried to sit up but her arms were bound behind her back, her ankles taped tightly together.
Think, Em. Think.
She lay still, cramped and uncomfortable against a hard cold floor. The last thing she recalled was walking the grounds of Fernando’s garden searching for evidence of a disturbed gravesite. She had felt as if she were being watched and apparently she had been, but not by someone or something as fanciful as the spirit of an ancient Hawaiian. The presence had been very real and very sinister. Not to mention someone who packed a wallop.
When the incessant beat suddenly stopped, she realized it wasn’t coming from inside her head. It actually was a drumbeat and not very far away. She had to be somewhere close to Fernando’s, close enough to hear the drums anyway. The memorial was still in progress.
She pictured Roland nearly naked, twirling flaming knives on the beach. Had he noticed she’d left? Would he wonder where she was when she didn’t return?
She struggled and flailed around until she finally rolled over on to her back. She tried not to panic, not to let the tape across her mouth freak her out. She closed her eyes against the thick darkness and practiced deep breathing through her nose. Once she was calmer, she decided she had to occupy her mind or she would quickly lose it.
She began to list the names of all of Louie’s cocktails on the Goddess drink menu—in alphabetical order.
26
Sophie Sounds the Alarm
The return of the canoe signaled the end of the party. Some of the guests ambled down the beach to the driveway where young valets stood ready to jog down the road and retrieve their cars. A few lingered, winding their way up the torch lit path to the house to grab another plate of pupus and one last drink from Sophie.
Kimo was clearing the tables and packing up. He stopped by the bar on his second trip to his van and asked her, “You seen Em?”
Sophie looked around. “Nope. I think she must still be down at the beach. I haven’t seen the detective lately, either.”
“Aha. That’s it then.” Kimo winked and headed outside toting a couple gallons of unopened teriyaki sauce. Obviously even Kimo noticed there was something between Em and the detective.
By the time Sophie had boxed glasses, packed up bottles, sorted out what to leave behind, bottled up the cherries and olives, bagged the limes and lemons and boxed the napkins, the cleanup was nearly done.
Kimo had enlisted Kiki to help. Suzi and Trish were still around somewhere.
“Where’s Em?” Kiki was the next to ask as Sophie was outside loading her trunk.
“With the detective, I guess. I haven’t seen her since the ceremony began.”
“That’s odd.” Kiki frowned. “I don’t remember seeing her in the crowd. I saw you there for a minute or two. Where did you go?”
“To the lua and then I restocked the bar. Kimo thinks Em and Sharpe are somewhere getting it on.” Sophie pressed her hands against her back and stretched, then took a deep breath.
“Does your back hurt?” Kiki’s concern showed.
Sophie shook her head. “Just been doing a lot of lifting.”
“It’s not like Em to just disappear.” Kiki stared off toward the beach. Torches were still glowing near the shoreline. “Almost everyone’s left already. Whatever she’s doing, even that, she should be back by now.”
“Hey, she’s worked hard. And the way her ex keeps calling and bugging her, she deserves a some down time.”
“Really? He’s been calling her?”
“Yeah. He was driving her so nuts she got a new cell number.”
“I had no idea.”
“He’s a jerk. You haven’t noticed how stressed she’s seemed lately?” Sophie headed for the house. Kiki walked beside her.
“I’m glad she’s rid of him, then.” Kiki sighed, smiled. “There aren’t many like my Kimo.”
Just then Kimo passed them pushing the portable bar, sweating profusely, huffing like a pregnant woman in the last stage of labor.
“Need a hand with that, Kimo?” Sophie stepped over to help him wrestle the bar to his van.
“I’ll have a valet help me load it.” He nudged his chin over his shoulder toward the house. “Wally’s looking for Em. Wants to write her a check.”
“I’d better go find her,” Kiki volunteered.
“Wally can give the check to Kimo,” Sophie suggested.
Kiki looked as if she were about to object when Roland Sharpe came strolling out of the house dressed in slacks and a shirt, carrying his scrap of a costume and his fire knives. He wasn’t smiling.
Sophie’s palms started to sweat.
“Speak of the devil. Is Em inside?” Kiki asked. “Wally is looking for her.”
Roland shrugged, his expression shuttered. “I haven’t seen her since the show started.”
Kiki’s eyes widened. “We thought she was at the beach with you.”
He shook his head. “She was at the beach when I started dancing but I saw her leave right away.”
“She said would be back after she used the lua,” Sophie said. “She wasn’t with you?”
“No, she wasn’t. Where did you go, by the way? You left, too.” Roland pinned her with a stare.
Sophie took a deep breath. “I went back up to the bar to get ready for the rush after the show.”
“Come to think of it, I didn’t see Em in the crowd when we were dancing.” Kiki thought a moment longer. “I know I didn’t see her.”
Sharpe’s expression was no longer closed. He looked worried.
“If she’s not here, then where is she?” Sophie watched the detective scan the driveway.
“Her truck is still here,” he said.
“Then she’s got to be around somewhere.” Kiki headed inside at a jog. “I’ll ask the other Maidens if they’ve seen her.”
Sophie didn’t like the way Sharpe was staring at her and forced herself not to fidget. The last thing she needed was another trip to the station in Lihue. Another round of questioning
“You say she went to the lua but didn’t go back to the beach?”
She nodded. “She told me she’d be right back, but she wasn’t and then I left, too. I thought I just missed her somewhere and that she was back watching the show.”
The detective shifted his gaze to the surrounding garden. The sound of the faux stream—water tumbling over rocks—seemed to swell. He walke
d away, paced along the edge of the stream in one direction and then the other. Then he scanned the grass and the garden.
Sophie trailed behind. When they reached the waterfall with the pool beneath it they saw only koi.
“You don’t think she could be…in trouble do you?” Sophie forced the words out.
Roland Sharpe’s expression hardened. His eyes narrowed as he turned to her.
“She’d better not be.”
27
Roland Carries a Torch
Kiki was out of breath by the time she ran up to Roland again.
“We can’t find her anywhere,” she said. “We haven’t searched the entire garden, but we looked through the house. There’s no sign of her.”
Kiki noticed Roland didn’t hesitate. He called in a missing person’s report even though it had only been a couple of hours since anyone had seen Em. He told her given the circumstances, he wasn’t willing to wait around and put all available manpower on alert.
“Fifteen acres is too damn much property to search on foot in the dark,” he grumbled. “I radioed in for someone to bring out the lifeguards’ ATV’s stored at the county lot in Hanalei asap.”
Fernando’s Hideaway was a search and rescue nightmare that encompassed the garden, the beach, streams, ditches, and natural areas that hadn’t been landscaped. A tangle of hau bush, wild plum trees and false kamani covered the old jungle areas near the base of the hills. The land beyond the inland boundary was all miles and miles of nature preserve.
While awaiting help, Kiki and the Hula Maidens ran from room to room calling Em’s name. They looked under beds and inside closets. Lillian even went through the dressers and nearly fainted when she found Fernando’s rhinestone encrusted thong collection.
“We can’t find her anywhere.” Kiki reported back to Roland and watched as he shoved his fingers through his hair. It was the first time she’d ever seen him lose his cool.
“How long before the ATV arrives?” She wanted to know.
Mai Tai One On Page 15
