Freaky Deaky Tiki

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Why not?”

  “Galen will probably be angry that I told you.”

  “Don’t worry about Galen.” She offered up a haphazard wave to tell me exactly how she felt about the subject. She clearly wasn’t worried in the least. “You can’t keep anything secret on this island. Don’t worry about that.”

  I wanted to take her words to heart, but worry remained. “I was actually hoping you might be able to help me.”

  “Help you do what? Do you want me to help you change the locks? I’ve seen Wesley there practically every day the past two weeks. That must be cutting into your private time with Galen.”

  “Galen and I aren’t having private time. At least not yet.”

  Again, my mouth opened before I thought better of it. Again, I felt like a complete and total dolt after uttering words that I wished I could choke myself with.

  Lilac’s mouth was a huge “O” as she stared at me. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I ... um ... .” I wanted so badly to learn how to control time so I could go back five minutes and think before I spoke.

  “You haven’t boned the big kahuna yet? What is wrong with you?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. This was after she’d yelled the previous statement, of course, so people were staring. “You’re not a virgin, are you? If so, honey, let it go. I guarantee Galen will make you wonder why you waited so long. He has quite the reputation.”

  I scorched her with the darkest look in my repertoire. “I’m not a virgin, and can you not yell my private business all over the bar? As for the other, we’re simply not there yet. We don’t know each other all that well.”

  “You walk around holding hands and staring at each other as if you’re in a romantic comedy. You know each other well enough.” She sucked in a bracing breath and smoothed her frizzy blond hair. “Here’s what you do. Call him over, tell him there’s a bat in your attic, greet him in nothing but a see-through robe and let nature take its course. Trust me, he’ll know what to do the second he sees that you’re dressed to party.”

  I wanted to crawl under my stool and hide. “I’m done talking about this.” I kept my voice even and firm. “It’s none of your business. I have everything well in hand where that’s concerned. You have no reason to worry.”

  “Oh, I’m worried. You have no idea the sort of vipers we’ve got running around this island. Galen is considered a big catch, a mackerel, if you will. As in ‘Holy mackerel, I’ve died and gone to Heaven because he’s naked.’ If those women find out you’re not letting him surf your ocean, they’ll start sniffing around again, and you don’t want that.”

  I slapped my hand to my forehead, hoping if I hit myself hard enough I would either lose consciousness or she would stop talking. “I’ve got it, Lilac. I’ll get right on that tonight. Satisfied?”

  “If you need help, call me.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll need help.” I gulped down half the iced tea she pushed in front of me and collected my thoughts. I was almost at the point I couldn’t remember why I’d entered the bar in the first place. “So, um, I came in for a reason.”

  “Just a second.” Lilac moved away from me and toward the door, causing me to swivel so I could see who was entering. To my surprise, it was Aisling, and she was alone.

  “Hey.”

  She widened her eyes when she saw me. “Hey.” She headed in my direction, giving Lilac a curious smile as the woman returned to her spot behind the bar. She grunted as she climbed onto the stool and slapped her hands on the bar.

  “What will it be?” Lilac asked, amused at Aisling’s show.

  “I would like the world’s biggest rum runner.”

  “I can oblige you there.”

  “I’ll just have a virgin piña colada, though,” Aisling said. “I can’t drink.”

  “Oh, on the wagon?”

  “Pregnant,” Aisling replied, her features twisting. “It’s the only reason I would willingly go on the wagon.”

  Aisling slid her eyes to me. “What are you doing here in the middle of the day? Don’t you have a case to solve?”

  “I’m not with the police department,” I reminded her. “And, technically, I don’t have a job. At least not yet. I haven’t decided what I want to do yet. I’m not sure I’m qualified for anything on this island.”

  “Hey, if you can get by without working, I say go for it.” Aisling plopped her purse on the bar and smiled as Lilac delivered her drink. “My father said I didn’t have to work, but to get him to pay my bills I had to stay under his roof. So, of course, I got a job and moved out. It was a great motivator. Now I kind of want to move back in so he can take care of this baby.”

  Her terror over the baby both amused and confused me. She seemed almost lost at times. “Not that I want to fan the flames of your discontent, but where is Griffin?” I expected the man to follow Aisling through the door any second. They were on their honeymoon, which meant it was supposed to be all about romance and each other.

  “He’s riding some sailboat around the island. They’re going to swim with sharks.”

  “He’s riding a sailboat without you?” That made absolutely no sense to me. “Why?”

  “Because my father booked a few adventures for us when he set up the honeymoon — it was his gift to us and I think he wanted to make sure Griffin and I actually left the hotel at least a few times — and he didn’t know I was pregnant when he did it.

  “I didn’t think a sailboat ride would be that big of a deal,” she continued. “But when we got to the landing, I was informed I couldn’t go if I was pregnant. Griffin offered to stay behind, but that didn’t seem fair. I told him I was going back to the hotel to put my feet up. He said he would come with me, but I want him to have at least a little bit of fun.”

  “He’s on an island,” Lilac noted. “There is tons of fun to have.”

  “Not with me. I have a weak stomach and I’m grouchy. This isn’t exactly the honeymoon I envisioned. It’s definitely not the honeymoon he envisioned, especially since I spent the whole morning puking.”

  I felt sorry for her. “That sucks.”

  “Yeah, well ... what are you going to do?” She sipped her piña colada and smiled. “This is really good. I almost don’t miss the alcohol.”

  “It’s not that good.” Lilac sympathetically patted her hand before focusing on me. “You were going to ask me something?”

  “Right.” I remembered my purpose and pointed at the tiki masks on the walls. “Where did you get those? Jacob had one placed over his face, although it looked more authentic than what you have on the walls. I’m trying to figure out if there was a specific meaning behind the mask.”

  Lilac’s face was blank. “Where did I get the masks?”

  I nodded.

  “Pier One ... and I think a few of them might have come from Cost Plus World Market. None of them are real, but I’m sure there is some legitimate tiki action on the island. Somewhere. Maybe in the boonies. Downtown, it’s just for looks.”

  Darn. That’s not what I wanted to hear. “Huh.” I rubbed my cheek. “You don’t know anyone who could help?”

  “Not off hand. Why are you so certain the tiki mask has anything to do with it? Maybe it was just convenient and the killer placed it over his face because he wanted people to think Jacob was passed out or something.”

  “I guess that’s possible.” I said the words, but I wasn’t sure I believed them. “Still, I think the mask had to be symbolic of something. What can you tell me about Jacob?”

  “Not a heckuva lot,” Lilac admitted. “He was older than me by quite a bit. He hung out with my older brother. He was quiet, kept to himself. I don’t remember him being a troublemaker.”

  I waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, I cocked an eyebrow. “That’s it? Two days ago you told me about some old woman who got mad at her neighbor and tossed a bunch of tampons on her front yard to get back at her for being a ‘bloody mess’ as you termed it. I had to listen to
that story, but you can’t tell me anything more about Jacob?”

  Lilac let loose a long-suffering sigh. “That tampon story was funny.”

  “I didn’t find it very funny.”

  “That’s because you’re not getting any and you’re crabby.”

  I frowned. “We’re done talking about that,” I hissed. “You promised.”

  “I didn’t promise anything.” She shook her head. “I’m not letting up until you let Galen torpedo your battleship. I’m just warning you that it won’t go away, so you best get to it. As for Jacob, he really was a quiet guy.

  “He’d been working construction for a bit,” she continued. “I believe he was working on the big hotel that’s finally going up.”

  “Galen mentioned the hotel,” I confirmed. “He said it was a big deal because the locals initially didn’t want it but changed their minds because of the money it will bring to the island.”

  “Then he glossed things over,” Lilac said. “The locals out in that area are essentially a tribe.”

  “Native Americans?”

  “Kind of.” Lilac didn’t elaborate, so I didn’t push. “They believe the land is magical and a hotel shouldn’t be built on it. The DDA overruled them.”

  “The DDA?” Aisling wrinkled her nose. “Like the Downtown Development Authority?”

  Lilac lowered her voice. “They’re much more than that.”

  “I’ve heard horror stories about them but have yet to see them in action,” I offered. “Frankly, I think it’ll be a letdown when I finally do get to meet them.”

  “Okay. Continue.” Aisling sipped her drink and grinned as Lilac slipped back into her story.

  “There was a big fight, but I don’t know all the ins and outs of it,” Lilac explained. “The DDA stepped in and overruled the people fighting the development. That’s it. End of story.”

  “What about Jacob?” I pressed. “Do you think any of the locals would’ve been angry enough about the development to attack the construction crew?”

  “Oh, I didn’t really think about that.” The bubbly blonde tapped her bottom lip as she considered the question. “I can’t see anyone doing that, but I’m not all that familiar with the players ... so maybe.

  “As for Jacob, he really was a cool guy,” she continued. “He and Casey dated all through high school. They were kind of the golden couple, were voted prom king and queen and rode on a float. Neither left after graduation, and they got engaged pretty quickly. They were married about two years after high school and started trying for a family right away.”

  Something about the way she phrased the sentence caught my attention. “They tried for a family?” I pictured Casey’s huge stomach. “I’d say they succeeded.”

  “Not at first.” Lilac almost looked sad as she rested her slim frame on her elbows. “They both wanted a big family, but rumor is there was something wrong with Casey and she couldn’t get pregnant. She was devastated and assumed Jacob would leave her, but to his credit he didn’t. They got through it.”

  “I saw Casey yesterday,” I argued. “She’s pregnant. I mean ... she’s about to pop she’s so pregnant.”

  “Their miracle baby.” Lilac turned whimsical. “Like I said, Casey had issues and they tried everything to correct them. I believe there were a ton of fertility treatments. Her parents took out a loan to help them because the treatments were so expensive.

  “They tried in vitro fertilization and other things that I don’t know how to explain,” she continued. “Then, finally, when they both hit thirty they decided to give up. I heard they were sick of the heartbreak and wanted to enjoy each other without the pressure.

  “That’s exactly what they did for, like, two and a half years,” she said. “Then, one day, Casey woke up and puked. She did it again the next day ... and the next ... and finally Jacob insisted she go to the doctor because he was worried. It turned out that after they quit trying, somehow they found a miracle.”

  It was a beautiful story, and it made me feel sick to my stomach. “I can’t believe they went through all that only for him to die the way he did, so close to the baby’s birth.”

  “Yeah. It’s awful,” Lilac agreed. “She has her parents and they’re incredibly close, but it’s not something she’ll ever get over. At least she’ll have a little piece of Jacob to hold onto going forward.”

  I risked a glance at Aisling and found her frowning. She didn’t look nearly as moved by the story as I felt.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked finally. “Are you feeling less freaked about your baby now that things have been put into perspective?”

  Aisling immediately started shaking her dark head. “No. That story is sad and I’m glad she’s getting her baby. This baby is still a downer. It’s making me sick ... and I can’t drink on my own honeymoon. It has terrible timing. I bet it’s a girl.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because my father claims I was such an awful kid that I have a huge case of karma coming my way. That means it will be a girl.”

  Even though I felt sad after hearing the heartbreaking story of Jacob and Casey, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Hydrated and refreshed.”

  “That’s good. Do you want to go on an adventure?”

  She tilted her head to the side, intrigued. “What do you have in mind? And I’m not walking anywhere. I don’t handle humidity well.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t either. I have a golf cart.”

  She brightened considerably. “You should have led with that. Let’s go.”

  7

  Seven

  “Okay, this is the best thing ever.”

  Aisling took one look at my purple golf cart and fell in love. She slid into the passenger seat, ignored the provided seatbelt, and waited for me to start the engine.

  “I think you should fasten your seatbelt.” I wasn’t keen to be a mother hen, but she was pregnant.

  The scowl she shot in my direction told me exactly what she thought about the suggestion.

  “I haven’t had this thing very long,” I explained. “Galen complains that sometimes I take turns too quickly. I don’t want you falling out with your ... .” I gestured toward her stomach, making the scowl deepen.

  “Whatever.” She fastened her seatbelt, her smile turning into sulk. “This is how it’s going to be for the next eight months. I’m no longer going to be a person. I’m simply going to be the incubator that needs to be kept safe.”

  “Is that what you really think?” I paid attention even though traffic in Moonstone Bay was almost nonexistent. Only certain shuttles and business vehicles were allowed on the island, and none were in sight right now.

  “It’s how I feel,” Aisling replied, her gaze focused on the scenery as we zipped down the road. “Where are we going?”

  “I thought we might head back to the docks for starters. You can see Jacob if he’s there, right? Talk to him?”

  She cast me a sidelong look. “If you see him I’ll bet you can talk to him, too. By the way, why can you see him?”

  I shrugged, unsure how to answer. “I guess it’s because I’m a witch.”

  “Have you always been able to see souls?”

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t even know I was a witch until I arrived here last month. I was raised by my father, and he kept all of this stuff to himself.”

  “What happened to your mother?”

  “She died giving birth to me.” I felt vaguely embarrassed at the revelation, although I had no idea why.

  “That’s too bad.” Aisling was thoughtful. “My mother is dead, too. Technically she died twice.”

  “How does that work?”

  “It’s a long story. Suffice to say, she died when I was a teenager and came back about a year and a half ago. I guess she was back before then, but she never bothered seeking us out. Her body survived what happened to her the first go-around — it was a fire — but her mind was kind of w
arped.”

  I sensed we were treading on rocky terrain. “If you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to.”

  “It’s okay. I’m over it now.”

  That obviously wasn’t true. She didn’t look over anything.

  “My brothers had a harder time with what happened,” she explained. “I knew there was something wrong when she came back, that she wasn’t the same. I kept my distance, but there were times I was tempted to embrace her. Then she turned on me and it was all over. I had a choice: sacrifice her or my brother. I kept my brother ... even though he’s a total pain in the butt.”

  I laughed despite myself. “How many brothers do you have?”

  “Four. All older. I guess, technically, my brother Aiden is the same age. We’re twins.”

  “That’s nice. Are you close? I never had a brother or a sister. My father didn’t remarry, so it was just us.”

  “I’m close with all my brothers. They’re all buttheads of the highest order, but I’m close with them.”

  “That must have been hard for Griffin. Taking on a girl with four older brothers had to be terrifying.”

  Aisling’s expression softened at the memory. “There were a few tense moments. He held his own. I think that’s the only reason we survived. My father says I needed someone strong enough to tell me no, and I think I needed someone strong enough to tell him no. We both got what we wanted.”

  “That’s good.” I ignored a pedestrian flipping me off from the sidewalk as I crossed over the final street that led to the docks. “What can you tell me about souls?”

  The question clearly caught Aisling off guard because she shifted on her seat. “What do you mean?”

  “You said that Jacob’s soul should’ve been absorbed before we had a chance to see him the other day. I’m not familiar with the process of collecting souls, so I don’t know exactly what that means.”