Banana Split

by Josi S. Kilpack

  Kiki looked at the floor, her brow wrinkled in concentration. “When I explained to her that I had to work in the morning and couldn’t come in for her, she said ‘If it weren’t for Charlie, I wouldn’t ask you to do this.’”

  “‘If it weren’t for Charlie, I wouldn’t ask you to do this,’” Sadie repeated, writing it down in her notes.

  “I asked her what was going on, and she said she didn’t want to say anything, just in case she was wrong.”

  Sadie wrote that down too. “So she was checking up on something she didn’t know was true or not,” Sadie summarized.

  “I guess,” Kiki said.

  “What about Noelani and Pastor Darryl?” Sadie asked, figuring she might as well lay all the cards on the table. “Jim seems to think they were having an affair.”

  “I don’t know about that either,” Kiki said, but she shifted in a way that bespoke a new tension.

  Chapter 35

  Jim said he saw Pastor Darryl visit Noelani at the motel,” Sadie said.

  Kiki shook her head. “I never saw that, and Noelani never said anything about Pastor Darryl other than the fact that he had really helped her with her relationship with God.”

  “Is there anyone else you think she would have told if she were involved with the pastor?” Gayle asked. “Did she have other close friends?”

  “Not really,” Kiki said. “Other than church and work, she didn’t have friends. Even she and I never went out or anything like that. When she first started working at the motel, she’d borrow Bets’s car for her visits with Charlie. They seemed to be pretty good friends, but it kinda faded out, ya know? Then, a couple of weeks before Noelani disappeared, she and Bets had an argument.”

  “Like a ‘leave my husband alone’ argument?” Gayle asked.

  Kiki nodded. “I went to get a drink out of the vending machine, and I heard arguing by the laundry room. When I poked my head around the corner, I saw the two of them.”

  “What were they arguing about?” Sadie asked.

  “Bets said something about getting in Noelani’s way if Noelani didn’t get out of her way.” Kiki shrugged. “Noelani saw me and told Bets she had to get back to work. I asked Noelani about it later and she said they’d had a misunderstanding—that it was no big deal.”

  “She didn’t tell you what it was about?”

  Kiki shook her head. “And I didn’t ask. I don’t really like knowing other people’s business.”

  Most of the time, Sadie would consider that a virtue. A rare virtue. But right now she wished Kiki had pushed for more information. “Did you tell the police about the argument?”

  “Yeah,” Kiki said.

  “Do you know if they talked to Bets about it?”

  “I only ever talked to them that one time, and they mostly asked about the night she took my car and if I knew whether or not she was using again.”

  “Which is exactly why I think Noelani’s past has influenced the investigation,” Sadie said, mostly to herself before realizing they were both listening to her. She moved on, wanting to reserve that issue for a conversation with either Bets or the police.

  “Did you ever meet Charlie?” Sadie asked, changing the subject.

  “Yeah, he’s a cute little boy,” she said, her expression softening. “Noelani would bring him to the motel for their visits sometimes and let him swim in the pool.”

  “Jim was okay with that?” Sadie asked.

  “Jim liked Charlie,” Kiki said. “He’d buy the kid a soda whenever he came over—show him the boat, that kind of thing.”

  “I heard Jim’s ex-wife had kids—was he close to them?” Sadie asked, surprised to find a soft spot in a man who seemed hard in every way.

  “I guess. She moved back to Oregon or something. He doesn’t talk about it. Court told me about his stepsons and how hard it was for Jim when they left—she’s worked here forever.”

  “Why?” Gayle asked. “I mean, the guy’s a jerk. Why work for someone like that?”

  “Well, the checks are never late,” Kiki said. “And as long as you do your job, you know what to expect. I mean, I know he’s hard on people, but he’s fair. He doesn’t change the rules on you, or run his hand up your leg or stuff like that. He’s decent, if a little rough around the edges.”

  “He changed the rules on you today,” Sadie pointed out. “He wouldn’t let you let me into my room.”

  Kiki colored a bit. “He’s never done anything like that before. I mean, he gets mad, but he’s never ordered me around like that.”

  “What about ordering you not to talk about Noelani?” Sadie asked. “He’d told you that after the police came around the first time, right?”

  “Well, yeah, but that made sense. I mean, she was an ex-stripper and a recovering addict, but he was giving her a second chance. Then she shows up dead, probably from an overdose. He didn’t want that to affect the motel’s reputation. We’re already mauka, and we’re not a large motel in a high tourist area. He was just looking out for the interest of the motel.”

  “Mauka?” Gayle asked.

  “Inland,” Sadie defined.

  “Away from the ocean,” Kiki added. “It literally means ‘toward the mountains.’”

  “Makai means ‘toward the sea,’” Sadie explained. “The closer to the beach, the bigger the tourist attraction since the beach is the main draw for vacationers.”

  “Ah,” Gayle said, looking impressed by Sadie’s knowledge.

  Sadie wasn’t convinced the motel’s reputation was Jim’s motivation, but she nodded as though accepting the possibility, and then looked at her notes to see what she’d missed. “I can’t think of anything else,” she said, looking up at the younger girl with a smile. “How about you, Gayle? Is there anything we missed?”

  “I want to know more about Pastor Darryl.” She looked at Kiki expectantly.

  Kiki shrugged. “I don’t know him very well. He would come and talk to Noelani sometimes, but I didn’t go to his church or anything. Jim couldn’t stand the guy so he didn’t come around much.”

  “I heard Jim and Pastor Darryl were friends before Jim’s divorce,” Sadie said.

  “That was before I ever worked there.” Kiki’s phone dinged, and she glanced at it.

  Sadie thought back to the look on Pastor Darryl’s face when she’d brought up Jim. The divorce seemed to be the point where things had changed not only for Jim but also between him and the pastor. Why? And why did Bets still have a relationship with Jim? A close enough relationship that he hired Noelani in order to help out Bets. Yet, Jim said Bets was pathetic, too.

  “I better go,” Kiki said. “My boyfriend dropped me off before going to the bike shop in Lihue; he’s back now.”

  “Thank you for coming,” Sadie said. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Sure,” Kiki said, pushing up from her seat. “If I think of anything else, I’ll give you a call. Oh, wait, I forgot about your phone.”

  Gayle sent a smug look at Sadie, and Sadie sighed in defeat.

  “Let me give you my number,” Gayle said. “And maybe I could get yours. Sadie and I will be together anyway.”

  They exchanged numbers. Sadie thanked Kiki again, and Gayle went as far as to hug her before she left—she hugged everyone—and then they watched her go down the walk and get into a little brown car before it pulled away from the curb.

  They hadn’t even shut the door before another car pulled into its place, or rather, a truck. Sadie stepped forward, wondering if it were a coincidence that Mr. Olie drove a truck like that, only to stop when Mr. Olie stepped out of the driver’s side of the car. He slammed the door and headed toward Sadie’s condo. He walked slow and heavy, as though he wasn’t feeling well.

  Sadie hurried down the sidewalk to meet him. “Mr. Olie, what are you doing here? Is it about Charlie?”

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?” he snapped, his expression fierce.

  She started. “I don’t have it. I mean, someone broke into m
y room in Kalaheo and destroyed it.” She noted the sweat on his forehead and his labored breathing. “Are you okay?”

  “I could use a glass of water,” he said.

  “Sure,” Sadie said, turning back to the condo where Gayle stood on the threshold. Gayle stepped aside, opening the door wider so they could pass through. “Could you get him a glass of water?” Sadie whispered to her friend.

  “Of course,” Gayle said. She closed the door, and Sadie followed Mr. Olie into the living room. He sat down heavily on the futon and raised a hand to his chest as though trying to catch his breath.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Sadie asked, remembering his history of heart issues.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “I’ve been calling you for hours.”

  From the corner of her eye, Sadie saw Gayle shake her head as she retrieved a glass from the cupboard.

  “Like I said, my phone was ruined. I’m going to get a new one as soon as you and I are finished, though.” She cast a look to Gayle, who smiled and nodded her acceptance.

  “I need to ask you some questions,” he said, dismissing the phone situation, for which Sadie was grateful.

  “Okay,” she said, settling herself into the chair. Gayle brought Mr. Olie a glass of ice water, and he eyed her as he took it from her.

  “This is my friend Gayle, from Colorado. She just flew in today.”

  “I need to talk to you alone,” he said to Sadie briskly before taking a long drink of water.

  “Oh, she’s okay to—”

  He glared at her, and she cleared her throat before looking up at Gayle.

  “I’d been wanting to check out the pool anyway,” Gayle said, but she was not happy. She let herself out the sliding glass door. Once she was gone, Mr. Olie turned to face Sadie.

  “The police said you saw Charlie this morning.”

  “Yes,” Sadie said, nodding.

  “Tell me about it. Everything.”

  Would it kill him to ask nicely? All the same, she told him everything, from seeing Charlie enter the church to thinking he’d sat behind her in the chapel to finding the prayer he’d slid into the cross. “I gave it to the police,” Sadie said.

  “I know,” he said gruffly. “You should have called me.”

  Sadie crossed her arms over her chest. “If not for the fact that I was locked in a storage room where I nearly died of a panic attack only to be let out to discover that my room had been ransacked, I would have.”

  Chapter 36

  Well, the police are now looking into the whole thing, and they called me to see what I knew,” he said. “I’m in a very difficult position.”

  Sadie hadn’t considered the fact that Mr. Olie had operated behind police lines, so to speak, just as she had. The police hadn’t made a big deal about that, yet, but she was a visitor who could be sent home. Mr. Olie was a federal employee. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble,” she said. “But things had escalated to a point where I couldn’t not bring the police in. I’m sorry.”

  He grunted and took another drink.

  “Have they found him?”

  He shook his head. “His school is about a mile from the church. He was on the morning bus but didn’t go to class.”

  “Oh, dear,” Sadie said, her stomach sinking. “Have you been looking for him?”

  “I can’t do much,” he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “But I’ve been working on other things. Turns out Nat was fired from a job with Parks and Rec six weeks ago for failing a drug screen.”

  Sadie’s heart sunk. “You’re kidding,” she said. Did everyone here do drugs?

  “Just weed, but still, that’s why she didn’t apply to have him approved to stay there—because he wouldn’t pass the background check. He’s had clean screens since then, but it doesn’t change the facts.”

  “Will that affect her ability to adopt Charlie?”

  “We’ll have to take it to a judge and see, but it certainly won’t help things. It was a totally different thing before the police knew about Charlie being on the run. Now there’s going to be police reports and statements on record.”

  “Have you talked to Nat?”

  Mr. Olie nodded. “He was there, and after I talked to CeeCee and put the fear of God into her, I did the same with him. He feels horrible, and he’s really worried about Charlie. His story isn’t too different than Charlie’s—Dad out of the picture; Mom addicted to crack. Anyway, both he and CeeCee said Nat would have another place to stay by the end of the week. I hope we can still salvage the placement, but I don’t know. I’ve got to find Charlie if I have a chance of making a case that this family is a good place for him.” He sighed. “And maybe I’m wrong; maybe it’s not a good place. I don’t know anymore. And now the police want to know what I know, and my answers may very well take me off Charlie’s case altogether.”

  Sadie hated the thought of Charlie losing what little security he had. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I really felt as though I had no choice but to go to the police.”

  “If you see him again, call me before you call the police this time.”

  Sadie tightened her mouth, not liking the way he ordered her around, and yet she really did feel horrible for making things more complicated for Charlie. “I don’t know how I’d end up seeing him again,” she said. “I’m not planning to go back to Kalaheo, and he doesn’t have anyone who will bring him back out here.”

  “Well,” Mr. Olie said, scooting to the edge of the futon, “he seems to keep showing up in your path, so if it happens again, call me.”

  Sadie wasn’t comfortable making him any promises, so she skirted a direct answer. “Do you have a card so I can call you directly?”

  “Not with me, but I’ll give you my cell number.”

  Sadie went to the kitchen for the notebook and pen, then took her time returning to the living room; she could hear him struggling to get off the couch. It was quite low, but she didn’t want to embarrass him, and she knew he wouldn’t accept her help. When she reentered the room, he was standing. He handed her the empty water glass. She was glad to see that the short rest seemed to have helped him and would have asked if he were okay except she was tired of being snapped at. He gave her his number, and she wrote it down in the notebook next to her interview notes.

  “Will you call me if you find him?” she asked.

  “How do I do that? You don’t have a phone.”

  “My friend has one,” Sadie said. “Let me give you her number.”

  “I left my phone in the car,” he said, waving away the idea.

  “I’ll write her number down for you.”

  He grunted. Not interested.

  “Well, we were about to go to Lihue to get me a new phone,” Sadie said. “So you should be able to call me within the hour.”

  He grunted again, and she clenched her jaw as she followed him to the front door. She nearly apologized again, but stopped herself. She’d apologized enough and still didn’t know what else she could have done. She had reached her limit and done all she could. And yet . . . here she was talking to Kiki and promising to call Mr. Olie if Charlie showed up for some reason.

  “What are you going to do now?” Sadie asked.

  “Prepare my argument for the judge,” he said. “We’ve got an emergency hearing set up for Monday morning, and I need everything in place before then. Of course, if Charlie doesn’t show up, it will all be for nothing.”

  Sadie opened the front door for him, but he paused on the threshold. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, reaching in to the pocket of his buttoned-up shirt, plaid instead of floral, which seemed a little out of place on an island where practically everyone wore a Hawaiian shirt. “CeeCee gave me this when I told her I didn’t think Charlie believed Noelani had died.” He handed Sadie a small purple envelope the size of a thank-you card. “She said she found this in his room a few days ago—under his pillow. She hadn’t seen it before, but I think it supports the theory that Noelani threw in the towel
one way or another. Poor kid. I’ll need the note back, but I gotta get going if I’m gonna talk to Janet before she leaves for the day.”

  Sadie thought he should go home and rest—the day had obviously taken a lot out of him—but wasn’t about to say so.

  He didn’t even say good-bye after handing her the note, just lumbered to his car.

  After she watched him drive off, she looked at the lavender envelope in her hand. Charlie’s name was written across the front along with a small, hand-drawn flower. Inside the small envelope was a slightly smaller note card. It had white flowers on the front of the lavender card—an odd choice to give to an eleven-year-old boy. Sadie closed the front door and headed back to the kitchen where she sat down and opened the card.