Banana Split

by Josi S. Kilpack

  Sadie clicked on the tab and then blinked at the interface. “I just pulled it up, but it’s broken up into five different frames . . . Ah, man, I hate this kind of thing. I just need to rewind the videos.”

  “That’s why you’re calling me,” Shawn reminded her. “Hang on—I’m looking it up.”

  Sadie was in no mood to hang on, but she didn’t have much choice. Her attention was momentarily stolen, however, by a snapshot tucked under the glass top of the desk. Sadie leaned forward and stared at a younger, happier version of Jim, standing between two young boys. They both wore blue baseball caps that said Bartley Expeditions, and the three of them held a really big, really ugly, fish. The blue, blue water of Hawai’i behind them created a picturesque scene.

  “I’m downloading a tutorial . . .” Shawn commented.

  Sadie glanced at the video frames—still no sign of Jim, thank goodness.

  “Oh, and I talked to his ex.”

  Sadie straightened. “Already?”

  “I found her number, called her, and she answered.”

  “Wow. What did she say?”

  “That Jim was controlling and verbally abusive to her, but that she stayed as long as she did because he was so good with her sons,” Shawn said.

  “Shocking,” Sadie said. “He was good to the boys?”

  “Excellent,” Shawn said. “Oh, wait—Okay, I’ve got the tutorial going. Let me just . . . Okay, yep . . . Look in the lower right section and click on history.”

  Sadie did so, and the section changed to a listing of dates and times.

  “The program records in ten-minute increments, so just chose which camera you want, click on the date and time you want to review, then press play. It should replace the current frame of that camera with the past one. You can play it in real-time, slow, or speed view.”

  Sadie followed his instructions, and within seconds she was watching what video camera five—the one that showed the expedition office—had recorded at 1:20, which was about the time Charlie had called Sadie’s phone.

  “Got it, thanks,” Sadie said. “I’ll let you go.”

  “You don’t want to know anything else about Jim?”

  She wanted to say not right now, but it felt rude after all Shawn had done. “Sure. What else was interesting?”

  Shawn rattled off some facts, like where they had gotten married, when Jim’s ex filed for the divorce, yada yada yada, while she scanned through the video.

  “She said Pastor Darryl finally convinced her to leave.”

  “Really?” Sadie said, her attention snapping back to Shawn’s voice.

  Shawn repeated himself, and Sadie understood why Jim hated Pastor Darryl so much.

  “She said Darryl helped her realize that the kids were still front-row to an unhealthy relationship, even if Jim treated them well. I guess the divorce happened pretty fast once she made the decision to leave.”

  Sadie thanked Shawn again for the information and said she’d call him soon. She tried to focus on the next ten-minute segment from video camera five, but instead thought about what she’d just learned about Jim. It made sense—why Jim was so nice to Charlie and so bitter about Pastor Darryl. The one answer she didn’t have was whether or not Jim was in love with Bets. Bets’s insecurity regarding her husband’s questionable actions was a perfect opening for Jim, if he were motivated by revenge instead of lust.

  Sadie looked over her shoulder at the sweater that shouldn’t be there and then turned back to the video.

  She played through the video fast and when no one showed up on the frame, moved to the next segment. Right away she saw Charlie. The time read 1:31, just minutes before he’d called Sadie. She watched him go inside, looking around as he did so, but he didn’t come out until the next section. He was in the office for just over ten minutes—long enough to call Sadie and the bus station.

  She scanned through the next two segments just to make sure Charlie hadn’t come back. Then she changed to the camera that showed the section where Sadie’s room was located and started with the 9:50 video. She played it fast, but had to figure out how to stop it when she saw people appearing and disappearing quickly due to how fast she was viewing the segments. They were only other guests passing by, though. No one attempted to go into her room.

  Sadie’s phone rang—Gayle.

  “I just got your text. You’re seriously in his apartment?” she said.

  “Yes,” Sadie said, still watching the video. “And I’m about to find out who broke into my room.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Gayle said. “This is so insane!”

  “I know,” Sadie agreed. “What did you find out about the ticket? Anything?”

  “Yes,” Gayle said, and her tone changed dramatically. “It’s Charlie. He’s supposed to take the 7:45 flight to Honolulu. I was able to talk to security, and I told them that he’s your grandson and is in big trouble for using your card. When he tries to check in, they’ll hold him and give me a call.”

  “You are amazing,” Sadie said, awed by what Gayle had accomplished. “Thanks!”

  “Do you want me to—”

  Sadie nearly missed the flash of someone on the video, and she quickly rewound it to watch it in real time. “Hold on,” she said to Gayle.

  At first she didn’t recognize the woman who stopped in front of room nine, Sadie’s room. She had a bag over her shoulder and was holding a fountain drink. She looked around quickly, then slid a key into the door and stepped inside.

  Sadie rewound the tape again and watched it slowly, leaning toward the screen so as not to miss anything. It wasn’t until the woman looked around in slow-motion that Sadie could identify her. Mandi? Pastor Darryl and Bets’s “roommate”?

  “Sadie?” Gayle asked.

  “Um, can I call you back?”

  “Yeah, but get your okole out of there before he catches you.”

  Sadie paused. “Where on earth did you learn that word?”

  “The man on the plane,” Gayle said casually.

  “What were the two of you talking about?” Okole meant rear end; Sadie had never used the word herself.

  “Never you mind. Do you want me to stand guard or something?”

  Sadie refocused on the task before her. “No, I’ve got the surveillance in front of me.” She scanned the camera frames. Still no sign of Jim. Only camera three was on history mode. “Can you go check out the flower on the card?”

  “I’m on it,” Gayle said. “Wikiwiki!”

  “I will.”

  Sadie hung up and froze the video image, looking at it closely, wanting to be sure. What was Mandi’s connection to all this?

  It wasn’t until the next ten-minute segment that she saw Mandi exit the room. She still had her drink cup, but Sadie knew the contents were all over her laptop. Once outside, Mandi adjusted her purse on her shoulder, then hurried down the walkway toward the church. She didn’t look nervous, which bothered Sadie. Sadie had barely spoken to the woman, and yet she’d trashed her room. Why?

  Sadie exited camera three and pulled up the history for the one that showed the pathway to the church. Mandi showed up in the frame, but instead of taking the path to the church, she cut to the path leading to the expedition office.

  Jim would have been gone at that time, so what would Mandi have been doing at the office? Sadie switched cameras again and watched Mandi enter the expedition office, only to leave within two minutes, not long enough to do much. She hadn’t been carrying anything other than her purse and the empty drink cup.

  Movement in one of the real-time frames of the surveillance system caught Sadie’s attention, and her eyes snapped to the interior of the motel office. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Jim and Court talking at the reception desk.

  Jim was a hundred yards away from her at least, but having forgotten about him for a minute made Sadie feel vulnerable. She’d learned what she needed to learn, which meant she had no reason to stay where it was so risky. She returned everything to the way
it had been when she’d entered the apartment before running toward the door.

  She was halfway across the room when she noticed a small white rectangle on the floor by one of the kitchen chair legs—the same chair Bets’s sweater was draped over. It looked a lot like the key that had been slid beneath the door of the storage closet where Sadie had been trapped. She looked from the card key to the door—a straight shot. Mandi could have come to Jim’s apartment to return the master key by sliding it under the door; the same way she had returned Sadie’s room key to her a few minutes later. Again, she asked herself, why Mandi?

  Sadie opened the door, turning the lock so it would lock behind her, and pulled the door closed before hurrying down the stairs. She was on the bottom landing with her hand on the office door when she heard a voice. Her stomach knotted. She was so close to being out of here, but she was still very much inside.

  She looked around for somewhere to hide and ran around to the far side of the boat. She climbed up on the hub of the trailer wheel-well so that her feet wouldn’t be visible. The only thing to hold onto was the edge of the hub, necessitating a crouched position that had her legs shaking and her fingers white with strain after the first few seconds. Sadie closed her eyes and tried to lean against the boat as best she could to help herself balance.

  “Just play it out,” she heard Jim’s voice say as the door opened.

  She listened for another voice, but when he paused before speaking again, she realized he was on the phone.

  “Trust me, it’s working out fine. . . . Nobody really cares about who got into that room, but they’re looking into Noelani more than ever. And based on what Bets said this morning, you’re right about her being in the middle of it.”

  Sadie’s fingers were burning but she heard his feet on the stairs. One more minute, she told herself, barely keeping her position as Jim continued.

  “Are you kidding, Mandi? This is the best opportunity you’ve had to date. . . . Yeah, I got the sweater, and I’m heading over there later to confess. . . . Believe me or don’t, but everything is working out just like it should. And ironically, we can thank Sadie Hoffmiller for that.”

  Chapter 40

  Mandi?

  Sadie heard the apartment door at the top of the stairs open and shut before practically falling off her perch. She didn’t hesitate before running around the boat, through the waiting room, and out of the office. She was banking on the fact that Jim probably hadn’t turned on the TV yet and therefore wouldn’t see her leave. She took the long way back to the church, though. She didn’t want to show up on video any more than she had to, and she used the extra distance to think through what she’d just discovered. Jim and Mandi were working together!

  It seemed so far-fetched, and yet it made perfect sense if Jim’s goal was to get back at Darryl. What better person to work with than the woman Sadie was pretty sure had a crush on the pastor. Jim was taking advantage of Bets’s insecurities to set her up—and using Sadie to do it. It wasn’t until Sadie was hurrying across the church parking lot that the final pieces clicked into place. She stopped in the middle of the pavement.

  “He wanted me to stay here,” she said out loud. That was why Jim had kept her locked her out of her room; it had forced her to stay in Kalaheo. The “why” was harder to figure out. He hadn’t been angry about her eavesdropping. He’d simply been plotting how to use it to his advantage. How did Noelani fit in? The only direct tie, or as direct as Sadie had found so far, was Bets.

  Sadie dug her phone out of her bag and texted Gayle.

  Sadie: Where are you?

  Gayle: In the church, helping Pastor D clean up the storage room. I didn’t tell him why it was a mess.

  Sadie: Do you know where Bets is?

  Gayle: Just pulled in from the store. Working on dinner. I don’t think she knew what happened in the closet either.

  Sadie: I don’t think so either. I’m heading her way. Bring PD over when you finish. Did you see the flower?

  Gayle: Dead ringer. She wrote the note—I’d put money on it.

  Sadie returned her phone to her bag and headed around the church to the pastor’s apartment. She stopped at the door, took a deep breath, and knocked loudly while quickly prioritizing her objectives. She had to have her focus be on the most important thing—the note sent to Charlie.

  The door opened, and Sadie smiled while lifting her chin. “Hi, Bets,” she said before Bets could come up with something to say instead.

  “Um, aloha,” Bets said cautiously, clearly not thrilled to see Sadie. “Can I help you?”

  “Well, I was wondering if I could come in.” Sadie was banking on the fact that Bets would be too polite to say no. “It’s so hot. Could I get a drink maybe?”

  Bets hesitated, uneasy, but then nodded. “Sure.”

  She stepped back so Sadie could enter the great room area of the apartment that was filled with a good collection of the local Koa wood furniture as well as some upholstered pieces. A countertop separated the living room from the kitchen. Everything was neat and clean. A huge painting of Mount Wai’ale’ale hung on one wall. Above an organized desk set against another wall was a collection of pictures—wedding portraits among them. Bets looked so young and carefree—gorgeous in a simple white dress.

  “I love your place,” Sadie said, meaning it. It was cozy and neat and . . . loved. The condo in Puhi didn’t feel that way, and Sadie suddenly missed her own home. Beyond the decorations, the apartment smelled delicious. “What are you cooking?”

  “Kalua pork,” Bets said as she passed Sadie on her way to the kitchen.

  “I thought that was cooked in a big pit with banana leaves and things.”

  “We only use the imu out back when we’re cooking a whole pig. This time I’m using a slow cooker.” She opened a cupboard and removed a glass, in a hurry to get rid of Sadie, or so it seemed.

  “I’d love to get the recipe sometime,” Sadie said. “If it tastes half as good as it smells, my son will love it.”

  Bets smiled politely, but Sadie could tell she had no intention of giving Sadie anything beyond a glass of water.

  “Um, could I also use the restroom?” Sadie asked, stalling for more time, hoping to figure out her next move.

  Before Bets could answer, Sadie pointed toward the hallway on the opposite end of the apartment. “Just down there, right?”

  “Uh,” Bets said, but Sadie was already on her way.

  The bathroom was the second door on the right, but she could also see into what she assumed was the master bedroom at the end of the hall. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Bets wasn’t following her before hurrying into the bedroom. If there were secrets here, she would find them in the bedroom. Bets wouldn’t risk leaving something out in the open with Mandi in residence.

  She closed the door quietly behind her, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked around the pristine room—pristine except for one thing. Charlie’s list lay face up on the nightstand, just waiting to be discovered.

  If Bets had really broken into Sadie’s room and stolen the list, she wouldn’t have left the only direct tie to the break-in out in plain sight. Clearly it had been planted here by someone else. Sadie wondered where Mandi was right now.

  Sadie picked up the list, grateful to have it back. She folded it up and stuck it in her bag, mentally checking off its recovery from her to-do list.

  Before returning to Bets, Sadie took a minute to look for anything else that might be helpful—a journal, or something belonging to Noelani—though Sadie didn’t know what that would be—anything that might prove her suspicions. But every drawer was perfectly organized and nothing stood out. Sadie knew she’d been gone too long. She took a deep breath; she just needed to do one more thing.

  “I meant to bring some note cards with me,” Sadie said as she stepped into the living room.

  Bets was slicing tomatoes in the kitchen, but Sadie’s glass of water was on the counter, waiting for her to drink it and leave. She
ignored it and made a show of looking through her bag. “I must have left them at the condo. Do you by chance have something I could borrow? I wanted to write a thank-you card to my hairdresser; she did such a great job.”

  Bets looked at Sadie’s hair before meeting her eyes and putting down the knife. “A note card?”

  “You know, stationery, thank-you cards—something a step up from notebook paper. If it’s no trouble.”