Maui Murders

by Kathy Callahan

  When Zenzi returned, Layla told her she had sent Magda home in a taxi. Zenzi said she would return tomorrow, and when everyone was gone, she would clean up, making sure things were in order when Kyle got home.

  The next morning the three-man team of movers arrived; in no time, the van was loaded, and the movers left.

  Layla gave Zenzi an envelope that contained double the amount she had originally offered, along with a letter thanking her for her many kindnesses. She handed Zenzi various keys and drove off in her SUV.

  Layla was happy to be on the road so early, although darkening skies did not thrill her, and she experienced intermittent showers the whole way to New York. Exhausted after what seemed like an eternity, she pulled into her garage, a half block from her brownstone, parked the SUV, unloaded one suitcase and toiletry case, locked up securely, and made her way to what was now home. Inside, she sat her luggage at the bottom of the stairs and headed for the kitchen, hoping Mrs. Pete, her old housekeeper, had left something to eat.

  Mrs. Pete had worked for Layla and her family for many years, but when Layla moved to Washington, she went to work three days a week for another family. Layla had phoned and told her she would be moving back to New York and wondered if she were available. Mrs. Pete said she could only work Tuesdays and Thursdays for her, and Layla said that would be perfect. She told her of her plans to arrive late Friday night and asked if her son Jeff would be interested in earning some extra money by helping her unload her SUV on Saturday. Ms. Pete said he would be delighted to help, and they arranged for him to meet Layla on Saturday afternoon.

  Layla found a small pot roast in the refrigerator, some fresh bread, and made herself a sandwich along with a bottle of beer. Sitting at the counter, eating the sandwich, and drinking the beer, she took stock of what she had accomplished and realized she couldn’t have done it two months ago.

  Feeling tired, she took her dishes to the sink, turned out the lights, and headed for the stairs. It took all her energy to get her bags upstairs and into the bedroom. Too tired to take a shower, she stripped down to her underwear, turned down the bed, and was asleep within seconds.

  At ten the next morning, the ringing phone woke Layla, and she noted it was Mrs. Pete. “Hello, Mrs. Pete, I made it home late last night, and thank you for the food.”

  “You will find fresh coffee, along with yogurt and croissants. I didn’t want you to come home and have to go out for food. I thought you might be quite tired after your drive. Do you still want Jeff this afternoon?”

  “Definitely. I have a lot to get in order before I start work Tuesday. I’ll meet Jeff here at one o’clock.”

  Downstairs, she made coffee and ate the food Mrs. Pete had laid in. At one sharp, her doorbell rang, and there stood Jeff. Layla wasn’t even sure it was Jeff; it had been two years since she had seen him. He was a scrawny kid then, now she was looking into the face of a handsome young man.

  “Jeff, is that you?”

  “It’s me, Ms. Layla. Guess you can say I grew up since we last saw each other. I’m sure sorry about the loss of your baby. Is Mr. Kyle back with you?”

  “No, Jeff, we are ending our marriage. Losing our daughter was too much for us. We both are moving on. Come on in, and I’ll get the keys. We’ll go to the garage and start getting things back here.”

  In less than an hour, Jeff had carried everything upstairs, leaving only a few items in the foyer. Layla paid him as agreed, included a tip, and thanked him for his swift work.

  Upstairs, she unpacked the clothing items and decided to go through her custom closets to see if there were any items she no longer wanted. To her dismay, over half the items in the closet were no longer stylish, including several with price tags still attached.

  “Lord, this is going to be another project I had not anticipated,” Layla said out loud.

  Layla cleaned out old items and hung things she brought with her; she boxed some of the discarded clothing but would wait until the movers arrived and unpacked the other boxes before finishing up. She had pot roast for dinner and straightened up the kitchen, then she realized it was after eight and she was in need of a shower. After a steaming hot shower that relieved her sore muscles, she crawled into bed, got her cell phone, and feeling relaxed and happy, she called Dewey.

  Dewey’s cell was lying on his desk when it rang, and he grabbed it immediately.

  “Hi, Dewey, I’m back in New York, in my home, and in somewhat a semblance of order, which will change when the movers bring the boxes.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t have that much.”

  “Well, it didn’t look like much, but once packed, I had over thirty boxes, plus several big items. Worse yet, when I got home and went to hang my clothes in the closet, I found that over half the things hanging there had to go. I’ve turned into a folding and packing fool,” Layla said, laughing. “Are you at home enjoying that nice roaring fireplace?”

  “I’m at work. We have a big presentation for the new digital format tomorrow. It’s to a rapper who wants to use it in one of his videos, not my first choice, but it will get the product name known because he’s a big name in rap music.”

  “Dewey, you need to go home and get some rest so you’ll be bright and alert when you make your presentation.”

  “I’m about through here. I’ll sleep at the office. Hidden behind a wall, I have a bedroom, bath, and closet full of clothes. Actually, it’s quite comfortable. I’ve spent many nights sleeping here, don’t mind it at all. Plus, it will save time getting here in the morning, making it easier to get our group to the airport, then to Los Angeles for our presentation.”

  “Sometimes, your life sounds exciting, but it also sounds lonely. You need somebody to share your life.”

  “One day, hopefully, some woman will fall in love with me, and we can raise a houseful of little DewMasters.”

  “You would be a fabulous catch for any woman, but you have to be careful to avoid the fortune hunters of this world. I’ve certainly dated my share in the past, easy to spot.”

  “I wouldn’t know a fortune hunter unless they wore a sign. I don’t date much. I don’t have the time.”

  “My poor Dewey, what am I going to do with you?”

  The only answer Dewey could think of would cause his angel to slam the phone down and never speak to him again. He mumbled, “Don’t know, maybe you’ll think of something.”

  They talked for a while longer before ending the call.

  CHAPTER 23

  George and Annie were on their front lanai, watching the sunset, snacking on clam dip, chips, and beer. They enjoyed this together time, usually an hour before dinner. George had Annie tucked across him, his left arm under her neck. The orange-red orb was getting bigger and bigger and reflecting off the blue ocean; it was a marvelous sight, one that never ceased to awe them.

  “Honey, I’ve been thinking about visiting Dewey. We should go in May because during June and July, you and I both will be busy. You have your kids’ volleyball clinic on Tuesday and Thursday, and I have my Tuesday and Thursday project at the senior center. Those folks enjoy learning how to commit their histories to a meaningful story for the heirs. We should look at a calendar and pick out a couple of weeks in May, then let Dewey know as soon as possible.”

  “A couple of weeks, that’s a little long to impose on Dewey’s hospitality, isn’t it?”

  “We could spend a week with Dewey, then go and visit Jennie and Charlie, spending a week between them. That way, our wonderful, adorable grandchildren will not wear us down to a couple of blithering idiots, like they do when they visit here.”

  “Let’s go over our calendars and plan which weeks in May we should go. Call Jennie and Charlie tomorrow and see how those dates work with their schedules. Once we have that in place, we can call Dewey.”

  “I can’t wait to see the kids and Dewey too. I sure hope he can get L
ayla to visit at the same time. I’m really excited about flying on a private jet. I can’t imagine what that will be like. Best of all, no security hassle to contend with.”

  They started reviewing their calendars. The second and third weeks in May would work best for their schedules. They would call their children tomorrow then let Dewey know their plans.

  The next afternoon they phoned Jennie and Charlie, deciding it would be wise to tell them they would be flying to Los Angeles the third week in May to eliminate any dispute between brother and sister which week was the most convenient for them. They would spend four days with Charlie and family and three days with Jennie and her family. They left it up to Jennie to decide if she would take the first three days to visit or the last. After three phone calls to Jennie, it was finally decided they would visit her the first three days, and everyone would drive to Charlie’s for a cookout and drop George and Annie there for the remainder of their visit.

  “George, will you please tell me how we could have possibly had such a well-educated airhead daughter. Can you believe she actually said she would run the options by Chad and the girls? The girls are two and five. What the hell do they have to do with the decision of when we should visit? Being a school counselor and married to a school administrator has made her too politically correct or something. Just talking to her, I’ve popped at least three more gray hairs,” Annie said, scratching her head.

  “Honey, I hate to admit it, but they are a tad ditzy, maybe too well educated. Both she and Chad are always taking some advanced class. They have advanced themselves out of reality. Now, good old Charlie, he has the clear-thinking mind of an engineer,” George said with a grin.

  “He has your easygoing manner, and he’s sensible. Please don’t tell me Jennie takes after me.”

  “Lord no, you are the most levelheaded person I know. I don’t know where she gets it from, like I said, overeducated. Think we should phone Dewey now?”

  “It’s pretty late in Utah. We should wait until tomorrow. Right now, I’m too peeved at Jennie to sound happy when we speak to Dewey. Is that OK with you?”

  “That’s fine.”

  The following afternoon, George and Annie called Dewey’s personal line. He answered right away. “Hi, folks, everything OK?”

  “Fine. We called to take you up on your offer to come for a visit, if you still want us.”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve even planned in advance things to do and places for us to visit. When can I send the plane?”

  George hesitated, feeling awkward having Dewey send a plane for them. “If it isn’t too much trouble, we thought we would visit the second week in May. Then we will catch a regular flight out of Salt Lake City and spend the third week in the Los Angeles area, visiting our kids and grandkids. We’ll head home from Los Angeles.”

  “I’m checking and I have nothing happening then, so I’m blocking that week off. Do not even consider getting any commercial flights. My plane will take you two anywhere you want to go. I won’t have it any other way.”

  Annie got on the line. “Dewey, you are so good to us. We really appreciate you flying us around. Do you think you can get Layla out for a visit too? I miss her. Let her know I asked you to coax her into a visit.”

  “I’ll call her this evening, and by things she’s said in our weekly conversations, she’s anxious to see you both. Hope she wants to see me too.”

  “Dewey, you had better do something about that situation between you and her before someone else grabs her up. She is a prime catch, and once word gets out she’s getting divorced, she’ll have a lot of guys chasing her,” George cautioned.

  “I know, I’m afraid of that. I’m so stupid when I’m around her. She’s so precious to me, and I don’t want to say or do anything to screw up what we have.”

  “Maybe when we all get together, George and I can steer her in your direction. Do you know how her divorce is coming along?”

  “She told me she and Kyle have talked things out, and to make things easier for him because of his schedule, he will be filing, and she will not contest anything, provided things are spelled out as they agreed. When we last talked about it, she wasn’t sure how long that would take. When would you folks like to leave Maui, on a Sunday or a Monday?”

  “Dewey, that’s your choice. Let us know a little in advance, and we’ll be ready to leave when the plane arrives.”

  Dewey rang Layla’s number. “Hi, Layla, it’s Dewey.”

  “Dewey, what’s new in Utah?”

  “I have great news. Spoke with George and Annie, and they’re coming for a visit the second week in May. They asked me to talk with you and let you know how much they would love for all of us to get together. Is it possible for you to come and visit for a week? I’ll send a plane.”

  “There should be no problem. If I’m not finished with the vestibule restoration, I’m certain Judy won’t mind if I take a week off. She can go to the spa she keeps talking about.”

  “Great, I’m working on plans for us. We’ll have a wonderful visit, and I know Annie and George will be happy you can join us. Who’s Judy?”

  “She’s the lady that owns the brownstone where I’m doing the restoration, and she is one of my two friends, you being the other.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you had a large New York group of friends.”

  “I did when I left, but now that I’m back, things have changed. I should have told you sooner, but I was embarrassed to admit that I don’t fit in here anymore. About three-fourths of my old friends are married and have or are expecting children. I visited two of them for dinner, and because they knew of my circumstances, it was a touchy situation for all. The other group of my friends are still out there on the nightclub and party circuit, and that’s not my scene, frankly, never felt very comfortable at those clubs.”

  “I wish you had told me sooner. I could have come for a visit and cheered you up.”

  “That’s where Judy’s comes in. When I first went to see the vestibule, Judy greeted me with a Bloody Mary in hand, and it was only ten in the morning. She was brassy looking and pretty looped. I was impressed with the work the cleaners had already done and anxious to have something to do or else I would have walked out right then. Every morning, Judy would open the door with her Bloody Mary and coffee for me. She expected that we talk before I started work. I felt sorry for her, and I knew from experience how much having someone to talk with means to a person. I listened to her story, and darn if I didn’t begin to feel sorry for her, so I told her what had happened to me, even including the Maui events. Before long, I was looking forward to our morning discussions, and Judy now met me with coffee for both of us. Judy married her husband when she was twenty-one and he was thirty. They agreed not to have children until they were in better financial shape. Judy is now forty-three, with no kids because they never got around to it. His secretary took a month off to be with her daughter who was undergoing cancer treatment and a cute young blonde temp came to replace her. Six months later, Bernard is filing for divorce. A year later, he and the temp are getting married, and two weeks ago, Judy found out the happy couple are expecting.”

  “That’s horrible. I hope she got a good settlement.”

  “Yes, she did very well in the divorce. He could well afford the money, and from what she told me, he had more than a little guilt. We have become friends. She had me take her shopping for a new wardrobe, new hairdo, in fact, a complete makeover. She looks great, certainly a far cry from that boozy divorcee I first met. I took her shopping with me last Saturday to various consignment stores. We seem to connect in a manner in which my old friends and I cannot. So you see. I have two great friends. You are my best friend, Dewey, and then Judy is my other friend. Pretty sad for someone my age, only two friends.”

  “I remember reading a paper when I was in school that said as we get older, our circle of friends naturally
diminish. As people age, their likes and dislikes change, their perspectives on life changes, thus, their friendships usually narrow down to one or two people they can trust and speak with freely. Seems to me you’re right on track.”

  “I knew it, Dewey, I should have told you this all along. As usual, you have made me feel better. Thank you, my friend,” Layla said, a catch in her voice.

  “If you’re sure you can be here the second week in May, I’ll phone George and Annie and give them the good news. Let me know when you want me to send the plane, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and I’ll make the arrangements. They will either be coming on a Sunday or Monday. Everyone can stay here before we head out on our journey.”

  “What journey?”

  “That’s my surprise, but be sure you bring a camera, plenty of film, hiking boots, and that’s all I’m telling you.”

  “Now I’m really excited. I’ll call you tomorrow night to hear what George and Annie said. Thank you again, Dewey. Talk with you tomorrow.”

  George answered the phone, “Aloha.”

  “Aloha yourself, it’s Dewey. Just spoke with Layla and I had to call and let you know she’ll be here and can’t wait to see you both.”

  “Dewey, that’s terrific. Annie, come here, it’s Dewey,” George called out to Annie, putting the phone on speaker. “He just spoke with Layla, and she’ll be joining us this May.”

  “Dewey, that’s wonderful. I’m so excited to see you both. Thank you for asking her, and I’m sure she is anxious to see you just as much as she is to see George and me.”

  “I hope that’s the case. We talked quite a long time tonight, and whatever happens, I know I’ll have a friend for life. Maybe we can become more than friends.”

  “Annie and I are best friends. Believe me, friendship is a wonderful start on the road to love. Of course, lust isn’t bad either,” George said, laughing.