Veils and Vengeance

by Rachelle J. Christensen

  Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

  The lobby of the Hyatt continued to impress me, no matter how many times I walked through it. After Malia dropped me off, I paused to get my bearings and allow some of the adrenaline to burn off while I decided what to do next. I stopped at one of the huge marble columns and looked out toward a gathering of people on the veranda. Chelsea was talking to Pua—the other concierge who’d unwittingly helped me—and the conversation didn’t look happy. He was stoic, but the muscles in Chelsea’s jaw clenched as she spoke and then she gripped something in her hand and slapped it onto his outstretched palm a second later. She spun on her heel, and I moved quickly to the other side of the mezzanine as she stomped back to the row of computers flanking the back wall.

  The wrinkle in my forehead tightened as I scrutinized the situation. Smoothing my hand across my forehead, I watched them both for a few more moments before returning to my room. The anger in Chelsea’s step had been evident. I hoped that it meant she was going to bat for me instead of thinking up other ways to rearrange Malia’s wedding schedule. Perhaps she was in trouble for helping Mrs. Harper, who ultimately brought the police to the hotel because of her associations with PFI.

  The turquoise and purple floral design on my planning binder reminded me of why I was in Hawaii. Mrs. Harper would not ruin Malia and Kyle’s special day because I wasn’t going to let her mess with my plans. I let my fingers trace over the silver embossed title, Adrielle Pyper’s Dream Weddings: Where happily ever after is your destination. I had achieved my dream of running a successful wedding planning business. My happily ever after wasn’t exactly where I wanted it to be yet—I still yearned for the kind of love I saw in so many of the couples I worked with—but it would happen. At age twenty-six, I still had time, but since my nephew’s birth in December, it was getting harder not to notice the ticking of the clock.

  With a shake of my head, I pushed out my daydreams and concentrated on what needed to be done next on my list. The bracelet and the swirling questions regarding Jon threatened to take over all of my plans. I needed a breather from my suspicions. Burying myself in Malia and Kyle’s wedding plans was the best therapy. The Connellys had planned another outing for tomorrow at Secret Beach. I planned to go along and snap some candid photos of the wedding party to place in a fun digital collage Lorea was helping me with for the reception.

  For every wedding I planned, I created a handmade gift for the couple. It was a unique touch that all of the newlyweds had appreciated, and I loved coming up with new ideas. For Malia and Jon, the gift was a bit more time-intensive than some I’d done in the past, but Malia would be happily surprised when she saw the presentation.

  I was in the process of creating three large collages as the backdrop of the guest book table. One had photos of Malia and Jon as children and teenagers, and as soon as we finished scanning in more of his pictures, that would be complete. The second was complete, filled with pictures of the happy couple during the two years they had spent dating and engaged. The third was to be filled with Hawaii and everything leading up to the wedding day. They would be printed as a poster and then affixed to foamcore for stability. The final touch would be to hang the display with ribbon from a latticework. Lorea and I were proud of the idea, and Malia didn’t even know the extent of what we were doing with the photos she’d been helping me collect. It would be a perfect addition to her wedding décor, and a nice way for me to give the couple their wedding gift.

  Malia had scanned in several photos from the family albums she’d looked through and sent me some zipped files of those photos along with more recent ones of the family. There were dozens of pictures to go through, and I sorted them into different folders. A few of the pictures had people that I didn’t recognize with the Connellys. I wondered if they were relatives or work associates. I filed those into a folder with a question mark—I’d go back to them if I thought I needed more for the collage. Jon and Kyle sported cheesy grins in several of the photos. I found myself smiling as I flicked through the digital record of the Connelly brother’s antics.

  After I sorted through the last few photos, I fiddled around with the layouts and adjusted some of the pictures I’d taken since arriving in Kauai. I typed up a few notes and emailed the files to Lorea. Photoshop was not my forte; lucky for me I worked with someone who had a knack for it. Lorea would get everything finished in plenty of time for me to send it to the printer.

  With that project completed, my mind returned to the questions I had surrounding Jon and the bracelet I’d found. It made me sick with worry, so I snatched up the next thing I could find to focus on. My blog needed some attention, so I logged onto MashedPotatoesandCrafts.com and began writing a post about Hawaii. The next piece of wedding planning advice was already in the queue, so I checked in with my contributors to make sure they had everything they needed for our schedule of posts. When I started the blog about the same time I opened my shop, it had been merely a hobby. Indulging in crafts had long been a passion of mine and my mother’s, so it was natural to create something that embodied my favorite things. With the explosion of Pinterest on the crafting scene, and the other social media connections I had, my little site had turned into a community of crafters with a penchant for spuds. Every comment I read made me happy. The sponsors I worked with made it possible for me to keep the site running and still do my day job. I felt extremely blessed to be experiencing the small joys of my life each day.

  I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I was in Hawaii, executing a well-planned wedding, and even though everything hadn’t worked out perfectly, and I still had a lot of work to do, I needed to take time to revel in my surroundings. Closing my laptop, I stood and stretched. The knock at the door, however, startled me. I glanced at my suitcase where I had stowed the bracelet, wondering again if I should have just left it in Jon’s shorts.

  There would be time to study it out later. I didn’t want to think about the body or why I thought the bracelet had something to do with the poor woman and Tri-C. I walked softly toward the door to check the peephole. Relief spread through my core. For once, Luke was just the distraction I needed. Usually when my thoughts circled around him, I ended up focusing on the complicated feelings I experienced whenever we were together, but at that moment he was rescuing me from the mystery of the gold bracelet. I hesitated a nanosecond, deciding on whether I should confide in him about my worries. With a shake of my head I swung the door open. “Hello.”

  “Hi. How are you today?” he asked.

  “It’s been a pretty good day so far.” I stepped aside and motioned with my right hand. “Do you want to come in?”

  “Uh, thanks.” He stepped inside and let the door shut behind him. He looked good in dark brown cargo shorts and a white V-neck shirt. His rimless glasses framed dark blue eyes that often appeared stormy, but at the moment Luke’s gaze wasn’t as confident as I was used to. He cleared his throat. “I stopped by in the hopes that you might have time to go on another date with me.”

  I kept my face expressionless to hide my surprise. Yesterday’s date with Luke had been a blast. Maybe he really did like me if he was asking me out again so soon. I had a feeling he was trying to keep me away from Jon, and for once I didn’t mind.

  “What kind of a date?”

  “The Pu’u o Kila lookout,” Luke answered. “I promise it won’t take long, and you definitely don’t want to miss it.” His expression was hopeful.

  “Can’t say I’ve heard of it.” I hesitated and looked at my laptop and the pages spread about my desk. “I was just thinking that I needed to take a break from all this inside work.”

  “So you’ll come?” His face lit up, and my stomach did a little flip.

  I waited for my brain to catch up with my heart. “Yes, I’ll come. Is what I’m wearing okay?” I motioned to my mint green capris and the cream blouse I wore.

  Luke nodded and looked down at my feet. “I meant to give you a heads up, but if my timing’
s perfect, let’s capitalize on it. You look great, except you’ll need tennis shoes and a jacket.”

  I noticed that he had a pair of running shoes on. “Where’s your jacket?”

  “In the rental car.” He thumbed behind him. “It might rain, and you could get a little dirty, so if you need to change I can come back in a few.”

  “No, I think this should be fine. I don’t own anything that doesn’t wash well.”

  Luke nodded. “I’ve been warned about the red dirt though.”

  “Me too. That’s why I brought these.” I said as I slipped on an old pair of sneakers. “The official guidebook recommended bringing a pair of trashable sneakers.”

  “I didn’t get that memo,” he said.

  I made a tsking sound. “Sounds like lawyer boy didn’t do his homework.”

  Luke chuckled and the sound lightened my mood even more. “You ready?” he asked.

  “Yep.” On the way out the door, I grabbed the guidebook and stuffed it into a bag with a jacket and a rain poncho.

  While Luke pulled out onto the road and headed in a westerly direction, I consulted my guidebook and looked up the Pu’u o Kila lookout.

  “What are you looking for?” Luke asked.

  “I want to know the insider information on where you’re taking me.” I continued scanning the index. “But I don’t know how to spell the name. Do you?”

  He shrugged. “I try not to butcher the names, but by the way people cringe when I asked for directions, I’m not doing too well. This place is on all the top ten lists.”

  “How’d you hear about it?”

  He looked over at me. “I talked to a few locals. They all recommended the same spot when I asked them where to take a beautiful woman on a date if she liked a bit of hiking but really needed a place to feel the peace of the island.”

  “You did not,” I said.

  Luke’s mouth quirked up on one side. “I may not have said those exact words but that’s kind of the way people described Pu’u o Kila.”

  “Aha! I found it.” I gave him a triumphant grin and flipped to the page indicated. At the same time I realized that Luke was taking me in the same direction as Waimea Canyon. The sight of the canyon from the helicopter tour had been amazing. That day with Jon had been carefree and fun. Now my suspicions and worries clouded my thoughts concerning him. I’d left in a hurry after he found me in his room, but I wondered if he was thinking about me.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t let you ruin the surprise.” Luke reached for my book, but I leaned toward the window and quickly read the information. “It says it’s one of the greatest views in the Pacific.”

  “Really?”

  I continued reading, getting more excited by the description. “This says that the Pu’u o Kila lookout puts you above the Kalalau Valley so you can see the Na Pali coastline. That was one of my favorite parts of the helicopter ride.”

  Luke hesitated when I mentioned my date with Jon, but he recovered quickly. “Sounds like I picked a winner then.”

  I relaxed into my seat. He was taking me to the exact same place that Jon had taken me, except that we were driving. “It will be neat to see the area from a different viewpoint.”

  “I think you’ll like it.” Luke moved the steering wheel slowly through the steep upward climb.

  I watched him drive and took in my surroundings as we chatted about Malia and Kyle and how they would get along in Idaho compared to the paradise of Hawaii. Luke seemed relaxed, and I found myself studying him, the way his dark hair curled at the nape of his neck and the shadow of stubble that still hadn’t disappeared from his chin.

  We’d met under interesting circumstances and kind of had a rocky start, but our paddleboarding date had given me the opportunity to get to know Luke a little better. The details he’d shared about his childhood and his father gave me new insight into his quiet nature. When we first met, he’d been difficult to read and standoffish, so I couldn’t get a good handle on what he was thinking. I didn’t mean to, but I found myself comparing him to Jon’s fun-loving personality and the way he teased and cajoled everyone around him. Luke was definitely more serious, but his smile had a way of ratcheting up my heart rate. The depth of feeling I always noticed in his eyes made me want to work harder to really get to know him.

  About thirty minutes later, we reached the peak and the parking lot of the lookout on a small plateau. Luke helped me from the car and as we walked toward the signs indicating the vantage point, I pulled on my jacket. Mist hung in the air and a blanket of clouds hovered in the east.

  “We’re right close to the Wai’ale’ale Falls.” He pointed to the bank of clouds. “Listen and you’ll hear the helicopters. It looks different from the ground up, doesn’t it?”

  I let my gaze follow the line of mountains and travel across the horizon. The growth on the mountain was thick with flowers, trees, and shrubs. The vegetation was interrupted by waterfalls cropping up from recent rains. It was the most beautiful vista I’d ever seen, but I didn’t dare speak because the silence around us felt sacred. It seemed the soul of Kauai beat right here in the valley looking out at the Na Pali coastline. Every shade of green imaginable had been used in the Creator’s palette. As we stood there at the edge of the mountain, a few of the sun’s rays broke through the clouds and shimmered to the ocean below, the light tilting as it traveled through the heavy humidity in the air.

  My eyes filled with tears that I blinked away, but when I glanced at Luke, I saw moisture on his lashes. He reached out and took my hand as we continued to experience the glorious canvas before us. And in that moment, I knew that Luke had been here before with his wife. He had pretended that he hadn’t been, probably because he never broached the painful subject willingly. Her name was Dana. Luke had mentioned that last fall before he had closed up the subject again.

  Standing this close to him almost seemed like I was intruding, but the way my heart connected with the beauty before me overpowered any conscious thought. My fingers intertwined with his, and at the same time a gust of wind blew against me, rocking me back from the face of the cliff. Luke reached out to stop my fall and just as quickly the wind was gone, replaced with a silence so profound that I thought I heard the roar of the ocean from at least a mile away. Luke held me in his arms, and I wrapped mine around his waist and leaned my head against his chest.

  Something powerful was going on with my heart. My emotions bubbled to the surface. I let out a breath, allowing them to be whisked away by the feather light shift in the breeze. He looked at me and I whispered, “Thank you.” Luke nodded and lowered his face toward mine. As I stood there in his arms, I focused on every good thing I knew about Luke. He was real. He would never hurt me. His wife had died from Hodgkin’s disease and losing her had broken his heart, but in an attempt to salvage his life, he’d moved to Sun Valley, Idaho from North Carolina and set up his practice. We’d danced around the idea of dating for over half a year, and he’d been patient with me as I took my time to heal, and to mourn Briette’s death in a new way after discovering her killer.

  Luke’s breath warmed my cheek as he moved closer. He was going to kiss me, and I didn’t know if I should stop him or not. All thought had left my mind when I stood and experienced the rapture of witnessing beauty undefiled in the Kalalau Valley. I let my eyes close just as laughter cut through the silence. Luke tensed, and I opened my eyes again to see what had ruined our perfect moment. He turned his head to look at the newcomers. A family with several teenagers drifted past us with waves, greetings, and more laughter. I found myself smiling despite the keen disappointment of having our moment interrupted.

  Luke shifted but kept his arm around me as we both looked out toward the Na Pali coastline again. “Would you like to go for a little hike?” he asked as he stepped away from the cliff’s edge.

  I nodded.

  He led the way along a path cut through the red dirt toward a better vantage point of the Wai’ale’ale Crater. Swollen clouds hung over the crater,
eclipsing the view of most of the falls and trickling down the verdant slopes. We talked about anything but the moment we’d shared, maybe we were both thinking about what might have happened if that group hadn’t arrived. Laughter had stolen my first kiss with Luke, and I felt silly that it bothered me so much. What about Jon?

  Rain started to fall in a light drizzle, so we donned our ponchos and headed back toward the parking lot.

  “Can we look one more time?” I pointed at the Na Pali coastline. Luke nodded and took my hand. The sight was beautiful still, and changed with the sun hiding behind the clouds and the lighting subdued through the haze of moisture. I glanced at Luke and decided to be bold. “Did you come here with Dana?” I asked in a voice just above a whisper.

  Luke flinched. “Yes.”

  I waited to see if he would say anymore, but he held perfectly still, his hand a dead weight holding my own.

  “I’m glad she got to see this.” I turned to see his reaction to my words.

  He swallowed. “She said God painted this for us.”

  “I agree.”

  Luke stepped back, letting go of my hand. “We’d better go before we get drenched.” He took a step to the side to see if I would follow. I struggled to keep the disappointment from showing on my face and stepped away from the cliff. I walked toward the car with quick steps. The rain was coming harder now, creating tiny rivulets along the red path like tears flowing toward the Wai’ale’ale Crater. My own eyes stung with the few tears that had escaped. Luke still held onto so much pain. I wished that I could help him let go.

  When we got to the car, he helped me remove my poncho and then shook it out before stuffing it in a bag. He turned the heat on high, and I held my hands in front of the vent, warming my fingertips. Luke sat in the car and readjusted his seat, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.