"It's no problem," I lied. "Do you work for them?"
She nodded.
Well, that was unfortunate. I knew there was no way I could work for someone like the Stones, regardless of how much money they gave me. I was raised to respect people, and with the way Patti Stone had just spoken to me, it was evident that her mama hadn't raised her the same way.
"Would you like me to take your photo as well?"
Annie blushed a deep crimson color, dropping her head and wringing her hands. "No, thanks," she murmured and took off after the Stones.
"Odd," I mumbled under my breath.
"Are you still open?" a voice called out from where I'd been set up before.
Since Mrs. Prima Donna had wanted more of the ocean and less of the pier, I'd had to take my camera off the tripod.
"Yes, sorry." I jogged back up to where a young man in his twenties stood with his arm slung around a petite girl in a hula costume. He had an infectious grin, and I couldn't help but smile back, my bad mood forgotten.
"No worries. We've got all night." He had an affable nature about him and that easygoing spirit so many of the Hawaiian people had perfected. The hula girl was beautiful with long dark hair that hung to her waist and soulful eyes that seemed far older than she was. The two made an adorable couple.
I placed them facing each other, and tension lit like a sparkler on the Fourth of July. I was starting to feel like I was missing something. Although they were clearly together, the girl was having a hard time making eye contact with her very handsome date.
"Are you a surfer?" I asked conversationally. You could cut the strain between them with a knife.
"Yeah, I am. Won the Classic last year and everything," he said proudly.
"That's awesome. Think you'll have a repeat performance this year?"
"Of course. Plus, I have my good luck charm right here." He looked down into the girl's face, and she dropped her gaze quickly. "We're getting married a few months after the Classic. Right, Kailani?"
"Not now, Noe," she mumbled, trying to put some distance between them. He held on tightly to her waist.
"Congratulations," I said, trying to ease the awkwardness a little.
"Thanks! I can't wait for this woman to be my bride."
"Please stop," Kailani tried again.
I wasn't sure what was going on between the couple, but it was time to move them along.
"Ok, guys, say 'cheeseburgers.'" The corny line always got people to smile. It worked like a charm on Noe, but Kailani still seemed tense, her smile not reaching her eyes.
"Thanks, ma'am," he said, swinging his arm around Kailani's shoulders and heading toward the sound of a ukulele playing "Over the Rainbow."
I cringed. Ma'am? How old did he think I was?
I fussed with the zoom on my camera, peering into the viewfinder. As I looked up from the camera, I caught sight of Patti Stone tottering over to Noe and Kailani. It appeared Kailani had found a reason to escape and slipped free from his grasp. Noe looked on as she left, his perma-grin dropping for the first time.
Patti looped her arm with his, leaning her head on his shoulder. Well that was creepy. Her hand went up to touch his face, and she leaned in as if she was going to kiss him on the lips. He turned his head at the last minute, the kiss landing on his cheek instead. Hot pink lip marks stood out like a beacon in the night.
Leaning over to whisper something in his ear, Patti pressed her breasts into Noe's arm. I thought about rescuing him, but I didn't really want another interaction with the woman. Noe tried to wrench free, just as Mustache-man, oops, Derrick marched toward Noe.
Gripping his wife by the arm, he lightly nudged her in the direction of the luau. He turned to Noe, his face tight, the anger in his eyes evident even from where I stood.
Derrick's voice rose over the sounds of the music.
"Get your act together or find yourself another sponsor." Derrick's heated words rose in volume.
Noe replied, but I couldn't hear what he said. I tried to look as if I wasn't watching them, busying myself with wiping off my lenses and adjusting my camera.
"And keep your hands off my wife! You're not irreplaceable, you know," Derrick shot over his shoulder as he marched away.
I watched as Noe stood staring at the ground, his hands on his hips. I could feel his anxiety, even from where I was standing, and my opinion of Derrick Stone dropped even further.
Noe left, and I looked around but didn't see any other couples waiting for pictures. With a huge sigh of relief, I was grateful the job hadn't been as bad as I'd thought it would be. Aside from the little sideshow with the Stones, that was, but it still wasn't what I saw for my future.
"Headed your way with some chow, Autumn!"
I turned to see Jimmy jogging toward me, a plate held precariously in one hand.
"Gotcha some real goodies here. Some chicken long rice and some pork. And a couple taro rolls before they disappear. Couldn't find any Spam, though." He handed me the plate and bowed.
I curtsied and then giggled at our faux formalities. Plopping down onto the grass, I gave a groan as I wiggled my toes. "Oh my goodness! I think my feet are broken or something from trying to keep these flip-flops on. Have you ever stood in these things for hours on end?" I missed my sneakers.
"All the time. Not sure what you're complaining about." Jimmy nudged me with his shoulder as he hunkered down beside me, his knees cracking like a series of gunshots.
I tore a piece from a roll, colored purple by the taro flour used to make it, and popped it into my mouth. "Heaven. Absolute heaven!" I chewed blissfully, my eyes closed against the last rays of the sun.
"You're welcome," he teased. "You planning to stay or head on out?"
"I'm staying. I'd like to take some action shots as the luau progresses and even get some behind-the-scene pictures for the resort's website." I took another bite of the taro roll, and it was all I could do not to moan. "If I show Juls what I can do, maybe it'll go a long way toward getting me hired."
"Great plan. You should go by the food-prep tent. I hear Chef Aki has outdone himself tonight with the dessert. Better to get in there early and get some good pictures of the food art he has prepared for the rest of the evening."
"Good idea," I said around my last mouthful of food.
I jumped up, scooping my camera off the ground and zipping up the bag. Jimmy jumped up with ease, and I marveled at his agility, considering his rather large size.
"I'll walk with you," he said, picking up the remnants of our makeshift feast in one hand and taking my hand in his other. I glanced down, noticing the difference between us—his brown complexion versus my pale white, his large hand versus my very tiny one.
Jimmy was always doing stuff like this, holding my hand, putting his arm around me. I knew it didn't mean anything. We were friends, after all. Tell that to the butterflies flittering around in my stomach.
"There it is," he said, pointing to a medium-sized white tent that housed the food preparation activities for the evening. All the cooking was done in the kitchen, but Chef Aki liked to have a place nearer to the luau to prep the food. I'd seen the dozens of workers dressed in flowered shirts and leis hauling large metal containers out to the tent earlier as I was setting up.
"See ya later, Red."
"Thanks, Jimmy." I pushed through the flap in the tent and peeked inside. It was a hustle and bustle of activity. Servers rushed around with plates or drinks in hand, while others in white coats prepared dishes.
Chef Aki stood in front of a palm tree made of pineapples stacked high for the trunk, while palm branches exploded out of the top. Hibiscus flowers were precisely placed among the leaves for a splash of color. A rainbow of colorful fruit burst from the base of the tree, while watermelons carved into baskets containing more delicious morsels framed the fruity feast. On each side of the palm tree were beautifully decorated pastries, creating an intricately designed and edible work of art.
"That's amazing!" My voice
came out a little more enthusiastic than I had planned, and Chef Aki turned abruptly. The scowl on his face took me back a little bit. "Do you mind if I take pictures for the resort?"
The scowl faded, replaced with a slight smile. In a thick Japanese accent he said, "It is fine, yes, to take pictures. I thank you very much." He smiled, and I drew my camera up to click some shots.
I moved around the exhibit, snapping from all angles as servers in the background plated food for the guests. When I felt as if I'd taken enough, I thanked him and left the tent to join the luau.
The festive air was infectious, and I found myself moving along to the music. Placing my eye to the viewfinder of my camera, I captured the surfers in full belly laughs, the dancers with their arms raised to shoulder height in the fluid movements of the hula, and Nani the ukulele player strumming lightly as children danced in the light of the tiki torches.
I moved to the table to take some shots of the surfers, but the hula girl from earlier, Kailani I think was her name, was taking pictures of herself and her friends with her phone. I'd get in position to take a picture, and she'd move almost at the same time and block my view. I sighed in frustration after it happened several more times. Finally, I gave up. I had some great shots. Those would have to do.
Satisfied with what I had accomplished, and dead tired, I walked back to where I'd left my things, putting my camera away in my bag. I hoisted it over my shoulder and took a moment to take in the view. Night had fallen, and the fingers of light from the full moon danced on the waves.
Big arms wrapped around me, and I smiled. My heart picked up its rhythm, and I silently told it to just calm down already. It was Jimmy. And Jimmy dated girls with long legs, tiny waists, big boobs, and sophisticated names. He did not date short, curvy redheads with hot tempers, dressed in muumuus.
"Ready to have some fun?" he asked, spinning me around to face him.
"When am I not ready for fun?" I teased.
Jimmy's face split into a wide grin. He really was pretty.
A piercing scream made me jump, and my bag slipped to the ground. Jimmy's eyes went wide, and he squeezed my hand before sprinting toward the pier, with me hot on his heels. I was not about to be left out of the excitement.
The pier was in utter chaos, with women clutching the arms of their dates and children wailing as if Santa had fallen into the ocean without a life jacket. The dancers stood huddled together at one end of the ramada, shocked looks on their faces as they stared over at someone who was sitting at the head of the table.
One of the surfers was face down in his sushi.
CHAPTER TWO
You know that phrase "frozen to the spot"? I finally knew exactly how that felt as I stood stock-still, staring in disbelief at the inert figure still seated at the table. Jimmy, bless his kind heart, did his best to shield me and the others from the sight as he spoke rapidly into his radio. He'd gone into emergency mode and had checked the body for a pulse, getting nothing but sticky rice stuck to his fingers. Shaking his head, he looked up and met my eyes, motioning me over with a slight jerk of his chin.
I walked over to him, keeping my eyes purposefully averted from the grotesque display in front of me. When I got closer, I realized the victim was Noe, the young surfer from earlier. My heart broke at the sight. Who could hurt such a fun-loving young man? It didn't make any sense.
Noe's head was slightly turned, looking at me with a grotesque stare. Whatever had caused the collapse had contorted his face into an expression straight from a horror flick. Noe's mouth was twisted into a silent scream, and his brown eyes, which had once been beautifully framed in thick lashes, bulged from their sockets. I didn't think it was a food allergy that had done this. Judging by the grim expression on Jimmy's face, I could tell he didn't think so either.
"I need you to find Juls and let her know I'm calling PD." He slid his smartphone from a front pocket on his shorts, already thumbing in the number.
"Surely someone already called," I objected. I couldn't imagine that by now someone hadn't dialed 9-1-1.
"I'm calling a buddy of mine in homicide, just in case."
Homicide? As in deliberate? I stared at Jimmy, trying to compute his meaning. "Who'd do that at a luau?" The question sounded silly as soon as the words hit the air, but I was serious. I couldn't imagine anyone thinking murderous thoughts in a place as gorgeous as this, much less carrying them out.
"Yeah, well, this world's a crazy place." He shifted the phone against his ear. "This is Jimmy Toki at the resort." He paused a moment, listening. "I know, but I think we need the homicide boys here as well." Another pause, then, "Sounds good. Tell Ray I'll be on the pier." He ended the call and leaned over the still body again. "Poor kid. Someone really had it in for him."
"It could have been accidental," I said, still not able to say "murder" and "Aloha Lagoon" in the same breath. "Besides, I was snapping pictures like crazy. I would've seen someone kill him, wouldn't I?"
Jimmy straightened up and looked at me, a thoughtful expression in his dark brown eyes. He started to say something then stopped as the faint sound of a siren reached our ears.
"Do me a favor and make sure that Juls knows that I called Detective Ray Kahaolani. She'll know who I mean." He looked over his shoulder, and my eyes followed his, noting one of the dancers still huddled at the far end of the pier, shoulders shaking with sobs. "And can you check on her as well?"
I nodded. "I'll make sure she's alright before I find Juls, ok?"
Jimmy nodded. "Thanks, Red. Let's talk later."
I got my legs to obey me, moving over to put an arm around the girl and to steer her away from the gaping crowd around the table. She turned her face up to me, eyes full of tears that were running rivulets down her cheeks. It was Kailani, Noe's fiancée. She was a tiny thing, her bones as fine as a bird's, and although we were practically the same height, she made me feel like a lumbering mammoth. I managed to find an empty spot along the pier's railing and stopped, fumbling around in my pocket for the cloth I kept handy for cleaning my camera's lenses.
"Here you go," I said as I pressed the cloth into her hand. When she blew her nose into it, I hastily added, "You can keep it."
"It was so horrible. Noe complained that his mouth was tingling and his head hurt. I thought he'd just had too much to drink." She blew her nose again. For such a ladylike thing, her nose blowing could rival that of an overweight man with sinus problems.
"Then he grasped his stomach. I tried to get him to let me call someone for help, but he said he'd be fine. Finally, his eyes went wide, and he stared at me. His face turned blue, and he couldn't talk. That's when I screamed. But before I knew it, he'd slumped over. He's dead, isn't he?"
"Yes. I'm so sorry." I kept patting her as we stood there, my head on a swivel as I tried to see what was happening.
Kailani's sobs picked up, and I was at a loss as to how to help her. She'd just lost her fiancé. Although things had seemed strained between them, it was still a loss I couldn't fathom. The only person I'd ever lost was a grandmother when I was a little girl. I'd barely known her.
"I can't believe he's dead. I feel so guilty. I shouldn't have…"
Her words were cut off by the hiccupping that followed, and I waited as her sobs slowly faded. I redoubled my pats on her shoulder as I considered my own reaction if something like this ever happened to Jimmy. Not that he was that special, I reminded myself. Just what if…
I wondered at her words, but my questions would have to wait till later. With relief, I saw that a couple of Aloha Lagoon's finest had arrived. After checking that the guy was indeed dead and a huddled conversation with Jimmy, one officer stepped aside and spoke into the radio attached to his shoulder. The other officer moved over to where the body sat slumped over the table, standing guard until Detective Ray arrived.
"All right, folks!" Jimmy's voice raised itself above the noise and instantly commanded the attention of everyone at the luau—the dead guy an exception, of course. "I'm going
to have you move off the pier and back to the resort."
Juls had joined him, her face a mask of concentration. Jimmy said something to her—probably telling her about Ray since I was still with Kailani—and I saw her nod her head. "First two tables, if you'll come with me, and the rest please follow Ms. Kekoa."
Juls raised her hand and waved it around in the air. "We need to get your information before you leave, and someone from the police department will be in contact shortly. Any questions?"
I saw one hand go up, its wrist dimpled with bracelets of extra flesh, diamonds flashing on several fingers.
"Is it ok if I take my plate with me?"
I had to admire Jimmy's and Juls' lack of response. Someone had just died, for goodness' sake, and all this woman could think of was her stomach. Considering that someone had just landed face first into their cuisine, I was more than happy to leave my plate of food behind.
I handed off Kailani to one of her colleagues and hurried to catch up with Juls. She was walking backward, one hand held high, a la tour guide style. Since I tended to trip over my own feet even when walking the way that nature intended we walk, I chose not to imitate her. Instead, I kept my face forward as we left the pier, careful to look out for anything that might impede my progress. You know, things like large rocks or depressions in the earth. Or flat ground. Yes, I was one of those who could fall over anything, including nothing. It was a talent.
Sidling as close to Juls as I could get without being directly in her face, I murmured, "Where are we going? I need to run back and grab my gear, and I can meet up with everyone as soon as I do." I indicated the gaggle of folks trailing behind us with a nod of my head.
Juls glanced down at the smartphone in her hand. "Looks like we'll be in the Pe'pe'a Room." She saw my consternation at the word and smiled. "It means 'starfish.' Just look for the door with the starfish carved on it."
"Can do," I replied then dashed back through the trailing group and headed for the spot where I'd dropped my camera bag in the confusion over the dead surfer.
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