Moonlight Cocktail

by William Cassidy

  “Who’s his wife?”

  “Loretta Anderson Reynolds.”

  “Wasn’t she an actress a long time ago?”

  “Yep, she gave up her career when she married Derek, but she’s a very smart lady with an eye for scripts. She reviewed every screenplay Derek got hold of, and he relied on her advice.”

  “How did it happen that both you and Loretta preferred one screenplay and Derek chose the other one?”

  “He ignored our advice. Frankly, I think he chose the screenplay he did, because the main romantic character in it was a better fit for Hypatia Adams. Derek’s been fooling around with her for the past year.”

  “Did Loretta know about that?”

  “She did, and she was very unhappy about it, but there wasn’t much she could do. It wasn’t the first time Derek had been off the reservation, but he was seriously off it with Hypatia. And I think that, in response, Loretta went off the reservation a bit too. Pretty Hollywood-sounding, huh?”

  “Why did you like the other screenplay?”

  “Jack, it was a classic Alfred Hitchcock-type murder mystery. Too many movies today are either violent or saccharine. Noise has become the primary experience for moviegoers. That and teenage sexual escapades. There’s not enough sophistication and elegance anymore. Look at any Hitchcock film and that’s what you see — elegant and attractive people in beautiful places engaged in suspense, deception, and skulduggery. The characters are well-dressed, polite and interesting and they’re involved in compelling stories. The screenplay Loretta and I liked had all of those elements, but the one Derek chose was just a sappy love story. It’ll probably be moderately successful but it won’t have any lasting value.”

  “You mean I’m not likely to see it featured in a film festival in ten years.”

  “I guarantee you that it will soon be collecting dust in the backs of video stores.”

  “Did Derek have any enemies in Hollywood? I mean did anyone have an axe to grind with him?”

  “Derek was not a warm and cuddly guy. He was a very tough businessman who pissed off a lot of people in this business, both here and in New York. He wasn’t loyal to others in the business who had worked very hard for him, and he never lifted a finger to help any of the young people in his production companies. He used people and threw them away. When he made his bundle, he pulled up the drawbridge and let everyone else figure out how to cross the moat on their own.”

  “Sounds like a great guy. I’m sorry I missed the chance to have him over for dinner.”

  “If you had invited him for dinner, two things would have occurred. First, you’d have heard all night about how great a producer he is. And second, he would not have reciprocated. It would never have occurred to him that he should invite you to dinner. He was the most self-centered man I ever dealt with in this or any other business.”

  “Well, that’s saying something. Your career has traversed the law, the investment business, and now the movies.”

  “Don’t remind me. It makes me feel old.”

  “It should make you feel wise.”

  “That I am, but it has come at a high price, my friend.”

  “I’m afraid that wisdom is the most expensive commodity on the market, Bob. I think Aeschylus said that it comes only after sustained pain and anxiety.”

  “Well said, Jack. That’s why I always enjoy talking with you. You bring out my classical side. But to get back to your question, plenty of people had axes to grind with Derek Reynolds. And I’ll guarantee you that very few tears were shed when the news of his demise reached Hollywood. Having said that, I don’t know anybody who was so pissed off at Derek that he would have done him in.”

  “That’s helpful, Bob. Thanks. So, are you coming out here anytime soon?”

  “I don’t have any plans in the immediate future. You should come to L.A. I’ve done some work on my house, and I now have a spectacular view of Santa Monica beach from my deck. Bring your lovely wife and stay for the weekend.”

  “I will. By the way, is anybody planning to make a movie out of that other murder mystery you mentioned?”

  “Not that I’m aware of, but I’ve been thinking about calling Loretta after the dust settles to see what ownership Derek may have had in it. You don’t see classic ‘murder by poison in beautiful settings’ anymore.”

  “Murder by poison?”

  “Yes, the screenplay was fascinating. The victim was killed when his drink was poisoned by a completely unknown, very exotic poison.”

  “What was the name of the poison?”

  “I don’t remember. It’s nothing I’d ever heard of before.

  I do remember it sounded like the name of a car.”

  “A car?”

  “Yeah, a foreign car if my memory serves me correctly. If I get hold of the screenplay, I’ll check it out and call you.”

  “Thanks, Bob. It was great talking to you, and we’ll try to get over to see you soon.”

  “I’m counting on it. See you soon, Jack.”

  The look on Jack’s face when he hung up the phone told Katherine that Bob had supplied him with very significant information.

  “Katherine, wait till you hear this.”

  Over breakfast on their lanai, Jack told her about the two screenplays set in Hawaii and the plot of the murder mystery.

  “Where do you go from here, Jack?”

  “I’m going to the Windward Shore to visit the florist who supplies Jennifer with tropical flowers and plants, and then I’m going to visit the Lane’s to see their extensive tropical gardens.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  In light of Gordon Grant’s admonition at dinner the previous evening, Jack decided to do some paddling before he tackled the Kailua florist and the Lanes’ gardens. On his way to the Diamond Head Canoe Club, he called the Lane’s and Sidney answered the phone.

  “Sidney, I’m on my way to Kailua to run some errands and I thought I’d call and see if it would be convenient to drop by and see your gardens.”

  “That would be wonderful, Jack. George has gone to the nursery to select some new plants, but I’m sure he’d love to see you. Why don’t you join us for lunch on our lanai and then we’ll give you a tour.”

  “I’d love to. What time would you like me to be there?”

  “Why don’t you drop by at one o’clock. George should be back by then.”

  “That’s fine, Sidney. I’ll see you at one.”

  Jack turned into the Club’s driveway and parked his Jeep in the garage, where the Club’s senior bartender was also just arriving.

  “Good morning, Kulani. Have they found that jerk who ran you off the road near Kailua yet?”

  “No, but they found the car.”

  “Really. Who owns it?”

  “Like I thought, it was a rental car.”

  “Well, I’m sure the police can find out who was renting it the night it hit your car.”

  “I don’t know. The car that hit me was stolen.”

  “Was it stolen from someone who had rented it or from the rental agency?”

  “It was stolen from the company that rented it. That’s the amazing thing. It was Derek Reynolds’ production company that rented it.”

  “No kidding. When did they report it stolen?”

  “According to the police, they rented about ten cars for the cast and crew and didn’t keep track of them. They didn’t even know it was stolen until the police told them.”

  “So the police found it abandoned somewhere, ran the plates, and discovered that it had been rented by Reynolds’ company?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, at least you know who to call to get reimbursed for the damage to your car.”

  “Yeah, they got plenty of insurance, but I want to know who whacked me for no reason.”

  “I can well understand that. Who did they rent it from?”

  “Aloha Transportation out at the airport.”

  “Was it a Ford Taurus like you thought?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah, I guess my eyes are still pretty good.”

  “I’m sure they are, Kulani. The way you mix drinks in perfect proportion, they’d have to be.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Sullivan.”

  Jack entered the locker room, made a beeline for the phone on the trainer’s desk, and dialed Dave McNeil’s number at Police Headquarters.

  “McNeil,” Dave’s easily recognizable voice announced after the first ring.

  “Dave, Jack.”

  “I’m sorry, old buddy, but I don’t have the lab results yet. I’ll call you as soon as I hear from Dr. Wong.”

  “That’s not what I’m calling about.”

  “Have you been doing some more sleuthing?”

  “Sort of. Dave, I have a hunch, and my instincts have always been pretty good.”

  “No doubt about that, Jack. You expose yourself to abuse from the golf god a lot less than I do.”

  “I’ve been giving this case a lot of thought, Dave, and I’d appreciate it if you’d check something out for me.”

  “What is it?”

  “The bartender at the Club on Monday night was Kulani.”

  “I know Kulani well. He’s usually in the position of consoling me after Grant kicks my ass on the links.”

  “Well, on Tuesday night, after Kulani closed the bar and cleaned up at the Club, he was driving home to Kailua, when somebody ran him off the road on to the beach near Lanikai. He thought someone was trying to kill him.”

  “Not just another wild kid heading home after a night on the town?”

  “No. Kulani got a look at the driver, and he doesn’t think it was a local.”

  “Did he report it to the police?”

  “Yes, and your crack department found the car. It had been stolen and then abandoned. They traced it to the Aloha Transportation Company out at the airport.”

  “Who rented it from Aloha?”

  “It was one of several cars that Derek Reynolds’ production company had rented for the duration of the film shoot.”

  “And let me guess. They didn’t even know it was stolen until our guys told them, right?”

  “You got it.”

  “That must be what the guys from auto theft want to talk to me about. They called me a few hours ago and wanted to set up a meeting. But I’ve been so damn busy dealing with these interviews of everybody who was at the Club on Monday night that I haven’t had time to get back to them. So, Jack, what can I do for you?”

  “I want you to compare the tire treads on the car that hit Kulani with the tread marks I photographed in that field near Kailua, where the ‘Akia was growing.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a long shot?”

  “It probably is, but there are just too many strange coincidences occurring around Kailua. And they all have one common element.”

  “What’s that?”

  “They all involve people who, one way or another, were around Derek Reynolds when he was here. I’ll lay it all out for you as soon as I get a few more facts.”

  “Well, I’ll go you one better, Jack. I was so impressed with your photographs that I sent one of our crime scene search teams out to the field where you found that ‘Akia and told them to sweep it and take plaster casts of those tire tracks.”

  “I thought my evidence had made an impression on you. Pun intended. Dave, I really think I’m on to something. I’ll call you later today to get the lab results.”

  “Thanks. Just don’t get yourself crosswise with the wrong person. That’s what we’re here for. And Jack, just between you and me and without getting into any of the details, my guys have learned a lot about the Lane’s in the last few days. And they’re looking into some relationships that Derek had with other people who were at the party. You know what I mean?”

  “I hear you. I’ll be careful. And one more thing, Dave. When your forensic guys examine the tire treads on that rental car, will you ask them to sweep the car for prints and any other evidence?”

  “I’ll make sure they do.”

  Jack hung up the phone, more convinced than ever that the dots he was connecting would lead to the murderer. He undressed, put his paddling gear on, and went outside to his canoe, which hung in the rack farthest from the beach, the result of seniority rules at the Club. He decided to do a power workout and paddled straight out for two miles at a high rate of strokes per minute and then repeated the run back to the beach at the same speed. His heart was pounding, and stinging salty sweat poured into his eyes, but the prospect of solving the case infused him with energy as he surfed onto the beach at the Club. Jack looked at his watch and knew that he had just enough time to visit the florist in Kailua before he was due at the Lanes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  Jack decided to take the Pali Highway across the southeastern part of Oahu, through the Koolau Mountains, to the Windward Shore town of Kailua. The Koolaus dominate the eastern side of Oahu, and their verdant peaks were shrouded in mist as Jack emerged from the tunnel cut through the mountains and headed for the Windward Shore a short distance away.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was in the town of Kailua, looking for a parking spot on Kailua Road near the florist’s shop. Tropical Flora looked small from the outside but, as Jack entered, he saw that it stretched far back into the property and featured a backyard filled with plants of all sizes, colors and shapes.

  “Good morning, sir, can I help you?” an elderly Hawaiian man asked.

  “Yes. I’m interested in tropical plants that are native to the islands.”

  “Anything in particular?”

  “I’d like to take a look at some of your ornamental shrubs.”

  “Come with me. They’re out back.”

  Jack followed the old man through a colorful jungle. Flowers in every shade of red, pink, coral and yellow were arranged on wooden shelves nearly seven feet high along one side of the narrow store. The shelves on the opposite side held only white flowers - white Anthuriums and Bougainvillea, Gardenias, Ginger, Hibiscus and Orchids — that looked like a wave breaking toward the red Anthuriums and Bougainvillea, Ginger, Hibiscus, Royal Poinciana, Heliconias and Begonias.

  “I’ve never seen so many flowers in one place,” Jack said as he reached the open yard at the back of the store.

  “Yes, we supply flowers to people all over the world. Hawaii’s flowers are in great demand.”

  “Actually, the reason I came here was because a friend of my wife sent her some flowers and plants from your shop and I was very impressed.”

  “Who would that be?”

  “Jennifer Adams.”

  “Oh, Jennifer. She’s one of my best customers. Thanks to her, Los Angeles is my biggest market. Jennifer has introduced my flowers and plants to all her Hollywood friends.”

  “Does she buy a lot of plants from you?”

  “Yes, they’re mainly used on TV and movie sets. She tells me that my plants are in many movies.”

  “Well, Jennifer certainly made my wife’s dress shop look brighter with your plants.”

  “I’m not surprised. She’s learned quite a lot about Hawaiian plants and flowers and always knows just the right one to put in just the right place.”

  “How does she know so much about tropical plants?”

  “Oh, Jennifer has been studying Hawaiian plants and flowers for several years, and she comes out here once a month to make her selections from my shop. Sometimes I think she knows more about our plants and flowers than I do.”

  “Do you supply her from here with everything she needs?”

  “Pretty much, but Jennifer is very resourceful. She drives around the island looking for new plants and flowers that I don’t have and asks me to get them for her.”

  “Well, there certainly are a lot of plants and flowers on these islands. You could spend a lifetime here and not see them all.”

  “You’re quite right about that, sir. I see new ones all the time that I never noticed before, and I’ve lived here all my life. Now, what would you like to se
e that I either have here or can get for you?”

  “As I said, I’m interested in ornamental shrubs, and one that has been recommended to me is ‘Akia.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you say that. ‘Akia is not one of Hawaii’s more beautiful ornamental shrubs, but I am familiar with it. May I recommend something a little more colorful and taller?”

  “Do you have any ‘Akia that I could take a look at?”

  “No, I’ve got lots of other ornamentals, but no ‘Akia.”

  “Not much demand for it, huh?”

  “I can’t recall anyone asking me for it.”

  “Does it grow anywhere around here, so I could take a look at it?”

  “I’ve seen it in fields between the town and the beach. Do you know what it looks like?”

  “Do you have a picture of it?”

  “Let me get my guide to tropical plants and flowers and see if I can find it for you.”

  “Oh, that’s all right, maybe I should consider something else.”

  “No, here it is; there’s a photograph in my book.”

  Jack looked at the color photograph of an ‘Akia bush and silently agreed with the florist that it would not be his first choice for an ornamental shrub.

  “Well, thanks very much for your time. I think I’ll drive out toward the beach and see if I can find an ‘Akia bush and figure out whether I really want to use it as an ornamental.”

  “As you drive toward the beach, look for any open field and you’ll probably find one. Let me know if I can help you in any other way.”

  “I will. Oh, I should ask you something before I go looking for ‘Akia. Is there anything I should know about it? Is it dangerous like the Angel’s Trumpet flowers?”

  “I wouldn’t eat it. There’s an old Hawaiian legend that says it’s poisonous, but I’ve never run into anyone who’s had a problem with it.”

  “Thanks. I’m sure I’ll be back.”

  “Goodbye sir and good luck.”

  Well, Jack thought, Jennifer is very knowledgeable about Hawaiian plants. And her wholesaler knows about ‘Akia. He wondered what his visit to the Lane’s would bring and decided to take the beach road and check out the fields along the way. The Lane’s lived in Lanikai, an upscale area on the coast just south of Kailua. As he drove along Lanikai Beach Road toward their house, Jack realized that he was again close to the place where Kulani had been run off the road and not far from the field where he had found the poisonous ‘Akia.