“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam said.
“There’s no way you can afford that car on what you make, even with tips. And I heard you bragging about how much your new watch cost you.” Ben took a sip of beer. “Everyone knows what you’re up to. Darren couldn’t exactly keep a secret. It’s only a matter of time before you’re caught.”
“Sounds like someone who’s jealous. Look at you, Ben. You live on a boat that’s a wreck, you don’t even own a car, and you bought your watch at the dollar store. No wonder you can’t get a girl.” Liam lowered his voice. “If you want to change all that, I can help you out. But if I do, you can’t go around telling everyone about it.”
“Like you helped Darren out? No way, man. I don’t worship you the way he did in high school. He would have done anything you told him to. I bet you tried the same spiel on him, and he fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. And see what happened. It cost him his life.”
Liam drained his glass. “I didn’t have anything to do with that,” he said coldly. He stared off into the distance, drumming his fingers on the railing. “Tell you what, Ben. Why don’t we forget what you said? You’re just upset about Darren. We all are.” He punched Ben’s arm playfully. “Come on, let’s get another beer before our next set.”
6
OOMPA-LOOMPAS VS. SMURFS
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I glanced up and saw Ben leaning over the side of Ken and Leilani’s boat, Mana Kai.
I had learned that the name of their boat was Hawaiian for “Spirit of the Ocean,” which was a lot prettier than boring old Marjorie Jane. They’d also told me that if you reversed the words you got kaimana, which could be translated as “diamond.” I thought that was quite fitting, considering that I used to refer to the young couple as Mr. and Mrs. Diamond, on account of her diamond necklace.
“You wouldn’t do what?” I asked Ben. He pointed behind me. “No, I didn’t mean you, I meant him.” I turned and saw Scooter grinning as he snapped a picture of me with his phone.
“Tell me you didn’t just do that,” I demanded. “I look ridiculous in this getup!” I tugged at the white plastic head-to-toe protective suit I was wearing. Well, it had used to be white. Now it was covered in a blue dust that had blown all over me while I was sanding the paint off Marjorie Jane’s bottom.
I removed my safety goggles and gloves, then pushed back the hood. “We’ve talked about this before, Scooter. You’re only allowed to take pictures of me when my hair looks good, I don’t have spinach caught in my teeth, and I’m wearing something that doesn’t make my rear end seem enormous. This hardly qualifies.”
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and pushed my frizzy hair behind my ears. Ben and Scooter both chuckled. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s just that you look like a…” Ben was consumed with laughter before he could finish his thought.
“Like a what?” I demanded.
“A Smurf,” Scooter said. He took one look at my face and quickly added, “An adorable Smurf.” He snapped another photo and smiled as he gazed at the screen. “A really adorable Smurf.”
“Give me that,” I said, seizing the phone. “Ugh. That is not a good look.”
Scooter pointed across the boatyard at a couple who were sanding the bottom of their boat. “It could be worse. If Marjorie Jane had reddish-orange bottom paint like that one, you would look like some sort of demented Oompa-Loompa. Although given your love of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I imagine you’d rather be one of those than a Smurf.”
While I was pondering which version of the movie was better—the original with Gene Wilder or the remake with Johnny Depp—my husband grabbed the phone back from me and stuck it in his pocket.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take over sanding?” he offered. “It’s hard work.”
Part of me desperately wanted to shout out, Yes! Save me from this torture that’s turning me into a small blue creature who lives in a tiny mushroom-shaped house! Sanding was hard work. My arms were killing me, it was insanely hot outside, and we’d already mentioned that I wasn’t going to win any fashion awards wearing my Smurf suit. But I was determined to stick it out and win the bet with Norm.
“No, I’ve got it,” I said. “You keep working on trying to sort out the cause of the leak.”
Ben leaned over the side of Mana Kai again. “Hey, did you know Mrs. Moto is aboard the Chois’ boat?”
“Yeah. They’ve got air conditioning, and Leilani offered to let her stay there while we’re working on our boat. I don’t want her running around the boatyard when I’m sanding and Scooter has all the floorboards torn out of Marjorie Jane. I’m worried she’ll end up getting stuck some place we can’t get her out of. Hope that’s okay with you.”
“Fine by me. She’s good company while I’m working.” He smiled. “Well, maybe except when she bats screws off the chart table, and I have to get on my hands and knees to pick them up.”
“Yes, I know that game well,” I said.
As I was readjusting the hood of my Smurf suit, Liam pulled up in his flashy new car, the stereo blaring. He got out and stepped back to admire his baby. Then he glanced up at Ben. “Practice later this week at my place?”
“Sure thing,” Ben replied. “Text me the details. How’s your head today?”
“I’m fine. Norm’s the one with the hangover. That’s why I’m here and he’s not.”
“He and Melvin really got into it, didn’t they?” I asked.
“It’s always been like that between the two of them,” Ben said. He looked at his red-haired friend. “You and Darren always used to be at odds too,” he said with a frown.
“We were never as bad as the old guys,” Liam said. “Sure, Darren and I had our differences, but we were still buddies.” He bit his lip. “Well, enough about that. I’ve got to get some work done.”
Before walking over to his uncle’s boat, he examined the progress I had made with Marjorie Jane’s hull. “You’re tougher than I thought,” he said grudgingly. “You might just give my uncle a run for his money.”
A black SUV pulled up behind Liam’s car, blasting its horn. Ken leaned out the window. “Hey, move your car! The spot by my boat is for my car, not yours. Unless you and your uncle want to buy this part of the boatyard too, just like you’re trying to buy up half the town?”
“Take it easy, man,” Liam said soothingly. “I’ll move, don’t worry. You’ve probably got enough on your mind as it is, don’t you? I don’t want to add to your troubles.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ken asked.
“Oh, nothing,” he said. “Hey, did you hear that? Sounds like your phone is beeping, Ken. I heard you’ve been getting interesting texts lately.”
Ken pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “There’s nothing on here.”
“My mistake. Although you might want to check your old messages. Maybe someone sent you something important that you really should deal with, if you know what I mean.”
Ken gave him an icy stare. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now, get your car out of my spot.”
Liam held his hands up. “Sure, no problem.”
After the guys got their cars situated, I nudged Scooter. “Why don’t you go over there and have a chat with Liam? See if you can find out more about these texts he was talking about. I’ll do the same with Ken.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“I never kid. This is important. It could be related to what happened between Ken and Darren the night of the murder. I remember Ken reading a text on his phone, and it seemed like Darren had sent it to him.” Scooter appeared unconvinced. “Pretty please?”
He smiled. “Fine. I’ll go have a chat with him. Not because you asked, but because he’s wearing a shirt with my college basketball team’s logo on it. I want to see what he thought about the game. Besides, I could use a break.”
While Scooter talked about sports and texting with Liam, I
approached Ken. “What was that about?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I think he’s just playing mind games,” he said. “He’s one of those guys who never grew up. Here, do you mind holding this?” he asked, handing me his briefcase. He pulled a cardboard box out of the back of his vehicle, carried it over to his boat, and set it on the ground by the ladder. “Articles for my research on sea turtle habitat encroachment,” he said.
“That looks like a lot of reading. I guess you have to do a lot of that if you have a PhD. You must always have your head in a book.”
“Well, I do read a lot of academic journals and research papers, but I also spend a lot of my time doing fieldwork outdoors.”
“Do you ever get a chance to relax?”
“Sure. I like to watch movies.”
“We do too. What was the last one you saw?”
“Hmm…that’s a good question.” He glanced down at the box on the ground. “Oh, I saw one on Friday. One of those action, shoot-’em-up flicks.”
“That’s right. You and Leilani came back to your boat after the barbecue,” I said. “I’m surprised neither of you heard anything when Darren was attacked.”
“I wish we had,” he said ruefully. “Maybe I could have stopped the attack.” He shook his head. “No, we had the AC running full blast, and the volume on the TV was up really loud. We couldn’t hear a thing happening outside.”
“Leilani was watching the movie too?”
“No, she doesn’t like that sort of thing,” he said. “Rom-coms are more her cup of tea. She was in the aft cabin working.” He picked up the box. “I’ve got to go through this.”
“And I guess I’ve got to get back to sanding Marjorie Jane’s bottom,” I said reluctantly.
“Listen, if you’re interested in the work we do with sea turtles, how about if you take a break this afternoon, and come with me out to the sanctuary? I told Penny I’d show her around, and it’d be great to have you along as well.”
I watched as Scooter walked over to us. I wondered if he had obtained any useful information from his conversation with Liam. “Hey, we’re going to see turtles this afternoon,” I said as I tried to read his face for clues.
“You should come too,” Ken said.
“I wish I could, but I’ve got a conference call this afternoon.”
We all turned as Mrs. Moto started meowing on the deck of Mana Kai.
“Sorry, Mrs. Moto,” Ken said with a chuckle. “No animals allowed. At least, no furry animals.”
She batted a screw off the deck, then gracefully bounded down the ladder onto the ground to investigate. “Come on, kitty. You shouldn’t be down here,” Scooter said. Before he could grab her, she darted across the boatyard toward the wooded area.
“She must have seen another lizard,” I said. “I’d better go get her.”
“How about if I pick you and Penny up by the marina entrance at two?” Ken asked.
“Sounds good,” I said over my shoulder as I chased after the calico.
After acquiring some new scratches from poking between prickly bushes, I spotted my little lizard hunter—smack-dab where Darren’s body had been. She apparently didn’t believe the police tape cordoning off the murder scene applied to her.
I crouched down and called out softly, “Here, kitty, kitty. Why don’t you be a good girl, and come out from there? If I have to go back there to get you, the chief will be furious.”
Instead of rushing into my arms, she stared at a small glittery object a couple of feet outside the cordoned-off area. She crouched down, wiggled her rear end, and made a trilling sound. After pouncing on the object and toying with her “prey” for a few minutes, she swatted it toward me. I picked it up and brushed the dirt off, uncovering a small gold charm in the shape of a sailboat.
There was one person I knew in town who sported a charm bracelet—Suzanne. She had made a point of telling me that she wouldn’t be caught dead in the boatyard, so how could her charm have ended up here? Could she have been here the night of the murder? Then I brushed that thought aside. Suzanne hoisting a heavy paint can and bashing Darren in the head while wearing those high heels of hers—I just couldn’t picture it.
* * *
“Are you ready, ladies?” Ken asked, leaning out the window of his vehicle. “Hop in. Next stop—the Gulf Coast Turtle Sanctuary.”
As we drove up the coast, we passed through towns that all looked the same—strip malls, gated retirement communities, chain hotels and restaurants, people driving golf carts on the sidewalks, and bumper-to-bumper traffic. “This is what I’m afraid Coconut Cove is going to turn into if developers have their way,” Ken said. “It’ll become just another generic-looking town with no character. Places like the Tipsy Pirate and Alligator Chuck’s BBQ Joint will be replaced by fast food chains.”
While I’d been known to patronize the occasional drive-through for a cheeseburger and chocolate shake, I agreed with Ken’s assessment. One of the reasons I liked our newly adopted home was that it was a small community with unique spots that added to its charm.
After about an hour of fighting traffic, I spotted a large sign with two smiling sea turtles. “Here we are,” Ken said as he pulled into a gravel parking lot.
As we entered the visitors’ center, an elderly woman greeted us. “Hello, Dr. Choi. We haven’t seen you here in ages.” She patted his hand. “You should have told me that you were coming today. I would have baked you some of those oatmeal cookies you’re so fond of.”
Ken rubbed his stomach. “That’s why I didn’t tell you, Mabel. I’ve been putting on weight ever since you began volunteering here.”
“You’re too young to be worrying about that sort of thing,” she said. “Now, who are these two lovely young ladies you brought with you?”
“This is Penny,” Ken said, pointing at the blonde Texas transplant. “She’s a boat broker at the Palm Tree Marina, and she also runs the sailing school.”
“Oh my. That must keep you busy,” the older woman said. “My son has been talking about getting a boat.”
“That would be fun, Mabel,” Ken said. “He could take you and your husband out on day sails.”
“No, not me,” she said, clutching her chest. “I’m scared to death of the water.”
Penny handed Mabel a business card. “If I can be of help to your son in looking for a boat, tell him to give me a call.”
“Are those new?” I asked.
“Yes. Aren’t they cute?” she said, passing me one as well.
“It’s very pink,” I said. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that was Penny’s favorite color. It found its way into every aspect of her life from her clothes to her sailboat, fittingly named Pretty in Pink.
“I know. Don’t you just love it?” Penny beamed. “Did you see the starfish logo in the corner?”
Mabel placed the card on the front desk. “I’ll be sure to give this to him. It must be an interesting job, selling boats. Kind of like a car salesman, I imagine.”
Penny stiffened. “It’s nothing like selling cars.”
“Well, you have to admit that it’s a little bit like it,” Ken said. “You show people boats, try to find one that suits their lifestyle and budget, take them out for test drives, and do all the paperwork.”
“The paperwork is the worst part of the job,” Penny said. “It’s something the previous owner, Captain Dan, didn’t take seriously. Did you know I had a woman call up screaming the other day about how he had messed up the paperwork for a boat he sold her? She hasn’t been able to get insurance for it or register it. I’ve been trying to help her, even though the sale happened before my time.”
“There are just some people who are always trying to cheat the system,” Ken said. “People who think rules and regulations apply to everyone but themselves.”
Mabel turned to me. “Now, what about you, dear? What do you do?”
After I explained to her about my work with FAROUT, she smiled politely. “Investiga
ting aliens. That sounds…um…interesting.”
Based on her reaction, I decided she probably wouldn’t be interested in signing up for our mailing list.
“Well, ladies, why don’t I show you the exhibits in the visitors’ center, and then we can go outside to the saltwater lagoon, and you can meet our resident sea turtles?”
“Oh, Dr. Choi. Don’t forget to check your office before you leave. You have some mail back there.”
“How long did it take you to get your doctorate?” Penny asked.
“It’s a long process,” he said, trying to usher us into the next room.
“He’s such an impressive young man, isn’t he?” Mabel gushed. “Imagine all the studying he had to do to become a doctor.”
Ken looked impatient. “We should get going.”
Mabel grabbed his arm. “My grandson is working on his PhD in marine biology too,” she said proudly. “I’d love for him to meet you one day. Imagine…two doctors in the same room. He’d be so inspired by the work you’re doing here at the sanctuary. Maybe when he comes to visit this summer, you can give him a tour.”
“Sure,” Ken said. He tried to pull his arm away from Mabel.
“Summer seems like a bad time of year to visit,” I said. “It gets way too hot here.”
“You’re not from these parts?” Mabel asked.
“No, we moved here from Cleveland.”
“Oh, that’s where you got your degree, isn’t it, Dr. Choi?”
Ken muttered something under his breath.
“What was that, dear?” Mabel asked. Before he could answer, the phone rang, and she walked over to the desk to pick it up while Ken hurried us into the display area.
* * *
After learning about the dangers of toxic algae bloom in the local waterways, that seahorses develop in a kangaroo-like pouch on the male of the species, and how oysters purify water, we left the air-conditioned building to explore the rest of the sanctuary.
“Make sure you put some sunscreen on,” Ken said, handing us each a water bottle. “Even though it’s winter, the sun is still strong.”
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