by Gina LaManna
“They don’t think it was accidental.”
“No, it didn’t seem like it.” I shook my head in thought. “And they were just bewildered that someone would have opened the case.”
“It is strange, if you think about it,” Anthony said. “Some guy in a coffee shop hears your name, looks you up, and sort of hires you to look into the death of one of his coffee patrons? I don’t know about you, but Starbucks can’t even spell my name right.”
“Since when do you go to Starbucks?” I asked. “I thought you only drank those homemade, teensy tiny, bitter espressos.”
“Since we had a baby,” Anthony said. “I take my caffeine where I can get it these days.”
I reached over and squeezed his thigh. “You’re a very good dad, you know.”
He flashed me a quick smile. “I couldn’t do it without the perfect partner.”
I leaned over and kissed Anthony on the cheek. “You don’t mind that I ran away from a stakeout—”
“You mean, sprinted down the middle of the road, arms flailing, screaming at the top of your lungs?”
“Yeah, that?” I asked with a wince. “I don’t make for a very good partner.”
“You make for the best,” he said, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on my cheek before pulling the car into the parking lot of the hotel. “I wouldn’t choose to go on a stakeout with anyone else.”
“Does that mean you want to help me out tomorrow?”
“With what?”
“Well, Sam also threw out the name of May’s sister when I first interviewed him,” I said. “I guess she lives on the island, and they were sort of close. But neither Rachel nor Sam seemed to think May’s sister would have hired me to look into the case. Isn’t that strange? Shouldn’t family be the most invested?”
“One would think,” Anthony said. “Then again, our family is somewhat of a unique little gem.”
“So that’s a yes? You’ll come with me?”
“For the right price.”
“Which is?”
Anthony grasped my hand and swept me past the front desk. He paused outside the elevator and stood a little too close as he crooked an eyebrow. “Teach me the difference between pink and red, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Oh, come on, Anthony.” I grinned and hit the button. “Is there any other way to conclude a romantic stakeout?”
Chapter 7
The next morning, I rose early with Bella. Together, us girls enjoyed a long morning stroll on the beach, dipping her wrinkly little toes in the sand and screeching with giggles as the water lapped at our ankles.
We made a pact not to tell Anthony that we helped ourselves to a little dish of gelato for breakfast, and I was reminded how nice it was to have a partner in crime who didn’t know how to form words. I would have to curb the sweet morning breakfasts once Bella could talk, or the chances she’d accidentally rat me out to her dad would exponentially increase.
When the early morning shifted toward second breakfast, Bella and I lazily made our way back toward the hotel. We made it only to the front gates where a serene patch of lawn sprawled next to a small pond. Palm trees and flowering shrubs spiced up the manicured ambiance as I shifted my daughter closer and pointed out her grandmother.
“What is she doing?” I muttered. “What’s crazy grandma up to now?”
The answer didn’t dawn on me. Probably because Nora was once again clad in her grass skirt and coconuts, standing loud and proud on the front lawn for all arriving guests to ogle. When she began to hum to herself and swing to imaginary music, I backed slowly away in an effort to disappear into the surroundings.
Unfortunately, my little monkey decided that she was now a professional at waving to people, and with a gleeful giggle, she stretched out a hand and squished her fingers toward Nora.
Nora’s eyes flashed open with instant recognition and her face broke into a smile. “There you are!”
“Here we are,” I said weakly, trying to pretend I hadn’t been backing away. “Just out for a stroll. And you are...?”
“I came to your room and knocked on the door, but you weren’t there, obviously. Anthony, however, opened the door looking very adorable and sleepy, and I think he forgot to put on pants. That was an unexpected...surprise.”
I winced.
“He’s a treat on the eyes, you know,” Nora said. “You did good, honey. And isn’t this little nugget proof of that? Let me hold her.”
I passed Bella to my grandmother. “What are you doing out here?”
“Well, I thought I might run into you, so in the meantime, I thought I’d just polish my hula skills. Maybe you want to join me?”
“Not particularly.”
“Well, I can’t show you when you’re looking like that.” Nora cast a judgmental scan over my body. “It’s interactive. You’re going to need to change.”
“I’m not changing.”
“Don’t be silly,” Nora said. “You were at the beach, and I can see the swimsuit on underneath your clothes. Fine, don’t change. Just slip this over your suit.”
“I’m not—”
“It’s either you or your child,” Nora said. “I will spare Bella the grass skirt and coconuts if you humor me.”
“The things I do for love,” I murmured, sliding the backpack that doubled as a diaper bag off my shoulder. I dumped it into the stroller. “Let’s make this quick. I’m hungry, and Anthony is expecting us.”
“I’m sure he is, doll.” Nora waggled her eyebrows. “And I think he’ll like the looks of this makeover.”
I sighed, held my arms out, and prayed that nobody recognized me as my grandmother strapped a grass skirt around my waist and a pair of thick coconuts across my chest.
“My,” Nora said. “Your boobies are a little bigger than before you had the baby.”
“Yep,” I said tersely. “Most of my body is. Things shift around, you know.”
“Oh, I know,” Nora tittered. “I did have that nice grab, you know, when I was trying to determine baby genders, so I’m somewhat of an expert on your breasts.”
I closed my eyes and prayed harder.
“There,” Nora said, once she had everything fastened. “Now, let’s start with the hips. We’ll show you. Come on, Bella, we practiced this. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already...”
Half an hour later, I had run out of humor for my grandmother.
“We’re done,” I said. “My stomach is growling, and I have things to do.”
“Just one more—”
“No,” I said, turning to find a group of freshly arrived tourists staring as they climbed from the bus. “If one more teenage boy asks for my autograph and a photo, I’m going to stick the pen in his eye.”
“All of these murder cases are causing such violent outbursts,” Nora said. “Shall I take Bella while you go wake up that fine piece of...” She cleared her throat. “Your husband?”
“No, she’s coming with me. Sorry.”
I curled my daughter closer to my chest, and Nora happily waved to Bella. As the two of us snuck off and left Nora on her own, I whispered, “You owe me bigtime, sister.”
Because my arms were full and I was already cranky, I didn’t bother changing as I stomped down the hall to our very gorgeous suite. I cracked open the door and found the room miraculously quiet. Maybe Anthony had popped out for a breakfast burrito. Or more likely, a five-mile run on the beach, but either way was fine. Just so long as I was able to change out of my stupid outfit before he came back.
I slipped into the room and hauled Bella to her crib. She was awake for all of one second before she began heaving breathy little baby snores and fluttering her eyelashes in dreams. Apparently, it was exhausting to watch her mother be physically accosted for the sake of hula.
I watched her sleep for a moment, happy to see she’d adjusted to vacation life without so much as a naptime hitch. Finally, I turned from the crib and almost had a heart attack when I saw the hulking figure waiting
for me in the doorway.
Anthony let out a low whistle. “Hard to say if I like the grass skirt and coconuts more than that little red thing you had on last night. Join me in bed?”
“Aren’t you exhausted?” I asked, my jaw dropping. “Jeez, Anthony. I think I need a rest. And so do the rest of my body parts.”
“But—”
“I know this is a romantic vacation, but...Oh, okay,” I said, as I flopped on the bed and Anthony picked up one of my feet and began rubbing. “Sure, you can do that.”
Foot rubs are good for a lot of things. And they happened to be good at making grass skirts disappear, along with coconuts, because by the time I climbed out of bed an hour later to shower and prepare for the day ahead, I didn’t have any clothes left to take off.
“But I really am exhausted now,” I called out the door. “Seriously!”
“But you can’t possibly use all four shower heads by yourself, can you?” he asked, stepping into the bathroom. “I’m just here to help.”
“I used all four shower heads just fine last night,” I said. “Scrubbing the spider germs off my skin.”
“Well, today’s a new day,” he said, and stepped in beside me. “What’s on your agenda for the afternoon?”
“You know,” I said. “Maybe talk to May’s sister. Report back to Kai. Ask around about him a bit. I’ve been thinking about what you said last night, and it is a little weird how I got roped into this investigation in the first place, and I’d like to understand it better.”
“That’s good,” Anthony said, but his eyes were all glazed over.
I rolled my eyes and turned around. “I thought talking about murder would kill the mood. Pun intended.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart.”
“Now, I can’t decide if that’s romantic or creepy.”
Anthony placed a kiss on my neck. “How about now?”
“That’s okay,” I said. “Very romantic. Not creepy at all. If you could just press a little harder on my back, and a little lower...”
My back rub went the way of my foot rub.
Apparently, the only way to keep Anthony’s hands off my coconuts on this trip was to physically separate myself from him. Which was why I put him in charge of Bella around lunchtime while I begged Carlos for the keys to his car for my latest mission.
“Are you going to dispose of whatever’s in the trunk?” he asked. “I don’t like surprises in my trunk.”
“Don’t worry,” I called over my shoulder once the keys were in hand. “I’ll take care of it.”
With Bella safely in Anthony’s arms, Carlos’s keys in hand, and Nora off praying to the hula gods, I was finally ready to get things checked off my to-do list for the afternoon. The faster I checked off my business agenda, the faster I got back to my family, friends, and vacation.
Until my friends caught up with me. Or rather, friend. Though Meg sometimes counted for more than one.
“Hey, there,” she said, leaning against the car. “How you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
“Glad you asked me to come with you today,” she said, nonchalantly glancing at her nails. “I assume you want my help?”
“I thought you had a spa appointment,” I said. “Doesn’t the bridal package come with all sorts of pampering?”
“Yep,” she said. “I cancelled it. I made us an appointment for tomorrow instead.”
I groaned. Meg had a history of signing us up for very uncomfortable spa treatments. “What exactly is the nature of this appointment? I’ll probably sit out, seeing as I’m feeling pretty pampered already.”
“No, you won’t,” Meg said. “It’s a bikini wax.”
“What?”
“Specifically, a Brazilian.”
I stopped walking. “No. Not a chance.”
“Come on,” she said. “You’ll love it. And so will Anthony.”
“Anthony loves me plenty already, and I happen to love myself just fine as is.”
“It’s my wedding,” Meg said. “So you sort of have to do what I say. Plus, aren’t you curious?”
“Nope.”
“You’ll love it,” she said. “I swear.”
“Um—what exactly does Brazilian mean?”
“They take everything, girlfriend, and I mean everything.”
“But what if I like my things?”
“Just stop arguing,” Meg said, “and let me show you the light.”
“Have you ever done it before?”
“Do fishies pee in the ocean?”
I hesitated. “Do fish pee at all? I genuinely don’t know the answer.”
“Me neither,” Meg said. “So anyway, where is the investigation taking us today? Need some breakfast? Because there’s a trunk full of papaya, you know.”
“I know,” I said. “We’re off to talk to May’s sister. Do you think you can handle that?”
“Girl, I’ll handle it like you wouldn’t believe,” she said. “Let’s go. Plus, I can’t find Clay anywhere, and I’m beginning to think he’s run away. I would prefer to ignore my problems. So, if you could just distract me with murder, I would very much appreciate it.”
“You can’t find Clay?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But—”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it. Now, do you want my help or not?”
Meg seemed to have forgotten that I hadn’t asked for her help at all, but she was clearly sensitive about the topic of her husband-to-be, so I didn’t press. We piled into Carlos’s vehicle while I pulled up the address to May’s sister’s house. I’d found it through some simple, scarily accurate Googling. For the duration of the car ride, Meg remained quiet—which sent up a major red flag.
After parking, I let Meg get out of the car first while I pretended to fumble with my phone, instead sending a quick text to Anthony: FIND CLAY!!!! Possible cold feet.
Pocketing my phone, I slid from the car and found Meg already admiring the house. May’s sister, Lucy, appeared more well-to-do than either Sam or Rachel, judging solely by the sprawling, expansive property and the multiple vehicles lined up and shining from here to Mars with fresh washes and waxes. Unfortunately, the very thought of a wax, even in car form, had me feeling sweaty and lightheaded. I clamped my legs a little more tightly together.
“Let’s make this quick,” I said, gesturing for Meg to follow me. “I don’t think Lucy and Sam were on good terms, and I want to find out why.”
“Family drama,” Meg said. “Love it.”
Meg and I approached the front yard of the sprawling Hawaiian estate. Behind the rolling, just-cut lawns and lush greenery, I caught glimpses of water glimmering in the distance. The house itself was a one level rambler with lots of huge, lofty windows glinting back at us. The lot had its own private, secluded stretch of waterfront, which told me all I needed to know about its price.
“Yowzers,” Meg said. “What are the chances they rent this place out for vacations?”
“I don’t think we could afford it, even if they did.”
“I think you underestimate the power of your husband’s bank account.”
I shook my head and raised a finger to my lips as we approached the front door. “Remember what I said about talking to Lucy?”
“I specifically remember you saying don’t talk.”
“Very good,” I said with a nod. “You’re here for moral support.”
“And to look pretty,” Meg said, running a hand through her hair and flouncing it to the side. “How am I doing?”
“Fab,” I said, raising a hand to knock.
It took a few seconds of uncomfortable waiting on the front porch before the door opened, and a pretty brunette in bare feet, white linen shorts, and a gauzy button-down shirt stood before us. Her skin was tanned, but her eyes were a startling blue. She looked at us with curiosity. “Yes?”
“Dang, I love your outfit,” Meg gushed. “Where’d you buy it? I’m a blushing bride, you know, an
d I pretty much think I should wear white this whole week. I really love this vibe, you know?”
I shook my head and stared at the sky. “What did I say, Meg?”
“Right,” she said, backing away. “No talking.”
“Sorry to barge in on you during this difficult time,” I said, “but I was wondering if we could steal a few minutes to discuss your sister.”
“May?” Lucy squinted at me, and I found it eerie that Sam had looked far more distraught than May’s own sister. “What about her?”
“You do know...” I hesitated, swallowed. “She died?”
“Yes, of course,” Lucy said, and made a big show of getting choked up as she swallowed. “It’s horrible. But I’m still not understanding why you’re here. Are you a journalist or something? We asked the media to give us privacy, so if you’ll excuse us—”
I put a hand out to stop the door from closing. “I’m not media—not at all. I am investigating the cause of your sister’s death. I’m Lacey Luzzi, and this is my partner, Meg.”
Lucy’s eyes flicked over her shoulder, as if she was wary of who might be listening behind her. “I thought they said it was an accident.”
“It’s not,” Meg blurted, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”
“What do you mean it’s not?” Lucy’s sapphire eyes swiveled to face me. “It’s not what? An accident? But, of course it is. Who could have wanted to kill my sister?”
“Maybe we could come inside for a moment,” I said. “And I could explain more thoroughly.”
“Absolutely not.” Lucy gave a shake of her head, then stepped out and closed the door behind her. “You can sit right here if you must. Would you like something to drink? Iced tea? Water?”
“I’m fine,” I said. Then I saw Meg opening her mouth to request something, and I quickly added, “We’re both fine, thanks. We don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
Lucy gestured toward the lavish furniture situated around a small wicker table. Our host stretched into the largest chair and looped one long leg over the other as she sat. “I don’t understand who you are, or why you’re looking into my sister’s murder.”