by Gina LaManna
“I’m going to save these for later,” I said, dropping the fabric on the ground. “Keep them spotless.”
“Great idea,” Nora said. “You can just wear the grass skirt for now. Nobody will know if you’re au naturel underneath.”
“I think I’m just going to wear what I have on,” I said. “It’s sort of a flowy dress.”
“Don’t be silly.” Meg had somehow already changed into her grass skirt and coconuts. “You can’t properly learn to hula in that attire.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Here,” Nora said, holding out the skirt. “Just try it on. You’ll love it once you get past your body issues.”
“I’m really not interested,” I said as they stared at me. “And I don’t have body issues.”
That didn’t make a lick of difference to Nora or Meg, and eventually, they wiggled me out of my cover up and into their costumes. I was adamant about my swimsuit staying on underneath. That was a hill I was prepared to die on, and die on it I did.
“But you can see the strings around your neck,” Nora said with a frown. “You really don’t want to see the strings.”
“Dance, Nora,” I said through gritted teeth. “Please.”
“Fine. Okay, girls, first we’re learning the song they sing at the luau. Repeat after me...”
Half an hour later, we’d learned the song. Then Nora started adding the movements. Slowly and painfully, we followed her lead as the moon rose in the sky. She seemed to know what she was doing, but then again, she could have been teaching me the Cupid Shuffle or the Hokey Pokey, and I wouldn’t have known the difference.
“Come here,” Nora instructed me. “That’s not how you move your hips. Let me show you. Put your hands here.”
I flinched, planting my hands firmly on Nora’s hips.
“You feel that movement?” she said. “It’s so smooth. Not all mechanical like yours. Try it again.”
I tried it again.
“Again.”
I tried it again.
“Again.”
“What is this, boot camp?” I snarled.
“Basic training,” Nora said. “Again.”
“That’s better,” she said finally as a smile brightened her face. “Now we’re on to phase two.”
“Phase two?” I asked. “I’m getting sore. And it’s late. I’m tired.”
The whole time Nora was ordering me around, Meg had shuffled off to her own little corner of the lawn. She appeared to be performing her own sort of witchy, moonlight dance because Nora had declared her an expert at the hula.
“Come on, Lacey,” Nora said. “Like this. Good. There you go. Now, try it again.”
After another hour of intensive practice, an ocean of yawns and sleepiness, and an eyeful of my grandmother’s coconuts, she declared my performance ‘good enough for now’.
“You might never be as good as me,” Nora said, running a hand through her hair, “but that’s to be expected. I’m a natural. Like Meg.”
I grumbled some sort of response while debating if it was embarrassing to admit I was exhausted and sore from a hula training session from a ninety-something year old. Definitely embarrassing, I thought, and vowed not to tell a soul.
“So, we need to get into this luau. It might be our only hope to uncover Coco’s true identity,” I explained to Meg and Nora as we gathered our things and headed back to the hotel. “I’m thinking we ask Anthony to get a list of the dancers they use. Then call them and tell them the luau is cancelled. Then, we can call whoever’s organizing the luau—can probably have Anthony pull that from somewhere too—and pretend to be fill ins.”
Nora massaged her forehead. “That all sounds so complicated.”
“Any better ideas?”
“Actually, yes,” she said and gave me a big grin. “I’ve already gotten you the job.”
“What?” My mouth dropped open. “How? How do you even know which luau we need to attend?”
Nora winked at me. “Don’t forget, my dear, you’re not the only one with a big, strong, sexy...” she hesitated. “Where was I going with this?”
“Luau...”
“Husband,” she said with another grin. “After all, Anthony learned everything he knows from my Carlos.”
“Oh, no,” I murmured. “I prefer not to think of things in that way.”
“Carlos helped me find the information,” Nora said. “I simply called up and said I had some special ladies ready to help with the hula dance.”
I blinked. “What exactly did you say?”
“Well, I said, ‘Hello, my name is Nora, and I’m calling to—’”
“Fast forward,” I said. “To the parts about us.”
“I said, ‘I have some hula dancers to send along to the luau. That Coco requested some additional ladies to be present.’ I might have said something about hula dancing at night. Something like, ladies of the night.”
I groaned. “Nora. You made it sound like we were prostitutes.”
“I did not! I specified that you were exotic dancers!” Nora said, sounding quite chuffed. “Those are two very different things!”
I smacked a hand to my forehead. “Just—whatever. We’ll figure it out. What else did you say?”
“Let’s just say I have the location of the employee entrance and the codes you’ll need to get inside the luau.” Nora pulled a sheet of paper out from where it’d been tucked under her left coconut. “If you don’t like the way I do things, I suppose I could get rid of these...”
“No! No. I’ll take it,” I said, but I held out my swimsuit cover up so I didn’t have to touch the paper directly. “Just...set that here.”
“You’re welcome,” Nora said. “Now, I get to watch Bella while you’re gone, right?”
“Anthony should be able to stay back and handle things,” I said. I thought it best to keep Anthony away from the luau so he didn’t find out Nora had sent us in as exotic dancers, but my grandmother looked far too crestfallen at my proposition. “Then again, I’m sure he’d love some uninterrupted work time. So if you’re up for it, I’m sure Bella would love to spend tomorrow evening with her Nonna.”
“Perfect,” Nora said, clasping her hands to her chest in glee. “Now, get some rest. I don’t think exotic dancers have bags under their eyes.”
I walked Meg to her room first and tucked her back into bed with a second mimosa and the rest of Frozen. I closed the door to the sound of Elsa belting out a song that would be stuck in my head for the next three weeks.
Then I returned to my hotel room and pressed the door open, only somewhat surprised to hear Elsa belting out a different song in the background. Anthony laid on the bed, his mouth parted in sleep, and on his chest lay a curled-up Bella.
I inched into the room as silent as a breeze, feeling my heart warm to the point of exploding at the sight of the father-daughter duo on the bed.
Bella’s face was tilted upward in sleep, as if she’d been staring at her daddy until the moment she’d slipped into dreams. I just stood there, watching for however long it took for the credits to roll across the television screen. When I finally moved, I had to blink a few times to expel the emotion that’d pooled in my eyes.
I gently lifted Bella from Anthony’s arms and tucked her into the crib. Aside from a soft sigh and a rotation of the thumb she’d stuck in her mouth, she didn’t give any sign of waking.
When I re-entered the bedroom, Anthony’s eyes were open. He looked at me in an adorable sleepy haze that had me wanting to climb in and snuggle next to him. Until he ruined the moment with a dry laugh.
“Nice coconuts.”
“I’m glad you think this is funny,” I said. “Just for that, my coconuts are off limits to you tonight.”
Chapter 15
The next morning, I discovered that most of my bikini area wasn’t fire engine red any longer. That was pretty much the highlight of my morning, seeing as Anthony had gotten out of bed early to do his boring things (exercise) again. Afte
r a slow, cozy morning with Bella, a little beach time, and a hearty breakfast in which I made up for the lack of ice cream the night before, it was time for Bella’s morning nap.
However, Bella had other plans, including a diaper change that required three baths, nose plugs, and a hazmat suit. To detoxify my lungs, I strapped her into the stroller and started on a walk. She was zonked out three minutes into the ride, which allowed me to focus on a bit of work.
I headed toward Java Hut to pay a visit to Kai, and I briefly wondered if this was what all working moms felt like. Squeezing in a bit of productivity during far-and-few-between quiet moments. Almost at once, I realized most moms weren’t squeezing in murder investigations, but still. I could just as easily have been on a conference call with a marketing team.
The hike to Java Hut was a pleasant one, and I joyfully sucked in the fresh air after the explosion that had come from Bella. The air was salty and fresh, the temperature already creeping into the eighties despite the fact it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. The island vibe was in full force as locals cooed greetings to Bella and smiled happily up at me. It almost felt like vacation.
An older woman held the door open for me to Java Hut, and I pushed Bella through and into line. I was so occupied chatting with the nice woman who’d helped us into the shop that I didn’t realize the barista at the counter was someone I’d never seen before.
“Oh, hello,” I said, trying to reign in the surprise in my voice. “Do you know where Kai is? Is it his day off?”
“Sort of,” the barista said with a shrug. He was in his early twenties and had very pale skin with an unfortunate bout of acne. “I mean, it wasn’t supposed to be his day off, but he called in sick.”
“Does he do that a lot?” I asked, and then hurried to add, “I’m worried about him. I was going to drop something off for him this morning, but apparently he’s fallen ill?”
“I guess so,” the kid drawled. “I mean, I don’t think he’s ever called in sick before. The guy lives here. He’s literally here almost every hour the store is open, so he must be pretty under the weather if he stayed away today.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said, pondering. Sick? Kidnapped? Or guilty?
Or worse, I thought, kicking myself as the words flicked across my mind.
“You want to order a coffee?” The kid looked anxiously over my shoulder at the line that had grown out the door. “Or you want to leave something for Kai?”
“Yes, and yes,” I said. “I’ll take a macadamia nut coffee.”
I quickly paid. While I waited for my drink to magically appear on the To-Go counter, I jotted down my name on a napkin along with my cell number.
“Can you give this to Kai?” I asked, trading the kid. I handed over the napkin as he handed over my coffee with a nod. “It’s just a message that I stopped by.”
“Sure,” he said, and then set the note on the counter.
I doubted Kai would get the message, but I certainly didn’t trust the kid to remember a message that “Lacey Luzzi stopped by”, so the napkin was better than nothing.
I strolled back to the hotel, enjoying the warm, sweet coffee as I paused to window shop in several of the stores. I stopped dead when I saw Kai’s face staring back at me in one of them—right next to fancy pearls and rings with bling.
“Kai?” I asked, stepping through the doors of a local jewelry shop that boasted sparkling pieces on every surface. “Is everything okay?”
Kai looked up, startled. The store was empty save for Kai and the shop owner, a young, pretty woman with long brown hair. They had been in the middle of a low, murmured conversation. A conversation that ceased to exist the second I spoke.
“Oh, Lacey!” Kai straightened all too quickly. “How are you this morning? I see Clark helped you out.”
“Yeah,” I said, raising the coffee in salute. “It’s great. Say, I left a note for you at the shop.”
“Is that right?” He tapped his fingers rapidly against the counter in an annoying, incessant beat. “Did you need something?”
“I was just hoping to chat with you,” I said. “About something...personal. But it looks like you’re busy.”
“Actually, I am busy,” he said, gesturing to the shop owner. “We were just discussing—ah, er, business.”
“I see.” I glanced around at the gorgeous displays. “Jewelry and coffee go hand in hand.”
Kai forced a smile, but he didn’t fall for my trap. If anything, his silence, coupled with the shop owner’s lack of introduction, told me this was none of my business.
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” I said. “I just wanted to check on you. Clark said you weren’t sick much, so I was hoping I didn’t...pass anything contagious along when we chatted yesterday.” I gave a fake cough that nobody fell for. I was extremely horrible at talking in code, I learned very quickly.
“No, nothing like that,” Kai said, but he didn’t fool anyone either. “I just had a ton of things to do today. Taking some well-deserved personal time if I may say so myself.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Well, if it means anything to you, Clay—my cousin—is taking some much unneeded personal time away from the family. Not by choice.”
Kai’s face went pale. “Is that right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “So, keep an eye out for him, alright? Because I most certainly am.”
“I will,” Kai said with a nod. “I’m, ah, sorry to hear that. I’m sure you’ll find he’s, ah, perfectly fine and well rested.”
“I sure hope so,” I said. “Or else there will be hell to pay.”
Bella, as if sensing unrest in her mother, woke then and let out a screech.
“I know,” I murmured to her as I left Kai and his friend staring after us. “My feelings too, baby.”
I SPENT THE AFTERNOON preparing for the luau while Bella happily entertained herself. While she screamed at her books and toys, I talked aloud to her, wondering what Kai had been up to this morning. Was he scared? Involved more than he’d let on? Or was he Coco?
I considered the fact that everything we knew so far might be a ruse. While May’s death had kicked off this entire mess, I wondered how everything had gotten so convoluted. I wasn’t sure who I was working for, or why, and in all honesty, I was ready to quit. Except that I couldn’t because my cousin was missing, and the chances that someone would come after my family again were high.
The luau was scheduled to kick off around five p.m., but Nora had informed us that we needed to arrive half an hour early to check in for the festivities. As the four o’clock hour rolled around, I shoved my accessories into a backpack and kissed Bella on the forehead while she wriggled happily in Anthony’s arms.
“You’re going to share her with Nora, right?” I said. “She will kill me if she doesn’t get her time in. That’s the whole reason she set this up in the first place.”
“Remind me why you had her set this up in the first place?”
“I just want to get an identity on Coco. He’s supposed to be there tonight.”
“I don’t like you walking into the lion’s den.”
“He’ll never expect it,” I said. “We’re just a couple of dancers who are going to hula our way across the stage and be on the lookout for the man of the hour.”
“That’s it.” Anthony made it sound like a statement instead of a question. “You’re not going to poke around anywhere else. You’re going to call me if something doesn’t feel right. You’re not going to be disappointed if you don’t find out anything at all.”
I gave a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Anthony gave a thin smile. “Be safe. And don’t make me regret letting you go alone.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” I said. “Now, where’s Meg? We have to get over there.”
On cue, Meg trounced down the hall. Unlike me, she hadn’t worn normal clothes and brought a backpack of supplies so that she could change at the venue. She’d come ready to rock and roll. She paused in the doorway and gave a little hip wi
ggle that had grasses trembling around her body for effect.
“Howdy, cowboy,” Meg said to Anthony. “Like what you see?”
“It’s...” Anthony sighed and ignored my pointed glare. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Meg beamed. “Don’t you know it. Ready, chickadee? Let’s go get our exotic dancing on.”
“Exotic what?” Anthony’s eyes opened wider. “I thought—”
“Little mix-up,” I said, patting him on the arm. “Just technical details.”
I scurried out of the room before Anthony could chase us down and put the kibosh on the whole evening. We needed to capitalize on our opportunity to put a face and (real) name to Coco. If we didn’t, who could say what he’d do with Clay? I was determined to get my cousin back in one piece. If nothing else, Meg was having the wedding of her dreams, and unfortunately, Clay was a big part of making that happen.
We climbed into Carlos’s vehicle and headed down the coast to the farm where the luau was scheduled to be held. The car had a nice breeze through it thanks to the bullet holes, and it seemed to travel a lot faster now that the trunk wasn’t weighed down by tropical fruits. I briefly hoped we wouldn’t add any additional bullet-hole decals to the windows this evening since I really wasn’t in the mood for decorations.
Twenty minutes into the drive, the farm loomed before us. I flicked on my blinker and pulled down a long, twisty road that led us through a tunnel of palm trees and thick green foliage. I could feel the humidity pressing on us and wiped sweat from my brow.
“I’m telling you,” Meg said. “Take your clothes off and throw on those coconuts. You’ll be much cooler.”
“What’s our plan?” I asked. “Whatever it is, it better involve finding out who Coco is before we start dancing. I was borderline traumatized thinking we were going to have to wave our arms around in the hula before a crowd of potential mobsters, but I will die if they expect an exotic dancer.”
“Crowd of potential mobsters...” Meg frowned as she mused. “That sort of sounds like a Luzzi family wedding. Don’t see what’s different dancing here or there.”