Wiped Out

by Tamara Woods

  Fraya walked instead of taking her bike or driving. She could catch a ride home with Leilani if they left later than expected. She didn't feel unsafe walking home at night, but sometimes people did drive crazy. That seemed to be another one of those universal truths.

  It was a humid night out, but the Trade Winds were played softly with her skirt. She picked a plumeria from a small tree growing on the side of the road and tucked it behind her ear. Its pink and white petals were gorgeous. For one moment, she felt beautiful and free. Times like these confirmed her gut feeling that moving here had been the right choice. Staying in Whisper Valley had felt like a vice grip around her heart. Constant reminders of her ex-husband's lies, of the way he'd abused her and their community had been everywhere. At her Aunt Maybel’s book store, the look of judgment in her once-friends’ eyes had haunted her.

  But she wasn't just surviving now. She was thriving.

  After she walked the few blocks down the road, she arrived at The Oasis. The front of the restaurant had the façade of what mainlanders would think of as a Tiki hut. There were even Tiki torches lit in the front and Tiki statues with their bronze exaggerated facial expressions. A few people lounged at the tables on the lanai, sipping their beverages. Fraya didn't see her group, so she strolled in.

  The music was a traditional Hawaiian blend heavy on the ukulele and that soft rhythm that made Fraya wish she knew how to hula. She found herself swaying a little to song as she walked through the bar. Even though it looked like a tourist trap, Kailua wasn't a huge touristy stop like Waikiki. The Oasis had been around for well over fifty years and they loved that kitschy "Hawaiian" look. The place was more open than not, where the air could flow through freely and there was no need for air conditioning. Large ceiling fans that looked like palm tree fronds helped keep the temperature at a comfortable level. The middle of the place was dominated by a medium-sized bar where one bartender passed frothy steins of beer patrons. On the walls were pictures of celebrities who had chilled there over the years, including Elvis and President Obama.

  "Fraya, over here!"

  She turned and waved with a smile. They'd chosen a table in the back corner. Since it was the middle of the week, the place wasn't packed, which was perfect. She could easily hear the patrons as she walked through.

  "Heyheyhey girl, hey, you want a drink or something?" A guy wearing a baseball hat low on his head stopped her. From the look of his table, he'd been there for quite some time. He had a leer on his face that, unfortunately, Fraya was all too familiar.

  "No thanks, I'm good," she said and turned to keep walking.

  "C'mon girl. You too snobby?" The guy swore at her and grabbed the strap across her back.

  "Hey! What is wrong with you? Let me go!" Her voice cut through the casual conversations around her. She didn't like to make a scene, but she wasn't above it.

  He yanked her closer. "I'm trying to be a nice guy over here and offer you a drink. Sit down and drink with me."

  "Let me go." She balled up her fist, ready to hit him if he didn't ease up. What was with guys grabbing her this week?

  "Hey, the lady said to let her go." Keith came from behind them, looking so fine in some linen pants and an open-necked shirt.

  "Keith, I got this," she said. This wasn’t her first time dealing with a drunk douchebag.

  "This is none of your business, man. Get outta here." The drunk guy sneered up at her friend.

  Keith ignored her, looking the drunkard in the eye. "I'm making it my business."

  Fraya squelched the urge to roll her eyes. The last thing she needed was a guy to come in and white cape the situation. She yanked her strap out of the drunk's hand and when he went for her again, she smacked his hand away.

  “I said stop! I’m not playing with you. Don’t put your hands on me again.” She felt the fire in her veins. Her family did not suffer fools and she was not the one. Not tonight.

  He called her outside of her name and her eyes snapped. She balled up her fist and pulled back. Keith caught her hand before she could unload on him.

  “I got this,” he said. “You have a drink with your friends.”

  “Who do you think you are? The friggin bouncer? I hope they pay you good to deal with these idiots.”

  “You have no idea,” Keith said, amusement clear in his voice.

  She snatched her first out of his hand and stomped over to her friends.

  “I thought you were going to hit that guy! He must’ve been drinking all night. What a bum," Leilani said, grimacing.

  "I'm okay. I didn’t lose my temper until he called me something he never needed to say." Fraya sat down beside her friend and let out an exasperated laugh. With the situation defused, she even found a smile for everyone at the table, even idiotic Ayden.

  Leilani shook her head. "I don't even know. Let me introduce you—"

  She was cut off by the sound of scuffling and grunts. Fraya turned around to see the drunk taking a swing at Keith, who easily dodged it. The drunk guy immediately tried again.

  Keith stood his ground. "I don't want to fight you, man. Quit swinging and have a seat."

  The drunk guy took another swing at him and this one connected with Keith's chin. Fraya gasped. This was the first time she'd ever seen Keith lose his cool. He knocked the smirk off the idiot’s face. The guy fell backwards into his table, destroying bottles and mugs when he crashed to the floor and took everything with him. A bouncer came over and escorted them both out.

  "I feel bad. He was just trying to help. I can't believe he got kicked out too. I should go say something," Fraya said.

  Leilani tsked. "It'll just make it worse."

  But Fraya couldn't let it go. It was her fault. She should go out and defend her friend. After excusing herself, she jogged outside. The bouncer pointed at them and told them to leave. The drunk guy leaned heavily against the lanai post. Clearly he was not good to drive.

  "Hey, don't kick him out.” She motioned at Keith. “He was just helping me," she explained. “And that guy clearly needs an Uber."

  "Auntie, go back inside, we got this," the bouncer shot back.

  Fraya ruffled a bit. She guessed she was old enough for the term of respect, but she still felt young. Except when it was raining and there was a chill in the air. Or when she thought about her failed marriage. Or how long ago college had been.

  Ugh. She was older than dirt.

  Keith crossed over to her. "Don't worry. We have everything under control. And he's not kicking me out."

  "He's not?"

  "No, I’m the new owner of The Oasis," he said with a smile. "But thanks for coming to my defense. I appreciate it."

  She was gobsmacked. “Sure, of course. You know bros before hoes.”

  “What?”

  Smooth, she thought with a wince. “Okay, thanks, um...looks like you have things handled...I’m going to go now.”

  He had that amused look on his face with that dimple flashing. And her face felt like fire again, but for a totally different reason. She shuffled away as quickly as her old lady knees would let her.

  Was he independently wealthy or something? What kind of friend was she that she hadn't even gotten past the surface stuff to even learn what he did for a living? The more she thought about it, the more she realized she’d kept things shallow on purpose so she wouldn't get too interested. She hid her face behind the menu.

  "Did they kick him out?" Marcus, Leilani's husband, asked.

  "No, he owns the place."

  "Oh, right! That's why he looks familiar. I think there was an announcement in the paper. You know we don't come here enough to know all the tea," Leilani said.

  Fraya shook her head. She wished her friend's memory had been jogged a little earlier.

  After the waitress came over and took Fraya’s order, Marcus smiled and asked, "How are you doing otherwise, Fraya?"

  "I've been better," she admitted.

  "Yeah? Leilani told me about you finding that girl the other day. T
hat must've messed up your week."

  She nodded. Understatement of the century. "I can't stop thinking about it."

  "You shouldn't worry so much," said Ayden. "We’ve got it covered." He took a drink of his draft.

  She raised her eyebrows at him. It wasn’t possible for his tone to be more imperial and smug. She reached for a clapback.

  "Oh for real? Me being concerned about someone dying in my front yard is inconvenient? Am I stopping you from doing your job because I'm sad for her? Really?"

  He put his beer down. "I know how you are, Fraya. Your heart gets in the way and you lose your good sense."

  "My good sense? Who do you think you are? You don't know me like that."

  "What are you some kind of complicated mystery that no guy can figure out?" he snorted into his mug.

  She narrowed her eyes, giving him the I-know-he-did-NOT-just-say-that look. When she leaned-in to blast him with all the southern sass she had in her entire being, Leilani stepped into break the tension.

  "I'm sorry, Fraya. I didn't introduce you to Marcus's cousin Leah and her husband Roger," she said, reminding her friend that they had new people at the table. People who weren't used to their bickering. "They just moved back here from California."

  The couple had been watching the back and forth exchange like a ping pong match. They smiled at her, hesitantly.

  Her smile was strained, but she tried.

  Putting a better foot forward, she asked, "What brought you back to the islands?" They discussed the cost of living versus being near family dilemma. They made small talk until a waitress came over and brought Fraya's drink order. After seeing that drunk guy act so out of control, she hadn’t been in the mood for a cocktail. She sipped the green tea deeply and let it work its magic.

  "You’re a detective?" Roger asked Ayden. "I worked as a public defender back in the day."

  "Oh, you were one of those kinds, huh?"

  Roger shrugged. “Everybody deserves fair representation.”

  “Guys like you makes the job harder for guys like me,” Ayden said.

  "You’d rather people weren’t able to get a fair shake?” Fraya’s calm and floated right out the window. Ayden had that effect on her every time he opened his mouth.

  He pointedly ignored her, taking another drink.

  "Hey, maybe we can get you one suit, yah? Like them on Hawaii Five-0. Get you all the ladies," his cousin teased him.

  Everyone piled on the jokes and he relaxed, laughing a little and teasing back. That was the guy that Fraya had initially liked, the guy who knew how to chill.

  "I'm an interior designer,” Leah offered. “My work is so different from yours, Ayden. What's it like down at the station?"

  "Eh, it's definitely different. There's always something happening. Always new people. Always something going on."

  "Sounds exiting," Leilani said.

  "Sounds dangerous," her husband countered.

  "It's both," Ayden admitted. "But sometimes nothing happens and I'm just in there filing paperwork, or taking down information about somebody's car being broken into at the beach or something. Basic stuffs."

  "What happens with big cases like the surfer girl?" Fraya asked.

  "What do you mean?"

  She took another sip of her tea to cover how curious she was. "Since everybody's going to be watching, will they be giving a lot of updates?"

  He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I guess it depends on how much pressure they get from the people and from the mayor. You know stuff like that."

  She nodded. That made sense. Everything was political these days, even solving a murder.

  "Do they know how she died yet? Was she murdered by some guy?" Leilani asked and Fraya could've kissed her. She hadn't wanted to get deep into it, but this was the opening she had been hoping for.

  "Why it always gotta be a guy? It coulda been a girl. Women are vicious," Marcus said.

  “Yeah right, like you know anything about vicious women," Leilani said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, that's not my point. I just wanna know should I be looking over my shoulder waiting for the killer."

  "I'm super worried," Fraya joined in. "It was right by my place. I'm scared the guy...or girl" she added quickly, glancing at Marcus, "will come back, think I'm a witness, and take me out."

  "If the guy thought you were a witness, he probably would've murdered you already," Ayden said.

  "Wow, that's comforting, cuz." Leilani’s wry remark came complete with a warning glare.

  He ignored it, continuing, "The only thing I can tell you is something is suspicious with her death."

  "How did she die?" Leilani asked.

  "I shouldn't be saying so much. I could lose my job."

  "Hey, if you're gonna lose your job, you might as well tell the rest,” his sister returned.

  "Talk about comforting..." he muttered.

  "We won't take it away from the table," Fraya said. "This isn't just gossip. This is important. And we all know, if this info gets out, it could get to the murderer. And nobody wants that."

  Her table mates seemed to sober up a bit and nodded along with her.

  Ayden looked around for a minute and seemed to make a decision. "All I’ll say is... the person who texted her called her a nickname and set to meet her near Fraya’s house."

  A nickname? Fraya wondered. Trent had called her "Gams." That was kind of a nickname. Or did he mean something more intimate?

  "Here’s a cocktail on the house," a familiar voice said behind her.

  Fraya stifled a groan at Keith’s interruption, just when they were starting to get somewhere. Shoving aside her disappointment, she smiled up him.

  "Thank you, but you don't have to do that, Keith." She was struck by his eyes, they weren’t just a regular degular deep brown like hers. The way the light hit his brought out little golden flecks that made his gaze warm and engaging.

  "Allow me," he said with a smile. "That drunk was obnoxious to you at my spot. It’s not cool. In fact, next round on me for the entire table." They were all grins, except Ayden, who looked like he was sucking on a lemon.

  Fraya laughed a little. "How can I say no to that?" She took her mojito from him and thanked him for his kindness.

  "No problem. Did you have fun yesterday?"

  "Definitely! We'll have to do it again sometime. I'm still a little sore though." She knew it was petty, but she didn't correct him with saying it was just a friend thing. In fact, she hoped it made Ayden squirm a little.

  "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He flashed that dimple again. "Enjoy your evening," he said to the group at large and left them to their beverages. Their waitress came over with pen in hand ready to take their round of drinks. Fraya looked over at Keith and he lifted his bottle of water in salute. She raised her drink back.

  CHAPTER SIX

  All of that green tea and water the night before had Fraya feeling amazing when she woke up. Judging from Leilani's text— "I'm dead. I died. RIP me."— she may have been in the minority with that one. She literally laughed out loud when Leilani responded to her cheerful good morning text with, "