“I guess so,” I replied lamely.
“Isn’t that why you couldn’t let go of your search for the real killer?”
“Not so much that as not wanting my friend to stay stuck in that jail cell.”
“What’s Foxx going to do now?”
“Well, Lauren did leave him everything. I guess technically he won’t have to work another day in his life. But he already had a lot of money left over from his football career.”
“Do you think he’ll sell the house?”
“Hard to say. There are probably emotional pluses and minuses to keeping it.”
“What about you, Poe? What will you do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean ‘what will you do next?’”
“Probably throw myself into my new company, try to get the architectural thing going.”
“Have you ever thought about starting an architectural firm on Maui?”
And there it was. The other discussion I had avoided all day, namely our burgeoning relationship and what would become of it now that I was flying back to Virginia. I’m not a big fan of long distance relationships, having been in a couple myself. In fact I generally think they’re a horrible idea, unless you set a firm date for when one of you will move to join the other. I think couples learn to live apart, and when they’re suddenly thrown back together, they may learn they don’t have that much in common anymore. Not to mention the fact you’re getting this ideal picture of the person over the brief phone calls you share and you’re failing to see the lousy habits they possess on a twenty-four hour basis.
But back to Alana’s question.
“I doubt there’s much need for another architect on Maui,” I said, “I can’t see a lot of new buildings popping up here.”
“What about photography? You seem to really enjoy that. I’m certain there’s lots of work for photographers.”
“Photography’s a lot harder than it looks. And making that type of business work takes a lot more than just snapping pictures.”
“I’m sure of that Poe. But I also think if you want something bad enough you can make it happen.”
“I think you and I both know this isn’t about architecture or photography,” I said, trying to cut through the nonsense and get to the heart of the matter.
“I just don’t think a relationship would work with you in Virginia and me in Maui,” she said.
“Probably not.”
“You have to admit, though. I am the most interesting person you’ve ever met. And I believe there was the statement in the hospital about me being the most beautiful woman, too.”
I smiled. I had said those things, and they were both true. Was I an idiot for even thinking about flying back east? Probably.
“I don’t know, Alana. This has been a hell of a week, and that’s the understatement of the century. Nothing makes sense, and my head’s still spinning from my séance with the pharaoh.”
“That’s fair,” she said. But from the tone of her voice I could tell she thought it anything but fair.
I must be crazy, I thought. Here was this incredibly sexy woman asking me to relocate to Maui to be with her, and I was asking for time to think about it. But what I said a moment ago was the God’s honest truth. My head was spinning. Besides, even if I did decide to move to Maui, I would still need to go back to Virginia to settle my affairs.
The drive back from Hana was uneventful. It was raining most of the way, so we spent the entire time with the windows rolled up, listening to Tears for Fears’ album “Songs From the Big Chair” at least three times, back to back. We both knew all the lyrics by heart. It was fun but in a restrained kind of way. I don’t know if that makes any sense. We were enjoying each other’s company, and neither one was angry with the other, at least I didn’t think she was angry with me. Then again, I’m not known for my keen observations on women, am I?
Alana drove me back to Foxx’s house where I still had my clothes and camera equipment. I’m not one of those people who like to pack just before the flight. I prefer to do it the night before.
Alana and I walked around to the backyard where we found Foxx sitting by the pool and making short work of a six pack of Budweiser.
“Well if it isn’t the return of Five Beers,” I proclaimed.
“Quiet man, you don’t want to give the good detective the wrong idea about me.”
Alana approached Foxx.
“I hope there are no hard feelings between us,” she said.
Alana extended her hand to Foxx. He stood and pulled her into a gentle bear hug, lifting her a good foot off the ground.
“Hell no, there’s no hard feelings, detective. I would have done the same thing if the situation was reversed.”
“And please stop calling me detective. Alana will do just fine,” she squeaked out, barely able to breathe, thanks to Foxx’s smothering bear hug.
“But detective sounds so much sexier,” Foxx remarked, finally releasing her.
Alana gave a weak smile in return. Her mood had changed dramatically since we arrived at the house. I imagine my demurral about moving to Maui was just starting to sink in.
“So, Poe, what’s on the agenda for tonight? You want to watch Fletch?” Foxx asked.
“Well, first thing I need to do is pack,” I replied.
“Pack? You’ve got plenty of time for that. Your flight’s not till tomorrow night.”
“He seems anxious to get back to Virginia,” Alana said.
It didn’t take a genius to hear the multiple layers in that comment.
“I don’t know why, Alana,” Foxx replied. “I’ve tried to convince the guy he should move to Maui. He’s got a free place to stay with me until he gets on his feet.”
I had the strange feeling I was being double-teamed. Actually, it wasn’t a feeling. It was an undeniable fact.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” Foxx said. “What do you say the three of us go out to dinner tonight? I’ve heard about this little restaurant in Paia that serves humungous pancakes.”
Finally, the smile was back on Alana’s face.
CHAPTER 37
Aloha Means Goodbye
Alana volunteered to drive me to the airport. I asked her if she would do so in a police car so people would think I was a dangerous criminal. She declined my request, not at all impressed by my attempt at humor at a sensitive moment such as this. But what can I say? I’m lousy at goodbyes.
We made a quick stop at the K-Mart so I could buy a large bottle of water before the flight. I had no desire to spend ten dollars for one at the airport. As soon as we walked through the door I saw the two store clerks who had pulled me off George just a couple of days ago. They spotted me, as well, and parted the aisle like Moses parting the Red Sea so Alana and I could pass. Once again, I felt like a bad ass.
But you’ll never guess who I ran in to on the way to the beverage section.
Sally, wearing her typical low-cut shirt and short shorts.
“Hey you two,” she said. “What brings you guys to K-Mart on a bright Saturday afternoon?”
“Just looking for a bottle of water before my flight,” I replied.
“Oh that’s right. You’re heading back today.”
“What about you Sally? What are you shopping for?” I asked.
“Well, remember when I told you I was going with Martha Stewart colors for the home?” she asked.
“How could I forget?” She did not catch the sarcasm in my voice, which was a good thing.
“I didn’t really like the color I first went with. So now I think I’ll try burgundy. It’s more of a bold color, don’t you think?”
Bold, for a tree house? Why not?
“I think burgundy sounds fantastic, Sally,” I said. “I’m sure it will inspire William to do great art.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.”
“How is William doing?” Alana asked, finally jumping into the conversation.
“He’s doing just great, thanks
for asking. We’ve decided to get married next month. Why wait when we know it’s something we both really want? You know what I mean?”
“Absolutely, why wait?” I said.
“He’s been really good about helping to plan the wedding. Most men don’t seem to want to mess with that kind of stuff. But William loves it,” Sally said.
I should think so, I thought. He’s certainly done it enough times.
We said goodbye to Sally and headed off to buy my water.
“Did you sleep with her?” Alana asked.
If I had been drinking my water I would have done a genuine spittake.
“Why would you ask that question?”
“It’s just the way you two were acting around each other. A woman can sense these things.”
“Particularly a woman detective,” I said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“It doesn’t mean anything, other than the fact you’re looking for a crime when none was committed. How could I sleep with her, especially just one night after I slept with you?”
“So you didn’t sleep with her?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” I asked.
“No, I want to hear you say ‘I did not sleep with Sally.’”
“You want me to say those exact words?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I intend to watch your twitching eye when you say those words to see if you’re lying.”
Then she focused on the eye in question.
“This is ridiculous, Alana.”
“Just say the words.”
Was I starting to sweat? It sure felt like it. You know the old technique of thinking of baseball during sex to keep from you know what? Well, I fell back on that tried and true technique right now. I thought of game five of the last World Series and then said the words “I did not sleep with Sally,” without really thinking about the words as I said them.
Then I waited. And waited. And waited.
“Okay, I believe you,” she said.
Thank God.
I’m sure you readers who have stayed with me to the end of my story are extremely disappointed with my lie. After all, Alana’s a great woman, and she deserves nothing but honesty. I was upset with myself, too. But what was I supposed to do? Admit that I rolled around with Sally in the tree house and risk losing Alana. But wasn’t I about to lose her anyway when I got on that plane? I was confused and once again felt like a worldclass moron.
I also didn’t want to hurt Alana, and I knew she would be devastated. I just couldn’t bring myself to do that to her. So maybe one day you’ll learn to forgive me, or at the very least understand why I lied. And maybe one day I’ll be able to forgive myself too. Fat chance of that.
I bought my drink, and we headed for the airport. It was packed. All the tourists seemed to have picked the same day to leave. Alana’s detective badge got her past security, for these days you need a “valid boarding pass and picture ID” to go the gate or even take a piss for that matter. I was secretly praying for the plane to be late, but much to my dismay it was right on time. It was also full, and I found that once again my ace travel agent had booked me in the center seat, a luxurious two whole rows from the toilets in the back.
“Be sure to call me when you get home,” she requested. “Let me know that you got back okay.”
“I will.”
We stared at each other for several seconds, both of us searching for the right word to say.
“Aloha,” she said, finally breaking the silence.
“I thought aloha meant hello.”
“It also means goodbye.”
I kissed her gently, then turned and headed down the walkway towards the plane. I got down to the bottom of the tunnel and turned to see if she was still there. She was not. Man, I felt like an idiot.
CHAPTER 38
The Death Card
The only bad thing about a trip to Hawaii is the return flight. All they have is the red-eye, and considering my height (i.e. lack of leg room), I slept all of forty-three seconds on the plane ride. We had a relatively smooth flight to San Francisco. I would have to wait a few hours before my connecting flight to Dallas Fort Worth. Please God, don’t let me sit through another hail storm in Dallas.
I’m absolutely convinced that the people who design airport seating also design torture chambers. How else do you explain the fact that it is absolutely, positively impossible to get comfortable in an airport seat? They intentionally put armrests on every single seat. I don’t know if this is to guarantee that people don’t take up too much room or if it’s mainly to prevent people from lying down. I’m one of those people who find it impossible to sleep unless I’m absolutely horizontal. For a split second I thought about lying down on the floor, but then I took a look at the floor. No way.
My cell phone rang.
“Hello,” I said.
“Poe, it’s me Stephanie. Thank goodness I got a hold of you.”
“Is everything okay Stephanie?”
“Everything’s fine. I’ve just felt so bad over my mistake with the tarot cards.”
I must admit Stephanie’s death card reading had given me the creeps. I was 99% sure she was full of baloney. After all, she did have a terrible time understanding the rules of the cards. Still, I had managed to escape death more than once on Maui. Did Death have it out for me this week? Was I like some poor sucker in a bad Hollywood movie who had the Grim Reaper chasing after him? Would I survive the flight home? For part of the flight from Maui to San Francisco I had myself convinced the plane was going to plummet into the ocean and fulfill Stephanie’s prediction. But so far, so good.
“The Death Card doesn’t mean death at call,” Stephanie continued. “It means change. You’re in for a major change in your life.”
It was at that precise moment that I had an epiphany. I thought of my parents. My mother had died of cancer a few years back and my father, at the time a perfectly healthy man, just gave up on life. He had absolutely no desire to live without her. It was almost as if the man willed himself to die. His health quickly went down hill and eventually he passed away in his sleep. My relatives say he died of a broken heart. I know that sounds corny, but I believe it to be true.
So why was this my epiphany? Well, maybe epiphany wasn’t the right word. But what if Alana was my soul mate? Was I willing to let her get away just because of a problem in geography? And what about Stephanie’s Death Card? A major change in life, she had said. Wasn’t moving to Maui and diving into a relationship with Alana a major change?
You’ll probably recall me saying that 99% of me did not believe in the Tarot cards. Of course you’ll recall me saying that. I just said it. Well, now that same 99% was swinging the other way. Isn’t it amazing how when our fortunes are good we suddenly believe in the powers of the cards?
I rang the doorbell. No answer. I tried again. This time the door slowly opened. Her expression was a mixture of happiness and confusion.
“Aloha,” I said.
She didn’t respond.
“That means hello,” I interpreted.
“Poe, what are you doing here?” Alana asked.
“I got as far as San Francisco. While I was waiting for my connection, I realized what a jackass I was being and hopped on the first plane back to Maui. Of course, buying a one-way ticket with such short notice red-flagged me as a possible terrorist threat, so I had the unfortunate pleasure of enduring a rather thorough strip search. Actually, it wasn’t that unfortunate. The security guard was somewhat cute, even though she was a bit young.”
“What about your company?” she asked.
“Oh, the architecture thing. You know, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about that one. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I hate architecture.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I thought about becoming a photographer. I heard Maui could always use another one.”
“I have new
s for you, Poe. Photography’s more than just snapping pictures.”
“Of course it is. But I’ve heard that you can accomplish anything, if you want something bad enough. Besides, I do have a nice inheritance to fall back on, and then there’s the free place to stay with Foxx. “
“Sounds like you have everything covered,” she said.
I pulled Alana close to me and kissed her.
“Hey, do you know where I can get some pancakes?” I asked. “I’m starving.”
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