A lot of people thought us strange to get married when we did, but we were set on April Fools and couldn’t wait until the day fell on a weekend. I struck an underwater pose.
Ethan took a picture of me through an underwater camera then swam in the opposite direction. I turned back to study the reef. An eel poked its head from a hole and came straight for me. I gurgled like an actress in an underwater B-horror movie and backpedaled as fast as I could. Didn’t eels bite? I wished I would have read the pamphlet that came with our snorkeling gear. Gasping for breath, I stood and pulled off my mask.
Leroy Wahine stood on the reef grinning. “Aloha.”
“I was attacked by an eel.”
His smile never faded. “Are you enjoying the fish? This small reef circle is a nursery. You can see the same species much larger by the resort. Molokini is where you want to worry about getting bit.”
A baby eel? My face heated, and it wasn’t from the sun. “It’s fantastic.” Lifting my feet as high as possible so I didn’t stir up the ocean floor, I plopped my way to shore.
Good grief! Susan Wood lay on her stomach, bathing suit top untied, and talked to David Hatcher. I immediately scoped the area for Ethan, relieved to see him still snorkeling.
I tossed my gear to the sand and plopped on my beach towel. Might as well try to get some sun on my mayonnaise-white legs. Maybe I would overhear some tidbit of titillating conversation between Susan and David. I put on my mirrored sunglasses and floppy hat and did my best to be inconspicuous.
“I met with him last night, and he didn’t say a thing about anyone being a suspect.” Susan twirled a paper umbrella in a mango-colored drink.
“Obviously,” David dug his toes into the sand. “He doesn’t tell you everything.”
“He should, if he knows what’s good for him.” Susan cut me a sideways glance. “But enough of that with Nosey Nellie sitting here. How are you, Summer?”
“Wonderful.” I kept my gaze trained on Ethan, who laughed at something Leroy said. Dripping water, hair slicked back, and blue swim trunks that matched the ocean, I don’t think I had ever seen anything that looked better. Including the scenery.
“Heard someone threw a stick at you.” Susan giggled along with David’s chuckle.
This time I did look at her. “What is your problem? You’ve been on my case since yesterday. Unless I’m mistaken, we’ve never met. If I have managed to wrong you somehow, please accept my apology.” I stood, shook off my towel, deriving a small bit of pleasure at the sand that rained over her shiny, oiled skin, and marched a few yards down the beach. So much for garnering valuable information. Some things were not worth the trouble.
Of course, I would like to know who she had been talking to David about.
Chapter Four
I smoothed the skirt of the white sundress I wore to show off my glowing sunburn, and sat in the chair Ethan pulled out for me. The menu said we were being served pineapple ham. Although jet lag had caught up with me, I didn’t want to pass up what the Wahine’s claimed was a traditional Hawaiian meal. Nor did I want to miss another chance to possibly glean clues from the other guests.
The Aldrichs were across from us, the Franklins at the opposite end of the table. Susan, David, Officer Manano, and a couple of other faces I didn’t recognize filled the other seats. Several small tables dotted the outskirts of the room if someone desired a more intimate dining experience.
I met Manano’s unsmiling gaze with a grin, then turned to Ethan who sat on my right. The one long table didn’t provide much opportunity for conversation except for those sitting close. The delectable aromas coming from the kitchen made my mouth water. I decided the food would be worth the lack of information gathering.
I must have had my gumshoeing look on my face, because Ethan squeezed my hand, and whispered for me to be more subtle. I couldn’t believe that I was married to the world’s most handsome man and that he had agreed to help me solve a mystery. God couldn’t have given me a better honeymoon. Romance and a mystery to solve. I was one blessed gal.
“The thrown spear must have been so frightening.” Sharon Aldrich stabbed a chunk of pineapple with her fork. “I heard, just a couple of inches to the left, and you would have sported an extra hole in your body.”
Amazing how confidential news, such as a police report, traveled so quickly to the other guests. I gave Manano a stern glance. He acted as if he couldn’t see me and continued talking to Susan. How was I supposed to find out what happened to Jamison if the local police blabbed to everyone within ear shot? Detective work required secrecy. Stealth. I transferred my attention back to Sharon.
“It was scary. Luckily for me, my new husband has good reflexes.” I smiled at Ethan and cut into my ham.
Sharon shook her head. “Almost makes me rethink our decision to spend our anniversary here. I’m not much of one for adventure, and to have a murder and an attempted murder happen in the same night? Well!”
“Now, honey,” her husband, Ron, patted her hand. “Crime exists everywhere. Jamison and Mrs. Banning were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jamison wasn’t very well liked in certain circles, you know.”
I paused at putting my fork in my mouth. “I thought you didn’t know Jamison.” Weren’t they the ones who had everyone introduce themselves on the bus?
Ron peered over the rim of his tropical drink. “I’ve heard things.”
“What sort of things?”
Ethan kicked me under the table. “When we’ve finished dinner, we can take a stroll along the beach. I know you said you wanted to watch the sun rise and set each day.”
“I thought you were going to help me.” I hissed out the side of my mouth, and then grinned at the couple across the table.
“I am, but behind the scenes.”
“That’s not a very effective way.” I had picked up my glass to prevent people from reading my lips. Everyone knew a detective needed to ask questions. But, Ethan was new to this, so I’d let him slide. This time.
I craned my neck to see what the others were doing. Susan glared at Officer Manano. What was up with that? My senses were tingling. I’d bet a suntan there was more to Susan’s coming to Hawaii than just a vacation.
I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. There was no way I could solve two puzzles at once, especially when one was a woman’s relationship with a man. Since I didn’t care for either of them, it shouldn’t be a difficult decision, but my gut told me there was more to the situation than I was seeing. When Susan excused herself from the table and headed to the restroom, I did the same.
Susan bypassed the restroom and disappeared into the room reserved as a library for the guests.
Whispers drifted down the hall.
I slowed my steps, walking as silently as flip-flops would allow and stopped out of sight. Sharon’s voice rose in answer to another one. I thought the other voice might belong to the Wahine’s daughter, but couldn’t make a positive identification. I needed to know before jumping to conclusions.
If I passed the restroom, what excuse could I give? Could I play dumb and pretend to borrow a book, unaware that the room was occupied? Why not? The room wasn’t a private one.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside. “Oh, excuse me.”
It wasn’t the Wahine’s daughter, Camilla, but a maid that spoke with Susan. Both were red in the face and jumped apart when I entered.
“Sorry to interrupt.” I moved to a shelf of paperbacks. “I’m just looking for a book to read before falling asleep at night.”
“On your honeymoon?” Susan simpered. “That doesn’t say much for you or your husband, does it?”
“Don’t worry about us.” I grabbed the first book my hand came into contact with. “We’re doing just fine.”
“I wonder…” She nodded her head toward the book in my hand. “Bodice rippers don’t bode well for the bedroom.”
Horror. I had grabbed a trashy romance novel. “We like to act out the scenes.” I did not just
say that! I clapped a hand over my mouth and fled like the hounds of hell were on my heels.
Susan’s cackle followed. Now, I would most likely never know what the two women argued about. Maybe I didn’t need to. But if that was the maid assigned to clean Mr. Jamison’s room, I would love to speak with her.
I paused in the doorway of the dining room. What was I going to do with the book? If Ethan saw it, I would never hear the end. I sat it on a table in the foyer, smoothed my dress, took a deep breath, and … “Aunt Eunice?”
Chapter Five
A grinning Aunt Eunice and Uncle Roy, accompanied by a serious faced Joe and a sheepish April, stood right inside the French-style front door.
From the footsteps behind me, I knew Ethan had joined us. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. What in heaven’s name was the family doing here on my and Ethan’s honeymoon?
Ethan slid his arm around my waist. “What are they doing here?”
“No idea.” I shrugged. “I did not invite them.” I snuck a sideways glance.
Ethan gritted his teeth, his smile forced, and extended his hand. “Roy, Eunice, you two, this is a … surprise.”
“Isn’t it?” Uncle Roy pumped his hand. “When Summer told April about her latest shenanigans, and April passed the info along to Eunice, why, there wasn’t any resting until we had seats booked on the next flight out of Little Rock. I planned on coming out later in the year to check on a possible investment, so decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I’m bushed.”
“I see.” Ethan glowered at his sister. “We were just finishing up supper. I’ll let the Wahine’s know y’all are here.” His arm slid from around me like frigid water.
I could tell when his glance fell on the book on the table. He gave me a raised eyebrow look. I shrugged. What could I say after all? That I panicked in my snooping? If I showed the smallest amount of fear, Ethan would shut my gumshoeing down faster than a downpour ruined a picnic.
“Great.” Uncle Roy clapped. “I’m starved.” He patted his overall-clad stomach and strode in the direction of the dining room.
“I’m sorry.” April sidled up to me. “I had no idea this would happen when I told Aunt Eunice about our conversation. It just slipped out about the murder and the spear.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I kept my smile firmly in place. “Your brother won’t stay mad at me once he realizes I didn’t plan this.”
“Even he couldn’t be that silly.” April straightened. “What woman wants family on her honeymoon? Joe is pretty livid himself. Says if anyone shows up when we’re on our honeymoon, he’ll shoot them.”
“Are we interfering?” Aunt Eunice’s grin faded. “We only want to help. Dying on your honeymoon is the worst thing that could happen to a person.”
Well, okay, but I think being murdered at any moment would be pretty horrible. I disentangled myself from my aunt and best friend and went in search of my husband.
Only a few guests sat at the dining table eating dessert. Ethan wasn’t one of them. Since I hadn’t seen him in the foyer, I headed to the veranda. Sure enough, his handsome profile was traced with a crimson and pumpkin sunset glow. Dancing palm trees rose behind him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called April, but I had no idea she would tell Aunt Eunice.” My heart clogged my throat.
“Come here.” Ethan held out his arm, allowing me to slide under. “I know. I’m not angry, just disappointed. I love them dearly, but you know how overbearing your aunt and uncle can be. I don’t want to share you right now.”
“I feel the same way.” I peered up at him. “Do you want to disappear?”
“What do you have in mind?” His teeth flashed.
“A stroll down the beach to somewhere private?”
“You read my mind.” He took my hand and, like a couple of teenagers, we dashed down the walk and onto the warm sand.
I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder to see whether we were spotted. My flip-flops slipped off my feet. I left them, enjoying the feel of the cool, wet sand by the water’s edge. The fragrance of Plumeria blossoms filled the air.
Ethan pulled me close and tipped my face. In a slow, agonizing motion, he bent to claim my lips. Softly, then with increasing ardor, he left no doubt as to whom I belonged to. Oh, the splendor of a moonlit kiss on a Hawaiian beach. Heaven on earth.
My arms entwined around his neck, and I took his bottom lip between my teeth. Ethan lifted me from my feet and twirled. Giggling, I laid my forehead against his. “I love you.”
“Ditto, sweetheart.”
I slid down his torso, heat infusing my body with every inch of contact. Taking him by the hand, I pulled him into a stand of trees. “Let’s fool around.”
“You are a naughty girl.” He plastered me against a tree trunk.
“Oh, yes, I –”
“Summer?” Aunt Eunice’s voice rang across the beach.
I clapped a hand over Ethan’s mouth. “Shh. If we’re quiet, she’ll go away.”
My aunt’s timing was impeccable. I stomped my foot and peered through the night toward the building. I wanted to mess around with my love. Maybe actually pretend Ethan and I were in a trashy romance novel. A little hanky-panky in a forbidden location. Just the thought made my face hot. “Do you think we could sneak back to our cottage?”
“No.” Ethan’s whisper tickled my neck. His nibbles on my earlobe sent delicious tingles down my spine, and my temperature through the clouds. “We’d be spotted for sure.”
My breath came in gasps. With each moment, each kiss, each caress, it became imperative that we leave the beach and reach the privacy of our bedroom. Otherwise, I was going to do something totally foolish and wanton.
“Please.” I grabbed his hand and looked for an escape route. There. It would require a romp through thick bushes, but we were young. We could do it. “This way.”
“As you wish, G.I. Jane.” Ethan’s chuckle followed as I dragged us through scratchy evergreens.
Freedom was in sight. A sidewalk light illuminated our royal blue door. I took a step.
“I said, nobody can know.” Susan’s sultry voice came from our right. “It will ruin me.”
Without a word, hardly breathing, I pressed Ethan back out of sight. Holding a finger to my lips, I motioned my head in Susan’s direction.
“I don’t understand the need for this type of secrecy.” A man answered.
Who was that? He sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I glanced at Ethan who shrugged.
“It’s either my way, Raul, or I’m out.” She lowered her voice to a hiss. “People are dying. Not to mention that nosey Summer poking into everyone’s business.”
“I can take care of her.”
I shrank against Ethan. His arms tightened around me.
“How?” Susan asked.
“Don’t worry. When I’m finished, everyone around here will think she offed the dead guy to gain attention for herself.”
I stiffened. He did not just say that. My fingers curled into fists. I was going to bash both of them!
“Shh.” Ethan rested his chin on my head and started walking backward, the way we had come. When we had cleared the brush, he grabbed me by the shoulders. “Don’t say a word until we are in our cabin.”
I nodded.
He pulled me at a brisk pace to our temporary home. I kept my eyes peeled for family and saw no one. They must have given up the search and retired to their own rooms.
The moment Ethan unlocked our door and pulled me inside, he grabbed me into a hug. “You don’t go anywhere alone, do you hear me? How do you get into these situations? You’re a trouble magnet, Summer Banning.”
I turned my head in order to rescue my smashed nose. “I didn’t go looking for trouble, Ethan. I don’t know how it always finds me.” Much less on my honeymoon. God sure had a sense of humor.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
I laughed. A nervous habit th
at I hated at certain times. This being one of them. “I don’t either.”
He held me out, touching foreheads. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me?”
“That, God help me, I do with all my heart.” He took both my hands in his and led me to the sofa. “Now, what? You’re the expert.”
“You helped a lot on the last mystery.” And he had. My cheeks heated remembering our make-out sessions while on stakeout. Ethan had given me a birthday party, where all the gifts were tools of the crime solving trade. That, more than anything, had proven his love for me.
“I got locked in a storage shed. You escaped a mad man and rescued me.”
“Oh, yeah.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “Don’t you forget it, either. Guess I’ll need to keep you safer this time. I doubt I’ll find a group of high school football players to help this time.”
No amount of teasing would alleviate the shadow of dread beginning to hover. Too many times I came close to death. A madman obsessed with love for me and his diamonds. A crazy sideshow freak at the county fair. A devious love triangle and computer scam.
I sighed. Here I was again, through no fault of my own, except for being in the right place at the wrong time. My ears burned, thinking of how strangers could believe I would kill someone in order to garner fame.
“Don’t worry.” Ethan’s arms tightened around me. “We’ll take care of this together. You, me, and God.”
“Don’t forget Aunt Eunice, Uncle Roy, April, and Joe.” I giggled.
Ethan’s fingers dug into my sides as he tickled me. “How could I forget them? Your aunt ruined a perfectly good moment in the bushes.”
I turned to punch his arm. A person in black sweats stood on our patio peering in. I screamed. Ethan jumped to his feet, depositing me on the floor. I scrambled to my feet as he dashed to the door. No way was he leaving me behind.
Ethan stopped at the door and spun to face me. “Call Joe.”
“Not Manano?”
4 Maui Macadamia Madness Page 3