A chill ran down my spine. The description sounded like Howie Livingston, the director. What the heck was going on here?
"So you didn't know Mr. Cremshaw outside of the reviews he gave Starlight?" Keanu asked.
Jonathan shook his head. "In the past five years I've been here, he's reviewed the restaurant twice. Both times he gave us a measly one star. There was no reason for it either. Pure spite, I tell you. Last time he reviewed the place was about a year ago. I was so enraged when I saw the write-up in Dining Is Divine that I went to his room to confront him. He always stayed at Aloha Lagoon when he came to Kauai. The man was the cheapest miser you ever saw. He made Ebenezer Scrooge look generous. He never tipped my servers and was always sniffing around, looking for free food. You'd think he was destitute or something."
He paused in an obvious attempt to get his emotions under control. Jonathan's light-colored complexion had turned a bright shade of crimson. "Do you know what Cremshaw did then? He told me he'd print a retraction if we furnished all his meals for free the entire week of his stay. Can you believe the gall?"
Keanu looked at me. "Gee, that sounds familiar."
"I was so annoyed that I pushed him." Jonathan produced a white silk handkerchief from his lapel pocket and dabbed at his forehead with it. "It's not like I decked the guy, honest. Unfortunately, Randolph lost his balance and hit his head on the coffee table. He threatened to sue me and the entire resort. He ended up getting his food free for the week so that everything would stay on a hush-hush level. What a lowlife."
Keanu's expression was grim. "He sounds like he was a real piece of work."
"No doubt about it. So, who delivered the food to him from the Loco Moco the other day?" Jeff asked. "Was it you or your father?"
I pointed to myself. "That would be me."
Jonathan stared at me, his gray eyes wide with alarm. "You poor thing. So now he's got you involved too."
A muscle ticked in Keanu's jaw. "Not if I can help it. Jonathan, I would appreciate it if you could keep this under wraps. Carrie doesn't need the aggravation of fingers pointed at her wherever she goes."
Jonathan held a hand up. "Keanu, I would never say anything, rest assured. I know how important the Loco Moco is to you."
Keanu leaned across the table. "There are more important things than the Loco Moco." He cut his eyes to me, and the heat rose through my face.
We paused the conversation as the waiter returned with coffee for Keanu and me. "Would either of you care for dessert?" he asked.
Keanu looked at me questioningly, but I shook my head. "No, thank you."
"We'll take the check when you have a moment," Keanu said. The man bowed slightly and then hurried away.
As I added creamer to my cup, a lightbulb clicked on in my head. "Jonathan, what kind of coffee is this?"
Jonathan puffed out his chest. "Kona, of course. The best and most expensive brand in the world. It's grown on the Big Island, you know."
How interesting. What if Starlight had delivered coffee to Randolph the same morning I did? Poncho had mentioned that Randolph might drink up to ten cups a day. Could someone at the restaurant have doctored up a special batch for the much-hated food critic?
Jonathan watched me intently as I sipped at the drink and then made the appropriate noises he expected. "Oh, this is delicious. The entire meal was."
He flushed with pleasure and rose to his feet. "I'm always so happy to hear that. Well, if there's nothing else, I need to have a word with the chef." He spotted our waiter heading toward us with the check and held up a hand. "No need, Nick. This one's on the house."
Nick nodded in acknowledgment and then began to clear away our plates.
Keanu stood as well. "I can't let you do that, Jonathan."
"I insist." Jonathan gave me a slightly forced smile and then shook Keanu's hand again. "You two enjoy the rest of your evening."
I watched him head in the direction of the kitchen while Keanu laid down two twenties for a tip. He then slipped his hand through mine as we left the restaurant.
"That entire conversation left me a bit uncomfortable," I confessed.
"Tell me about it," he muttered. "Jonathan's never comped a meal for me before, and I certainly wouldn't expect him to. It almost felt like a bribe—as if he wanted me to forget all about our conversation."
"That thought crossed my mind too."
He opened the Jeep door for me. "Let's head over to see Coral. This ought to be good for a few laughs."
I was dreading the experience but hoped that I might have a chance to ask her about the Facebook picture with Randolph "Who's working at the restaurant tonight?"
"Vivian and Anna are there, and Poncho will close up. It's his scheduled night anyway." He slipped an arm around my waist. "It's probably more appropriate if you wait in the car while I talk to Coral. I know you wanted to ask her about the picture with Cremshaw but—"
"Don't worry about it," I assured him. "Maybe I can pay her a separate visit." She'd probably slam the door in my face, but hey, I'd give it my best shot. Keanu was right. This was a private matter between an employee and manager, and I didn't need to be privy to it.
"After Coral's out of the way, I want to enjoy the rest of the evening with my lady and forget about this entire mess for a while. Any objections?"
I beamed. "None whatsoever."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Coral's home was located on the outskirts of town at 22 Wiki Lane, in the opposite direction of my apartment. It took us about fifteen minutes from the resort to arrive at the small one-story home with beige vinyl siding and a metal fence surrounding the house.
"Good luck. I hope you can catch her alone." If the rest of her family was home, that would make things even more awkward for Coral and Keanu.
Keanu leaned over to kiss me. "She should have thought of that before stealing from my parents. I've never taken anything that didn't belong to me. Well, wait. There was that time when I was five years old and stole a candy bar from a convenience store. When my mother saw me with it in the backseat of the car, she drove right back and forced me to apologize to the owner." He chuckled at the memory. "I'll never forget it. I cried and begged to go home. But parents need to discipline their kids, right?"
I said nothing and silently recalled the awful time my mother had discovered a pack of cigarettes in my dresser drawer when I was sixteen and forced me to eat one. "Do they taste good now?" she had taunted me.
In tune as always, Keanu surmised that something was wrong. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."
I managed a smile for him. "Didn't you once tell me that someone took money from Kara's store as well?"
He nodded, his expression grim. "Someone broke in one night and stole all the cash out of her register. Kara was going through chemo at the time, and it certainly didn't help her condition any. Shortly afterward Hale ended up evicting her." He pressed his lips together in obvious contempt. "I know there are people forced to steal because they have nothing, but it's hard for me to be sympathetic to ones like Coral."
I watched as he slammed the door and walked up the driveway with powerful strides toward the house. Before her death, Kara had owned a small clothing boutique situated in our former boss's shopping mall in Oahu. She'd been evicted when she couldn't pay her rent, and Keanu had never gotten over Hale's shabby treatment of his sister. This situation with Coral wasn't just about money for Keanu or his parents. It was a matter of trust and integrity. Keanu hated anything that smacked of dishonesty.
If Kara had lived, I felt certain we would have been good friends. From what Keanu had told me about his sister, we liked a lot of the same things—theater, television shows, cats. Maybe she even would have become like a sister to me—the sister Penny never was. Deep down, I still craved that family bond and probably always would.
I continued to sit there, lost in my own thoughts. After a few minutes, I noticed Keanu approaching my side of the vehicle. "Done already?"
"Not quite." He o
pened the car door for me. "Coral would like to see you and apologize for something that she did."
I winced. "Keanu, it's not necessary. I—"
"It is necessary." He took my hand and escorted me up the driveway and down a sidewalk that led to a screen door. "Coral admitted that she was responsible for the Tabasco sauce stunt. I told her you were in the car, and she said she'd like to apologize in person."
I glanced at him with a fair amount of doubt. Keanu had probably told Coral that it would be in her best interest to apologize if she wanted his family to go easy on her regarding the stolen money. "Fine. Let's get it over with."
Keanu led the way to a small living room off a narrow hallway where a tabby cat dozed peacefully on the arm of a light blue velvet love seat. Coral was sitting in a matching chair across from it, staring down at the wooden floor. She looked up at me and then back down at the floor again.
"Hi, Coral," I greeted her.
Coral wasted no time with her apology, but still stared at the floor. "I'm sorry about the sauce. It was a stupid thing to do." She eyed Keanu. "But I don't know why you're asking me about the missing money from the register. I had nothing to do with that."
I felt certain that she had only admitted to the ketchup incident because it was the lesser of two evils. No one wanted to be accused of stealing.
Keanu settled back in the love seat and crossed his right foot over his left knee. The cat quickly made its way into his ready-made lap. "Suppose you start by telling me the truth."
Her nostrils flared. "I am telling you the truth."
Keanu's face was unreadable as he spoke in a calm demeanor. "Coral, if you needed money, why didn't you ask me or my father? We could have given you an advance on your salary."
"I told you I didn't do it." Coral gave me a sordid glance. "Maybe it was your girlfriend here."
Although sorely tempted, I chose not to pass a remark. There was no reason for me to defend myself to her.
"Don't drag Carrie into this," Keanu warned. "We have footage from a security camera that was recently installed. There was a picture of you from last night placing cash into your pockets."
Coral's cheeks flushed bright red, and she didn't answer.
"Why did you take the money?" Keanu asked.
Coral's bottom lip trembled, and tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Because I have tuition bills I can't afford to pay on my salary."
"Couldn't you get a student loan?" I asked.
She shot me a dirty look. "I only qualify for a certain amount, and there wasn't a bank willing to give me the rest. Don't pretend like you understand because that's bull. I'm sure Keanu takes care of everything you need."
My temper flared, and this time I didn't attempt to control it. The words gold digger were still fresh in my brain. "Keanu's family may be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'm getting money from him. I have bills to pay, just like you do."
She put a hand on the side of her face, as if attempting to block me from her line of vision. "I would have paid you back someday, Keanu."
He sighed heavily. "Coral, we won't press charges as long as you're honest with me about everything."
She removed the hand and hiccupped back a small sob. "All right. What else do you want to know?"
Keanu continued to pet the cat, which looked like he had no intention of ever moving from his lap. "First off, why did you fill the ketchup containers with hot sauce? Was it just to get Carrie into trouble, or was there another reason?"
Coral shifted in her seat. "It was the morning that he—the food critic—came in. I was alone with Poncho first thing, and he was so busy that he didn't even notice what I was doing." She paused for breath. "I removed two containers from Carrie's station but didn't have time to bring the new ones out before—" Coral paused.
Her voice sent an Arctic chill through me. "Before what? Why would you do this to me?" I'd always tried to be nice to the girl.
Coral narrowed her eyes. "I was jealous of you. You have everything that I want. Did you know that I tried out for a part at the Hana Hou as well? That was the first time I've ever auditioned for anything, and it was hard for me. I'm a theater major too. You probably get every role you want, have a great family, and you also have—" She looked at Keanu but didn't finish the sentence.
It was amazing that someone who didn't even know me could think my life was perfect. "You're right. I do have a good life. But it hasn't always been like that."
Coral's expression was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Forget about me. Let's talk about you." I wasn't about to discuss my family with Coral. I didn't enjoy talking about them with anyone, including Keanu, but Coral was still a virtual stranger in many ways. Given everything that had already happened, I doubted the girl could be trusted. Sure, she had apologized, but that didn't matter. "Are your parents married?"
Keanu continued to pet the cat in silence, happy to let me conduct my own line of questioning.
She reached for a tissue on the coffee table. "No. My mother is all that I have, and she's wonderful. Keanu, please don't tell her about this. She'd freak."
"If you cooperate," Keanu said, "and pay back the money, no one will ever hear about it. I give you my word."
Curiosity reigned over my mouth. "I have a question. What's your relationship to Randolph Cremshaw?"
Coral appeared startled, almost as if I'd dared ask how her love life was. "The food critic who died? What makes you think I had a relationship with him?"
"Because I saw a picture on Facebook of the two of you together. It was taken a few years ago."
She twisted the tissue between her hands and said nothing.
I decided to try another tactic. "Was he a relative?"
Her dark eyes met mine, and she blew out a long sigh. "You could say that. He was my father."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Keanu eyed Coral suspiciously. "Was that another reason you fooled with the ketchup containers? Because you knew that your father was coming in?"
Coral was shocked. "No! I had no idea he was coming to the Loco Moco that day, honest. When I spotted him at the restaurant, shortly after Carrie got there, I ran out the patio door toward the beach because I didn't want to see him. I forgot about the containers until I learned what happened." She bit into her lower lip. "Like I said before, I wanted to get you into trouble. When I found out dear old Dad ate the hot sauce, I considered it a bonus."
Keanu raked a hand through his hair. "Well, at least we've solved one mystery."
This was disturbing. Coral had no regrets about what she'd done to me or her father. I knew nothing about her life and was careful not to pass judgment. Perhaps killing her with kindness was the way to go. "I'm sorry for your loss."
She pressed her lips together in a stubborn manner. "Don't be. He never acted like a father to me. When my mother told him she was pregnant, he didn't want anything to do with either one of us. Oh, he'd send her a check occasionally, but that was all. He never gave me anything, including his love. The last time he came to the house was when I was sixteen. My mother raised me, not him." Her next statement shocked me. "I'm glad he's dead."
I shivered at the words. "You don't mean that."
Coral's face was pinched tight with anger. "Yes, I do! He wouldn't even give me any money for college. My mother can barely make ends meet, but do you think he'd offer to lend a hand? He's got plenty of money. Instead he lets that trampy wife of his have it all."
Okay, now we were getting somewhere. Coral was not a fan of Belinda's. "How do you get along with your stepmother?"
Coral clenched her fists at her side. "I don't. They've only been married a couple of years. I've never actually met her, and don't care to."
"How often did your father come to Hawaii?" I asked. "He used to live here, right?"
"He grew up in Honolulu, but he spent some time in Kauai after graduation and always comes back at least once a year for a visit. Of course, it has nothing to do with me living here." Her lower lip
trembled. "When Dad started making a name for himself in the food business, he decided that he was better suited to an atmosphere like Los Angeles, so he moved there. That's where he met—her. Belinda." Coral almost spat the name out. "If you want to know the person who killed him, look no further than dear old stepmommy. I'd stake my life on it."
Keanu and I exchanged glances. "Why would she want to kill your father?" he asked.
Coral's laugh was hollow. "Isn't it obvious? Money, of course. I have to go see some dopey detective at the police station tomorrow, thanks to her. Apparently when he questioned her this morning, she gave him my name, so he knows of my existence."
"But Belinda was a model. She must have made a ton of money at her profession," I said, remembering Keanu's words from earlier.
Coral furrowed her brow. "She lost a lot of dough through bad investments, and now she's too old to get any really good gigs. Belinda's just a washed-up has-been whose career was tainted by scandal."
"What kind of scandal?" Keanu asked.
Coral snickered. "She lusts after men—younger men, that is. Guys about your age. She met Dad one night when he was reviewing a restaurant in Hollywood a few years ago. Belinda must have decided he'd make a great meal ticket. Since then there's rumors she's had affairs with several camera men, directors, and even my uncle. I heard from a mutual friend that my father found out and was getting ready to file for divorce."
"Did they have a prenup?" I asked.
She did a palms-up. "No idea. But I'm betting she stands to inherit money, or a life insurance policy at the very least. The will hasn't been read yet, but I'm sure Mom and I will get squat, like always."
"When was the last time you actually spoke to or saw your father?" Keanu asked.
"I called Daddy dearest a few days before he got into town. That's how I found out he was coming to the island." Her voice filled with bitterness. "I asked him to please reconsider about the money, and once again he refused. Do you know what my father told me? That I needed to do things for myself. Boy, that's rich. I'm his only child. He's my father, so isn't he supposed to help me? He always gave Mom a hard time about child support too. Finally she got so sick of the battle that she stopped asking. Do you have any idea what it feels like to know your own father never wanted you?"
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9) Page 50