“You don’t think Sophie had anything to do with this, do you?” She asked.
“It’ll be easy enough to find out if she left the Goddess for any length of time.”
He paused a minute. Looked over Em’s wet clothes again. “The murderer usually finds the vic.”
She could tell he enjoyed getting to her. Across the room Wally had revived himself and was sobbing on Marley Martin’s shoulder again, clinging to the guitar player’s shirt.
“Where’s your uncle?” Sharpe asked.
“He’s over there.” Em indicated the bar out on the lanai.” Louie was talking non-stop to anyone who would listen. “The officers told him to stop pouring drinks.”
“Mahalo for that. A drunk witness is an unreliable witness.”
“Good luck then. Everyone was feeling pretty happy before this happened.”
The Hula Maidens were draped across chairs and sofas like wilted flower arrangements. Flora Carillo was passed out on the floor. Lil was sobbing into the ruffled hem of her skirt and Suzi Matamoto tried to console her.
Fernando’s other guests were taking his death in stride, chatting, taking photos with their phones. When Kiki noticed Roland, she got up and hurried across the room toward them.
“Marlene Lockhart killed him. I know she did.” Kiki squinted up at Roland and wagged a finger. “That woman wasn’t even invited and she showed up. You need to drag her butt in for questioning the way you did poor Sophie.”
“Calm down, Kiki,” Roland glanced around the room. “Where is Marlene?”
Kiki followed his gaze. “Ha! Gone. She snuck out early. Everyone was told to stay put but she didn’t. That should prove something. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll make certain she’s interviewed.”
“I hope so.” Kiki righted the lei crowning her head and walked back to the sofa to join the others.
Roland devoted his attention to Em again. “Was she here? Ms. Lockhart?”
Em nodded. “For a while. She came in late—at Louie’s invitation, not Fernando’s. She ran outside to see what was wrong right after I found the body. She looked like she was going to be ill.” Em glanced around. “I haven’t seen her since. She must have left before the police got here. I don’t necessarily like her, but I don’t think she’s a murderer.” Em shrugged. “It was dark outside and Fernando wasn’t familiar with the place. Maybe he tripped and hit his head on a rock and fell into the stream.”
“Pretty hard for a big man to drown in three feet of water unless he was out cold first.” Roland frowned. “Was your photographer here?”
“Trish is still here somewhere.”
“I want to see her photos before anyone else does this time.” He slipped his notebook out of his back pocket. “Where was everyone when Fernando walked out with Leilani?”
“Either here in the main room, on the back lanai, or out looking for Little Estelle. I can’t possibly know where everyone was.”
“Tell me her last name again.”
“Who?”
“The missing dancer.”
“Little Estelle Huntington. She’s Big Estelle Paulson’s mother. She had too much to drink and took off on her Gad-About. They found her passed out on the lawn.” She watched him scribble down a notation in his little notebook.
“Was she at the Goddess the night Harold was murdered?”
“Yes, of course. With the Maidens. But she’s ninety-five, Detective. I doubt she killed Fernando or Harold for that matter.”
He continued scribbling frantically.
“What are you writing now?”
“I’m making a note to call the water department and have them check to see if something crazy-making was added to the North Shore water.”
“Very funny.” Em was in no laughing mood. “Wally was the last one to see Fernando, I think.”
“Wally?”
“Wally Williams.” She pointed to the man with a bad case of helmet hair. “He’s…he was Fernando’s partner.”
“As in business?”
“As in significant other.”
He wrote Williams’ name down. “What about your uncle? Where was he right before Fernando disappeared?”
He hit another nerve. “Look, my uncle had nothing to do with this.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. He was behind the bar all evening. Ask anyone. Besides, my uncle had no reason on earth to murder Fernando.”
“Just Harold.”
Her cheeks were blazing again. She decided he must enjoy keeping her pissed off.
“If you aren’t going to book us, let us pack up and leave,” she said. “It’s been a long night and you know where to find us.”
Over on the sofa, Wally Williams had passed out again. An EMT was lifting his eyelid while another took his pulse.
Roland surprised her when he said, “Your crew can leave. Tell Kiki her ladies can go, too. I know where to find them.”
“Mahalo.” Em tried not to sound frustrated by his lingering suspicion.
“Don’t leave the island,” he reminded her.
“Don’t tempt me,” she mumbled.
17
Hula Maidens Unite
The next morning, the closed sign was out at the Goddess. Inside, breakfast was being served to a select few.
After Wally was released from the hospital and the police were through questioning him, Kiki drove in to pick him up. On the way back from Lihue, she had called an emergency meeting of the Maidens and brought him along. Propped up on a banquette near a window, Wally was suffering from a bad case of bed head. Kiki had administered a couple of Valiums and some Zoloft. Fernando’s poor bereaved partner was feeling no pain.
The Maidens had pushed four tables together in front of him and gathered around. Little Estelle’s Gad-About was parked at one end. She was chasing a bad hangover with a double Huli Huli. Big Estelle was at the other end of the table, talking on the phone to her brother in California.
“If she doesn’t shape up, I’m sending her back on a one-way ticket!” Big Estelle made sure her mother heard every word.
“Hang up,” Kiki snapped. “Time to start the meeting.”
“I have no idea what on earth I’ll do without Fernando.” Wally had roused himself for a moment to daub his eyes with a cocktail napkin. “I can’t go back there. At least not yet. I’m afraid every time I look at that stream I’ll see him lying there.”
“MyBob said you’re welcome to stay with us,” Lil offered. Her eyes were as pink as her hair and puffy from crying.
“He’s staying with us,” Kiki said. “Kimo will give him lomilomi.”
“I’m sure I could make him some lomilomi,” Lil said. “I just need a recipe.”
“Not lomi salmon. Hawaiian massage. Lomilomi.” Flora grunted. “You transplants. All the time Californicating the place all up.”
“I’m from Iowaaaaa…” Lillian started wailing again.
Kiki clapped her hands. “Now look what you’ve done. Everybody shut up. We’ve got work to do.” They were driving her crazy. Nothing new.
“Who would want to kill Fernando? He was the most gentle, loving creature on earth,” Wally sniffed.
“And so mahulicious,” Flora added.
Lil wiped her eyes and her mascara smeared into rings. She looked like a startled raccoon. “What’s mahulicious?”
Suzi translated. “It’s like gaylicious.”
“He was certainly that,” Wally sighed.
“Gaylicious?” Lillian paled and her eyes exploded inside their mascara rings. “As in Fernando was gay?”
“Hel-lo!” Kiki’s patience hit the wall. “Close your mouth, Lil, and shut up.”
For once Lillian was too stunned to cry.
By now they all knew what Kiki had learned in town; Fernando just hadn’t fallen into the stream. He’d been hit on the back of the head with a heavy object and was dead when he went into the water. Kiki looked around the circle of haggard faces. It was goin
g to take a hell of a lot of makeup to help this bunch.
“First things first,” she said. “We have a performance later today at the blessing for the new Shave Ice truck.”
Suzi frowned. “Should we do it? I mean, after last night and all—”
“The show must go on.” Kiki couldn’t believe Suzi would think of canceling. It wasn’t as if Fernando was a relative. “Besides, Fernando was a performer. He’d understand.”
Wally moaned.
“What’ll we wear?” Big Estelle asked.
“Well, it’s only the Shave Ice truck. How about our practice pa’u skirts?”
“Makes me look fat,” Flora said.
No one rushed to contradict her.
“Four yards of fabric gathered on four bands of elastic make all of us look fat,” Big Estelle said. “Even Suzi and she’s skinny.”
“What time?” Suzi wanted to know. “What about adornments?”
“Stick some white spider lilies in your hair and be there at three-thirty. The blessing starts at four. We get a complementary shave ice for dancing and it’s on the highway. We’re sure to be seen there and might get another gig out of it.”
Flora said, “Maybe somebody ought ta make a sign; we’ll work for food.”
Just then, Em walked up to the table carrying three large plates. “Breakfast burritos all around.”
Kiki waved her away. “I never eat this early.” She held up her Shark Attack. “By the way, does anyone want my celery stick?”
“The police think it was Louie, you know,” Flora reached for a plate.
Em handed one over. “Are you serious?”
Flora shrugged as she dug in. “They think Louie killed Harold. That’s what I heard at the Post Office this morning. Somebody’s sister said that her cousin heard from his grandpa that Louie is the number one suspect.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Em had passed out all three breakfasts. Sophie was in the kitchen dishing up more.
“Well, maybe that means Sophie’s off the hook.” Relieved, Kiki smiled.
Everyone nodded except Little Estelle. Her head was down, her cheek resting flat against the tabletop. Her eyes were closed. A puddle of drool had pooled on the table near her gaping mouth.
Em went back to the kitchen for more food.
“Where is Louie?” Kiki called after Em.
“I’m right here.” Louie strolled in looking refreshed and far more chipper than all of them put together. He held up his right hand, showed off a band-aid. “Letterman’s in a foul mood, though. I almost lost a finger trying out the Koi Pond Kicker. I’m never at my sharpest in the morning. Neither is Letterman.”
He planted his hands on his hips and studied the women. “What are you all doing here so early? Practicing already?”
“Putting our heads together,” Kiki informed him. “Trying to figure out who could have killed Fernando. The police still haven’t solved Harold’s murder and now there’s been another one and we were all there. We’re all potential suspects.” She looked around the table. “We need to get serious and solve this one ourselves, ladies.”
There were nods of agreement and Big Estelle said, “Right on!”
Kiki turned to Louie. “So, where’s The Defector? I’m surprised she’s not here spying on us.”
“Give it a rest, Kiki.” Louie’s smile never faltered. “You’re just jealous because Marlene’s a better dancer than you.”
“That’s not true. We just have different styles. Did you know Roland said he’s going to be paying your Marlene a little visit today?” She folded her arms, smug in the knowledge she had the detective’s ear. “She ran off before he could question her last night. I wonder why?”
Wally wailed, “Why? Someone tell me why would anyone kill Freddy?”
Little Estelle raised her head, blinked and looked around. “Who’s dead now? Who’s Freddy?”
Wally held the napkin to his lips until he collected himself. “Fernando. His real name was Freddy Castro. He’s from El Monte, California.”
“Not Spain?” Lillian looked stunned.
Wally rolled his eyes. “Fernando was a legend, literally, in his own mind.”
“Like one of Louie’s drinks.” Suzi Matamoto tried to talk around a mouth full of burrito.
“All of my legends are true,” Louie told her before he turned his attention to Kiki again. “Why on earth would Marlene kill Fernando?”
“Who knows why that woman does anything?”
Just then, Em rejoined them.
Wally went on, “Poor Freddy. He died in his prime, like Elvis and Marilyn. His candle burned out long before his legend ever did.”
They all hummed Candle in the Wind for a moment and then fell silent.
Kiki watched Em draw a triangle on a napkin.
“What are you doing?” Kiki asked.
“Trying to find a connection between Harold, Fernando and the Goddess. Harold and Fernando—easy. Harold was landscaping for Fernando and probably watching over the koi. Harold and the Goddess—a shared easement for the driveway and Louie and Harold’s connection through Irene. Fernando’s connection to the Goddess—hiring us to cater the housewarming.” She shrugged. “I can’t come up with anything that makes sense. Surely nothing that adds up to murder anyway.”
Sophie walked out of the kitchen with more burritos. She handed them out and went back for a plate for Em then returned and sat down beside her. Sophie pulled a folded sheet of lined paper out of her back pocket.
“I found this. Maybe it’ll help.” Sophie handed it to Em.
Kiki leaned over to take a look. “What is this?”
There were names and phone numbers in crooked handwriting.
Sophie shrugged. “Harold’s client list, I think.”
“What?” Em set down her fork and picked up the paper. “Where did you get this?”
Sophie mumbled something that sounded like, “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” and then added, “I was thinking we could call everyone on that list and chat them up. Ask if they know anything about why anyone would want to kill Harold. Maybe he said something to one of them that might be helpful.” She looked at Kiki, then the others and shrugged.
“I can’t do it,” Sophie told them. “I don’t think Em or Louie should be asking around either, seeing as how this second murder has put all of us under suspicion again.”
“But we were all at both murder scenes,” Kiki reminded Sophie.
The girl nodded. “Yeah, but I’m the only one who was hauled in so far. Em and Louie had the smoke beef going with Harold.” She shrugged.
Suzi had already polished off her burrito. “We could split up the list. I wouldn’t mind calling a few people. I’m sure there are lots of folks on there that I already know.”
Kiki recognized some of the names near the top. “I know the top three.”
“MyBob could make some calls, “ Lil volunteered him. “Say we need a gardener now that Harold is gone.”
“Was Harold your gardener?” Kiki asked.
“No. MyBob could say that, though.”
Kiki grabbed the list from Sophie and carefully tore it into thirds. She handed one to Suzi, one to Lil and kept one.
“That’s settled. Now what else does anyone know?”
Em said, “While I was serving last night, Fernando told me Harold talked to him about the property and the planning department. And something about the fish. It didn’t make much sense.”
“Harold never made much sense. Have you seen those piles of trash he called sculptures in his yard?” Suzi asked.
“Weird. Downright weird,” Big Estelle said. She glanced over at Little Estelle, who was sound asleep again.
“What exactly did he say?” Kiki asked. Time was wasting. She had a wedding to set up on a luxury property overlooking Secret Beach.
Em leaned back in her chair. She hadn’t touched her burrito. Kiki reached for Em’s fork and downed a couple bites.
“Something about fish bones,” Em sai
d.
“I remember,” Wally sat up straighter. “Harold said something about koi punda bones.”
“Koi punda?” Flora’s heavy brow was more wrinkled than a Sharpei’s. “No kine fish named koi punda. Get aku and ama’ama, aweoweo—”
“Oh, and I suppose you know all the names of all the fish,” Suzi turned on her.
“I know Hawaiian fish.” Flora’s drink was gone. She was back to sucking on her water bottle.
“Did you tell Roland about the fish bones? They might mean something, if that’s really what you heard.” Kiki noticed Em blushed as soon as she mentioned the fire dancer’s name.
“No, I didn’t. Maybe you should call him,” Em said.
“I think maybe you ought to call him. By the way, when Wally and I left the station this morning, Roland told me to ‘give Nancy Drew’ his regards.”
Em was definitely blushing now. Kiki liked stirring the pot as much as she liked fresh hot gossip.
“I must have a memorial for Freddy here on Kauai,” Wally sniffed.
“We’ll perform, of course,” Kiki volunteered. “No charge.”
“Where?” Suzi wanted to know. “Here at the Goddess?”
Wally whispered, “At Fernando’s Hideaway.”
“What’ll happen to the house now?” Lil wondered.
“Fernando left everything to me.” Wally shuddered and closed his eyes.
Kiki blinked and couldn’t do anything but stare at him for a moment before she glanced over Em who was studying Wally. Apparently Em was thinking what Kiki was thinking.
“He left you everything?” Kiki asked.
Wally casually waved his hand around. “Everything. The cars, the yacht in San Francisco. The houses…”
“Houses?” Sophie’s spiked hair was standing tall with bright purple highlights this morning. “As in how many?”
“Las Vegas, San Francisco, Aspen.” Wally recited the names with as much passion as he’d make a grocery list. “And now, Kauai.”
“Wow.” Sophie voiced what all of them were thinking. Wow.
Mai Tai One On Page 11