Maui Widow Waltz (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series)

by JoAnn Bassett

  “Do you think Brad and Kevin wanted to sell the company?”

  “I don’t know. But with the price climbing, it had to be tempting. But neither one of them ever talked to me about it.”

  “Can you give me the name of the possible takeover company?”

  “No comment.”

  “How am I supposed to help you if you won’t tell me anything?” I said.

  He put two fingers on his neck as if taking his pulse on his carotid artery. “Look, Miss Moon, I’m not trying to stonewall you. I’m fighting for my livelihood here.”

  “So am I, Todd.”

  I check the time on my cell phone. Tank Sherman would be at my shop in less than two hours.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said. “If you think of anything you can tell me, please call me at home or on my cell. My business line’s been disconnected.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Noni and Tank were due at four, but by four-thirty there was still no sign of them. My Auntie Mana used to say ‘the servant waits on the ali’i, but never the other way around’ so I refused to hang out any longer.

  I was shoving the last battered cardboard box into my Geo when the black BMW pulled in across the street. Noni was driving, Tank riding shotgun. His head lolled against the passenger window as if his bulky neck was weary of holding up his fat face.

  I turned my back and pretended not to see them. Then I slammed the trunk lid and race-walked to Farrah’s.

  Tank lumbered into the store before Farrah and I’d had a chance to rehearse how we were going to play it. I was still undecided whether I should pretend to go along with Tank’s plan to buy ‘Let’s Get Maui’d’ and then renege if I got the reward money; or take a chance and tell him I wasn’t going to sell. If I didn’t get the reward money I’d probably be sorry if I chose option two. Knowing Tank, if I refused him now, he’d punish me by refusing to pay me anything later.

  “Well, well,” Tank said as he waddled over to where we were standing. Noni was right behind him but I couldn’t see her around his bulk. His porcine eyes took us in as if we’d been sculpted in chocolate. “My two favorite wahines. How’s it hangin’, girls?”

  He’d gained even more weight since the last time I’d seen him. At only five foot eight the guy looked like he tipped the scales at three-fifty or better. He wore baggy cotton shorts that bunched up in his crotch. His gelatinous thighs slapped together with every step. I glanced down to see how he held up all the bulk. In his green rubber flip-flops, his feet looked like two Chinese pot-stickers with a green scallion garnish.

  A cigar stub jutted from the side of his mouth.

  “No smoking in here,” said Farrah. She hauled out a sand-filled butt bucket from under the front counter. “Ditch it.”

  “No way,” Tank shot back. “This here’s a Cuban. Besides, it’s not even lit.”

  “It still stinks, and this is a place of business. Use of tobacco products is against the law in here.”

  “Yeah, well don’t sweat it, ipo, because I’m here to relieve you of your enforcement duties.”

  Farrah swallowed hard. I knew how she felt. It was one thing to verbally agree to sell your business to a slob like Tank, it was another thing altogether to actually hand over the keys.

  “I’ll need some time to move out,” said Farrah. “After all, I live here. I need to look for a new place.”

  “Don’t panic,” he said. “Nobody’s kicking you out today. Mostly I wanted to just drop by and make sure everybody’s going to play nice before I set up a closing date.”

  “When will that be?” I said.

  “Sometime around the end of the month.”

  “How’s Farrah supposed to run the store and look for a new apartment at the same time?”

  “Hey, you ladies knew I was buying this building. Not my problem you left it to the last minute to get your affairs in order.”

  “Yeah,” Noni chimed in, “I came by and talked with you girls more than a week ago. You’ve had plenty of notice.”

  Tank scowled at her. She bobbed her head in submission and retreated a half-step.

  Tank started walking down the first aisle, taking in the shelves. “Looks like you’ve been lax in restocking since I made my offer. I may have to factor that into my price.”

  “What are you talking about?” Farrah said. “We agreed on a price. Everything’s the same. Ask my suppliers. I haven’t changed my ordering in five years.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll need to take a look around.”

  He shuffled down the snacks and cookie aisle, grabbed a bag of Double Stuf Oreos and ripped into the package.

  “That’ll be four dollars and seventy cents,” Farrah said in her proprietress voice.

  “Oh, I think not,” Tank mumbled back. Black cookie bits flew from his mouth as he chomped and talked at the same time.

  Noni turned to me and said in a whisper, “I’d like to go next door and see where you keep everything.”

  We slipped out the back while Tank and Farrah argued the price of Oreos.

  Once we got outside Noni said, “Mr. Sherman’s asked me to operate the bridal business for a few months until he can move it to the new location.”

  “Why would he move it?”

  “Because he’s taking down this building. He’s already got investors lined up to underwrite a three-story parking structure on this site. He’ll be closing the store and the wedding shop by the end of summer.” She shot me a saccharin smile. I couldn’t keep my lower jaw from dropping open as I took in the news. I skidded to a stop.

  “But this is a historic building. The store’s been here for more than a hundred years.”

  “That’s quaint and all, but we’re not here to do a documentary for the History Channel. Mr. Sherman’s bringing growth and prosperity to the island. And Pa’ia Town needs visitor parking way more than it needs this old store or your silly bridal shop. Now, let’s go inside and see what you’ve got.”

  My shop looked beyond bare. I’d already rolled up the tattered throw rugs and I’d stripped the walls of the few items I’d hung there. I’d even disassembled the three way mirror and the changing stall. The pieces were haphazardly piled in a corner.

  “What’s all that over there?” she said pointing to the pile.

  “Oh, those are your dressing room fixtures. They’ll need to be put back together before you re-open.”

  “Why’d you take them down?”

  “They need to be thoroughly cleaned. This is a very visual business, Noni, and prospective brides can get very turned off if they see any grime or smudges. Not to mention, I needed to spray for cockroaches and check out some fresh rat droppings.”

  She wrinkled her nose but said nothing.

  “All the pieces are there.” I crossed my fingers behind my back. Actually, all the large pieces were there, but the screws, bolts, and cotter pins had somehow ended up in the glove box of the Geo. They wouldn’t be found for a while.

  Of course all of Hatch’s lavender gifts—the candles, wreath, basket, and pillows—had already been hauled up to my house. I’d asked a friend of a friend with a pickup truck to help me move my desk and chair later in the month. I planned to generously bequeath Tank with the sagging sofa and bead curtain. Both evoked memories of Kevin I hoped to leave behind.

  Noni held out her hand, palm up. “Key?”

  “Why should I give you a key? Tank hasn’t bought the building yet.”

  “He’s paying for the business and this place is a mess. I’ll need to hire some people to fix it up so I can operate from here until I can find a nicer place. Face it, Pali, you’re pau—finished.”

  I showed her where I’d hidden a key outside and then rushed back to Farrah’s.

  “Did he tell you he’s going to demolish this building?” I asked.

  “What? Why?”

  “According to Noni he’s going to put up a parking garage.”

  “Hell,” she said, “I was feeling crappy enough, and now this.” She used
a box cutter to split open a cardboard box of paper towels. “Do you think he can actually do that? Don’t you think the city fathers or mothers or whoever will stop him?”

  “Well, he’ll probably need to get a zoning variance. I think all of Baldwin Avenue is zoned for shops, restaurants and professional offices. I doubt if that includes parking garages. But way back when they did the zoning they’d probably never even heard of a parking garage. They’ll probably hold a public meeting and see if anyone objects.”

  She shot me a look and we both barked a bitter laugh.

  “As if local objections ever slowed down raging development on Maui,” said Farrah.

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure a variance won’t be tough for him to get. You know how hard it is for tourists to find parking around here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they not only approve it but offer the county’s bulldozers to help with the demolition.”

  “Total bummer.”

  “One glimmer of hope,” I said. “This building could probably get historical landmark status. Didn’t you tell me it was the original company store for the old sugar plantation?”

  Farrah dropped her head and began paring her thumbnail with the box cutter.

  “I didn’t finish the paperwork.” She said it so quietly I had to replay the comment in my mind to make sure I’d heard her correctly.

  “What paperwork?”

  “When my mom had the store, she got some paperwork from the historical society. I found it in her stuff later. She died before she got it filled out. I always meant to finish it, but every time I looked at it I just got too bummed out.”

  “So do it now.”

  “Can’t. They only give you five years to apply after you record the deed.” She shot me a defiant look. “It’s harder than you think, Pali. The form’s about thirty pages long, and they wanted all sorts of historical research stuff. It was impossible. I was just a teenager.”

  “Wow, it looks like Tank’s going to be allowed to destroy a huge piece of Hawaiian history so he can rip off tourists coming to see historic Pa’ia Town. Kind of a weird oxymoron, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not sure what that means, but I’m sure I agree. Who’d of ever thought a high school loser like Tank would end up kicking our asses?”

  We stood there, not saying anything, for a few moments.

  “Oh, before I forget,” she said, “he left us these. He called them a good-will gesture.” She pulled two white business-size envelopes from a pocket in her mu’u mu’u and handed me one with my name on it. I ripped it open and saw a cashier’s check drawn on a Honolulu bank for five thousand dollars. He’d had the bank make it out to my legal name.

  “Not much for all your hard work, is it?” Farrah said, leaning in to look at my check. “Oh wow, I’d forgotten all about your real name.”

  “It’s a bitch.” I said.

  “What? Handing your business over to Tank Sherman, or your beastly name?”

  “Both.”

  Farrah used the box cutter to zip open her envelope. She took out the check. Her hands trembled as she held it. Tears pooled in her eyes.

  “That’s a lot of money,” I said.

  “Dirty money,” she replied. “I’ve let everyone down, starting with not honoring my mom and dad’s memory. And then when Tank bulldozes this building a lot of Maui history will go with it. But most of all, I let Kevin down—in the worst possible way. I should never have told Noni anything.”

  Farrah waved the box cutter in front of her face. “If I find out Tank killed my darling Kevin over a damn parking garage I’ll rip that fat bastard’s beating heart right out of his chest.”

  So much for make love, not war.

  CHAPTER 27

  At dinner Friday night, Farrah announced she’d be moving back to her apartment in the morning.

  “I’m crowding you guys, and I’ve got to find a new place to live before the end of the month. And since I don’t have wheels, it’ll be easier to look for a new pad if I’m down in town.”

  We all made the appropriate denials about her being in the way, but it was mostly nice noise. In the past couple of days, all three of us had privately voiced our dismay over the lack of bathroom time and privacy.

  “You taking the dogs?” Hatch said.

  “Of course.”

  He nodded, but a spark of anguish flashed across his face.

  “Oh, and the little spotted pup’s all yours if you want it,” Farrah said. “It needs to stay with Lipton for a few more weeks though—until he’s weaned.”

  “Mahalo, Farrah. I’d really like that.” Hatch grinned as if he’d been chosen Employee of the Month and given his own parking space.

  “What’s with you two?” Steve said.

  “Who two?” Hatch asked.

  “You two.” Steve wagged a finger at me and Hatch. “I practically need to grab a jacket when the two of you are in the same room. You guys have a fight or something?”

  “Not that I know of,” said Hatch.

  “Me neither.”

  “It’s me,” said Farrah. “We’re all getting on each other’s last nerve. You guys were really nice to take me in but it’s time for me to go. Things will get back to normal once I clear out.”

  Later that night I was sitting on the porch when Hatch thumped through the door.

  “Sorry, didn’t realize you were out here.” He turned to go back inside.

  “No, stay. I should be getting to bed anyway.” I stood up.

  He touched my arm. “Steve’s right, you know. You’ve been acting pretty harsh toward me.”

  “Harsh? I don’t think I’ve been acting any different than normal.”

  He leaned in and I could smell a slight hint of his aftershave.

  “Are you mad because I won’t muck around in this murder investigation with you?”

  I thought about it for a few moments. “No. It would’ve been nice to have your help, but I understand why you might not want to do it.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because you’re a fireman now and you don’t want to be reminded of what you gave up.”

  He shot me a rueful smile. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

  We stood close together, neither one moving, for what seemed like a few beats too long.

  “Something else is bothering you,” he said. “What is it?”

  “Let’s sit down.”

  We each took a wicker chair and, once we got settled, Hatch pulled out a pencil and pushed it down inside his cast. “Man, this thing itches. I can’t believe I’ve got to put up with this thing for another month.”

  “Speaking of itches: what’s the story on you and that redhead you picked up at Cisco’s on Wednesday?” It flew out of my mouth and just laid there like a rotting fish.

  “Oh, so that’s it. You jealous?”

  “Jealous? No. I’m only asking because I was concerned about your welfare.”

  “Well, shoot.” Hatch said. Even in the semi-darkness I could see the beginnings of a sly smile. “Sorry if I made you worry, but my welfare was in very capable hands.”

  I didn’t say anything. No, truthfully, I couldn’t say anything. I felt my throat constrict and my eyes burned as if I’d chopped a pound of onions. Thankfully the porch light was only twenty watts.

  “You okay?” Hatch’s smile faded.

  I cleared my throat.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Bad attempt at humor.” He reached over and touched my arm. “I was excited about going up to that lavender farm and getting you all that stuff for Valentine’s Day. A guy on my shift lives up there—in Kula. His wife—the redhead you saw—offered to come down and get me so I could get an early start in the morning. I stayed up at their house with their two kids, three ornery Rottweilers and a pygmy goat. As I said, I was in very capable hands.”

  ***

  On Saturday morning I took Farrah and the dogs down to the store before it opened. As we pushed the door open, Lipton dashed inside and ran up and down the aisles,
seemingly thrilled to be home among familiar smells. Farrah went back out to the car and carried the puppy box inside. She put it down near the front counter and Lipton immediately set to work hauling her offspring, one by one, out of the box and onto the wide plank floor.

  “What if someone sees the dogs?” I said.

  “Like I give a rip. I deposited Fatso’s check in the bank right after he left. They put a hold on it, but if Tank tries to stop payment on it I’m sure they’ll tell him it already cleared. None of the girls at the bank were very thrilled at the notion of this store being turned into a parking garage.”

  “Have you thought about what you’ll do now?”

  “The money’s enough to keep me going for a while. I’ll probably do some tarot readings and stuff like that to keep my skills up. And, if it’s all right with you, I’ll sign up to do weddings and flowers for some of the other wedding planners on the island.”

  “No problem. Unless I can pull off a miracle, it won’t be long before I’m doling out watered-down mai tais at the No Ka Oi Luau.”

  “Oh gawd, don’t say that. I feel so guilty. I should share my windfall.”

  “Mahalo for the thought, but there’s no reason both of us should be poor.”

  “Well, at least I should go down there and work with you.”

  “No dis, girl, but you show up in a coconut bra and they’d cite you for indecent.”

  She looked down at her generous bosom. “Do they make a watermelon bra?”

  I kissed her on the cheek and then got out of there before the laughing stopped and the crying got underway.

  ***

  That night it was my turn to make dinner. I wasn’t the cook Steve was, but I managed to pan-fry a piece of mahi mahi and serve it on a bed of fresh garlic-braised spinach. It turned out better than I’d expected.

  “This is a really good, Pali,” Steve said when we sat down to eat. “So good in fact, that even though you’re being all hush-hush about poking into this murder investigation and you’re completely shutting me out, I’ll still share a tidbit you’d never find out on your own.”

  I gave him the okay, spill look. Hatch kept eating.