Nick leaned back on the leather headrest and closed his eyes. Either the Advil was working or the Jacuzzi was doing its job. Probably both. He felt so good, he actually catnapped for the next twenty minutes. He used up another forty minutes showering, shaving, and dressing.
Now what was he supposed to do at eight-thirty in the evening, Hawaiian time? He’d sent the entourage he traveled with home. Actually, they should be boarding their flight that very minute. He was alone, and he savored the peace and quiet.
Dressed in creased khakis and a white golf shirt that showed off his tan, he headed out of his suite to the elevator and the bar in the lobby. What better place to find out information than from a bartender. He hated doing it, but he was going to trade on his celebrity to gain information.
Heads turned when Nick walked into the bar. The patrons started to whisper among themselves, but no one approached him. For as long as he could remember, people just never came up to him unless it was after a tournament. Patty said he gave off an aura of some kind that said stay away, and people recognized it and gave him the space he needed.
Nick took a seat at the far end of the bar. He nodded to a few people and turned away. Stay away, the nod said. The bartender, a handsome young guy with dark eyes, grinned and said, “Congratulations, Mr. Mancuso! What can I get you?”
“A cold beer would be great.”
“Coming up. Glass?”
“Nah.” The bartender grinned as he placed the uncapped beer on a round cardboard disk. He reached under the bar and brought up a bowl of peanuts and some other kind of mix that looked crunchy and salty. He waited just a few moments to see if Nick would initiate conversation. His face lit up like a Christmas tree when Nick asked him if he knew Kala Aulani.
“You know it! She’s a second cousin of mine. Great lady. She lives here on the island, you know. Well, when she’s here she lives here. Guess that doesn’t make sense. She lives stateside in Georgia and comes back once a year or so. Usually for the family reunion. Really nice lady. Do you know her?”
“Actually, I do. One of my friends works for her firm. She’s on a six-month vacation because she retired.” He hated to lie, but he lied anyway. “Kala does legal work for me from time to time. I’m going to miss her because now someone else has to do my work.”
The bartender relaxed. The guy knew stuff about his cousin that no one else knew, so he had to be legit, and besides, he was the number two golfer in the country. “One of her partners was here a few days ago. Didn’t stay long.”
“That so? Must have been Linda.”
Convinced that it was okay to keep talking to this guy, seeing as how he knew the partner’s name and all, the bartender said, “Yeah. Yeah, that was her name. Guess she was doing some business for Kala since she’s away.”
Nick swigged at the beer and picked at the nuts in the bowl. Macadamia nuts. His favorite. Now all he had to do was find out where Kala’s house was. He struggled for nonchalance when he swiveled around on the bar stool and looked around the room. “I think her house is somewhere around here,” he said vaguely. “Hey, can I buy you a beer?”
“Can’t drink on duty. Yeah, she lives on Liliuokalani Street, the biggest house on the street.”
“I knew it was something like that. I wouldn’t even try to spell it. Well, if you see her before I do, give her my regards. Tell her had she been here, I would have taken her out to dinner. It’s been a tough day, so I think I’m going to retire. Thanks for the conversation. Nice meeting you.” Nick stuck out his hand and so did the bartender.
Suddenly shy, the bartender asked for his autograph. It wasn’t just one autograph, though. It was several dozen for his assorted cousins and nephews. “And a few nieces.” He grinned.
Nick laughed and signed his name on cocktail napkins till his hand went numb. He waved and left the bar and took the elevator to his room. He popped another beer from the small fridge and carried it out to his balcony. He sat down and propped his feet up on the table and tried to relax. It was still light out. He could have taken a taxi to Kala’s house. He told himself it was better to wait till morning. He’d have all night to dream about Sophie Lee. If he was right, he might even see Sophie Lee.
Downstairs in the bar, the happy-go-lucky bartender made sure all his customers were served and needing nothing before he made a call on his cell phone. “Kiki, listen up.” The bartender rattled off what had happened with the golfer Nick Mancuso. “You told me to report anything with all the statesiders here, so I’m reporting. I think the guy is who he said he is, and he knew Kala, and she did legal work for him. No, he said he was sorry she wasn’t here because he would have taken her to dinner. He didn’t say how much longer he would be here, but his people left the hotel earlier and are probably on the eight o’clock flight to California. I checked with the front desk, and Mr. Mancuso is the only one who remained behind. He signed a bunch of autographs. Nice guy, but he did want to know where Kala lived, and I told him. I have one of the bellboys watching to see if he leaves his suite. Yeah, Kiki, you do owe me.”
The bartender stared out across the room. He felt like a snitch, and he didn’t like the feeling.
But family came first. That was all there was to it.
Chapter 14
SOPHIE LEE WAS WATCHING A RECAP OF THE GOLF TOURNAMENT with tears in her eyes. In a million years she never thought Nick would be the second leading golfer in the country. She knew that he would be a success in whatever he did, but golf had never entered her mind. She remembered how he caddied on the weekends, thanks to Father Davidson, who had gotten him the job. The best perk, though, was that the part-time job came with free golf lessons.
When Nick lined up his winding forty-foot birdie putt on the fifteenth hole and it undulated into the cup, Sophie held her breath before letting out a whoop of joy as both clenched fists shot in the air. “Way to go, Nick!”
And Nick was right here, so close she could walk to his hotel. She could even call the hotel and leave a message. Did she dare? She wanted to call him so bad she could taste the feeling, but she knew she wouldn’t. She had promised to follow the rules, and she would keep that promise. Sister Julie had taught them early on that if you didn’t live by the rules, then you courted disaster. And this time, she would follow the rules to the letter.
Sophie Lee loved Nick Mancuso. She had loved him from the age of seven but had never let on, not for a minute. One day, when she was sixteen, Sister Julie had taken her aside and had a long talk about what the nun called the birds and the bees. Sister Julie had also said that Father Davidson was having the same talk with Nick. From that day on, many eyes were on them, and that was okay; neither one of them minded. They were friends. Just friends. No one could get inside her mind, or know what she dreamed about at night. Well, that was then, and this was now.
Sophie continued to watch the recap of the tournament, riveted. When the cameras were still on her old friend in the clubhouse, she could restrain herself no longer. The tears came gushing and flowing down her cheeks. So close and yet so far away.
Just as the sportscaster was asking Nick how long he was staying in the islands, Sophie heard voices in the downstairs foyer. Kiki. What was he doing there at that time of the evening? She half heard Nick say he was going to stay on a few more days to do some island hopping because he wanted to see and possibly play on Hawaii’s other famous golf courses. She was more intent on listening to what Kiki was saying, but she couldn’t understand a word because he and Mally were talking in their own language. While Mally understood English, speaking it was another matter. Pidgin English was how Kiki had explained it to her. Mally was shy and worried that her English wouldn’t be understood, so she kept all conversations short and relied on her smiles to get her points across.
Sophie knew there was a problem by the tone of Kiki’s voice, and she also knew in her gut that the problem was Dominic Mancuso. She waited a few more minutes before she made her way into the huge walk-in closet to pick up the packed ba
g that was ready for her. She was holding it when Kiki knocked on her door. Without saying a word, she followed him out to the hall and down the long staircase. Mally hugged her, then placed a lei around her neck.
Settled in the car, Sophie was struck again by how handsome the young man was. He looked like he belonged on a surfboard in a television commercial advertising the islands.
“We’re not going far. A cousin who is on the mainland on sabbatical has offered his house for emergencies. We take care of it for him. There is only one hitch.” He grinned. “You have to take care of his dog. She’s a female, and her name is Ursula. We call her Sula. She guards the house, and we take turns taking her for walks and feeding her, but she can do all of that herself. It is our obligation to do this. With a family as large as ours, there is always someone willing to do what is needed. Sula will also take care of you. By the way, no cook or housekeeper this time around. But someone will do your shopping, and there’s plenty of food in the fridge. You still stay to ground until they say otherwise. You can still walk the beach, swim, whatever you want, but do not go to town. You call us at the numbers we gave you if something comes up. Like I said, Sula will take care of you. You okay with this, Sophie?”
She was okay with it. And she liked the idea of no one else being in the house with her. She knew how to cook and clean. What she liked best about the move was the dog. She loved animals. “Is this move because of Nick?”
“Yes,” Kiki said curtly. “And another reason. Two reservations were made from the district attorney’s office in Georgia for an early-morning flight tomorrow. A cousin works for Hawaiian Airlines.”
“Oh,” was all Sophie could think to say.
“My cousin has already called Kala’s office to tell them, so you see the importance of the move. Your golfing friend just wants to renew your friendship; the others want something else.”
Sophie nodded. “I wonder if they know I’m here or just suspect that I’m here.”
“Your friend might have something to do with it. He’s here, and they know you know each other and have a history. They probably have someone watching him. Who that would be, I don’t know. We have cousins in Hawaii Five-0, and they would tell us. They have a duty, I’m told, to help out fellow law-enforcement agencies. Having said that, they will let us know first, and we are not a chatty people. We will smother them in leis and go about our business.”
In spite of herself, Sophie laughed.
“Okay, we’re here. Let me introduce you to Ursula. I think I should tell you, she does not like that name. If you call her Ursula, she will ignore you. She responds only to Sula.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Kiki got out and reached for Sophie’s bag. “Just so you know, your neighbors are watching us, so don’t get spooked. It’s a good thing.” Kiki whistled sharply and a dog almost as big as a small pony galloped across the lawn, skidded to a stop, then held up his paw for Kiki to shake, which he promptly did. “Sula is very formal. It’s your turn.” Sophie held out her hand to shake the dog’s paw. Sula let loose with a soft woof of welcome. “Sula loves company. She also loves it when you make her a lei. A small one. I don’t know why that is.
“Okay, Sula, Sophie is your new best friend. Give her the tour while I ... go along, I’ll be in in a few minutes.”
Sophie followed the huge dog from room to room. When Sula wanted her to see something of particular interest, she nudged her thigh. “I see it, the old treat jar. Okay, here we go.” Sophie opened a bright yellow jar that said TREATS on the front and handed over a chew bone.
Spinning in a circle to take it all in, Sophie said, “Oh, wow, I love this house! I love all this teak, the marble floors, the French doors, and that lanai is to die for. I think you and I are going to spend a lot of time out there. I know how to cook. Or do you just eat dog food?” Sula stopped chewing and looked up at her as if to say, What do you think? Sophie laughed.
By the time Sula finished her chew bone, Kiki was back in the house. “All set?”
“Yep.” She grinned from ear to ear as Sula nudged Kiki toward the front door.
“See? That’s what I meant. She’s telling me it’s time to go, and she’ll take over now. I’ll see you when I see you.” Sula gave Kiki one last nudge. When the door closed behind him, she reared up and shoved the dead bolt into place with a paw that was as big as Sophie’s open palm. She looked over at Sophie for approval.
“That’s great, you even know how to lock up. Good girl! Okay, that’s your job from now on. Well, it’s still early, so let’s go outside on the lanai and drink some pineapple juice. I’ll give you another treat, and we can cuddle on that big lounge chair out there and look at the stars.”
Sula cocked her head to better observe her new temporary mistress before she headed back to the treat bowl. Sophie laughed out loud when the dog barked twice—surely it meant two treats.
Comfortably settled into a lounge with a frosty glass of fresh pineapple juice, her arm around the huge dog, Sophie started to talk and couldn’t stop. Finally, someone to listen to her who would not judge, talk back, disapprove. When she cried, Sula licked her tears. When she said with all the vehemence she could muster, “I hate that man. I really hate him, Sula. He took away ten years of my life; that’s why I’m here now with you. I need him to pay for what he did to me. He didn’t have a shred of evidence that I was the one who killed her and not Adam Star. But he was so sure, and he convinced that jury. I know God is going to punish me for my evil thoughts, but right now I don’t care. If it weren’t for him, I might ... Nick would ...” She never finished what she was going to say because she was so tired and filled with anxiety that she fell asleep in midsentence.
Sula wiggled free of Sophie’s embrace when she was satisfied her new mistress’s breathing was even and steady. She inched to the corner of the lounge chair and dropped her big head onto her paws. She did not go to sleep. She sat on guard all through the night and into the early hours of the morning until Sophie woke. Only then did she trot off to the dense undergrowth surrounding the small compact house to do what she had to do.
Meanwhile, while Sophie was taking an early-morning swim with Sula, just minutes away from Sophie’s new residence, Nick Mancuso was knocking on the front door of Kala Aulani’s house.
Mally, already alerted to the news that someone was going to come looking for Sophie, opened the door, a huge smile on her face. She continued to smile as Nick presented his case. She started to jabber in her own language, to Nick’s dismay. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a picture of himself and Sophie taken when she’d graduated nursing school. Mally smiled and nodded and then shrugged. Nick pointed to the house and Mally again shook her head as though perplexed at where he was pointing. Kiki had told her to invite him into the house, wave her arms about to indicate he could look around, then offer him a glass of pineapple juice, so she did just that. Unsure what the little woman was telling him, Nick stepped over the threshold. Mally waved her arms about again, so he started to walk around and marvel at the house that belonged to Kala. He even walked upstairs and poked his head into the different rooms.
Downstairs, he accepted the glass of pineapple juice, drained it, and nodded to Mally, but not before she draped a fragrant lei around his neck.
“You come back Miss Kala here.”
There was nothing for Nick to do but leave. He’d been so sure, so very sure that Sophie was here. What the hell did that wink Jed gave him mean? Maybe he was just jerking his chain. Nah, Jed wouldn’t do that. He knew that Nick had feelings, strong feelings for Sophie. Maybe she wasn’t there in that house, but she was in Hawaii somewhere. He felt it in his bones.
Nick walked back to his five-star hotel and made arrangements to do some island hopping. If nothing else, and he didn’t actually play a round of golf, he at least had to be able to say he’d visited all the golf courses Hawaii had to offer. Besides, his hip needed a break. Unable to sleep last night, he had pored over all the colorful
magazines and brochures the hotel had provided. He had an itinerary for the day, then he’d head home in the morning. He knew he’d never be able to find Sophie if Kala had hidden her, so there was no point in staying. So much for hope springing eternal and all that jazz.
As he walked along, following the shortcut the hotel concierge had provided, he noticed the biggest dog he’d ever seen in his life frolicking at the edge of the water alongside a slim young girl. It had been years since he had anything remotely like fun. Ah, well, one of these days, he decided, he’d take some time off and do just that. Maybe once he made his mind up to have the hip-replacement surgery, he’d come back there to recuperate. Maybe. That was like saying someday I’m going to do all these things when I get around to it. The sad part was, someday rarely arrived.
Where are you, Sophie? I know you’re here somewhere. I just know it. I feel like you’re just a heartbeat away.
With the five-hour time difference between Hawaii and Georgia, Ryan Spenser’s two ADAs stepped off the plane and looked around. Ginger Albright and Don Clark looked at each other as much as to say, I think I’m going to like this four-day minivacation. They’d flown coach, and each knew that their hotel accommodations would be less than desirable. Their food stipend was small. Ginger called it miserly. It didn’t really matter to either one of them because they were in Hawaii. The only request they made was for their rental vehicle to be an open jeep.
The jeep came with a road map and a GPS.
In less than an hour, they were on their way to a place called Monarch Suites. One suite for the two of them, one regular bed and a couch that opened to a bed. One bathroom. Ginger rolled her eyes, and said, “You get the couch, and I get first dibs on the bathroom.” Don agreed because he had no other choice—Ginger was senior to him.
An hour after checking in to the fleabag, as Don called it, they were wearing shorts and Hawaiian shirts they had picked up at the airport so they could blend in with the locals. The only problem was, they looked like tourists. Pale tourists.
Tuesday's Child Page 11