The Scent of Waikiki

by Terry Ambrose

  As if anticipating Benni’s shock at my ignorance, Sarah again reached out and put that calming hand of hers on Benni’s.

  “It’s not uncommon for one of the parties…”

  “The man,” Benni interrupted, then gave me a wicked grin. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

  “Point, Pink Team,” I shot back. But I got the message—I’d just been gently chastised for not having read “The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Married.” I wondered if my local library had a copy on the shelves.

  Sarah peered at me, and Benni chuckled. “Don’t worry, Sarah. That’s just McKenna’s way of letting us girls know he gets the message.”

  “Right,” Sarah said. “It’s not unusual for one of the parties to be unfamiliar with the process.”

  Clearing my throat, I did my best to sound enthusiastic. “Got it. Processional. Has to be orchestrated. Guide me through.”

  Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Sarah did exactly that. She covered the invocation and how we wanted introductions to go. I’d never thought about it, but we had to declare our intention to marry. When she got to the vows and ring exchange, Sarah peered at me.

  “You do have a ring, yah?”

  Benni snickered and held out her hand to show Sarah the engagement ring. “He got that one right.”

  Score one for the blue team. Finally. Sarah asked if we had anything special we wanted her to say when she declared us married and, thank goodness, even Benni was caught off-guard.

  When we finished our meeting with Sarah, we headed off to Lulu’s. As Benni drove, I recapped what Chance and I had done at Angela’s apartment. Benni seemed grim as she listened, but she didn’t interrupt, except to ask a few questions.

  We were lucky enough to come across a car leaving and parked a few blocks away from Lulu’s on Monsarrat. Parking is one of the big challenges in Waikīkī that will probably never be resolved. Where we were, however, gave me what I wanted, time to assuage any concerns Benni might still have. We sat in the car, her in the driver’s seat, me in the passenger’s. She had her hands on the wheel and kept her gaze forward.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’m getting there.”

  She turned sideways in her seat and regarded me for a few seconds. I waited, not wanting to tread on her thoughts or feelings.

  When she spoke, her voice was sad, distant. “When I’m not around you, it’s much easier to love you.”

  “Benni?”

  “Do you pay attention to what I say, McKenna?”

  “Of course I do. I love you.”

  “No, I mean, do you really pay attention? You’ve lived alone all your life. Now, you’re getting ready to move into a new phase. And the other night, I said you should follow your heart. Follow your dreams. Are you doing that? Really?”

  I sat there stunned. What did I say? Did I even know what my heart wanted?

  “Let’s go meet Chance and Lexie.” She abruptly opened the door and exited the car.

  It took me about two seconds to recover, then I rushed out of the car and caught up to her. As we stood at the light to cross Kapahulu, I glanced over my shoulder at the open space in front of the zoo entrance.

  “I’ve never been to the zoo,” I said.

  Benni looked at me and smiled. “We should go then.”

  “We should. After the wedding?”

  “Sure.”

  She held my hand the rest of the way to the restaurant, which was on the second floor above an ABC store. One of the things I loved most about Lulu’s, other than the fact that I could get a gluten-free burger, was the open-air atmosphere. The window tables overlooked the beach directly across the street. On days when the trade winds blew, this place was heaven.

  After exchanging hugs all the way around, Benni and I sat side-by-side across the table from Chance and Lexie. It wasn’t hard to see that they were both harboring some sort of news that looked like it might cause them to burst.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “You tell them,” Lexie said.

  “Oh, no, he’s your friend.”

  “He’s not a friend; he was an old professor.”

  “But you still stay in touch.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud,” I snapped. “Will one of you tell us who you’re talking about?”

  They both gushed their apologies, then Lexie said, “Colin Patel.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “He consults for perfume makers,” Lexie said. “He’s a chemist, but he was always fascinated by scents. I had to take basic chem from him and he was always getting carried away. He had us create our own perfume in one class. Mine was awful, but he was kind about it and gave me a C on the project. I think he did it as a favor to my dad.”

  “I hated chemistry in high school,” Benni said.

  I looked at her and smiled. “I’ll bet you still got an A.”

  She flushed and glanced across the table at Lexie. “Why would a professor do your dad a favor?”

  “When my dad was preparing for his first term on the City Council, he wanted to ask a lot of questions about wastewater discharge. He consulted with several of the profs at U of H. Colin actually came to our house for dinner a couple of times. I was a senior in high school, and then I ended up in his class the following year.”

  “So you’re on a first-name basis with this professor?” I asked.

  “Colin is just that kind of guy. Always friendly and has a smile for everyone. He’s not your typical science nerd. There were a few girls in my class that were there just because they thought he was so hot.”

  What happened to little dweebs running around in white coats and mumbling to themselves? Those were the professors I remembered.

  Chance angled himself sideways in his chair and looked at Lexie. His mouth hung open in a smile. “Wait, the Surfing Professor?”

  “You’ve heard of him?”

  “Are you kidding? He’s famous. Well, not big-time famous, but he’s pretty well-known. At least with surfers.”

  “And apparently the girls on campus,” I said.

  Benni nodded in recognition. “I’ve heard of this guy. He won a local competition, didn’t he?”

  “He came in third,” Chance said. “He washed out in the final round.”

  “Okay, can we get back to how he can help us?” I asked.

  “He’s really good about making complex chemistry understandable,” Lexie said. “At least he’s someone who knows about the business.”

  Benni raised her glass to her lips and got a wicked grin on her face. “Which is more than we can say for you two.”

  “Ouch,” I said, then smiled. A dig had never felt so good.

  While we waited for our food to arrive, Lexie made a phone call to Colin the Surfing Professor. I wanted to reserve judgment about him, but I already kind of resented him. He was probably tall, dark, handsome, smart, and a million other things that made the ladies go gaga. Whatever happened to that thing called distribution of wealth?

  It turned out Colin had no classes today and planned on surfing late in the afternoon. While Lexie was talking, Chance suggested he come to the beach at the Sunsetter Apartments. The waves were decent today, probably not what Mr. Awesome was used to, but he agreed to meet us between four and five for his sunset surf.

  Our lunch hour somehow grew longer and longer. By three, things in the restaurant had died down and we were starting to feel as though we were encroaching on everyone’s space. We adjourned and agreed to meet at my place.

  Chance and Lexie brought over their laptops and we set up shop on my dining room table. Gone were thoughts of the wedding, we all now seemed focused on resolving Grace’s case and the mystery of how, or if, a bottle of Primal had anything to do with the scam or Angela’s death.

  At four-thirty, there was a knock at the front door. Lexie was the first up. “It’s probably Colin,” she said as she rushed off.

  Indeed. And Mr. Awesome was even more detestable than I’d expected. Colin
Patel towered over Lexie and had to bend down to embrace her for their greeting. He was about six-foot tall, muscular, and had short light-brown hair. He reminded me of the guys who worked out in the park. I’d seen some who’d bulked up to the point where they looked like they would explode if they gained one more ounce of muscle mass.

  I shot a quick glance at Chance, who appeared unruffled by Lexie’s friendly manner with this tan Adonis. Benni pursed her lips and winked at me.

  “He’s hot,” she said, then giggled. “I think I want to take a chem class.”

  I glanced at Benni and she winked at me.

  “No way,” I said. “You’re stuck with me.” Holding out my hand, I stood and said, “Aloha. I’m McKenna. This is my fiancé, Benni, and Lexie’s boyfriend, Chance.”

  “Lexie told me about you two.” He gazed from me to Chance and back again. “You need information about the perfume industry?”

  Rats. He even had a deep, melodic voice. I ought to hate this guy. “Yes.” I smiled. Might as well get right down to business. “Have you heard about a new perfume from Island Passion called Primal?”

  He tilted his head to one side, and his lips spread in a wide smile. “Who hasn’t? That’s what this is about? Primal?”

  I nodded.

  He glanced at the couch. “Mind if I sit? This could take a while.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Colin Patel moved with the grace of someone comfortable in their own skin. He dressed the same way. His come-as-you-are choice of clothing included pale blue board shorts, slippahs, and a white T-shirt with a giant hand portraying a shaka sign. Of course, he was on his way to surf, so why shouldn’t he dress casually?

  “Nice apartment you have,” Colin said as he folded himself into a relaxed position on one end of the couch.

  “Thanks. I apologize for the seating arrangements. It’s a small place so it’s not big enough for a bunch of chairs.”

  “No worries,” Colin said. “It’s the price we pay for living in paradise. Yah?”

  Not only did he have the looks of a surfer, but he spoke with an island lilt and closed out sentences with our standard question. Why did he have to be so nice? It made despising him so much more difficult.

  Lexie sat next to Colin, crossed her legs, and leaned into him a bit as they did a little catch-up. Benni took the spot on the couch next to Lexie and the three of them chatted while Chance and I pulled a couple of chairs from the dining table. As I sat, I realized Benni and Colin were talking about her brother.

  “So how do you know Alexander?” Benni asked.

  Colin tapped his chin with one finger as he watched the ceiling fan whir in lazy circles. Then, his eyes widened and he flashed Benni a brilliant white smile. “We both entered a charity surfing fundraiser. He’s still got da kine.”

  I glanced at Chance and winked. “That means he’s good.”

  “I know, McKenna. You’ve only explained it, what? A couple of dozen times?” He looked at Colin and chuckled. “Don’t worry about McKenna. He’s harmless. Just a little forgetful.”

  “Boys,” Benni said sternly. “Play nice.”

  “I like these guys,” Colin said to Lexie. “Good vibe.”

  “Mahalo,” I said. “At least someone appreciates our humor. How’d you do in the fundraiser?”

  He gave me a closed-lip smile and said, “We had fun.”

  Oh, that bad. Maybe there was hope for liking this guy, after all. Especially if he wasn’t perfect. I decided to give the Surfing Professor a break. “So, Colin, we’re trying to figure out why this new Primal perfume is so valuable.”

  “It’s value has less to do with the scent than it does with the brand. In Primal’s case, much depends on whether it will be effective or not. To date, there’s been a lot of hype about pheromones, but they’ve largely been ineffective.” He shifted gears and suddenly went from casual surfer to professor mode as he continued.

  “Pheromones are basically like human hormones. The difference is hormones are produced by the body and a pheromone is not. It’s a combination of ingredients to create a reaction. Think of it as baking a cake. If you put chocolate in the batter, it’s going to have a far better effect than if you use garlic.”

  “Garlic cake?” I winced.

  “That’s not the worst concept he’s ever used,” Lexie said.

  Colin nodded and smiled at her. “I’ve come up with some pretty bad ones over the years.”

  Lexie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Has he ever.”

  “I’ve done a little reading on this,” Chance said. “One of the supposed effects of this perfume is—well, it’s like a love potion. Will it work?”

  “Your love potion comparison is a good one. The concept of being able to wear something that causes an immediate infatuation by a potential mate has been around for centuries. The evidence so far is weak. I assume Lexie told you I’ve always been fascinated by scents, and that’s why you called me.”

  “Yes,” I said. “We need someone who can explain the perfume business so we can understand what we’re dealing with.”

  He nodded thoughtfully, then said, “Okay, but I don’t get it. Why are you all so interested? Lexie said something about an investigation. Into what?”

  We did a recap of how we’d gotten here. Each of us seemed to have our own little part of the puzzle we wanted to add. When we were done, Colin sat back and whistled. He pointed at me.

  “Your tenant thought she was getting some of this Primal perfume in a sales kit? Really? That’s naive.”

  I nodded eagerly. “It’s way too expensive for something like that. Right?”

  “That’s only part of it. The fragrance industry has been very tight since its beginnings.” He chuckled and winked at Lexie. “Pop quiz. When did the fragrance industry start?”

  Her eyes widened and she blurted, “Sixteenth-century France!” A moment later, she laughed. “I can’t believe I remembered that. You spent an entire lecture on fragrances. He did it just to explain the history of chemistry.”

  Colin flipped her a thumbs-up. “Good girl. You get an A.” Looking back at me, he said, “Back in those days, all of the scents came from cultivated plants. They used the flowers, the fruit, the stems, and even the roots. Manufacturing was kept under strict control and quite often only family members knew the secrets.”

  My jaw dropped as I recalled what Grace had told me about fragrances.

  “You find that surprising?” Colin asked.

  “No. My tenant told me the same thing. She knew all about the history of the industry.”

  He smiled and said, “She must be passionate about it.”

  “I guess so. I had no idea.” The truth is I would have failed the Surfing Professor’s class. Thank goodness I wasn’t his student. I was also thankful we didn’t have all day for history lessons. “Fascinating, but I don’t understand what all this has to do with Primal.”

  He nodded as I spoke and gave me a polite smile. “You’re like a lot of my students. Don’t bother me with the past; I want to work on tomorrow. Here’s the deal. Today’s industry is still very tight, but it’s almost impossible to keep a secret. Until the twentieth century, people spent their entire career with the same company. In those days, a perfumer could hire someone and not have to worry about them going to a competitor.”

  “And selling proprietary information such as the formula?” Chance asked.

  “Exactly,” Colin nodded. “The secret mentality is still present in the industry because every company needs a unique product, which is one reason they try so hard to keep the formula and the distillation process secret. It’s much harder these days. Companies won’t just let someone walk in and have access to the big secrets. You have to become a perfumer. Find recommendations. If you don’t come recommended, your chances of getting in are slim.”

  “If we had a bottle of this perfume, could you analyze it? Reverse engineer it?” Chance asked.

  Colin frowned and held Chance’s gaze. “Of cours
e. Using gas chromatography, a GC lab could determine the ingredients. Personally, I feel like that constitutes industrial espionage. Trade laws, however, leave that door open.”

  “Meaning?”

  “It’s not illegal to reverse engineer a fragrance. Only certain industries are protected and the fragrance industry is not one of them.”

  I looked at Chance, my jaw hanging slack. “You’re still thinking that’s what this is about? Angela was involved in some kind of industrial espionage?”

  He shrugged and started to respond, but Colin was waving his hands in front of him.

  “Whoa. Not possible. You’d never get a GC lab to do that kind of analysis.”

  “No reputable lab,” I said.

  Colin’s smile fell away and he swallowed hard. He turned sideways to Lexie and said, “Wow, you hang out with some serious dudes. Who are you guys, anyway?”

  “We started out looking into a work-at-home scam for one of my tenants. That somehow morphed into the unusual death of a young woman who worked at Island Passion.”

  “Heard about her on the news,” Colin said. “At least I know you’re not trying to get a GC lab to counterfeit a new product.” He winked at Lexie. “Had me worried there for a second. I thought I was going to have to call your dad and tell him his daughter was black-marketing perfume.”

  “No such luck,” Lexie countered. “I’m stuck on the good side of the law.”

  “You had your moments,” Colin chuckled.

  “Don’t go there.” Lexie wagged a finger at Colin.

  I’d have loved to find out what Lexie had done, but one quick look at her told me all I needed to know. This was an episode from her younger days she’d just as soon leave behind. “Colin, you said the industry is tight. Have you worked with them?”

  He nodded. “I have a couple of mainland clients. I’ve never worked with Island Passion, if that’s what you’re asking. The owner’s reputation precedes her.”

  Chance raised one hand and shook his head. “The reputation is deserved. I know from personal experience.”