Burned

by Carol Higgins Clark

  Will calculated in his head as his mother babbled on. That kid must be in his mid to late forties now, so conceivably there is someone on this planet pushing fifty who had long second toes and who sold the stolen lei to his parents thirty years ago.

  “…I tell you I don’t think they make leis like that anymore,” his mother continued. “It is absolutely magnificent. Now what about it, dear?”

  “Why did you call us in Florida to ask us about the lei?” his father asked skeptically.

  “Well…I just found out that that lei was stolen from the Seashell Museum thirty years ago. It had belonged to a woman who was queen of Hawaii in the late 1800s. The kid sold you stolen property.”

  “I told you I always felt like a queen when I wore that lei!” his mother exclaimed. “Now it must really be worth something. It’s so wonderful we have it in our family! And we came by it honestly!”

  “I don’t have it anymore.”

  “What?” his mother cried. “What did you do with it? I gave it to you for good luck!”

  Some good luck, Will thought. He cleared his throat. “I lent the lei to a woman who worked at the hotel and was in charge of our newsletter. She wanted to photograph the lei and use the picture in the newsletter she was going to write covering the ‘Be a Princess’ Ball we’re having this weekend. I gave it to her the other night right before she left the hotel. The next morning her body washed ashore. She had the lei around her neck. The police identified it as the royal lei stolen from the museum thirty years ago.”

  “My word!” his mother cried.

  “I haven’t told anybody that it was our lei. I don’t want them to think I had anything to do with the woman’s death. And I don’t want them to think that my parents stole the lei when they were on vacation in Hawaii.”

  “Of course we didn’t!” his mother said indignantly. “You should never have let it out of your possession. That was a family heirloom!”

  I wish you had never let it out of your possession, Will thought. “I just wanted to let you know what is going on. And to find out where you bought the lei in the first place.”

  “Where could that boy at the airport be now?” his mother asked.

  “Good question. He’s not a boy anymore. Maybe he’s getting his toes operated on at this very moment. I may need a sworn statement from you both explaining exactly where and when you got the lei.”

  “Maybe we should go out there. Bingsley, what do you think?”

  “Mom, that’s not necessary.”

  Suddenly Tracy’s kids could be heard screaming in the background.

  “That’s a great idea,” Bingsley said with abrupt enthusiasm. “I’m logging on to the computer. I’m sure I can find us a bargain flight. Son, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  “That ball sounds like such fun,” his mother cried. “Can you get us tickets?”

  Will put his head on his desk. His wife was coming home tonight. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks. Wait till she found out that Almetta and Bingsley were on the way. And why they were coming to Hawaii.

  Why me? he thought. Why me?

  21

  A s Gert and Ev’s flight approached Kona on the Big Island, passengers were craning their necks to look down at the acres and acres of dark, rugged lava stretching endlessly below. It resembled the surface of the moon.

  “I can’t believe this is Hawaii,” a woman in the front row complained to the flight attendant seated nearby. “That’s not paradise. It looks like a bunch of burned-out rocks. Where are the pineapples and palm trees, for goodness’ sake?”

  “You’ll see them soon,” the flight attendant assured her. “You know, you are about to land on the island that is home to the world’s largest active volcano. That’s why it looks barren. But there are beautiful beaches, huge ranches, waterfalls, and pineapple plantations down there as well. And the Big Island gets bigger all the time.”

  “How’s that?’ the woman scowled.

  “The volcano’s eruptions have added twenty thousand acres of land to the island since 1983. Part of the airport sits atop a lava flow.”

  “Terrific.”

  “I promise you, you’ll love it. Soon you’ll want to live here forever.”

  Gert turned to Ev and smiled. “There’s always one wet blanket in every bunch.”

  “Don’t you know it,” Ev replied. “At least one. We’re stuck with two wet blankets in our group. Did you see the way Bob and Betsy sat there like stones this morning at breakfast? And they’re writing a chapter on exciting relationships! That’s like you and me writing about life as a supermodel.”

  Gert laughed, emitting a little snort. “And that Joy is a little troublemaker. That makes three wet blankets. She even had the nerve to ask if we give spending money to the group. She should be lucky she has that little butt of hers in Hawaii. Remember when we were her age?”

  “I certainly do. The only time we got out of Hudville was to drive to the State Fair. Whoop-dee-doo.”

  “Now we’re making up for it, sister.”

  “We are-all because we were sweet and kind to our neighbor.”

  “What luck he moved in next door.”

  “What luck his wife died.”

  The plane swerved from side to side and then bumped across the pavement a few times before it settled into a smooth glide down the runway. The airport was small, and the passengers disembarked down a set of portable stairs and onto the tarmac. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, and the luggage carousel was just steps away. Tour guides greeted groups of arriving passengers with welcome leis. Gert and Ev strode through the crowd and made their way to the curb where a young man in a beat-up all-terrain vehicle was waiting for them.

  Carla and Jason hurried to catch up with the twins. “Ladies,” Carla called to them as Gert opened the front door of the Jeep.

  Impatiently, Gert turned to the couple. “Yes?” she asked, trying to sound civil.

  “I heard you two were in charge of a tour group at the hotel. We wondered if maybe you knew of a good place to have lunch over here. It’s a special day for us. We just got engaged last night.” Carla proudly held our her hand to show off her engagement ring.

  Gert briefly glanced at Carla’s hand and was clearly unimpressed. “We don’t know of any lunch places,” Gert answered abruptly without complimenting Carla’s treasure. “We’re visiting friends.”

  “Oh, okay,” Carla said dejectedly, stealing a glance at the guy in the front seat. He hardly looked their type. He was young, sweaty, and had on old work clothes. The twins got in, slammed the doors shut, and the Jeep pulled away. “It doesn’t look to me like they’re going to high tea,” she commented, staring at the departing vehicle.

  “No, it doesn’t.” Jason took her hand. “Forget them. Let’s go rent a car.”

  “Okay,” Carla agreed, silently wondering where the twins had gone. She thought their actions seemed suspicious. Why couldn’t they have asked their friend about a restaurant? It wasn’t every day you got engaged. Something was up with those two not very nice people. They were downright rude for no reason. And worst of all, they didn’t tell her what a gorgeous ring Jason and his mother had so carefully picked out for her. The woman had actually been dismissive of the one piece of jewelry Carla had been waiting for her whole life! What an insult! Carla’s blood started to boil.

  And after someone insulted Carla, she wasn’t the type to let it go. Ever. Grudge was her middle name.

  22

  H e stared at the picture of Dorinda Dawes and read the story of her death. He remembered everything about the night he broke into the museum and stole all those seashells. He had the Queen’s lei around his neck when the cops chased him into the alley. That was almost the end for him. But when Dorinda Dawes wore that lei around her neck, it was the end for her.

  Thank God he wasn’t caught that night thirty years ago. It had been close. Why can’t I resist a dare? he asked himself.

  Sometimes he wished he’d bee
n born with a larger capacity for coping with boredom. He envied people who were content to do the same thing over and over again.

  “Till I’m blue in the face,” as his grandmother used to say. “I cook and clean till I’m blue in the face, and I’m still tickled pink that God gave me two hands.”

  Granny was some character, he thought, laughing to himself. He didn’t get to see her that much growing up. He was an army brat. His family was always moving around. It was hard to make friends because his family never stayed in one place. And once kids got a look at his toes, they would torment him. He reacted by causing trouble and developing a tough exterior. He was eight years old when he started to steal kids’ lunchboxes.

  His family had spent the year in Hawaii when he was sixteen. What a year. His father was stationed at Fort de Russy, right on the beach in Waikiki. He was enrolled at the local high school but spent most of his time surfing and hanging around the hotel beaches, stealing whatever he could from unsuspecting tourists.

  How did the lei that I sold to a couple about to get on an airplane to the mainland end up back here with Dorinda Dawes? he wondered.

  I have to see that lei again, he thought. Now that it’s back at the museum, maybe I should return to the scene of the crime. Lucky they didn’t have face recognition software thirty years ago. But I had a pair of panty hose over my head. Maybe they have panty hose recognition software. “Look for the union label,” he hummed as he turned the page of the newspaper.

  I would love to hold the lei in my hands, put it around my neck again. Relive those thrilling moments when I outran the cops. Maybe I can steal it a second time. The thought was irresistible. They’re making such a big deal about auctioning off the other royal shell lei at the “Be a Princess” Ball. If this lei disappears again, it’ll really be a story!

  He wondered if they had upgraded their security at the Seashell Museum. It wasn’t exactly the Louvre, but they loved their leis.

  I’m aching for trouble, he realized. And I’ve been like this since I was a little kid. He remembered the time he’d volunteered to make a milk shake for his sister’s friend. He poured Ivory liquid into the blender. The shake came out so frothy that the girl took a big sip. The look on her face as she went running outside the house and spitting it out in the bushes was priceless. He’d never laughed so hard in his life. And while she was outside, he stole some change from her purse.

  The start of my problems, he thought. From that day on he got such a thrill out of stealing and screwing things up for people. Why can’t I just laugh at stupid jokes and movies that the rest of the world thinks are hilarious? I need more than that to keep me excited. I need to always be on the move. It’s why I exercise like a maniac, he told himself as he turned the page of the newspaper.

  The van stopped in front of a beautiful surfing beach. Francie tapped him on the shoulder. “Ned! Look at those waves! They’re monstrous!”

  He smiled. “I told you.”

  “They look so dangerous!” Francie cried. “Are you sure you want to surf there?”

  Ned turned to her. “Don’t you see, Francie? That’s what makes it fun.”

  23

  W hen Regan got back to the hotel, she stopped in Will’s office. Janet, his sturdy-looking secretary, was on the phone. Keeper of the gate, Regan dubbed her. Janet’s glasses were resting at the tip of her nose, and she had that take-charge air of someone who had never experienced a nervous moment in their life. Nor a second of self-doubt. Regan guessed that she was probably in her fifties.

  “Is Will here?” Regan asked quietly. Turned out it wasn’t necessary to be discreet.

  “No. I think he’s a little stressed. He went out a little while ago,” Janet practically bellowed. “Listen, hon,” she yelled into the phone, “I’ve got to go.” She dropped the phone into the receiver, looked up at Regan, and lowered her voice. “I know Will wants you to look into things around here.”

  “He told you?”

  “Of course. If you can’t trust your secretary…” Her voice trailed off. Temporarily. “Between what happened to Dorinda and all the problems since the renovation, Will has a full plate, I’m telling you that. The poor guy is a wreck.” She picked a manila envelope off her desk and handed it to Regan. “In there are all the newsletters Dorinda wrote, the magazine article, and the list of problems and complaints since the renovation.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Excuse me, Janet,” a male’s voice said.

  Regan turned. It was a guy in a bellman’s uniform. She smiled at him.

  “Is Will around?” the bellman asked politely, with a big smile.

  “He’ll be back in a little while,” Janet answered.

  “I’ll catch him later then.” He smiled again, waved, and exited the room, reminding Regan of a guy she knew in college who never stopped smiling. You could tell him your house was burning down, but nothing could wipe the grin off his face.

  Janet gestured to the departing figure. “Will is Glenn’s mentor. Will also started as a bellman, and for the last year or two he’s been showing that kid the ropes. He thinks the guy will work his way up in this hotel.” She paused. “Regan, you would not believe the morning we’re having. People have been calling like crazy. With all the publicity about the royal lei around Dorinda’s neck and the matching lei being auctioned off, half of Honolulu now wants to come to the ‘Be a Princess’ Ball. We’re squeezing as many tables as we can into the ballroom, but we have to turn people away. Dorinda finally got us some business.”

  Regan’s eyebrows raised. “I guess she did.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Janet continued quickly. “I feel bad she died. She was hired when the renovation was finally finished to jazz things up around here with the newsletter. All she did was get on everyone’s nerves. But her death has certainly added spice to the Towers. Now everyone wants a ticket to the ball, and they want the lei that is being auctioned off. They also want to know what’s going to happen to the lei that Dorinda was wearing when she died. If you ask me, people have been watching too many of those crime shows on television.”

  “I was just at the Seashell Museum. The owner hasn’t decided whether to auction off the second lei or not.”

  “He should,” Janet declared as she fluffed her short red hair with her pencil. “Some sick person would be willing to pay a lot of money for it. At least it’s all going for a good cause.”

  “He told me he’ll make the decision at the ball.”

  Janet shrugged. “More drama. Who knows? Maybe his big last-minute decision will drum up more excitement that night. I’m sure the auctioneer will milk it for all it’s worth.”

  Regan nodded. “He wants to see how much the other lei goes for first.”

  “Naturally,” Janet replied in her deadpan voice. “It all comes down to money, doesn’t it, Regan?”

  “A lot of things do,” Regan agreed. “Nobody had seen Dorinda with the shell lei before, huh?”

  Janet shook her head emphatically. “Nobody. People have been stopping at my desk, which I should rename Grand Central Station, to talk to me about Dorinda. Everyone remembers the floral leis she usually wore that matched the flowers in her hair. She thought she was Carmen Miranda. If you ask me, it got to be a bit much. She was always in costume with the ‘tropical’ outfits she wore. Always had to put on a show. Sometimes I just wanted to tell her to calm down and hang loose-we’re in Hawaii, after all.”

  She’s calm now, Regan thought. But I doubt poor Dorinda is resting in peace. It doesn’t seem as if there’s anybody who is too choked up about her passing. “She really hadn’t been here that long,” Regan commented.

  “Long enough to make her mark. She started in the middle of October when the renovation was complete and the new Coconut Tower and Ballroom had just opened. Will thought it would be a good idea to start a newsletter for guests. Dorinda applied for the job, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “You said Dorinda got on people’s nerves. Can
you give me any examples?”

  “Sure. To start, I’ll tell you how she got on my nerves,” Janet pronounced. “Pull up a chair.”

  “Yes, thanks,” Regan answered as she obediently grabbed one of the chairs by the door and brought it closer to Janet’s desk. She sat down and fished her notebook out of her purse.

  “You going to take notes?” Janet asked.

  “If you don’t mind.”

  “Be my guest.”

  “Thank you. So you were saying…”

  “Right. Dorinda. She was a piece of work. Some of the girls who work in the clothing store out there stopped by this morning. Now don’t get me wrong. People are sorry she’s dead. But nobody’s going to miss her too much. For example, she’d breeze in here to see Will and treated me like I was the hired help. I guess I am the hired help, but what the heck was she?”

  Regan nodded sympathetically.

  “Who knows where she got her attitude?” Janet continued as she shrugged her shoulders. “The girls from the shop were saying that when Dorinda first got here, she acted friendly and asked millions of questions. She got together with them a few times for lunch and drinks. But then she’d break lunch dates at the last minute. And not return phone calls. It was as if she realized they couldn’t do her much good. It seemed to be her pattern with people who worked at the hotel. She plied everyone for gossip and information about life around here and then dropped them when she’d gotten all she could out of them.”

  “Do you have any idea about her private life?”

  “She was here a lot at night covering the parties and taking pictures. And I know she was always angling to get herself invited to parties and openings around town. I don’t think she had any sort of boyfriend.”

  “A waitress in one of the coffee shops told me she was a real flirt.”