Jimmy walked around the front of the car and got in. He had to turn the ignition several times before it actually turned over.
"Where are we eating?" I asked as I struggled with the seat belt. Its clasp was bent and refused to stay closed. I finally gave up and tied it around my middle. I could only hope that we wouldn't tango with another vehicle as we drove.
"Loco Moco ok with you?" Jimmy looked behind him as he pulled out of his parking spot and steered the car onto the road.
"Always."
Aloha Lagoon was a wonderful destination town for tourists, and like all other tourist areas, there were a myriad of restaurants to sample. The food at the Loco Moco was nothing short of magnificent, and Jimmy made quick work of the succulent pork, sweet pineapple, and long rice that filled his plate. I, being the discerning foodie that I was, took time to savor the huli-huli chicken and miso soup. The gingery sauce on the chicken had just the right amount of bite, and the soup was pure heaven in a bowl.
I wasn't sure how to delicately bring up the subject of Dax and Noe's argument, and I was quickly running out of time. I knew Jimmy had to work the rest of the afternoon, so he would need to get back to the resort soon.
"Jimmy, Summer said something to me earlier. And well, I was just wondering—"
"Spit it out, Red. Can't be that bad," he interrupted.
I dropped my hands to my lap to keep from fidgeting. "She said that Dax and Noe had a huge fight the night before Noe was killed. She didn't hear any details. But I was just thinking—"
"You think Dax would kill Noe over a fight?"
"She said they were competitive and that they could have been fighting again over sponsorships and endorsements. And then last night he knew where my bag was. Then this morning he was angry when I wouldn't go out with him—"
"Dax asked you out? When did you see him?" Jimmy's typical relaxed persona was immediately replaced with his hard, security-guy one. He seemed irritated.
"I couldn't sleep last night after you left—"
"I knew I should have stayed."
"No, you shouldn't have, and stop interrupting me. Anyway, I got up early and went to the beach on my way in. I was photographing him surfing. I didn't realize who it was. He asked me out afterwards when I was getting his permission to use the pictures on my website."
Jimmy grunted.
"It's just when I turned him down, he got angry. Wanted to know what was going on between us. I assured him we were just friends.
Jimmy's head jerked up at that, and a weird expression crossed his face. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Stay away from Dax. He's got issues."
I was surprised by the fury in Jimmy's voice. It wasn't often that he got upset, and it was never directed at me.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you angry."
Jimmy touched my hand lightly. "I'm not angry at you. Dax seems to get himself into all kinds of trouble. He's an adult now, but as a kid, he was always into something. I've been bailing him out for years, and I'm sick of it."
I pondered the information. If Dax was a troublemaker, could that mean he could be a killer?
"But I don't think he's capable of murder," Jimmy added quickly.
I nodded, not sure what else I should do.
"Look, Dax isn't your problem. I'll talk to him. But just stay away from him. I don't want you tangled up in whatever scheme he's into now."
"I wasn't planning on seeing him. He's years younger than me."
"But if he wasn't, you'd be interested?"
Was that jealousy I heard in his voice? Surely not. I thought about his question for a moment.
"He's a good-looking guy, but I don't think he's my type. I might have considered dinner with him once, but it wouldn't go past that."
Jimmy looked relieved but quickly quirked a brow, his eyes filling with that teasing glint he gets.
"You think he's good-looking, huh?"
"Sure," I said cautiously. Somehow I knew this was going to bite me in the butt.
"You know, most people say that Dax and I could pass as brothers."
"I can see that."
"So if you think he's good-looking, then you must think I'm good-looking."
Jimmy already knew he was good-looking. There was no reason to make his head any bigger than it already was. He wasn't conceited about it though, just confident.
"You're ok." I gave him a saucy wink then stood. "We need to get you back to the resort."
"Changing the subject, Red?" he said, leaning in close, his face just an inch or so from mine.
My breath caught in my chest, and I stood completely still. The moment seemed to last forever, although it was probably only a couple of seconds.
Then Jimmy reached out and tugged at a lock of my hair. "Let's go." He grinned knowingly then walked out of the restaurant.
It took a good ten seconds before my breathing returned to normal.
Jimmy was a hopeless flirt. That was all.
After dropping him off at the resort, he gave me a one-armed hug.
"Go straight home. Lock your doors. I'll be by later tonight."
"Yes, sir!" I said, saluting him.
"Smartass." He winked then disappeared inside the resort.
Finding my car in the lot, I drove straight to my apartment, running in and quickly locking the door behind me.
I sat down at the bar with the pen and paper I'd taken out of my kitchen junk drawer and wrote down what I knew. If I was going to get to the bottom of this and feel safe, I needed to figure out who had killed Noe and might have my camera.
I wrote down: Noe and Dax had a fight. I needed to figure out who had seen that fight and what it was about. If it was a disagreement, then I couldn't see that being a precursor to murder. But maybe it was more than just an argument.
I thought about Kailani, Noe's fiancée. I wondered if she'd been there. I added to my list: Talk to Kailani.
I looked down at the list and realized I had very little to go on. Who else might have a reason to kill Noe? Since I didn't know much about him, I had no idea who else to talk to besides Kailani.
Then it occurred to me. Derrick Stone. He'd been arguing with Noe the night Noe had been killed. Could he have had something to do with it? He sure seemed creepy enough. He'd also had a tense conversation with Dax this morning on the beach. Could he be the link between them? What was his connection to the surfers? How was he involved? I added to my list: Find out more about Derrick Stone.
But who would know about Derrick? His mousy assistant, Annie, popped into my mind. I could meet her for coffee maybe and ask a few questions about him. I wasn't sure yet how I'd casually ask questions about her boss, but I supposed something would come to me in the moment. I wrote down: Have coffee with Annie, right under Derrick's name.
With a haphazard plan in place, I decided a nap was in order since I hadn't slept much the night before. I put the pad back into the drawer so Jimmy wouldn't find it. I was pretty sure Jimmy wouldn't be too happy to have me snooping around.
I hated napping with my clothes on, so I took off the outfit and my bra and pulled a cami on, crawling into bed.
I lay there going over what I might have seen the night before. Systematically I thought about the pictures of people arriving, the action shots of everyone enjoying themselves, the food prep. That had to be it, right? Maybe I'd caught something in the food tent.
But the more I tried to remember, the heavier my eyes became. Exhaustion hit hard and swift, and I sank into oblivion—visions of pineapples and sushi dancing in my head.
CHAPTER FIVE
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
I shot up in bed, wondering what had woken me so suddenly. It didn't take long to figure it out.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
For a moment, fear curled in my belly as I wondered if it could be the killer coming to ensure I'd never tell anyone what he thought I might have seen. But that was ridiculous. He wouldn't knock on the door. Would he?
I briefly remembered a book I'd once read about a girl who falls in love with an assassin. When she'd made the same comment, he'd replied that was exactly what a killer would do. I shivered.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Whoever was at the door was getting more persistent. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door, looking through the peephole before opening it.
Jimmy.
Crap! I'd forgotten he was coming over.
"Hey, sorry," I said as I opened the door for him to come in. Relief flooded his face, and then his expression changed. He stood at the door, his mouth slightly open as he stared at me.
Self-consciously I messed with my hair and wiped at my face. "What?"
"You forget your clothes, Red?"
Heat rushed to my cheeks, and I knew they were crimson. An eep escaped my throat, and I ran to my room to throw on some clothes, leaving Jimmy standing at the front door.
I heard it close as I pulled a T-shirt and shorts on over my underwear and cami. It wouldn't have been so bad if my underwear weren't one of the skimpiest pairs I owned, with string sides and more showing in the back than was covered. And maybe if I'd had on a bra.
Mortification seemed to be my constant friend.
"I thought maybe we could go to the beach. I'd like to get some early evening surfing done and thought sunset might be a great time to take some pictures."
Aloha Lagoon was fortunate enough to be located where sunrise and sunset could both be viewed on the beach. Other parts of the island weren't so fortunate.
I briefly wondered if I should work on that list I'd begun about who I needed to talk to, but rationalized that maybe I'd run into some of Noe's surfer friends at the beach. I could kill two birds with one stone—hanging out with my best friend with a little bit of digging on the side.
"That sounds like a great idea. Let me just get changed," I called out, switching gears as I rummaged through my drawers for my swimsuit.
"Don't change on my account," Jimmy called and then chuckled.
I could feel my cheeks getting warm again. Dang pale skin!
After pulling on my swimsuit and shorts, I sauntered out to the living room. I'd opted for a tasteful bikini. Since Jimmy had just gotten an eyeful, I figured full coverage was the best way to go. The top of the suit came up high with a cut out between my breasts, showing a tasteful amount of cleavage. The bottoms were hipster style, so although they sat low on my hips, they covered my entire backside.
Jimmy eyed my outfit then gave me a devilish grin. "This works too."
I playfully tapped his shoulder with mine as I walked to the door, just noticing that Jimmy had changed into his board shorts before coming over.
He motioned toward the bag on the floor. "I brought a change of clothes for afterwards, so we could order pizza."
"Great," I said cheerily, but the thought of Jimmy changing clothes in my apartment had my skin feeling a little too tight for my body. I opened the door to the apartment, holding up and dangling my keys. "Want to take the Coop?"
"Sounds good. But I'm driving." He snatched the keys out of my hand before darting out the door.
"Hey!" I yelled, but it was no use. Jimmy was already settling himself behind the wheel and lowering the top of the convertible. I loved that car. It was old and had more than its share of miles on it, but it was cute and a ton of fun.
We drove to the beach I'd passed on the way to the resort that morning. Jimmy and some of the other surfers stored boards at different beaches. When real estate was a premium, most people didn't have much room to store surfboards. Fortunately, the surf shops would let you rent a locker that didn't cost you an arm and a leg. Since I usually met Jimmy here at this beach, we'd decided to share a locker and split the cost.
We retrieved our boards, spending a few happy minutes waxing them and chatting about nothing in particular. It was so nice not to think about the missing camera or the possibility that I'd caught the murderer in action. Whenever my mind began to stray in that direction, I quickly filed the thought under to be considered at a later date.
We'd just started out toward the water when I heard our names being called. Turning, I saw Dax headed our way, surfboard in tow. I heard Jimmy give a quiet groan. In my opinion, that didn't bode well for cousin closeness.
"'Sup, cuz." Dax and Jimmy gave each other a complicated greeting, bumping fists, clutching hands, touching shoulders in that weird way men have of hugging without hugging. Manly ritual completed, Dax turned to me and smiled.
"We meet again, Autumn."
His eyes were a deep brown, and he stared into mine with an intensity that made me uncomfortable, as if he was sizing me up for dating material? Food? I couldn't be sure. I just nodded in response, sending Jimmy a telepathic message to get rid of him pronto.
It didn't work.
"Autumn and I were just heading out," Jimmy said. "Waves are lookin' good right now."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go out again. Catch more practice time for the next competition." He turned his eyes back to me, smiling as he did. "I'm sure you already know, Autumn, that I'm a professional surfer." He gave Jimmy's arm a light punch. "Not like this wannabe surfer cousin of mine."
"Want to explain to me how a pizza delivery guy can afford a custom-made board like that?" Jimmy asked, pointing toward the sick board Dax had under his arm.
Bright red hibiscus flowers tipped the swells of turquoise and blue waves. A tropical fish with purple and red hues hid among the swirls of color. The vibrancy of the piece was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was truly a work of art.
"I don't deliver pizzas anymore. You jealous, cuz?" He spat the word "cuz" out like it was a curse word.
A charged silence grew between them, and I suddenly felt like I was back home, donning the black and white stripes whenever my brothers got into it. I stepped closer to Jimmy and took his arm.
"Hope you don't think I'm being rude, Dax, but Jimmy's been promising to take me out on my board since forever ago, and I finally cornered him today." I smiled up at Jimmy. "Let's hit the water, big guy." And with a casual wave of my hand, I maneuvered the two of us away from Dax and out toward the waves, surfboard and camera in hand.
Surfing was one experience that I'd almost mastered since moving to the islands. I could now stay upright on my board without falling off…for about ten seconds. I'd practice my surfing skills a little until the sun started to set and would switch to taking pictures of Jimmy.
"Cool offensive maneuver, Red." Jimmy reached out and gave my shoulder a light squeeze. "I can fight my own battles, though."
"I'm sure you can," I replied, straddling my board and beginning a slow paddle out into deeper water. "I just had no desire to witness an excess of testosterone. I got enough of that at home." I sent a splash of water at him. "Last one to the waves is a rotten egg!"
The sky was an azure blue with a few low clouds scudding on the horizon. The waves were uniform, swelling and breaking in perfect rhythm. It was my kind of afternoon, and I was glad to be there enjoying the sun and water with my best friend. The next few hours belonged just to us, all thoughts of murder and mayhem packed up in the proverbial bag and tossed aside.
After falling off my board more times than I cared to count, I picked up my camera I'd left with my towel on the beach. I straddled the board as I watched Jimmy surfing, the sun setting beautifully behind him.
The man was mesmerizing to watch. One would think that his huge body would make him clumsy or awkward on the board, but instead he moved with grace, as if one with the waves. I lowered my camera, awestruck as I observed him.
Another surfer came into view, and I recognized Dax immediately. What was he doing? Before I could yell, Dax drew up beside Jimmy. I could barely hear Jimmy yelling something as Dax broke all the rules of surfing etiquette and jumped onto Jimmy's wave, cutting him off. Finally Jimmy yelled again, and Dax launched himself from his surfboard, tackling Jimmy.
They disappeared under the wav
e, and I froze, waiting to see if Jimmy would reappear. When he did, he and Dax were locked in a pushing war, both struggling to keep their heads above the waves.
I looped my camera across my shoulders, grateful it was waterproof, and paddled quickly out to where the two men were fighting. By the time I reached them, they'd separated, no longer trying to drown each other, but were still arguing.
"What's the matter, cuz? Afraid I'll upstage you out here in front of your girlfriend?" Dax taunted.
"I have nothing to be afraid of. Autumn isn't interested in a boy. She wants a man." Jimmy grinned, and of course, Dax took the bait.
I'd have to ponder his words later.
"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be!" Dax yelled, turning to paddle himself back to his board.
"Don't know about that, dude. But if you think you're a man, stop acting like a child, making your family bail you out of the messes you get yourself into, and take some responsibility."
Jimmy swam toward me, climbing up on the back of my board. I struggled to remain upright, but his warm hands circled my waist.
"Steady, Red." His mouth was right next to my ear, and I fought a shiver back.
Jimmy chuckled. Ok maybe I hadn't exactly fought that shiver off after all.
Reaching the shore, Jimmy jumped off the board when he spotted his resting on the beach. I pulled mine out of the water and lugged it back to the locker. I'd had enough excitement for one day. Time to relax with some pizza.
"Hey, Autumn," a voice called out behind me.
"Dax, what were you thinking out there?" I dropped my board and stalked toward him. "Someone could have been hurt, badly."
"Nah, we were safe. I was just furious that he embarrassed me before. You know, about the pizza delivery stuff. I don't do that anymore."
"Who cares?" I turned around to pick up my board and put it back in the locker.
Dax's hand wrapped around my upper arm, stopping my progress. I whirled around ready to attack, but something in his face made me pause. I saw innocence, immaturity, regret, and sadness.
"What?" I asked, trying to keep the witchy out of my voice. I noticed another young man walking up to us, and Dax let go of my arm.
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