A uniformed police officer caught my eye. It looked like Detective Ray was back, and this time he had reinforcements. Guilt flooded me as I remembered being in Ryan's room. I stopped walking and looked towards them, my mind racing at a thousand kilometers an hour.
Rick Dawson, the owner and pilot of Rick's Air Paradise, stopped next to me. Rick and I had met a couple of times. He was currently dating Gabby LeClair, and I could see what she saw in him. He was tall, blond, and good-looking. He knew it too, but not in a bad way, even though I was pretty sure his reputation as a ladies' man was not unfounded.
Rick folded his arms over his royal blue polo work shirt, his ice blue eyes squinting against the sun. A hint of Old Spice floated towards me on the breeze, reminding me of my old neighbor in Sydney. He'd loved the stuff.
"Hi, Rick," I said, giving him a smile and then turning back to see the commotion.
"Sam." He smiled as he ran his hand over his scruff beard, his gaze following mine. "Not good for the resort's reputation is it?"
"That one of the guests was murdered?"
"Yeah. Now his room's been ransacked." Rick's eyes twinkled as he spoke.
I figured he was enjoying the drama just a little.
Personally, I felt a chill run over me, and I rubbed my arms against the goose bumps that broke out despite the hot midday sun.
"His room?" I asked, my voice croaky.
"Yeah. I overheard the police talking, and the ransacked room belonged to the guy who was murdered."
Clanging started in my head, and a cold sweat broke out all over me. The room had been perfect when I'd left it.
"Are…are you sure it was the same room?" I asked.
"Yep. It's the same room."
I gulped as Rick and I watched the comings and goings of the police in and out of the room. One officer entered carrying a small black case, and I wondered if that was the fingerprint kit. I didn't actually know any police procedures for sure, but like everyone else, I watched a lot of television. Oh geez. I did wipe all of my fingerprints off, didn't I?
"Well," said Rick, breaking our silence, "I've got to get back to the airfield and prep Stella. In just about an hour I'll have a chopper full of tourists to take up." He smiled a lopsided grin. "See you around, Sam."
"Yeah, see you, Rick." I'd managed to sound normal, keeping the tremor from my voice, but all the while I was running over my movements in that room. Double-checking in my head that I had used my T-shirt on everything I had touched and that I had wiped everything down. I then thought of the person who had been there when I had been. What had they been doing there? Had they wiped away their fingerprints? Did I tell Nora which room I needed to get into? Would she recognize me? Did the hat and sunglasses disguise me enough? Argh! I had way too many questions. Dread sat heavily in my stomach as I shuffled my feet in the direction I needed to be going.
Casey was pouring a beer as I entered The Lava Pot. It was busy for lunchtime, so I made my way through the crowd and found the only available seat at the far end of the bar.
I was crowd watching, wishing I'd finished work for the day and that I could have a much needed drink, waiting for Casey to pull his attention away from Lori. I couldn't believe she was here again. I thought her drinking was getting out of control, but as I watched her with Casey, it was obvious what her real motivation for being here was. Her fingers lightly danced up his bare forearm as she girlishly laughed at something he was telling her. He jerked his arm away, taking a step back from the bar top, and waggled his finger at her. She gave a look of mock disappointment (well at least I think it was mock) as he told her off. She then flicked her hair over her shoulder and pouted her overfull lips, reminding me of a duck.
I hoped Martin wasn't here to see her performance. Glancing around, looking for him, my eye caught a man sitting alone in the back corner not too far away from where I was sitting. He looked mean, his bulging biceps straining the fabric of his T-shirt. I instantly knew he was the man I'd seen here on the trivia night, the same one I had seen in the forest, and the same one I was supposed to tell Detective Ray if I ever saw him again. Well, Detective Ray wasn't available, but I was. I hopped off my stool and moved towards him, my heart rate picking up intensely. My legs felt rubbery and weak as I made my way across the room.
He hadn't noticed me, but I watched as he pushed his iPad into a backpack and stood.
No! I needed to talk to him. Even though I didn't exactly know why I thought he was guilty of anything. Detective Ray was probably right about it just being a coincidence that he turned up in Aloha Lagoon around the same time as Ryan, and it was probably just another coincidence that I saw him in the forest the same day Ryan was murdered. But I didn't like coincidences. And the least I could do was ask him his name. It was, after all, the polite thing to do. Maybe I could offer him some surfing lessons as a reason to stop and talk to him.
He picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder.
I moved faster, attempting to control my breathing. I wasn't that far from him. I only needed to make my way around two tables and a group of approximately ten loud twentysomethings.
The man was pushing his chair backwards, his eye on the door.
I stepped around the first table, and one of the twentysomethings stood in my way.
"Hey, gorgeous," he said, his drunken smile leering at my chest.
My chest wasn't my most impressive asset, so I did momentarily wonder what he was looking at.
I smiled back and tried to step around him.
The bicepped man looked our way. Our eyes locked, and recognition flashed. He pushed his chair back and made a beeline for the door.
The twentysomething grabbed my arm. "I said hi," he slurred.
I stopped moving and glared at him. Only for a moment. But it was long enough for me to lose the other guy. The one I actually wanted. By the time my eyes caught up with him again, he was weaving his way through a group of the Scarlet Socks and out of The Lava Pot.
I sighed and looked at the twentysomething. "Great. I missed him because of you," I stated. "Now can you please let go of me?"
"I just wanted to say hi," he slurred again, but didn't let go. "You're cute."
"Thanks. Now let me go."
"You need to say hi first." His grip on my arm tightened, and all of a sudden he had my complete attention.
"Hi." I glared him down, but my heart was beating pretty erratically. Looking around, I tried to see if Casey had noticed, but Lori was completely obscuring his view of me, so I knew I had no chance. Thankfully though, Owen was walking towards us, his jaw tense, and he had a look in his eye I wouldn't have argued with.
"Is everything okay, Sam?" he asked me, but his eyes never left the twentysomething.
"This guy wanted me to say hi, and I did. I think he was about to let me go, weren't you?"
Three other twentysomethings stood. My palpitations stepped up a notch.
Owen pulled himself up to his full height and glared at them, daring them to argue with him. "I think it's time you get some fresh air. Don't ya think?"
Owen looked pretty intense. I wasn't sure about them, but I was intimidated. Thankfully, he was on my side.
"Good plan," I said, my tone very upbeat. I was impressed with how well I hid the wobble that was in it. "I'll just go now then."
Owen glanced my way, a flicker of a smile on the corner of his lips. "Why don't you go over to Casey and ask him to call security?"
That sounded like an even better plan. The twentysomething released his grip as he sized Owen up. I was just scurrying towards the bar, when I heard one of the more sober of the group agree with him that it was time to leave.
I didn't care. I was getting Owen some backup. I'd seen situations like this one turn bad very quickly.
"Casey! Casey!" I yelled, reaching the bar and pushing Lori out of the way with my hip. "Owen says to call security. Like now!"
I could see the reflection of the group in the mirror that ran the length of th
e wall behind the bar. They appeared to be moving, and the situation seemed to be calming, but I still wanted Casey to move faster. Lori bristled and moved away, not liking the treatment I'd given her. Okay, I may have pushed her aside a little harder than I needed to, but it wasn't intentional. Honest.
Casey turned to watch the group, picking up the phone as he did and assessing the situation. Only when Owen moved back to the bar did Casey place the phone back down and look at me.
"Are you okay, Sam?" asked Owen as he approached me.
I nodded.
"That guy had ahold of you pretty tightly," he said, looking at my arm. I noted the red mark the man's hand had left.
Casey gulped. "What the hell happened?" he asked.
"You didn't notice?" asked Owen, shocked.
"No. The room's pretty crowded, and Lori just wouldn't leave me alone. Sorry, Sam," he said, his eyes soft and compassionate.
"It's all good," I commented. "But thanks, Owen. I appreciate your help."
"No problem," he said, giving me a thumbs-up.
He then turned and made his way to a nearby table, clearing some empty glasses as the patrons left.
"Hey, Owen," I called after him.
He raised his eyes to me but kept stacking glasses. He was obviously way more coordinated than I was.
"Did you see the man sitting at the table over in the far corner?" I pointed to where the man had been sitting.
"The one on his iPad?"
I nodded. Obviously Owen had seen him.
"Have you seen him around here before?" I asked.
"The first time I saw him was yesterday. He was in here asking a lot of questions."
"Like what?"
"Well I spoke to Casey about it," he commented, nodding towards Casey, who was standing in front of me, the bar top separating us. "He was asking me did I know much about him."
"Him?"
"Casey," he explained. "He was asking me about Casey."
I spun to look at Casey, shocked. "Do you know who he is?"
Casey shook his head. "No. I've never seen him before."
"So why was he asking about you?"
"I honestly have no idea."
"What did he ask specifically?" I asked Owen.
"Just how well did I know him, how long had he been in Aloha Lagoon, that kind of thing."
Well, that was really interesting yet creepy at the same time.
"How did he know you weren't a local? Not all locals have islander heritage."
"I guess he heard the accent," said Casey, shrugging. He seemed so nonchalant about it.
"You're not creeped out?" I asked.
"Not really. If the geezer wants to know about me, he's welcome to come and speak to me. I'm more concerned about that guy manhandling you."
Personally, I'd forgotten all about him. My mind was racing as to why the man, the one I had seen in the forest after we found Ryan's dead body, was here asking questions about Casey.
And where had Lori gone? I had a few questions I wanted to ask her also—like what was she doing in the forest yesterday?
My eyes scanned the room, looking for her. A flash of pink leaving the bar caught my eye. Bingo.
I may not have had any answers about Bicep Man, the person in Ryan's room, about Travis or Ryan, or even about the woman Detective Ray had been talking about when he spoke about Casey's past, but I could get some from Lori.
Without even glancing at Casey, I hopped off my stool and jogged across the bar and into the fresh air. I needed to start finding some answers.
I caught Lori as she was stepping into one of the resort's many boutiques.
"Lori!" I called.
She spun on her heel to look at me. "Samantha, how nice to see you."
Liar.
"What can I do for you?" She flicked through a rack of summer dresses, seemingly more interested in them than me.
The boutique was high-end. The carpet was plush, the chandelier was crystal, and one dress cost more than I earned in a month. My resort polo, shorts, and flip-flops stood out like…well you get the point.
The assistant glanced my way, probably to make sure I wasn't harassing one of their better clients.
"I was hoping you could answer a couple of questions." I smiled, hoping to convey that we were just two friends having a chat.
"Of course," she said, lifting a sarong and holding it against her as she looked in the nearby floor-length mirror.
"What were you doing in the forestry near Coconut Cove on Monday morning?"
She laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
I took a deep breath and explained that Casey had seen her there. Her cheeks turned the same color as her scarlet socks.
"Oh…yes…I do remember now. Jenny and I were geocaching."
"Jenny?"
"Yes, Jenny. My best friend, Jenny."
"Oh. She was with you?" Casey hadn't mentioned seeing Jenny.
"Yes," Lori answered, a little impatiently, if I might add.
"She'll verify that?"
"Of course she will."
I made a mental note to ask Jenny.
"Did you find the geocache?" I asked, unsure of what to ask next.
"No. Now have you finished? I'd like to try this on." Without waiting for my response, she turned and made her way to the fitting room. The assistant pulled back a large black velvet curtain, showing Lori the way to the fitting area.
I made way to follow her, but the assistant stopped me in my tracks.
"I'm sorry, but customers only are allowed in there."
"What makes you think I'm not a customer?" I asked indignantly. "Are you judging me based on the clothes I'm wearing?" This wasn't the first time I'd been judged by my lack of dress sense. More often than not I felt out of place in high-end boutiques.
"No!" said the assistant, almost recoiling. "I would never do that."
"Well, what then? Why am I not good enough to go in there?" I was a little highly strung today.
"Umm…you're perfectly good enough to go in there. But only customers who wish to try on the clothes are allowed. As you aren't carrying anything, I assume you don't wish to try anything on, in which case I'm very sorry. Our policy is only customers are allowed in the fitting rooms."
Well that was a stupid rule. "Okay. Then I'll try this on, thanks." I grabbed at a nearby rack, pulling out the first thing my hands found.
"Really? That's what you would like to try on?"
"Yes," I answered, not even looking at the hanger. All I knew was that Lori was presently stuck in a fitting cubicle, probably without much clothing, which was a perfect opportunity for me to pin her down and ask her questions. From outside of her cubicle, of course. I really didn't want to see her without her clothes.
"Okay," said the assistant, pulling back the curtain for me to enter the fitting area. "I'll be in shortly to check the fit."
I held my head high and walked past her. It was only as I hung the dress on a hook inside my chosen cubicle that I even looked at it. I groaned. The sequined leopard-print caftan in a size that would fit me, Lori, and the shop assistant shone back at me.
The adjoining curtain shook from movement within.
"I know you're in there," I said, turning my attention to it and shaking the curtain a little bit. "I just want to ask you a couple more questions." Giving up on the friends-just-chatting routine, I was now being much more direct. I'd never been this up front before, but lately I'd had far too many questions, and it was time to figure this all out. Plus, my adrenaline was still pumping from missing the bicep man in The Lava Pot.
I didn't get a response from Lori, so I continued on.
"Did you see Ryan in the forest?"
She didn't answer.
"I think you did," I continued unfazed. "I think you followed him. But why? Why would you do that?"
Ignoring the silence, I quickly thought this through. Why was she there? She had a reputation for liking men just a little bit too much, and she did hav
e her eye on Ryan the night in The Lava Pot. "You were stalking him, weren't you?" I'd come up with a really good theory. One I should have thought through before opening my mouth.
I sat my backside down on the nearest high-backed leather chair. "I think you were. I think you were following him to see what he was doing. You have a reputation around here. You're known for your love of men. I bet you got obsessed with him, and he rejected you, and you killed him." I had it solved. I just needed to get Lori to confess.
The curtain flung back, and I was faced with an overweight middle-aged tourist. And she didn't look particularly happy with my conversation starter.
"I don't know who you think you are talking to," she stated.
I sat upright in the chair, wildly looking around the fitting room for Lori
The room consisted of three curtained cubicles. This one, the one the caftan was hanging in, and another one that was open and vacant.
Where had Lori gone?
Just then another assistant appeared in the fitting room.
"Excuse me," I said, ignoring the tourist. "Where did you just come from?"
"Lunch," she replied, eyeing me suspiciously.
"But how did you get in?"
"We have a door in the store room only accessible to staff."
"Did you see a woman in pink in there?"
"Lori? Yes. She said she needed to leave without her husband seeing her in the store. We do whatever we can to help our good customers." She shrugged.
Bugger. I'd lost Lori through a back door.
* * *
Casey and I had agreed to meet up that night. I was exited yet nervous. I wanted to ask him about what Detective Ray had told me, and I wanted to ask him about the GBH charges. And I probably should confess to him that I'd been in Ryan's room. Could I pluck up the courage though? That would have to be seen.
I took some extra time in front of the bathroom mirror before Casey arrived. I had already shaved everything that needed shaving, had applied body lotion to make my skin silky smooth, and had spent the required amount of time getting my hair to do as it was told. After that I carefully applied minimal makeup—you know, just enough to make me look wide-eyed and gorgeous but not so much that I looked like I'd gone to the effort. Let me tell you, it was exhausting. Normally, I slapped on some sunscreen and applied waterproof mascara and some lip gloss. The water pretty much washed anything else off, so why bother putting it on in the first place? Tonight though, I wanted to impress Casey.
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