Lei Me Down (5 page)

When I got to the cafeteria, I saw Luke at a table with his laptop open in front of him while he spoke with someone on the phone. It looked intense, but I couldn’t help myself—I hurried over and kissed his cheek. He smiled and winked.

I went over and got a cup of coffee, a Greek yogurt, and a granola bar. I returned to the table just as Luke was finishing his call.

“Good morning,” he said. “You look radiant.”

“Thank you.” I laughed. “I
feel
radiant.” I nodded toward the laptop. “Anything wrong?”

“Nothing the COO of the Monterrey branch can’t handle.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” he said. “The only thing I have to take care of today is you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“So what’s on our agenda for the day?”

Before I could answer, Detective Harker strode up to our table.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but I understand you were at the hotel’s luau last night.”

“Yes, we were,” Luke said, holding out a hand to indicate that Harker should sit down.

I wondered if we’d somehow been caught making love in the business room. But even if a security camera had us going in and coming out, the room had been as dark as pitch. No one could prove we were indecently exposed or whatever other complaint might have been lodged…right? Besides, Harker was a homicide detective. We certainly didn’t
kill
anyone. Although, the French
do
call orgasm the
petit mort
—little death.

I kept my mouth shut and shoveled in my yogurt as if I were starving.

As Detective Harker sat down, he slid a photo across the table. “Did either of you happen to see this man?”

The photo was of the groomsman I’d spoken with.

“Yes,” Luke said. “What about him?”

“Did you talk with him?”

Luke and I shared a glance.

“I did,” I said.

“Would you mind giving me a rundown of that conversation?” Harker asked.

“Maybe we should start by telling you what happened prior to Brandy talking with the man at the luau,” Luke said. “We overheard this man talking on the phone to someone we believe was Mark Columbus’ widowed bride. He was telling her he thought she was innocent and that he’d always loved her.”

“He also said, ‘I’m not saying I’m glad he’s dead,’ which made us feel like he wasn’t terribly broken up about it,” I added. “When we went into the luau, we spotted him, and I struck up a conversation. I asked if he’d been part of the Columbus/De Marco wedding party. He said yes and that he’d only known Mark for six months or so but that he’d known Julie all his life.”

“So do you think this guy is a suspect in Mark’s death?” Luke asked.

“He might’ve been at one point, but he isn’t now. He was found murdered in the kitchen after the luau last night.”

My jaw dropped. “What happened?”

“He was stabbed. Did either of you notice him arguing with anyone?” Harker asked.

“I didn’t,” I said. “Once we got our food, I lost track of him. My mind was on the meal and the entertainment.”

“So was mine,” Luke said. “But the two cases have to be linked. For two men in the same wedding party to turn up dead within a couple days of each other couldn’t be a mere coincidence.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Detective Harker.

“Do you think it’s the wife?” I whispered.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss ongoing investigations,” the detective said. “Should you think of anything else you feel I should know, please don’t hesitate to call me.” He stood. “Do you still have my card?”

Luke nodded. “Thank you, detective.”

As soon as Detective Harker left, I turned to Luke and said quietly, “It’s got to be the wife. Don’t you think?”

“I believe it’s a strong possibility. Maybe she married Mark for his money, got the old boyfriend to help kill him, and then got angry with the old boyfriend and killed him.” He frowned.

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said.

“No, I was thinking the same thing as I said it.”

“If she was willing to kill the old boyfriend, then she wouldn’t have had a problem killing Mark,” I said.

“Maybe there’s a third man involved.” Luke nodded toward an older gentleman who was sitting alone. “There’s someone who might be able to fill in some missing pieces for us.”

“Who is he?”

“Julie De Marco Columbus’ father.”

Of course. I now recognized him from the photo. I put my granola bar in my purse, and threw away my yogurt and coffee cups. Then Luke and I approached Mr. De Marco.

“Mr. De Marco, I’m Luke Fontaine, and this is my wife Brandy. We just wanted to come over and express our sympathies to you.”

Mr. De Marco thanked us and invited us to sit down.

“Do you know my daughter?” he asked.

“We don’t,” Luke said. “But my wife met the groomsman last night, and…we’re in the room directly above your daughter’s.”

Mr. De Marco closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re the ones who saw Mark and called the police. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I only wish we’d seen him sooner,” Luke said.

“I’m afraid it wouldn’t have made a difference,” said Mr. De Marco.

“How is your daughter?” I asked. “She must be devastated to have lost both her husband and a good friend within two days of each other.”

“She is. And she’s scared…as am I. We all are. First Mark…then Rob. You have to admit it seems someone is out to get us.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“The groomsman…Rob…he told me he’d been friends with Julie all her life,” I said.

Mr. De Marco nodded sadly. “He was a wonderful young man. He and Julie had once been sweethearts. Truth be told, I wish it had been Rob she was marrying rather than Mark.”

“You didn’t like Mark?” Luke asked.

“It’s not that I didn’t like him really.” Mr. De Marco spread his hands. “Julie just wasn’t as suited to Mark as she was to Rob. She and Rob grew up together, they have the same values, they
know
each other….” His eyes filled with tears. “They
knew
each other.”

I took a packet of tissues from my purse and handed them to Mr. De Marco. He removed a tissue and dabbed at his eyes.

“I’m sorry. You must think I’m a wreck.”

“Anyone in your position would be,” Luke said.

“Last night, I urged Rob to talk with Julie,” said Mr. De Marco. “I told him to be there for her and that, hopefully, when the dust settled and she got over Mark’s death, she would turn back to Rob…that she’d see what had been right in front of her the whole time.”

I was thinking
Gee, let the body get cold first, would ya
, but I nodded sympathetically.

“Do you know anyone who might’ve held a grudge against both Mark and Rob?” Luke asked.

“I wish I did.” Mr. De Marco raised the tissue back to his eyes.

“If there’s anything Brandy or I can do, please let us know,” said Luke. “I have a private jet in a local hangar. If you need it, just let me know.” He handed Mr. De Marco his card. “Call my cell if there’s anything I can do.”

“Thank you.”

Since nothing was on our so-called agenda, we decided to go kayaking. We rented a tandem kayak at Kailua and paddled to Poipu Island.

“My arms are going to be killing me later,” I said.

“It’s all right. We have massage oil.”

We got out of the kayak on Poipu and walked up the beach to the rocky Spouting Horn. I was really glad I’d worn canvas shoes.

“What is this?” I asked, leaning over and looking toward the little pool.

Suddenly, a spurt of water shot out of the pool and straight into the sky. I squealed.

Luke, standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist, told me the sprouting horn sprays water with every wave.

Someone nearby guessed the latest blast was about thirty feet high.

After watching the water spray a few more times, Luke and I decided to explore more of Poipu Beach. We took off our shoes and walked along the golden beach by the sapphire water until we reached a grassy spot.

“This place is gorgeous,” I said.

“It’s often named one of the world’s best beaches.”

“I can see why.” I looked around. “What’s in that direction?”

“Slip on your shoes, and we’ll go see.”

After putting on our shoes, we went exploring and found the Poipu Shopping Village. It was a charming shopping center with beautiful foliage surrounding it.

“Can we browse for a little while?” I asked Luke. “I know we can’t buy anything because we couldn’t get it back on the kayak, but….”

“Buy whatever you’d like, and we’ll have it shipped to us either at the hotel or at home.”

“Really?”

He laughed. “Really.”

Our first stop was at a jewelry store. I fell in love with a gold and diamond waterfall necklace, but I didn’t say anything because I thought it was too expensive. I finally moved past it and glanced at the other jewelry before looking at Luke.

“Are you ready to go on to the next place?” I asked.

“Not quite yet.”

The clerk handed him back his credit card and a small bag.

I pressed my lips together in anticipation.

“Yes,” he said. “I bought it. Turn around, and I’ll put it on you.”

Grinning like an idiot, I turned and pulled up my hair. Luke took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around my neck. The clerk held up a mirror so I could see how beautiful the necklace was on.

“Pretty, yes?” she asked.

“It’s wonderful,” I said. I turned to Luke. “Thank you.”

He kissed me. “You’re welcome.”

I bit my lip. “I’m afraid to wear it on the trip back, though. Could we have it shipped home?”

“Of course.” Luke unfastened the necklace and handed it and the box back to the clerk. He handed her a business card and instructed her to ship the package to his home office.

On to the next store. I wanted to buy something wonderful for Luke too. But what?

We wandered into store after store, but I didn’t see anything that I really thought would appeal to Luke. I was going to have to give it some thought and keep looking.

“I’m starving,” Luke announced.

“Me too, and something smells wonderful.”

Luke looked toward a burger stand. “And I think it’s coming from there.”

“After all the native cuisine last night, I’d really love to have a burger,” I said.

He grinned. “So would I.”

As we ate our cheeseburgers and drank our sodas, we discussed Mr. De Marco.

“I feel so sorry for him,” I said. “Do you think his daughter is involved in the deaths or that she, too, is just a victim?”

“It’s hard to say right now.”

“Do you think Mr. De Marco will take you up on your offer and use the jet to leave Hawaii?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Luke said. “I doubt the first body has been released by the police yet, and I’m sure the second one hasn’t.”

“So the family won’t be allowed to leave the island yet?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I feel bad for Rob,” I said. “Especially since I had him pegged as Mark’s murderer. It must be awful to stand up as a groomsman when someone else is marrying the woman you love.”

“I couldn’t do it,” Luke said. “It would’ve been way too tempting when the preacher asked if anyone had any objections.”

“Yeah, it would.” I sipped my soda. “So now what?”

“We enjoy the rest of our lunch and get our strength up for kayaking back to the surf shop,” he said. “We can do our detective work later.”

I smiled. I suddenly knew what to get him.

When we got back to the hotel, I told Luke I’d join him in the room in about five minutes.

He arched a brow. “What are you up to?”

“Just go,” I said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes at the most.”

“You just now said five.”

“And I amended that to ten minutes to give myself some leeway.” I turned him toward the elevators. “Please…go.”

“All right…. Just know you’re not the only one who’s able to keep a secret,” he said.

“Who said I was keeping a secret?”

He gave me his shrewd look of suspicion again, I giggled, and then he went to the elevators. The door opened for one as soon as he pressed the button, and he winked at me as the door closed.

I hurried over to the concierge’s desk. The concierge was a too-skinny Asian-American
man dressed entirely in black.

He smiled broadly. “How may I help you today?”

“I’d like to get a pair of Sherlock Holmes cufflinks,” I said. “Is there anywhere on the island that would carry something like that?”

“I’ll certainly try to find them, but I can’t guarantee you that I’ll have them today,” he said.

“That’s fine.”

“Do you have a maximum price, Mrs. Fontaine?”

I hesitated. “If they’re more than a thousand, call me before buying them. But please don’t speak with my husband about them. They’re a surprise for him.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Thank
you
. I’ll begin looking for those cufflinks right away.”

I reiterated that I appreciated his help, and then hurried up to our room. When I unlocked the door and went inside, I heard water running in the bathtub.

“Luke?” I placed my purse on the nightstand.

“Come on in. The water’s fine.”

Luke was sitting in the tub that was a little over halfway full of water and foamy bubbles.

I smiled. “You look yummy.”

“I
am
yummy.”

I giggled. “I know you are.”

“Get in.”

I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the warm water. “What smells so good?”

“Lavender-scented bubble bath with Epsom salts. I called ahead and had Fisk bring it up. I didn’t want you to be sore later from all that kayaking and walking.”

I turned off the water and then leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes. “You’re incredible.”

Luke worked out regularly, so he didn’t need to worry about being sore from today’s overexertion. I, on the other hand, got most of my exercise jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, beating myself up, and running around like a chicken with its head cut off.