Before Melanie can respond with whatever threats she’s currently formulating, Breezy appears from the direction of the thatch-roofed booths, hardly able to walk without tripping over his feet. It’s clear he’s already sampling his own product for quality control purposes.
“What a beautiful evening!” he announces, spreading his arms wide to encompass the entire luau setup and he nearly smacks a tourist’s hat off. “Look at this crowd, this atmosphere, this absolutely magical island energy! You’ve outdone yourselves with this event.”
He turns specifically to Koa and me with that thousand-watt smile that probably makes tourists tip him in advance. “Detective Hale, Ms. Julep, I hope you’re both planning to sample the competition entries tonight. I’ve got a new rum blend that’s going to absolutely revolutionize the island cocktail scene.”
“I’m sure it will,” I say, trying to sound as neutral as possible. I’ve learned not to commit to beverages created by murder suspects.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Breezy continues, practically bouncing with enthusiasm, “I’ve got a competition to win and some serious mixing to do. This is my chance to show everyone what true island craftsmanship really looks like.”
He bounds off toward the makeshift bars lined up on the sand with the energy of a man determined to win or deceive a detective. It’s hard to tell the difference when everyone in paradise seems to operate at maximum enthusiasm levels, regardless of their criminal activities.
“We’re off to sample the wares,” Ruby announces, appearing beside us with Lani in tow and their coconut arrangements somehow still maintaining structural integrity despite what appeared to be some spirited dancing earlier. “Can’t let all thisdelicious island cuisine go to waste while we stand around making small talk.”
They head toward the buffet with the determination of food critics on a mission, leaving Koa and me alone under the pineapple lights.
“Now, where were we?” he says as the hint of a wicked grin plays on his lips.
“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice purrs from behind us, and I turn to find Mabel approaching with a predatory smile customarily reserved for people spotting attractive prey at singles bars. “Detective Hale, you clean up very nicely for official events.”
Of course, she’s into him. Every female on the sand is tripping over themselves to get a better look at him.
She’s ditched the sun hat and oversized sunglasses in favor of a little red cocktail dress that makes her look like she stepped off the pages of a magazine about successful women with questionable morals and excellent taste in evening wear.
“Down, girl,” I say, moving slightly closer to Koa with territorial instincts I didn’t know I possessed. “This one has already been claimed by the local wildlife preserve.”
Did I just liken myself to local wildlife? I frown at the thought, although I’m not too far off base. I’d like to think of myself as a tigress, but I’m probably more of a porcupine, or let’s face it—a sloth.
I glance over at Koa, who raises an eyebrow in my direction with an expression that suggests he’s either amused by my possessiveness or plotting to arrest me for interfering with his ability to attract suspects through his natural magnetism. It is so his gift.
“Oh, Jinx, I’m just appreciating the local scenery,” Mabel says with a laugh as if she’s definitely not just talking about the ocean views. “Besides, I should get over to the booths andmake sure everything is running on schedule. By my estimation, we should be beginning the judging process in about twenty minutes.”
She nods toward the beach where a series of elaborate thatched huts have been set up as individual mixing stations, complete with professional bartending equipment and enough rum to float a small cruise ship.
“Tonight is easy-peasy,” Mabel continues. “We’ll do a popular vote where the people can cast their ballots for their favorite, and of course, we have our panel of official judges ready to provide the expert opinions,” she says, demonstrating the fact that she’s managed events more complicated than this one. “It should be quite the show.”
“Sounds good,” I say, although I’m wondering if having a large crowd, alcohol, and multiple murder suspects in the same location constitutes good planning or a recipe for disaster.
“It’s about time you showed up!” Melanie steps over and snaps at Mabel, apparently deciding that her evening wouldn’t be complete without antagonizing the event coordinator. “I’ve been fielding questions about the schedule for the past hour while you were off doing who knows what!”
Mabel rolls her eyes. I bet she’s dealt with difficult clients before, but none like our sweet little Melanie. And I mean sweet in the ironic way. Melanie is like a cupcake made with salt instead of sugar.
Mabel nods her way. “I was coordinating with the judges and making sure all the equipment was properly calibrated, but thanks for your concern about my time management. If you’ll all excuse me, I have an event to manage.”
She heads toward the makeshift bars with Melanie following behind, harping about professional responsibility and proper communication protocols with all the authority of a personwho’s never successfully managed anything more complicated than a coffee order. And even that is questionable.
Koa’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he frowns at the screen.
“Receiving news that’s going to interfere with your evening plans?” I ask with a sigh. Because I was sort of hoping his evening plans would include my lips.
“My sergeant wants me to patrol the grounds,” he says, tucking the phone away with reluctance. “Having this many people gathered in one location while there’s an active murder investigation makes the department nervous.”
“Shocking,” I say. “Who could have predicted that combining alcohol, a competition, and a slew of potential killers might require additional security?”
“Try not to trip over any dead bodies while I’m gone,” he says with that dry humor that makes me want to either kiss him or throw something at him, maybe both.
“I’ll do my best to keep my corpse-discovery rate to zero for the evening,” I reply with mock solemnity. “But I make no promises if people keep leaving them in inconvenient locations.”
He heads off to conduct his official security patrol, leaving me to navigate the luau crowd alone. I move through the party, nodding to tourists who look thrilled to be experiencing authentic island culture and locals who seem amused by the whole spectacle.
