Carol Clark - Burned

“How about at the beginning? You know what they say?”

“No, what?”

“The truth shall set you free.”

“I wish.”

“Give it a shot.”

They were in Will’s office, the door was shut, and Janet had once again been ordered to hold all calls. If possible, Will looked worse than he had a couple of hours ago. He folded his hands as if in prayer. He is about to confess something, Regan thought.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he started to explain. “But things could look suspicious.”

Something made Regan want to cover her ears.

“The night Dorinda Dawes died”-Will hesitated, looked at Regan as though he’d seen a ghost, and continued-“she came into my office just before she left the hotel. It was late because she’d been taking pictures at the parties and restaurants and bars. With the ball coming up, all the talk had been about the lei that was going to be auctioned off. I had told her I had an unusual shell lei at home that my mother and father bought in Hawaii years ago. She asked if she could take a picture of it for the newsletter she’d be writing about the ball. I brought the lei into work and gave it to her, then she left. That’s the last time I saw her alive.”

“The lei she was wearing when she was found dead was yours?” Regan asked in astonishment.

“Indeed.”

“Your parents bought it in Hawaii how many years ago?”

“Thirty.”

“It was stolen thirty years ago.”

“I’m well aware of that now, but I swear I had no idea…” Will stared off into the distance, unable to complete his thought.

“Where did your parents buy it?”

“At the airport from a kid who had long second toes.”

“What?”

“I spoke to my mother on the phone this morning. She said the kid was wearing sandals, and his second toes were much longer than his big toes. It was all she could focus on.”

“A lot of people have unusual feet,” Regan commented. “It’s not the worst affliction in the world. It’s better than having bunions. They’re painful.”

“Yes, but my mother said his were unusually long.”

“That kid, if he’s still alive, is now thirty years older. Couldn’t she remember anything else about him?”

“No. Wherever he is, I’m sure he looks different. But dollars to doughnuts his feet are still identifiable.”

“So that kid may be the one who stole the lei?”

“Yup.” Will sighed heavily. “Don’t you see, Regan? I can’t tell anyone that lei was in my family for the last thirty years. It makes me look bad for a lot of reasons.”

“It sure does.”

“Regan!”

“Sorry, Will. Although it might look suspicious that your parents had a lei that had been stolen from a museum, I’m sure they had no idea the lei was stolen when they bought it.”

“Of course they didn’t! They bought the lei, boarded the plane, and never looked back. My mother wore it at all the big occasions at home. She said it made her feel like a queen.”

“She must have ESP.”

“She’s got something,” Will agreed wearily. “But, Regan, this could all look very bad for me. Dorinda was wearing my lei-a stolen, valuable lei-when she died. That could place me at the scene of the crime.”

“The police believe she accidentally drowned. Whether she was wearing your lei or not, they don’t believe a crime was committed. But, Will, you are the one who wanted me to start investigating. Why? If you’re worried about the finger being pointed at you, why didn’t you just let the whole thing go?”

Will inhaled deeply. “When I handed the lei over to Dorinda, I immediately got a bad feeling. The lei had meant so much to my mother. I realized that it was probably not a good idea. Dorinda told me she was going straight home. I asked her if she could take the picture right away, and I’d pick up the lei on my way home. I still had a bit more work to do.”

“What did she say?”

“That she’d go straight to her apartment. She was going to put the lei on a piece of dark felt on her kitchen table, set up the proper lighting, and take the picture. She suggested we have a glass of wine when I picked it up. I didn’t want any part of that. I knew it wouldn’t look good with my wife away. But I didn’t want to leave the lei with her overnight, and once I had handed it to her, I felt foolish asking for it back. So I said maybe a quick nightcap. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I let her keep the lei overnight.”

Oh, boy, Regan thought.

“Dorinda was a bit of a flirt, and my wife couldn’t stand her.”

“Did your wife see the newsletter with her picture?”

“Not yet. In any case, I drove over to Dorinda’s apartment after work and rang the bell. It was late, and she didn’t answer. I waited in my car and tried to call her a few times, but she didn’t pick up. Finally I went home. The next morning I come to work and her body washes ashore. And she’s wearing that lei around her neck. I gave the lei to her in a special pouch and asked her to please be careful with it. The minute she walked out of here, she must have put the lei around her neck. But, Regan”-Will paused-“Dorinda intended to go straight home. She liked my company and knew I was coming over. She wouldn’t have stopped to sit on the jetty that night. And now I keep thinking that someone might have seen me sitting outside her apartment on the night she died.”

Regan sat there thoughtfully. “From everything I’ve heard about Dorinda, she was impulsive. Maybe she did just decide to go out on the jetty for a few minutes.”

Will shook his head. “I just don’t believe it. Someone must have lured her down to the water.”

“She was wearing the lei. Maybe she decided to show it off to someone on the beach.”

“Could be. But to whom? And did that person intentionally hurt her? Will he or she harm someone else? Regan, I don’t want anyone to find out about my involvement in all this. But I do believe that someone killed Dorinda and should pay for it.”

“You know, Will, in years past, supposedly she burned a lot of people. Even my mother was not happy with an article Dorinda wrote about her years ago. And that last newsletter…”

Will put his head in his hands.

“I heard that some guy who wanted Dorinda to interview him was bugging her. He designs Hawaiian clothing. Do you know if that’s Jazzy’s boss?” Regan asked.

“Yes. Claude Mott. He wants to bring attention to his line of clothing and was pushing to get Dorinda to profile him, but she told me she didn’t want to do it.”

“Jazzy never mentioned this to me when she was telling me what a terrible person Dorinda was.”

“That’s Jazzy for you.”

“I think I’d better have a chat with her. I’d also love to talk to Claude.”

“He’ll be here tonight in one of our best suites.”

“Good. Another thing: I met a couple out at the bar at lunchtime. They’re with a tour group from a place where it rains all the time.”

“Oh, yes. The Praise the Rain Club.”

“What?”

Will filled her in on the history of the club and the tours. “They’ve been coming for three years now.”

“I want to keep an eye on this couple. They’re very strange. I caught them coming out of the supplies closet. The guy insisted they were just grabbing some extra towels. But with what you say has been going on around here, I don’t know.”

“It’s the first time that couple has stayed here. They may be strange, but they probably don’t have anything to do with the troubles we’ve been having. But I’ll be glad when that group is gone for good. The two women in charge have been badgering me to lower their room rates. I already have many times. I’ve decided I’m not making any more deals with them. If they want to come back, they’ll have to pay a fair price. I already give them way too much attention and too many perks, and they’re just not worth it.”