Carol Clark - Burned

Then Regan heard Kit’s scream. It sounded as if it were coming from the jetty where Dorinda Dawes often sat. Oh, God, Regan thought, thinking of Dorinda’s fate. Don’t let the same thing happen to Kit! Regan started to run toward the jetty. Then she heard two more short screams. It’s her, I know it. Regan was frantic. My best friend. Please, please let me get there in time, she prayed.

Regan stepped onto the jetty and ran across the slick rocks as fast as she could. She slipped and fell, her knee scraped by a jagged rock. Barely feeling the pain, she got back up and raced to the end. The sight of Steve struggling to hold Kit’s head under water sent a jolt through Regan’s system like she had never felt before. In an instant, she jumped down onto Steve’s back and hit him in the back of the neck with a strength she couldn’t believe she had. He grunted, released his grip on Kit, and threw Regan off his back. They both fell into the ocean. As Kit lifted her head out of the water, Regan yelled to her. “Get back on the jetty!”

Kit was coughing, but fury had overcome her. “No way, Regan.” She jumped on Steve and scratched at his face. He threw her off and then pushed Regan below the surface. Regan swallowed a huge gulp of the salty ocean but managed to knee him in the groin. She resurfaced just as Kit clawed his left eye with her nails. He screamed in pain, turned away, and began to swim out to sea. But his escape was short-lived. A police boat located him twenty minutes later. His stint in paradise had come to an end.

After all the excitement died down and the police had Steve in custody, Kit and Regan, now wearing dry clothes, returned to the ballroom in time to see the delayed auction of the royal leis. A benefactor purchased both of them for a lot of money and donated the pair back to the Seashell Museum. He didn’t have too much competition. “Trouble surrounds those leis,” he noted. “They shouldn’t be separated ever again. They belong together on display. People should know their history and that they once belonged to members of the Hawaiian royal family. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know how that poor woman Dorinda Dawes got her hands on Queen Liliuokalani’s lei. That’s a secret she took to her grave.” Jimmy beamed while the curator of the prestigious Bishop Museum looked crestfallen. He had hoped the leis would go to his museum.

Will’s mother glanced over at Ned, who had just gotten up from the next table, and caught his eye. They both stared at each other. She stood and went over to him.

“I know that you know who we are,” Almetta said evenly. “And I know who you are.”

Ned didn’t reply.

“I won’t tell anyone that you sold the lei to us if you won’t let it be known that we had it for all those years. That’s the last thing Will needs right now. He had nothing to do with Dorinda Dawes’s death. Thank God her killer has been caught.”

Ned nodded.

Almetta smiled. “You know, your toes aren’t that bad. Buy yourself a pair of sandals.”

Ned smiled back. “I already did.” He turned and walked off. The next day he applied for a job with the Peace Corps. I’m only going to do good from now on, he promised himself.

Everyone loved Claude’s muumuus. They were a huge hit. Scores of women had changed into them in the bathrooms and were now out on the dance floor in force. Brimming with satisfaction, Claude whispered to Jazzy, “I don’t think we should do any more harm to this hotel. You don’t need Will’s job. They’ll sell our clothing anyway. I’ll make you my partner. And if you’ll have me, I’ll make you my wife.”

Jazzy kissed him. “Oh, Claude. It’s what I always wanted.”

He kissed her back. “Me, too. Now tell Glenn to cut out the pranks. We’ll give him a good job with the company.”

“I love you, Claude.”

“I love you, too, Jazzy. From now on, we always do the right thing. Life’s too short. Especially around here.”

The next morning Regan and Kit were at the Honolulu airport together.

“Another adventure, huh?” Kit said sheepishly. “We’ve been through a lot together in the last ten years, but this outing really takes the cake.”

“The next guy will be the right one for you. I just know it.”

“Promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“You’ll be sure to check him out. No matter how gaga I am.”

Regan laughed. “That’s a guarantee. Especially if you’re gaga.” Her cell phone began to ring. She quickly answered it. “Aloha, Jack. Nothing’s changed since we spoke ten minutes ago. I’ve had two more calls from my mother. She’s still freaked out, but Kit and I are fine.”

“I need to see you, Regan. They just reopened the airports here. I’ll get a flight to Los Angeles. I can’t wait until next weekend…”

“I can’t either. Kit and I are about to board a flight to New York.”

“You are?” Jack’s voice was exuberant.

“Yes. I wanted to surprise you, but I guess we’ve had enough surprises lately. Kit will get a connecting flight to Connecticut, and I’ll take a taxi to your apartment. After everything that happened, we didn’t want to make the long trip back alone. My bachelorette weekend is finally over.”

“And not soon enough, your life as a bachelorette. I’m thinking we should move up the date of the wedding. We can talk about it when you get here. And you’re not taking any taxi-I’ll be at the airport waiting for you with open arms.”

Regan smiled broadly as the announcement that the flight to New York was now boarding came over the loudspeaker. “I’m on my way, Jack. I’m finally on my way.”