The Scent of Waikiki (Trouble in Paradise Book 9) by Terry Ambrose

Author:Terry Ambrose [Ambrose, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amateur sleuth, Murder mystery, Maui, cozy thriller, island setting, senior sleuth, funny mysteries, Hawaii fiction
Publisher: Satori
Published: 2018-07-18T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

Once we’d exhausted our curiosity, Colin took his leave and headed for the beach. For our return engagement at Club Mystique, Chance and I agreed we should hit them before the rush hour. That meant no dinner, but a visit to their bar and a discussion with the bartender. Benni and Lexie begged off, indicating they just wanted to hang out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. I was not going to grumble, even though I suspected the decoded message was more like, “We want to watch the Surfing Professor in action.”

As Chance pulled the red Ferrari into valet parking at the hotel, the valet on duty watched us closely. He rushed forward and was opening Chance’s door before the car had come to a full stop. Chance got out, the valet hopped in, and the engine growled a couple of times before the car rumbled away.

On our way to the massive front entry, I looked at Chance. “You realize, of course, you may never see your car again.”

“It’s insured,” Chance said casually, then shot a quick glance over his shoulder.

We took the elevator to the top floor, exited, and were greeted by a petite hostess wearing a flowing red-and-white dress and a sunny smile.

“Welcome to Club Mystique, gentlemen. My name is Tiffany. The restaurant will open for dinner at five, but the bar is now open for cocktails.”

I glanced at Chance and said, “It’s your show.”

Chance stepped forward, one of his business cards at the ready. “Hi, Tiffany. We’re trying to obtain information about one of your servers, Stephen Brantley.”

Tiffany took the card, staring at it with her eyes wide. “Wow, a real private investigator.”

Oh, boy. This one was fresh out of high school. If that. But despite her moment of awe, Tiffany shrugged and handed the card back to Chance.

“Sorry, I can’t help you,” she chirped. “Would you like a table or do you want to sit at the bar?”

You could have knocked me over with a gentle breeze. I’d been sure that between Chance’s smile, the card, and Tiffany’s apparent naiveté, we’d been a sure thing for the scoop on Stephen.

“Would this help?” Chance held out a fifty dollar bill.

Tiffany’s lips pursed, then her jaw tightened. She fingered a dangling red earring that matched the red in her dress. “I don’t know…” She dragged out the last word until the point where it became painful.

Chance pulled out another fifty. I had to admit one thing, having someone who threw money around as though it was water did make getting information a lot easier. In the old days, I’d have had to rely on trickery and deceit. With Chance around, all I had to do was say, “Cash, please.”

“Tiffany,” Chance leaned forward and smiled at the girl. “Come on, we need help here.”

“Does this have anything to do with why Stephen didn’t come in today?” Tiffany winced and gazed expectantly at him.

“As a matter of fact, we’re concerned,” I said.

The girl sucked in a breath and brought her fingers to her lips.

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