The Green Room by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

Author:Deborah Turrell Atkinson [Atkinson, Deborah Turrell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General
ISBN: 9781615950058
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 2010-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-four

Despite the changes eighteen years had brought, Storm recognized Pua Pi‛ilani. Thinner and more graceful, her face shared the same high cheekbones and fine planes of her brother’s. She’d also grown at least a foot, had her teeth fixed, let her jet black hair grow in gentle waves past her shoulders, and lost all her baby fat, which had been considerable.

Storm closed her open mouth and raised a hand in greeting. Pua, without glancing back at the man, squared her shoulders and walked toward her. With outstretched arms, she threaded her way through observers toward her old friend. Her eyes were wide, and a drying trail of tears streaked her cheeks.

Storm enfolded Pua in a hug, which the woman returned. She felt as frail as a bird in Storm’s embrace.

“Storm, I’ve got to talk to you.”

“It’s been so long. I tried to call you back.”

“I know. And no one could ever hear a phone ring out here.”

“Who’s that guy you were talking to?”

“Steve O’Reilly. He’s the organizer-producer of the Intrepid and a complete asshole.” Her words held more misery than fight.

“What happened?”

The two women had the attention of Dede, Sunny, and everyone within ten feet. Pua was hard to miss, and her low voice, almost a whisper, attracted attention even over the noise around them.

“That’s what I need to talk to you about. Partly, anyway. Storm, I’m sorry I—”

Suddenly, three men loomed behind Pua. One was a local policeman, and one was dressed in a sweatshirt emblazoned with the Intrepid logo and the blue shorts of local lifeguards. The third was Marty Barstow. Barstow stood back while the two security men each took one of Pua’s arms.

Pua looked resigned, and shook her arms free of them. They let go, but stood right by her. “You need to leave, lady. Or we’ll take you in,” the Intrepid guy growled.

“Complaints have been filed,” the cop said. Storm thought he sounded a bit sheepish. He should be. O’Reilly was probably six-two, two-fifty. Storm bet Pua didn’t weigh half that.

Pua didn’t seem to want to make more of a scene, though. “Later,” she mouthed to Storm, and walked away, chin high, ahead of the cop and lifeguard.

Barstow hung around. “I asked you to call me,” he said to Storm.

Storm felt her face flush with anger. “Most people call me at the office.”

His voice remained reasonable and confident. “I may need your help.”

“Against hundred-pound brunettes?” Storm snapped.

Barstow shrugged. “She’s my partner’s problem. He had to get a restraining order.”

“Call me sometime this evening,” she snapped. “I’m tied up until then.” By that time, she would have tracked Stephanie down.

Sunny and Dede had stood by her during this exchange, and when Barstow strolled away, they looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Are you representing both of them?”

“No way. I don’t know what he wants.” She frowned. “But I should find out. You heard anything from the surf community about him and his partner?”

Dede shrugged. “I heard the partner’s been trolling.”

“Anyone you know hooked up with him?”

“He made a pass at me,” Sunny said.

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