Beside Still Waters (Psalm 23 Mysteries) Page 5

  Not that I should judge, she thought sadly. There were so many things that the death of her sister had kept her from doing. If she was honest with herself there were times where she almost envied Kyle. His freedom and uninhibited joy in life were two things she could only dream of. Still, as the life preserver incident illustrated, her fears and limitations could very well be all that had kept her alive over the years.

  When they made it back to the dock there was an ambulance waiting for Marge. She protested that she was fine but ultimately relented and allowed herself to be whisked away to the hospital. Cindy huddled with the other passengers waiting to be given their vouchers and sent on their way.

  She kept looking for Al, but she didn’t see him. That perplexed her a bit. Maybe he was too embarrassed to show his face given that he was the one who’d handed Marge the faulty life preserver. He shouldn’t be embarrassed. It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone.

  What if it wasn’t an accident?

  Cindy blinked as the thought entered her mind unbidden. It was ridiculous. She couldn’t even fathom how one would go about sabotaging one of those life preservers. And besides, who would possibly want to hurt Marge?

  Then she remembered how Al had tried to discourage Marge from taking that particular life preserver, wanting instead to leave it for Cindy.

  What if he, or someone else, was trying to hurt me?

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

  Crazy. Paranoid. That’s what she was. There was no possible reason anyone, least of all some stranger on a tour in Hawaii, would want to harm her. She was just jumpy. Too many brushes with death and danger had made her that way. It was exactly why she needed this vacation.

  I have to relax, she told herself. If I’m spooking this easy here, imagine how much worse it will be when I’m back home.

  She dug into her purse for her cell phone. She wanted to call Jeremiah. She froze, though. What could he do other than tell her to stop looking for killers under every rock? She hesitated, still wanting to talk to him.

  Finally she dialed his phone. It rang four times then went to voicemail. She hesitated and then hung up. No need to alarm him needlessly.

  At last a crewmember handed her a voucher and said she was free to go. She crammed it into her purse and headed for the van that would take her back to her hotel.

  Several other passengers crammed in with her and a minute later they were off. Cindy was relieved that hers was the first stop. She had to crawl across two other passengers to get out of the van but she finally made it. Once on the street she opted for some more shopping and sightseeing. She still had several hours before dinner and she wanted to make the most of them.

  For lunch she grabbed a pineapple Dole Whip from a small stand and ate it as she walked. She bought a flower for her hair and carefully fastened it on the right side of her head as she was instructed. Flower on the right side was single; flower on the left side was taken.

  “Let all young men know you in the market,” the woman who sold the flower to her told her with a thick accent.

  It made Cindy blush. She wasn’t shopping for a guy while on vacation. That would be long-distance crazy making. In the next moment she thought of her dinner with the detective and blushed harder, much to the delight of the flower vendor. She shook her head. What would Jeremiah say?

  ~

  Things were quiet without Cindy around, Jeremiah realized. He walked into his house and gave Captain a quick pat on the head. He kept expecting to see Cindy or hear from her in some way. The conversation with Mark had shaken him more than he liked and he wanted someone to talk to.

  Not that he’d ever talk to Cindy about counseling Mark. Not only would that violate Mark’s privacy, it would also open a whole can of worms that he wasn’t ready to deal with yet.

  You should tell her who you are, a voice seemed to whisper in his head.

  Who I was, he corrected the voice. That’s not who I am anymore.

  The still small voice didn’t seem to believe that anymore than he did.

  He took out his wallet and phone and deposited them on the dresser in his bedroom. He picked his phone back up and checked it. His heart lifted a little when he saw that he had missed a call from Cindy. She hadn’t left a message.

  He was about to call her back when he stopped himself. She was on vacation and he had promised himself he wouldn’t disturb her while she was gone. If she hadn’t left him a message it couldn’t be anything important. For all he knew she had dialed the number by accident before hanging up.

  He sighed and put the phone back down. He stared grimly at his reflection in the mirror. Why did things have to be so complicated?

  Captain padded into the room and whined deep in his throat. Jeremiah patted him. “Not the way I wanted to spend my day off either, boy.”

  The dog dropped a tennis ball at Jeremiah’s feet. Jeremiah sighed as he picked it up. “You want to go to the park and play, don’t you?”

  The dog wagged his tail as though he understood and whined again.

  “Okay,” Jeremiah relented, wishing there was a better place he could take the dog to play fetch. For a brief moment he thought of Cindy’s friend Joseph who had the sprawling estate and acres of grass for his own beloved dog to run around on. No matter how he practiced it in his own head, though, there was no way in which asking Joseph to borrow his lawn didn’t seem suspicious.

  “The park it is,” he told Captain.

  Jeremiah changed quickly into jogging shorts and a T-shirt and then piled with the big dog into his car. Twenty minutes later they were running around, tossing the ball, and Jeremiah was enjoying the exercise every bit as much as Captain was. Maybe he worried too much, he reasoned. Maybe he was too cautious.

  After all, it had to have been coincidence that Captain’s former owner frequented this park even though it was in the very town Jeremiah had set up residence, nearly halfway around the globe from the place they had last seen each other.

  “Stranger things have happened,” he told Captain as the dog danced around, eagerly waiting for him to throw the ball again.

  He tossed it long and then raced Captain, who beat him easily to the ball. He got down on the ground and wrestled with the dog who was just in heaven. Finally he got the ball away from him and threw it again, this time letting Captain do all the running and bring it back to him.

  After they were both good and winded Jeremiah led Captain over to some tables and benches in the shade. Sometimes people could be found there playing chess, but apparently everyone else had something better to do at that point.

  Except for one man, sitting, a chess board neatly arranged in front of him as though he was waiting for someone. As Jeremiah approached he got a strange, twisting sensation in his gut and as the man looked up and smiled at him he realized the man had been waiting for someone.

  Him.

  5

  Jeremiah was standing, staring at the old man who had come up to him the day before, the one who had said it was urgent they talk and had scheduled an appointment with him for Wednesday.

  Marie was right to be concerned, the words flashed through his mind.

  “Sit,” the man said, indicating the empty chair across from him. “We have much to talk about.”

  Jeremiah turned and quickly scanned the surrounding environment, looking for anything that was out of place...like the fact that no one else was near them in the park and the other tables that usually housed chess players sat empty. He was a fool for not having been suspicious earlier.

  A very old habit drove his hand to the back of his waistband, but there was nothing there to grab. He had no weapons to aid him.

  The old man chuckled. “Do not worry. I paid the others who were sitting here to go away and leave us alone for a few minutes.”

  “An awful lot of work and money wasted when you could have just kept our appointment on Wednesday.

  The old man shrugged. “I am...how do you say? An opportunist.
When opportunity presents itself, I act upon it. Much like you, I think.”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The other cocked his head, regarding him long and steadily. Jeremiah stood his ground, his mask firmly in place, revealing nothing through his eyes, his facial expressions. Finally the man shrugged. “Perhaps I am wrong, but that does not change the fact that we need to talk. Sit, play a game with an old man.”

  It could be a trap. The chair could have a bomb rigged to it or there could be an accomplice just waiting somewhere to pick him off the moment he did. “How did you know I would come here,” he asked, stalling for time.

  “I didn’t. I came for the chess. And then I saw you and your beautiful dog. German Shepherds are a wonderful breed. Here is the best shade and a drinking fountain for both man and beast. I figured it likely you would come over.”

  Slowly Jeremiah sat down even though he still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t a trap. Captain laid down at his side, keeping a watchful eye on him. He could tell the dog sensed his apprehension and was just waiting to be told what the problem was.

  “You are white. It is your move first.”

  Jeremiah slid one of his pawns forward, still keeping an eye on the older man. “How about you tell me your name?”

  “You may call me Otto,” the man said as he pushed forward one of his own pawns.

  “What do you want with me, Otto?” Jeremiah asked, moving his knight.

  “I need your help with something.”

  Again Jeremiah looked around, sure that they must be being watched by someone. He turned back and picked up with the game, listening, waiting.

  “I am a very old man and my time is running short. I want to make amends. You understand this, ja?”

  “I’m not sure what you think it is I can do for you. If you’re looking for absolution, you might try a priest of some sort.”

  “Nein. Not absolution. Restoration.”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a lot more clear than that.”

  It was Otto’s turn to look around, and there was a fearfulness to him that gave Jeremiah pause. Maybe the man really was in trouble and looking for his help.

  “Möchtest Du spazieren gehen?”

  “In English, please,” Jeremiah said, refusing to give any sign that he’d understood the man.

  “Would you like to go for a walk?”

  “Okay,” Jeremiah said, rising swiftly. Captain quickly followed suit and stood looking at him, waiting for instruction.

  Otto began to walk slowly away from the table, leaving the chess game half finished. Jeremiah joined him with Captain pressing close to his legs.

  “I can never help the people I should. It is impossible. But I have determined that I can help someone else. I want to help you, your synagogue. It will go a small way toward righting a great wrong, to repaying a great debt.”

  Jeremiah was beginning to wonder if maybe Otto was suffering from some kind of dementia instead of trying to be deliberately evasive.

  He reached out and touched the old man’s arm and Otto jerked as though he had been scalded.

  Jeremiah let his hand fall away. “Otto, if you need my help, you’re going to have to be very clear and explain to me exactly what it is that you’re talking about.”

  Otto stared up at the sky, whether seeking wisdom or some sort of sign Jeremiah couldn’t tell. Finally he turned and looked him in the eyes. Otto’s eyes were clear, thought quickening in them, not the eyes of someone who wasn’t clear what was going on.

  “I will trust you and I will do as you say, but Wednesday when we are scheduled to meet. I will bring something then to show you. Something very important and when you see it, you will understand everything.”

  Jeremiah realized that he was now completely intrigued and even though every cell of his being urged him to walk away he stood his ground. “I’m free the rest of the day. Is there somewhere you want to go to talk more now?”

  “Nein. It will take me a day to retrieve what it is I must show you. Now, I have taken up too much of your day already. Go, enjoy. Have a thoughtful and peaceful Memorial Day tomorrow and I will see you on Wednesday.”

  The old man turned and started walking away. His back was straight, his head was up, and his steps were sure. He walked without wavering, heading off to wherever it was he was going. Jeremiah stood and watched him out of sight. Otto was a man with a purpose.

  And I guess on Wednesday I’ll find out what it is.

  ~

  Cindy gingerly smeared aloe onto the red skin of her arms and winced. It was her own fault for not reapplying sunscreen halfway through the day. Finished with that she grabbed the little black dress that Geanie had insisted she bring with her “just in case”.

  The dress was, in fact, Geanie’s. Fortunately it wasn’t too outlandish given her roommate’s penchant for crazy clothes. It had a halter top and came down to her knees. She slipped on her sandals because the only other shoes she had brought with her were tennis shoes. After applying light makeup she examined herself in the mirror. Except for her red arms she looked pretty good.

  She picked up her purse and felt her nerves begin to spiral out of control. She grabbed the deck of cards she’d bought the day before off of the dresser and shoved them in her purse. In case she needed to, she could always fidget with them under the table and hopefully he wouldn’t notice.

  She left her room and walked to the elevator, feeling even more nervous. She wasn’t good at dating and lately it seemed like most of the men who asked her out were either completely wrong for her or murderers.

  I guess I have every right to be nervous, she told herself.

  In the lobby Kapono was already waiting for her dressed in slacks and a Hawaiian shirt. She had learned that this constituted formal wear for the islands. He flashed her an appreciative smile and she dipped her head in acknowledgement.

  “I thought you’d be on island time,” she admitted. “I was sure I’d have at least another ten minutes.”

  “We move slow most of the time because we don’t feel like rushing,” he admitted. “But we can still move quickly if we see something we want.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that and wished she’d never made the joke in the first place.

  As if sensing her discomfort he gave a slow, easy laugh. “You need to loosen up. Good food can help with that; let’s go.”

  He took her to a seafood restaurant that was little more than a shack on a stretch of beach she hadn’t seen yet. As they were being seated the sun was already beginning to set and Cindy couldn’t help but marvel at the colors that blazed across the sky.

  “Is beautiful, no?”

  “Yes,” she told him. “Thank you. I would never have found this place on my own.”

  He grinned. “You know the best part?”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Since we’re on the sand you can kick off your shoes.”

  She laughed, caught off guard. She glanced under the table and saw that he had indeed discarded his sandals.

  “Come on, go native,” he urged with an engaging grin.

  After a moment’s hesitation she kicked off her sandals and dug her toes into the warm sand.

  “See, mo’ better.”

  “Mo’ better,” she agreed.

  She picked up her menu and discovered that all it had listed were a couple of appetizers and then several different ways that they could prepare fish. The lemon caper butter sauce sounded amazing.

  “What fish do they have?” she asked, trying to figure out the menu.

  “The waiter will tell us what they have today. Then you pick how you want it cooked and what sauce you want.”

  A minute later the waiter appeared. “Good evening. Before we get started I’ll just let you know about our fish tonight. First we have ono which is a mild fish with a firm texture.”

  “Ono also means good in Hawaiian,” Kapono said with a grin.

/>   “Yes. The ono is very ono,” the waiter said with a grin. “Next we have mahi mahi which is a firm white fish with a sweet flavor. I recommend it with the coconut and macadamia nut crust. Finally tonight we have monchong-”

  “Say no more,” Kapono said, interrupting with a raised hand. He looked at Cindy. “Have you had monchong?”

  “No.”

  “Then you will tonight. I’ll take mine sautéed in the lemon caper butter sauce. ”

  “Better make that two,” Cindy said, handing the waiter her menu.

  “I promise you will not be disappointed,” the waiter said before heading off.

  “Monchong must be a specialty,” she ventured once he had gone.

  “You’ve never tasted anything to beat it,” Kapono said. “Trust me on this.”

  “Well, if you can’t trust a detective, who can you trust?” she joked.

  But even as the words left her mouth she couldn’t help but think about the corrupt police officer she had helped capture half a year before. Still, he hadn’t been a detective. She forced herself to smile, hoping Kapono didn’t notice her sudden tension.

  The waiter brought them some water and she hastily began to sip hers, trying to cover for herself while she tried to force herself to calm down. Finally she put the glass down.

  “How was the rest of your day yesterday, see anything interesting?” he asked, picking up his own water glass.

  “You mean, more interesting than a dead body?”

  He choked on his water and then set the glass down carefully. “Hopefully more pleasant at least.”

  She couldn’t resist the urge to tease him. “Well, I did see another dead body yesterday evening.”

  His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “You gotta be kidding me.”

  “Nope.”

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “I went to a luau on the north shore. I was walking on the beach before dinner and I saw some people moving one of the bodies on that proposed resort site I’ve been hearing about.”

  He winced. “I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “At least it wasn’t as...traumatic...as the other one.”