Burned

“Well, you don’t,” Francie said with conviction. “I’m sure Sal Hawkins would have wanted us to have some fun. Let’s go to the manager’s office and see if we can order tickets. Joy, you’re sure you don’t want us to get one for you?”

“Positive.”

“What about our exciting couple?” Artie asked.

“Let them fend for themselves. We’ll get tickets for you and me.”

“I can’t wait to see the expressions on Gert and Ev’s faces when they find out you charged expensive tickets to their room,” Joy said mischievously.

“I don’t care,” Francie declared. “Artie, let’s go. Joy, how about if we meet at the pool at seven for cocktails and then we’ll go eat?”

“Fine.”

“Where could Gert and Ev possibly be?” Artie asked as he and Francie headed for the reception area.

Francie laughed. “Maybe they got lucky.”

42

“W hy did you have to follow us?” Ev asked Jason and Carla. “Why? You should have known that that was a very bad idea.”

Jason and Carla were tied up in the basement of Gert and Ev’s newly built, nearly finished home on the Big Island. The smell of sawdust was still in the air. The house was up in the hills, twelve hundred feet above sea level, nestled in a rural wooded section of the island. Gert and Ev pla

“You couldn’t mind your own business, could you?” Gert asked. “You followed us out of the restaurant and thought you were being sneaky. Or did you just happen to come up this way? Our long, winding driveway is not exactly a busy thoroughfare.”

“You were so rude to us at the airport,” Carla snapped.

“Since when is being rude a crime?” Ev retorted. “Gert, did you know being rude is a crime?”

“No, sister. I certainly didn’t.”

“Then what crime did you commit?” Carla asked with more bravado than she felt. “Just because we drove up your driveway, you don’t have to hold us against our will. You could have just told us to get lost.”

“You were getting into our business,” Ev declared. “And now you’ve made us miss our flight back to Oahu. We’re not happy about that.”

“I hate missing my di

“Let us go,” Jason implored. “Let’s just forget we ever ran into you.”

Ev shook her head. “I don’t think so. We know that you’ll go and tell everyone about our hideaway. Right, Gert?”

“Sure enough, sister.”

“Then what are you going to do with us?” Carla asked, practically choking on her words.

“We have to figure that out. But I don’t anticipate a very pleasant outcome for you. Gert and I have a lot to look forward to, and we don’t want anyone to ruin our plans.”

“So do we,” Carla cried. “We just got engaged. I want to get married!”

“Gert can marry you. She’s an online minister.”

“I’d rather die!” Carla spat.

“Maybe you will, my dear,” Ev answered. “Let’s go, sister. We have to see if we can get a later flight back to Oahu. We have to be there first thing in the morning or else our tour group will start to wonder.”

“Are you just going to leave us here?” Jason asked. His hands were tied behind his back, and they ached. Ev had tied them so tightly, his circulation was being cut off.

“We’ll be back to take care of you tomorrow night when it’s dark and no one is around. But first we have to make sure you don’t try to make too much noise.” Ev pulled some torn sheets from a bag on the floor. “Here, sister.” She nodded to Gert.

Quickly the two of them tied gags around Carla and Jason’s mouths.

Gert pointed the gun at the couple. “Don’t try anything fu

43

G le

The bathroom rated high on the gross-out scale. In fact, gas station latrines were more inviting.

But Gle

Gle

He locked the door and flicked the seat cover down on the toilet. It landed with a bang. He sat down and pulled the box out of the shopping bag. The hula girls on the wrapping paper were smiling at him, as if they knew what he was up to. Gle

A piece of tape had become unstuck, and the wrapping paper that had covered a side of the box spread open. Gle

Gle

Gle

“Oh, my God!” he whispered. “These are the stolen royal leis. I can’t believe what a liar Ned is!” He unhooked his cell phone from his belt and made a call. “You are not going to believe what I have in my hands!” Quickly he recounted his story. Then he listened. “Yes! That’s a wonderful idea. Better than anything we’ve done so far! Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Gle