“Ono?”
“Delicious. The Japanese say oishi. The Filipinos have a lot of words for it and usually say masarap.” He finished cutting cubes of the juicy flesh and offered her a taste. “We learn something new every day, whether we want to or not, Miss Santoro.”
“I’ve learned about a hundred new things every day since I arrived.” Gina tasted the sweet, pulpy fruit. “This is ripe? This is what it’s supposed to taste like?”
“It might be a day or two over-ripe. You can turn it into dessert with a scoop of ice cream. Make friends with the Filipinos. They have tons of recipes for cooking with all these different kinds of fruit.”
“So far, the only Filipino food I’ve had are the sandwiches Clara makes for us each day.”
“She’s not much of a cook?” he asked. They’d made their way to the large brush pile in the middle of the grounds to toss away the fruit rind.
“I think she’s distracted with the idea that a man was found dead here last week. She avoids the front porch at all costs.”
“People in the islands are pretty superstitious,” he said. “The Filipinos are Catholic, but mix a lot of old-fashioned beliefs and superstitions with it.”
“Such as?” Gina asked. She had a few superstitions of her own.
“Ghosts. But everyone in the islands believes in them.”
“Felix said once that the house is haunted. I chalked that up to not wanting to work by himself every day.”
“Don’t try to convince him otherwise. There are too many layers of myths and folklore that all these different groups of people brought with them. Do yourself a favor, Miss Santoro, and don’t try to change people from a culture you’re not familiar with. It won’t end well.”
“So I’m discovering. Between me being indecisive and the work crew being superstitious, I’m surprised anything gets done at all.”
She pointed out the small trees and shrubs they’d found and marked in the old Japanese garden, and they looked at the mound of dirt that was growing next to the hole that was being dug for the pond.
“I guess we’re keeping the old bridge once the new main entrance is built,” she said. “Nostalgia, or some such thing.”
“That bridge has been there for a long time. I’m surprised it can still take the weight of a car driving across.”
“Maybe that’s why the Tanizawas don’t want me to bring in heavy equipment to work on this project. If I could, I could get the pond dug, and the fields plowed in only a few days. And scrape out a new driveway that goes through the place.”
“Maybe,” he said. They were back to his car by then. “Do you have big plans for today?”
“I was thinking of going for a drive, see a few more places. I might even risk putting on a swimsuit and go to the beach. Any suggestion on where I can go?”
“A Waikiki suntan is the envy of the world. Just wear sunscreen and a hat, and take water. Park near the Ala Wai Marina and walk to any beach you find.”
“Ala Wai Marina. Isn’t that where…”
“Hughes was found, yes. You can walk around there to look at the yachts. I find that entertaining from time to time.”
“Like I know something about yachts.”
“On the other side of the marina is a popular mall. Everything from cheap tourist stuff to expensive clothing and jewelry. Good food court, too.”
Something he said perked her interest. “How expensive is expensive in Honolulu?”
He chuckled when he started his engine. “Our salaries put together wouldn’t be enough to buy pretty little bobbles in some of the stores at that mall, or along Waikiki. Pretty to look at, but leave your credit card at home!"
Chapter Twenty-One
The Rolex wristwatch was burning a hole in Gina’s curiosity ever since Detective Kona returned it to her, with the message that it was useless in his investigation. Even though she was piecing together some of the clues in Danny’s death, the Rolex wasn’t fitting in. Nobody was owning up to knowing anything about it, and quite oddly, no one wanted the thing that was worth thousands of dollars. But it had something to do with Danny, she knew it. There was no way a Rolex found in the grass only steps from where Danny’s body was found, and within only twenty-four hours, that it could have nothing to do with him.
Gina dressed in the bikini she’d brought from home. It was a gift from her sister right before coming to Hawaii, and for as much as it revealed, it was more of a gag gift. Putting on her last clean blouse and a pair of shorts, and gathering a towel, water, and a paperback book in her bag, she left home with the Rolex in her pocket.
After a couple of wrong turns in town, she found the mall Detective Kona had suggested. Leaving her beach bag in the Datsun, she left that behind.
“Hey!” a guy said coming in her direction. “Nice truck. Where’d you get it? Toys ‘r Us?”
“Yeah, funny.” Gina kept walking toward the mall entrance, but peeked over her shoulder a couple of times to see what guy was doing. The last thing she wanted was for some wise guy to vandalize her borrowed truck. When she saw him climb into his own giant pickup truck, she figured it was just testosterone speaking for him.
She was almost in the mall when she heard a terrible scraping sound of metal on concrete, followed by a string of profanities. When she looked back, the wise guy was out of his truck, examining the shiny paint on one side. When he looked at the concrete pillar next to his truck, she knew what had happened.
“Oh well, that’s what you get from driving a pointlessly big truck to the mall parking garage.”
Gina took
