Killer Confections8 Delectable Mysteries(22)

“That was a huge scandal and it led to new laws,” replied Regan. “Inspections are now required to ensure that all beans labeled as 100% Kona are grown in the district.”

“Next up is the roasting room. After that, I’ll show you our latest project. Something no other coffee farm has done.” She pointed to a tall wooden tower situated on a distant hill.

“Is that a zip-line tower?” Stan asked.

“Our latest addition,” confirmed Regan. “Ritz and Pilar are determined to turn Koffee Land into a destination coffee farm. They want to host weddings, special events, even movies. Our first big event is a new reality show called The Bride and the Bachelor. They start taping next Monday.”

“That sounds like fun,” I said. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I guess.” Regan nibbled her lower lip. “I personally think if a coffee farm produces fabulous coffee that should be enough. But Ritz thinks on a grand scale. We’ve just completed the addition of six more ‘honeymoon’ cabins to the two guest houses that were already on the property, plus an event pavilion and the zip-line, of course.”

“Are you going to have zip-line weddings?” Liz turned to her husband. “Darn. That would have been something, wouldn’t it, honey?”

Brian’s eyes cut to mine. It was a good thing Liz was already married. There was no way this matron of honor would have “zipped” down the aisle.

“Can we ride it today?” Liz asked.

“Not today, although it will be operational before you leave for home. Everything was delayed when we had to stop construction for a few weeks. The coffee farms surrounding us are not happy about our new additions. They keep saying these delays are due to bad juju. That the gods don’t want the Kona coffee belt turned into Disneyland.”

“Those Hawaiian gods are an active bunch, aren’t they?” Stan said.

Regan’s face turned as white as the fluffy clouds up above us as she replied. “I don’t know if the gods were involved or not, but it’s tragic when a worker is killed.”





Chapter 15





“Omigod,” I said. “What happened?”

“He fell off that zip-line platform.” Regan pointed to the tower in the distance. “His boss asked him to stay late to finish something. Supposedly he slipped and fell from the platform to the ground.”

“Ouch. That’s about a forty-foot drop,” Stan said.

“His body wasn’t discovered until the following morning. It was horrible.” She closed her eyes as if remembering the incident. “Henry was beside himself with grief. And now the poor guy has to deal with his sister-in-law’s death as well.”

“Henry was his boss? Walea’s husband?” I asked. “No wonder he’s so…” I wanted to say crabby, but that seemed rude considering what the poor man had recently suffered.

“It’s been a tough month for all the staff.” Regan glanced down at her watch. “We better get on with the tour. By the time we return, Ritz will undoubtedly have another project for me to work on. I just wish we made money as quickly as he spends it.”

As Stan and Brian peppered Regan with questions about the zip-line and other Koffee Land improvements, my phone beeped indicating a missed call from Dave. The reception on this side of Mauna Loa must be iffy. I followed the others into the roasting room, but it was so noisy I slipped out to return my brother’s call. In the distance, an SUV climbed the long driveway to the visitor’s center. Poor Regan. She would barely finish with our group before leading another tour.

My thumb was poised over Dave’s number when the squeal of brakes drew my attention. The vehicle I’d noticed skidded around the last curve and slid into a parking space near the front of the building. The car had barely stopped when two men stepped out. One was dressed in a shirt and slacks and the other in a Hawaii police uniform.

Uh oh. What were the odds the officers stopped by for a free cup of coffee and a Donkey Ball snack?

I shoved my phone back into my cluttered purse. Dave could wait a few more minutes while I found out what was going on. I trotted down the sidewalk and managed to catch up with the officers as they entered the visitor’s center. The taller red-haired man was kind enough to hold the heavy door open for me.

Tiffany stood frozen behind the reception counter. Her dark eyes were as huge as the chocolate-covered malt balls I’d crunched on earlier.

“Aloha,” she squeaked. “Do you want any c..c..coffee?” Her arm shot out in the direction of the large carafes. Then she raced out the door as fast as her flip-flops would allow.