The two men turned and stared at me, the only other occupant in the room.
“Can I assist you?” I asked the man dressed in civilian clothing.
“Do you work here?”
Since I wasn’t dressed in a lime-green Koffee Land polo shirt and I was hauling a huge straw tote with me, I gave him a two for his deductive abilities.
“No, I’m visiting from California. My sister-in-law works here. Are you looking for one of the employees? Several of them are off today due to a death in the family.”
“We’d like to speak with Regan Bingham. Is she available?”
“Regan is my sister-in-law. She’s out escorting a tour.”
The detective’s eyes narrowed, and I could swear his jaw squared right before my eyes. He whipped out a pad and pen from his pocket. “Okay, lemme get this straight.” His Bronx accent seemed out of place in Hawaii. “Are you saying you’re related to Dave Bingham, the owner of Daiquiri Dave’s restaurant?”
I nodded. “Dave is my brother. Is he okay?”
“For now.”
What kind of an answer was that? I opened my mouth to ask my own questions when the door opened and another man entered the center. He looked startled to see me but quickly recovered. “So, Ms. McKay, we meet again. What a strange coincidence.” His tone of voice indicated he didn’t think much of coincidences.
Neither did I.
“Detective Lee, what brings you to Koffee Land? Does this have anything to do with Keiki’s death?”
He pressed his lips together. “Where is Mrs. Bingham?”
The guy with the Bronx accent turned to Lee. “She’s supposedly giving some folks a tour. Some little hottie ran out the door the second we arrived. Should I send Yaku after her?”
“Yes, immediately. And, O’Grady, if you would be so kind as to locate this tour group and bring Mrs. Bingham back here. Then we can finish our business.”
O’Grady stuffed his notebook back in his pocket, opened the door and let it slam behind him. Yaku headed outside, leaving me alone with the detective. I decided to be hospitable and offer some refreshments. A little sugar might sweeten his mission.
“Would you like a ball or two while you wait?”
Some days I actually think before I open my mouth. Today was not one of them.
A hint of a smile appeared on the detective’s face. “Mahalo, but I will pass on your offer for now. However a cup of coffee would be refreshing.”
His gaze roved around the center as he walked toward the coffee samples. The door opened again and I expected to see O’Grady enter along with Regan and the rest of our party. Instead, a throng of white-haired tourists wandered into the center. Through the open door, I watched more passengers disembark from a parked Paradise Tour bus.
I hoped Regan or Tiffany returned soon, because I was having a difficult enough time playing host to one cop. I had no idea how to entertain a busload of caffeine-starved seniors.
Lee plastered his cell to his right ear and used his palm to cover his left ear to muffle noise from the boisterous group. Apparently, he still couldn’t hear. He opened the door and, as he walked out, he mouthed, “Don’t leave.”
Like I could? I felt like an airport controller directing men and women to their respective restrooms and others to the coffee counter. Where was my sister-in-law and why were the police here in force? If an employee didn’t show up soon, I might resort to giving away candy samples. If nothing else, chewing on the huge chocolate spheres would stifle the noise level.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to resort to a Donkey Ball free-for-all. O’Grady returned with Detective Lee, Regan and the rest of my gang.
Stan bustled over. “You missed the best part of the tour. Where’d you go?”
“Dave phoned and I went outside to return the call. Before I could buzz him back, these officers arrived, followed by this busload of tourists.”
“That red-headed guy said we had to follow him to the center. What’s going on?”
“Officer Lee,” I pointed in the detective’s direction, “wants to talk to Regan.”
“Oh.” Stan looked left and then right. “So where is she?”
“She’s…” I spun around in a circle trying to locate my sister-in-law among the crowd of aloha-shirted tourists.
Lee joined us, looking puzzled. “Do you know where your sister-in-law is?”
I shrugged. Lee motioned O’Grady to his side. O’Grady rushed out the door and Lee began circling the room.
My eyes scanned the center for Regan but no luck. Stan went outside to look for Regan and Tiffany while I entered the ladies’ room. After peering at the shoes lined up in each stall, I decided none of the pairs was related to me, although I spied a cute set of floral wedges in the handicapped stall. I would try to make their owner’s acquaintance later on.