I was almost shocked speechless. Almost.
“We would never do that. Besides, the only thing Dave could be guilty of was negligence, and the police proved Keiki’s fall wasn’t an accident.”
“What about his rendezvous with Keiki the night of the wedding reception?” Regan’s dark eyes burned brighter than the hot rocks scattered around the room.
“Dave met with Keiki? At the restaurant?”
She nodded. “The night of the reception I overheard Keiki tell her sister she was meeting her lover later on. When we got to the condo, I told Dave I planned to take a sleeping pill. Instead, I stayed awake to see if he would sneak out to meet her.”
These revelations were not relieving my heart palpitations. I breathed deeply as my mind analyzed this new information.
“Did you tell the police?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do anything to implicate my husband. He may be guilty of adultery, but I can’t imagine him as a murderer. Plus I didn’t follow him. All I know is that he left the condo––,” Her eyes saddened and for a minute she looked like a lost little girl. “I confessed to the police that Keiki and I had words, though.”
“When was that?”
“That same night. After I left you, I decided to visit the ladies’ room before I drove home. While I was in the stall, I overheard Walea and Keiki discuss her impending rendezvous with the boss that night. I stayed in the stall until they left.”
“I’m so sorry.” I patted her hand, not knowing how else to comfort her.
“I was devastated by her admission and it took me awhile to get a grip. And to dry off my tears. On my way out of the restroom, I bumped into Keiki. She wore this smug, self-satisfied smile on her face. I totally lost it and accused her of sleeping with Dave. Then I grabbed hold of her arm and shook her.”
Regan removed her left arm from the towel and displayed several scabbed-over scratches. “That she-lion clawed me with those dagger-sharp fingernails of hers.”
An energy-efficient light bulb flashed in my brain. “So that’s why the medical examiner found your DNA under her nails.”
Regan nodded. “I don’t know if they believed me or not. No one witnessed it.”
“What did Keiki say about Dave?”
“She laughed and didn’t deny having an affair with him.”
“I can’t imagine you having the strength to push Keiki over the wall although––,” I eyed the hands that attempted to choke me a few minutes earlier.
She held up her arm and flexed a bicep. “The coffee business is great for maintaining muscle tone. Even accountants have to pitch in sometimes and haul huge bags of beans.”
Regan slid off the table. “It’s just as well you interrupted me. I shouldn’t waste time getting spa treatments. I need to get back to Koffee Land. Assuming I still have a job. I haven’t spoken to Ritz or Pilar since the police carted me off.”
“Don’t you think you deserve some R&R before you go back to work? Dave mentioned you’ve been putting in tons of overtime. He’s not too happy about your long hours.”
“Maybe not, but it sure didn’t take him long to find a replacement for me.” Her shoulders slumped and her thin towel slid down her waif-like body. “Dave doesn’t get my devotion to my job. Your brother is a wonderful chef and he’s terrific with customers. But when it comes to anything financial, the guy is clueless. We couldn’t keep the restaurant going if it weren’t for my salary.”
“Maybe you can find a position that’s less onerous, with lower pay, but far less hours.”
“I can’t leave them in the lurch now. Not with the television crew due on site this weekend. We’re hoping once the show is on the air, the publicity will draw attention to Koffee Land and boost coffee sales. Plus Ritz has been very generous to me.”
My eyebrows went up at that comment.
Regan put her palm against my back and shoved me in the direction of the door. “I have to get back to work. Trust me. The coffee business can get really complicated sometimes.”
I was sure it could, but was anything more complex than murder?
Chapter 28
I returned to my treatment room and climbed back on the massage table seconds before Paoli returned. He looked perplexed by the trail of goop spattered across the floor, but he said nothing and merely led me to the Vichy shower room. There I morphed from a Shrek lookalike to a drowned rat.
As far as I was concerned, the benefits of the seaweed wrap were not worth all the bother. Or the expense. From now on, the cheap aloe lotion I purchased at the dollar store would suffice as treatment for my toxic body and scaly skin.