Page 34 of Justified Fear
“I’ll be right back.”
Soon, it was just the three of them.
“Maya is such a pretty baby,” Keely said to his partner.Her tone vibrated through Ryan’s entire body.Jesus, he had to get hold of his emotions around her.“She’s so well-behaved.I know it is part of her training, but she calms me.”
Since Maya walked past Ryan and sidled up to Keely, his partner had been glued to her side.That wasn’t normal behavior for Maya.She tended to be standoffish with most people, even some of the TFH team members.But from the moment they found Keely, Maya had been infatuated.
Keely cooed at Maya while she rubbed her ears.
“I have a feeling my dad is being a pain,” she said before she looked up at him.Her golden gaze was filled with apology.She didn’t need to feel guilty for the actions of her father.“He tends to be a little authoritarian.”
“His daughter was at the scene of a mass homicide,” Ryan said.
She sighed.“I know.And I get it.And yes, they might know my name if they dig hard enough.Did you ever find Ray?”
“No.You said you didn’t hire him, right?”
He knew she had been asked and answered the question, but he wanted to make sure.“No.I don’t have a liquor license, but Mr.Kelly said he already had someone.He said he had used Ray a lot in the past.Which, I thought was odd because he was so young and well…not Hawaiian.”
“You said he was white, correct?”Ryan said.
“Well, yeah, but that’s not what I meant.He just didn’t seem to know much about Hawai’i.It’s hard to explain, really.And mind you, I’m half Hawaiian, but I spent most of my life on the mainland.I even picked up on some of the things he said that just hit wrong.Granted, I’ve spent the last few years learning more about the culture.”
“Did something bother you about him?”
She shrugged.“Ray kept saying that he had lived in Hawai’i for ten years or something like that.I was trying to avoid him as much as possible.Yes.He was more interested in talking me up than he was in doing his job.I don’t go to homes to find dates.It’s my job.”Her tone told him just how she felt about that.He knew from women he had as friends that some guys just thought women were always looking for a date.
“And that made you think he wasn’t from Hawai’i?”
She shook her head.“It’s hard for me to describe.”She chewed on her bottom lip for a second, and he tried his best not to lose control.Just that little gesture had his blood heating.He shifted in his seat, trying to ease the pressure in his pants.
“I can tell you are not from here.You have a whole Cali vibe…plus, you don’t have a Hawaiian accent.Kap is definitely from the South.Probably Georgia from the sound of it.”
He blinked.“Yeah, you’re right.”
“It’s just, beyond not sounding like he was from here, he didn’t seem to know anything about Oahu.Like we were talking about, the Aloha Swap Meet and the new layout.He didn’t know what it was.I mean, you can’t live here and not know whatthatis.”
The Aloha Swap Meet was an outdoor marketplace that was held every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at Aloha Stadium.There were other swap meets on the island, but that was by far the biggest and best known—even to tourists.
“He also didn’t know about the KCC Farmer’s Market.You cannot be in the food business and not know what that is.Granted, he’s a bartender, but still.Anyone in food service has heard of it.”
Another kind of local thing.Kapiolani Community College held a farmers’ market every weekend.He’d even gone there with Maya a time or two.
“I was second-guessing myself there for a while because I heard him speak Japanese.Of course, it’s one of the best things you can learn if you’re in the service industry here.You can earn more money if you speak Japanese at many resorts.Also, he kept talking about restaurants, but they were mainland chains.No one in the business would talk about Hawaiian dishes and mention mainland offerings, if you know what I mean.You live here, you eat here—meaning local places.He’s probably never even been to Zippy’s.”
The popular Hawaiian chain was the go-to spot for a quick Hawaiian meal.“Anything else you can remember?”Ryan asked.
She thought for a second.“He seemed to know the layout of the house, and Yazmin knew him, so I assumed the Kellys had hired him before that night.Maybe that’s why, when Mr.Kelly mentioned he had hired him before, I assumed it was Ray, not the company.Also, Ray didn’t complain about how hot it was in the house.Of course, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, which was short-sleeved, and shorts.Now that I think about it, his clothes seemed new, like he’d just bought them.”
She sighed.“You really can’t find him?”
He shook his head.“There isn’t a trace of him anywhere.Not at his apartment and not at any of the hospitals.”
Kap came back into the room.“Your dad is just about ready.He and Adam are fighting over some high school championship.”
“That’s Dad.”She rose from her chair but paused for a second.“Do you think they kidnapped Ray?”
He shared a look with Kap and read his own thoughts in his teammate’s eyes.Ryan turned back to Keely.“No.We’re worried he might have had something to do with it.”
