Tiaras & Terror Page 3

  "Where did you come up for the idea to be a pinup ghoul?" one of the judges, Brody Jackson, asked Harmony when it was her turn.

  "I've always been a fan of vintage fashion," Harmony replied. "And I wanted to pay homage to the calendar girls of the 1950s—with a gory twist." She struck a pose, placing one hand behind her head and the other on her hip as she gave an exaggerated wink toward the crowd.

  "And where did you get the idea to dress as an undead bride?" Felicity Chase asked Jade a few minutes later as she posed center stage.

  Jade sent a quick look over her shoulder to stage right, where Harmony was standing in line with the other contestants. "It just came to me the other day," she said sweetly, returning her attention to the judges. She fluffed her blonde curls. "I thought this costume would be a unique addition to the pageant while paying tribute to one of my favorite animated movies, Corpse Bride. I also decided to add my own original spin by making my character a vampire." She opened her mouth to show off a pair of realistic fangs.

  "How creative," Felicity replied, marveling at Jade's costume.

  Behind them, I saw Harmony grit her teeth.

  When all of the women had taken their turns in front of the judges, the trio put their heads together to deliberate and determine the scores for each contestant. In the meantime, the group of beauty queen hopefuls all returned to the stage together to perform a choreographed dance routine to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

  "I love this song!" Jamie exclaimed, swinging her arms from side to side as she mimicked their dance moves from her chair. A glance around the theater showed me that she wasn't the only one who was enjoying the musical number. Half the crowd was moving to the beat in their seats.

  "Hey!" A startled cry from the stage jerked my attention forward again just in time to see the zombie Playboy Bunny topple onto the floor. The music continued, with the other contestants dancing awkwardly around the poor girl as she struggled to her feet and straightened her rabbit ear headband. Even through her pale makeup, I could see that her face was flushed with anger. "You did that on purpose," she yelled, just loud enough to be heard over the music. She thrust an accusing finger at Jade Monroe, who was dancing in front of her.

  Jade simply shrugged, giving the girl an innocent who me? kind of look as she continued to dance to the song. The music ended several seconds later, and the contestants all bowed simultaneously. I noticed that the undead Bunny was still glaring at the back of Jade's head.

  "Thank you, girls—or should I say ghouls?" Tad said, reappearing at the microphone. He turned to smile at the audience. "Let's give all of our hair-raising contestants a hand!"

  The crowd responded with cheers, whistles, and applause.

  Tad glanced down at the judges' table, where Brody gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded and then raised his eyes to the audience once more. "The judges are telling me that they've made their decision, which means the moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived. It's time to crown this year's Miss Undead Hawaii!" An impish grin curved his lips as he swept one arm in an arc, gesturing to the line of contestants. "I don't know about you all, but I'm just dying to know who our winner will be. So, without further ado, let's find out."

  "I can't believe I lost to Jade again!" Harmony said with a groan. The pageant had ended twenty minutes earlier, and now we were gathered in the parking lot outside the Hana Hou Theater. Jade had been crowned the winner of the competition, with Harmony in a close second and a woman dressed as a zombie mermaid in third. The latter had been Jamie's pick to win the pageant, not that I was surprised.

  "You were great," Luka Hale said, offering her a reassuring smile. "You even got first runner-up."

  "But first runner-up doesn't win the three-grand cash prize," she said sulkily.

  Tonya Friedman, one of Happy Hula's cashiers, squeezed Harmony's shoulder. "I just love your costume, Harm. You're so creative. Did you make that yourself?"

  Harmony nodded. "Thanks." She sighed. "I worked really hard on it." She glared over Tonya's shoulder to the front of the theater, where Jade was posing for pictures, a Miss Undead Hawaii sash around her middle and a crown made of bones resting atop blonde curls. She was twirling a wooden scepter in one hand like a baton.

  "Freaking Jade," Harmony muttered. "Always getting what she wants."

  "There's always next year," Aunt Rikki said, reaching out to squeeze Harmony's shoulder.

  While the others murmured words of encouragement to our pouting co-worker, my attention shifted back to Jade. A young man with ash blond hair was striding toward her, his back to me. Jade stiffened as he approached. From the scowl on Jade's face, it seemed she wasn't happy to see him. She started to turn away, but he put a hand on her arm and whirled her back around to face him.

  After what appeared to be an unpleasant exchange between the pair, the blond man turned and stalked toward the quickly emptying lot, his chin lifted in a haughty manner. As I watched, he climbed into a maroon Mini Cooper several yards away from where our little group was gathered and whipped the car out of its parking space. I frowned, shifting my gaze back and forth from the beauty queen to the disgruntled man's tail lights. It seemed Harmony wasn't the only person who wasn't a fan of Jade Monroe.

  "Thank you all for coming out to support me," Harmony said, her uncharacteristic show of gratitude pulling my attention back to her. She met my gaze. "Even you, Kaley. Oh, and Noa, of course," she added with one of her signature wicked smiles. "I'm always happy to see you." She spread her arms and poked out her bottom lip in a flirty pout. "Can I have a consolation hug?"

  I rolled my eyes as too-nice-for-his-own-good Noa gave her a quick embrace. Harmony had made it crystal clear when I moved back to the island that she had her sights set on him—even though she'd terrorized us both throughout high school. I was certain that her change of heart had something to do with the fact that Noa had filled out in the years since, going from the shy, scrawny skateboarder to a wealthy and charismatic entrepreneur with the face of a movie star and the body of a surf god. Though he'd made it clear that he wasn't interested in her romantically, Harm still took every opportunity she could to throw herself at him—especially when I was around to see it. It was just one more way for her to try to get under my skin.

  Noa broke away from the hug and stepped back to stand beside me. I slipped my hand into his and squeezed it, feeling more than a hint of satisfaction when Harmony scowled in disappointment.

  "Well, I should head back into the dressing room and grab my makeup kit before they lock up," she said, glancing over her shoulder toward the theater. "Good night, everyone." She waved goodbye before turning and making her way to the rear of the blue stucco building and disappearing around the corner.

  The rest of our group lingered for a several more minutes, chatting as the last few cars slipped out of the parking lot. I was discussing a new shipment of Zac Posen dresses for the boutique with Rikki, Tonya, and Rose when I heard the sound of Noa's ringtone. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he pulled his phone from his pocket and read the screen. He glanced around the group as if to see if anyone was paying attention before walking over to his Jeep to answer the call.

  "What if we ordered some more of those palm tree–patterned sarongs from that local designer, Ellen Kenoa?" Rose asked. "We sold out of the first shipment in just over a week! My commission check that month was at an all-time high."

  "Sure," I said absently, my attention still focused on Noa, curious about who his caller might be. His back was to me, but his shoulders appeared tense. I met Rose's gaze. "Hey, will you excuse me for a minute? I need to ask Noa something."

  I broke away from Rose, Aunt Rikki, and the rest of the Happy Hula staffers and walked slowly toward Noa's Jeep. As I approached, I noticed that he no longer looked tense. In fact, there was a broad grin on his face as he spoke into the phone. He said something I couldn't hear and then laughed when the caller responded.

  "That sounds good," I heard him reply. "I can't wait." Noa looked up and saw me coming. "Hey, I've gotta run," he said in a low voice. Then he ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket just as I reached him.

  "Is everything okay?" I asked, coming to a stop in front of him.

  Noa nodded. "Yep. Everything's fine," he said, his casual tone sounding a little forced. "Are you and Rikki ready to go?"

  "I'm ready," replied a voice from behind me.

  I jumped in surprise as Aunt Rikki suddenly appeared at my side. I hadn't heard her approach.

  She stifled a yawn. "Kaley and I need to get some rest if we're going to make it to sunrise yoga before work tomorrow," she said, patting my shoulder.

  "Sure thing, Rik," Noa said with a polite nod. He held open the doors on the passenger side of the Jeep as my aunt and I climbed inside. Then he went around to the driver's seat and started the car.

  I was silent on the ride home, lost in thought as Aunt Rikki chatted with Noa about the week's upcoming Alohaween Festival events. I couldn't help but feel curious about his mysterious phone call. It may have been my imagination, but I could have sworn he'd ended the call in a hurry as soon as he'd noticed me heading toward him.

  Maybe he's planning something for my birthday, I thought, but I immediately quashed the idea. My aunt had already booked the patio at the Loco Moco Café the following Sunday for the celebration. Plus, Noa knew that I hated surprises, and he'd caved and given me his gift two weeks early: a stunning pair of opal teardrop earrings that I'd worn nearly every day since.

  So, who could he have been talking to? The nerves in my stomach tightened. Something about the way he'd rushed to end the call made me uneasy.

  Stop being paranoid, I scolded myself as Noa parked in front of Aunt Rikki's house. I'd been watching too many Lifetime dramas lat
ely, and they were starting to permeate my imagination. After shaking off my worries, I climbed out of the car and walked around to the driver's side, where I leaned through the open window to give Noa a quick good-night smooch. There was nothing imaginary about the sparks when he kissed me back, and I made my way upstairs to bed with my head blissfully back in the clouds.

  * * *

  I awoke bright and early Monday morning to attend sunrise yoga with Aunt Rikki. She always insisted on jogging the two miles from our house to the beach where the class was held. Though I'd initially loathed the run, over the past couple of months I'd come to look forward to it. It helped clear my head, and the exertion gave me a rush of endorphins that went as far toward perking me up as my morning cup of coffee did.

  When the class ended, Aunt Rikki and I jogged back home, where I grabbed a quick shower and scarfed down some oatmeal and fresh pineapple before heading to work. Harmony had the day off, so I was scheduled to open the boutique that morning, and Rikki would come cover management duties on the afternoon shift while I joined Jamie, Javi, and Noa for the Alohaween Parade.

  Since I still didn't have my own set of wheels, I strapped on the helmet that Aunt Rikki had given me and climbed onto the back of her purple Vespa, holding on tight to her waist as she rocketed toward the Aloha Lagoon Resort to drop me off. My aunt whipped her scooter through the circular driveway at the entrance to the resort's main building, coming to a stop in front of the glass double doors.

  I thanked her for the lift before turning to make my way inside, crossing through the lobby with its elegant granite flooring and enormous plush rugs. Just past the elevator lobby, another pair of glass double doors opened to grant me access to one of the resort's gorgeous courtyards. The Happy Hula Dress Boutique was located across the outdoor space from the Olympic-sized swimming pool, in a cluster of cream-colored shops with tiled, terra-cotta roofs that resembled miniature versions of the main building.

  There was an uncharacteristic chill in the morning air as I stepped under the boutique's awning and retrieved my keys from my purse. I unlocked the door and flipped the CLOSED sign around so that the word OPEN faced outward. Then I stepped inside and began my morning routine of taking out the trash and running the previous days' sales reports.

  Tonya and Luka arrived a few minutes later for their shifts, and within a half hour, customers began to trickle in. Business picked up around ten, with resort guests wandering through the shop for some post-breakfast shopping. By the time Aunt Rikki arrived to relieve me for my lunch break at noon, the boutique was packed with shoppers wanting to purchase costumes before the parade that evening.

  The rush continued through the early afternoon, making the rest of my shift fly by. At four o'clock, I gathered my purse from the office I shared with Rikki and Harmony and said goodbye to my aunt before hurrying into the restroom to change into a pair of black capris and a black tank top. Then I made my way across the courtyard to meet up with Noa, who was just wrapping up his lifeguard duties at the swimming pool.

  I spotted him leaning against the lifeguard chair, chatting with a tall redhead in a green sundress. Noa said something to the woman and then pointed toward the resort's main building. She grinned and nodded before turning and heading toward the courtyard. I assumed she must be a resort guest, asking for directions to the café or gift shop.

  I caught Noa's eye and waved. His smile was radiant as he closed the gap between us. "Hey, Kales." He gave me a quick kiss. "I just need to run back to the locker room to change, and then we can head to the parade. Jamie texted that she and Javi would meet us in front of the Blue Manu Coffee House—they're saving a good spot on the curb."

  I beamed at him. "That sounds great."

  I waited by the pool until Noa emerged from the locker room several minutes later. He'd traded his lifeguard swim trunks for orange board shorts and a black T-shirt with a white skull-and-cross bones screen printed across the chest. His wet hair had been freshly combed but still fell loose around his shoulders.

  "Ready?" he asked.

  I nodded, and we walked hand in hand toward the path that led to the employee parking lot, which ran behind the resort's man-made lagoon. As Noa whipped the car into drive, I donned a furry black cat mask I'd stowed in my purse.

  "Meow," Noa said, grinning as he gave my kitty mask and all-black outfit a sidelong glance. "I've always had a thing for Catwoman."

  I made a hissing noise and took a playful swipe at his shoulder, and we both chuckled before falling into comfortable silence for the rest of the short drive.

  Five minutes later, Noa pulled his Jeep up to the curb several blocks away from the parade route. We joined the throngs of other costumed residents and visitors hoofing it toward the parade's starting point, passing a line of spooky floats in the staging area along the way.

  There was a police barrier up ahead, and Noa and I slowed our pace as the crowd in front of us grew denser. I squinted as we moved close. "Wait a second," I said, pointing to a large vehicle next to the blockade. "Why is there an ambulance?"

  Noa shrugged. "They probably hired EMTs to have on hand in case of an emergency. It's a long parade route—one time I saw one of the poor kids in the marching band get overheated and pass out mid roll step."

  I stood on tiptoe, craning my neck so that I could see above the crowd. The ambulance was parked in the middle of the street, next to the first float in line. There was a massive papier-mâché model of a building atop the flatbed trailer. Judging by the light blue color of the structure, I assumed it was part of the Hana Hou Theater's float.

  There were several uniformed police officers standing between the Hana Hou's flatbed trailer and the crowd, forcing the curious onlookers to keep back. Another officer stood between the float and the ambulance. He was talking to a familiar man in chinos and an orange and white aloha shirt.

  A feeling of dread started to take root in the pit of my stomach. "If nothing is wrong, then what is Detective Ray doing up there?" I asked, pointing to the man in the loud-patterned shirt. His name was Ray Kahoalani, and he worked at the Aloha Lagoon Police Department—as a homicide detective.

  "Oh." Noa's brow furrowed. "Maybe he's just here to enjoy the parade," he said, though he sounded less convinced. He squinted and then gestured to a spot near the curb. "Hey, isn't that Harmony?"

  I looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, Harmony Kane was pacing back and forth at the street corner closest to the ambulance. She was dressed in the same Rockabilly dress and zombie face paint that she'd worn the night before in the charity beauty pageant. Even through the costume makeup, I could clearly see the look of distress on her face.

  "Come on." Noa tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me toward the edge of the crowd. Within a few minutes, we'd waded through the sea of onlookers and up to the corner where Harmony stood. "Hey, Harm," Noa called, waving to get her attention as we approached.

  She stopped pacing and whipped her head in our direction. The muscles in her face relaxed. "Oh, Noa," she exclaimed, sounding relieved. She rushed toward him and flung her arms around his neck. "I just can't believe it," she cried in a dramatic voice.

  I cleared my throat loudly. "Believe what?" I asked.

  "Oh, hi, Kaley," she said, her arms still wrapped around Noa.

  I frowned. No insult or snarky comment? Something really must be wrong.

  Noa peeled himself out of her grasp and wiped a smudge of ghoulish makeup off his cheek. "What happened?" he asked, brow furrowed.

  Harmony stepped back. She wrung her hands together as she glanced over her shoulder at the ambulance. "It's so crazy. She's really dead," she said, her voice an octave higher than normal. "But I just saw her last night—"

  "Who?" I cut in, feeling my throat go dry. I pushed the cat mask off my face and let it rest on top of my hair as I shot another look toward Detective Ray and his men. "Who's dead?" I pressed, turning back to Harmony.