Too Hot Four Hula: 4 (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series) Read Free Page A

of time for a drink later. Cheers, though.”
    Just then Brandon, one of the Tiki Tones, executed a drumroll, and the leader of the band Danny Cook slipped into MC mode.
    “A-looo-ha!” he shouted.
    “A-looo-ha!” The crowd called back. Cheering and whistling commenced. Danny waited until the audience died down then said, “You all know why we’re here.”
    “Eo!” someone yelled in Hawaiian.
    “Well, just in case you maybe stumbled in here off the cruise ship and have no idea whazzup, we’re here to give Uncle Louie Marshall, owner of the Tiki Goddess, a big send off. As most of you know, tomorrow he’s going to Oahu to do us all proud at the Western Regionals of the National Cocktail Shake Off competition.”
    Brandon hit a drumroll again. The crowd roared. Beaming from ear to ear, Louie got to his feet and waved to the assemblage. He stepped on stage, his eyes suspiciously bright when he took the mic. He let his gaze roam the room before he spoke.
    Em knew Louie loved nothing more than packing the place full of people from all walks of life to share a few hours of fun. He truly was the ambassador of aloha and good times.
    “Thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate with us. I’m so thankful for all of your support and aloha. I’m really looking forward to heading to the contest even though I’m never anxious to leave Kauai. As you all know, Kauai no ka ‘oi . Kauai is da best!”
    He waited for the thunderous applause and wolf whistles to die down.
    “I’m excited that my niece, Em, is accompanying me to Waikiki. She’s been such a big help that she deserves a little holoholo too.” He paused and chuckled. “For those of you who don’t know, holoholo means to take a pleasurable trip. Hopefully, it’ll be really pleasurable, and I’ll be bringing home a trophy to share with all of you.”
    Louie opened his arms to include the whole room and made a gracious bow before he turned the mic back over to Danny.
    Danny glanced toward the small alcove between the ladies’ room and the bar where Kiki and the others waited just out of sight.
    “The Hula Maidens are anxious to perform for you tonight, so without further ado, here’s their leader, Kiki Godwin!”
    A hush fell over the room. Fans of the reality television series Trouble in Paradise knew Kiki was the outspoken leader of the troupe of aging dancers. The minute she appeared the crowd went wild. Cameras and cell phones came out, and people jockeyed to get a better shot of her in her full performance regalia.
    Her faux-leopard, off-the-shoulder full length sarong was so tight it forced her to take mincing steps. When she reached the stage, Danny offered his hand. She smiled at the crowd, shrugged, winked, and hiked up her skirt in order to manage the steps.
    Her hair was swept into a tight bun on the crown of her head and held in place with a pair of long ebony chopsticks. Small golden tikis dangled from the ends. Kohl eyeliner swept almost all the way to her temple to give her an exotic Asian look. Her false eyelashes were so thick they looked like fans flapping up and down when she blinked. Her lips were bright crimson outlined in deep magenta.
    She waited in silence, drinking in the applause while the crowd cheered and continued to snap photos. Kiki turned left and right, striking poses that would have been sexy if she were thirty years younger. Now they were just odd. With her heavy lashes flapping and golden tikis bobbing, she was a sight to behold, and she milked every minute.
    Finally Danny waved his arms and motioned for everyone to sit. As people settled back into their chairs, Kiki blew into the mic to test it.
    In a low, seductive voice she began, “You’ve all seen the movie South Pacific , haven’t you?”
    There was scattered applause, and some folks even answered back.
    “Well, if you haven’t, you should. It was filmed right here on Kauai in 1957, back when folks on the mainland were working hard to buy their first homes