Too Hot Four Hula: 4 (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series) (35 page)
Read Too Hot Four Hula: 4 (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series) Online
Authors: Jill Marie Landis
“You could spend the evening in. Order room service. Rent a movie.”
“I could.”
“Might be kind of lonely all by yourself.”
She met his gaze. “Are you free tonight?”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and steered her in the direction of the walkway to the towers.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
49
BY THE TIME KIKI and Pat landed at Lihue airport it was darker than dark. Pat ran to the parking lot to get her Jeep while Kiki waited for the bags and ice chest and dragged them out to the curb. They’d parked close to the baggage claim, so by the time she had everything collected at the curb, Pat was pulling up.
“I brought a tarp over to cover all the bags in case it’s raining.” Pat hefted her suitcase into the Jeep bed. She was reaching for Kiki’s bag when they heard a loud thump.
“What the heck was that?” Pat looked around.
“I just heard it again,” Kiki said. “Did that come from the cooler?”
“Maybe the Spam cans are rattling around.”
“Did you hear that? It was a definite thud.” Kiki tapped on the lid of the ice chest.
“I don’t hear anything,” Pat said.
“Open it.”
“Aw, heck. Let’s do it tomorrow morning.”
Kiki shook her head no. “I’m not taking that thing all the way to the North Shore if somebody put something in it. It was out of our possession, you know. We handed it over to the baggage people. No telling what they did with it. Cut that duct tape and let’s look inside.”
Pat huffed and puffed as she stomped to the Jeep and took a Swiss knife out of the glove compartment.
“It just thumped again,” Kiki said. “You think it could be a bomb?”
“What? A thumping bomb maybe?”
“Maybe we should get security over here before we open it.” Kiki saw an airport police officer walking along the curb a few yards down and waved.
“Excuse me,” Kiki called out. “Can you come down here a minute?”
The female officer sauntered along and told a couple by the curb in a rental car to get moving. Finally she walked up to Kiki and Pat.
“You gotta get this vehicle moving,” she said. “You been at the curb too long, you know.”
“Look lady, we’re still loading up. We got a problem. Maybe.” Kiki pointed to the cooler. “Something’s thumping around in there.”
“Something that’s not ours,” Pat said. “All we put in there was Spam.”
The police officer looked at them for a minute. “You those crazy
wahine
that’s on TV?”
“Crazy?” Pat planted her fists on her hips.
“Yes,” Kiki said. This was no time to get huffy. She wanted to get home, make a martini, and put her feet up. “This is our cooler. Pat’s going to open it, and I thought we might need back-up.”
“Go ahead. Open it.” The officer stared at the cooler.
Pat opened her knife blade and sawed through the duct tape.
There was no thumping, but Kiki took a step back. “Well, open it.”
Pat lifted the lid very slowly. There was no warning at all until they heard a loud scream, and Alphonse flew out of the ice chest. Kiki took one look and started running down the sidewalk. When she glanced back and saw the monkey running after her, she started screaming for help and ran faster.
Pat hollered, “Run, Kiki, run!”
Huffing and puffing, Kiki knew she was no match for the monkey. She glanced over her shoulder and saw it take two great leaps before it finally caught up. Kiki screamed again as Alphonse vaulted onto her shoulders. He clamped his arms around her head.
Blinded, she veered left into the lobby and headed for the Hawaiian Air ticket counter still screaming for help.
The last thing Kiki saw before she fainted was a swarm of airport security agents rushing across the lobby. The last thing she heard was Pat hollering, “Sweet coconut balls! Don’t shoot!
Do
not
shoot!
”
The End
(Please continue reading for more information about the author)
Drink Recipes
Even More Tropical Libations from Uncle Louie’s Booze Bible
Flaming Manic Monkey
Author Jill Marie Landis creating and testing the Flaming Manic Monkey.
Here is the recipe for Uncle Louie’s winning entry in the Western Regional Shake Off Competition in Waikiki. This stunning flaming cocktail commemorates Louie’s trek to the Amazon in search of the legendary Amethyst Monkey Skull.
Per cocktail you will need:
1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. Macadamia Nut Liquor
1/2 oz. Bacardi151 Proof Rum
1 Chocolate Candy Kiss
Glass: Martini (The thicker the glass, the better.)
Long Reach Lighter
Bar Spoon
WARNING: LIGHT ALCOHOL AT YOUR OWN RISK!
PROPERLY EDUCATE YOURSELF ON FLAMING DRINK SAFETY BEFORE ATTEMPTING!
Drop a Chocolate Kiss into the martini glass. Pour 1 oz. Kahlua down the back of a small spoon into the glass. Next, slowly pour in the Macadamia Nut Liquor over the spoon onto the Kahula trying not to mix, but to layer them. Do the same with 1/2 oz. of 151 Proof Rum. (151 Proof is preferred for flaming.) There should be 2 distinct layers with the dark layer on the bottom. Stand back and use a long reach lighter to ignite the flame. The flame will be blue so it’s easier to see if the lights are low. Blow out the flame after a few seconds of enjoyment. Don’t sip until it cools.
Sweet Coconut Balls!
Uncle Louie returned triumphant from winning the Western Regional Shake Off Competition and promised to dedicate this drink to Pat Boggs if she promised to stop yelling “Sweet Coconut Balls!” in crisis situations.
Per cocktail you will need:
1-1/2 oz. light rum
1-1/2 oz. coconut cream
1-1/2 oz. half and half
Splash of orgeat syrup
Tablespoon of shredded coconut
Maraschino Cherry
Ice
Optional: 1/2 banana
Plastic cocktail monkey to hang from rim of glass.
Glass: Highball
Measure all ingredients into a blender and add 1-1/2 cups of ice. Blend on high until frothy. Pour into a highball or tall glass, add a maraschino cherry, hang a plastic cocktail monkey on the rim and enjoy.
Frozen Banana Stash Tip
Never toss out those soft bananas again!
Uncle Louie has Chef Kimo keep a zip lock bag full of frozen bananas on hand to make his blender drinks extra icy. When you have too many bananas and they’re getting over-ripe, peel them first and place them in a zip lock bag in the freezer. Use as needed for cocktails and fruit smoothies. You can chunk them up with a knife before you toss them in the blender. They’ll make the drink colder, too.
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Jill’s other books from Bell Bridge Books:
Mai Tai One On
Two to Mango
Three to get Lie’d
Glass Beach
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About the Author
JILL MARIE LANDIS has written nearly thirty novels which have earned distinguished awards and slots on such national bestseller lists as the USA TODAY Top 50 and the New York Times Best Sellers Plus. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award in both Single Title and Contemporary Romance as well as a Golden Heart and RITA Award winner. She’s written historical and contemporary romance, inspirational historical romance and she is now penning The Tiki Goddess Series which includes MAI TAI ONE ON, TWO TO MANGO, and THREE TO GET LEI’D.