Carolyn G. Hart_Henrie O_04 (26 page)

Authors: Death in Paradise

Tags: #Mystery & Detective, #General, #Women Sleuths, #Henrie O (Fictitious Character), #Women Journalists, #Fiction, #Detective and Mystery Stories, #Contemporary Women, #Kauai (Hawaii), #Hawaii, #Mystery Fiction

BOOK: Carolyn G. Hart_Henrie O_04

3.32Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Read Book Download Book

eighteen

M
y plane would leave soon. My bags were packed and stored in the jeep.

Belle and I stood on the lanai outside her office, looking out over the valley. Heavy clouds banked in the north, but a rainbow glistened in the heavy mist of the falls, vivid swaths of orange and gold and rose. The falls thundered down the face of the canyon, their beauty impervious to sorrow.

Purplish shadows accented the deep blue of Belle's eyes. Her skin was chalk-white. She looked older, but there was a fine courage in her gaze, a commitment to life.

We looked at each other across a gulf of pain and loss. I doubted we should ever meet again.

“I'm sorry,” I said simply. I had not intended to bring her even greater sorrow.

She gave a quick shake of her head. “You had to come.”

Belle was right. I'd had no choice. I had discovered the
truth of Richard's death. Now was the time to discover the truth of his life. And mine.

“Belleâ”

The heart hears far more than words say. Or perhaps my voice said it all.

Belle's pale face was grave and thoughtful. “I'll be leaving soon, too. I believe I'll go to London for a while. Keith is going back to Texas. I'll be getting a divorce.” Her tone brooked no discussion. This was now and would forever be a closed chapter. She would never speak about the reason this marriage had failed or what Keith's promiscuity had cost her. Or the terrible price she'd paid because of Gretchen's anger.

Then Belle's eyes met mine directly, with no pretense. “I've never been unfaithful in marriage, Henrie O.”

Those words were meant for me. I knew that.

She reached out, gently clasped my hand. “We should have been friends, Henrie O. Because we both cared so much for Richard. He was the best friend I ever had.” She sighed and looked out into the valley. “I should not have taken advantage of that friendship.”

I scarcely breathed. Why had Richard always hurried to her side, whenever Belle called?

She dropped my hand, smoothed back her hair, looked at me steadily. “I saved Richard's life in Vietnam. When our patrol was attacked and we escaped, I grabbed a dead soldier's rifle. Richard and I found an abandoned rubber plantation. We hid there. The next day, when Richard was drawing water from a well, a sniper shot at him. I heard the shot. I took the rifle and wormed my way to the clearing. I killed the sniper. I made Richard promise he would never tell anyone. He kept his promise.”

I looked at her with a rush of affection. I understood her request. I'd read her book. This was not a woman who sought attention. She wanted to do her job and leave it at
that. If word had got out that she'd saved Richard, there would have been stories, interviews, admiration. Belle didn't want that kind of admiration.

I knew then why Richard had valued her friendship, how much it had meant to him. I knew that he must have wanted to tell me why he felt so in her debt. But being Richard, a promise made was a promise kept.

“I didn't expect him to repay me.” Belle looked at me for understanding. “But I'm afraid he felt in my debt. Whenever I asked him for help, he came.”

So now I knew.

“Thank you, Belle.”

We embraced. Then I turned to leave.

“Before you go,” Belle said quickly. She snapped two blossoms from one of the hibiscus shrubs. She handed one to me.

“For Richard,” she said quietly, and she threw her blossom into the valley.

I held the bloom against my face for a moment, gave the flower a gentle kiss. I lifted my arm and let go, let go of pain and anger, fear and jealousy.

The pink blossoms drifted on a wind current, down, down, down toward the kukui trees.

Acknowledgments

I am especially indebted to three wonderful librarians who read the manuscript of
Death in Paradise
. My thanks go to Caroline Spencer, Director, Hawaii State Library, Honolulu; Marya Zoller, librarian in the Hawaii and Pacific Section, Hawaii State Library, Honolulu; and Alice Miles, library assistant, Kalihi-Palama Library, Honolulu. I am also indebted to fellow mystery writer Connie Shelton, whose knowledge of and affection for Kauai were of great help to me.

About the Author

An accomplished master of mystery, CAROLYN HART is the author of ten
Death on Demand
novels which have won mulitple Agatha, Anthony and Macavity Awards. She is also the creator of the highly praised
Henrie O
Series. One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Mrs. Hart lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Praise
for Carolyn Hart, Henrie O, and
DEATH IN PARADISE

“HART AGAIN IS IN TOP FORM
with skillful plotting and characterizationâ¦She is especially successful in creating a complete character in Henrie. This is a senior citizen who refreshingly fits no stereotype, a woman who is as independent, confident and capable as anyone half her ageâ¦. In
Death In Paradise
, Hart continues to show that she is an expert at seamless storytelling.”

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“A VERY PERSONAL MYSTERYâ¦
Hart has always been a fine writer, but her work gets better with each novel. In
Death in Paradise
, the reader is captured by the depth of the mood Hart creates in each scene. The award-winning author has a sure winner this time.”

Oklahoma City Oklahoman

“HENRIE O IS THE JANE MARPLE OF THE '90S.”

Aaron Elkins

“READERS CAN USUALLY COUNT ON HART FOR A WINNING WRITING STYLE, ENGAGING CHARACTERS AND A CLEVER PLOT, AND HER LATEST IS NO EXCEPTIONâ¦Hart fans will find plenty to like in this latest installment in a popular series.”

Booklist

“IT'S ALWAYS A DELIGHT TO FIND A NEW BOOK BY CAROLYN HART.”

Chattanooga Times

“HART IS AT HER AWARD-WINNING BEST
as she tightens the suspense and keeps the killer's identity out of focus until the cliffhanging finaleâ¦A cast of murder suspects as exotic as Belle's dramatic mountainside homeâ¦Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins, better known as just Henrie O, proves that toughness is more a mental attitude than a physical attribute in her fourth outing.”

Publishers Weekly

“I'VE MISSED MISS MARPLEâ¦THIS SIXTYSOMETHING SLEUTH IS DEFINITELY HER UPDATED, STREET-SMART SISTER UNDER THE SKIN.”

Margaret Maron

“IT TAKES OFF LIKE AN OLYMPIC SPRINTER OFF THE BLOCKSâ¦The denouement is surprising, but utterly logicalâ¦The cast would do Agatha Christie proud.”

Los Angeles Times

“CAROLYN HART EMBODIES THE SPIRIT OF AGATHA CHRISTIE MORE THAN ANY OTHER CONTEMPORARY MYSTERY WRITER.
With her energy, ingenuity, and sparkling sense of humor, Hart writes stories that Dame Agatha herself would have loved.”

Dean James, co-author of
By a Woman's Hand

“HART TAKES THE READER ON A TIGHTLY WRITTEN AND SUSPENSE-FILLED RIDE THAT IS HARD TO PUT DOWNâ¦
She emotionally opens up Henrie O to the reader, offering a character who is both sensitive and filled with anger and pain.”

Huntsville Times

“A SASSY HEROINEâ¦She says what she thinks (when it serves her purposes) and pulls no punches. Think of today's no-nonsense Lauren Bacall.”

Chicago Sun-Times

“CAROLYN HART IS A SHINING STAR IN THE MYSTERY GALAXY.”

Jackson Clarion-Ledger

“CAROLYN HART IS A JOY TO READ.
She is literate, entertaining, and her Henrie O is a delightful addition to the world of the âno-longer-as-young-as-they-were' sleuths.”

Glen Cove Record-Pilot

“HART GIVES A SENSITIVE, INTROSPECTIVE NATURE TO A SUSPENSEFUL STORYâ¦Mystery lovers won't want to pass up this opportunity to help Henrie O put her past to rest and solve three murders along the way. Sit back and enjoy the twists and turnsâ¦and you'll see why Hart is an award-winning writer.”

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Also by Carolyn Hart

Henrie O

D
EAD
M
AN'S
I
SLAND

S
CANDAL IN
F
AIR
H
AVEN

D
EATH IN
L
OVERS
' L
ANE

D
EATH ON THE
R
IVER
W
ALK

Death on Demand

D
EATH ON
D
EMAND

D
ESIGN FOR
M
URDER

S
OMETHING
W
ICKED

H
ONEYMOON WITH
M
URDER

A L
ITTLE
C
LASS ON
M
URDER

D
EADLY
V
ALENTINE

T
HE
C
HRISTIE
C
APER

S
OUTHERN
G
HOST

M
INT
J
ULEP
M
URDER

Y
ANKEE
D
OODLE
D
EAD

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEATH IN PARADISE
. Copyright Â© 1998 by Carolyn Hart. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition Â© FEBRUARY 1998 ISBN: 9780061863929

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1