Unknown Victim by Kay Hadashi (classic books for 11 year olds .TXT) 📕

Chapter Fourteen

When the workweek tumbled to an end on Friday, Gina checked on the progress with the long row of trees that had been trimmed by Flor. He’d been conservative with his pruning, and so far, it looked okay. While the pruning took place, some fruit had been harvested, which was packed in crates and set aside to be sold at a farmers’ market the next day.

“Not that I know what tropical fruit trees are supposed to look like,” she muttered as she went to the hole in the ground that would eventually become the koi pond.

One of the field workers dutifully went through each wheelbarrow of dirt after it had been dumped in a pile with the metal detector. He had a small pile of rusted metal scraps off to one side.

“Fine anything good?” she asked.

“Rust.”

“Looks like it. Anything interesting?”

“I think someone used the pond as a trash dump after the Tanizawas left the farm. Just cans, nails, part of a bike.”

Gina saw that most of the bike was there, and was barely rusted or even dirty. One of the kids was playing a game with it, seeing what kind of noise the chain could make. “Maybe you’ll find the wheels.”

She walked Felix back to his pickup after work.

“How are the walls inside the house coming?” she asked.

“I’ll be done with them by the end of next week. Is there a hurry?”

“Just curious. You’ll paint them after that?”

Felix nodded. “Decide on colors yet?”

“Not up to me. I’m out of the decision making process when it comes to walls and roofs, or anything else to do with living indoors. I’m just glad you’re not asking me to help with putting up wall paneling.”

He chuckled. “Just like everything else in life. If you want it done in a hurry, it’ll turn out not so good. If you want it done right, it takes a while.”

“So I’m learning,” she said. “Might be a dumb question, but do you know of any tennis courts around here?”

“The university has a lot of them. Good team, too.”

“I was thinking of municipal league.”

“You’re a tennis player, too?”

“I try. I need to do something else other than think about this estate.”

Florinda came over, with Clara right next to her. “City courts at the park right down the street. Might be able to take a lesson. Meet a few people other than us.”

“What’s wrong with you guys?” Gina asked.

“You’re a city girl. It might be more fun to meet someone other than a bunch of farmers.”

“I don’t know what farmers are supposed to be like, but you guys are fun.”

Maybe she’d stumbled into a moment of diplomacy, but that seemed to make them happy.

***

It was Friday evening and Gina wanted something more to do than sit at home making minestrone. She was in a new city, one that people came from around the world to visit. She’d seen very little of it so far, only a couple of trips to the hardware store, a quick drive through Waikiki in the dark of evening, and peculiar trips to grocery stores. In spite of finding a dead body on her doorstep at the beginning of the week, she had been enjoying working on the estate. Now that it was Friday evening, it was time to have some fun.

“I wonder what people do in the tropics to ring in the New Year?” she asked herself while looking through clothes in her closet. “Same thing at home, I suppose. Have a drink, flirt with guys, give out my number to someone that’ll never call me. At least I won’t be sitting at home with Mom like I did last year.”

No one was going to call her for a date. The only men she knew in town were the guys on her work crew, and they were either not interested or married. There was the police detective that had come around to interview her a couple of times, but he’d shown no interest in her personal life beyond that of snooping into her old duty record from when she’d been on the police force in Cleveland. That said, she wouldn’t mind seeing his thick arms and broad chest in something other than an Izod pullover and a sports jacket.

“I need to check him out on social media, if he’s even on any,” she muttered while searching for an outfit that would make her fit in with the Honolulu crowd.

Then there was Joey Scapone. He’d already called once that day, moaning over the fact the Gina was so far away, and when was she finally going to come to her senses and come home to him. She didn’t consider herself a feminist, but she also didn’t like his sense of ownership of her.

“Joey, we went out only a few times, and some of those times could barely be considered dates.”

“Why not?” he whined.

“Dude, shopping at Walmart is not a date. Neither is a Tupperware party at your mom’s house.”

“What, all of a sudden, you’re a snob?”

“No, but having something to eat other than carrot sticks and dip would’ve been nice.” She hated to hurt the guy’s feelings, but she was done with him, and he needed to transfer his obsession to some other poor girl. “Look, get a real job and a place of your own. Then brush your teeth, shave your face, take a shower, and put on a clean shirt before you ask a nice girl out on a date.”

“Where am I supposed to find these nice girls?” he demanded.

“Try going to church.”

“From what I’ve heard, you don’t go anymore. Does that mean you’re not a nice girl?”

So, he’d found a way of hurting her feelings in return. She left him with two words of parting, hoping she wouldn’t hear from him again.

Since it was New Year’s Eve, Gina decided to dress nicely to go out. She had no idea of what to expect of a Filipino bar in Honolulu, if it might be a tiki bar like the one