Maui Madness (Zoe Donovan Mysteries Book 7) (11 page)

Sure
, we had stolen moments here and there, but stolen moments really were all they boiled down to. We’d gone to New York together, but that had been a business trip, and Zak had been tied up most of the time. I know that Zak had been hoping to find a little us time in Maui while we were away from our daily lives in Ashton Falls. He’d been there for me every step of the way, in good times and bad, through friends in crisis and animals in jeopardy, and never once had he asked me for anything.

I considered
turning around and heading back to the house. Maybe Zak was still asleep and I could wake him with an intimate caress. Then I remembered that I never had talked to Jeremy, and if I didn’t call him this morning and he
had
forgotten to run the feature on the effect of fireworks on the mental health of our canine friends, we’d most likely miss the deadline.

I took out my cell and dialed. Although it was barely dawn in Hawaii
, it would be midmorning in Ashton Falls. I watched a pair of divers with spearguns enter the water as I waited for Jeremy to pick up. I knew that whatever they caught would be offered for sale in a few hours at neighborhood markets. That was another thing I really loved about Hawaii: there were stands selling fresh seafood and produce on practically every corner.

“Hey
, Jeremy, it’s Zoe,” I greeted as Jeremy picked up.

“How’s the trip?”

“It’s really great. Say, did you remember to submit the Fourth of July article we run every year to the paper?”

“Did it yesterday.”

Zak was right; it could have waited.

“I figured.”

“Is something wrong?” Jeremy asked. “You seem sort of down.”

I sighed. “No, everything is fine.
How are the Bryton Lake dogs?”

“They all seem to be fine. Scott is going to come by this afternoon
, but he thinks we can start taking applications by the end of the week.”

“Excellent. And the squirrels?”

Jeremy paused before answering. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Just tired
, I guess.”

I c
ould almost picture Jeremy’s shrug. He was always willing to lend an ear but not one to push.

“We did a pretty careful search of the area where the dead squirrels have been found
and didn’t find anything that might indicate intentional poisoning. We did, however, find additional victims of whatever it is that’s going on.”

“Victims?”

“A half dozen squirrels, a raccoon, a couple of birds, and a coyote. Scott also notified us that he’d had two sick cats and a sick dog brought in. All of them seemed to be suffering from some sort of toxic reaction, but he couldn’t isolate what the specific cause might be. I called Salinger after I completed my investigation and convinced him to quarantine the area. The owner of the campground, as well as the folks who were camping, weren’t happy. It’s the Fourth of July this weekend, and every campground in the area is booked to capacity. Salinger finally settled on a compromise: the campers who want to stay are being allowed to do it at their own risk. So far we haven’t had any human victims, so requiring the campground to close did seem premature. He’s allowed us to run a feature in the newspaper, and to put up posters warning people to keep their pets away from the area.”

“The fact that we have dead squirrels
and
dogs
and
birds really worries me. There are things that are toxic to specific species, but for there to be such a wide range of victims, I’m thinking it has to be poison.”

“Tank and I are going to look again,” Jeremy
promised. “And we’ll keep looking until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Have you gone door
-to-door to question residents in the area?” I asked. “Maybe someone has seen something that can explain this.”

“Not yet
, but we will. I want you to relax and have fun. Let Tiffany and me handle this. If there’s something to be found, we’ll find it.”

“Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
I asked.

Jeremy hesitated.

“Just tell me,” I instructed.

“Are you sure you want to know? You already seem a little grouchy.”

“I’m not grouchy,” I insisted, even thought I was and I knew it. I really should have tried to go back to sleep instead of taking this walk. The lack of zzzz was obviously getting to me.

“The county has decided to do a
n inspection,” Jeremy blurted.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know; they just sent a certified letter and said that an annual review was part of our permit.”

“We’ve only been open
for four months,” I argued.

“I know. And I realize it’s a hassle. But is it really that big a deal?”

“Of course it’s a big deal,” I snapped. “Sorry,” I said immediately. “It’s not your fault. I’m sure someone complained about something and the county feels they need to check it out. When is it?”

“Soon,” Jeremy answered vaguely.

“How soon?”

“Thursday
.”

“This Thursday
?” I felt myself begin to hyperventilate.

“It
’ll be fine. The Zoo is great. We’re following every requirement the county tacked onto our permit.”

“They’ll be looking for something specific,” I pointed out. “Did they indicate what?”

“No. The letter is simply a notification of date and time.”

“Okay
.” I sighed. Just what I didn’t need: one more thing to worry about. “Scan and e-mail me the letter. I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Do you remember how you made me a manager?” Jeremy
said. “You put me on salary and gave me medical benefits and paid for Morgan’s delivery as a bonus.”

“Yeah. So?”

“Let me be a manager. I can handle this. You just need to let me do it.”

I hesitated.

“Please. If you won’t let me handle this simple inspection, then I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

Jeremy was right. I was microman
aging and I had no reason to. Jeremy was an excellent employee, capable of handling whatever came up.

“Okay,” I said.

“Really? Thanks, Zoe. I won’t let you down.”

By the time I got back to the house, Zak and Levi were already gone. Ellie had made a pot of coffee and was sitting by the pool sipping from a white ceramic mug. She looked tired, but she had a smile on her face as she watched a school of dolphins playing in the water.

“Coffee?”
she asked

“Thanks
.” I poured myself a mug after refilling Charlie’s water dish.

“Malie called. She’s going to pick us up at around eleven. She thought it would be nice to stop for lunch on the way to her uncle
’s.”

“I guess I should head in
for a shower after I finish my coffee.”

“
And Rob called,” Ellie added. “He’s in Ashton Falls, packing up his things.”

“Yeah, I heard,” I admitted.

“He wanted to know what to do with the stuff I’d left at his house.”

I waited quietly for
her to continue.

“I really thought I’d have a chance to see Hannah one more time
, but he said he plans to be gone before we get home.”

A single tear slid down Ellie’s cheek.

“Maybe that’s for the best.” I placed my hand over hers.

She
took a deep breath. “Maybe. Part of me wants to have the opportunity to say good-bye to Hannah, but I suppose seeing her again would make everything all that much harder.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I think it would.”

“I did realize something while I was talking to Rob, though. Something important.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m pretty sure I never really loved him. I wanted to love him. It made everything so much more convenient, but while I was talking to him, I realized I wasn’t sad at all that he was walking out of my life. I’ve been sitting here for the past hour thinking about things, and I believe I’ve come to the conclusion that they’ve worked out just the way they should. If Hannah’s mother—her real mother—” Ellie emphasized, “wants to be back in her life, then she should.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“My relationship with Rob has helped me realize how badly I want to be a mother. I mean, I was willing to marry a man I didn’t love to gain a daughter I’d grown to love.”

“You
’re only twenty-five,” I reminded Ellie. “There’s plenty of time to find the right man and be a mother.”

“Maybe.”

Ellie sat quietly and looked out at the ocean. Then she tucked her legs up under her body and sipped her beverage. “The thing is,” she continued after several minutes, “that the longer I sit here thinking about finding a guy in order to have the child my heart longs for, the firmer it is in my mind that I don’t really need a man to have a child.”

I laughed. “I realize it’s been a
while since high-school biology, but you actually do need a man.”

Ellie grinned. “What I meant was that I only need to
borrow
a man. I don’t actually need to marry a man in order to have a child. The single parents group is full of parents who are raising children alone. If they can do it, so can I.”

“
Maybe,” I acknowledged, “but I think having a child with a man you love and want to spend your life with would be much more fulfilling than just going to some clinic and having the sperm of a nameless, faceless donor implanted into your uterus.”

“The donor doesn’t have to be nameless and faceless,” Ellie pointed out. “I saw a thing on the
Internet where a woman ran an ad for donors and interviewed them personally before choosing the one she thought would make the best biological father for her baby.”

“Really? You
’re going to run an ad and interview men about donating sperm? It seems a little cold. And creepy,” I added. “These men would know who you were and where you lived. Trust me, running an ad is not the way to go.”

Ellie shrugged but didn’t look convinced.

“Promise me you’ll think more about this before you do anything.”

Ellie didn’t answer.

I adjusted my position so that I was looking directly into her eyes. “I know you’re hurting. I know Hannah left a hole in your heart that you’re desperate to fill. But please give it some time before you do anything you might end up regretting.”

Ellie bit her lip.

“Promise me,” I said persuasively.

“But
. . .”

“If you wait at least three months from today to do anything and still want to go this route
, I’ll help you in any way I can, but please promise me you’ll give this some serious thought.”

“Three months?”

“Yeah. Today is July 1. If you still want to explore this option on October 1, I’ll drive you to a clinic, help you interview men, whatever it is that needs to be done. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

Ellie, Malie
, and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch at the Grand Wailea Resort on our way south to meet Malie’s uncle. I had won a gift card that was good for any of the restaurants at the resort as part of my humiliation gift package. As we pulled into the drive, I knew it was all worth it. Talk about a decadent vacation experience. Situated on forty acres fronting spectacular Wailea Beach, the resort had several pools, including one featuring four slides, a sand beach, six waterfalls, caves, and a swim-up bar. Although there were a number of restaurants to choose from, we selected one that offered fantastic views and a casual dining menu. I had a hard time deciding between the grilled ahi sandwich and the island fish tacos but eventually went with the tacos. Ellie had lobster salad croissant sliders, while Malie chose a seared ahi poke wrap. Everything was delicious.

“This place is
really something,” I commented as I looked out onto the meticulously landscaped grounds. The crystal-clear pools were surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and flowers of every variety imaginable.

“It
’s a very popular resort with visitors from the mainland,” Malie said. “Personally, I find the area a bit too commercial, but it’s fun to have a spa day every now and then, and I hear the golf course is world-class. I have a friend who had her bachelorette party here and we really did have a good time. The dining is fantastic, the spa services extensive, and the beach one of the best in the area. There is also a fitness center and tennis courts that are quite nice.”

“I bet the rooms are spectacular
.” Ellie sighed. “It would be a dream come true to wake up to an ocean view every morning.”

“You do wake up to an ocean view,” I pointed out
, “at least while we’re here.”

Ellie giggled. “True. I guess I’m just getting caught up in the romance of it all.”