Chapter Five
It was with a heavy heart that Ruthie and Peter had breakfast in their hotel room. In no mood to have sex, they passed on having it in bed and instead had it on the desk adjacent to their oceanfront window. They had no idea of the names or hometown of the unlucky couple who had been murdered on their honeymoon. They could only think of the hopes and dreams the young man and woman had in the years and months before they got married, and the sweet nothings they would have whispered to each other as they were making love – only to be followed by the futile pleadings of thoroughly frightened newlyweds as they were stabbed, or shot, to death. To make matters worse, of all places, one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Breakfast completed, each took a shower – separately – and boarded the tour bus that was waiting to escort them around the island. On it were several couples, young and old, as well as a couple of families. At the back were two empty seats, and adjacent to them sat Rod and Shelby.
"Hey guys!" said Ruthie, almost completely putting the horror out of her mind. "What a nice surprise."
"Good morning, Peter – Ruthie," said Rod. "We heard. Man, what a shock that must have been for you two."
"Yeah," said Peter, as he and his wife took their seats and the bus starting rolling eastward through Millionaire's Row en route to Diamond Head. "The worst thing is, we don't even know who they are."
"You do, actually – we all do," said Shelby sadly.
"Who?" asked Ruthie.
"You mean you didn't watch the morning news?" asked Rod.
"Don't they withhold identification, pending notification of the next of kin?" wondered Ruthie.
"They were already notified."
"So who were they?"
"It was your ex-boyfriend, Jake Davis, and his wife, Suzanne Sanders."
"Get out!" Peter said.
"It's true," said Rod.
"That's crazy," said Ruthie, shaking. "Suzanne is the same age as Luce. Jake is Peter's and my age."
"You mean you don't know how they met?"
Ruthie and Peter shook their heads.
"After you and Jake broke up, Ruthie," said Rod, "he relocated to the same town where Suzanne moved a few years back. They never really met until his junior prom, when he was so desperate for a date he asked a family friend of his back in Glen Oak – Shelby – to set him up on a blind date. She got him Suzanne. Incredibly, they hit it off right away."
"Don't tell me they ..." began Peter, but Shelby shook her head.
"They didn't have sex until just before school started last year, but by that time they were already engaged," said Shelby sadly. She wiped a tear from her eye. "I can't believe they're dead – and – and what an awful way to die, too."
The bus made its way around the entire island, through Diamond Head, past the set of "Magnum PI," by the Mormon Temple and an abandoned windmill project, past the Banzai Pipeline (a longtime favorite of surfers), and then a stop in an actual tropical rain forest. The tour ended with a layover at a pineapple plantation, then back downtown. While the four managed to talk about a lot of other things on their mind, they couldn't help but bring their conversation back to the night before.
The military hotel was at the extreme western edge of Waikiki, and it was here that Rod and Shelby got off. But they invited Ruthie and Peter to join them for dinner at a buffet in the center of the resort one hour later, so they could talk some more.
Back at their own room, Peter and Ruthie had a "quickie" before dinner. But this time, it seemed almost mechanical, totally lacking any passion. During those few minutes, Peter told his wife that it took him most of the day, but he finally figured out that they were going to become parents. Ruthie, relieved, told her husband she was more in love with him now than ever.
Rushing to put their clothes on, they met up with Rod and Shelby just in the nick of time. The latter couple then said they had a surprise for their friends; that they finally figured out what unique gift to give to Peter and Ruthie, but didn't come around to at the reception. A taxi then pulled up, and the four got in.
The ride took them to a genuine luau. Ruthie and Peter were both stunned and delighted. They had planned on taking in such an event during their vacation, a Hawaiian version of a New England clambake, but this was so much better. At the end, the young newlyweds promised their friends they'd return the favor sometime during the next couple of weeks, for they were to be there as long as Rod and Shelby.
The next morning, Ruthie and Peter went down to the hotel spa. Since they knew with almost certainty that they were pregnant, they decided to spend the day exfoliating. Between breaks, they managed to have one quickie after another. It was a wonder they weren't getting caught, but the risk make them all the friskier.
As they left the spa after a long day, the two decided to go shopping. They had gotten gifts from almost everyone they could imagine, and their registry lists had been exhausted. The only question now was what gifts to get each other. Ruthie, having had a part time job during the senior year, had a fair amount of money to spend for this one present. Peter, of course, was stacked with tons of cash from his inheritance. But he wanted to be prudent.
Their answer came when they stumbled into a boutique at the main shopping mall in Honolulu. Ruthie's eyes wandered over to one counter. There they were, matching his and hers platinum watches, with kinetic movements. The only problem: they cost over $2000 each. One counter over from there, Peter saw an absolutely spectacular diamond tennis bracelet – price, over $10,000.
"We'll take them!" they both said, paying cash.
That night, the two made love like they never had before. They were convinced that neither set of their parents had ever been that excited, more exuberant, than they were at that moment.
Their passion lasted through to the next morning, when totally exhausted from an all-nighter; they had breakfast in the restaurant downstairs: Eggs benedict, sausage, Canadian bacon, a fruit bowl and genuine Hawaiian coffee. As they went up to their floor, their hearts sank. Four doors down from their suite, they saw the 5-0 putting up police tape around that door. They would later learn it was Lucy's one time friend, Laurie, and her husband, an Army Corps of Engineers graduate. Ruthie and Peter considered asking to change suites, but decided to try one more night before making that decision.
It was with a heavy heart that Ruthie and Peter had breakfast in their hotel room. In no mood to have sex, they passed on having it in bed and instead had it on the desk adjacent to their oceanfront window. They had no idea of the names or hometown of the unlucky couple who had been murdered on their honeymoon. They could only think of the hopes and dreams the young man and woman had in the years and months before they got married, and the sweet nothings they would have whispered to each other as they were making love – only to be followed by the futile pleadings of thoroughly frightened newlyweds as they were stabbed, or shot, to death. To make matters worse, of all places, one of the most romantic cities in the world.
Breakfast completed, each took a shower – separately – and boarded the tour bus that was waiting to escort them around the island. On it were several couples, young and old, as well as a couple of families. At the back were two empty seats, and adjacent to them sat Rod and Shelby.
"Hey guys!" said Ruthie, almost completely putting the horror out of her mind. "What a nice surprise."
"Good morning, Peter – Ruthie," said Rod. "We heard. Man, what a shock that must have been for you two."
"Yeah," said Peter, as he and his wife took their seats and the bus starting rolling eastward through Millionaire's Row en route to Diamond Head. "The worst thing is, we don't even know who they are."
"You do, actually – we all do," said Shelby sadly.
"Who?" asked Ruthie.
"You mean you didn't watch the morning news?" asked Rod.
"Don't they withhold identification, pending notification of the next of kin?" wondered Ruthie.
"They were already notified."
"So who were they?"
"It was your ex-boyfriend, Jake Davis, and his wife, Suzanne Sanders."
"Get out!" Peter said.
"It's true," said Rod.
"That's crazy," said Ruthie, shaking. "Suzanne is the same age as Luce. Jake is Peter's and my age."
"You mean you don't know how they met?"
Ruthie and Peter shook their heads.
"After you and Jake broke up, Ruthie," said Rod, "he relocated to the same town where Suzanne moved a few years back. They never really met until his junior prom, when he was so desperate for a date he asked a family friend of his back in Glen Oak – Shelby – to set him up on a blind date. She got him Suzanne. Incredibly, they hit it off right away."
"Don't tell me they ..." began Peter, but Shelby shook her head.
"They didn't have sex until just before school started last year, but by that time they were already engaged," said Shelby sadly. She wiped a tear from her eye. "I can't believe they're dead – and – and what an awful way to die, too."
The bus made its way around the entire island, through Diamond Head, past the set of "Magnum PI," by the Mormon Temple and an abandoned windmill project, past the Banzai Pipeline (a longtime favorite of surfers), and then a stop in an actual tropical rain forest. The tour ended with a layover at a pineapple plantation, then back downtown. While the four managed to talk about a lot of other things on their mind, they couldn't help but bring their conversation back to the night before.
The military hotel was at the extreme western edge of Waikiki, and it was here that Rod and Shelby got off. But they invited Ruthie and Peter to join them for dinner at a buffet in the center of the resort one hour later, so they could talk some more.
Back at their own room, Peter and Ruthie had a "quickie" before dinner. But this time, it seemed almost mechanical, totally lacking any passion. During those few minutes, Peter told his wife that it took him most of the day, but he finally figured out that they were going to become parents. Ruthie, relieved, told her husband she was more in love with him now than ever.
Rushing to put their clothes on, they met up with Rod and Shelby just in the nick of time. The latter couple then said they had a surprise for their friends; that they finally figured out what unique gift to give to Peter and Ruthie, but didn't come around to at the reception. A taxi then pulled up, and the four got in.
The ride took them to a genuine luau. Ruthie and Peter were both stunned and delighted. They had planned on taking in such an event during their vacation, a Hawaiian version of a New England clambake, but this was so much better. At the end, the young newlyweds promised their friends they'd return the favor sometime during the next couple of weeks, for they were to be there as long as Rod and Shelby.
The next morning, Ruthie and Peter went down to the hotel spa. Since they knew with almost certainty that they were pregnant, they decided to spend the day exfoliating. Between breaks, they managed to have one quickie after another. It was a wonder they weren't getting caught, but the risk make them all the friskier.
As they left the spa after a long day, the two decided to go shopping. They had gotten gifts from almost everyone they could imagine, and their registry lists had been exhausted. The only question now was what gifts to get each other. Ruthie, having had a part time job during the senior year, had a fair amount of money to spend for this one present. Peter, of course, was stacked with tons of cash from his inheritance. But he wanted to be prudent.
Their answer came when they stumbled into a boutique at the main shopping mall in Honolulu. Ruthie's eyes wandered over to one counter. There they were, matching his and hers platinum watches, with kinetic movements. The only problem: they cost over $2000 each. One counter over from there, Peter saw an absolutely spectacular diamond tennis bracelet – price, over $10,000.
"We'll take them!" they both said, paying cash.
That night, the two made love like they never had before. They were convinced that neither set of their parents had ever been that excited, more exuberant, than they were at that moment.
Their passion lasted through to the next morning, when totally exhausted from an all-nighter; they had breakfast in the restaurant downstairs: Eggs benedict, sausage, Canadian bacon, a fruit bowl and genuine Hawaiian coffee. As they went up to their floor, their hearts sank. Four doors down from their suite, they saw the 5-0 putting up police tape around that door. They would later learn it was Lucy's one time friend, Laurie, and her husband, an Army Corps of Engineers graduate. Ruthie and Peter considered asking to change suites, but decided to try one more night before making that decision.