Kaua'i Me A River Part 5

He wore what appeared to be an expensive aloha s.h.i.+rt, maybe Tommy Bahama, and light tan slacks. The video seemed to be professionally shot. Smooth panning, good lighting, skillful focusing. I've had to sit through enough poorly-produced wedding videos that I can spot good work when I see it. Wilkerson didn't display even the slightest evidence of uneasiness at being in front of a camera. No anxious twitches or self-conscious smiles. Although he appeared wan and somewhat emaciated, his jowly neckline hinted that at one time he'd probably been overweight.

I s.h.i.+fted in my chair as I took in his face. I'd studied my own facial profile both in photos and in the mirror so I was well-aware my own beak tended more toward hawk than sparrow. And I'd always considered my forehead to be a bit high. I cover it with a fringe of bangs that I cut myself when they extend below my eyebrows. Phil Wilkerson's light brown hair-what was left of it-was the same color as mine if you didn't factor in the peroxide-aided highlights Farrah had talked me into in a few weeks back.

The camera went in for a close-up and Phil, aka Coyote Moon, began to speak.

"Aloha. My name is Phil Wilkerson. I'm the President and CEO of Island Paradise Cable, the largest provider of cable and Internet services in the Hawaiian Islands. I was born in Portland, Oregon on June seventh, nineteen-fifty-eight. My parents, now deceased, were Gladys and Phillip Wilkerson Junior, of Portland, Oregon. My father owned Oregon Ferrous and Foundry, a steel mill on the Willamette River. Before moving to Hawaii I enjoyed a comfortable childhood with two loving parents. I had one brother, Robert. He was wounded in the Vietnam War in 1973 and took his own life eight years later." At this Phil bit his lower lip, as if the memory still stung.

I glanced around the dim room. It appeared Phil's family saga was old news to everyone else. But it was certainly new news to me.

He went on. "I attended the University of Oregon in Eugene, the alma mater of Phil Knight, the founder of a little company called Nike. Before college, I took some time off to see the world and I came to Hawaii. I stayed longer than I'd planned. For almost two years, nineteen-seventy-five and seventy-six, I lived a totally carefree life. I spent some time on the north sh.o.r.e of Kaua'i in an area known as Taylor Camp. I've always considered my Taylor Camp days precious. Although I've done well for myself in business, I've never forgotten the many dear friends I made there. "

Many dear friends? My mother was no more to this guy than a dear friend? What did that make me-an acquaintance? I felt my face flush. The rus.h.i.+ng sound in my ears returned and it was so loud and distracting I found it difficult to hear the video. After a few moments of taking in Wilkerson's almost wolfish smile and watching his lips move, I calmed down enough to once again make out what he was saying.

"Since you are viewing this video it means my life has ended. I enjoyed life immensely, but even the sweetest moments must come to a close, and that is why I've called you all together."

At that point he clasped his hands and bowed his head. Then he closed his eyes. We all sat there, waiting. I got the distinct impression this self-indulgent pause in the action was a glimpse into the true character of Phillip James Wilkerson, the Third.

He opened his eyes. At that point, Valentine cleared her throat and got up and went to stand next to Tim Abbott by the door. As I took in Valentine's impa.s.sive face and erect posture, I couldn't help but feel she was positioning herself for a quick getaway.

Phil Wilkerson stared straight into the camera lens with a thin smile. Then he leaned in and began to speak again.

"To the extent possible, I have done my best to be a good father. I provided a comfortable lifestyle to my children that knew no bounds. Private schools, blow-out birthday parties and lavish Christmas gifts; my children enjoyed it all. Each got a new sports car at sixteen, and a free ride to any college they could get into. And what did I get in return? Drug abuse, disrespect, and calls from the police in the middle of the night. Of my eight children, only one hasn't disappointed me. To my eldest daughter, who now calls herself *Pali', I want to apologize for my absence in your life. I had my reasons, but now my reasons don't matter. I'm sure whatever justice the good Lord has in store for me will be fair. I felt I had no recourse other than the one I chose."

I squirmed in my chair as he leaned in and nearly touched his nose to the camera lens. "But know this, Pali. Even though I never contacted you I've been watching you. I never lost sight of where you were and what you were doing. I was there when you graduated from the University of Hawaii, and I was pleased when I heard you'd been accepted into the Homeland Security Federal Air Marshal Training program on the mainland. I'm proud of you. You managed to get a college education with no financial or emotional support from either side of your family."

It was getting downright embarra.s.sing as my father blathered on about my life. I felt the gaze of everyone in the room s.h.i.+ft from watching the screen to watching me.

"At the time of this video, you'd opened a small business on a neighbor island. Good for you; I hope your business is extremely successful. You're my only child who never asked me for anything. Your brothers and sisters made innumerable demands. It was usually for more than they needed, and in most cases, more than they deserved.

"I'm sure the rest of you watching are wondering when I'll get around to you. In my mind's eye I can imagine you and your offspring toting up the spoils now that the old man's gone. Well, here it is."

There was a collective intake of breath. Phil went on, "During my life I was forced to live with-and even support-bad behavior and lousy decision-making. Certainly, some of the blame falls to me, but not all. Therefore, I'm done with that. With the blessing of my attorney and my accountant I've decided to bequeath my entire estate to two, and only two, beneficiaries. One-half of my total a.s.sets will go to my loving wife, Suzanne, or Sunny, as she prefers to be called. The other half will go to my eldest daughter, Pali Moon.

"Throughout my final ordeal Sunny has stood by me without complaint. She asked for little, but gave so much. I love you, Sunny. I owe you everything. Not only for what you've done for me but even more for what you've promised to do for me."

Everyone turned to look at Sunny but she kept her eyes glued to the image on the television.

Phil Wilkerson droned on. "Valentine advised me to make this video so everyone could see that the choice of how I would divide my a.s.sets was mine and mine alone. She and Tim Abbott will fill you in on the details. I wish you all a life as wonderful as mine has been. Aloha and G.o.d bless."

The television screen went dark. Valentine clomped over to the windows and lifted the shades. The sunlit room remained silent for about three seconds. Then all h.e.l.l broke loose.

CHAPTER 8.

"These two twits get everything?" shouted Joanie Bush, the aging Anna Nicole Smith-wannabe. She pointed at me with a stiletto-sharp fingernail. "This one didn't even know Phil was her father until an hour ago. And her..." she pointed at Sunny, "just magically appeared in time to rake in a fortune."

"The decedent has the sole vote in deciding who will inherit the estate," said Valentine. "And in this case, at least Mr. Wilkerson made the effort to explain his decision. He appreciated the care his wife Sunny gave him and he was repentant about not being a loving father to Pali."

"Well, excuse me, but he was a lousy father to my two kids," said Peggy Chesterton, wife number one. She turned to me. "Trust me, you didn't miss much. I'm sure my kids would've rather had the money."

While the ex-wives engaged in side conversations, Sunny Wilkerson raised a hand and waited to be called on.

"Yes, Sunny?" said Valentine.

"So, that's it? Pali and I will split the estate?"

"That's it," said Valentine. "Except Mr. Wilkerson requested that you be allowed to live in the Kaua'i property for as long as you wish. The property will not be sold until you want to dispose of it."

"What's the matter, Sunny D?" said Joanie. "Did Phil promise you the whole enchilada? Last I heard Phil was worth thirty million bucks. Are you afraid you won't be able to snag a new boy-toy with a mere fifteen mil?"

Rita, wife number two, smiled at that but the others kept up the glowering.

"This can't be legal," said Peggy. "My kids deserve at least something. I'm gonna call my lawyer."

Joanie shot back, "Oh shut up. My kids are getting screwed as much as yours, but there's not a d.a.m.n thing we can do about it. One thing about Phil, he always did things legit."

Peggy turned to Sunny. "Well, just the same, don't rack up the credit card bills, sweetie, because I'm not taking this lying down. I want to see what a judge says about Phil cutting my kids off like this."

"Are you deaf?" said Joanie. "A judge can't do anything. It's up to these two to make this right." She pointed at me and then Sunny.

I grabbed my beach bag purse and pushed back my chair. Joanie reached over and gripped my upper arm. Her near-lethal fingernails bit into my flesh but I refused to give her the satisfaction of an ouch.

"Listen up, missy," she said. "You can prance on out of here thumbing your nose at your brothers and sisters or you can do the right thing. What'll it be?"

I stared her down. Even if I'd been giving serious thought to being generous, there was no way I'd allow her to think she'd bullied me into it.

"Let me go," I said in my best CLC voice. "I'll give you two seconds to think about it."

"Oh, and then what? You sound like your idiot father. All threats and bl.u.s.ter, but in the end he always paid up." She released my arm. "You know this is wrong."

Peggy piped up. "Oh give it up, Joanie. She didn't know Phil, but she's a chip off the old block. The only way our kids are going to get anything is to fight this in court."

Peggy got up and left. Before she could pull the door closed behind her, Joanie grabbed her stuff and followed her out. Rita and Linda left soon after. Tim Abbott mumbled to Valentine that he'd see everyone out.

"Is it true my father was worth thirty million dollars?" I said to Valentine.

"That's an estimate," she said. "What with probate costs, real estate commissions and taxes, Tim tells me the approximate net value will be more like twenty to twenty-five million."

"That means around ten million each?" said Sunny.

"At least, maybe more." Valentine looked pensive. "Although if Peggy actually does contest the will, we may be looking at higher attorney fees than we antic.i.p.ated."

"I can understand why she's angry about me getting anything," I said. "After all, I just showed up out of nowhere. But what's her problem with Sunny? Isn't Hawaii a community property state?"

"It is," said Valentine. "And Phil was clear he wanted Sunny's half to be treated as community property, for tax reasons. But don't worry. The will is iron-clad. Once the initial shock wears off I doubt if we'll hear anything further from those ladies."

"I'm not so sure," said Sunny. "Peggy's family name carries a lot of weight around here."

"You two have a lot to talk about," Valentine said, getting up to leave. "Feel free to stay as long as you like. I'll be in touch regarding probate court. It'd be best if you could both plan to be there." She went out and closed the door.

Sunny and I stared at each other across the table.

"How long were you married?" I said.

Sunny blew out a breath. "Oh great. Now you're joining the lynch mob?"

"No, sorry. That didn't come out right. It's just that you look quite a bit younger than my father."

"I am. But to be fair, by the time your father made that video he was already pretty sick. He looked older than he was. He was only fifty-four when he died."

She fiddled with a plain pearl earring in her earlobe. "And as far as my age, I turned thirty last winter. I guess that makes me a few years younger than you."

I nodded.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Look," I said. "I came here this morning expecting to hear something about my mom. She died when I was five and I was never told much about how she died. Now I find out I had a missing father who's been gouging me for cable TV service for the past fifteen years and who died and left me a pile of cash. It's all kind of surreal, you know?"

"Tell you what," said Sunny. "Let's go someplace to talk. You like shave ice?"

As I went down the two flights of wooden stairs I felt my hand gripping the handrail and my feet on the treads but that's about all. What had just happened? And why had I agreed to get shave ice and hang out with my father's trophy-wife widow? More than anything I just wanted to locate my rental car and get back to Poipu as fast as possible.

I didn't want ten million dollars. And I certainly didn't want seven p.i.s.sed-off half-siblings. And most of all, it creeped me out to learn my father had been lurking in the shadows all along and he'd never once shown his face or owned up to his responsibilities.

"You know," I said when we made it to the ground floor. "Can I take a rain check on the shave ice? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now and I need some alone time."

"Sure, we can talk later. Where are you staying?"

"I'm down in Poipu with my boyfriend but we're flying back to Maui this afternoon. We both need to get back to work tomorrow."

She smiled. "Actually, if you think about it, only one of you needs to get back to work."

"Not if Peggy has her way."

"No worries. Valentine's right, the will is solid. The truth is, Peggy never got over Phil. She and her father were always lurking in the background. Phil put up with it because he needed the mayor's support for his business. But your father wanted the two of us to have the money and we're getting it. End of story."

I nodded. "I guess I just need to go home. I'm kind of in shock."

"Yeah, I get it. How about this? When Valentine sets up the date for probate court, I'd like you to stay up at the house with me. I've got a great little ohana guest house, so you'll have privacy. You could even bring your boyfriend if you want."

I bit my lip.

"It's okay; you don't have to decide right now," Sunny went on. "Just keep it in mind. Here's my card. Call me if you want to talk."

She handed me a pale lavender card that said, *Healing Waters Spa' along with her name and the words Ma.s.seuse and Aesthetician.

"You're a ma.s.seuse?" I said.

"I was. That's how I met your dad. I'm also an aesthetician. I didn't work on any of them myself, but three of those so-called *ladies' you just met upstairs are clients at the spa."

"Did you know I even existed before meeting me today?" I asked.

"Of course. Dying men don't keep secrets."

CHAPTER 9.

I got in the rental car but didn't start the engine. Instead, I sat and stared at my cell phone. I tried to call Hatch, but my hands were shaking so much it took a few tries before the call went through.

"Hey babe," he said. "How'd it go? You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "No problem. Everything's good." I'm a lousy liar and Hatch picked up on it right away.

"You don't sound fine. You sound freaked. What happened?"

"I can't really talk about it now," I said. I watched as people went in and came out of the Ching Young shopping center. The archway leading into the center brought up a vague memory of coming there with my mother.

"Are you okay to drive?"

"I'm fine. But before I come back to Poipu I'd like to drive up to Ke'e Beach for a quick look around. That's where they held my mom's memorial service. I want to pay my respects."

"You sure you want to do that alone?"

"Yeah. I'm good. By the way, how was your baseball game?"

"We smoked *em. Nine to two."

"Good. Where are you now? I can hardly hear you."

"We're at the pizza place. Say, are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"I told you; I'm fine. I'll be back in plenty of time to make our flight."

"Okay, but give me a call me if you need me to come get you. I'm sure I could snag a ride from one of these guys. Trust me, they'd rather take me up there to get you now than have to shovel your mangled carca.s.s into a body bag later."