three

Maybe if I ignored him, he would just go away. Of course, that might work if he wasn't riding in my car. As it was, the only other option I had would be for me to ditch him along the Ala Wai canal.

This was definitely going as bad as I imagined it would. I contemplated making up a story about Dani disappearing, perhaps under the witness protection program, but I was having a hard time thinking with him staring a hole through me.

"You're Dani, aren't you?"

Taking my silence as a 'yes', he continued, "why did you tell Weird Fred that Jon and I were involved in a kidnap and murder case?"

I glared at him, daring him to continue accusing me of something I may or may not have done. I could tell that he was intimidated. That'll teach him.

"I asked you a question, Dani, and I expect an explanation."

I'll have to work on my glare. "I don't know what Fred told you, Mr. Sambora, but how can you believe anything that man said? His name alone should give you some clue. Next time you see him, he'll be ranting about Martians invading the earth."

"Richie."

"What?"

"I asked you to call me Richie."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Anyway, why would you believe him?"

"Because he told me things that only Jon and I would know."

"Well, I don't know anything about that...Richie." He was making me uncomfortable. Rock star or not, I wanted to just drop him off at his hotel and be done with it. "So, you're staying at the Hyatt, right?" I asked while making the turn towards the twin towers.

He eyed me warily, even turning a bit sideways so he could face me. "I would like you to come up to my room with me."

I slammed on the brakes, nearly going through a red light. That request had caught me totally off guard and I gaped at him. I sputtered, "excu...excuse me?"

Chuckling while shaking his head, he practically sneered at me. "You don't actually think I'm going to try and make a move on you, do you?"

Prig! How dare he suggest that? That is exactly what I thought.

"Of course not, why would it even cross my mind?"

"Then you have no problem with it."

"Why don't we find a coffee shop or something?" I could sense an evil plot being planted in his mind. Best to find a public place.

"Like where?" he snorted, "the Mocha Latte?"

He had a point there. Out of the dozens of Starbucks situated all over Waikiki, not one boasted a parking lot.

I pulled into the porte cochere of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki and turned off the engine. The doorman ambled over to my 1995 Toyota. I swear he had a look of disdain that a car of this caliber would dare to grace his front entrance. Opening the passenger door, he looked up in surprise as Richie got out.

The valet guy came sprinting over, "hey, Dani."

I proceeded to instruct him on how to start my car when he interrupted me, "yeah, yeah, I know, Dani. Hit the sweet spot, jiggle it twice and call it a sonofabitch." He remembered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a slow smirk starting on Richie's lips. Pushing past him, I started walking towards the escalators that led to the lobby level and around to the elevators to the rooms.

I was surprised when he pushed his key card in and hit the button for the thirty ninth floor. "You're not staying in the Ambassador Suite?"

"What for? It's just me."

The modesty. Still, he was staying in the Regency Club.

"More privacy," he explained as if he was able to read my mind.

We walked into the spacious ocean front suite and he immediately went to open the heavy drapes. Sunlight flooded in, basking the room in a warm glow. He then opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the lanai. "Come on out here. The view is spectacular."

"I know what Waikiki looks like, Richie. I live here."

"But I bet you haven't seen it like this. Come here."

"Actually, I have. I've seen most of the rooms in these hotels, it's my job," I informed him. When he crossed his arms and looked at me with a determination, I walked slowly to the doors and peered from the safety of the room.

"You're afraid of heights, aren't you? Come on, I'll keep you safe."

It wasn't that I was afraid of heights. It was that I was afraid of my moments of lapsed sanity where I would wonder what would happen if I jumped. "No, thanks. I can see the view just as well from here."

He raised an eyebrow at me, then laughed. It was an evil laugh, but I think I thwarted his attempts to push me over the railing. For now.

Walking back in, he headed for the mini bar. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah, a soda, please." I was done with coffee for a while.

Setting our drinks down on the coffee table, he motioned for me to sit down. I did and had to restrain myself from moving to another chair when he sat right next to me. He slowly sipped his Coke, not saying a word but all the time watching me. The silence was deafening and I considered bolting from the room. The only trouble was, was that he was sitting between me and the door.

Finally he put his glass down, leaned towards me and grabbed me by the wrist.

"Now, you're going to tell me why you think that Jon and I murdered someone."