Accidental Eyewitness. Alice Zogg

their hosts made an impressive entrance onto the garden scene. A spotlight, controlled by Emilio from the mansion’s balcony, followed the pair as they walked hand in hand past their guests and onto the stage. Barbie stunned in an off-white, sleeveless charmeuse dress. Kurt wore off-white trousers and a silk shirt, which matched the purple tropical flower in his bride’s hair.

      Domenica and Rosa went from table to table, pouring champagne into people’s glasses, except for Evie’s, who received Hawaiian punch instead.

      “Welcome to the Isle of Ease,” Kurt started his speech. “I’m glad you’ve all come to join Barbie and me in celebrating our new lives together, and hope that you’ll enjoy your stay. It will be a week of good food and sea adventures, but most important, one of relaxation and peace among friends. If we had our differences in the past, I want to take this opportunity to show that there are no hard feelings.”

      He looked straight at Alexa when uttering that last sentence, and she had a hard time keeping from bursting out laughing.

      He continued, “I want each and every one of you to have a good time, so let me know of any special wishes to make your experience here more comfortable. If you have a craving for a snack or drink between meals, our cook, Hermina, will be happy to accommodate you. My housekeeper, Domenica, and her helper Rosa are in charge of domestic issues. If you need anything done to your room or if your clothing needs laundering, either one of those ladies can help you.”

      He grinned at Mike Triest, “No real estate talk, please.” Pointing a finger at Neal Victor, he ordered, “And most essential, no political talk!”

      “Fine by me,” the latter shot back.

      Kurt motioned to Chris at the bar, who took his cue and hurried over to hand each newlywed a glass of champagne.

      Their host raised his glass, and as all guests did likewise, he proposed a toast, “To my lovely Barbie! May we live happily ever after. To you, my baby sister, favorite niece, and friends, have an amazing week!”

      “Hear, hear!” some of the guests cheered.

      Hope had inwardly cringed during the entire lecture. How could Barbie have married such a pompous ass? And he was ancient too! She had thought that she knew her friend inside out, but apparently that was not the case. If only she’d been around Barbie before the wedding, she’d have talked some sense into her. So what if the guy is loaded? Money isn’t that important, at least not in my book, Hope thought.

      Minutes later, the party was in full swing. The prime rib with all its trimmings tasted excellent, and the drinks helped everyone relax. While dessert of tiramisu, coffee and tea was being served, Kurt announced that Barbie had a special treat planned. She and her musicians filed onto the stage, which was promptly spotlighted.

      Barbie sang a total of four pieces of music. She had chosen carefully among her repertoire of songs, keeping some of her middle-aged audience in mind - - nothing too racy, she had reminded herself. Her performance included two popular numbers from her latest album, a ballad, and a moving gospel tune to end the concert.

      The spectators were mesmerized throughout her show. The young woman had a strong, rich voice with a wide range. She was not only an excellent singer but an outstanding performer, knowing how to captivate and engage her audience.

      Between numbers, Sidney Ross shouted with enthusiasm, “Wow, the girl can sing!”

      Hope, who had heard her friend sing in high school musicals and as the lead singer of a band, was blown away. Barbie had been blessed with a good voice to begin with, but she’d perfected her role as a performer. The way she worked the microphone was worth taking notice, let alone the way she moved around the stage. Ending with the revered gospel song was pure genius and touched each guest deeply. Beatrice Triest was moved to tears.

      The applause, shouts of “bravo,” and standing ovation gave Barbie a rush. No matter the size of her audience, whether a crowd of hundreds or only a dozen, the gratification remained the same.

      CHAPTER 10

      Sunday morning after breakfast, as the helicopter noise carrying the musicians faded away in the distance, Kurt announced, “There is no church on the island, but you can worship in God’s underwater universe. Besides deep-sea fishing gear, I also keep snorkeling and scuba diving equipment in the shed close to the shore. Of course, diving is only for those of you with scuba certification. You can either go on a dive from land, or I’ll take you out on the yacht.”

      The Triests, regular church goers, did not see the humor in his joke about worshiping underwater. Mike sent a reassuring glance toward his wife, meaning, don’t take offense.

      Soon the guests took part in their chosen activities. The divers walked over to the shed at the water’s edge to get their scuba tanks filled, via an air compressor, and equipped themselves with scuba gear. They used the buddy system for the dives. Kim paired up with Neal, and Kurt with Rafi. Kurt kept a variety of wetsuits in the shed, but all four came prepared and had brought their own. For now, they decided to do shore diving. Later in the week, they would venture out by boat.

      Kurt and Rafi took the lead, with Kurt showing them the way. They walked right over the volcanic rock, then swam the short distance out to the reef on the surface before descending down to it. And so the underwater exploring began. Each person stayed close to his or her buddy for safety reasons. Should something go wrong with the equipment, there would be the other diver to help out. The pairs used sign language to point out fish, underwater creatures, and coral formations. For the next hour, all four divers tuned out the world above and gave their full attention to the colorful wonders of the sea.

      Sidney and Heather Ross, Kate Simonian, and Max Weller opted to go snorkeling. Alexa had planned to try snorkeling too but chickened out as soon as she saw the snorkels and masks.

      “Worried about the asthma?” Max asked.

      She nodded and said, “Better be safe than sorry. I’ll go swimming and relax around the pool instead.”

      Kim had promised to take Evie snorkeling in the afternoon. In the meantime, the Triests offered to watch the child while she swam in the pool.

      Emilio and Chris were busy taking the temporary stage apart. They had rolled the piano back to the music room and returned the folding tables and chairs to storage already the night before. Seeing the people about to dive and snorkel walking past them toward the ocean, Chris said, “I wish I could go snorkeling too.”

      Annoyed, Emilio told him, “We are here to work and get paid well for it, so shut up and do your job.” And without missing a beat he pointed out, “I saw a couple of hammocks in storage. Let’s hang them between the palm trees close to the landing.”

      Chris thought, the man is a work machine. I got up at the crack of dawn to take care of the pool and was barely done adding chemicals and hosing down the deck, when he ordered me to come help with taking the stage down. What’s the hurry? I’m sure it could have waited until tomorrow. And now he has already stuff planned for when we’re done here.

      As if Emilio could read his mind, he remarked, “Once we’ve set up the hammocks, you can relax in one of them, it being Sunday and all.”