"No. First you stood with the door open letting all the steam out!" shouted April.
She actually had a point there. "Sorry," I said, remorsefully. "But I just needed to ask you some questions."
"In regards to murder, no less!"
I could see heads of the clients in the waiting room moving from April to myself.
"But I didn't accuse you. I just wanted to know why those men changed their wills. That's all."
"And I answered you!"
"Yes, and I appreciate that. I just wondered…"
"Enough!" yelled April. "Leave me alone!"
"Okay. No need to yell." Geez, this woman was uptight. At that moment another staff member arrived and escorted me back to my room to get dressed, whilst the spa manager was called and April filed her complaint.
After that Casey took me home with the promise that I would never go to the spa again. As if I would.
* * *
It was four o'clock by the time I got home. My head was pounding, and Casey only added to that. He'd been so close to me all day, filling my senses bloody everywhere I turned. His deep blue eyes filled my mind when I closed my eyes. He overwhelmed my sense of smell, and my fingers tingled from when we'd accidentally touched hands over lunch. I had this desperate urge to kiss his soft, full lips, and all I could think of was how his whiskers would feel against my cheek. Emotions bubbled up in me everywhere, and I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to hold it all in.
He pulled the car into the driveway and cut the engine. The weatherman had been right in his prediction. It was pouring rain. Large drops of water soaked the windscreen as the wipers worked overtime, attempting to clear them away.
"Luke's home," I commented, thinking another reason for my headache was about to kick in. I was annoyed with Luke, and he was going to hear about it. "Are you coming in to see him?" I asked Casey.
He shook his head. "No, I'll catch up with him another day."
Good. It meant I wouldn't have to hold my temper for too long. "Okay, would you mind undoing my seatbelt, please?"
"Sure." Casey swiveled in his seat but stopped before unclicking me. I heard his sigh as he took a deep breath. "Sam, I wanted to say that I…"
He stopped what he was saying as the front door opened and Luke stepped onto the deck. He stood and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What? What did you want to say?" I asked Casey, glaring at Luke.
It probably would have been more effective if Luke could actually see my face through the pounding rain hitting the windscreen.
He let out the breath. "Nothing. It doesn't matter," he said, watching Luke through the glass.
Argh! (See what I have to put up with?) No wonder my head was pounding!
"Okay. Whatever," I snapped. "Can you undo me please?"
I saw the regret in his eyes as he unclicked the belt, releasing me. I opened the car door and stepped into the rain, slamming it behind me. I stomped all the way toward Luke.
"Bastard!" I snapped at him as I passed, tears of anger simmering behind my lashes.
"What?" he snapped back. "What have I done?"
"You know what!" I yelled, working myself up.
I heard Casey's car start back up and move out of the driveway. The tears spilled over my lashes as I flung the front door open and stomped inside. Luke followed, slamming the door behind him.
I turned on him, my eyes blazing. "You're a hypocrite!" I yelled.
"Keep your voice down! I think Mum's in bed sleeping," snapped Luke. "And what did I do?"
"You told Casey to stay away from me, didn't you? And what's Mum doing in bed at this time of day?" I snarled in a much quieter voice, hoping I didn't wake her. She'd just be angry with both of us if I did.
"How would I know? Probably a woman thing. And of course I told Casey to stay away from you!"
"Why?" I was having trouble standing still, adrenalin and anger mixing into a nervous tension that was about to explode.
"Because he's my friend. We talk about women. How is that going to sit if it's you he's talking about?"
"Stop talking about things like that!"
"It's not just that. What happens if you two get together and it doesn't work out? He's the best mate I've ever had. I don't want you to stuff that up like you did with James."
That wasn't fair. James had been a friend of Luke's in high school. He'd been my first true love. "James cheated on me, remember?" Thinking of James took some of the wind out of my sails.
"I know. And if he'd cheated on anyone else, I could have been angry with him but still been his friend."
"But what about you and Alani? If it doesn't work out with the two of you, then that could affect me."
"There's nothing between me and Alani."
"Yet. I've seen the looks. The way she dresses up extra nice when you're around."
"She does?" Luke gave me a cheeky smile. The one that usually got him out of trouble.
"Don't start, Luke! I'm angry with you. You're being hypocritical saying I can't have a relationship with your friend, but you clearly want one with mine."
"I'm sorry, Sam. I don't mean it that way. It just took me a long time to settle here and make friends. I…I don't want some things to change."
I let out a big breath. "It doesn't matter anyway. Casey only wants to be my friend."
Luke nodded. "Yeah. That's what he told me too."
I had a feeling Luke wanted to say more, but as he opened his mouth to speak again, my phone rang. I pulled it from my bag and looked at the screen. It was Alani.
"Speak of the devil," I said, showing Luke the screen. He tried not to smile. I scowled at him.
"Hello," I said, answering it.
"Hi, Sam." Alani's happy voice floated down the phone, alleviating some of the tension I was feeling.
"How's things?" I dropped my bag at the door and moved through the house.
"Not bad. Hey, I want to show you something. Do you want to grab a drink at The Lava Pot?"
A drink sounded exactly like what I needed. "Sure. I'll see if I can get Luke to drop me down there."
"He can join us if he likes."
"I'll tell him."
He'd be thrilled, I'm sure. I ended the call and scowled at the unfairness of it all. But then again, if my new best friend and my brother were to have something special, then who was I to stand in the way? It wasn't Luke's fault Casey only saw me as a friend.
How did I really feel about that? Could I just be Casey's friend, being happy for him when he did find someone special? Jealousy rolled in my belly, and I felt the green-eyed monster lurk on my shoulder, ready to pounce. I had to stop it. If the only part of Casey I could get was his friendship, then that was what I would to have to learn to deal with, because I really didn't like the idea of him not being part of my new life.
* * *
It was after six when Luke and I walked into The Lava Pot. Alani was already sitting at a table. Spotting us, she waved enthusiastically. I couldn't help but leave some of the day's tension at the door. She looked extra pretty tonight, I'm guessing for Luke's benefit.
"Hi," she sang, leaning in for a hug.
She didn't normally hug me. When she greeted Luke the same way, I suddenly understood why.
"Hi," we both responded.
I told Luke I wanted a cocktail. Alani already had her drink.
"Are you okay?" she asked me as soon as Luke left for the bar.
My eyes stung as I recounted my day and how Luke had told Casey to stay away from me. Alani was just building up steam on my behalf when I said, "It doesn't matter. He only likes me as a friend."
She placed her hand over mine. "I'm sorry, Sam."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but Luke came back to the table. He handed me my drink and sat smiling at Alani, his crooked grin doing its best to woo her. It seemed to be working.
I groaned. Don't get me wrong—I was happy for them. I just couldn't seem to get the jealousy monster to go back into his ho
le.
"Hey, Alani," I said, breaking their eye contact moment. "You said you had something to show me."
"Oh, yes, I do," she said, retrieving her phone from her handbag. We watched patiently as she swiped and scrolled, stopping when she found the right thing. "Hani sent this to me. I thought you'd find it interesting."
We leaned forward over her smartphone as she pressed Play on a video. "It was taken on the beach the day the dead guy washed in. Hani's friend Jess took it."
The screen filled with Casey putting up the beach umbrellas. Geez, he looked good. A lump formed in my throat, but I did my best to swallow it down. In the picture Casey looked up, his expression quizzical. Jess turned the phone to see what he was looking at. It came back into focus with me in the surf, waving at one of the kids to come on in. Behind me I could see something large looming into the frame. I knew now that it was Albert's body, and I waited for it to hit me in the back, knocking me off my board. Jess's scream could be heard through the speaker, and she spun the camera around the beach, videoing the lifeguard, Malie, running toward me. Alani pressed Pause on the picture, zooming in to a man standing in the background. Unmistakably it was Tony, the security guard from Aloha Ohana.
Now my first instinct was, so what? It was probably a coincidence he'd been there at the same time I'd been conducting my first surf lesson, but when Alani pressed play on the video again, my breath caught in my throat. Tony was holding a video camera of his own, and it appeared he was filming me in the water.
What the…
"That's creepy," said Luke, his jaw flexing as he thought about what he'd just seen.
"Do you think it was a coincidence?" I asked as Alani pressed Pause on the video. "I mean, maybe he was just out for a stroll, filming the wildlife, and he saw the dead guy wash in."
"Maybe," said Alani. "It doesn't look like it though. Keep watching."
She pressed Play again. This time we kept our focus on Tony. He'd pushed himself back into the sand dunes, his cap pulled down over his eyes. There was no mistaking who he was though. Not too many people were his size. Why hadn't I noticed him? Probably because I was focused intently on the kids in front of me.
As Malie pulled Albert's body from the surf, I watched Tony's body language change. He straightened up, almost as surprised as everyone else that a body had washed up in the water, but then he grabbed his camera and instead of running to help like several others around me had, he ran back through the dunes and disappeared.
"What do you think he was doing?" I asked, goose bumps breaking out all over me.
"Maybe he knew you'd be teaching and he has a thing for you," she said.
Luke tensed next to me. He really needed to settle down. At some point he was going to have to be okay with a man looking at me again. Even though, I got his point with Tony.
"I'd never met Tony at that point," I stated.
"Why do you think he ran off like that?" asked Luke.
I shook my head. "Maybe dead bodies freak him out."
"He works at an aged-care facility. Dead bodies happen there all the time."
"Maybe he recognized this one."
"Then why didn't he run toward the ocean?"
I honestly had no idea. The day had already been too long, and the alcohol was doing nothing for my headache. In fact, if anything, it was making it worse.
I opened my own phone and added to my list of weird and wonderful things to do with my investigation, thinking that this one was a job to worry about tomorrow.
Half an hour later, I asked Luke to take me home. I wanted a shower and to go to bed, where I could dream of Casey all night long. I might not be able to have him in my waking life, but in my dreams I was damn well making the most of him.
* * *
It turned out Alani's car wouldn't start, so Luke, being the Good Samaritan he was, offered to drop me off and then take Alani home. Tomorrow he'd go back and try to find out what was wrong with her car. As if he'd have any idea.
I didn't check on Mum. When she had her lady thing, it was best to let her sleep peacefully, so I tiptoed past her bedroom and quietly put myself to bed.
I tried to sleep, but my mind kept going over my day—or more specifically, Casey. For some stupid reason it wanted to torture me with images of him holding my hand, kissing my neck, touching my…well, you got where it was going, right?
"Argh!" I said to no one.
This wasn't helping me at all. I rolled over and fluffed my pillow, hoping that would help. My stomach grumbled. I was hungry, which probably explained why I was so restless. I needed to eat. Yeah, eating before sleep wasn't recommended, but what the heck—if the stomach wanted food, then the stomach would get food.
I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and flipped on my bedside lamp. Luke hadn't made it home yet, and I wondered what was happening between him and Alani. It would be kind of cool if she became my sister-in-law. I could be a bridesmaid at their wedding. Oooh, a Hawaiian wedding would be so beautiful. And Alani would look gorgeous in white, her hair filled with flowers. Yeah, I had to admit that Luke didn't scrub up too badly either.
I was lost in my imagination, getting carried away on an idea, when I flipped on the kitchen light. I opened the refrigerator door and looked for leftovers. Yes! Pizza.
Zapping a piece in the microwave, I leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the timer countdown. As I stood there I noticed a piece of paper on the floor, almost completely under the fridge.
I bent down to retrieve it. Turning it in my hands, I could see someone had scrawled all over it in a black marker pen. The words were hard to make out. I looked closer, studying it and wondering who had written it.
My stomach plummeted and nausea swirled as I made out the words:
Bring me the inheritance before midnight, or she dies! Don't bring the police either, or she'll die also!
My hands shook as I turned the paper over, wondering what the hell it was about and simultaneously looking for a location of where I was supposed to go. There were no instructions. I looked at the clock ticking away on the kitchen wall. It was eleven fifteen.
Oh my God! Someone had taken Mum? What was I supposed to do? I had exactly forty-five minutes to get an inheritance that Mum hadn't even received yet and give it to whoever had left this note! What the…
Hang on. What if this was a hoax? I mean, this paper could have been there for ages.
I ran to Mum's room, hoping to see her tucked up asleep in bed. Flinging the door open, I hit the light switch, hoping that she would yell at me for waking her. Instead I found her bed empty. Unexplainably I ran to it, lifting the covers. I didn't know why. I knew Mum wasn't there, but I did find some evidence that she'd been taken. Blood drops on the floor. A sob escaped my lips. This was real.
Don't cry, Samantha. Hold this together. Mum needs you.
I sank to the bed, put my head in my shaking hands, and thought it through. Who would have done this? Who knew about the money?
This town wasn't that big. Almost everyone knew about the money.
Hang on. It had to be from Mark. It had to be. He knew Mum's schedule, and he knew about the money. But why would he kidnap her? I had no idea, but it was the best I had. I ran back to my room and grabbed my phone. With trembling fingers, I dialed his cell phone. He didn't answer. Okay, where did he live? Maybe he'd taken her there.
I didn't know where he lived. I had never asked him. I'd never had a reason too.
Shit, shit, shit! My heart pounded, and my thoughts became erratic.
I phoned Luke, but when I heard it ringing in his bedroom, I knew that he'd forgotten it. I tried Alani, but she didn't answer either, so I left a message telling her I needed help and what was happening. And if she was still with Luke, to please tell him.
I sunk to the floor and attempted to stop the shaking that had taken over my body. Panic was starting to bubble. I felt my pulse become erratic, my breathing become tight, and tears start to sting my eyes.
With fumbl
ing fingers, I tried Casey. I needed help and advice on what to do. The note said not to call the police, but my instincts told me I should. But then I'd never been in this situation before, and fear was definitely messing with my thinking processes. I listened for the call to connect, but instead, it immediately went to message bank. Maybe Casey switched his phone off when he slept.
Okay. I needed a plan, and I couldn't risk calling the police just yet. I made sure that I had Detective Ray's number in my phone for when I needed him though. The ransom note said I had until midnight. It was now eleven twenty. Damn! Why didn't kidnappers allow for you not getting the note on time? I mean, it was only thanks to my urge for a late-night snack that I'd even found the bloody note. What if I hadn't found it until the morning? Then what?
My thoughts flipped to Patrick. Maybe Mark and Patrick were in this together. I did find Patrick's phone number in Marks' phone, after all. And it would be just like Mark to be stupid enough to not leave me any contact details.
Alright. Where would I find Patrick? The only place I knew of was Aloha Ohana.
Okay, that would have to be the first place I tried. After I got some money. How would I get that?
Think, think!
A memory stirred of Mum hiding money around the house in case of an emergency. I figured this was an emergency.
I jumped up and ran to her dresser. Growing up, Luke and I both knew exactly where Mum hid her secret stash of cash. It would be tucked safely under the pretty paper she used to line her undies drawer.
I felt guilty as I emptied the drawer, lifted the paper, and removed the cash that Mum had neatly hidden. I did a quick count.
There was three thousand dollars. A lot of money to have lying around the house, but hardly the entire inheritance. However, I wondered if it would buy me some more time. Hopefully the kidnapper, aka Mark, would know I could give him the rest of it later.
Riding up the hill to Aloha Ohana was the hardest ride I had ever done. My lungs burned, and my legs ached, but I didn't notice any of it. I just knew that I had to get there. God, I hoped I didn't meet the Night Marchers now. The only upside was that the rain had stopped. I probably wasn't going to find Mum in time, but I had my fingers crossed that the kidnapper would call me before doing anything rash. My phone was tucked safely in the elastic of my undies. Why the elastic of my undies? Well, I was wearing a nightshirt, and it didn't have a pocket, so the undies were the only thing that was secure. Sure, I should have taken the time to get dressed, but I already didn't have enough of that, so I definitely didn't want to waste any more of it. I had thrown a sweater over my nightshirt and slipped my flip-flops on, and I was sure the kidnappers wouldn't care what I was wearing.
Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3) Page 20