"Well, for starters, she works at the resort. She's on the housekeeping staff."
He raised his eyebrows. "So she should be easy to track down, right?"
I nodded. "I hope so." I told him about visiting her apartment complex that morning with Jamie, as well as the voicemail I'd left, luring her to visit me in the boutique so I could get a read on her.
"And there's more," I said as we stepped into the dimly lit employee parking lot. "Timo said he overheard Erin talking to one of her friends about Louana a couple of weeks ago. According to him, Erin said that Louana was going to get exactly what she deserved."
We reached Noa's Jeep, and he leaned against the passenger side. He furrowed his brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
I shrugged. "Sounds ominous, doesn't it?"
"I suppose jealousy is a solid motive," he said, his tone thoughtful. "The scorned ex-girlfriend wants her man back, so she gets rid of the other woman. It's worth checking out."
"I think so too," I agreed.
A rustling noise to the right pulled my attention to a red Acura a few slots over. My shoulders stiffened. Speaking of jealousy… Harmony was bent forward, shoving several plastic garment bags into the trunk of the little car. She straightened and slammed the lid down before marching around to the driver's-side of the car. Harmony passed under one of the parking lot security lights, and I saw her overly glossed lips drawn down in a scowl. I watched her put the Acura in reverse and then speed out of the parking lot, a peppy Taylor Swift song blasting from her car speakers. "That was close," I muttered, relieved she hadn't seen us. The last thing I wanted to deal with right then was Harmony threatening me or throwing herself at Noa again.
"What was close?" Noa looked to the trail of exhaust left by Harmony's car and then back at me, his expression curious. I wasn't sure if he'd seen her or not.
My face flushed. "Nothing," I said quickly, opening the Jeep's passenger-side door. "Let's get out of here. I'm starving."
Noa followed suit, climbing behind the wheel. He backed out of the parking spot and pointed the Jeep in the direction of Sir Spamalot's. The little open air eatery was a short drive from the resort. It was located directly on the beach, nestled beneath a cluster of palm trees. Noa parked in a small nearby lot, and we removed our shoes to make the trek across the dunes. The sun had set by now, and the sand felt cool under my bare feet as I followed him toward the café's walk-up counter. A petite woman with black hair rang up our orders and then retrieved the food from under a heat lamp.
I couldn't resist opening the to-go bag and breathing in the tangy aroma of my grilled Spam and pineapple kabobs. The scent reminded me of my childhood. Both Rikki and my mother had whipped up recipes featuring the canned meat that would have rivaled those of a Michelin-star chef—in my opinion, at least. I'd always loved Spam, though Bryan's friends in Atlanta had given me funny looks whenever I'd suggested eating it. Now I was free to enjoy it anytime I pleased.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" I asked as Noa pulled onto Kalapaki Drive. Rikki had told me to invite Jamie to join us, but since Noa had given me a ride home instead, I figured I might as well extend the same invitation to him.
"Looks like Rikki already has company," he replied, rolling the Jeep to a stop in front of my aunt's house.
I glanced up, following his gaze to the driveway. A dark blue sedan was parked next to Rikki's Vespa. A feeling of dread crawled down my spine, and my chest tightened. Something's wrong.
Noa must have seen my worry in my expression. "Is everything okay?" he asked, frowning at the blue car. He removed the keys from Jeep's ignition and placed his hand on the door handle. "Want me to go in with you?"
"No." I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I'm sure everything's fine. Maybe it's just one of Rikki's friends dropping by for a visit." The visceral tug in my middle section told me that probably wasn't the case, but I didn't want Noa to see how anxious I was. "Thanks again for the lift," I said, climbing out of the car.
When he was gone, I steeled my nerves and walked quickly across the front porch, suddenly feeling very sober. I hesitated at the front door, taking a deep breath and then pushing it out again. Then I let myself into the house to face Rikki's mystery visitor.
My gut feeling had been right on the money. Detective Ray was seated in the living room, his plump belly spilling over the waistband of his khakis. He'd traded his floral collared shirt for one with a palm tree pattern. Rikki had pulled one of the wicker chairs from her dining set into the living room. Judging by the tense look on her face, I didn't think the detective had dropped in for a social call.
"Kaley." The man's dark eyes fixed on me as I stepped into the house, and he rose from the couch. "Good evening." His tone was polite as he shook my hand. "I was just wrapping up asking your aunt a few questions." He looked at Rikki. "Thank you for your cooperation, and I apologize again for dropping by so late."
"I told you, Detective. It's really no trouble," she said, flashing him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "After all, I have nothing to hide."
My aunt and the detective stared at one another for several moments, the air thick with tension as a silent conversation seemed to pass between them. Finally, Detective Ray's gaze broke away from Rikki. "I should go. I'd hate for your dinner to get cold," he said, flicking a glance at the bag of Sir Spamalot's takeout still in my hand. He rubbed his belly. "I love their grilled Spam kabobs." The detective looked over at my aunt again. "It'd be wise for you to stick around town the next few days, Rikki. I'll be in touch."
My gut clenched at the subtle threat behind his words.
The detective walked to the door, bowing his head to us both before disappearing into the night. I dropped the bag of food on the coffee table and dashed after him. "Wait," I called as I bounded onto the porch.
Ray turned to look at me, arching one bushy eyebrow. "What is it, Kaley?"
"Why did you come here?" I demanded breathlessly. "Rikki hasn't done anything wrong."
The detective sighed. "Another witness came forward this afternoon claiming to have seen your aunt assault Louana Watson in the employee parking lot of the resort five days before she was killed."
His words sent a shock through my middle. "Assault?" I shook my head vehemently. "No way. Whoever told you that must have been mistaken. Aunt Rikki would never attack someone."
His mouth twitched. "It's my duty to follow up on this type of information. That incident and Rikki's tiff with the deceased at the shop could have been dismissed as coincidence, but when you pair them with the fact that she doesn't have an alibi for the night of Miss Watson's death, it makes them worth investigating. I'm only doing my job, Ms. Kalua. It's nothing personal." He started toward his car.
I followed him, my jaw clenched. It was personal to me. "Are you following up on any other leads? From what I understand, there are plenty of people on the island who wouldn't lose sleep over killing Louana Watson. Maybe you're looking in the wrong place." I stood next to his car, my hands on my hips. "For starters, have you talked to Marco Rossini, the man that Lou was seeing? She squashed his chance at launching his singing career. Or what about Marco's ex-girlfriend, Erin Malone? Louana is the reason they broke up. The word around the resort is that she had been harassing Lou for a few weeks before she was killed."
Detective Ray gave me a patient smile. "Yes, I have been following several other leads," he said gently. "But I'm sure you can understand that I'm not at liberty to discuss them." He opened the car door and settled into the driver's seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late for my own dinner. My wife is making paella tonight." Ray closed the door before I could protest and pulled his car out of the driveway.
Frustrated, I kicked at the gravel. I'd had the feeling the detective wasn't taking me seriously. Shoulders slumped, I trudged back toward the house. Rikki had moved to the couch and had her legs curled beneath her. She looked up when I walked in, her dark eyes pinched with concern.
"Why doe
s Detective Ray think you assaulted Louana in the resort parking lot?" I asked, thinking that there was no way it could be true.
Rikki's cheeks turned red. "Because I did," she replied, holding up a hand to stop me from speaking. "Sort of." She sighed wearily. "As you might have noticed, the employee parking lot isn't very well lit. There are only a couple of security lights. It would be easy for an assailant to sneak up on an unsuspecting woman as she walked to her car at night." She frowned. "I don't like the idea of any of the girls walking out there alone in the dark after closing the shop."
My forehead wrinkled. This was Aloha Lagoon, not New York City. The island wasn't a dangerous place. Then again, Louana probably thought that too—before she was murdered on the resort property. "So how does that explain why you attacked Lou?" I asked.
Rikki lifted her chin. "I was trying to teach her self-defense. I took a martial arts class last summer, and I've been offering to show the staff some moves. Last week I brought it up again while walking with Harmony and Louana to the parking lot. I simply demonstrated a palm heel strike and a knee strike with Lou—but I didn't hurt her. I only went through the motions. Would you like to see?"
Before I could respond, my aunt rose from the couch. She uttered a high-pitched screech and rushed at me. I let out a startled cry as she hurtled forward, thrusting the palm of her hand at my face. I ducked and skittered backward and wound up slamming into the front door. "Ow," I muttered, gingerly rubbing the back of my head.
Rikki dropped back, a horrified expression pulling her features tight. "Ku'uipo, are you all right?"
"I'll live," I said dryly. "Just remind me to never get on your bad side."
My aunt ducked her head. "You know, Louana had pretty much the same reaction to that move as you did. I suppose I can see why someone watching us from a distance might have thought I was attacking her."
I clenched my jaw. I wasn't so sure it had been someone watching her from a distance. Rikki had said that Harmony was there too. I couldn't help but wonder if she had called in the tip as a way to get back at me for humiliating her in front of Noa the night before. Harmony had a vindictive streak, and I wouldn't put it past her to hurt Rikki as a way to get at me. I was going to really let her have it the next time I saw her.
Still rubbing the sore spot on my head, I moved to the couch. "Did you explain all of that to Detective Ray?"
My aunt settled onto the cushions beside me. "Of course. I offered to demonstrate for him too, but he asked me not to."
I said a silent thank-you that the detective had refused Rikki's invitation. I didn't even want to think about the horrible situation I might have come home to if she'd rushed an armed police officer, screeching like a banshee.
"Anyway, I don't think he believed me." Rikki glared out the window. "That man is pilikia. Trouble. All he brings with him is trouble." She blew out a breath and then shifted her gaze to the coffee table, staring forlornly down at the bag of takeout. "Thank you for picking up dinner, but I'm afraid I'm just not hungry anymore," she said quietly.
I couldn't blame her—after the encounter with the homicide detective, I'd lost my appetite too. I grabbed the Sir Spamalot's bag and carried it to the kitchen, sticking it in the fridge. When I returned to the living room, Rikki was watching an episode of Hawaii Five-O. I rejoined her on the couch, and we sat in silence. I tried to focus on the procedural drama in paradise, but it reminded me too much of my poor aunt's current situation. Apparently, the parallels weren't lost on her either. A few minutes into the episode, she stood up and walked toward the stairs.
"I think I'm just going to go to bed," she said. "Good night, Kaley."
"Good night." I turned off the television and trudged up to my own room. Feeling helpless, I climbed into bed. I knew of three people who might have wanted Louana Watson dead, but so far I couldn't prove that any of them had committed the crime. It seemed that with each day that passed, Detective Ray was becoming more convinced of Rikki's guilt. If one of my leads didn't pan out soon, the next time he showed up on our doorstep, my aunt could end up behind bars.
CHAPTER TEN
Rikki decided to take the next day off from work, claiming she wasn't feeling well. Though she didn't say as much, I suspected the real reason she'd opted to stay home was to protect her business. She'd already lost two employees in less than a week. Now that the police had made it clear she was the lead suspect in Louana's murder investigation, she was probably worried that her presence might rattle the rest of the staff or even scare off the customers.
Unable to get hold of Jamie, I chanced driving Rikki's Vespa to work. It was either that or call and beg Noa for another ride, and I was beginning to worry that I'd been overstepping my bounds with him over the past few days. As much as I wanted to be around him, I couldn't just expect him to drop everything to chauffeur me around the island. He wasn't my boyfriend, after all.
And whose fault is that? my pesky conscience taunted as I begrudgingly pulled on my helmet. I started the scooter and revved the engine before rocketing out of the driveway much faster than intended. As it turned out, the trip to work wasn't so bad. In fact, as much as I hated to admit it, zipping along on the little purple Vespa was actually kind of fun.
Despite Rikki's personal woes, business at Happy Hula was booming. A large party arrived at the resort for a wedding that weekend, and nearly two dozen guests crowded into the tiny shop in search of dresses to wear to the rehearsal dinner and reception. Rose and I divided the party into two groups and spent the morning scurrying around the sales floor, helping the women find garments in the right size and making dress style and color recommendations. By the time each customer had visited Tonya at the register to complete their purchase, it was almost eleven.
Without my aunt or Harmony there, I was in charge of running the boutique on my own, and the rush put me behind on my managerial duties. When there was finally a lull in customer traffic, I headed to Rikki's office to run the previous day's sales reports. Next, I moved on to building the staff schedule for the next two weeks. I put Luka down for the early shift, which was when I would be working. So far this morning, he'd kept busy in the stockroom, and I suspected he was avoiding me—but he couldn't hide from me forever. One way or another, I'd find out where he'd been after the luau on Saturday night.
I also made a few adjustments to Harmony's schedule. I'll admit that I felt a teensy bit of wicked satisfaction when I assigned her with closing shifts every night for the rest of the week and over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. As it turns out, being the store manager does have its perks.
Once I'd finalized the schedule, I pulled out my cell phone, intending to text Jamie and make sure she'd made it home all right after she'd sobered up the night before. To my surprise, I had a message from Noa asking me to meet him at the Loco Moco Café on my break. I dropped by the bathroom to do a quick makeup check and then let Tonya and Rose know I was stepping out for lunch.
When I arrived, he was already waiting for me at the front counter, dressed in gray and black plaid shorts and a fitted black T-shirt. "I ordered you a pineapple iced tea," he said, handing me the drink when I took a seat next to him. "I know it's not the same as that sugar water they try to pass for tea in Georgia, but I remembered that you used to order it all the time." He nudged a ramekin of fresh pineapple chunks toward me. "And here's your side of extra fruit."
Aww. I stared down at the bowl of fruit, feeling touched by his thoughtfulness. Whenever we'd gone out for lunch in the past, I'd always ordered extra pineapple to add to my tea. Though it seemed like such an insignificant detail, that fact that he'd remembered meant a lot to me. "Thanks," I said, smiling at him.
"Don't mention it." He leaned closer, his dark eyebrows knit together in a look of concern. "So what happened last night?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "Who was Rikki's mystery visitor?"
"It was Ray Kahoalani," I said grimly. "The detective." The server behind the counter approached and took our lunch orders. When he was
gone again, I filled Noa in on the details of Detective Ray's late-night house call. "Someone told him they witnessed Rikki attacking Louana in the parking lot last week, but it was a misunderstanding. She told me she'd been demonstrating some self-defense moves. I don't think he believed her." My shoulders slumped. "And when I tried to tell him everything we'd found out, he gave me the brush off."
"It's all right," Noa said, giving me a comforting smile. "All we really have right now are a couple of theories. Once we've got some hard evidence, we can take that to the detective. Then he'll have to listen." He took a sip of his drink. "For now, let's focus on Erin Malone. Has she returned your call yet?"
I shook my head. "As far as I know, she hasn't come by the shop either. Maybe she doesn't want to be found."
"Well, if she won't come to us, then we need to go to her. She might be working today." Noa's expression turned thoughtful. "I know who we can ask."
The food arrived, and I polished off my tropical Cobb salad while Noa wolfed down half a pulled-pork sandwich. When we'd finished eating, he led me across the main lobby toward the front desk. A skinny young blonde sat behind the counter, her blue doe eyes glued to a computer screen. She looked up as we approached and greeted us with a bright smile.
"Hey, Noa," she said cheerily. "How's it going?"
Noa flashed her a shaka sign with his right hand. "Can't complain," he replied in an equally warm tone. He placed a hand on the small of my back to nudge me forward, and I wasn't sure if the tingling I felt from his touch was real or imaginary. "Summer, this is Kaley Kalua. She's the new store manager at the Happy Hula Dress Boutique."
The young woman grinned and bobbed her head. "Cool! I love that shop." She looked from Noa to me. "So how can I help you two today?"
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9) Page 30