Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9)

by Leslie Langtry

  I let Noa do the talking. He offered her a charming smile, one that showed off his killer dimples. "We're looking for someone on the housekeeping staff. Do you know if Erin Malone is working today?"

  Summer removed the pencil that was holding her hair atop her head. The blonde strands fell, cascading freely about her shoulders. She bit her lip, and her thin eyebrows drew together. "I'm not sure," she said, an apology in her tone.

  "Is there someone else we could ask?" I met her gaze, feeling hopeful. "I need to talk to her as soon as possible, but she didn't answer her phone. It's really important."

  Summer nibbled her lower lip. She cast a look around, as if making sure no one else was within earshot. Then she leaned over the counter, beckoning for us to move closer. "There's a cleaning supply closet at the end of that hall." Summer raised a slender arm and gestured to a hallway at the opposite end of the lobby. "Only the housekeeping staff is allowed back there, but their schedule is posted to the wall, if you want to pop in there really quick and take a peek. Just try not to let anyone see you." She rolled her eyes. "If guests find out where all the extra mini shampoo bottles are stored, we'd probably run out by the end of the week."

  I did a mental fist pump. "Thanks, Summer." I smiled gratefully at her.

  "You're welcome." She waved as we hurried away from the counter.

  I recognized the hall Summer had pointed out as the one Jimmy Toki had escorted Rikki and me through on the morning I'd found Louana's body. The housekeeping supply closet was at the far end, right next to the exit that led to the path behind the lagoon. I knocked softly, and we stood silent for several moments, waiting. When no one responded, I gripped the handle. It was unlocked, so I carefully pushed open the door and peeked inside. Noa and I traded a look. "There's no one in there," I whispered.

  Noa glanced back down the deserted hallway and then gave me a thumbs-up. "We're clear. Let's make this quick."

  I slipped into the room, and he followed, pulling the door closed behind us. The supply room was about five times the size of a normal walk-in closet. The far wall was lined with shelves full of fresh folded towels, tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and other toiletries that were provided for guests of the resort when their rooms were freshened. The other side of the closet contained various cleaning supplies.

  I spotted a clipboard hanging on the wall next to the door. The words WEEKLY SCHEDULE were printed across the top of the first page. "Found it!" I exclaimed in a hushed voice.

  Noa smirked. "Why are you still whispering?" He looked pointedly around the room. "We're alone."

  "Oh." My cheeks warmed. "Right." I returned my attention to the clipboard in my hands. Noa moved closer, and we peered down at the pages together, scanning the print for Erin's name. I found her on the second page. According to the schedule, she was off that day, but she had worked from three in the afternoon to ten at night on Saturday.

  "So she was here on the night that Louana was murdered," I breathed. When I considered that she'd also threatened Lou and had a strong motive, my theory that Erin could be the killer was beginning to seem even more plausible. I pumped my fist.

  The celebration over our discovery was short-lived. The doorknob began to turn as I was placing the clipboard back on the wall. Crap! Summer had told us not to get caught. I flashed Noa a panicked look and then sent my gaze around the room, searching frantically for another way out. There was none. I spied a large bin marked Lost and Found a few steps away and, thinking fast, moved over to it just as the door to the supply closet pushed open.

  A plump Polynesian woman in an Aloha Lagoon staff uniform appeared in the doorway, pulling a cart of toiletries and cleaning supplies beside her. She stared at us, her expression blank. "Can I help you?" she asked in a thick accent.

  "Here it is, honey!" I exclaimed, stooping to reach my hand into the bin full of lost items. Without looking, I scooped up the first item that brushed against my fingers. "I found your—" I glanced down at my hand and nearly choked. I was holding a Speedo. A neon orange Speedo. "—bathing suit," I finished, my cheeks flushing.

  To his credit, Noa didn't even flinch. "All right! Thanks, babe," he said, taking the DayGlo banana hammock from my outstretched hand. "Now we can hit the beach." He gently gripped my arm and tugged me toward the door.

  I spotted a bin full of little hand sanitizer bottles on the nearest shelf, and I snagged one as he pulled me past. The cleaning lady arched an eyebrow at me. A nervous laugh bubbled out of my throat. "I'm, er, a real stickler for hygiene."

  The woman must have bought our story, because she stepped aside to let us out into the hall without protest. She shook her head and muttered something to herself in her native tongue before pushing the cart into the supply closet and closing the door behind her.

  "That was close," Noa whispered when we were alone in the hall. His dark eyes shone with excitement. "And fun. Way to go on the quick thinking with the lost and found bin." Noa's lips quirked, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. "But maybe next time you can grab something other than a used weenie bikini."

  If my face burned any hotter, it might actually catch fire. I opened the bottle of hand sanitizer and dumped half the container into my hands, gagging as the strong scent of disinfectant permeated the air around us. "Yuck," I muttered. I offered the bottle to Noa, and he stuffed the Speedo into his back pocket before slathering the gel on his palms.

  The door on the opposite side of the hall opened, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Kaley? Noa?" Jimmy Toki poked his head through the open doorway. "I thought I heard someone out here." His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, and his face puckered. "Did someone spill a whole bottle of Purell?"

  "Hi, Jimmy," I said, giving him a little wave. "It's kind of a long story." The adrenaline from our little mission began to wear off, and I realized that the tall, handsome head of security might be able to help us. I grinned at him. "Mind if we come in and explain?"

  He gave me a curious look. "No, of course not," he said after a moment. "Come on in."

  Noa shot me a questioning glance but followed as Jimmy stepped back to allow us to enter the room. Every inch of the far wall was covered with television monitors, each displaying a live camera feed from a different area of the resort. In the opposite corner, an old oak desk was set up to face the screens.

  "Okay." Jimmy closed the door and then came to stand in front of us, his arms crossed over his broad shoulders. "What's going on?" His gaze flicked to the bright orange mankini sticking out of Noa's pocket, and he flinched. "That yours, brah?"

  Before Noa could answer, I cleared my throat, bringing Jimmy's attention back to me. It was best to be honest with him about what Noa and I had been up to. Jimmy was the head of security, after all. It would help to have him on our side if Detective Ray came after Rikki again. I took a deep breath and then squared my shoulders. "I'm sure you've heard the rumors around the resort," I began, meeting his gaze. "People are saying that my aunt was the one who killed Louana Watson. Now the police seem to think so too. Noa and I are trying to prove Rikki's innocence, and we could really use your help."

  Jimmy's jaw clenched. He glanced from Noa as to me as he considered my plea. My heart began to pound in my chest as I waited for him to break the silence. "It's my duty to keep everyone on this resort safe," he said finally. "That includes both the guests and the employees. Part of my job is to read people and assess whether or not they could pose a threat." He uncrossed his arms. "Your Aunt Rikki is a kind and generous woman." His mouth twitched. "A bit eccentric but certainly no threat. What can I do to help?"

  Relief flooded through me. I glanced past Jimmy to the wall of monitors, an idea taking root. "Where are the security cameras set up around the resort?" I asked, gesturing to the screens.

  Jimmy sent a look over his shoulder, following my gaze. "Right now we have cameras set up in all the high-traffic areas—the lagoon, the main lobby and hallways, the courtyard. Places like that."

  "What about the sh
ops?"

  The beefy head of security shook his head. "There aren't currently cameras set up in Happy Hula, if that's what you're after. The police wanted to know the same thing." He held up a finger. "And before you ask, there's not one in the back alley where Louana was killed either," he added. "I'm sorry, Kaley. I wish I had better news."

  "You mentioned there were cameras in the lobbies and some of the hallways?" When he nodded, I grinned. "Then you might still be able to help us." I glanced at a laptop computer on Jimmy's desk. "Could you pull up the footage from the courtyard and this hallway on Saturday night?" Detective Ray seemed to be focusing on Rikki, so he might not have been looking for Erin in any of the security feeds that he reviewed. If that were the case, he might have overlooked something important.

  Jimmy sat down behind the desk and began scrolling through a folder of video files on the laptop. "Can you narrow down the timeline?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at me. "What exactly are you hoping to find?"

  Noa stepped up beside me. "We've been checking out a few different people who may have wanted Lou dead. I think what Kaley's getting at is that maybe one of them will show up in the feed out in the courtyard sometime after Happy Hula closed on Saturday. If we could place any of our three suspects near the shop around the time that Louana was killed, it could help convince the police to shift their attention toward them instead of Rikki." He flicked a glance at me, raising his eyebrows. "Right?"

  I beamed at him, glad that we were on the same wavelength. "Yes," I agreed, turning my gaze toward Jimmy. "And one of our people of interest is a housekeeper named Erin Malone. We were in the hallway because we'd just visited the supply closet to check Erin's work schedule." My cheeks warmed when Jimmy gave me a stern look. "She worked until ten on Saturday night, so she was definitely at the resort. If the cameras picked her up anywhere after that, we can prove that she stuck around after work. That might be enough to get Detective Ray to vet her alibi, if he hasn't already."

  A frown wrinkled Jimmy's handsome face. "So you want review the footage from both the hallway and the courtyard cameras beginning around the time that the boutique closed on Saturday?"

  "Starting around eight in the evening," I said, nodding. "And Rikki and I arrived to open up on Sunday at around a quarter till eight in the morning—so maybe we should look at the footage running until an hour or two before then." I wasn't an expert, but, having seen Lou's pale corpse up close, it had seemed to me that she'd been dead for a while before I'd found her. "I realize it's a tall order," I said, my tone pleading. "But I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. If you can just locate that window of time in the footage, I'll come by after work and watch it all myself."

  Jimmy shook his head. "No, that's all right. I'll do it. Who are the other two people you want me to keep an eye out for?"

  "Marco Rossini and Luka Hale," Noa answered. "Are you familiar with them? Marco is a bellhop, and Luka works for Happy Hula."

  Jimmy's brow furrowed. "I know Luka, and I'm sure I'd know Marco if I saw him. I'll pull up their pictures from their employment files to be sure."

  "Thanks, Jimmy," I said, feeling my smile stretch from ear to ear. "If I can ever do anything to repay you, just name it."

  The brawny man smiled modestly. "Just doing my job. I'll call Noa if I see Erin, Luka, or Marco in any of the security footage." He escorted us back into the hall.

  "Thanks, brah." Noa bumped his fist.

  I checked my watch as Jimmy disappeared back into the security office. "My lunch break is up," I said, glancing at Noa. "I need to get back to work."

  Noa walked me down the hall toward the main lobby. "Think Jimmy will find anything?"

  "I hope so." A sigh slipped from me as we crossed through the double doors leading out into the courtyard. "I'd feel better if we could find something concrete. Or if we could at least get hold of Erin Malone." I'd already gone to her apartment complex, called her, and looked for her at work. I was running out of ideas. "If the universe were to drop her in my lap right about now, that would be super." I raised my eyes toward the sky, as if daring the clouds to grant my wish.

  Noa walked me to the shop entrance. "I'm going to grab my laptop from the car and post up somewhere in the sun," he said. "I've got a big client project to work on, but it's too nice out to stay indoors all afternoon." He met my gaze. "Why don't you head back to Loco Moco after work and meet me on the patio? Maybe Jimmy will have some news for us by then."

  "Are you sure?" I wrinkled my brow. "If you have work to do, I don't want to distract you." As much as I wanted to spend time with him, I didn't want to keep him from running his business.

  "It's fine," Noa insisted. "You get off at four, right? Three and a half hours is plenty of time for me to finish the website mockup that I'm working on. I'm almost done with it."

  "All right. I'll see you there." I watched him retrace his steps across the courtyard, smirking when he paused to deposit the orange Speedo in the nearest trash can. When he'd disappeared back through the main building's double doors, I turned to enter the shop.

  "There she is right now." Tonya's cheery voice pulled my attention to the front counter as soon as I stepped through the front door. "Kaley, you have a visitor."

  I plastered what I hoped was a polite expression on my face and made my way toward the cash register. A young woman with curly brown hair and a heart-shaped face stood there, watching me through narrowed eyes. My smile faded at the sight of her scowl.

  "You're Kaley?" she asked, her tone impatient.

  I nodded uncertainly, wondering why a woman I'd never met seemed so irritated with me. "Can I help you?"

  "I sure hope so," she said, stepping forward and placing her hands on her hips. "My name is Erin Malone. I want to know why you've been looking for me."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I blinked at Erin, feeling the blood rush to my face. Judging by her angry expression, I assumed she hadn't bought the voicemail ploy about winning the free charm bracelet. Not wanting things to escalate in front of Tonya or the handful of customers milling about the store, I forced myself to stay calm. "It's nice to finally meet you, Erin," I said, which wasn't entirely a lie. After all, I had spent most of the past day trying to track her down. "Why don't you come with me? Please," I added, giving her what was meant to be a reassuring look. "I'll only take a few minutes of your time."

  Erin placed her hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowed in mistrust. Despite her ugly expression, she was a lovely girl, with soft brown curls, a creamy complexion, and the type of curves I'd only ever dreamed of having. She also had good fashion sense, playing up her figure with a green shirt dress that was cinched at her narrow waist by a brown belt. She completed the look with ballet flats that matched the belt and a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses, which were currently holding the hair back from her face. It occurred to me that if I'd met her under different circumstances, perhaps we could have been friends.

  After a few moments of staring at me with that suspicious scowl, she finally relented. "I'll give you five minutes," she said in a clipped tone.

  "Harmony and Sara are here now," Tonya told me. "Harm's in the office, and Sara's helping Luka unpack a new dress shipment in the stockroom."

  Crap. The two most private places in the shop were occupied. "Thanks, Tonya," I said, ignoring the cashier's curious look. I glanced around the store, relieved for once that there were only a few customers browsing the racks. I smiled at Erin. "Right this way," I said, leading her across the sales floor to an empty corner. The little nook was obscured from the view of the front counter by a display of mannequins in sundresses.

  "Why are you stalking me?" Erin demanded as soon as we reached the corner.

  I took a breath to speak but caught it when she steamrolled forward.

  "First, I got a notification from security at my apartment complex that you came to the front gate looking for me. Then, I stopped by the pool to relax with a drink on my day off and found out from Timo that you were a
sking about me there too." Her green eyes flashed. "Oh, and then there was that weird voicemail about winning a charm bracelet. I called the office at my apartment complex, and they didn't know anything about your giveaway. And neither did your cashier." Her lip curled. "I am totally still taking the bracelet, by the way."

  I gave myself a mental kick. I should have known that phony contest ploy wasn't going to work. "Of course," I said, nodding.

  Erin harrumphed, as if my permission didn't matter. "I've never even met you," she said stiffly. "So why are you harassing me?"

  I lifted my chin. It wasn't as if I'd been trying to hide the fact that I'd been looking for her, but I could understand her anger. "I'm sorry if I freaked you out. You're just a hard woman to get hold of," I said, meeting her gaze. "I want to ask you a few questions about Louana Watson."

  The young housekeeper let out a low groan. "Of course," she groused. "The woman is dead, and she's still making my life hell. I should have known this was about her when you asked me to come into this shop, of all places."

  "So you admit that you knew her?"

  Erin nodded, her glossy lips pressed tight.

  "And that you threatened her?"

  She rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing you heard that from Timo," she said, cutting me a dark look. "I never actually threatened her." She blew out a frustrated breath. "So I had a few drinks and mouthed off at the bar—who hasn't done that? I was just blowing off steam."

  I squinted at her. "You said that Lou would get exactly what she deserved, and then she died."

  Erin shrugged her shoulders. "Coincidence," she said, but her voice quavered slightly. She dropped her gaze to the ground and was silent for a few seconds, as if she was considering the gravity of that so-called coincidence. Then her eyes snapped to me, and the scowl slipped back into place. "I came in here and cussed her out—and she deserved it."

  I frowned. Was that really all she'd meant? "What about Marco?" I asked, switching tactics. "Why would you only give Lou grief? He's not exactly blameless in all this." I leaned forward slightly in anticipation.