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

by Leslie Langtry

  "Yeah, maybe." I sat back, frowning out the window. Something wasn't adding up. Marco had finally provided us with an alibi, and while I knew I shouldn't just take his word for truth, I was beginning to suspect him less. The video evidence against Luka and Erin was too compelling. It placed them at the resort at the same time that Lou was inside Happy Hula. Still, Louana had been strangled, and her body hadn't been moved. So why would either Erin or Luka need an accomplice? Couldn't one of them have easily killed her without having the other around as a witness? The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. What am I missing?

  Noa parked in the driveway next to Aunt Rikki's Vespa, and I fished around in my purse for my keys. Rikki had left a piece of paper taped to the door handle. I pulled the note off the front door and skimmed it. "She went out for a jog. Looks like we just missed her," I told Noa, reading the time that she'd recorded in the bottom corner: fifteen minutes until ten.

  "How long do you think she'll be gone?" he asked.

  I pushed open the door and flipped on the living room lights. "Rikki usually runs about six or seven miles, so she'll probably be gone awhile." Probably even longer than usual since she's trying to give us some privacy, I thought, feeling my cheeks warm.

  "Want me to stay and keep you company?" Noa offered.

  "You don't have to," I told him. "I need to shower and get out of these sticky clothes." I frowned down at my dress, hoping that dry cleaning it would remove all the residue.

  "I don't mind." Noa stepped further into the house. His brow furrowed. "Unless you want me to leave."

  "No," I said, perhaps a little too quickly. "What I meant to say is, make yourself at home. I'll be back down in a few." I hurried upstairs to clean up. I spent a little longer than I'd like to admit agonizing over what to wear when I returned to the living room. Noa has seen you in sweats and a T-shirt before, I reminded myself. I finally threw on a pair of comfy black yoga pants and a pink camisole before padding back downstairs.

  Noa had raided Rikki's wine cabinet and selected a bottle of merlot. He'd filled two glasses and had set them on the coffee table. "Here," he said, offering me one when I joined him in the couch.

  "Thanks." I took a sip of my drink. "Now what?" I asked.

  Noa's brow pinched. "I don't know about you, but I could use a break from formulating any more theories tonight. Why don't we just try to relax until Rikki gets home? We could watch some TV," he suggested.

  He was right. As badly as I wanted to figure this out, I was driving myself mad, puzzling over who had killed Louana and how. Maybe if I slept on it, the whole "Luka and Erin" connection would make more sense in the morning.

  "All right," I agreed, settling back against the couch cushions. Noa flipped off the overhead lights and queued up an old rerun of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. We were about halfway through a second episode—and more than halfway through the bottle of wine—when Noa's phone dinged with a new text message.

  My gut clenched. "Who is it?" I asked, trying to sound casual, though I was pretty sure I failed. A text this late was usually either one of two things: an emergency or a booty call—or, in some cases, both.

  Noa glanced at the screen. "It's Harmony." He slipped the phone back into his pocket without replying. His expression was unreadable in the faint glow from the television.

  "Why do you like her?" I blurted. I couldn't stay silent anymore. The wine had given me the liquid courage I needed to speak my mind. I set down my glass and pulled my legs onto the couch, turning so that I sat facing Noa. "She's horrible."

  He quirked his lips. "Are you jealous?"

  "Don't do that," I said, feeling heat churning in my middle. "Don't dangle her in front of me like this is some kind of game." I blew out a breath. "I just don't get what you see in her is all. She made our lives hell for so long." I forced down the lump in my throat. "I know I don't have the right to tell you who you should or shouldn't be with," I said, my voice quavering slightly. "But I think you deserve better than Harmony Kane."

  Noa stared at me for a few moments. "Kaley, I don't want to date Harmony," he said finally, his voice carrying a trace of guilt. "She's just a client. She approached me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to help her build a website. Harm wants to open her own online clothing store."

  I blinked at him, feeling simultaneously relieved and confused. "Really? Then why did you invite her out with us to Beachcomber's the other night?"

  He rolled his eyes. "She actually invited herself. I asked Jamie to join us because I knew the two of you would become fast friends. Then Harmony called and asked if we could discuss the layout for her website. When I told her I already had plans with you, she insisted on tagging along." He leaned forward, his brows pinched. "I know Harmony's been kind of flirty with me lately, but I don't date my clients. I'll admit I might have let her carry on for a little longer than I should have, but I'm not interested in her like that."

  "Noa, I…" My throat suddenly felt dry, and I drained the last few sips of wine from my glass. Just let it rip. Quick—like taking off a Band-Aid. The words bubbled out of my mouth before I could change my mind. "I've missed you—and I've regretted the way things ended between us every day for the past five and a half years." I stared at him, feeling tears prick my eyes. "I knew I made a mistake marrying Bryan, and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I hate that I was too ashamed to reach out when I moved away. I should have called, but I was scared that if I heard your voice, I'd be on the next plane to Los Angeles." I swallowed. "I know you've only been spending time with me these past few days for Aunt Rikki's sake, but having you back in my life has meant more to me than you know. I can accept that I blew my chance and that nothing is ever going to happen between us—but when this is all over, I hope you'll let me at least try to earn back your friendship."

  There. After all that time, I'd finally let Noa know how I felt. Now it was up to him to decide if he could ever forgive me. I let my words hang between us, feeling every second that passed in excruciating slow motion as I waited for him to respond.

  Noa opened his mouth as if he were going to speak. Then he closed it again. He stared at me, and an emotion flashed behind his eyes. It was gone before I could identify it. His brow pinched, and his expression became strained. "Kaley, I don't—"

  Whatever he'd been about to say died on his lips as an explosion of sound erupted behind us. I shrieked. Noa instinctively lunged toward me and pulled me off the couch, his body shielding mine as we rolled onto the floor. Shards of broken glass rained down where we'd just been sitting. Something sailed overhead, landing hard on the center of the coffee table. The wood splintered, and Noa's wine glass crashed to the floor, splattering the dark liquid all over us both. I heard an engine start outside, and then a vehicle sped away. Noa and I were left lying in a heap on the living room floor, panting.

  "Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly after a few moments. He gently untangled his limbs from mine and rolled onto his back, hissing in pain as glass crunched underneath him.

  "I'm all right," I said shakily. "I think." I sat up slowly and looked at him, my heartfelt confession temporarily forgotten. Fear resonated through me all over again at the sight of the red streaks on Noa's face. "Are you okay?" I asked, unsure if it was wine or blood.

  "Yeah." He grunted as he hauled himself off the ground. "Just a few scrapes." He crouched down, holding a finger to his lips and signaling for me to be quiet. "Don't move," he mouthed.

  Noa crawled as soundlessly as possible toward the edge of the sofa and looked around it. Rising to his full height, he armed himself with Rikki's stained-glass palm tree lamp and pressed his back against the living room wall. Noa edged his way toward the broken window. With the lamp held high above his head, he slowly peeked around the corner. He stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, not moving a muscle. Finally, his posture relaxed, and he lowered the lamp.

  "All clear," he said. Noa set the glass palm tree back on Rikki's desk and then helped me off the floor. We
huddled together, peering down at the object lying in a nest of splintered wood on the coffee table. It was a rock nearly half the size of my head. A sheet of white printer paper was wrapped loosely around it.

  "I think there's something written on there," I said, squinting. I reached out to retrieve the paper from the rock, but Noa stopped me.

  "Don't touch it with your bare hands," he warned. "Not until after we've called the police. They'll probably want to dust it for fingerprints."

  "Good point." I dashed into the kitchen to grab a napkin. I used it to shield my skin as I carefully nudged the rock to the side and freed the paper. Still using the napkin, I flipped the crumpled sheet over and smoothed it out. My blood chilled in my veins as I scanned the message written there. Someone had scrawled a two-word warning across the paper with a black marker.

  BACK OFF.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  It didn't take the police long to arrive once Noa called. Detective Ray led the charge as he and two uniformed officers entered Rikki's home. After they'd swept the whole house and had determined that there was no immediate danger, the homicide detective ushered Noa and me into the kitchen. He stayed with us while the other two cops investigated the scene in the living room.

  "Are you two all right?" Ray looked genuinely concerned.

  "We weren't badly hurt, if that's what you're asking." I moved closer to Noa. "Mostly shaken up."

  Detective Ray's dark eyes roamed over us, taking in the shards of glass stuck to Noa's pants and the wine splattered across my shirt. "Where is your aunt?" he asked me.

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from erupting at him. He has to ask that. It doesn't mean he thinks she had anything to do with vandalizing her own house. "She went for a jog," I said, my voice stiff. "She should be back anytime now."

  Detective Ray jotted something down on his little notepad and then chewed the top of his pen as he scanned his notes. He met my gaze. "You said you had dinner at the resort tonight. Did you see any cars following you too closely on the way home? Or maybe someone parked near the house when you arrived?"

  Noa shook his head. "Not that I noticed."

  "I have a few guesses about who might have done this." I took a step toward Ray, feeling determined. "Noa and I learned some new information tonight that might help you with your investigation into Louana Watson's murder."

  The detective's dark brows reached for his hairline. "You did?" He sounded skeptical.

  I nodded emphatically. "Jimmy Toki, the head of Aloha Lagoon Resort security, showed us some security footage that you need to see." I told him about the recording of Erin Malone and Luka Hale from the night of the murder, as well as the trail that provided a shortcut to the alley behind the courtyard shops. "I think Erin and Luka could have been involved in what happened to Louana," I said. "From what I've heard, Luka was being blackmailed by Lou, and Erin wanted—"

  "Hold on," Detective Ray said, cutting me off. "Let me get this straight." He took a step back and folded his large arms across his barrel of a chest. "You've been playing detective behind my back?"

  I gulped. "Sort of. I tried to tell you the other night…" My words died in my throat when I saw the angry look on his face. I snapped my mouth shut.

  "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Detective Ray hiked his thumb over his shoulder toward the living room, where the two beat cops were placing the rock and the note into evidence bags. He glared at me. "What if someone had shown up here tonight with a gun instead of that rock? Or something even worse?"

  I hated to think what he considered worse than a gun-toting lunatic on my doorstep. An axe murderer? A maniac with a machete? One of those door-to-door kitchen knife salesmen? "At least this proves Aunt Rikki is innocent," I insisted. Doesn't it? "Why would she throw a rock through her own window?" I placed my hands on my hips. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was mostly likely Erin Malone. She was really upset when she found out I'd been asking about her around the resort, and she stormed off before we could learn her alibi when we saw her tonight at Starlight on the Lagoon."

  Detective Ray's face turned the same shade of eggplant as Rikki's scooter. "Please tell me you're not stalking people."

  Whoops. Me and my big mouth. I had to stop incriminating myself. "Not exactly," I said in a squeaky voice.

  "Erin happened to be at the same restaurant where we had dinner," Noa said, coming to my aid. "We saw her with her ex-boyfriend when we were leaving," he explained, which wasn't entirely untrue.

  "I assume you've viewed the security footage that shows Louana entering the boutique," I said, meeting the detective's gaze. Of course, I knew he already had because Jimmy had told me, but I didn't want Ray to think the head of security had been sharing information about the investigation. "I just think it might be worth your time to review the recording from the main hallway from around that same time. If you haven't already, that is," I added, not wanting to give him the impression that I thought he wasn't doing a thorough job.

  "We did review the film from the courtyard," Detective Ray said, his complexion returning to its normal color. "But I haven't yet obtained the video from the hallway. I'll give Mr. Toki a call tomorrow. Perhaps I'll also pay Miss Malone a visit." The detective gave me a pointed look. "But you should stop following people around and hounding them with questions, before you wind up with a restraining order. Is that clear?"

  I nodded. If he was going to take me seriously and check out our leads, then I had no reason to interfere any further. "Though you may also want to consider talking to Luka Hale," I added, shrinking back when he cut me another disapproving look.

  Detective Ray joined his men in the living room, and I sagged against the kitchen counter, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. The detective offered to have one of the beat cops posted outside the house for the rest of the night, but Noa insisted that he would stay with Rikki and me to make sure we were safe.

  When we were alone again, Noa sat down at the kitchen table. He flinched as he plucked a small piece of glass out of his arm. "Does Rikki have a first aid kit?" he asked. His voice was tight with pain.

  "I think there's one in the upstairs bathroom." I hurried to the second floor and retrieved the kit from Rikki's medicine cabinet. I set it down on the kitchen table and examined the cuts on Noa's arm. Some of them were still bleeding. "Maybe I should have called an ambulance," I said, unable to keep the worry from my voice.

  "Nah. I'll be fine," he insisted. "They're all superficial wounds. A washcloth and a few Band-Aids will do the trick." He glanced down at his clothes, which were stained with wine. "And some laundry detergent." He chuckled. Then his smile faded. He looked up at me. "Listen, Kaley, about what you said before," he began, his face pulled tight in a grimace.

  "Don't worry about it." I focused intently on the bandages so I wouldn't have to look him in the eye. "I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that. It was selfish."

  Noa gently pushed my hands away and straightened in his seat. "No," he said firmly. "I need to say this." He met my gaze with the same pained expression. "I had no idea you'd been blaming yourself all this time for what happened that night before you left for Atlanta." He blew out a breath. "The truth is, it was really my fault. I knew you were with Bryan, but I couldn't help myself. I had to let you know how I felt before I lost you for good. Then you were gone, and all I could do was beat myself up for scaring you away. I thought by not keeping in touch after that, I was respecting your decision to be with Bryan instead of me." Noa's dark eyes searched mine. "I've missed you like crazy, Kales. When you came back, I didn't want to come on too strong and risk losing you all over again. I want to clear Rikki's name as badly as you do, but being so close to you these past few days has been torture. All I can think about is how badly I want to kiss you."

  Noa rose from his chair, reaching out a hand to cup my face. Before I realized what was happening, his lips crushed mine with such force that I staggered back toward the kitchen counter. Noa moved with me
, his strong arms lifting me onto the counter.

  I kissed him back, hardly able to believe this was really happening. I closed my eyes and lost myself in him. Kissing Bryan had never felt like this. Being with Noa just felt so…right. An electric current zinged through my body, setting every nerve ending on fire, and I wrapped my legs around Noa's middle. He wound one hand through my hair, and the other wrapped tightly around the back of my neck. For several moments, the room around us fell away as we melted together in a blur of lust and adrenaline. All that mattered was the heat radiating between us.

  The kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun. One of the glass shards stuck to Noa's slacks grazed my calf, and I jerked back, swearing.

  "Are you okay?" he released me, his face pinched with worry. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

  "You didn't," I rasped, still breathless from the kiss. I sucked in a mouthful of air as my pulse slowly returned to normal. I felt a smile spread wide across my face. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."

  He grinned. "Me too." He reached for my hand, but I pulled back at the sight of fresh blood on his arm.

  "We should finish cleaning up your cuts." I glanced down at his pants. "And you should probably take those off."

  Noa waggled his eyebrows at me. "Kalani Evalina Kalua," he said, giving me a look of mock astonishment. He'd only ever evoked my full name when teasing me. "Are you trying to get me naked?"

  I blushed. "I just meant so we could clean the wine and glass off of them." Although I wouldn't mind seeing him in the buff, I thought, feeling my cheeks burn even hotter. I pushed away from Noa and returned to the kitchen table. It wasn't until I glanced toward the disaster area in the living room that I felt the harsh reality of the situation crash over me again. "Noa," I said, fear tamping my adrenaline-fueled libido. "I'm glad you were here." If someone had wanted to scare me, they'd done a damned good job of it.