With Luka unconscious in the hospital and Rikki in jail, Sara had thought she was finally in the clear. Then I'd shown up at the boutique, and she'd overheard my phone call to Noa. When I'd mentioned her website by name and said that I thought I knew who the real murderer was, Sara had decided she'd have to get rid of me too.
If Harmony hadn't stopped her, Sara would have strangled me just as she'd done to Louana. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd owe my life to Harmony Kane, but I was grateful that she had saved me—so much so that I later convinced her not to quit her job at Happy Hula and even talked Rikki into giving her a raise to help pay off some of her debt.
Noa wouldn't leave my side after the incident at the boutique, and he even insisted on riding with me in the ambulance. He held my hand as I received six stitches in my shoulder, letting me squeeze his fingers when the topical anesthesia didn't quite numb the pain.
After examining my bruised throat, the doctor informed Noa and me that I had no severe damage. He wrote me a prescription and promised that with plenty of rest, it should heal in a few days' time.
Detective Ray knocked on the door of my room as the doc was clearing me to be discharged. "How are you feeling?" he asked, stepping into the exam room.
"Like someone stabbed me in the shoulder and then strangled me nearly to death." My voice was too raspy to convey my dry tone, and I came off sounding like one of Marge Simpson's sisters.
Detective Ray's cheeks colored, and his expression turned sheepish. "I owe you and your aunt an apology," he said, shoving his beefy hands into the pockets of his chinos.
"Rikki will be released now, right?" Noa asked for me.
I smiled at him with gratitude, and he squeezed my hand.
The detective nodded. "Now that I have Miss Thomas's confession for both Louana Watson's murder and the hit-and-run that injured Mr. Hale, all charges against your aunt will be dropped." His lips turned up at the corners. "And I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Luka is going to be all right. He took a turn for the better earlier this afternoon, and he's awake now."
I exhaled a sigh of relief, wincing as my throat continued to throb. "Thank you," I wheezed.
Noa must have noticed my pained expression. His forehead puckered. "Kaley, the doctor told you to rest your voice," he scolded.
"It's a little better," I said. The numbing sensation from the lozenge the doctor had given me was already starting to take effect.
"You still shouldn't strain yourself," Noa argued.
Detective Ray took that as his cue to leave. "I should be going," he said. "I'd be happy to give you two a ride back to your car so you can come pick Rikki up from the police station," he offered.
I nodded and rose from the exam table where I'd been seated. There was just one thing I wanted to do first. "Do you know which room Luka Hale is in?" I asked, ignoring Noa's frown of disapproval.
The plump homicide detective nodded. "I'll take you by there, if you'd like."
Noa and I followed Detective Ray out of the exam room and turned down another hall, stopping in front of Luka's room. "I'll give you all some privacy," he said. "I need to make a few calls anyway. I'll be in the reception area whenever you're ready." Detective Ray shuffled back down the hall.
To my immense relief, we found Luka Hale wide-awake. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and a cast covered his leg from the knee down. I grimaced. The poor guy had to be in a lot of pain. But at least he's alive.
Luka's room was full of flowers and balloons. He was sitting in his hospital bed, his back resting against an oversized pillow. He looked up as we entered the room and scrunched up his face. "What are you doing here?"
I suddenly felt sheepish. The only interactions I'd had with Luka since we'd met had been filled with mistrust—from both sides. It was time to eat a little crow. "I came to see how you were doing," I said, my tone still a bit gravelly.
"Thanks." Luka's face was tight with pain. "The doctor says I've got two broken ribs and a shattered femur." His head drooped. "Guess I won't be catching any more waves for a while," he said gloomily.
"I'm so sorry," I said, feeling a mixture of sympathy and guilt. If I'd been looking for Lou's killer in the right places to begin with, I might have caught Sara before she'd hurt the poor kid. "I also want to apologize for hounding you about Louana Watson," I told him, trying to look sincere. "Her real killer was arrested today."
Luka stared at me for a few moments, his expression hard. Then his lips turned up at the corners. It was the first time I'd seen him smile. It was a good look for him. "No worries," he said, lifting his hand to make the shaka sign with his thumb and pinkie. "I forgive you. You were just sticking up for your aunt. I can respect that." He cocked his head to the side, brow furrowed. "So who killed Lou?"
Noa stepped forward, snaking his arm around my middle. "It was Sara Thomas," he explained. His expression darkened. "She was also the one who put you in the hospital."
Luka nodded slowly. I could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes. He clenched his jaw. "When I woke up earlier, my mom said that Rikki had done this to me, but I knew that couldn't be true. I can't remember anything about the accident, but your aunt has always been good to me." He squinted. "I caught Sara stealing yesterday, and she threatened to tell the cops that I'd killed Louana because she'd been blackmailing me." His expression turned stony. "I never should have told her about that, but I trusted her."
"I know," I said. "We all did." The quiet cashier had been there all along, hiding in plain sight. I'd known it was her dream to make a name for herself in the fashion world, but I hadn't realized how far she'd go to protect that dream. Sara had even been the one to hand me two of my biggest leads—Marco and Luka—and I'd been so focused on them that I hadn't even stopped to wonder just why she was being so helpful. She'd wanted to throw me off her trail, and she'd done a great job of it, right up until the end.
A soft knock pulled my attention to the door. Erin Malone stepped into the room, a blue teddy bear tucked under her arm. "Babe, I'm back," she said, holding up the toy. "And check out this cute little guy that I found in the gift shop—" Erin stopped talking when she spotted me. Her face turned scarlet. "You again?" she fumed, stalking toward me. Her free hand balled into a fist. "Now I can't even visit my boyfriend in the hospital without you showing up? This is the last straw. I'm filing a restraining order."
I held up my hands in surrender, taking a step back. "I come in peace this time, I promise." I furrowed my brow as I looked from Erin to Luka. "You two are dating?"
Luka nodded, trying to sit up straighter in the hospital bed. "Yeah," he said, wincing in pain. He shifted to make himself more comfortable. He looked at Erin. "It's okay, babe," he told her. "They came to tell me that Sara Thomas was arrested for murdering Lou—and for running me over."
Erin's glossy lips parted. "The skinny cashier chick from Happy Hula?"
Luka nodded.
Noa and I exchanged a look. "Erin, if you're with Luka, then why were you at dinner with Marco last night?" he asked.
She scowled. "That's none of your business."
"It's all right. We can tell them." Luka met my gaze. "Kaley's not so bad, after all."
"Thanks." I beamed at him.
Luka reached out to Erin, and she moved to stand next to him so he could hold her hand. "Erin was telling Marco about us," he said. "He and I are friends—well, we were, anyway. We used to be tight, but he's been kind of a dick lately." His forehead creased. "What he did to Erin wasn't cool. And with Louana Watson, of all people?" Luka shuddered. "I mean, not to speak ill of the dead, but she was straight-up cruel."
From what I'd encountered of the bellhop, I didn't think Lou was the only girl he'd cheated on Erin with. "Marco is quite the womanizer," I said.
Erin looked from Luka to me, raising a skeptical brow. When Luka nodded in encouragement, she relented. "Marco made the reservation at Starlight on the Lagoon several months ago," she said. "We were supposed to have d
inner there to celebrate our anniversary. But then he cheated on me, and we broke up. I was really upset at first, but then Luka asked me out for drinks." She blushed. "It's still pretty new. We've only been seeing each other for a little over a week," she admitted. "So when Marco called me up and pleaded with me to meet him for dinner, I took the opportunity to tell him that I'd met someone else. He admitted to hooking up with a few other girls after we broke up, but he claimed that it only made him realize how much he missed me, if you can believe that." She rolled her eyes, giving me the impression that she didn't.
"I'm guessing he didn't take the news about you two very well," Noa remarked.
I nodded in agreement, recalling how angry Marco had been when I brought up Erin outside the restaurant.
"He didn't—not that I care." Erin stuck out her chin. "Marco Rossini lost the right to have an opinion about my love life the day he decided to cheat on me."
I smiled. "I'm with you on that."
Luka's mother entered the room, carrying a disposable coffee cup and a magazine. The older woman's face lit up at the sight of our little group. "Oh, Luka. How nice! You have visitors," she said brightly. She smiled at me. Her hair was a mess, and there were still dark circles under her eyes, but Nancy Hale seemed like a totally different person from the woman we'd seen in the waiting room that morning. She tilted her head as she looked at me. "You two came by earlier, right? Didn't you bring that bouquet of flowers?" she pointed to one of the arrangements on the bedside table. Mrs. Hale didn't wait for me to answer. Squinting, she asked, "What was your name again? Jamie?"
Luka shook his head. "No, Ma. That's—"
"It was great to see you, Luka," I interrupted, edging backward toward the door. "I'm glad that you're going to be all right. Everyone else from the shop sends their well wishes." I gripped Noa's arm and pulled him along with me, not wanting to have to explain to Mrs. Hale that I'd lied to her.
"What an odd girl," I heard her remark as we slipped down the hall.
Detective Ray was waiting for Noa and me in the lobby. He drove us back to the resort to retrieve the Jeep, and then we followed him to the stucco building that housed the police station.
The charges against Aunt Rikki had been dropped, and she'd been released while we were at the hospital. We found her waiting for us in the lobby, still dressed in her spandex jogging capris and running shoes, though someone—I'm assuming Detective Ray—had given her an oversized white T-shirt to wear over her neon yellow sports bra. Her black and blue hair was haphazardly pulled back from her face, and her eyes were puffy. Despite her rough appearance, my heart swelled at the sight of her. My aunt was all right, and that was all that mattered.
Rikki jumped out of her chair as soon as we walked into the lobby. Relief showed in her face as she rushed forward and launched herself at me. "Kaley! My ku'uipo. I knew you'd come for me." She pulled back, lowering her gaze to my bruised throat and bandaged shoulder. Her face crumpled. "Are you okay?"
"I'm wonderful." I hugged her again, not caring about the pain. Tears spilled down my cheeks. "I'm just glad it's all over." I released Rikki and stepped back. I glanced over my shoulder at Noa. He stood in the doorway, his dark eyes shining as he watched our happy reunion.
Aunt Rikki followed my gaze. "Get over here, boy," she cried, laughing. Noa joined us, and my aunt wrapped her arms around us both in a fierce hug.
I was the first to pull away. I beamed at them both, the two people I cared about most in the world. For the first time in my life, I truly felt complete. I planted a soft kiss on Noa's lips and then looped my arm through Rikki's. "Come on. Let's go home."
* * *
The Aloha Lagoon Resort held its Fourth of July luau a few days later. Though the luxury hotel hosted nightly feasts, this one was special, open to both guests and the islanders. The Ramada Pier looked like a living sea of red, white, and blue as people moved about before the dinner festivities. Adults sipped their rum punch while children zigzagged through the crowd, waving the small souvenir American flags that the resort had provided for the occasion.
"Kaley, I love your outfit," Jamie gushed as she slipped into the empty seat beside me at our table.
I grinned at her. "Thanks." I glanced down at my sleeveless blue and white aloha-patterned dress, which I'd paired with red sandals. A red flowered lei covered up the last remaining bruises on my neck. I smoothed a wrinkle in the skirt. "It's from a new designer named Lola Barron. The shipment just came in yesterday." My lips quirked. "Remember, Happy Hula employees get an extra ten percent discount at the store. Now that you're going to be working there with me, we should go on a little shopping spree to celebrate." Since we were in need of a new cashier, I'd talked Rikki into letting me hire Jamie to work part-time around her scuba instructor schedule, not that it had taken much convincing.
Jamie flashed me a toothy smile. "You had me at 'discount.'" She glanced over my shoulder, and her brows twitched. "Here comes Harmony," she warned.
I didn't even bat an eyelash. Ever since the showdown with Sara, Harmony and I had buried the hatchet. Sort of. I was grateful that she'd saved my life, and she was grateful that I'd promised not to tell anyone that she was no longer as rich as the Kardashians. Though we still didn't see eye to eye on most things, we'd learned to get along—most of the time.
Harmony took a seat across the table from us. "I'm pretty sure I just saw that reporter, Felicity Chase. She's over by the buffet," she said, inclining her head toward the large table where the feast would soon be placed. Harmony glanced at me. "I thought you said she was banned from the resort property."
I followed her gaze and easily spotted the reporter. Though she'd disguised herself under a wide-brimmed straw hat and large sunglasses, there was no mistaking her narrow face and chestnut hair. I'd agreed to give Felicity one interview after the events at Happy Hula, just to get the facts straight. In exchange, she'd promised to protect the shop's reputation by not including details about the knockoff designer clothes Sara had been stocking there (Rikki was working with the police to recover as much of the original inventory as she could and had begun reaching out to affected customers to make things right). Felicity had printed her story about the murderous cashier in the weekend edition of the Aloha Sun. Now she'd turned her attention back to celebrity sightings.
"Felicity told me she heard from a source on the housekeeping staff that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are staying at the resort," I told Harmony and Jamie. I smirked. "I think she's hoping to snap a picture of Ryan in the buff."
"Can you blame her?" Jamie blurted. She bounced her eyebrows. "Where can I buy a pair of binoculars around here?"
She giggled, and I joined in. Even Harmony chuckled.
"What are you ladies laughing about?" Noa appeared at the table, taking the other empty seat next to me. "Sorry I'm late," he said, brushing his dark hair out of his face and offering me a lazy smile. He slid an arm around my shoulders and planted a soft smooch on my lips.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harmony stiffen. While we'd managed to be civil the last few days, she'd been more than a little miffed that Noa had chosen me over her. Not that I cared.
I turned my attention back to Noa. "Nothing, really," I said dreamily. As far as I was concerned, Noa Kahele would beat out Ryan Reynolds as the hottest guy on the island any day of the week. I'd spent nearly every free minute with him since we'd left the hospital on Thursday.
Not only had we repaired our friendship, but we'd added a few extra (and oh-so-hot) benefits. Being with Noa felt as natural as breathing, and every time he smiled at me, I knew this was the beginning of something really special.
The luau festivities officially started a few minutes after Noa arrived. The steady beating of a drum accompanied the procession of torch bearers and the young men who filed between the tables, chanting as they carried large trays of roasted pork, fresh pineapple, poi, salads, and more. The servers set the trays down on the large buffet, and the luau's MC delivered a warm welcome
to the guests before declaring that dinner was served. We rose from the table and merged into the buffet line to fill our plates. I swayed to the steel drum music being performed on the stage as I piled my own plate high with tender pork and sweet potato salad.
As the meal came to an end, the Aloha Lagoon Wahines danced their way in between tables, pulling the male guests out of their chairs to teach them how to hula. Noa declined when one of the performers approached him and tried to coax him onto the stage. He scooted his chair closer to mine and grabbed my hand. I looked to the opposite end of the table, locking eyes with Aunt Rikki. She winked at me before resuming her conversation with the woman seated next to her. My aunt was over the moon that Noa and I were close again.
When the sun finally dipped behind the ocean, the MC announced that the special Fourth of July fireworks display was about to begin. The luau staff handed out sparklers to the children, and guests left their tables to settle onto the sand for a better view of the special presentation.
Noa grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my chair, leading me toward a free spot on the beach. The sand was still warm from the hot July day as we sat down. He scooted closer to me, and I leaned my head on his shoulder. We sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the chatter of the other guests and the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore.
After several minutes, the first fireworks whistled through the air. Bursts of color lit up the night sky, their reflection glittering in the water below. "It's beautiful," I breathed, snuggling closer to Noa.
"You're beautiful." He planted a soft kiss in my hair. "I'm really glad you're back in my life, Kaley." Noa tilted his head toward mine, and I saw the bright lights reflected in his eyes. "I hope you'll stick around."
"I don't plan on going anywhere." I grinned. "I'm finally where I'm supposed to be." I leaned in and kissed him as the grand finale illuminated the sky above.
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Boxed Set Volume III (Books 7-9) Page 39