Darby Stansfield Thriller Series (Books 1-3 & Bonus Novella)

by Ty Hutchinson

  One by one, pieces of the case began to fill his mind.

  He recalled Izzy saying, “Whoever it was that attacked me had training.” There had been a heavy bag in Momi’s garage when he first visited.

  Hanging on the wall, behind Momi was a picture of a little girl with a long blond braid. “Momi loves braiding my hair and I love having it done,” Izzy had said to Darby.

  “I always check on them. I live in walking distance.” That’s what Momi told Balagot when he first interviewed her.

  Balagot scanned Momi's olive-toned legs. He could make out fresh bruising on the side. In the video footage, Izzy’s legs were intertwined with another pair, tan in color. What stood out on those tan legs were the blue shoes with yellow stripes.

  He knew all he had to do was look down at her feet. That’s it. What was the harm? People look at other people’s shoes. It’s normal during conversation. If that were so, then why was he hesitant?

  Balagot lowered his eyes. Before he could say what they both now knew, Momi had already begun to close the distance between them.

  Chapter 67

  Izzy was finally able to loosen the gag enough to spit it out of her mouth. “Darby,” she called out. She continued to call his name as she move her arms up and down, hoping to loosen the bindings.

  Slowly, Darby began to show signs of life. His head began to move. His eyes fluttered open. Izzy called out again. “Darby, can you hear me? Wake up.”

  • • •

  When my eyes first opened, I couldn’t see anything. It was kind of dark. Things were out of focus and my head felt like it had been squeezed in a vice. But beyond all of that, I could have sworn I heard Izzy’s voice.

  “Darby.”

  That’s Izzy! I lifted my head and looked around. Slowly, things came into focus. There was a source of light coming from a desk on the opposite side of the room. Again I heard Izzy’s voice.

  “Darby. Over here.”

  I looked over in the direction where I heard the voice. Sitting in a chair was Izzy, except she didn’t look like Izzy. Her face was bruised. There was swelling and blood. Why? I focused more and realized she was tied to the chair.

  “Izzy, is that you?”

  “It’s me. Are you all right?”

  I laid my head back down. “My head is killing me, but yeah, I’m fine. You’re hurt.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll heal.”

  “Where are we? What happened?”

  “It’s Momi. She’s the one.”

  “Momi?” My memory started to flash bits and pieces of what happened. I remembered calling Izzy on her phone and hearing it ring in the bushes. Momi must have hit me right then.

  “Yeah. That bitch did this. I can’t believe I trusted her.”

  Izzy continued with her angry rant while I tried to take make sense of it all. If she were right, then that meant it was Momi all along. Holy shit. She broke into the house. She was in the hoodie that night. And all this time I thought it was Kalani. “I thought she was our friend. Why would she do this?” I asked.

  “Darby, listen. We have to hurry. She wants to kill me.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She wants my hair. Remember that girl that was kidnapped at Ka’ena Point? The one they found a few weeks later without her scalp and half eaten by pigs?”

  I nodded.

  “That was Momi. She took the hair and put it on her daughter.”

  “I thought her daughter was dead.”

  “She is, but she has the body.” She motioned with her head to the stool by the makeup table.

  “What’s that, a doll?”

  “No it’s her daughter, preserved. She talks to it and brushes its hair. She wants my hair for her daughter, Darby. She’s going to kill you, too. We have to get out of here.”

  I heard what Izzy was saying. It sounded like the plot of a bad horror movie, but I knew from her voice that she was serious. We were tied up in Momi’s basement. That was plenty enough convincing for me.

  “What’s the plan?” I asked.

  “These bindings around my arms have loosened up a bit, but not enough. I’m going to scoot my chair over to your hand. Maybe you can loosen the knot.”

  Before Izzy finished, she was scooting her chair across the floor. Each time she moved, it made a screeching noise. We didn’t know where Momi was, but surely she could hear it. We might as well have been shouting into a megaphone, “Hey, we’re trying to escape down here. You might want to come back down and check on us.”

  “Sheesh, that’s loud. Where is she anyway?”

  “Upstairs. The doorbell was ringing.”

  Now was the time to make a move. Izzy gave one last scoot and my hand could feel the chair and her. I started to grope around for the bindings. “I can’t find it,” I said.

  “You have to, Darby. Keep trying.”

  I grasped over and over, but nothing. The effort made my head spin more. I was about to give up when, “Wait, I think I have it.” My hand grabbed something. I found the knot and began working on it. She was right. It was loose. I tugged and pulled in various directions. Slowly but surely, the strap loosened. Izzy wiggled more and more until an arm popped out. Within seconds she had the other one free and was working on the bindings on her legs.

  “When we’re free, then what?”

  “Momi may have gotten the jump on me once, but it ain’t happening again.”

  That was when we heard the large noise upstairs.

  Chapter 68

  Crunch.

  That’s the sound a nose makes when a fist is driven directly into it. The cartilage gives way and the bone breaks. Lighting bolts of pain erupt. Eyes tear up. A waterfall of blood flows liberally.

  Balagot knew all too well that he was now the one in grave danger.

  The five-foot, six-inch, 135lb psycho woman took him down. Back against the couch he fell, luckily, but luck had danced merrily in front of him only for a split second before being yanked away. Momi had him in her grip and was throwing him to the floor.

  Within seconds she had straddled him and released a series of lefts and rights. Balagot, although dazed, had enough sense in him to move his head from side to side causing the wild blows to graze the side of his face, two of them hitting the carpeted floor. Punching the floor appeared to have a limited effect in stopping her.

  Both of Balagot’s arms were pinned under Momi’s knees, essentially leaving him defenseless and her fists seconds away from finding their target again. The investigator felt for his jacket pocket. If he could get the pepper spray out, he might have a chance. There, he had found the opening. He reached inside and grasped at emptiness. Again and again, he closed his fist. No! Where is it?

  Balagot had taken the pepper spray out while at the beach cottage, reviewing the camera footage. In his head, he could see it on the desk next to the video monitor.

  Chapter 69

  Mr. Sandman brings nightmares, too.

  Balagot lay motionless on the carpeted floor, his face unrecognizable as a face. Momi stood up, letting a crooked grin form. Mr. Investigator, are you happy that you found me? Momi’s chortle echoed in the eerie silence that filled the house. She stared at the defeated man, admiring her handiwork. Her confidence had grown, and so had her appetite for killing.

  There would be three bodies to get rid of, and oh, how she looked forward to it. She had roughly three to four hours of play before having to dispose of them that night. Taking a life was becoming easier.

  Suddenly, Momi heard a noise behind her and spun around.

  Standing tall and showing no signs of weakness was Izzy Weber. Her eyes locked onto Momi. Her breathing was forceful, yet controlled, as she repositioned her stance into a defensive one. Izzy had all the confidence now. She had paid attention when Momi trained downstairs. The bitch had a weakness. Momi’s punches were all wide, leaving her no defense against an inside strike.

  Izzy smirked at Momi and then brought both hands up in front of her an
d motioned with her left hand. With a low growl she said, “Bring it, bitch.”

  Momi’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “How did you—?” Before she even finished, she let out a scream and charged Izzy with her arms swinging wildly. Izzy brought both hands up to either side of her head, easily deflecting the blows. She then quickly returned a one-two combination, the jab connecting and the power punch glancing off Momi’s cheek. Momi continued to swing with no rhyme or reason. She couldn’t believe Izzy was standing there.

  Izzy jabbed and bobbed her head, causing Momi to miss and tire more with each punch thrown. Momi lowered her hands for a moment and Izzy saw her opportunity. She stepped in and threw a flurry of punches, all of them pummeling Momi’s face. Blood poured from a cut above her eye and her nose, perhaps even her mouth. Izzy couldn’t be sure and didn’t let up.

  Izzy grabbed the back of Momi’s head and pulled it down delivering a series of right knee kicks to her midsection. She keeled over, struggling to catch her breath.

  “I thought you said you could take me out,” Izzy taunted. She then delivered the knockout blow to Momi’s face with her left knee. Her head snapped back with her body quickly following as she fell backward onto the floor. She lay still.

  Izzy watched and waited for movement, ready to deliver a ground attack if needed. There wouldn’t be a need. She moved over to Balagot and checked on him. His face was covered in blood and his nose was flattened and off to the side. He had a pulse and his breathing was shallow. He’s alive.

  A noise startled Izzy and she turned around. It was Darby. He was half leaning and half sitting against a wall, still dazed and dizzy from the blow Momi had delivered earlier in the night.

  • • •

  I watched Izzy make her way over to me.

  “Are you okay?” She asked.

  “Yeah. What happened?”

  “I knocked the bitch out; that’s what happened,” she said proudly with a smirk on her face. “She was attacking Balagot when I got up here.”

  I craned my neck and spotted Balagot on the floor.

  “Don’t worry, he’s still alive. But he’s been beaten badly. We need to get him to a hospital quickly.”

  “What about her?” I asked.

  “I beat the Loco Moco out of her,” she said with a smile.

  I smiled back. Her face was still bruised and swollen but she shined, radiant in my eyes. I was supposed to be the hero, protecting her. Turns out she was the protector and took care of me. She was my guardian angel. I reached up and gently caressed the side of Izzy’s cheek. “Does it hurt?”

  She shook her head slightly.

  “You’re amazing. You know that?”

  She smiled again, “I know.”

  Chapter 70

  Two and a half weeks had passed since that night at Momi’s. She was stewing in the Women’s Community Correction Center, waiting trial for murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and a few other charges that I couldn’t remember. It still shocks me whenever I think about it. Momi seemed so normal, so nice, so cool.

  Even the North Shore community had a hard time wrapping their heads around it. People trusted her and she took advantage of that. The hardest thing for everyone to grasp was that she kept her daughter’s body in the basement of her house. When the authorities checked the plot, it was empty. They replaced the body, still unsure as to how she got to it in the first place.

  The response we got from the community helped to overshadow the nastiness of what had happened. All sorts of people who we knew or didn’t know had stopped by the beach house to express their sorrow. They brought food and lots of it. They asked how we were doing and if there was anything they could do for us. We needed that.

  Izzy had made a remarkable recovery during this time. Her injuries had fully healed, returning her face to its beautiful state. We tried to put what happened behind us and enjoy our remaining time in Hawaii. I admit it was difficult. One doesn’t just suck it up or forget about an experience like that.

  We didn’t leave the house much, either. We ordered in a lot and surfed the break out front daily. Unfortunately Izzy’s parents had found out about our ordeal. The media circus that followed was big enough to catch their attention in Quantico. We didn’t necessarily want to keep it from them, but Izzy knew her father was capable of overreacting in a situation like this. The last thing we wanted were his FBI buddies showing up. We were trying to blend in, not draw more attention.

  Izzy and I were sitting at the table near the kitchen. We’d had a perfect early morning surf session and were now drinking coffee and eating fresh papaya. CNN was on in the background.

  “So what are you thinking?” I asked.

  “About what?”

  “About your parents insisting that you fly back to Virginia immediately.”

  Izzy let out a big yawn as she raised her arms above her heard and stretched. “I dunno,” she said. “Part of me feels like going… You know, to clear my head after what happened. Don’t get me wrong; I love being here with you. You’ve been really great and so supportive and all…”

  “But?”

  She sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it’s not a bad idea to chill out there for a couple of weeks.”

  I looked at her, contemplating the situation. We had been in Hawaii a little over four months. We had a lot of great times. What’s the big deal about spending some time in Virginia with her family? I decided to make it easier. “I think you should go back and chill. It’s a great idea.”

  “What about you? What are you going to do? You’re welcome to come, too.”

  I shrugged. “We still have the place for two months. I think I’ll hang here. Maybe invite Tav to come back. And hey, if you get tired of your parents after a couple of weeks, you can come back.”

  Izzy smiled and that familiar sparkle returned to her eyes. “I could, but I’ll probably want to stay at least a month with my family.”

  “It’s fine. Take all the time you need. We’re getting married. We’ll have the rest of our lives to spend together.”

  It really wasn’t a biggie for me. I figured I could invite Tav to stay for a couple of weeks. Apparently there’s a nice selection of strip clubs in town—something that’s off the list so long as Izzy’s around.

  And besides, I had gang business to conduct.

  Chapter 71

  I was eager to follow up with Balagot and hear everything he had to say that led to him getting his ass handed to him by Momi. He had to spend a week in the hospital due to his injuries. His nose was broken, his cheekbone was crushed and his jaw was heavily bruised. Plus, he had a mild concussion that the doctors wanted to monitor. If I’m being honest here, I was shocked at how much damage that woman did. She almost killed him. Probably thought she had.

  He was recovering at home when I reached out to him, and that’s where he asked to meet. The drive into town was filled with a lot of mixed emotions. Did I feel bad that Balagot had been injured so badly? Sure. I won’t kid you; there was guilt for hiring him. That’s his job, though. If not him, some other PI would have taking his place. At least Balagot figured it out; that’s what was important. It’s too bad he couldn’t follow through without getting beat.

  It was a nice day in Manoa Valley. I had heard it rained a lot here, but today the sun had let itself spill out all over the place. I knocked on the front door of the quaint house. A few seconds later, I heard the footsteps of someone running. The door opened and a pint-sized kid stood there smiling. She had bed head and a scratch on her chin. Balagot walked up behind her.

  “This is my little one, Nenita.”

  I bent down to her height. “Hi, Nenita,” I said, sticking out my hand.

  She timidly shook my hand and then giggled, quickly hiding behind her father’s leg.

  “That’s enough,” Balagot said. “Go play in your room.” The little girl grinned at me before sprinting away laughing.

  Balagot directed me to the kitchen tabl
e. I followed him. I could tell there was stiffness in his movements. If he was in pain, he wasn’t vocalizing it. Most of the bruising on his face had disappeared. He still had a bandage on his nose.

  “You look like you’ve healed pretty well,” I said.

  Balagot pointed at a chair. “The doctor says everything’s returning to normal. I need time to heal, yeah? Can I get you something to drink? Some guava juice?”

  “Sure.”

  He handed me a can from the fridge. I cracked it open and slurped the sweet fruit juice down. The investigator took a seat and sipped on his can of juice.

  “I hope you don’t mind me coming out here to hear your full side of the story.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s only natural to want to know. I always debrief my clients anyway.”

  Balagot wasted no time and told me everything. “It was when I followed Roger back to Haleiwa that it got interesting,” he said. “He had turned down a small dirt road off of Kamehameha Highway. It caught my attention because this road was near your house. All that separated him from the main highway by your place was an acre and a half of farmland.”

  “Roger lives by us?”

  “Yeah. I checked the mailbox and there was mail addressed to him.” Balagot began a count with his fingers. “He’s a trained fighter, he lives in walking distance, and he owns a black hoodie.”

  “He does?”

  “He was wearing one when he came out of the gym. I thought for sure Roger was our guy.”

  “Roger?” I repeated. My eyes narrowed at Balagot. “But we know he wasn’t the kidnapper.”

  “Yeah, now we know. But at the time everything was pointing at him, yeah? So that’s what made me stop by the house to check on Izzy. But then I saw the mess and your suitcase told me you were back. I knew something wasn’t right so I checked the video footage from the security system and saw the fight. I figured the first place you would go was Momi’s.”