Pleasing the Dead

by Deborah Turrell Atkinson

  Stella and Keiko would be in similar rooms, and Storm knew the agents would pump them for information about other employees, plus they’d be asking questions about Lara’s personal life.

  “Do you know Billy Coswell?” an agent asked.

  “I met him on the boat today, and I only know him as Billy.”

  “How did Lara pay you?”

  “She sent me a retainer by check when I agreed to help her set up the shop. I haven’t billed her for the remainder.”

  “Did you see Lara with Billy Coswell?”

  “No, I got the impression he was Ken’s friend.”

  “Do you think she had knowledge of your kidnapping? If so, do you want to bring charges?”

  “No, I represent her and I’m not comfortable with the idea of testifying against her. I can’t discuss her involvement until I speak to her. Speaking of, when can I?”

  “She’s been taken to the hospital,” someone said.

  After more than an hour of questions that covered topics ranging from Lara’s business to the burglary of her hotel room, conversations she’d had with Damon, Ken, and Lara, and the circumstances of her kidnapping, the inquiries began to slow. Storm felt like she’d not only been on a sinking ship, but she’d been put through a wash and rinse cycle, too. She contemplated asking her own questions, but knew she’d have much better luck getting the lowdown if she waited to speak to either Wu or Moana in private.

  When the agents collected her contact information and gave her permission to leave, Moana accompanied her out of the room.

  “Where are the Tagamas?” she asked when they reached the lobby. She’d tried to keep track of the Feds’ questions and the type of information they needed from her. Why hadn’t she been asked about Ryan or his father? “I need to talk to them.”

  Moana’s eyes flitted around the room. “Where will you be staying?”

  Hamlin set down a five-month-old issue of Newsweek and approached. “I made reservations at a Wailea hotel. Use my mobile phone until we find hers.”

  “I’ll get right on that,” Moana said. “I think I know where it is.”

  “Great,” Hamlin said.

  Wu walked down the hallway toward them, and Storm suspected he’d been behind a one-way window in one of the interrogation rooms. She and Hamlin flagged him down.

  “Could you get us a ride back to my car?” Hamlin asked.

  “I can’t leave now, but I’ll find someone,” Wu said, and disappeared for a few minutes. When he came back, he had a rookie officer in tow.

  Forty-five minutes later, Storm left her clothes in a crumpled heap on the plush carpet of a hotel room and made a beeline for the shower. She made the water as hot as she could stand it and tried out all the settings on the fancy shower nozzle. A half-hour later, she sighed and wrapped one thick towel around her body, another around her dripping hair, and one over her shoulders. When she emerged from the sauna she’d created, Hamlin was tapping at the door to her room.

  “Sergeant Moana dropped off your phone and your rental car. We both thought you’d like your suitcase.” He handed the bag to her.

  “Where was my phone?”

  “On the floor of Damon’s living room.” Hamlin took in her towel attire and gave her a sly grin. “You look more comfortable.”

  “I am.” She smiled up at him and adjusted her towel turban, which was starting to slide. She could tell by the heat that a blush was spreading across her chest and face. “Come in. I’ll throw on some dry clothes.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose as he passed, and headed for the mini-bar. “I’m going to splurge. It’s been a hard day.”

  “You flew from California today. You must be beat.”

  “At least I didn’t get kidnapped. Are you holding up?”

  “It’s going to hit me, but right now I want answers. Was Lara involved in the decision to kidnap us? Until I saw her on deck, I thought Obake was behind it.”

  “I think he was. Wu asked me about Billy Coswell. I think Coswell may have done some work for him. It sounds like Coswell threatened McClure and got him to help with the kidnappings.”

  “Was Obake swimming out to take over the boat?”

  “I don’t know yet. Did you recognize him as the swimmer?”

  “Heavens, no. All I wanted to do was get to him before the shark did.” Her voice trembled. “And I didn’t make it.”

  “No one could have, Storm.” Hamlin put down the scotch he’d poured and folded his arms around her.

  “The only other time I’d seen Obake was when he and his son came out of The Red Light. They had on business suits.” One of Storm’s towels slid and she grabbed at it.

  “People look different without their clothes on,” Hamlin said.

  Storm’s face flamed again, but he’d made her laugh. “That’s true.” She dug an outfit out of her suitcase. “Give me five minutes,” she said, and went into the bathroom to change.

  A few minutes later, Hamlin knocked on the door. “Your cell is ringing.”

  Storm was dressed, but her hair was still wet. She opened the door and took the phone. Stella sounded tired.

  “Can we come see you? We need to talk.”

  “Uh, we were going—”

  Hamlin’s drink stopped halfway to his lips. “It’s okay. We’ll get some of your answers,” he whispered.

  “Sure, Stella. We’ll meet you in a half hour. The hotel has a nice pool-side bar.”

  “We’ll be there,” she said.

  When she hung up the phone, Hamlin gave her a kiss. “Afterward, we’ll have a romantic dinner, okay?”

  “Thank you,” she said, and kissed him. It lasted longer than she’d expected.

  “I love your hair like this.” He ran his fingers through the wet waves.

  “We’re never going to make it to the bar.”

  “Sure we will. We have a half hour.”

  ***

  Storm introduced Hamlin to Stella and Keiko, and Stella gave him a big hug. “We’ve heard great things about you.”

  They had? Oh yeah, she’d told Lara about Hamlin. Lara and Stella probably talked.

  Right after they ordered a round of drinks, Storm asked, “Why were we kidnapped? Did Lara know about it?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Stella’s face was lined with worry. “Did the police ask you to file charges against her for kidnapping?”

  “I declined,” Storm said.

  Stella sat back with a sigh. Relief lightened the creases around her mouth. “Thank you. She wouldn’t have done it.”

  “Then who did?”

  “Obake,” Keiko said. “He was mad that you rescued Carmen and me.”

  “That’s not enough,” Storm said.

  “He threatened Lara,” said Stella. “I heard her talking to Ken this morning. She told him that the flowers in Yasuko’s hair were the ones she’d taken to her mother.” Stella twisted her hands together. “I was there when she pinned those flowers in Barb’s hair.”

  “You think Obake threatened Lara with Barb’s welfare?”

  “Yes, I’m sure of it.”

  “Did you tell the FBI people about this?” Storm asked.

  “Yes.” Stella nodded. “Was that okay?”

  “You need to tell them everything you know. They’ll find out anyway, because they’re going to grill everyone connected to this event.”

  “I’m worried that Obake’s threat makes it look like Lara made him swim to the Quest.” Stella chewed a hangnail.

  “No one was holding a gun to his head. We saw him leave the beach,” Storm said. “And he swims every day.”

  Stella’s shoulders sagged. “I guess.”

  Storm remembered that Lara had two boats. “Why the Quest?”

  “That was the boat she used for the shark encounter.”

  “So she did bait the water.”

  Stella nodded. “Not all the time, but sharks recog
nize the sound of the engines and come around. Tourists love it. It’s become her most popular excursion.”

  “Have you ever seen sharks try to bite someone?”

  “Never. The divers are in a cage,” Stella said. “They don’t bite the cage, let alone a person. I don’t know why the shark attacked Obake.”

  “It’s her ‘aumakua,” said Keiko in a very soft voice, and the words gave Storm chicken skin.

  No one said anything for a long moment. Storm broke the silence. “Who physically put us on the boat?”

  “Billy and Ken,” Keiko said.

  “What about Damon? He helped, didn’t he?”

  “Damon didn’t know about the kidnapping until it happened. When he overheard Billy telling Ken it was time to toss us overboard, miles off shore with our hands tied, he put his own safety at risk.”

  “He was free up until then,” Storm pointed out. “And didn’t he set me up?”

  “I don’t think so. He mentioned to Ken and Billy you needed to trade cars, but he didn’t know they were going to knock you out,” Stella said.

  Storm nodded slowly. She remembered the sound of a protest and a scuffle right before the sting of the drug they’d given her.

  “How is Lara?” Storm asked. “Can she be questioned?”

  “I called the hospital about an hour ago and talked to an orderly I know. He couldn’t say much, but he told me sometimes she makes sense, sometimes not so much.” Stella hesitated. “And she’s a suspect in the restaurant bombing, among other things.”

  She leaned toward Storm. “Do you handle criminal work?”

  “If you’re talking about Lara, I’d rather refer the case to an attorney who specializes in criminal law,” Storm said. “I can be co-counsel.”

  “How about Billy and Ken?”

  “They need to hire their own counsel.”

  Storm took a thoughtful sip of wine and glanced at Hamlin. She could tell he, too, was sorting through the available information. There were gaping holes in their knowledge. She needed to ask Lara a laundry list of questions, but she was at the end of a long line of interrogators. And for her client’s sake, she needed to restrain her curiosity and find a criminal attorney.

  “You’re sure it was Obake’s men who took you to Pauline’s?” Storm asked Keiko.

  “Yes, and I signed a complaint against her,” Keiko said.

  “I can see why he’d abduct you and Carmen, but why Stella and me?” She looked around the table. Keiko and Stella appeared to be waiting for her to answer the question. Hamlin recognized it as rhetorical and raised one eyebrow.

  “We don’t have all the pieces yet,” he said.

  Storm slowly set down her glass down. “And why didn’t Lara ask for help? From me or from law enforcement?”

  “As if you’ve never tried to handle problems alone?” Hamlin’s tone was gentle.

  Storm lowered her eyes. “Well, sometimes.”

  “Obake had friends in local government,” Stella said. “He’d already taken Keiko and Carmen to show they belonged to him. He’d threatened you, her lawyer. Lara was frantic, and she trusted very few people.”

  “Where are the Tagamas?” Storm asked. “I need to talk to them about Paradise Consortium’s role.”

  Sadness lined Stella’s face again. “That’s the other reason I wanted to talk to you.”

  Chapter Forty-seven

  “Tagama was going to give Lara the land as a wedding present.”

  “He could do this?” Storm wondered if he had enough control over Paradise Consortium.

  “But Ryan didn’t tell Lara?” Hamlin asked.

  “No, it was a gift. Tagama was going to wrap up the papers and take her and Ryan to dinner.” Stella took a drink.

  “When did you hear about this?” Storm asked.

  “I called Ryan this afternoon to tell him about Obake and Lara.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Not much, he’s too upset,” Stella said. “Steven Kudo killed his father.”

  Storm swallowed. “That’s who Wu meant? The prominent businessman.”

  “Tagama left a letter for Ryan.”

  “Did he tell you what it said?”

  “No, he didn’t want to talk about it.”

  Sadness covered the four of them like a damp mist.

  “Poor Lara,” said Stella.

  “Poor Ryan,” said Storm.

  “Lara made some bad decisions,” said Keiko.

  Keiko had just voiced Storm’s thoughts. She looked at the young woman. Storm had thought no one would rise above the mess Obake had created with his cruel manipulations, but she might be wrong.

  Keiko, for the first time in Storm’s experience, had on a short sleeved shirt. Her scars showed clearly, but she didn’t try to hide them. She didn’t twist her arms, though she gave a little shiver and slipped them into the sleeves of a sweater that had been draped over her shoulders. Storm was going to do the same.

  “She did make some poor choices, but she was bullied. We’re going to get her a good lawyer,” Hamlin said.

  “We’ll take care of her.” Storm put her hand on Stella’s. “And I’ll find out what role the Tagamas played in this.”

  “I can’t believe Ryan would allow anyone to hurt Lara.” Stella’s eyes pleaded with Storm.

  “I doubt it, too. And I’ll let you know.” Storm paused. “Do you think Ryan blames Lara for his father’s death?”

  “I didn’t ask. He didn’t have much to say when I told him she was in the hospital.”

  “He has a lot to process.”

  Stella nodded, and changed the subject. “How long are you going to stay?” she asked Hamlin.

  His eyes slid to Storm’s. “I’ll be discussing that with Storm.”

  A mischievous gleam replaced a bit of the distress in Stella’s eyes. He paid the bill, and the four got up to leave. “Any recommendations for a nice dinner place?” he asked Stella.

  “The Gaslight. About a quarter mile from here, right on the water. Pricey, but worth it.”

  “Excellent.”

  And it was. And so was the walk along the beach to get there, though Storm’s mobile phone rang about half way. It was Carl Moana.

  “You get your phone and suitcase?”

  “Yes, thanks. The car, too.”

  “This is going to hit the papers tomorrow, so I thought I’d let you know. Ichiru Tagama was working with us.” He paused, and Storm could hear the crackling of his car radio. “I mean, local law enforcement agencies.”

  “What about Paradise Consortium?”

  “You knew about that?”

  “Sure, it had partial ownership in the shopping center where Lara has her dive shop.”

  “Yeah,” Moana said. “Uh, that part isn’t going to be in the news.”

  “We need to tell Lara about Tagama’s role. I have a feeling she thought he was an associate of Obake’s.” Storm stopped walking. “What did Tagama do?”

  “It was an arrangement. Obake kept Tagama on the board of Paradise Consortium so he could keep an eye him. It kept Tagama abreast of the local syndicate’s activities. The Feds asked Tagama to encourage Obake to buy into the shopping center under Lara’s shop so they had a shared interest.”

  “Who owned the majority of the shopping center?” Storm asked.

  “Mālua LLC owned ninety percent.”

  “So Tagama could buy out Paradise and do what he wanted with the lease?”

  “He bought them out two days ago.”

  “Is that why Steven Kudo killed him?”

  “No.” Moana sighed. “Tagama knew they’d killed Yasuko. He knew the police didn’t have enough physical evidence to prove it, and he went after it.”

  “How’d Kudo die?”

  “Kudo and his side-kick were both killed with throwing knives. Tagama was good.” Moana sounded impressed.

  “How did Tagama die?”

  “Kudo sh
ot him.” A few blats of the radio sounded in the background. “Tagama had a friend in the police, and he called him before he went to meet the two thugs. Tagama knew he wasn’t coming back.”

  “How’s Ryan taking it?”

  “Pretty rough,” Moana said. “His dad left him the whole business, though. He’ll pull himself back together. He has to.”

  “Hey, Moana,” Storm said. “Thanks for telling me.”

  “You’re welcome. I didn’t want you uncovering any more stones.” There was a smile in his voice. “One other thing, but this is my own news. I’m in line for a promotion.”

  “Congratulations, Moana. You deserve it.” Storm thought for a moment. “Do something for me?”

  “Yeah, if I can.”

  “Tell Lara all this as soon as you can, okay?”

  ***

  The wine was perfect. So were their dinners and the walk back under the stars. So was the hotel room, the big bed, and the soft breeze that fluttered the gauzy drapes.

  Chapter Forty-eight

  Monday morning, Grace phoned at nine-thirty to tell Storm that Mark Suzuki called. He wanted to know how she was. The ringing phone woke up Storm and Hamlin, and Grace didn’t bother to hide the smile in her voice. Storm and Hamlin recuperated for one more day (and night), then responded to the tug of obligations in Honolulu.

  Wednesday morning, Storm sat at her desk and returned his call.

  “You owe me a lobster dinner,” Mark said.

  “You’re right, I do. You free tonight?”

  Though Storm and Hamlin were on time, Mark was already at the table. He wore an enormous red bib with an advertisement for Marcie’s Maine Delicacies printed in big white letters across the front. Since they were at Ruths Chris Steakhouse in Waikiki, Storm figured he’d brought his own supplies. From what she could tell, he had on a clean shirt and tie, but his eyeglasses were, as usual, smudged and slightly crooked on his round face.

  The staff seemed to be in on Suzuki’s joke. The sommelier wore a big grin the entire time he talked to Hamlin about wine. This wasn’t Suzuki’s first visit, apparently.

  As soon as Hamlin ordered a bottle, Mark leaned in. “So what happened? Don’t tell me any of the stuff in the papers. I want the inside scoops.”