“No, she’s not answering her phone. I’ve tried texting and calling. Do you think something’s happened to her?”
I pushed myself up to a semi-vertical position. Searched her face for a moment. Creases on her forehead—which would only be there if she cared about Carmen. “Maybe she’s in the shower.”
“She’s supposed to be at work.”
“Have you called…?”
Benni jabbed me in the chest. “You don’t know who to call either. What about the police?”
I shook my head. “She hasn’t been gone long enough. They won’t do anything yet.”
“This is Maui, McKenna, not the big city. The cops probably know her personally.”
I pushed myself up the rest of the way and blinked. “Oh, man, Hattie’s tea is hitting me hard.”
“You guzzled it down once you found out it was gluten-free.”
“You were smart.”
“I only drank a little. She wasn’t really happy with me, but I told her I had to get you home. It was a long walk—for you.”
I swallowed. “Wow, middle of the day hangover. Just what I didn't need.”
Benni smiled and brushed my hair away from my forehead. “It was like she released your inner party animal. Once you got started, you kinda went crazy. I had to stop you from drinking mine.”
“Next time, just smack me, would you? I need to go back to sleep for a few more minutes.” I slid down on the couch. Benni left my side, and I returned to our walk on the beach. This time, intense ocean waves, brown with churned-up sand, crashed onto shore. Menacing clouds gathered overhead, cast dark shadows, and blocked out the sun. The water, previously warm and inviting, had turned cold and hostile.
I awoke about an hour later, my headache no better and my mood worse. To top it off, Benni was gone. I searched the condo, but she was nowhere to be found. Our rental car was not in its parking spot. I dialed her cell, and she answered immediately.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” She disconnected without another word.
While I waited, I popped a couple of aspirin with a large glass of water and returned to the couch to let the pills dull my headache. Abrupt wasn’t in Benni’s nature. By the time the car pulled in a few minutes later, my worry cycle was running in the red zone. Benni slammed the driver’s door and marched to the gate. Jaw clenched. Deliberate strides. She strode past me without a word. I’d never seen her so angry. She tossed her purse on the table top. “Carmen’s been arrested.” Her voice was tight.
“For what?”
“Do you want the good news or the bad?”
After the dream I’d had? “Gimme the good.”
“Suspicion of cybercrimes.”
I sat up straight. The buzz was better, but—was I dreaming? "That's the good news? Cybercrimes? Those are broad charges. It could mean she’s got her fingers in a lot of stuff.”
“You’re already convicting her?”
“You’re the one who said she was a liar. And she did do that hacking thing in high school. How’d you find this out, anyway?”
“I got a call from an attorney who works as a public defender. He said he was representing Carmen. He said she has no money because the cops froze her accounts. McKenna, she can’t afford to be off work. She’ll lose her job over this for sure. We have to help her. She needs better than a public defender.”
Uh-oh, this sounded like a cousin ready to dip into her own pocket for an expensive attorney. “There’s nothing wrong with a public defender.”
Benni stared at me. “Seriously? You’d do that to her? How will they investigate? Find the proof she’s innocent?”
“You’ve really changed your tune. Two hours ago you thought your cousin was a scammer. Now she’s innocent of wrongdoing. For crying out loud, what’s the bad news?”
“That’s why I’m so worked up.”
“Well?”
“James is dead. The police found his body on the rocks at Lipoa Point, and they think she had something to do with it.”
I stared at the grey tiles of the lānai. Not again. Murder? I got off the couch and sat in the chair next to Benni’s. “The whole thing sucks. This was supposed to be a little getaway. A Mother’s Day present for you since your daughter is on tour. Now it’s turning into a murder investigation? I don’t think you should get dragged into this.”
Benni’s mouth firmed into a straight line, and she folded her arms across her chest. “You have to help Carmen.”
“We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. She brought this on herself.”
“I can’t let my cousin go to jail for something she didn’t do. If she were your cousin, you’d help her.”
I groaned. Benni wasn’t thinking straight. With Carmen’s history, she might actually be guilty. “Do you realize what you’re asking?”
“Do you?”
“What’s that mean?”
“McKenna, I’m asking—begging—you to help my cousin.”
Begging? Oh, man, talking about laying down the heavy card. The implied result if I refused was painfully obvious. I had one last option before I agreed. Maybe Benni would listen to logic. “If she doesn’t have money, what accounts did they freeze?”
Benni frowned. Cocked her head to one side.
“Are you sure she isn’t hiding something?”
“Why would she be working as a waitress if she had money?”
“The better question is, what does she get out of her job? Think about it, Benni. If the cops believe she’s involved in cybercrimes, that includes identity theft. Most people pay by credit card in a restaurant. Carmen would have access to those card numbers. Given what we’ve heard about James, maybe Carmen and James weren’t romantically involved—maybe they were in business together.”
She shook her head. “No. Carmen’s done a lot of things, but not this.”
Talk about a lousy Mother’s Day present. Bad enough Benni couldn’t see her daughter, but getting caught up in Carmen’s troubles was the capper. “If I agree to help, you have to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“No matter what happens, we can’t let this come between us.”
Benni sat back in her chair. Her jaw was tight, as were the normally invisible crinkles around the corners of her eyes. “Please don’t force me to make a promise I can’t keep.”
I stole a small breath to hide the pain in my heart and forced a weak smile. “Of course not.”
Filomena
Benni had no details about the circumstances of the murder. The cops said they couldn’t talk about an ongoing investigation. Carmen was tightlipped.
And Benni was looking to me for guidance. “Where do we begin?” she asked.
“The logical place is with people who knew her. Let’s start with the waitress from the Rusty Pelican—theone whoCarmen said didn’t like her. Wasn’t her name Filomena? I’d like to know why she snubbed Carmen.”
“Me, too.” Benni dialed the restaurant on her cell phone. Once she found out that Filomena was working, we headed over there to see if we could get the girl to talk.
Tan paint and forest green trim were the most common color combinations in Lahaina. It felt reminiscent of an old fishing village. The Wharf shopping complex was no different. Modern, yet not. We’d been in and out of the complex several times already. At first, it was just another place to wander. When we’d learned the Rusty Pelican was on the second story, we’d promised ourselves to have dinner there. Our intention had been to enjoy our role as tourists—admire the sunset, marvel at the huge banyan trees in the court, and make fun of the other people trudging up and down the street.
On the first level, restaurants and shops created a tourist-friendly setting of bright colors, green plants, and koi ponds. The bar occupying center stage was surrounded by thatched umbrellas with outdoor tables, music, and laid-back island ambience. The trade winds drifted in through the front opening, providing natural air conditioning to a space crawling with tourists.
> We took the stairs to the second level and continued on to the Rusty Pelican. I veered to the side and leaned over the railing to watch the scene below.
Benni gazed at me with concern in her eyes. “What’s up?”
“Take one last look.”
“At?”
“Calm. This may be the end of it for a while.”
She cocked her head, not quite understanding. Something told me delving into Carmen’s business would trigger a tsunami of trouble. I took a breath and absorbed the sense of island peace, no matter how artificial it might have been. I gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
The Rusty Pelican’s rocking atmosphere was in full swing. Music blasted from the speakers. Half a dozen different sports were featured on the overhead TVs. Between the music, the TVs, and the people partying, this felt like the place to get crazy. Even though most of the red-topped tables were empty, the place still had an upbeat vibe.
Three guys at the bar hooted over the baseball game on the set in front of them. It seemed pretty obvious they were hanging out while their girlfriends or wives were off enjoying the sights. There were a few families at tables. They were probably here for the same reason we’d come, to celebrate Mother’s Day. I was 100% certain their celebrations were going better than ours.
Filomena was easy to spot. Her long, dark tresses were pulled back in a loose knot. She wore the restaurant’s standard server uniform, a Rusty Pelican T-shirt and black shorts. We asked for her section and were guided to a table overlooking Banyan Tree Park. She showed up a few minutes later, no sign of recognition on her face.
“Welcome to the Rusty Pelican. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water—a lot.”
Benni smiled up at Filomena. “He had too much to drink this afternoon and is flushing his system.”
The waitress nodded knowingly and pursed her lips. “Happens a lot.” She winked.
“I’ll have ice tea,” Benni said. “You’re Filomena? Yah?”
The girl’s smile dimmed. She peered closely at Benni and then at me. “You were here with Carmen.”
“She’s my cousin. A pain in the butt.”
Filomena laughed and covered her mouth. The friendliness returned as quickly as it had disappeared. “Totally. Sorry, but I feel like that too.”
I winked at Benni and nodded. You go, girl.
“When I was in high school, she stood me up for prom. What did she do to you?”
Instead of answering, Filomena glanced at the bar. “I’ll get your drinks. Be right back.”
When Filomena was out of earshot, I said, “Nice try. I thought you had her with the girl-commiseration trick.”
“I could have sworn it would work.” Benni shook her head. “Now what?”
We gazed out at the park across Front Street. I’d seen a plaque saying that the first banyan tree had been planted in 1873. It was hard to imagine what the block would have looked like without the trees and their hanging roots, or their limbs which crisscrossed in a giant spider web.
Filomena returned with our drinks. She placed them in front of us, gave us a cautious smile, and pursed her lips. “Why you askin’ about Carmen?”
I took a sip of my water, thinking Benni would field the question, but she nodded at me.
“Carmen’s been arrested,” I said. “The charge has something to do with cybercrimes.”
“Good.” Filomena gave a nod of satisfaction. “She deserves it.”
Had we just discovered why Filomena had been so nasty to Carmen at dinner? “Were you one of her victims?”
“Not here. I gotta go on break. Meet me downstairs in five minutes. Just one of you.”
She left our table and made the rounds to two others, probably letting them know someone else would take care of them during her absence. Benni volunteered to let me do the interrogation. I met Filomena on the street near the front entrance of the complex.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Filomena leaned to one side and fixed me with a stare. “How come you care what Carmen did to me?”
I wasn’t about to reveal that James might be dead—not yet, at least. “Carmen asked us to find her boyfriend.”
Filomena snorted but said nothing.
“Anyway, we’re investigating his disappearance, and the cops have arrested Carmen. I suspect there’s a connection. What Carmen did to you might give us some insight to her normal MO. She scammed you, didn’t she?”
“Carmen thought I was trying to steal James. Forget that. They’re a perfect pair.”
“Why would she have thought you were after James? And what did she do?”
“I can’t prove nothing.”
Again? Didn’t these guys make mistakes? “Try me.”
“She stole my identity. I got creditors hounding me. Attorneys making threats. I had to fill out a police report. I might have to go bankrupt just to get out from under it.”
“The same thing happened to me a few years ago. It took a long time to work through the process. You’re not responsible for those debts. Stick to your guns. There are services to help you.”
“All this pressure. It’s driving me nuts. I can’t take much more.”
“Filomena, get some help. You can weather this. Do you know how she did it?”
“I told you I can’t prove nothing. I was never real careful with my purse. Most of us here are like family. Some of us went to high school together. Carmen must have gotten into my purse when nobody was looking.”
“Have you ever seen Carmen do anything that might indicate she’s doing anything like that to the customers?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe scanning credit cards or copying down numbers?”
Filomena gazed off into space for a few moments. “I don’t know. I got no time to watch her. I work my own tables, not hers.”
“What happened with James?”
“James didn’t come around here much. Super strange couple, you know. Like, together, but not. James came on to the girls even when Carmen was around. I didn’t think they were, like, exclusive or nothing.”
“So, they weren’t that serious?” Why had Carmen made it sound like marriage was just around the corner? Was that why James had stood us up? Or had he been dead already?
Filomena shook her head. “If they were serious, it was, like, the weirdest relationship I ever seen. He even tried to get me to go to his place one night after work. Carmen had to close and I got off early. I was leaving, and he was waiting downstairs. He came on real heavy. Told me he wanted to party.”
“What did you do?”
She held up her left hand and waved her fingers in front of my face. “Hello? Engaged. My boyfriend ain’t the sharing kind, and we got plans to get off this island. We’re gettin’ married next month. We was gonna move to the mainland right away, but because of this thing with my credit, we gotta wait now.”
“Does Carmen know what happened?”
“Yeah, she came down just as James was getting all pushy. She thought I was trying to move in on him, but it was the exact opposite.”
An icy finger traced a path down my back. I was sure I already knew the next answer. “What did Carmen do?”
Filomena harrumphed. “Are you kidding? She went ballistic.”
Prudence
After dinner, the sky was a tapestry of gray, rose, and violet against a darkening blue background. The trade winds were velvety smooth. Despite the problems with Carmen, all seemed right with the world. I had Benni beside me, and tomorrow was Mother’s Day—and I still needed to buy a card. I could pull this off—if I could get away from Benni long enough to make it to Whalers or the ABC Store.
Several times during our walk, we had to step onto the grassy shoulder to avoid oncoming cars. Despite the game of avoid the auto, I had no desire for our walk to end. In fact, it wasn’t until a blue-haired old lady wearing a calf-length muumuu said hello that I realized we’d passed our turn and wound up across the street fr
om Hattie’s.
The woman’s home was similar to the other houses in this area, although hers had especially unimaginative construction worn down by years of exposure to sun, wind, salt, and humidity. The roof sagged something fierce. Someone had spray-painted white lines on the asphalt tiles, which probably meant repair work would be commencing soon. On the other hand, her plants grew like crazy. It was a mini-jungle, including everything from plumeria and palms to hibiscus and freesia. In this yard, everything attained massive sizes.
The woman wielded a flat-bladed shovel and pushed dirt around a freshly planted plumeria tree.
“It will be perfect,” I said to her.
She laughed. “This? Oh, I’m just being picky. Bryce gets the big job done,but he tends to rush the cleanup.”
“Typical man.” Benni chuckled. “Is Bryce your son?”
The old woman laughed with her. “No, my handyman. My husband was always good about cleaning up.” She pointed across the street. “Now Hattie, she’s got the money to hire the best contractors, but she uses Bryce instead. I wish I could afford landscaping like she’s got, but I’m on a limited income.”
I supposed if you counted a vast expanse of finely manicured lawn as landscaping, the place was well-done. This, on the other hand, was a densely packed garden. “Why would you want all that grass? Your garden is more tropical.”
“Tropical jungle,” she said. “I wouldn’t want the grass, but I would like a fence to keep out the dogs. Too many people let them run because they think the rules don’t apply.”
“I can see where that would be a problem.” Lahaina had grown since being “discovered.” Now, a tourist mecca, locals were pressured by astronomical home prices, low-paying jobs, and oppressive traffic. Those who were left often resented tourists, and anyone who looked like he didn’t have Hawaiian blood—whether he did or not.
“Beautiful night for a walk,” the old lady said. Her cotton muumuu fluttered in the breeze. “How’s your side?”
“My side?”
“Where you fell earlier today. When you got stuck on Hattie’s fence.”
Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime: Includes Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crimes Page 89