Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  It was only as I was washing my hands that I wondered what he meant by "again."

  * * *

  "Did you get lost or something?" asked Alani when I made it back to the table.

  I nodded. "Yeah. Tony helped me out though."

  Alani beamed at me, shaking her head.

  "Lahela," I said, sitting down in the chair I had earlier vacated. "Did Mum ever report Kylie for anything?"

  Lahela's smile matched Alani's. "Yes," she said with great joy in her voice. The glint in her eye reminded me of a fifteen-year-old. "She did."

  "What did she report her for?"

  "Well, Rita didn't like the way Kylie treated one of the residents here. Her name was Valerie, and she had dementia. Val's case was pretty sad. She moved in here with her husband some years ago, but he died a few months back. She didn't always remember that though and often asked where he was. Kylie has no patience for things like that. If ever Rita was around, she would just tell Val that he'd gone to play bingo with the men and to carry on with what she was doing. He'd be back before she knew it. Of course he wasn't really coming back, but later Val would remember. Then she'd cry. I mean, of course she did. You see, he's either missing or dead. Not great for poor Val."

  My heart broke just a little thinking of Valerie. How cruel could this world be?

  "Anyway, Kylie wasn't that nice to Val. One day Val was having an episode, and she was getting really agitated. She kept asking Kylie where her husband was. I yelled out to her that he was at bingo, but for some reason this particular day, she didn't believe that. She got herself into a bit of a state actually. Kylie was being a real bitch, telling her over and over that he was dead. Val was screaming back at her that she was wrong—he couldn't be dead—and she was pacing backward and forward, all the while getting more and more agitated. Rita came onto the shift at that time and kind of took control of the situation, and got Val something to calm her down. But while she'd gone to get it, Kylie must have had enough, because she slapped Val right across the face."

  I gave a sharp intake of breath.

  "Oh my gosh!" cried Alani.

  "Is that what Mum reported her for?" I asked.

  Lahela nodded. "Rita came back just in time to see it all happen, and she reported Kylie immediately. I still believe if it had been any other nurse but Kylie, they would have been fired on the spot. As they should. But Miss Fancy Pants obviously worked her magic on Tristan and kept her job.

  Alani fidgeted in her seat. "Tutu, why haven't you told me this before?"

  "Because I'm not a gossip. And I'll only tell you what you need to know. Like now, for instance. You need to know that you should wear your hair tied back. I like to see your pretty face."

  Alani flushed. "I'm worried about you, and all you can tell me to do is tie my hair back?"

  "Yes, because it's all you need to worry about. I'm fine. Mallory here is fine. We're all fine, aren't we, Mallory?" she said, gently kicking Mallory under the table to wake her up.

  Mallory snorted and jostled awake, startled. Lahela leaned over and handed her a napkin. "Wipe your chin. You're dribbling."

  You'd think Mallory would be embarrassed by that, but no. She just accepted the napkin and did as she was told. I guessed that was the meaning of true friendship. You looked out for one another. That kind of friendship I'd yet to find. I looked at Alani and smiled. Maybe.

  "Do you think Kylie would have anything to do with Albert's death?" I asked.

  Lahela looked thoughtful. "I don't know. She hates Rita, but then she hates everyone. If you want my opinion, I'd leave it to the police to figure out. I wouldn't like to see you girls mixed up in something where you could get hurt."

  Neither would I, but surely asking a few questions wouldn't hurt?

  Alani nodded. "Okay, Tutu. Don't worry. We'll stay safe."

  "Good. Now, last time you took me out to lunch at The Lava Pot, I got to see the good-looking bartender. Tell me—how's he looking these days?"

  I smiled as Alani brought Lahela up to date on what Casey was looking like these days, but I was getting lost in my own thoughts.

  If Kylie could hurt someone like Valerie, and she had a hatred for Mum, was she capable of killing a man and then setting Mum up to take the blame? But then, why not just kill Mum herself?

  I didn't know, but at that moment, it seemed like the best lead I had.

  * * *

  That night I slept like crap, getting up at least four times. Earlier Lahela had recounted a few scary stories of island mythology, and to say I'd been freaked out was an understatement. Luke's snoring didn't help, and it was only after four a.m. rolled around and Luke's alarm went off that I actually managed to get some sleep. I rolled out of bed at nine and found Mum in the garden, pulling weeds.

  I was torn. I wanted to grab a coffee and sit out on the deck enjoying the morning, but if Mum saw me, she'd get me to pull weeds with her. And that was one of the jobs I hated most in the world. Which is why, when living on my own, I lived in an apartment, my only plants being plastic.

  I debated too long. Mum saw me standing at the screen door, watching her. She looked up and smiled.

  "Don't worry—you're safe," she called out to me.

  Phew. I smiled back. "Do you want a coffee?"

  "Yes, please."

  I poured two cups from the pot on the counter, grabbed the Tupperware container with the apple pie in it (hey, it's got fruit in it, so it's healthy and a good choice for breakfast, right?), and made my way out to the deck.

  Mum pulled off her gardening gloves and moved to join me. "I decided since I had some time off, I would sort out this garden. It's been annoying me for so long, but I just haven't had time to fix it."

  I looked at the garden. I had no idea what she was worried about.

  "It looks great to me," I said, sitting down and handing Mum her coffee. I opened the Tupperware container and pulled out a piece of pie, devouring it in two mouthfuls. God, I loved Luke's cooking.

  "Hommm cmmm—" I started.

  "Don't talk with your mouth full," chastised Mum.

  I swallowed and wiped the crumbs from my lips. "Sorry. How come Luke got all your cooking abilities and I got none? I can't even boil water without messing it up."

  Mum sighed. "Samantha, everyone can boil water. You just fill a kettle and switch it on."

  "Uh-uh. You're wrong. I know this because my old boss in Sydney told me I was useless at it."

  "How can you be useless at that?" asked Mum incredulously.

  "Apparently you have to empty the kettle every time and use fresh cold water. Not hot water, which I thought would speed up the whole boiling process. Then depending on what type of tea you are making, the water needs to be at different temperatures."

  "Seriously?"

  "Seriously. In the end she bought one of those kettles that has different settings on it so I couldn't mess it up."

  "Well, at least she would have been happy."

  I shook my head. "No. How you make the tea depends on whether it's black or green tea. She got a guy from the tea house to come and teach me. Still didn't help. In the end she gave up and got them to deliver it."

  Mum was looking at me like I was making it up. I wasn't. My old boss was a cow. I'd like to say my new boss was better, but so far I'd hardly had an opportunity to find out.

  "Samantha, I've been meaning to ask you—did you leave some money in the top drawer of the kitchen cabinet?"

  I gave her a puzzled look. "No. Why would I do that?"

  "I just found a few hundred dollars, and I don't remember leaving it there."

  "You do tend to hide money and forget it," I commented, thinking this wouldn't be the first time Mum had done that.

  "True," she said, shrugging. "I'll check with Luke though, just in case it's his." She smiled. "When do you go back to work?"

  It was my turn to shrug. I stretched my legs out and rested my feet on the handrail surrounding the deck. "Whenever I get a call. It's good to still be
getting paid, but I'm worried I'm going to be worked to the bone when I do go back in. How about you?"

  Mum sighed. "I have to wait for this investigation to be over. Hopefully the police will figure it all out quickly, and I can get back. Albert's inheritance will help a lot once it comes through. In the meantime I have a small amount of savings, so I won't need to worry about money at least."

  "Mum, do you think Kylie is capable of killing him?"

  She looked thoughtful as a breeze blew up, wafting the fragrance of the frangipani our way. "Why would she do that? And how do you know Kylie?"

  "Oh, Alani took me to Aloha Ohana yesterday. And by the way, what's with Tony the security guard?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "At first I thought he had a bit of a crush on you because his face kind of lit up at the mention of your name, but then he said he's never met you."

  "As far as I know, we haven't ever met. I've heard the other nurses and residents talk about him, but to date I've never had the pleasure of meeting him. Which is a bit odd. I do a lot of extra shifts, but he never seems to be anywhere near where I am." That was strange, but not unheard of. I knew a lot of names of people on staff at my old job, but at least three of them I'd never met.

  "Why do you think Kylie killed Albert?" asked Mum, her brow creasing with concern.

  "I think maybe she did it to frame you. To get you in trouble for reporting her."

  "Geez, how did you hear that I reported her?"

  I quickly recounted how Lahela had told me what had happened.

  "Listen, Samantha, Lahela is a gorgeous lady, but don't believe everything she tells you."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. She watches too much daytime television."

  "But Kylie could have done it, couldn't she? I mean, she's a nurse, and she had access to the insulin. She could have given it to him. Then when you got the inheritance, it made it look like you did it. Rotting in jail would be a very big punishment for you."

  "Kylie didn't know about the inheritance. No one did."

  "Well, someone did. I heard Albert had no family here, so how did he change his will to add you?"

  "If you're suggesting that Kylie drove Albert into town to change his will, then you're delusional. For starters, she's not that helpful. And second of all, even if she had been, she would have gotten him to name her, not me."

  Hmmm. That actually made sense. "Okay. So she didn't know about the inheritance, but it doesn't mean she couldn't have done it."

  "Any of the nurses could have done it."

  "Do any of the other nurses dislike you enough to set you up?"

  "Why do you think someone did it to set me up? Maybe they did it because they had a problem with Albert."

  "Well…because…Lahela said Kylie hates you."

  "She hates everyone."

  "So maybe she hated Albert! You being accused was just a bonus."

  "Look—let the police figure it out."

  I sat quietly for a moment, thinking. "Detective Ray didn't seem too keen on looking into anyone else."

  Mum sighed again. "I know, but what do you want me to do?"

  "Nothing. I don't want you to do anything, but I intend to ask a few questions."

  We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us lost in thought.

  "You know," said Mum. "I'm not sure if you're right about Kylie, but I've always been suspicious of her husband."

  "Husband? I thought she was getting it on with Tristan?"

  "Like I said, don't believe everything Lahela tells you."

  My heart rate spiked as a thought struck me. I dropped my feet to the ground, excited by my idea. "But what if she is having an affair? Then maybe Albert told the husband about Tristan, and the husband got angry, and then Kylie turned on Albert and killed him. She could frame you for the murder. It's a win-win really!" Geez, I'd solved it already. How good was I?

  Mum didn't look as convinced. "And I thought it was only cooking you were bad at."

  "What?"

  She looked at me and smiled. "I love you. You just don't make a very good detective."

  "What's wrong with my theory?"

  "For starters, if that were the case, I'm sure the police would have questioned her instead of me."

  Humph. She had a point. Just not one I was going to admit.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Okay, I'd admit it. My detective skills sucked. I just wanted to talk to Kylie's husband and ask him a few questions. You know, all the questions I'd learned from watching many, many television shows, like "Where were you and Kylie on the night of the murder?" Anyway, it appeared that wasn't as easy as they made it look.

  I'd asked Mum who Kylie's husband was and found out he owned a shop at the resort, so I grabbed the trusty old push bike and made my way there. His shop was a small touristy thing that sold all sorts of rubbish—actually, that little Hawaiian man made out of shells was kind of cute and would be a great addition to my bedroom. But the point was, it wasn't one of the high-end, expensive shops.

  I slowly made my way around the store, pretending to check out the merchandise, but really I was looking over my shoulder the entire time, checking out the man behind the counter. It wasn't easy—he was constantly moving! I found a spot to stop and watch from behind a revolving rack of postcards. It was the perfect position. I blended into the shop perfectly, as the man hadn't noticed me yet, and I had a moment of thinking this was another skill I'd learnt as a teenager—sneaking around and listening in on Luke's conversations with his friends.

  I spun the postcard rack and noticed the man serve a customer at the cash register. I got a good look at him when the rack was spinning, but when it was stopped, it blocked my view almost completely. I spun it again. And again.

  To be honest, he wasn't what I was expecting at all. He was a lot younger than Tristan and was actually pretty good-looking. I guessed him to be close to six foot. He had a full head of hair, and judging by the way his T-shirt pulled tightly across his extremely muscled chest every time he moved, I figured he worked out.

  I spun the rack, picking up a random postcard and waiting for the last customer to leave the shop so that I could approach him. The customer, however, was very chatty. Or maybe that was flirty. He was pretty cute. I had no idea why Kylie would be messing around with Tristan if she was married to this guy.

  I spun the rack again, completely engrossed in what I was watching.

  "What are you doing?" asked a deep voice from behind me. I jumped and let out a small scream, turning and coming face to face with a very grumpy looking man. Where the heck had he come from?

  So much for me being the sneaky one.

  "Sorry. I didn't see you. Been there long?" I asked, placing my hand on my chest, hoping it would slow my heart rate down.

  "I've been standing here for the last few minutes, watching you."

  "Really?" I guess I could cross spy off the résumé after all.

  "Yes. Would you like to explain what exactly you're doing?"

  No, not really. But judging by his stance, I didn't think it was optional.

  "What makes you think I'm doing anything other than buying a postcard?" I asked, waving the postcard I was holding in the air.

  The man took it from me and looked at it. "You're buying this card?" he asked, turning the card to face me. I blushed at the large-chested girl in the very wet T-shirt saying Aloha.

  I snatched it from him and put it back on the rack, mumbling. "Well, not that one exactly…"

  The man crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at me.

  "Glenn," he said nodding toward the man behind the counter, "phoned me and said that there was a suspicious-looking woman in the store. He suspected shoplifting. Can you show me what's in your pockets please?"

  I turned to look at Glenn accusingly.

  "Well, I'm offended by that. Do I look like a shoplifter to you?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips.

  The man in front of me looked me up and down. "Yes."
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  Now maybe I shouldn't have worn the large jacket, baseball cap, and sunglasses, but I worked at this resort too, and I didn't really want him to know who I was. Too late for that now though. I sighed and opened the jacket to show him that I had nothing in my pockets after all.

  "So what are you doing?"

  "I was watching him," I blurted out, my heart still racing, sweat kicking up to maximum saturation.

  "Why?"

  "Because I'm investigating the murder of Albert Johnstone, and I want to know where he and his wife were on the night he died." Alright, I probably should have been slightly more diplomatic, but I hadn't really thought this through. I definitely didn't have a backup plan in case of capture.

  "I don't have a wife!" shouted the man, looking shocked. The woman he was serving stood very still watching the whole scene unfold.

  "Of course you have a wife," I stated. "Her name is…" It appeared that panic made me forget important pieces of information. "It's…ummm…K…Kyl…Kylie!" I blurted. Glenn looked taken aback.

  "Kylie is not his wife. She's mine," said grumpy man. Now that made more sense. "Why do you want to know where we were?"

  "I'm just asking, that's all."

  Grumpy Man eyed me suspiciously and pulled himself up to his full height, which I wasn't exactly sure how tall that was, but it was a lot taller than me. "If you're with the police, show me your badge, or get out of my shop!" he demanded.

  Well, as I didn't have a badge, I of course did exactly what he suggested. I pulled my shoulders back, held my head high, and exited the building, only to find Casey standing on the path out in front watching the entire show. Urgh! Could this get any worse?

  Apparently, yes it could. I was just trying to explain myself to Casey in a way that didn't make me look like an idiot, when my phone rang. It was Luke.

  "Hey, dude! What's up?" I asked, grateful for the distraction. Casey walked beside me, chuckling away.

  "Hey." He sounded down.

  "Are you okay?"

  "No, I'm not."

  My heart missed a beat, and I stopped walking, straining to hear every syllable he said.

  "There's been another murder," he continued. "Here at Aloha Ohana. There are police everywhere. I don't know what's going on, but they've kicked us all out of the kitchen and are searching it."