Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  "Okay. So did they sign the changes themselves?"

  "Samantha, this is a police investigation of not one, but two murders."

  "I understand that. I'm not trying to interfere—I'm just trying to help Mum and Luke, Mr. Fathersham. That's all. I'm scared that Detective Ray is trying to pin the murders on them."

  I felt the tears prick my eyelids. I'd thought I was handling all this well, but I guess it was all bottling up inside. Now wasn't the right time to let it out though.

  Mr. Fathersham shifted in his chair. "Rita is a special lady. I know many of the residents of Aloha Ohana she helps. My mother was one of them. She had nothing but good to say about Rita. I too would hate to see her convicted for something so awful, but I'm bound by the law, Samantha."

  I felt the weight of his words stick in my throat. He couldn't help me.

  "I'll tell you what I told the detective though. Those men both came in here voluntarily."

  I nodded, defeat weighing me down.

  "Can you tell me why they both used the same estate lawyer to make those changes, though?" I secretly crossed my fingers that he could at least tell me that much.

  "I'm the only estate lawyer in town. Now, should I write up this will for you?"

  I shook my head. "No, sorry. I can't afford it."

  "How about I do this one for you as a gift?"

  I looked at him surprised. "Oh, you don't need to do that."

  He waved his hand, dismissing me before I could launch into why. "It would be my pleasure. Now, I can have this written up by tomorrow afternoon for you. You'll need to come in and sign it, but please bring a witness. My secretary, Cathy, witnesses everything for me, but a will, or a change to a will, needs two witnesses, so please bring another person with you." I wondered about the inflection he put on the word "change" and "two." Then it hit me—Cathy was one witness, but who was the second?

  "Mr. Fathersham, did those men who died bring a witness with them?"

  He smiled back at me. "Like I said, Samantha, all wills and changes need two witnesses. It's the law."

  "So who were their witnesses?" Maybe I could ask them why the wills were changed. Surely if they were willing to accompany the men to the solicitor to witness their wills, you would have an idea of why they were changing them? I wasn't one hundred percent sure why, but I felt like it was an important piece of information to find out.

  "Any beneficiary can see the will at any time."

  Mum and Luke. They could see it.

  I stood, a new purpose driving me. "Thank you, Mr. Fathersham. You've been amazing."

  He stood and extended his hand. "You're welcome, Samantha. Good luck, and I'll see you tomorrow for the signing of your will."

  I moved to walk out the door, when a thought hit me. "Can you tell me how long ago those men changed their wills?"

  "Samantha, if you need to make any changes to your will, I would suggest no longer than two weeks." He winked as he said it.

  I beamed at him.

  "Oh, one last thing. Have any other residents of Aloha Ohana got appointments to see you about changing their will in the near future?"

  "Not at this stage, but I intend to alert Detective Ray if anybody makes one."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I needed to talk to Mum and Luke and ask them who'd witnessed the wills they were named in, but first I needed to see Alani. I'd told her I would go with her to visit Lahela.

  The bike was exactly where I'd left it, leaning against the trunk of the palm tree. Without paying it any real attention, I threw my leg over it, ready to ride to the surf shop. It wasn't that far from where I was—just on the other side of town—which should only take me a few minutes. I checked my watch. It was eleven thirty, and the humidity was making my hair stick to my face.

  I pushed off on the pedal, thinking how the first thing I was saving for was a car, when instead of moving quickly, the bike felt slow and sluggish. I stopped pedaling, looked down, and noticed that my back tire was flat.

  I sighed and got off. I must have gotten a puncture on the way there and hadn't noticed. Upon closer inspection though, I could see a big gash in the rubber. Whatever I'd hit was sharp, because the cut was deep and about an inch long. How had I not noticed that when I'd ridden to the lawyer's office?

  Wondering where I could get a tire fixed, I pushed the bike back to the tree. Alani's was probably a ten-minute walk or a two-minute drive. Maybe I could get her to drive by and pick me up. We could throw the bike into the trunk of her car, and I could get it fixed later. I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed her number. It went to voicemail, so I quickly filled her in on my predicament and asked if she could pick me up.

  Now I had two choices. I could walk part of the way, pushing the bike, or I could buy myself an iced coffee, sit under the palm tree in the nearby park, and wait for Alani to pick me up. I was going with option number two—iced coffee under the tree.

  Walking to the nearest convenience store, I bought my coffee (okay, I may also have bought a chocolate bar) and made my way to the park. It wasn't a large park—in fact it didn't even contain a kids' swing set—but it was filled with lush green grass and a selection of palms to lean against.

  I made the good choice of a palm tree that gave me a view of the town as I waited for Alani and sat back to people-watch.

  I waved to the postman as he walked up the street, delivering mail to businesses. I admired a ukulele street performer, and I giggled at a few of the tourists getting tongue-tied with Hawaiian place names. I understood how they felt.

  Working at the resort, I'd quickly realized people expected you to know those kinds of things and often asked me for help. I'd been living in Aloha Lagoon for a couple of weeks now, but my pronunciation wasn't any better than it was the day I'd arrived. More than once I'd directed them to Malie, the lifeguard.

  I wanted to relax, but my mind was going over and over my conversation with Mr. Fathersham and how a will needed two witnesses. Who had accompanied those two men to his office?

  If Mum or Luke could tell me who'd signed the will, then I could ask the signers if they knew why Albert Johnstone and Jeremy Gibson had made the changes. Mum had always told me that understanding a problem was the key to solving it. Without understanding, you would know nothing.

  I took it from the way Mr. Fathersham had winked at me that the changes had only been made in the two weeks before their deaths. And I was relieved to know that no other resident had any appointments set up with him in the near future.

  I was thinking of Lahela when a man walked past the park and caught my eye. It was Mark. He was wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap, and he was talking on a cell phone. Wait a minute! He'd told me he didn't have a phone! And Mum had verified that. I stood and ran toward him, ready to ask him about it.

  "Mark!" I called, dodging a tourist as I made my way to him. "Mark!"

  He heard his name and stopped, turning to face me. His face paled slightly, and he abruptly ended his call. He then turned on the charismatic smile.

  "Samantha! How nice to see you!"

  Liar. "Hi," I replied, wondering how the heck I was going to ask him about the phone.

  "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?"

  "I only have afternoon lessons booked today. Ummm…did I just see you on a cell phone?"

  "Yes. Do you need to use it?"

  "Well, I actually thought you didn't like cell phones. You know…radiation and all that." I laughed lightly, catching him off guard. I reckon he'd forgotten about that conversation.

  "No. No. You're mistaken. It's your mother who doesn't use a cell phone."

  I might have believed that if the tips of his ears hadn't turned red. I nodded. "Yes, but you said that you didn't either. I remember."

  He laughed. "You are attractive, Samantha, but you're not the most focused girl I've ever met."

  I should have been insulted by that, but he did have a point. This time I knew I was right though. So why was he ly
ing?

  "Ummm, actually would you mind if I borrowed it? I need to call Alani. My bike's got a flat tire."

  "Of course. Call whoever you need to," he replied, handing me the phone.

  "Thanks." I accepted the iPhone and swiped the screen to open it. "Oh, Mark, it's locked."

  "Of course it is. Sorry," he said, taking the phone back and entering his four-digit code. I watched his every move and saw that his code was 3017, the same code Mum used for her bank ATM card. Was that a coincidence? I'd bet it wasn't. My suspicions of him checking Mum's bank balances just doubled.

  I didn't really need to call Alani, but instead I discreetly checked who his last caller was. It didn't list a number. Instead it read Patrick.

  "You know what? I actually don't remember her number. Silly me."

  He eyed me suspiciously but never offered to help me with the bike.

  "Look," he said, pushing the phone into one of the many pockets of his cargo shorts. "Can we keep the phone between us? It's a sticking point for Rita, who really doesn't like me to have one, and we'd get into an argument if she knew I did. I love your mother, and I hate arguing with her."

  That sounded reasonable enough. "Sure, it'll be our secret," I replied, smiling. What I didn't understand though was that Mum didn't care about Luke and I having one.

  "Good. Well, I'll see you later. For dinner maybe."

  I watched him walk away, my thoughts traveling around my mind at a million miles an hour. Mark lied about too many things. Sure, we all tell little lies every now and then, but his seemed to be big fat whoppers. Why?

  * * *

  I sat back on the grass and attempted to dial Alani again. Still no answer. Okay, what options did I have? I could try Luke, but as he'd successfully gotten the job at The Lava Pot, and today was his first shift, he wouldn't be available to rescue me. Mum had no cell phone, and she was out on a nature walk to a nearby volcano with her friend Rebecca, getting inspiration for her new gardening project. And Mark hadn't offered. Even though at the time I would have turned him down, now I might just change my mind. I sighed and pushed my phone back into my pocket. It seemed like I had no other option than to get the bike and start pushing.

  Getting up, I threw my empty iced coffee container and chocolate wrapper in the bin and pulled the bike to standing. The upside was that I might just burn off all the calories from my snack. The downside was that it was hot. And Lahela's Surf was on the other side of the hill.

  Five minutes in, the sweat was pouring down my back, making my shirt stick to me, my hair was a frizzy mess, and I'm sure my makeup had run just enough for me to look hideous.

  Thankfully, a knight in shining armor drove by and stopped to offer me a lift. But that knight was Casey. Now don't get me wrong—seeing Casey was actually a highlight of my day, but why, oh why, could he have not seen me before I got all hot, sweaty, and stinky?

  He pulled his car alongside me and wound down the window.

  "Hey," he almost sang. "Is there a reason you're taking your bike for a walk?" His smile dazzled me, and I took a second to enjoy it before answering.

  "Yes, well, Mum wouldn't let me have a dog."

  He laughed, all deep and throaty, making the hair on my arms dance in a good way.

  "I have a flat tire," I continued, my own voice sounding a bit croaky all of a sudden. Didn't know why. Must be something to do with the air. Not lust or anything to do with Casey. No, definitely the air affecting my vocal chords.

  "Hang on," he replied, moving his car forward and pulling to a stop on the roadside ahead of me. He got out and jogged back to me.

  I used the minute to pull myself together. It was amazing how much I could accomplish in a very short space of time. Leaning the bike against my body, I coughed to clear my throat of any emotion that sat there. I quickly smoothed my hair and wiped under my eyes to clear any stray mascara. With my other hand, I wiped away the sweat running down my temples and straightened my clothing. Not great, but it would have to do.

  I looked up at Casey as he took the bike from me, his fingers skimming my hip as he did so. Despite the hot day, goose bumps broke out at his touch. Oh boy.

  "Wow, what did you hit?" he asked. He was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt that showed his physique off perfectly. I tried not to drool as he looked over my tire.

  "I have no idea."

  "Whatever it was, it was sharp. And not that big." Casey sighed and straightened up to look at me.

  Honestly, I was really trying to listen to what he was saying, but my senses were overtaken by the scent of his aftershave.

  "I'm not sure if it's repairable or not, but my place isn't far away. I can take it there and see if I can fix it."

  "Huh?"

  I blushed. I'd been so caught up in his smell and his presence that I hadn't heard a word he'd said. He smiled, his eyes twinkling down at me. It didn't help. All it did was cause blood to rush to areas it shouldn't have been going. Oh well, at least it was leaving my ears.

  "I can take the bike to my place and give you a lift to wherever you need to go."

  That sounded like a great offer. "Yes please. I'm supposed to be meeting Alani, but I can't seem to contact her."

  "Alright then, hop in. We'll make a quick stop at mine, and then I'll take you to Alani's."

  I watched, mesmerized, as he effortlessly lifted the bike and secured it in the trunk of his car, half in and half hanging out, and tied it down with some rope. We then both got in the car and made our way to his house.

  I was secretly excited about this. I loved looking through people's houses. Not to be nosy or anything, but I just liked to see how other people lived. Oh, who was I kidding? Of course it was because I was nosy!

  Casey wasn't lying when he'd said his house wasn't far away. He followed the road up the hill, made a right turn, and pulled into a small street lined with beach huts overlooking the ocean.

  He stopped in his driveway, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to look at first. His house or the view.

  Remembering that the seat belt stuck, he unclicked my belt for me, and we got out of the car. He moved to the trunk, and I moved to the road, the ocean drawing me to it. He followed my gaze.

  "It's amazing, isn't it?" he said, stopping what he was doing and standing next to me.

  I nodded and crossed the road to stand on the grass. Casey followed me. He was spot-on with his description. The sight of aqua blue water crashing against white sand was amazing. The sound of the waves roared through the salt-filled air, and I took a deep breath, filling my lungs then letting it out on a blissful sigh. My soul felt recharged already.

  "Come with me," said Casey, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. "I want to show you something."

  My hand tingled under his touch as I followed him a few meters up the road to a well-worn path that led to the beach.

  It wasn't a big drop, but the path was reasonably steep. Casey held my hand tightly and kept me safe on the numerous occasions I slipped on the grass. Making it to the bottom, we crossed the sand dunes and walked farther up the beach, coming to a small island.

  I called it a small island, but really it was an extremely large rock jutting out into the water. Casey helped me climb the few meters to the top and then led me to the end that rose from the water. Nature had seen to it that high tide had carved a seat, so Casey and I sat shoulder to shoulder and looked.

  It was fricking awesome. The water surrounded us on three sides, the waves crashing up to the rock face in front of us, splashing our faces with sea spray. The smell of the salt air and the water filled my lungs, and all my worries disappeared.

  I turned to see Casey looking at me, his eyes soft and a smile playing on his lips. It wasn't his dazzling smile. This one felt a lot more intimate. All the air I had breathed into my lungs disappeared as my stomach somersaulted and my heart rate picked up.

  "It suits you," said Casey quietly. "The ocean…"

  "Really?" I managed to say.

  "Yeah, you're differe
nt when you're looking at it. Peaceful."

  "It has that effect on me." I smiled. I couldn't help it. Right at that moment I was as close to heaven as I'd ever get.

  "Me too. You should see it at sunset. It's spectacular."

  He turned to face the ocean, his features relaxing. I watched, mesmerized, as he closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. "Whenever life gets too hard," he said, opening his eyes again, "this is where you'll find me.

  "Wow." I wasn't sure whether I was saying that in response to the magic of this spot or to Casey. Both were pretty magnificent.

  "I've hardly seen any of Aloha Lagoon since I've been here. I really need to spend more time exploring it," I continued.

  "I can show you the most amazing things," said Casey, his voice animated with excitement.

  I'd bet he could.

  "The walks around the volcanoes will take your breath away. And there are so many channels to explore with a kayak." His eyes danced, and the color deepened. "Have you been kayaking?"

  I shook my head.

  "What about a luau? Have you been to one of those yet?"

  I shook my head again, his excitement making me want to go to one right now.

  "They're heaps of fun. The one at the resort has the best Hawaiian music. Nani plays traditional ukulele right before the fire dancers come on."

  Fire dancers? That did sound amazing.

  "I'll take you to one, if you like. When I have my next night off."

  I smiled, my insides all warm and fuzzy. "That would be great. So long as I'm not stopping you from doing anything else." I had my fingers crossed he wasn't.

  "Are you kidding me? All I do on my nights off at the moment is watch movies."

  "That doesn't sound so bad?" Especially if I had him for company.

  "On my last night off I watched Toy Story 3."

  I laughed. "That was a very sad movie. And scary. I took my boss's kids to see it, and it gave them nightmares for weeks."

  "Toy Story 1 is my favorite," said Casey, his enthusiasm contagious.