Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3) Read online

  I looked at him for the first time since the car and noticed how her kiss almost made his lips. Almost. I didn't think it was from lack of trying. Casey blushed. It made him even more irresistible. I groaned. I had to stop thinking like that. I had to. It wasn't any good for my emotions.

  "Sit down," Lahela ordered.

  We both did as asked, sitting at the square table Lahela had been reading the paper on. Casey sat on my left, his leg brushing mine as he moved. I groaned again.

  "Are you okay?" asked Lahela.

  "Yes, thanks."

  I wanted to say no. I wasn't fine. I wanted to put my head on her shoulder and cry, but I didn't. I plastered a smile on my lips and told her why we were there.

  "Do you know April Clements?" I asked her.

  "Yes. I know April. She sometimes takes me to the hairdresser." Lahela smoothed her hair. "It's all natural color, you know. No dye in this."

  Impressive. Not too many greys in sight, which was remarkable for a woman of her age. I guess a life surfing didn't hold too much stress.

  "Is she around today so I can ask her a few questions?"

  "Ummm…I'm not sure, but if she's still here, she'll be in with Bill. He's over in the Oleander wing. Just go down that hall to the right, and you'll find him in room six."

  "Thanks, Lahela. You're a star." I stood to follow her directions.

  Casey stood too.

  "Would you mind sitting with me for a while?" Lahela said, grabbing his hand. "I'm feeling a bit low today, and some company would cheer me up."

  I saw the glint in her eye from here. Casey looked trapped, but the gentleman in him came to the surface, and he smiled and sat back down.

  "Sure. I'll be waiting here for you," he said to me. "Call me if you need me."

  "Thanks."

  I turned and walked away. Call me if you need me! Well, of course I bloody well needed him. Just not in the way he was referring to. Oh, cut it out, Samantha! It's not going to happen. He doesn't want you. Tears stung once again, but I brushed them away with determination and made my way to the Oleander wing.

  It turned out I had missed April. She'd been there early that day, had taken Bill to his dentist appointment, and had the rest of the day off. I was just making my way back to the lounge room when I bumped into Tony.

  "Hello, lovely lady," he sang, waddling toward me, rolling his eyes upward. I realized this was a habit of his, one I wished he would stop. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"

  I smiled. "Hi, Tony. I was looking for April, but apparently I've already missed her."

  "Yeah, she left early today. Her daughter bought her a voucher for a massage at the resort spa, so that's where she's headed. Why do you need April?"

  I looked around me, hoping Tristan wouldn't pop out of nowhere. Though, I wouldn't mind asking him a few more questions. "I just wanted to chat with her about the men who were murdered."

  "Really? Samantha, why don't you stay out of it? Detective Ray seems to have this all under control."

  "If it's up to Detective Ray, then Mum will rot in jail for a crime she didn't commit."

  Tony shifted uncomfortably, his brow wrinkling. "I see what you mean, but I can't see how he can find the evidence he needs to arrest her."

  "Yeah, well, I like your way of thinking. I just don't trust him to get it right. And April witnessed the changes to the wills. If I can prove that Mum and Luke knew nothing about it, then I'm hoping that Detective Ray will back off and look for someone else to pin it on."

  Tony adjusted his belt uncomfortably. "I wouldn't bother if I was you. My money's on Detective Ray proving it couldn't have been either Rita or Luke. He's been talking to me about this, you know." Tony looked over his shoulder and moved his head closer to mine. "I'm a bit of an insider for them, alerting them to anything out of the ordinary around here."

  This got my attention. "Tony, you know the security guard, Patrick?"

  "Yes, yes, I know him."

  "Have you heard the rumors about how he was sacked from his last job?"

  Tony looked even more uncomfortable, pulling me into a nearby alcove. When he was sure nobody could overhear us, he whispered, "Yes, I heard. But as far as I could find out, they were only rumors. There was no evidence to support it."

  "Do you think he could have murdered those men?"

  "Samantha, go home. Let the detective do his job."

  I ignored Tony's warning. "My friend Casey saw Patrick at the bar with a man known to the locals for his involvement with drugs. What do you think?"

  "I think you should keep out of it! Men like that are dangerous."

  I was getting tired of people telling me to stay out of it. Mum and Luke needed to be cleared of any wrongdoing.

  Tony gave me a look filled with compassion. "I can imagine it's difficult for you. You're a lovely girl, Samantha. One I'm sure your father would be proud of."

  "Thanks, but I don't know my father. He left when Luke and I were four."

  "Well, that's his loss, and something I'm sure he regrets."

  "Probably not. I was twenty-eight last birthday. Not once has he tried to contact me. He could be dead for all I know."

  "I can only speak for myself. I wasn't involved with my children, and I regret it. I'd do almost anything to put it right now." Sadness sat heavily in Tony's eyes.

  "Then contact them. It's never too late."

  I didn't know what it was, but something about Tony pulled at my heartstrings. I thought about my dad and what I would do if he contacted me today. I honestly didn't know, but I'd always figured he had his reasons for staying away.

  "I wish it was that easy, but what do you say after so long?"

  "You could start with hello."

  Tony smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. Weight and age had not been kind to him, but I thought that once upon a time he was probably quite good-looking.

  "You're a special girl, Samantha. Please stay out of this investigation. Imagine how your mum would feel if anything happened to you."

  I hadn't thought of it like that, but what could happen to me? I was only asking questions, and I was being careful.

  I nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Tony. I appreciate your help."

  I touched his arm and squeezed. He surprised me as his eyes filled with tears. He shook it off pretty quickly though when we both looked up to see Patrick glaring at us. I gulped. His expression was menacing. On second glance, I figured maybe that was just his look.

  From where I stood, I could see his sheer bulk, I could see the scar that ran down his left cheek, stopping at his lip, and I could see how dark his eyes were. "Everything okay?" he asked, his eyes darting from Tony to me.

  "Yep. Everything's fine," snapped Tony.

  I was actually a bit surprised by his tone. I didn't think I would have been game to speak to Patrick in that way.

  Patrick eyed us suspiciously. "Alright. So long as everything is fine." He sauntered off, occasionally looking back over his shoulder at us.

  I sighed in relief once he was out of sight.

  "I'm surprised that Patrick is here today," I said, more to myself than Tony.

  "Really?"

  "Is it normal for two security guards to work the same shift?"

  "Nah. Tristan's doubled the security throughout the day to make it look good to visitors."

  "I hope it helps."

  "I'd better get going," said Tony. "Got work to do. I'm pulling a double shift today."

  "Oh, sure. Sorry. I didn't mean to hold you up."

  "You didn't. I just need to go. Now."

  "Okay. Thanks for the chat."

  "No, thank you, Samantha." Tony looked at me sadly and left.

  As I watched him walk away, I wondered about his emotion. Maybe I reminded him of the child he left behind and all the regrets he had. Tony seemed like a nice guy. I didn't like the idea that I'd made him sad.

  I moved to make my way back to the lounge room and bumped straight into Kylie. I squealed. "Sorry. I di
dn't see you there."

  But seriously, how had I not? She must have been standing against the wall, listening to my conversation with Tony. Why?

  "What are you doing here?" she asked, her face flushed.

  "I could ask you the same thing."

  "I work here!"

  "Well, yes, of course you do. I actually meant, what were you doing right here?" I pointed to the wall I believed she'd been leaning against.

  "I don't know what you're talking about. I just walked around the corner, and there you were, right in my way."

  "Alright. Sorry!" I stepped around her to continue on my way, but she blocked me with her body.

  "What did you want with Tony?"

  "How do you know I was with Tony if you only just walked around the corner?" I asked. She made my skin prickle, and I could understand why the residents didn't really like her.

  "Because I saw him walking away."

  "So?"

  "So what were you doing?" She was a strange woman.

  "That's none of your business."

  "Listen," she said, getting in close to my face, "I know you questioned my husband about the first murder. I'd appreciate you staying out of my business. Got it?"

  Oh, I got it alright. "Sure. Whatever. No problem." This time I did actually step around her.

  She called after me. "I'm onto you!"

  Whatever that meant.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  It was becoming a long, exhausting day. I'd left Aloha Ohana with Casey, and we'd visited the resort. I even went to the spa to try to find April Clements. Casey was very patient waiting for me in the reception area whilst I looked for her. I did eventually find her, but that was after I'd lied to the spa manager about having an appointment for a massage. She was so nice about it, apologizing profusely about them making a mistake and double-booking, and then she showed me into a room, where I was asked to remove all my clothes and wrap myself in a towel. Someone would be with me shortly.

  I wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with a stranger touching my body, but I did my best to relax. Easier said than done. I'd never actually had a professional massage before, and I didn't think I ever would again. It turned out that I wasn't very good at lying still. I kept thinking of April lying in one of these rooms and how I wanted to talk to her before she slipped away. Eventually, I gave up and told my masseur that I'd had enough. She was a bit upset at first, asking me if I didn't like the treatment. I assured her it was fine, just not for me. Once she'd left, I tucked my towel around me and snuck out of my room and to the one next door. In hindsight I should have gotten dressed first, but I thought I would blend in better if I was wearing the spa towel.

  I had my excuse ready in case any staff members questioned what I was doing wandering around. I was just going to say that I was lost and couldn't find the bathroom. I added come up with a better excuse to my mental To Do list. Aloha Lagoon wasn't that big of a place, and if I didn't find another excuse, word would soon get around that I had an incontinence problem. That wasn't a rumor I wanted spread.

  I gently knocked on the door, then opened it to find a lady lying facedown on a similar table to the one I'd been lying on.

  "Excuse me," I said, quietly.

  She looked up sleepily from the little hole that her face lay in.

  "Are you April Clements?" I asked once I knew the room was clear of any staff.

  "No, sorry."

  Oops. My bad.

  I apologized for my intrusion and moved to the next room. No luck there either. It was empty.

  This part of the spa was huge but luckily pretty quiet. I smiled at a staff member as she passed me. She stopped and asked if I was lost. I quickly gave her my excuse, and she directed me to the bathroom. She was watching me, so I felt like I needed to go through with it. Even though, sneaking around did seem to be having an effect on my bladder, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. And the upside was I walked past the steam room, peeked through the little glass window, and noticed a lady sitting alone. I turned to see the staff member had gone and then swung open the door. The lady was sitting on the edge of the timber bench, her eyes closed, her posture rigid.

  "Excuse me. Are you April Clements?" I asked quietly.

  She opened her eyes and looked at me, surprised.

  "Yes. I'm April." Her body language didn't appear very relaxed. In fact, I got the distinct impression she didn't like the intrusion.

  It didn't deter me. I stood at the open door and quickly filled her in on who I was. "I tried to get you at Aloha Ohana, but unfortunately I missed you. Anyway, I believe that you took Albert Johnstone and Jeremy Gibson to the lawyer to change their wills. Could you tell me why they changed them? Please." It all came out in a rush, but I was nervous, and it seemed I really did need the bathroom now. Confusion crossed her face.

  "What?"

  "Albert Johnstone and Jeremy Gibson. They're the two men from Aloha Ohana who have been murdered."

  "I know who they are," she snapped. Geez, she needed to turn the steam up a bit more. Maybe that would help her relax. "Why are you asking me about them?"

  "I was hoping that you could tell me why they changed their wills. It's really important that I know."

  "Listen, couldn't this wait?" She sat forward and glared at me. "This is really inappropriate!"

  She could have a point there, but I wasn't going to admit that.

  "Well, yes, but…"

  "But nothing!" she yelled, her voice reverberating around the small room. "I came here today to relax! In fact, my daughter paid a lot of money for this! It's supposed to be my time-out!"

  "Yes, I'm sorry, but…" I tried to explain my situation. Only she didn't seem interested in listening. She stood and tightened her towel around her, irritated that I'd interrupted her time. I got that. I wouldn't be happy if someone was asking me this when I was trying to relax. But I needed answers.

  "I don't appreciate being interrogated."

  "I'm not interrogating you. I just asked a question. That's all." April really needed a chill pill.

  "If you don't leave me alone, I will file a complaint."

  "Of course. Sorry!" I quickly chose a different tactic. "I won't bother you," I said, moving in and closing the door behind me. I sat on the bench as the steam filled the room once more, filling my lungs and making me feel like I couldn't breathe. April sighed heavily, opened the door, and left.

  Bugger!

  I jumped up and followed her, appreciating the cool air in the corridor.

  She stomped toward the bathroom, and I followed her in. The spa must have been having a quiet day, as we were the only people in the room that I could see. April spun on her heels and glared at me.

  "What are you doing?" she demanded.

  "Using the facilities," I replied weakly.

  She narrowed her eyes but allowed me to do what I needed to do.

  I really didn't want to let her out of my sight until I'd gotten the answers I'd come for, but nature really was calling. I quickly answered that call, listening the entire time to what she was doing.

  After, I moved to wash my hands and then wandered to see what had happened to her. Walking around a wall of some very upmarket lockers, I came face-to-face with April, standing in her underwear, pulling her shirt over her head. Geez, did she not know about the lockable cubicles you could use to get dressed in?

  She looked up, saw me watching her, and let out a small scream.

  "What are you doing?" she yelled. "I could have been undressed then."

  Yes, well, I would have regretted that immensely. April seemed to be in her early sixties, and from the flesh that I could see, I thought that she probably should have used her daughter's money for waxing more than anything else. She was particularly hairy for a woman.

  "Sorry, but if you could just tell me why they changed their wills, I'll leave you alone. I promise!"

  April rubbed her temples, suggesting her head was hurting. "I just drove them there and witnessed their signatures,"
she snapped.

  "Oh. Really? They didn't mention anything to you about their motivation?"

  "It was none of my business. But if you must know, they both gave me almost the same reason. They were doing it to help a friend."

  I opened my mouth to ask something else, when she narrowed her eyes and said, "Now, leave me alone, or I'm filing a complaint to the spa."

  I thought about what she had previously said. "But who were they helping?"

  "I don't know!" she snapped.

  "You didn't ask? Weren't you even the little bit curious?"

  She pulled on her shorts, pushed past me, and stomped out the door, muttering something about having enough. In hindsight that was the part where I should have quickly revisited my room, grabbed my clothes, and left. But no, not me. I rushed after her as she marched to reception.

  "Ummm…did they mention any names to you? Any at all?" I called, attempting to keep up with her. My towel wasn't staying put, and I had to stop to readjust it, or everyone would get to see far more of me than I wanted them to.

  I tucked my towel tighter around my body and quickly followed her. She stopped in front of the reception desk, her cheeks red with anger. Now Lahela had told me that April was a lovely woman. I guess Lahela had never accompanied her to a spa.

  "I cannot believe this!" she shouted to the young girl behind the counter. The three women in the waiting room turned to look at her. Casey turned to look at me. My cheeks heated up and matched the color of April's, but for a whole different reason.

  The girl paled. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

  "Yes. This woman came barging into the steam room when I was in there relaxing, demanding that I answer her questions. She then followed me to the locker room, whereby she watched while I got dressed. I answered her questions, hoping that would get rid of her, but no. She still won't leave me alone! Does this spa not enforce the rules that you made me sign when I came in? Aren't we supposed to respect others' privacy?"

  The girl turned to look at me. "Umm…yes. Of course. We ask all our clients to do that!" she stated, rather vehemently. I cringed.

  "Look," I said. "There's been a misunderstanding. I didn't barge into the steam room."