Maui Magic

by Terry Ambrose

  I nodded and repeated the Hawaiian name. “Na Wai ‘Ehā.”

  “Hisao even met with the governor yesterday.” Yoshiko sat straighter, and gazed at her husband with obvious pride.

  “Yoshiko, please.” Hisao’s eyes flicked in his wife’s direction. Those dark pools, accented by faint black eyebrows and a thin mustache against bronze skin, gave him the appearance of a fierce warrior. “Freeing the waters of the island has been a passion of mine since I was a child. We’ve watched the plantations siphon the island’s life blood because of corrupt agreements made a century ago, and we must now remedy those errors. Our goal is to ensure the waters flow mauka to makai.”

  Chance frowned. “I don’t understand. Isn’t there enough for everyone? “

  Hisao grunted. “The plantations made deals with the politicians for irrigation. They never would have risen to power without those agreements. Two hundred years ago, the waters flowed freely from the mountains to the sea. Farmers prospered. Today, they struggle.”

  “Chance,” Benni said, “you have to understand that not everything is about big business.”

  “The mauka to makai effort is strong on Maui. Today, our rivers are dry.” Hisao stared at Chance. “We will change that. We will stop at nothing less than full restoration.” He leaned back in his chair. “As you might guess, there has been a good deal of resistance.”

  “But what about all the jobs? The islands built up around the plantations. Without development, you wouldn’t have this nice house.” Chance said with a smile.

  Hisao’s face brightened. Scarlet veins bulged on his forehead. Chance had obviously hit his hot button. Yoshiko reached for her husband’s arm. She spoke in Japanese and Hisao took a deep breath.

  Mrs. Nakamura snapped at Hisao, again in Japanese. I don’t know what had just happened, but it was definitely meant to be a private matter.

  “I apologize for my outburst.” Hisao bowed his head, but beneath those burning eyes and flared nostrils, an anger burned.

  Chance was not his normal happy-go-lucky self. I’d never seen him so…so…intense.

  “No, it is we who owe you the apology,” I said. “We have come into your home and broached a very delicate subject. It is my fault.”

  “And I never should have pressed so hard.” Chance smiled. “The thing is, I haven’t had a good verbal jousting in years. I was captain of the debate team in high school and—well, I guess I kind of miss it.” He smiled and extended his hand.

  Hisao nodded and shook Chance’s hand, but his face was now an impenetrable mask. Whether he understood Chance’s reasoning—whether Chance’s reasoning was even worth bringing up—was all impossible to read.

  “May I offer you something to drink?” Yoshiko pushed herself up from the chair where she’d been sitting, smoothed her dress, and glanced at her grandmother.

  “Soba, would you like to help me?”

  “Thank you for your kindness, but we must get on with our trip.” I stood. The rest of our party followed suit.

  We said our goodbyes and piled into the truck, which was now a sauna on wheels. Because most of my traveling was by public transit or my own two feet, I’d forgotten how oppressive the inside of a car could feel when it had been parked in the sun for more than a few minutes. The Escalade cooled off quickly, but we had our own little sauna going until the air kicked in.

  5

  The community where we dropped off Mrs. Nakamura connected to Lāhainā via a bypass road, which is aptly named the Lāhainā Bypass. The nice thing was, our detour had taken us out of the snaking line of cars crawling toward town. Now that we’d finished our visit and were continuing on, it was a no-brainer to follow the bypass to our home for the next few days.

  We’d reserved two of the four standalone suites at the Ilikahi, which was in a residential neighborhood. The complex was easily mistaken for a massive house from the street, partially because it had no commercial signage. There were four condos, each with its own private lānai. Unlike a large resort, this was sedate, private living with some of the amenities of a hotel, but few of the downsides.

  The Ilikahi had limited parking options. There were six spots altogether, and three were filled by other guests. Chance jockeyed the behemoth into the first opening. To the kid’s credit, the result even resembled a straight parking job. Nevertheless, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to razz him about having something so large that it stuck out into the driveway even when pulled completely forward. Maybe he finally got it—the Escalade was huge.

  We went to the manager’s unit, rang the bell, and waited. Ryan Kama answered the door. We’d met Ryan on our last visit. He was in his mid-forties, wore a tank top, shorts, and had his hair coiffed. The scent of coconut was faint, but present. “Aloha, folks. Oh, Mr. Sherlock, how nice to see you again.”

  Chance chuckled and clucked his tongue. “Sherlock? Now you’re using an assumed name?”

  “No. He called me that during our last trip.”

  “I promise not to do it again. Just thought it might make you feel more comfortable.”

  I’d missed Ryan’s crooked smile and his friendly insight about things to do. “This time, we brought reinforcements…just in case we have to solve another murder.”

  We all laughed, including Ryan, who slapped his knee and flashed me a shaka sign. “I am so glad you came back. And I see you brought Benni.”

  They embraced and exchanged air kisses, a somewhat annoying experience for me because Ryan had taken a shine to Benni when they first met. I had to admit to a hint of jealousy until I discovered he played for the pink team. Thank goodness the guy was just one of the girls and I didn’t have to worry. He wouldn’t be hitting on my girlfriend.

  Ryan’s gaze flitted past me to Chance and Lexie. His eyebrows went up. “Your reinforcements?”

  I gestured to my side. “This is Chance Logan and his girlfriend Lexie Ashbrook.”

  “I’m Ryan.” He kissed her hand and Lexie swooned. “Let’s get you all settled in.”

  Ryan led us to our first unit, which was the same one we’d had on the earlier trip. “Hasn’t changed much,” I said. “Gorgeous as ever.”

  He glanced at Chance and Lexie, then waved his hand in an arc to show off the windows and open beams. “It’s all Bali style. You’ll notice we have no glass except for the bedroom. The original owner had a vision. She started the project, but kept running into roadblocks during construction. By the time she was done, she had no interest in staying here and put it on the market.”

  Benni and Lexie drifted out the front door, sat at the lānai table, and chatted. I nodded at where they sat.

  “Looks like Benni remembered our favorite spot from the last trip. I suspect it may be the same again.”

  “McKenna’s regaled us with stories about how great this place is,” Chance said. “He even showed us the pictures. The architecture is very cool.”

  “Regaled?” I snorted. “Might be a bit strong.”

  A round of “no’s” echoed around me, one from Chance and a pair from the girls, who interrupted their discussion to join in.

  Ryan winked at me. “If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”

  “Business been good?” I asked.

  “Our reputation continues to grow.” He smiled at me. “Thanks to our friends. You know how it is. Everything takes time.”

  The round pillar next to Chance was a smooth wooden beam rising up to the ceiling. He gave it a solid slap. “See McKenna? Build it and they shall come.”

  “Very slowly.” Ryan laughed. “Thank God for the internet. If we didn’t have an online presence, we’d never have made it.” He looked out the window. “How was the drive, Mr. McKenna?”

  “Easy for us. Chance was driving. And he was bummed because he couldn’t go faster with the truck.”

  “It’s an SUV, McKenna.” He glar
ed at me, then smiled. “A big, gas-guzzling, way-too-smooth-riding tank.”

  I grinned at him. “Missing the Ferrari?”

  He nodded. “Oh, man, I had no idea when I booked it. I’ll adjust.”

  “You drive a Ferrari at home? I’m so jealous.” Ryan paused and pursed his lips. “Maybe not. My normal mode of transportation has two wheels, no motor. It’s much easier in town.” He snickered, then pointed at the Escalade. “Parking will be a challenge for you.”

  Chance’s face fell. “I didn’t think of that. Maybe we’ll get mopeds.”

  I groaned. Me? On a moped? Not happening. “I’m rather liking the truck. What if we get involved in a big car chase? How’s that going to look? Two guys on mopeds chasing a killer around Maui?”

  “No worries, Mr. McKenna. The town has been quiet since you left. There is a bit of unrest about the Four Rivers, but everything is very civilized. In fact, a group of local citizens faced off against a big special interest group in a meeting with the governor just yesterday to discuss the issues.”

  “Oh, right, we heard about this meeting. I didn’t realize it was in Lāhainā.” I made a check mark in the air with my finger. “Chalk one up for your little town.”

  Ryan lowered his voice as though he were planning a conspiracy. “Not really. The Coconut Wireless says the governor wasn’t familiar with all the issues. The locals took a hard hit because the DuPont and Monsanto lobbyists were better prepared. I’m sure the governor’s staff will brief him when it’s time to take action. Let’s hope things will be different then.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Chance said.

  I raised both hands. “Okay, okay, let’s not get into politics…again. I’m glad a local issue is getting attention. Why don’t we get these two settled into their room, Ryan? We’ve got some serious sightseeing to do.”

  As we walked to the other unit, the image of Hisao’s intense eyes returned. No wonder there had been an underlying current of anger. It made perfect sense now. If my political opponent clobbered me in front of the governor, I’d be angry, too.

  I empathized with Hisao. He was up against some serious muscle. How could he possibly win? I couldn’t help but wonder how far he’d go to assure victory.

  The second condo was like ours with only subtle differences in decoration. Ryan gave them the grand tour and orientation. Benni and I tagged along under the guise of being with our friends, but I wanted to know if they had the nicer digs.

  After the tour, we adjourned to our respective suites to unload our bags. We reconvened for the fifteen-minute walk to the beach. At the street, we took a right and meandered along the sidewalk, just two couples enjoying the day in Lāhainā.

  When we rounded the next corner, Chance turned around and walked backward. “What’s with the steel posts in the middle of the road?”

  “Not sure,” I said. “But it sure cuts down the vehicle traffic. It’s great for pedestrians.”

  Chance flipped me a thumbs up, nodded, and faced forward again.

  “Take a right at Front Street. Next corner,” I said.

  We made the turn, crossed the road, and went left along a narrow concrete path. Ahead, sand and sea waited for us.

  “Beach alert,” Lexie said. She rushed forward, pulling Chance behind her.

  When they reached the end of the pavement, Chance stared at the flat ocean. “No waves.”

  “Not a lot in this part of the bay, buddy. Besides, you didn’t bring your board.” I glanced at the girls for support.

  “I could rent one.” Chance raised and lowered his eyebrows a couple of times.

  Lexie grabbed him by the hand and pulled him forward. “Come on, surfer dude, We won’t have time for that. You can hit the waves when we get back to O‘ahu. See the island?” She pointed directly at a land mass rising out of the ocean. “That’s Lāna‘i.”

  “It’s huge.” Chance inched forward, entranced by the sight of the nearby island.

  “It looks big because it’s only a few miles out.” Lexie stood on her tiptoes and kissed Chance’s cheek. “There you go, honey, first item on the list. Done! Much more to come.”

  We walked four abreast, similar to an old Western movie when the outlaws and good guys faced off in the street. We bantered back-and-forth, much like excited children making their first excursion to the shore. After a short distance, I spotted a home I recognized.

  “That’s Hattie’s house.”

  “The serial killer?” Lexie gawked at the house. “I’ve never seen a serial killer’s home before. This is so cool.”

  “It’s immaculate,” Chance said.

  It had been Hattie’s landscaping that had caught my eye first. I’d been an instant admirer of the work she’d had done and was thankful someone was keeping it up. “She kept it that way. You have to remember she didn’t see herself as a serial killer. She called it getting rid of the trash.”

  “The place is for sale.” Chance seemed drawn to the realtor’s sign by an invisible force.

  Hattie’s massive back yard fronted to the ocean. Who knows, maybe Chance’s dad would want to buy the place as a summer beach house.

  “She was such a sweet old lady,” Benni said. “I wonder why she’s selling.”

  Benni sounded wistful. I could hardly believe she missed the woman who’d killed multiple times. I hadn’t told her, but I’d followed Hattie’s trial from the beginning. Call it morbid fascination, but the trial had become a Maui sensation. “It turns out there’s quite a family squabble shaping up. Relatives coming out of the woodwork. Putting the property up for sale may have less to do with what Hattie wants than what she’s being forced into.”

  Chance nodded firmly and did a quick fist pump. “She’s facing justice. That’s what’s important.”

  “I agree.” A chill traveled the length of my spine despite the warm sun and tropical breeze. “Nobody should get away with murder. Especially more than once.”

  “Bringing truth and justice to all.” Chance smiled and raised his hand for a high five.

  I slapped his hand, but our celebration felt hollow. Deep down, I still harbored a pinch of guilt over my part in the whole mess. Did my sense of guilt betray my compassion? In truth, I found no comfort in bringing down another person’s world.

  6

  Chance and I stood beneath a stand of palms at the edge of Hattie’s property line enjoying the steady ocean breeze. Dappled shadows danced on the ground, creating the perfect balance of warm sun and shade.

  Benni called to us from where she and Lexie waited on the beach. “Come on, we can go a bit further.”

  I glanced at her, then Chance. This was my opportunity to talk to him. He drifted closer to the house. Benni’s outstretched arm beckoned for me to return. My uncertainty pulled me in the opposite direction. “Why don’t you two keep going? We want to check out Hattie’s place.”

  Chance coughed. “We do?” He gaped at me.

  “We do.” I winked.

  “We do,” he echoed, then stepped into Hattie’s yard and waved goodbye. “We’ll catch up.”

  The girls took off, which left me standing alone outside the perimeter of the property. I called after Chance, “Hey, wait for me.” When I caught up, I asked, “Are you really interested in this house?”

  “No, I spotted a dog. He looked pretty scruffy, like maybe he was homeless. You’re the one who made the excuse. You must want to revisit the scene of the crime, huh?”

  “This place gives me the creeps. I wanted to finish our conversation.”

  “About what I said to Hisao? I forget sometimes that not everyone likes to debate the way I do—or did. I’m not sure I even enjoyed it.”

  “Not that. You kind of went overboard with him, but he strikes me as a guy with a thick hide.” I cleared my throat. “It’s about the ring.”

  Chance’s eyes widened.
“Oh, the marriage thing—wait—you spent money on a ring? You must be serious.”

  “Don’t sound so shocked, kid. I do spend money—when I have to. On important stuff. Whatever. Let me show it to you.”

  I reached into the zipped pocket of my cargo shorts and pulled out a small velour bag.

  Chance cocked his head to one side. “Don’t rings usually come in…like, a box? I didn’t realize jewelers were cutting back.” He held his hand out, palm up.

  What was I thinking? Chance was the kid with the bottomless trust account and a penchant for high-end toys. He would shop in the finest Waikīkī jewelry stores when his time came. He could buy in places where discussion of price was taboo and cost was an inconvenience, not a decision factor. I could only wish.

  I held my treasure in both hands, unable to release it to another’s care. My face flushed. Was I capable of doing this? I was having trouble showing him a stupid ring, how would I ever pop the question? “Uh, this wasn’t a good idea.”

  Chance put a hand on my shoulder and gazed at me. “McKenna, I don’t think less of you because you work for a living. If anything, I hold you in higher regard. Let me see what you’ve got.”

  His eyes were eager, his smile equally so. I swallowed hard. Why not? All I had to lose was my pride—and any semblance of self-respect I might have had. But, maybe he’d stop me from making a fool of myself in front of Benni.

  I pulled the ring from the its black velour baggie and then began to ramble as I handed it to him. “It’s, um, kind of…um…I’d like to get her something better later on.” I stammered, “It’s…a placeholder ring.”

  Chance seemed intent as he held the little band of gold between his thumb and forefinger. It had a rock not much larger than a grain of sand, yet he didn’t laugh. He didn’t even snicker. When he finished his inspection, he returned it to my open palm.

  “It’s nice. She’ll love it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Lexie keeps telling me she loves me, not my money.” He sighed. “McKenna, Benni’s good people and I’m positive she’ll feel the same. She’ll be proud to wear it. Just one question though. What’s a placeholder ring?”