Maui Magic

by Terry Ambrose

  My face felt ten shades redder than a moment before. “It’s, um, well, it’s kind of…to hold her over until I can afford something better.”

  He nodded solemnly while gazing out at the ocean, then turned back to me. “Tell you what—leave that part out. See if she says anything about it being zirconium. If she does, you can always say you want to get a real diamond later.”

  “You could tell? It’s that obvious?”

  “McKenna, I’m a PI. I get paid to know these things.”

  “You’re not a PI, kid. You’re taking classes from a scammer.”

  With a lazy flip of his hand, Chance shot back, “You don’t know that for sure. Besides, I’ve been doing a little research on my own. “

  “Okay, well, you’ve never had a paying client. And you don’t have your license yet.”

  He gave me a mock scowl, then smiled. “It doesn’t matter. You got her a nice ring. More than anything, you love her. That’s what counts.”

  The heat in my veins settled. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but Chance being understanding about the plight of those who didn’t have an endless source of cash hadn’t been on my list of possibilities. “Thanks, you’re a good friend.”

  Chance pulled me close, and we hugged. This was so weird for me. Before moving to Hawai‘i, I’d been very much a loner. Now I had ‘ohana. Family and friends. People who cared. When I stepped back, I said, “Yup, I’m going to take the plunge. Maybe I should say I’m going to try.”

  “Good, now put that ring away before you lose it.” Chance pointed at the house. “You still game to check out the crazy lady’s house?”

  “No way. I admire how clean her landscaping makes the place look, but I’m starting to feel unwelcome. In fact, Maui’s giving me a bad vibe. I know we just arrived, but I’m ready to leave this island. Anyway, think carefully before you choose an investment property on Maui. A ton of anger has built up over the last century thanks to the backroom deals.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but my dad’s looking for big projects.”

  “Be careful,” I said. “You saw how intense the emotions can be with Hisao. He seems like a guy you wouldn’t want to cross. No disrespect to Mrs. Nakamura, but her grandson-in-law can be a scary guy. Plus, he has a short fuse when it comes to his cause.”

  “Don’t we all?” Chance pursed his lips and gazed past me to the blue ocean for a moment. “Everyone has a hot button, McKenna.”

  “Ah, the insightfulness of youth.”

  “Come on, Grandpa. Let’s find our women. I’m tired of hanging out with you.” He crooked his neck at the beach, and I followed him from the grass back onto the sand.

  We didn’t have to look far. Benni and Lexie were walking our way. Wavelets washed over their feet. Benni had her cell phone next to her ear. Why was she making a call? And who was she talking to? Even more strange was the dog weaving between her legs and Lexie’s.

  I pointed. “Is that your mutt?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “You’re right.” I laughed. “He’s the scruffiest mongrel I’ve ever seen.”

  Chance nodded. “I agree, but I have to admit I can’t figure out how he got from this house down to there.”

  “Good question. Let’s go find out.”

  7

  Chance’s scruffy mutt wove a circuitous, figure-eight path between Benni and Lexie. He splashed through the water, darted in front, then behind. He stood on his back legs and pawed at the air.

  “What’s with the mongrel?” The thing was disgusting. It couldn’t have had a bath in months. Maybe years. I’d bet he smelled worse than a skunk.

  Benni shook a finger at me and knelt next to the bag of fleas. She ruffled the fur beneath his jaw. He stretched his neck, relishing the attention. “Don’t listen to that mean man!” She scratched under the dog’s chin again and spoke to him in a high, lilting voice. “He’s not a mutt. He’s a pretty dog. Isn’t he?”

  “I think he’s adorable.” Lexie dropped to the sand and ruffled the mutt’s back.

  “Oh, good grief. That thing’s one big flea bag. And he smells like dead fish.”

  Benni put her face to the dog’s and let him slobber all over her, giggling between doggie kisses. “He doesn’t have fleas. No, he doesn’t.”

  “And he doesn’t smell either,” Lexie put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

  I elbowed Chance to get his attention. “He’s delivering a message for you. Don’t develop the island.”

  The two of us burst into laughter, but the dog rushed forward. He stopped a few feet in front of me, planted all four feet in the sand, and barked. Not one little yelp, but a continuous stream of dog expletives. I jumped back, but he followed. Now, it was Benni and Lexie who were laughing.

  “That thing’s a menace.” I pointed at the snapping jaws as I stumbled backwards.

  The little mutt kept coming. A second later, he stopped and cast a glance over his shoulder at Benni, then ran away. Tufts of sand scattered in his wake as he ran.

  “You scared him, McKenna,” Chance snickered. “This is quite a day for you. A scolding from Mrs. Nakamura. Now you’re threatening innocent little dogs. What are you doing for an encore? I have to know.”

  “I’ll apologize the next time I see him,” I grumbled. “Come on, let’s head toward town.” I looked at Benni. “Who were you talking to?”

  The smile on her face fell for a second, then returned. “No way. Girl’s must have some secrets. Get a move on. We haven’t got all day.”

  We walked to the end of the beach where a rocky outcropping jutted into the ocean. Huge boulders cut off any forward progress unless we were adventurous. Adventurous, in this case, would mean wading and swimming our way around, or climbing over six-foot rocks with sharp edges.

  Thank goodness even Chance had no desire to push ahead. Beyond the breakwater, sailboat hulls bobbed over ribbons of white surf. Inside, the breakwater protected the silver masted boats as they bobbed up-and-down in the harbor.

  Salt in the air made everything smell clean and new. The trade winds brushed over us, creating a sense of freshness despite the heat of the sun. Five miles away, Lāna‘i loomed in the ocean. At this distance, it was merely a green and purple rounded dome in the middle of a vast sea. Nevertheless, it beckoned. Perhaps someday I’d make it there.

  Chance and Lexie stood arm-in-arm near the outcropping. Benni and I went to the water’s edge and let wavelets splash across our feet. Over the lapping waves, Chance said, “Man, this is peaceful.”

  “You’re welcome to come back as often as you want.” I glanced at Benni, who winked at me. The sand was soft and warm. I wriggled my toes. There was nothing like it. “I know we will.”

  Benni tugged on my hand. “I hate to break this up, but we should unpack so we’re ahead of the dinner rush.”

  “I didn’t realize we were on a timetable. It makes sense though. Once they get busy, the wait becomes huge. Okay, let’s go.”

  “Come on, Lexie.” Benni grabbed Lexie’s arm and the girls ran ahead while Chance slogged through the sand with me.

  “Watch out, Chance, those two might decide to change roommates if we aren’t careful.”

  “Something’s going on. I wish I knew what. Lexie’s said they’re almost like sisters. This is getting a little scary.”

  The animated conversation between the women reminded me of conspirators hatching a super-secret plan. “I agree. Let’s get moving. I don’t want this turning into a girl’s-only trip.”

  We caught the girls at the path leading to the road. It was only a short distance back to our turn, and we were at the Ilikahi a few minutes later. We had just turned into the driveway when Ryan rode up on his bicycle. He rang the little bell on the handlebars. “Aloha!”

  Ryan wore a green “Lahainaholic” tank top, cargo shorts, and slippahs
—what the rest of the world calls flip flops. His bike was painted a dazzling purple and had one of those big baskets on the front. He had crammed two loaded recyclable grocery bags into the basket.

  “You’re a brave guy,” I said. “Riding on these narrow roads.”

  He shook his head. “No worries. I have friends who clued me in on how to avoid traffic. Now, it’s faster than a car and I have no parking hassles.” His face lit up with a smile. “Hey, did you hear the news?”

  Nuh-uh. Nor did I want to. We were on vacation and unless it was something bad related to the condo, I was having no part of it. “We haven’t heard anything except the ocean. Took a walk down to the water. Don’t tell me you double-booked our rooms.”

  “Oh, heavens, no.” Ryan had a habit of finger-combing his perfectly coiffed hair when even one strand might be out of place, and right now it looked like the bike ride had taken its toll on his do, so he was fidgeting in an attempt to restore order. “We’ve never had a problem like that,” he said. “No, we’ve had a murder in town. The town’s been quiet since your last visit. Mr. McKenna, the Chamber of Commerce may want you to stay away from Lāhainā.”

  “Trouble does seem to follow him around,” Chance said. “Maybe scruffy dogs now, too.”

  I glared at Chance, but he disarmed me with his movie-star grin and a shaka sign.

  “Yeah, McKenna, what’s up with the trail of bodies?” Benni crossed her arms over her chest and winked at me.

  “Me?” I stammered, “I…I’m not going anywhere near this thing. No, in fact, I don’t even want to hear the details. Please, just keep me in the dark.”

  “Okay, but it’s a juicy one.”

  I held out a hand with my fingers splayed. “Talk to the hand—no, don’t. What have you got in the bags?”

  His expression fell into something resembling a pout. Seriously? Did he really want me to ruin another vacation? When he reached into the bag, he pulled out a small paper sack from Maui Bakery. Oh. My. God. He’d gone there again?

  “I bought you a gluten-free coffee cake. I had a sample in the store and it’s absolutely yummy. You have to promise to share though.”

  My mouth watered just at the sight of the box.

  Benni snickered. “He was sneaking it the last time. He thought I didn’t notice.”

  My jaw dropped. She knew? “You never said a word.”

  “And ruin your fun? You were so careful—and so obvious. Here’s a hint. If you leave a crumb on the counter, someone will notice. Never try to steal from a bakery, you’ll get caught for sure. And remember, if they even have gluten-free in prison, it will be nowhere near as good as what you’re getting here.”

  Chance flicked me a shaka sign. “I’m proud of you, McKenna. Stealing cake is a sign you have strong survival skills.”

  I jabbed my index finger at him and scowled. The last thing I needed was someone helping me dig myself further into a hole. It was, after all, my specialty.

  “Why don’t we all get settled in and walk to town in an hour?” Benni asked.

  Everyone agreed with her suggestion, so we went to our respective rooms to unpack. Right on time, we were ready and made the short trek to meet our friends. The gate leading to their lānai creaked as it opened. Chance was sitting at one end of the couch with his laptop in front of him, and Lexie was pointing at the screen from her perch on the couch’s arm. “That one.”

  Lexie gestured at the spot to Chance’s right. Benni sat, leaned over, and peered at the screen while I dragged a chair from the opposite end of the lānai.

  “What are you guys doing?” Benni’s eyes were big as saucers. “She’s hot. Who is she?”

  “The dead girl,” Lexie said.

  Chance turned the laptop around and showed me the image. A young woman with long, blonde-streaked hair posed for the camera. She wore a burgundy dress cut low enough to expose a generous cleavage.

  “She’s hot, all right. That dress makes me feel like a voyeur.” I sat back in my chair, tried not to peep, but failed. “Why are we looking her up?

  Chance gave Lexie a mock glare. “Lexie’s the one who got me started.”

  “Did not! You were itching to find out more the minute Ryan mentioned a murder. He’s dying to sink his teeth into a new case.”

  The flush in Chance’s cheeks told me Lexie spoke the truth. The boy wonder still hadn’t finished his PI course, and unless we stopped stumbling onto murders he might never have the incentive to get his license. “You don’t want to be an ambulance chaser, kid.”

  “No, no. I wasn’t thinking of getting a client. I was just curious. I miss working with you.” He shrugged. “It was fun.”

  “I feel the same, but you’ve got to finish your training before you put out your shingle. Besides, we’re here on vacation. No sleuthing.” I cleared my throat. “Maybe I can scrounge up something juicy for you when we get home.”

  8

  We spent the rest of the afternoon munching on some of the fruit Lexie had bought earlier. We were all ready for something more substantial by five-fifteen when Benni announced we should walk into town for dinner. Because she and Lexie wanted to change, we agreed to reconvene on our lānai in fifteen minutes.

  On our way back to the condo, Benni told me she needed to make a quick call to a client.

  “Right now? It can’t wait?”

  She squeezed my hand and shook her head. “It’s an unusual situation. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “Okay.” It felt odd, having to share our vacation time with her job. I suppose it was the nature of the personal-assistant business, though. I let her make her call from the driveway while I went inside. Another oddity. She’d never really hidden her client information from me. Why now?

  Fifteen minutes later, we were all laughing and chattering as we strolled along Ilikahi Street. I’d thought the walk would be more meander than anything, but Benni kept pushing the pace. At the corner, we took a right, passing the pair of steel posts Chance had commented on before. I had to admit, the obstruction made for a nice quiet neighborhood with no through vehicle traffic and plenty of room for pedestrians.

  Chance stopped at Front Street and examined the homes on both sides of the road. “What a difference. That one’s like, super nice and this is…”

  Lexie tugged on his arm before he could say another word. She hissed, “There was a guy smoking a joint on the front lānai. Didn’t you see him?”

  He shook his head. “Must’ve missed that. I was too caught up in the old beat-up car on blocks and the other junk in the yard.”

  “This is a neighborhood of contrasts, Chance.” I gestured at the houses on the opposite side of Front Street. “You’ve got a fixer-upper right next to a new mansion with the same million-dollar view.”

  A horn tooted behind us, and we dropped into single file. The engine revved and the car, a shiny, red Ford Focus, rushed by.

  “Tourist,” I muttered.

  “Now, now,” said Chance, “They probably only have a few days here in paradise. You have every day. Besides, maybe it’s a local.”

  “Not likely.” At times like this, I wondered about people. “Seems Maui has a lot of angst. Yah?”

  “I thought we weren’t talking about murders, McKenna.”

  Chance held my gaze for a moment. I broke eye contact and looked across the street. “Just saying.”

  I could swear he snickered under his breath.

  Benni was still leading the procession. “Plumeria alert!” she called out.

  “Great, next thing you know she’ll be making a lei.”

  “Could be fun. We could all take a class.” Chance said as he turned and walked backwards for a minute. Pardon the pun, but it was no small feat when you were wearing slippahs.

  I caught up to Chance and lowered my voice. “She’s like a dog that has to stop at every tree.”
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  “I heard that,” Benni said. “And don’t roll your eyes at me. We have time.”

  Chance raised both hands as if to say, “I don’t know how she did it either.”

  If the truth were told, I only made a stink to keep up the banter with Benni. “After you get your scent-quotient filled, we cross over.”

  She went to the far side of the tree with Lexie, where they stood breathing in the heavenly scent. The tree had a thick trunk and sturdy branches, which the homeowner had taken advantage of by hanging a “No Parking” sign to keep cars off his supposed lawn. The home itself was nothing special, just another forty or fifty-year-old cracker box. The barren grass looked like it seldom needed mowing—and might have been parked on one too many times.

  I watched Benni as she drank in the scent. She seemed happy. For a minute, at least, we weren’t in a rush. I followed Chance onto the almost lawn just inside the property line and glanced up at the sound of rustling overhead.

  A cat jumped out of the tree and landed at my feet. I stumbled backwards, but tripped. Chance caught me and started laughing.

  “Whoa there, big fella! It’s only a cat.”

  The black-and-white fur ball hissed at me, the hairs on his back sticking out like a porcupine. His green eyes burned into mine.

  Benni and Lexie were practically in hysterics. I regained my footing, stood, and faced the black-and-white menace. He hissed again, then turned and darted across the street.

  “Are you planning on making friends with all the animals in town or just a few?” Chance asked.

  That sent the girls into another fit of laughter. My heart pounded in my chest. I could barely think. “Freaked me out. What is this, ill omen day or something?”

  “You’re wound too tight, McKenna. Everything’s a big deal to you today. You need to chill.” Chance flashed me a shaka sign.

  Benni had one hand covering her mouth as she approached. “Poor thing. You probably scared him half to death.”