Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3)

by Beth Prentice

  "What? Why?"

  "Did you hear about the old guy who washed up on the beach today?"

  Did I hear about it? "Yes. I was the one who found him." Technically.

  Luke looked shocked. "Really? I heard he was pushed in with the tide."

  "He was. He knocked me over on his way in."

  I saw the grin flick at Luke's mouth. It was only momentary and was quickly replaced with a frown.

  "Well, he was a resident at Aloha Ohana, the nursing home where Mum and I work. They've taken her in for questioning about him."

  The anxiety switch flipped in my stomach again. I sat heavily on the cane stool next to Luke, dropping my phone on the counter as I moved. "Why? What would Mum know about him?"

  "Apparently he went missing last night, and she was the last nurse to sign off, saying he was safely in his bed. She was the last one to see him alive."

  "But couldn't he just have wandered off? Old people do that all the time in Sydney!"

  "He was in a wheelchair."

  "So?"

  "So he couldn't wander off without someone either hearing him or noticing him."

  "That still doesn't mean Mum knows anything about it."

  "Yeah. I know that, you know that, but at the moment the police don't seem to know that. Anyway, I didn't want to panic you, as I'm sure it's just routine. But we should go to her and make sure she's okay."

  "What are we doing sitting here then?" I asked, my voice reaching the stratosphere.

  "I was waiting for you!"

  "Well, I'm here now, so let's go."

  Luke sighed heavily and stood, glaring at me as he went.

  * * *

  Argh! Why are they so slow? Did they not know how boring it was waiting in a police station? You'd think it would be interesting, with all sorts of people coming and going—but it wasn't. It was frustrating.

  I looked at the police officer behind the counter. He tapped away at his keyboard, completely unfazed by the fact Luke and I patiently (I use that word loosely) waited for the good detective to finish questioning Mum.

  Sure I'd seen the detective leave the interrogation room and walk down the hallway to a separate office, but that had been an hour ago. What the heck could he be doing in there that was taking so long? And why wouldn't they let us see Mum?

  I stood and paced, backward and forward, the only sounds the tapping of the keyboard, the hum of the air conditioner, and my sandals slapping on the vinyl floor.

  "Far out, you have noisy shoes," complained Luke. "It's worse than Chinese torture! Sam, please sit down. I can't take it anymore."

  I looked at the clock on the wall. It read 8:45 p.m. We'd been here for nearly two and a half hours.

  "No, I can't sit down! I don't understand why we can't see her."

  "Neither do I, but you pacing like that won't make them move any faster."

  "I know that," I snapped. "But at least I'm doing something!"

  "Yeah, you're annoying the crap out of me!"

  That wasn't hard. I'd had a whole childhood of practice at it. I pulled the band from my hair, releasing the ponytail I had tied it in this morning. Ah, that felt good. I massaged my scalp where the band had been, relieving some of the tension that had built up. After being in the surf this morning, I still hadn't showered, and my hair felt awful and my skin sticky, but then the humidity wasn't helping either. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

  Luke looked at me and let out a bark of laughter. "People reckon we look alike. Man, I hope not."

  I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window and bit my tongue on my retort. Luke had a point. I did look pretty horrible. I used my fingers to comb my hair back, retied the ponytail, and wandered over to the police officer at the counter.

  "Excuse me. Is there a restroom I can use anywhere around here?"

  He looked up from his computer and nodded toward a door about halfway down the hall. "Sure. It's the first door on the right."

  I thanked him and headed in the direction he'd suggested. Walking down the hall, I did a sticky-beak glance into any offices with open doors. Unfortunately, the restroom was located pretty close to the front of the station, so there weren't too many I could look into.

  I pushed the door open and made my way to the vanity. Turning the water on, I splashed my face and used it to tidy my hair as best I could. I could hear a woman on the phone in one of the stalls. I guessed she was close to the person on the other end of the line, or maybe it was a Hawaiian thing. I'd never had a conversation while answering the call of nature.

  "This isn't the first time we've had to watch that nursing home," she said.

  My ears pricked up, and I quietly turned off the tap. I heard the rustle of clothing, and then the toilet flushed.

  "Something funny is going on, but don't worry—Ray will get to the bottom of it."

  I wondered if she was talking about Mum. The cubicle door opened, and out stepped a uniformed officer. She was short, dark, and looked like she'd eaten too much McDonald's. Or was that only Aussie police who ate too much Macca's? Who knows? Whatever it was, she needed to slow down on it.

  She saw me, and shock registered in her eyes. She'd obviously thought she was alone. "I've got to go," she said into the phone, instantly shutting off the call. She pushed past me and exited the room, without even washing her hands. Eww.

  That was interesting. I quickly finished what I was doing and ran back out to fill Luke in on what I'd just heard.

  I found him with Mum, Detective Ray glaring down at her.

  "Ah, Samantha," he said turning to me. "Just the person I want to talk to."

  My heart palpitated at his words. "Really? Why do you want to talk to me?"

  "Follow me," he said, turning and walking down the hallway where I had just been.

  Dutifully, I followed him. This time I got a much better look inside the offices. In fact, he opened the door to one of them and ushered me inside. I guessed it to be the room that Mum had just spent the last few hours in. I sat in the chair closest to me as he shut the door and sat down opposite.

  "For the record, can you please tell me your name?" he commanded.

  I felt the moisture break out on my lip. "Ummm…Samantha Jane Reynolds. I was named after my grandmother on my dad's side of the family. Not that I know my dad. He left when I was four."

  Detective Ray glared at me, his brows drawn almost in a single line. He probably didn't need to know all that. "Just answer the question please."

  I gulped and nodded. "Sorry."

  "Can you tell me where you were last night at approximately eleven p.m.?" Oh geez, that sounded official.

  I thought back to last night. "Yes. I was at home."

  "Were you alone?"

  "No. Mum and Luke were both there."

  "You were with your mother?"

  "Yes. Sort of." I had to be careful what I said. I didn't want to incriminate Mum in any way. "She went to bed as soon as she got home from work with a headache."

  Should I have said that? This was difficult, and I was almost panting with the strain. How did criminals do this? I was only being questioned in regard to Mum. I hadn't even done anything wrong!

  "How do you know she was in bed? Could she have left at any point without you knowing?"

  "No." Maybe. "I know I went into her room at ten o'clock. She was in bed then."

  "How do you know it was ten o'clock?"

  "Because I'd just finished watching a rerun of Friends. It finishes at ten. You can check that." Ha, at least I knew that for a fact.

  "I intend to."

  Crap.

  "Go on."

  "Oh, well, Mum got annoyed at me because I turned the light on and woke her up. She'd only just got to sleep, but I wanted to borrow these really cute shorts she has, and I couldn't find them in the dark." Was that enough of an alibi? Did I need to explain what the shorts looked like so he would know I wasn't lying?

  "So that was at ten o'clock?"

  "Yes."

&nb
sp; "Did anyone go in to see her after you woke her up?"

  "I don't know. Maybe Luke. You could ask him."

  "I intend to."

  I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Detective, why are you questioning Mum?"

  The seconds ticked away as he debated whether to share anything with me. "I'm sure you know that your mother's patients have a higher death rate than most?"

  "They do?" I asked, surprised.

  "They do."

  Oh no!

  "But you don't have any evidence, right?"

  "The coroner will have her report to me ASAP. I'm sure it will tell me everything I need to know." Detective Ray threw his pen on the table and looked at me, his gaze piercing. "Tell me, Samantha, how is it that you found the body of the same man your mother was the last person to see alive?"

  I had no idea how to answer that.

  "What are the chances?" he asked.

  Exactly. What were the bloody chances?

  "Umm, Detective? There is no way I could have known that body would wash up when and where it did."

  He shifted in his seat. "Yes, well, I think I have enough for now. But make yourself available if I need any more questions answered. I believe you'll have a lot of free time on your hands over the next few days."

  Had David Mahelona broadcast it? Detective Ray stood and showed me to the door. I waited quietly in the waiting room with Mum whilst he did the same routine with Luke. Once he'd finished with us all, he showed us to the front door.

  "I'm sure we'll have more questions for you, Ms. Reynolds. Don't leave town."

  Mum nodded, biting her lip as she did so, a habit she had whenever she tried to stop herself from saying something she shouldn't. I had a good idea of what she wanted to say. I was just glad she chose not to say it…at least until we'd exited the building.

  Once outside, she let loose. "I can't believe that stupid man!" she yelled.

  "Mum, turn it down a bit. You don't want them to haul you back inside for being rude about a policeman, do you?" I asked, thinking I'd had enough of sitting around waiting for one night. I really wanted a shower and then bed.

  "No, I won't turn it down. I've been in there for hours, biting my tongue. Look at it!" She stuck her tongue out for us to see, and both Luke and I got a good view of it. Even with the only light coming from the streetlamp we did indeed get to see that it looked like it had been bitten more than once.

  "And I've hardly got any skin left on the inside of my lips. I've been chewing it off all afternoon!" she finished, thankfully refraining from showing us that.

  "It's over now," said Luke, attempting to pacify her.

  He should've known better. Whenever she got a head full of steam, it was far better to let her get it out of her system.

  "It is not over, Luke. Let God be my witness when I say that man is looking for blood. My blood!"

  "Why do you think that?" I asked.

  "He thinks I'm responsible for that man's death, and from what he told me, he's not going to rest until he proves it."

  "How can he prove something that isn't true?" asked Luke.

  "I don't think something like fact will get in his way!"

  I thought back to what Alani had told me about the detective. "I'm sure that's not right, Mum."

  "Well, they have no evidence against me. Other than a resident leaving unnoticed, they don't even know if foul play is involved."

  "They're waiting on the coroner's report," I explained, reaching the car and waiting as Luke beeped the doors open. I moved to the back and got inside.

  "When will they have that?" Luke asked.

  I shrugged. "ASAP, apparently."

  "Good. The sooner the better," said Mum. "And I bet when it shows that Albert died of natural causes, I won't even get an apology."

  I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer to any god who was listening to please let that be the case. There was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach though as I wondered how a ninety-two-year-old man with limited mobility could get himself all the way from Aloha Ohana to the ocean and die at sea from natural causes, without anyone helping him along the way.

  * * *

  The day started sunny and warm. It appeared that was the weather in general here. Not too many cool days or wet days, which suited me fine.

  It had been two days since the body of Albert William Johnstone had washed up on the beach, and the police had yet to remove the tape. I wasn't sure what evidence there would be left, as the beach was excellent at renewing itself daily. You know…tide came in—tide went out. It generally washed everything with it. But there you had it. The tape was still up.

  Mr. Mahelona had been asking the good detective daily when it would be removed, and apparently if it wasn't removed by tomorrow, he wanted me to start the surfing lessons somewhere else on the beach. To be honest, I'd wondered why he hadn't done that from the start, but I guessed there was method in his madness. I was just enjoying the time off with pay.

  I decided to use it preparing myself for the job. Today I was going back to Lahela's Surf to buy a more appropriate swimsuit, and then I was going to hone my surfing skills by spending the afternoon in the water practicing. Good plan, right? I thought so.

  I got out of bed and padded to the bathroom to do the morning routine. After that, I headed to the kitchen in search of food. Thank goodness Luke was a cook and he'd put amazing leftovers in the fridge.

  I retrieved the leftover pizza he'd made and padded my way out to the back deck. I sighed contentedly, looking at Mum's garden as the scent of frangipani wafted my way. Frangipanis were my all-time favorite flower, and just smelling them made me feel happy and calm.

  I wondered where Mum was this morning. I'd already checked the house for her, with no luck. Luke had gone to work, but I didn't think she was due to start her shift until the afternoon. Oh well, she'd turn up when she was ready.

  I'd popped the last of the food into my mouth when Mum's boyfriend, Mark, walked through the back gate and up the path. Inwardly, I scowled.

  I didn't particularly like Mark. To be fair, I hardly knew him. I simply felt Mum could do better. He wasn't bad looking for a man in his fifties. He still had a full head of hair at least. His stomach could be a bit smaller, his overbite could be less pronounced, and his shorts could be a little longer in the leg, but other than that, I couldn't really put my finger on what it was about him I didn't like. He smiled as he approached me, and his super-white teeth shone in the morning sunlight.

  "Good morning, Samantha," he sang. "How are you today?"

  "Well, thanks. You?" I'd made a promise to myself and Mum to be nice to him.

  "It's another gorgeous day in paradise, and I'm looking at the second most beautiful woman in the world. How can I not be anything but exceptional?"

  I nodded. I wanted to groan out loud but remembered my promise. "What are you doing here?" Oops, that actually sounded ruder than I'd hoped it to.

  "I'm looking for Rita. Is she around?"

  "I don't actually know where she is. She'd gone by the time I got up this morning."

  "Ah. She's probably just gone to the farmers' market, I'd say. She loves her fresh food. Personally, I can't tell the difference between the fresh stuff and the packaged stuff, but that's just me, I guess."

  "Probably. You should have called before coming over. It would have saved you the trip."

  "I was already out on my morning walk when I thought to come over, and I don't have a cell phone. Don't like the radiation and all that."

  "Well, I don't know when she'll be back," I said, looking at Mark and wishing he would bugger off.

  The front doorbell rang. I put my plate on the side table and made my way through the house to see who was there. The timber door was open, but the fly screen door was securely closed.

  I could see a man standing on the opposite side of the door, his cream-colored suit two sizes too big on his frame, his beady eyes framed by his tortoiseshell glasses. He pushed them up the bridge of his
hawklike nose as he shuffled his feet. He looked hot, and I don't mean in a sexy way. I'd be hot in that awful suit too.

  "Hello," I said, greeting him with a smile.

  "Hello," he replied as I pushed the screen open.

  Mark, who'd followed me through the house, moved to stand behind me. I sighed.

  "Can I help you?"

  "I'm looking for Rita Reynolds."

  She was popular this morning. "She's not here at the moment, sorry. I'm her daughter, Samantha. Can I help at all?"

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. Handing it to me, I turned it over in my hand and read the words Edward Fathersham, Estate Lawyer.

  "I've been trying to contact your mother all morning, but it appears I can't find her phone number."

  "Oh, that's because it's not listed."

  "Well, can you ask her to contact me please? It's rather urgent."

  "Yeah, sure. As soon as she comes home I'll pass the message along."

  Mr. Fathersham pulled a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and mopped his top lip. I didn't even know they still made handkerchiefs.

  "Would you like to come in for a drink?" I asked, feeling sorry for the man.

  "No, no. That's very kind, but I must be going."

  "Alright. I'll tell Mum that you dropped by."

  He seemed satisfied with that and turned to make his way back down the front path to the gate, allowing the hot breeze to close it behind him.

  Once he was out of sight, I walked back into the house and closed the screen behind me. I stuck the business card to the fridge, using one of the pineapple magnets to hold it in place, and made a mental note to ask Mum what an estate lawyer would want with her.

  Mark was obviously thinking the same thing as he stared at the business card, not even blinking. I could almost hear the cogs turning in his mind. My skin prickled.

  "So, Mark, I need to go out," I said, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

  "That's okay. You do whatever you need to do. I'll just wait for Rita. I'll make sure I pass the message along for you."