Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3)

by Beth Prentice

  "If we finish in time, we should go and grab a drink at The Lava Pot," said Alani.

  That sounded like fun, and maybe Casey would be working, so I'd get to see him too. I'd never bought him that drink to repay him for cleaning up my mess at the interview. I mentioned this to Alani. She smiled and made a plan for us to work at super fast speeds so we could get the job accomplished and still make it in time for that drink.

  I looked at my watch. It said seven thirty. I looked around the shop at what needed to be done and figured it wasn't possible to get to The Lava Pot that night. That was before I knew Alani possessed superstrength and could lift boxes that weighed as much as I did. By the time nine thirty came around, everything was done, and I was exhausted.

  "Okay, time for a drink," said Alani, smiling as she looked around. "Oh," she said, her gaze stopping on me. "Maybe we need to fix you up a little bit first."

  I moved to the full-length mirror in the changing room. My heart sank. My shirt was filthy, my hair was frizzy, my elbow was covered with dried blood from my fall off the bike, and my makeup had run. Plus the bruise on my leg was now turning a deep shade of purple. I couldn't let Casey see me looking like this.

  "Don't worry," said Alani, sensing my distress. "It's okay."

  That was easy for her to say. Her hair was still neatly tied up in the French braid she had taken all of two seconds to do earlier, her makeup was still where she'd put it, and her clothes were clean. How the heck had she managed that when she'd lifted twice as many boxes as I had?

  "How do you do it?" I asked.

  "Do what?'

  "Look that gorgeous all the time. Actually, don't answer that. I know how. Good genes. You have gorgeous skin, lovely thick hair, and the smile of a goddess. I shouldn't even bother trying, really. Standing next to you, nobody will even see me."

  Alani laughed. "You have no idea what I have to do to keep this look going. It takes me hours."

  "So does this," I said, smiling and sweeping my hands down my body as I spoke.

  Alani laughed again, a deep throaty sound that came from her belly, grabbed a dress off the rack, and handed it to me. "Here, put this on. It'll look amazing on you."

  I knew the dress. I'd had my eye on it all night. It was a white cotton dress with spaghetti straps. I took the dress and held it against my body as I moved into the changing room. No harm in trying it on, right?

  It was perfect as it fell low on my bust and skimmed my leg midthigh. But it was also out of my budget. I never should have tried it on. "Alani I can't afford this," I said, admiring the way it showed off my tanned legs, despite the bruise.

  "Consider it payment for working here tonight."

  I turned to her, stunned. Before I could argue, she grabbed my elbow and started to clean it with a piece of gauze soaked in antiseptic lotion. I winced at the stinging.

  "Ouch!"

  "Now for your hair. Come and sit down over here," she commanded.

  I did as asked, mainly because she was a bit pushy when she wanted to be. Within minutes my hair was woven into a gorgeous braid, and she'd fixed my makeup with some of hers. I stood to look in the mirror. Wow. She was good.

  "Thank you," I said, emotion clogging my throat.

  I looked at Alani's reflection standing behind me and knew I'd found a new best friend. She smiled at me, hopefully thinking the same thing.

  "Okay," she said. "Let's go before Casey goes home. Although, I know where he lives, so we could always go and watch him through his windows. He never closes his curtains."

  I raised my eyebrows at her.

  "Well, that's what I've heard. It's not like I've ever sat in the long grass opposite his house and watched him or anything. I'm sure it's just a myth that he walks around his kitchen with his shirt off and that he has amazing abs. And pecs. Oh, and biceps." Alani sighed.

  "Is there something I should know about you and Casey?"

  "No," she said, smiling. "I just think he's hot. I haven't told anyone this yet, but I have my eye on someone else." Alani turned and moved to pick up her bag.

  I smiled, relieved that it wasn't Casey she was interested in. Not that I thought I stood a chance with him, but when your best friend likes a guy, he's off limits, even for a crush.

  "So who is it that you like?" I asked, suddenly curious.

  "Just someone."

  I raised my eyebrows, questioning.

  "I don't want to say just yet. You know, in case I jinx it."

  Fair enough. I could understand that. "Okay. But I want to be the second to know. Right after him, of course."

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Lava Pot was pumping by the time we got there. Five nights a week Benny Hoku and his Ukulele Wahines appeared playing traditional music. Tonight was one of those nights, which meant the bar was crowded and the cocktails were flowing. It looked like a fun scene.

  Alani and I pushed our way past the girls in grass skirts taking food orders, made our way through the crowd, and found a table nearest to the bar. I ordered a Lava Flow cocktail, and Alani ordered a mocktail. She was driving after all.

  I couldn't see Casey, but it didn't take long for a group of Scottish backpackers to make their way to us, pulling up barstools from every direction. Their accents were broad.

  I enjoyed the male attention as they casually flirted with me, buying me whatever drinks I wanted. Even though, I think I only got the attention because one guy, Harley, who I assumed to be the leader of the group, was the first to put dibs on Alani. I knew she wasn't really interested in him, but I guessed she enjoyed the banter.

  Eventually though, I gave up trying to figure out what they were saying, and they got distracted by the band, so I left Alani happily chatting to Harley and made my way to the beach.

  The Aloha Lagoon Resort was a beautiful place, even at night. The fairy lights blew gently in the trees, and the scent of the frangipanis wafted toward me, making the air smell tropical. The torches had been lit earlier, and the flames danced in the breeze, and the salt air stuck to my skin. I was grateful that Alani had tied my hair back quite tightly, so any stray frizzies caused by the humidity stayed securely held by the band.

  I slipped my sandals off, made my way to the sand, and sat down, my arms behind me propping me up. I took a deep breath and felt my soul relax. The full moon reflected on the water, and I squished the sand between my toes. I noted how it was much coarser than the sand in Sydney.

  My mind flicked back to the life I'd had there. Did I miss it? Not really. I missed some of my friends and the familiarity of knowing my way around, but that was outweighed by the excitement of living in Aloha Lagoon. There was no place on earth more beautiful. And I had my family now. While living in Sydney, I'd missed them more than anything.

  I closed my eyes and sighed with contentment. The sound of the waves lapping the beach had almost lulled me into a sleep, when I heard the rustle of clothing behind me and snapped my eyes open, sitting up straight as I did so. My heart stuttered when I saw Casey.

  "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he said, his voice deep and extremely sexy. "You looked so happy I wasn't sure whether I should disturb you or not."

  "Oh, you're not disturbing me." I didn't add that he was the reason I was even at the resort tonight.

  "Do you mind if I sit down?"

  "Please do."

  Casey sat shoulder to shoulder with me. If I moved even a couple of inches, I'd be touching him. The beach wasn't lit up—the only light we had came from the full moon and the torches on the boardwalk outside The Lava Pot. It was enough for me to see his expression soften. He dazzled me with his smile, and I felt my stomach flip. I probably needed to admit to myself that I had a serious crush on the man. But who wouldn't? He was gorgeous.

  "You have a good spot here."

  I nodded. "It'd be nicer if the police tape was removed," I commented, looking the twenty meters or so down the beach to where it swayed gently in the wind.

  "True. Have you heard any more about what
actually happened to the old guy?"

  I shook my head. "Not really, but it seems the old guy—aka Albert—left Mum some money in his will."

  "That was nice of him."

  "Yeah, it was nice. Mum was touched by the thought."

  "How is she?"

  "She's okay." I turned my head back to Casey, confused by the questioning tone in his voice. "Why? Do you know something I don't?"

  Casey looked out at the water. It suddenly seemed to become very interesting.

  "Casey?"

  "I just heard some rumors—that's all," he said, shrugging like it was nothing. "Just some stupid gossip."

  "What did you hear?"

  "I wouldn't worry about it, Sam. It was just that Rosemary—the lady who cleans the bar—she said she'd heard that Rita killed him. Rita apparently has strong opinions on euthanasia. I don't believe it. It's just what I heard."

  Actually, he was right when he said Mum had strong opinions about euthanasia. I'd been stuck more than once listening to her rant about it.

  "You're kidding, right?"

  "It's just gossip. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

  "Yes, you should have. If people are talking about Mum, I want to know about it."

  "Is she okay though?"

  "Yeah, she's okay. She won't be happy when I tell her this."

  "Rosemary's just a gossip. I wouldn't put any stock into what she's saying."

  "From my experience, if one person is saying it, others are too."

  Casey sighed.

  "If they knew Mum, they wouldn't be saying it," I continued. "She's the most caring, beautiful person the world is lucky enough to have. The residents of Aloha Ohana are fortunate to have her there."

  "I know. She has to be. She's Luke's mother, and he's one of the nicest people I've ever met."

  Was he talking about the same Luke I knew? "You are talking about my brother, right?"

  Casey smiled that dazzling smile again. "Yes."

  "I didn't realize you knew Luke."

  "Yeah, he arrived here about the same time I did. I met him at the bar one night when we were both admiring the same woman. We kind of hit it off after that, usually comparing…well, that doesn't matter. We just hit it off."

  Why hadn't Luke mentioned Casey to me? Actually, hang on a minute, I think he had. I just hadn't been listening, as I figured the Casey he was talking about to be a girl at the time.

  "He'd be the closest friend I have here."

  Wow. Lucky Luke.

  "Anyway, enough of the man-love," said Casey, laughing. "I have work to do." He stood, and I looked up at him from my spot on the sand.

  I watched him walk. His legs were long and covered the ground effortlessly, his gait relaxed. As he reached the boardwalk running along the front of The Lava Pot, he looked back at me and waved. Oh boy!

  * * *

  Normally I was a really positive, proactive person. I was a problem solver. I always remembered Mum telling everyone I had to be the problem solver, as Luke was the one who created the problems to start with. The universe had seen to it that he had someone who could solve those problems for him. Not sure that I loved that role, but there it was. It was obviously my destiny.

  But this time I was worried about Mum. If what Casey had just told me was correct, then the rumors needed to be stopped. And I knew they weren't true. Mum loved the world and everything in it. Her destiny was to help people. There was no way she had anything to do with Albert dying. Yes, the rumors were correct in saying she believed in euthanasia, but it was more than that. Mum believed we had the right to die with dignity. What happened to Albert was not dignified.

  I thought about what Casey had told me. His words about Luke surprised me. I knew I teased Luke and said he was a bugger, but Casey was right about him. He was the kindest, most considerate man I knew. He just didn't show that side of himself to too many people. Casey had to be pretty special himself to know that about Luke.

  Of course, I would never tell Luke what I thought of him. No, I'd never hear the end of it. He got his caring nature from Mum. To be honest, I didn't know what traits either of us got from our dad. Mum never talked about him.

  When I was ten I'd asked her to tell me some stories about our dad—you know, how they met, how he proposed—that kind of thing. She got all prickly and said that being a dad meant more than turning up for conception (at the time I'd had no idea what that actually meant. I asked my friend Jade, and when she told me, I'd nearly fainted). Being a dad meant being there for your family, through the good times and the bad. He'd never been there, so in her opinion he didn't deserve the title. I'd felt like I was being told off, so I never asked her about him again. I'd asked Gran instead.

  She hadn't told me much other than that she could understand what Mum had seen in him. He'd been tall, athletic, and extremely good-looking. He'd also been popular with the ladies and left Mum for another woman more than once. I guessed that had hurt her a lot. So much so that Mum had destroyed every photo she'd ever had of him. To this day I couldn't tell you what he really looked like.

  Anyway, me thinking about Dad wouldn't help her right now. First, I needed to figure out a way to stop the gossip mill talking about her, stop her hearing what they were saying, and make sure that Detective Ray didn't agree with them.

  I was still trying to decide how to do that when I heard voices on the boardwalk, pulling me from my thoughts. I checked my watch, thinking I really should be going home and getting some sleep. 11:30 p.m. I needed to find Alani. I'd left the bike at her shop and had gotten a lift here with her. So unless I found her, I was in for a long walk home.

  I stood and brushed the sand from my backside and made my way toward the boardwalk. Movement in the shrubbery caught my eye. I had to squint to see, as it was out of range of the torches, but the moon was bright. A figure ducked back into the shrubs, and I wondered what they were doing that they didn't want seen.

  I had just stepped up onto the boardwalk when a very tall man with red hair rushed past me, nearly knocking me over. He ran down the beach toward the person who had just stepped out of the shrubs again, their silhouettes highlighted by the moon.

  I had visions of a secret romantic affair he was running late for, but those were shattered when they walked down the beach away from me, their body language anything but friendly. Within seconds they looked like they were yelling at each other, the tall man then pushing the other until they fell.

  My heart palpitated. Should I call security? Probably. Instead, I ran back down to the sand and screamed out to them to cut it out. I was unsure if they would hear me, as they were a good forty meters or so down the beach, but the tall one doing the pushing obviously had good hearing, as he looked my way and then turned and ran in the opposite direction. I took a few steps toward them, hoping to help the one on the ground. He saw me, got up quickly, and ran after the first man. I guess he didn't want any help.

  I sighed as the breeze picked up, and turned back in the direction of The Lava Pot. I found Alani still chatting to the backpacker, her cheeks glowing. She saw me and waved me over.

  "Hi," she sang. "Did Casey find you?" she asked.

  "Yes, thanks. He did." I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face. "Are you ready to head home?" I asked, looking between her and the backpacker.

  "Harley was going to a private party up the beach. I wasn't going to go, but I thought it would be fun," she explained with a shrug.

  "Aye, you can come," said Harley, his Scottish accent thick.

  I didn't really want to go. The day had taken its toll on me, and I was tired. I wanted to go home to bed. By myself. I saw the look Harley's friend gave me, and shivered. "Alani, can I have a quick word? In private."

  She stood, and we moved closer to the bar, out of their earshot. "Are you really going to that party?" I asked her, thinking how a girl should never do something like that alone.

  "Yeah. It's okay. Kahoni will be there. Nobody messes with him."

  I
sighed, relieved. "Good."

  "You're coming, aren't you?"

  I shook my head. "Sorry. I'm going home. I'm buggered."

  She gave me a quick squeeze. "Here, take the car then. I'll get a lift home with Kahoni."

  "Thanks."

  She turned and left, Harley's arm slung over her shoulder.

  Hang on a minute. How was I going to drive? I'd had at least four cocktails in about an hour and a half. Sure, I felt okay to drive, but I'd bet I was over the legal limit. I sighed and sat heavily on the nearest barstool. Casey walked up behind me.

  "That's a big sigh," he said, leaning across the bar, placing some dirty glasses on it.

  I looked at the clock. It was now eleven forty-five. I could call Luke, but he had to be up for work at four in the morning, so he wouldn't appreciate a call at this time of night to disturb his beauty sleep. Even though he disturbed mine all the time with his snoring.

  "Is there a taxi service around here?" I asked.

  "Do you need a lift?"

  "I have keys, but I think I'm over the limit to drive."

  "I can give you a lift. If you don't mind waiting till I finish my shift?"

  Now let me think this through. "Sure. That would be awesome." Yeah, didn't take me long to think about it, did it?

  * * *

  The drive home only took a little over five minutes, which was disappointing.

  The moon was high in the sky, shining down on the ocean, creating a path of light for the waves to dance in. It was such a pretty sight I could have sat on the hill watching it until the sun rose, preferably sitting in the car with Casey.

  However, that fantasy was crushed the second we pulled into Mum's drive and saw Luke sitting on the front steps, his head in his hands, the porch light illuminating him from behind.

  Casey turned the engine off and jumped from the car even before I could get my seat belt undone. That wasn't hard. It appeared that my seat belt was stuck. I pushed the little button that was supposed to release it, but nothing happened. I pulled on the belt, hoping that it would just pop out. Still nothing. Damn.