Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3)

by Beth Prentice

  I looked out the windscreen at Casey's back. Luke had stood, and from what I could see, he appeared distressed. I also noted the look he gave Casey. I'd seen that look before. It was the one he reserved for any boy who brought me home whom he disapproved of. I sighed, thinking I really was too old for that rubbish and that I could look after myself perfectly well without his help.

  I desperately pulled on the belt, willing it to release. Luke's raised voice drifted my way. He was pretty agitated about something, and I didn't think that something was my ride home. Anxiety swirled in my stomach, wondering what he was even doing awake at this time of night.

  Casey turned back to the car to see what had happened to me. Understanding flashed across his expression, and he sprinted over to help me.

  "Sorry," he said, opening the car door for me. "I forgot the seat belt sticks sometimes."

  He leaned into the car, right into my personal space. Whoa. The butterflies that usually lived quiet lives in my stomach awoke and started doing laps, completely eradicating the anxiety. Casey's scent filled my senses as he reached across me and worked his magic on the belt buckle. That wasn't the only thing he worked his magic on, but I'd keep my hormones out of this for now. Luke ranting over his shoulder was kind of killing any mood they might be working up to.

  I heard the click as the belt released, and Casey smiled at me, his lips only inches from mine. Even in the dim light I could make out the color of his eyes, and if it wasn't for Luke's' voice, I think my heart would probably have beat right out of my chest. I really wished the butterflies would just settle the heck down. The whole effect made me breathless.

  "Why don't you carry your phone like a normal person?" Luke screamed at me over Casey's shoulder. "I've been trying to call you. I thought you were with Alani."

  "I do carry my phone," I protested, getting out of the car to face him. He waved my phone in the air, showing me I obviously didn't.

  "Really?"

  Argh! I hated it when he was right. There'd be no living with him now. "I must have forgotten it," I added weakly, thinking I must have left it behind this evening. "And I was with Alani."

  "Well, she didn't answer the shop phone."

  "That's because we went to The Lava Pot."

  "Luke, why don't you calm down and tell us what's going on?" said Casey, grabbing Luke by the shoulder and steering him away from me.

  Which was probably a good thing, as Luke looked like he was about to throttle me in a way only a brother can.

  "It's Mum," said Luke, glaring at me.

  The butterflies in my stomach freaked out for a completely different reason, allowing the anxiety to rush back in.

  "The police turned up quite a few hours ago and took Mum back to the station for more questioning. Apparently the autopsy on the dead guy showed he died from an insulin overdose."

  "So?"

  "He wasn't a diabetic."

  * * *

  Thank goodness for Casey. I'm not sure who he helped the most—me or Luke. He sprang into action, getting Luke and me back into his car and driving us to the police station. Unfortunately, we were outside of visiting hours, and they wouldn't let us see Mum. We did find out that she hadn't been arrested—yet. Which was a good start, but the good detective hadn't finished questioning her.

  Nothing could be done until she either called us for a lift or the morning arrived—whichever came first, so Casey drove us home again. By that time, it was two thirty a.m., and I was drained.

  "Thanks for your help, Casey," I said, yawning, as Luke made his way inside, mumbling about getting some sleep because he had to be up for work in a few hours' time. Poor Luke. "Sorry. I'm not yawning because of the company. It's just been a long day."

  "That's okay. I'm glad I was here to help. Not that I did much," he said, matching my yawn. It was contagious. "Go and get some sleep. I'll call you in the morning and see how everything went."

  He leaned in and kissed my cheek. It was light and friendly, yet it was enough to wake up my hormones. I felt the pull in my belly as his breath whispered over my skin. What I wanted to do was grab hold of him and kiss him right back. Properly kiss him. None of this cheek stuff. But I didn't. Casey was Luke's friend, and I'd seen the warning look he'd received earlier when I'd turned up in his car. I made a mental note to ask Luke about that.

  "Good night," I said.

  Casey smiled and made his way to the car. As I watched his taillights retreat into the night, I reprimanded myself all the way to my room. Good night? Was that the best I could come up with after that amazing moment? I was opening my bedroom door when Luke stepped out of the bathroom.

  "What's going on with you and Casey?" he demanded.

  See? Bloody brothers. "Nothing."

  "Bull. What were you doing in his car earlier?"

  "He gave me a lift home. That's all."

  "He doesn't give women a lift home. Unless he's interested in something other than her company, that is."

  The butterflies stirred at Luke's words. "Yes, and I'm your sister, aren't I? And isn't he your friend?"

  "Humph." Luke obviously hadn't thought of that.

  I knew that all I was going to be thinking of all night was Luke's words about Casey only giving lifts to women he wanted to…you know. I wanted to ask Luke how many women that was exactly, but I knew he would see straight through me, so I chose to close my bedroom door on him and stew on it all night.

  By the time morning came around, I wished I'd just bloody well asked him. The bags under my eyes showed exactly how little sleep I'd had. It really wasn't much. Sure, I'd lain in bed until seven, which should have given me at least five hours sleep, but my mind decided sleep wasn't necessary and it was much better to lay awake and imagine Casey with all those women. Mum had played on my mind too. I was really worried that the evidence Detective Ray had was going to bury her. Trouble was, I didn't know what that evidence was. But I was going to find out.

  I stood under the shower using more than my share of the hot water, but bugger Luke. It was partly his fault I was so tired. And grumpy apparently. Argh!

  I wanted to be at the police station early, but I needed to eat first. My mood wasn't the best when I was hungry, and I figured that I needed to be in a good mood to face Detective Ray.

  Walking to the fridge, hoping to find something I could eat and run with, I noticed Mark's home phone number written on the notice board next to the fridge. He'd written it there in case Luke or I ever needed him. Well, I guessed if ever I was going to need him, now would be the time. I mean, I could ride my bike into town, but I was tired, and the thought didn't really appeal to me. Plus, I was hoping that Mum would be coming home with me, and she wouldn't appreciate being doubled on the handlebars. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed him, hoping he hadn't left for an early morning run.

  "Hello," he answered, his voice sounding tired.

  "Hi, Mark. It's Sam. Could I get a lift with you to the police station please?"

  "The police station? Why on earth do you need to go there?"

  Oops. I'd forgotten that we hadn't called him last night to tell him what was happening. "Oh, Mum's been taken in for more questioning. It sounds really serious, and I want to be there so that I can find out exactly what's going on."

  "Hmmm. Has she?"

  "Yes. She has." Annoyance prickled. I'd expected Mark to be as outraged as us, but he certainly didn't seem upset. "So—can I get a lift?"

  "Yes, yes, of course. Ummm…I'll be there as soon as I can." With that he hung up the phone. No pleasant good-byes then.

  It took him longer than I thought necessary, but we eventually reached the station just as Mum was being released, her new lawyer by her side. I had no idea where he'd come from, but I was happy to see him anyway. He was middle-aged and balding and looked very efficient.

  Apparently Detective Ray had already left the building. Damn. I wouldn't be able to ask him any questions. Oh well, I'd see what Mum had to say first.

  She
looked tired as she walked toward us. I rushed to her and pulled her close for a hug. I knew Luke wanted to be here, but he'd had to go to work. I had my phone in my pocket, and as soon as we were outside, I would phone him and put Mum on.

  "Hey, sweetie," said Mum quietly.

  I felt the tears swell as she rubbed my back, as if I were the one in trouble. "Everything's going to be okay."

  "I certainly hope so," bellowed Mark, his voice reverberating around the foyer of the police station. "I'll be suing for this, you know!"

  Mum's lawyer glared at him and ushered us out the door. Once outside, we all spoke at once. Well Mum, Mark, and I did. It appeared the lawyer kept his cool, even under pressure from us.

  "Thank goodness I'm out of there," said Mum.

  "They haven't stopped the inheritance, have they?" asked Mark.

  "It's okay, Mum. We'll figure this out. We'll find out who the real killer is!"

  I was all talk, and Mum saw right through my bravado, pulling me in for another much-needed hug. No matter what the situation, she would always be a mother.

  "Look," said the lawyer, his voice controlled. "Rita has had a difficult night. Why don't you take her home and make her some breakfast? She can fill you in on any details you need to know. Anything else, here is my card. You're welcome to call me anytime."

  I took the card and read his name. Michael Chatsworth.

  Before I had a chance to question him, he turned his back to us and made his way down the path toward his car. We decided to follow his advice and take Mum home. She did look beat.

  "Mum, where did the lawyer come from?"

  "I called him last night."

  "Why? Weren't they only questioning you?"

  "Yes. But I didn't like the way that the questions were going, so I thought I should have some professional advice when answering them."

  "But doesn't that make you look guilty?" I wrung my hands as I spoke, nerves making me feel very jittery.

  "Samantha, I have some extra money that I keep in my safe place at home. I plan to add to it by taking some savings out of my bank account. That way, if this doesn't turn out the way we hope, at least you'll have access to some money."

  "But, Mum, that's not a good idea," I said, thinking how Mark snooped around her bedroom.

  "Maybe having it at home isn't the best place to keep it," she said to me, "but under the current circumstances, it's the wisest."

  "No, Mum, it's all okay. Leave your savings in the bank, deposit the other money, and we'll work it out later."

  Mum didn't respond as Mark pulled her under his arm, and they walked ahead of me. I could almost see the cogs in his mind working overtime. He kissed Mum above the ear and asked, "Was it awful?"

  "Only because I know just how set Detective Kahoalani is on proving my guilt. Other than that it was kind of interesting," said Mum. "I didn't get any sleep, as there seemed to be a lot of hours between questions, but I certainly learned a lot. For starters, I thought Aloha Lagoon was a quiet place. Apparently I was wrong. All sorts of people were being pulled in all night. There were a few really interesting Scottish backpackers who seemed to have gotten up to some hijinks that they shouldn't have gotten up to. I didn't get to talk to them, but I could hear them shouting about discrimination. Apparently the local man—Kahoni, I think they called him—didn't get arrested, and he was the one throwing the punches."

  My mind flipped to Alani. "What?" I asked, running to catch up with Mum and Mark, who were striding ahead of me.

  "Yeah, they'd gotten into a fight over a woman. The police were called, and they were placed in lockup. Anyway, that's over now."

  "But what did Detective Ray say to you? Why did he take you in? Did you tell him it was a misunderstanding?"

  Mum turned to me and smiled. "Samantha, calm down. I'll fill you in on all of that once I get in the car."

  Argh! I hated waiting, but I knew better than to argue with her. Instead, I ran ahead to the car and tapped my foot impatiently as they walked up.

  Mark unlocked the doors and helped Mum into her seat, and I climbed into the back, ready to hear all about what happened. Once we were all in the car, Mum started to fill us in.

  "Albert's autopsy showed that he died from an overdose of insulin, and he wasn't a diabetic," explained Mum, clicking her seat belt in as Mark started the engine. "I asked how they thought he ended up in the ocean, and apparently they're still investigating that, as the video security feed from the nursing home had been switched off that night due to some maintenance."

  "That was convenient," added Mark.

  I had to agree with him.

  "They think I killed him for the inheritance," Mum continued, "and that I knew an autopsy would show how he died, which is why I had to dispose of his body." Mum's ears went red as her anger kicked up.

  "Supposedly, once he was dead, I got him into his wheelchair, pushed him out to a car, and then drove him to the beach, where I threw him into the ocean, hoping nature would take it from there."

  "How did they think you were strong enough to do that?" I asked, shocked.

  "I lift patients on my own all the time. I did tell him that, yes, I could lift a patient on and off the toilet, but into a car? And when they were a dead weight?"

  "How did they explain that?" asked Mark, concentrating on the road ahead.

  "They didn't. Apparently they're still looking into the evidence."

  "The evidence doesn't exist because you're innocent," I almost yelled, my own anger stirring.

  "It doesn't matter," said Mum. "They aren't looking for evidence to support that someone else did it. They are only looking for evidence to support that I did."

  Maybe they were, but it wouldn't stop me from looking for anything that would clear Mum's name.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  As soon as we got home and got Mum settled, I phoned Alani to make sure she was okay. She was, thanks to her cousin, Kahoni. It turned out that more than one of the Scottish backpackers had liked her, and Kahoni overheard them talking dirty about her. That was when he'd stepped in to teach them to have more respect for women, and things got out of hand from there. I wondered if I should point out to her that even though it had been Kahoni who'd saved her, it had also been Kahoni who had started the fight? Probably not. I brought her up to date with what had happened in my night.

  "So I guess what I'm asking is, would you help me? I just want to ask around the nursing home and see if anyone there saw something that might prove Mum's innocence."

  "Well…" She hesitated. "Why don't you let the police do that?"

  "Because I think they're looking at the wrong person. I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

  I heard Alani sigh over the phone line. "Okay. What do you want to do?"

  "I want to chat to the residents of Aloha Ohana. Your grandmother is there, so I wondered if we could get in on the pretense that you're visiting her." I bit my nail as I anxiously waited for Alani's response.

  "Yeah, that's okay. I have another bottle of okolehao I want to take to her anyway."

  "A bottle of what?"

  "It's basically homemade brandy. My brothers make it for her. She loves it, but it's illegal to make, so we have to hide it in a Paul Masson brandy bottle. I only took her one last week, but she shares it around, so she goes through it pretty quickly."

  My heart jumped. "Oh, sure. Great!"

  Hey, I didn't have anything against Lahela having a quiet drop. I was just nervous about this investigating thing, and now I was aiding and abetting the illegal distribution of alcohol to the elderly residents of Aloha Lagoon.

  Alani picked me up within the hour. Aloha Ohana wasn't that far from home, the drive only taking ten minutes. Apparently the waiting list to become a resident was pretty long. Getting out of the car and looking back out to the view across the ocean, I couldn't blame people for putting their names down early.

  "Tutu is in the Hibiscus wing." That sounded nice. "Do you know which wing Albert lived in?"

>   No, I didn't, but one quick text message to Luke told me he was in the Oleander wing. Apparently all the wings were named after flowers. My sandals slapped on the asphalt driveway as I ran after Alani toward the entrance. The big automatic doors opened, and we were greeted by a friendly staff member who knew Alani by name.

  "Hi, Alani, how are you today?" Her smile was as big as Alani's.

  "I'm well, thank you, Ania. You?"

  "I can't complain. I'm surprised to see you. This isn't your usual day."

  "No, I'm doing an extra visit. This is my friend, Samantha. She's Rita's daughter."

  The security guard sitting behind Ania looked up from his newspaper. He was obviously very busy. Did he not know a killer was running around here? Okay, I was a bit anxious.

  "Oh! Hello, Samantha," said Ania.

  Her big smile froze as she looked at me, and I felt the air around us change and become less friendly. She'd obviously heard about the police questioning Mum. Geez, news traveled fast. The security guard, however, didn't seem upset at all. His smile got bigger, and he walked around the desk to greet us.

  "Hi, Tony," said Alani, sensing the change.

  "Alani," he said, but it was me he focused on. "Hello, Samantha." He held out his hand for me to shake. "I'm very pleased to meet you. You look just like Rita. Has anyone ever told you that?"

  "Ummm, yes. I get that a lot." I smiled as I shook his hand.

  He was a strange man to look at—really tall and quite overweight. In fact, I'd say he was almost bordering on obese. His dark hair framed his bloated face, making his eyes small and difficult to see. He seemed friendly enough though. And his face lit up at the mention of Rita. I figured maybe he had a bit of a crush.

  "Why don't you both sign in the visitors' book, and I'll walk with you to visit Lahela?"

  Did we need an escort? Maybe he was more suspicious of Mum than he was letting on.

  Alani moved to the visitors' book and signed us both in, and we followed Tony as he walked ahead of us, occasionally looking over his shoulder to check that we were still there.