Deadly Wipeout (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 3)

by Beth Prentice

  "Ssh," said Alani, leading the way. "I think there's someone there."

  Alani stopped moving, and I nearly walked into the back of her. I still couldn't see a thing.

  "Be quiet, and we'll see how much closer we can get," she said.

  I gave up trying to see what was going on and followed her, trusting her completely.

  As we moved farther into the scrub, I heard the distinct sound of a branch snapping behind us. I spun around to see who was there.

  "Stop moving," said Alani. "He's met someone."

  I was suddenly more concerned about what was behind us. The stories Lahela and Alani had told me about island folklore suddenly came rushing back. The only problem was, I couldn't quite remember them correctly. Was I supposed to give gin to Mijuna the faceless lady, or was that the green lady? Hang on a minute—that legend was the green lady of Wahiawa, so surely that couldn't be the one. Maybe I was supposed to give gin to the Menehune, the little people of Hawaii? Or was that pork I was supposed to give them? Oh, what did it matter anyway? I didn't have any gin or pork, so we were pretty much stuffed if it was one of them. I made a mental note to ask Alani for another lesson in Hawaiian mythology. And this time I'd actually try to remember it.

  Another branch snapped.

  "Alani, Alani," I whispered, pulling on her shirt.

  "Shush, I'm trying to listen."

  "You heard it too? What do you think it was? Should we be worried, or are we safe because you're Hawaiian?"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "The noise. The one we both heard!"

  "Mark just met someone. I'm trying to hear what they're doing."

  I took a deep breath, did my best to ignore the noises from behind me, and strained to see where Mark was. After a minute or so, I could just make out the silhouette of two people. One was Mark, and judging by the size of the other one, I figured it to be a man. A very big man. But what were they doing meeting half a mile down a beach at nine o'clock at night?

  "They're on the move," whispered Alani. "Come on."

  Staying at a safe distance and hidden amongst the dunes, we managed to follow them. They moved along a sandy pathway through the trees, which made it much more difficult to not lose them, but their voices kept us in touch. I guessed they thought they were alone and didn't need to whisper, like Alani and me. However, we couldn't make out what they were saying clearly, only getting snippets here and there.

  We heard, "It's in the car."

  Then, "You'd better have the cash next time," and, "I'll break your kneecaps if you don't."

  Okay, that all sounded pretty serious. I'd give Mark his due though. He stood strong and didn't back down to this guy, who was seriously a good six foot five. My mind flicked to Patrick.

  They eventually made their way to a road where a car was parked on the grass. Alani and I stayed back, hidden on the path, and watched. The big guy opened the trunk, and their voices became muffled. I wondered what was in there and desperately wanted to have a look, but I knew that would be foolish. I definitely didn't want my kneecaps broken.

  When Mark was satisfied with whatever it was, he seemed happy and said, "Alright. I'll have the cash tomorrow."

  This seemed to satisfy the big guy, who then offered Mark a ride into town. I'm not sure I would have accepted that ride, and I had a moment of wondering if I would ever see Mark again. I made a quick note of what the car looked like just in case I didn't.

  Once they'd driven away, I heard Alani let out a sigh.

  "That was interesting."

  "Yeah. What do you reckon was in the trunk?" I asked.

  "Nothing good, I would guess."

  "It wasn't a complete waste of time following him. We did find out that he is up to something. Maybe I need to watch him a bit more closely when he goes to Aloha Ohana."

  "Maybe."

  Alani turned to make her way back the way we'd come. Without the purpose and focus of watching Mark, it seemed so much creepier walking through the tree-lined path back to the beach, but the upside was we could at least use our phones for some light this time.

  Movement ahead of us, just outside of the beam of our lights, made us stop dead.

  I grabbed Alani's arm.

  "Hello?" she called.

  We stood silently waiting for a response. None came. Alani flipped off her light and told me to do the same. Really? I honestly felt safer with the light on.

  "Turn it off," she whispered to me. Okay, she was the local expert out of the two of us. I'd let her take the lead on this one. I flipped my phone off.

  We strained to listen. In Australia, walking through bush like this at night, you'd probably get taken out by a kangaroo, but I figured Aloha Lagoon didn't have any of those. For all I knew though, it could have been something equally as big.

  After what felt like an eternity of standing still in the dark waiting for something to hit me, I whispered to Alani. "What are we doing?"

  "Listening."

  Okay, that I understood. "Do you hear anything?" My heart rate was slightly higher than normal, but definitely not in the danger zone.

  "Yes."

  Alright, my heart rate just entered the danger zone.

  "What?"

  "I'm not sure. It isn't an animal. It's too heavy," she whispered

  "What's heavier than an animal?"

  "A human."

  My anxiety settled slightly. "Maybe it's a couple making out."

  "It's only one. If it was two, I would have heard the first snap of the branch followed by a second quieter one."

  That made sense I guessed, but it did nothing for my blood pressure.

  "So what should we do?"

  Alani thought for a minute. "How fit are you? Can you run in soft sand?"

  A good question. The sand on this path was definitely soft in a lot of places. So much so it had been hard to walk through, but if someone was chasing me, I'd run through quicksand.

  "Fit enough." I hoped.

  "Okay. On three we run for it. Ready? One, two…"

  She took off at a run. I didn't even hear her say "three."

  I quickly ran after her. Two seconds in, I realized Alani was a lot more skilled at running on sand than I was. It didn't take long for her to lose me.

  The path felt like it went on forever, like one of those dreams where you're running as fast as you can but getting nowhere. I could hear Alani ahead of me, but without light, I was running on instinct and sound as to where the path actually went. My legs burned with the strain, and my breathing became more ragged.

  Unreasonable fear gripped me as I ran, but eventually I could see the small amount of moonlight glinting on the ocean, and knew I had nearly made it. Only when I caught up with Alani standing along the water's edge did I stop and double at the waist. I was so unfit. As a surf instructor, that was something I needed to work on.

  "What do you think it was?" I asked when I finally got my breathing under control.

  "I dunno. Probably nothing."

  I stood, my hands on my hips. "Really?"

  "Uh-huh. No one jumped out at us, so maybe it was just our imagination."

  The hysterical giggle started in my throat. How stupid had we been, thinking someone had been in the scrub, watching us. And if they had, they would be having a very big laugh at our expense right now.

  * * *

  The beach was a beautiful place at night. Even though the air had slightly cooled, and I wished I'd brought a sweater with me, it was peaceful and serene.

  Our scare with our imaginary stalker had given us a good laugh, but we were making our way back to the resort in companionable silence. I was thinking about Mark and how I would tell Mum what I'd seen, when up ahead of us we saw lights heading our way.

  I felt Alani stiffen next to me. Oh no, what now? She turned to me and grabbed my arm.

  "What is it?" I asked, the jitters starting once again. I didn't know how much more of this I could handle, to be honest.

  "Do you hear that?
"

  "No. What? Is someone there? Are they following us? It wasn't our imaginations, was it?" I was rambling, but I couldn't seem to stop it.

  "The chants. Do you hear the chants? And the drums!"

  "No." I couldn't hear any chanting over the blood pounding in my ears. "There's chanting? And drums?"

  She turned back to the lights heading toward us. "I think it's the Night Marchers," she said.

  Okay, what on earth was she talking about? I was about to ask, when she grabbed my arm and pulled me to the sand, the lights moving closer.

  "Lay on your stomach!" she demanded. "And whatever you do, don't look at them. If you make eye contact with them, you'll die and be forced to march with them for eternity."

  That didn't sound like any fun at all. "What are Night Marchers?" I asked, totally freaked out by Alani's reaction.

  "They're the ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors."

  "But surely they're just a myth."

  "No. They're real. Tutu has seen them. She told me all about it when I was young. I think I'm an ancestor, but I'm a bit unclear about that, so it's best not to risk it," finished Alani. The wobble in her voice betrayed her true emotions.

  "What does being an ancestor mean?"

  "It means they won't hurt me. But you, well, you're screwed, so just don't look at them!" Was she serious? As she put her head to the sand, I figured she was. My blood pressure entered the stroke zone. A headache started, and tears welled. I didn't want to spend eternity marching with anyone.

  I could hear the chants Alani was talking about. It was distant, far more distant than the lights, but what did I know? I lay next to her, put my fingers in my ears, closed my eyes, and put my face on the sand. When you were faced with death and marching for eternity, who cared if you got sand up your nose?

  It didn't take long to feel the movement around me. Ghosts obviously moved fast. When Alani had told me about the Night Marchers, I'd figured they would be a group, but it felt like only a couple. Would they just ignore me and keep walking?

  I closed my eyes even tighter and pushed my fingers farther into my ears, blocking any sound, except the blood pounding.

  I screamed when something prodded me on the shoulder. It was difficult to do with my head literally in the sand, but I managed it anyway.

  I then felt the hand on my back. Tears escaped, as fear like I had never known shot through me, spiking my adrenalin. I wanted to run. Run as far away from here as I could get, but I remembered Alani's warning to keep my head down.

  Hands were placed under my shoulders, and I felt myself being lifted in the air. Oh God! Alani hadn't told me about this!

  A sob escaped my lips as I tried to keep my eyes closed. What sort of ghosts were these? The movement pulled my fingers from my ears, and I heard laughing. Hang on a minute. That laugh sounded awfully familiar.

  I snapped my eyes open and saw in front of me—Luke, laughing harder than I had ever seen him laugh. I was placed on my feet as I spun to see who was holding me. It was Casey. And even in the dim light from the moon, I could see his smile. Did I feel like an idiot or what? Alani stood next to Luke, and from the light of his torch, I could see she was looking sheepish. Well, at least I wasn't alone.

  "W-what d-did you think…you were doing?" asked Luke, almost bending at the waist with laughter.

  "We…we just thought that…you know…" My face burned with embarrassment. Thank goodness it was dark enough so Casey wouldn't be able to see that.

  "Who did you think was coming?" he asked, his voice a lot more caring than Luke's.

  "We thought you were the Night Marchers," I mumbled, looking at Alani for support. I mean, it was her idea. She was the one who'd freaked me out!

  "Night Marchers!" cried Luke.

  "Why would you think that?" asked Casey, gently wiping sand from my face.

  All thoughts fled my mind the second his soft fingers skimmed my lip. My pulse, which had only just started to settle, picked up again, but this time for a completely different reason.

  "Ummm…"

  "It was my fault," said Alani. "I saw the lights and heard the chants and drums."

  "The chants and drums were from the resort," explained Luke, his tone softening as he spoke to Alani.

  Well, that was interesting.

  "I didn't know that," she continued.

  I didn't hear what she said after that, as Casey had been ever so helpful brushing sand from me, and as he did, his arm accidentally brushed my breast. The world around me ceased to exist as all the air in my lungs disappeared.

  I heard his sharp intake of breath. "I'm so sorry," he stuttered, removing his hands immediately. "I'm sorry."

  I wasn't sorry at all. I wanted to respond and tell him that it was fine, no problem, but my brain was scrambled, and words would not form properly. Instead I stood there awkwardly, tears still skimming my lashes as the adrenalin started to settle, leaving my knees rubbery. Or that could have been from running in the sand before.

  "What are you doing out here?" asked Alani.

  "Looking for you," replied Luke.

  Casey remained quiet, standing close but not touching me. I could feel his presence, smell his musky scent, and in the dark evening air, it was the most intense feeling I had ever felt. I wanted to lean into him, to take his hand and walk along the edge of the water back to the resort, but I didn't have the courage. Instead I followed Luke and Alani as they led the way.

  "You've been gone for a long time," said Casey, his step falling in with mine.

  "Really? How long?" I asked, my voice croaky.

  "A good hour and a half."

  "We were worried," continued Luke. "So when Casey suggested we come and look for you, I left the kitchen for the busboy to clean up and came straight down here. Why didn't you tell me about your suspicions involving Mark?"

  "I did, but you didn't really listen. Anyway, they were just that. Suspicions. I needed to find out more." I brought everybody up to date with what we'd seen. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this investigating business. It's a lot scarier than I thought it would be."

  "Why? What happened?" asked Casey.

  "Nothing," said Alani, a warning tone in her voice. I wondered about her tone, but then maybe she didn't like the idea of the guys thinking we were silly little girls scared of our own shadows. "We just thought someone was watching us or following us or something, but it was just our imaginations," she explained.

  "Are you sure?" Luke asked. I thought for a second.

  "No. I'm not." Even I was surprised by my answer. Earlier I'd been positive it was my imagination. "I thought someone was behind us as we walked up the beach, but all I could think of was the stories that Alani and Lahela had told me about island mythology. My imagination went into overdrive, which is probably why I overreacted before, but I know I didn't imagine the noises."

  "So what do you think it could have been?"

  "I don't think it was an animal. Unless the wildlife around here stalks people. It obviously wasn't Mark, as we were following him." I shivered, the evening air suddenly feeling cooler than a second before. "Who else would be following us?"

  "Maybe they were also following Mark," added Alani. Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that.

  "Do you think Mark is involved with the murders?" asked Luke.

  "Yes. I think he got those men to change their wills to name you and Mum, and then he killed them. He's going to try to take the money once Mum is in jail. I just haven't figured out if my theory is correct yet."

  "But that doesn't explain why I was named in the will."

  "No it doesn't. Hey, Luke, when that will was read, did you see who witnessed it?"

  "No. Did I need to?"

  I nodded in the dark. "Yes. If Mark was the one who took them to change the wills, and he's named as a witness, I can take my theory to Detective Ray."

  "Okay. Tomorrow I'll go and ask to see the will."

  I felt something settle in my stomach. "Thanks."

  Tomorrow t
his could all be over.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  It was another day in paradise. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the waves were rolling in. I tried to concentrate on the six kids in my last class. I tried, but all I could think about was Luke visiting Mr. Fathersham and finding out who'd witnessed the will. And how I would have to tell Mum what Mark was doing.

  Last night we'd decided not to tell her anything until we knew more. Luke wanted to tell her before we visited Detective Ray, but I was worried that she would confront Mark and something bad would happen. I'd have to cross that bridge when I came to it.

  Luke had the day off work, as did Casey. I had no idea what either of them was doing after Luke visited the solicitor, or even if they were spending the day together. It felt different around the resort without Casey. Lonelier and not as much fun. I really needed to sit down and have a good chat with myself about him. I knew my feelings went beyond hormones. I was starting to get past the rush I felt when he smiled at me. Oh, who was I kidding? I didn't think I'd ever get past that! But the point was it felt like this was more than a crush. I felt a connection with Casey that I had never felt with anyone before. He made me laugh, he truly cared about people, he was compassionate when I was worried or scared, and even though I'd seen him flirt with just about every patron at The Lava Pot, I knew that he was loyal. I'd never met a man like him.

  I was happy to report that my skills as a surf instructor were getting better. I think I actually taught the kids something that day. Yes, I even surprised myself. Plus, I saw David Mahelona smiling when he was watching me teach. That had to be good, right?

  My pay had started to roll in, but I still hadn't earned enough to buy myself a car, so after I locked the surf shed, I worked my way through the resort to the staff parking lot to get the bike. I passed the pond where Harold the Turtle was and took a minute to watch him. He had a pretty good life, as far as I was concerned. He got to wake up every morning in the world's most beautiful place, food was literally handed to him, he had no worries, and he got to swim all day or laze in the sun. I thought in my next life I wanted to be Harold.