Mai Tai One On

by Jill Marie Landis

  “That’s because she’s innocent,” Kiki told him.

  “You got keys to this place?” Flora had her nose pressed to the window. “I’d wanna look around in there.”

  “Leilani must have keys,” Suzi said.

  “I gave them back,” Roland said. “The night of the memorial we went over the place top to bottom.”

  “You checked the safe room?” Suzi asked.

  Kiki and Roland both turned on the Realtor and said together, “What safe room?”

  “There’s a safe room?” Roland pressed.

  “The folks who built the place were paranoid types from New York.”

  Flora hiked her purse up her shoulder. “Whoa, they mus’ have a lotta money if they need a room full of safes.”

  Suzi sighed. “It’s a secret interior room. A place to hide from a home invasion or something”

  “On Kauai?” Kiki snorted.

  “How do you know about it?” Roland asked Suzi.

  “If it’s so secret—” Flora began.

  Suzi shrugged. “Hard to keep a secret on Kauai, right? Everybody who works here knows about it. The contractor, the house cleaners, the window washers, the planning department, all the Realtors who toured the place when it went up for sale.”

  “Everybody but the police, apparently,” Kiki nudged Roland. She could see he wasn’t amused.

  “Leilani didn’t mention it. She showed us everything else,” he said.

  “Why would she keep the safe room secret?” Suzi frowned, apparently mulling it over. “Unless maybe she forgot about it in all the excitement.”

  “No way anything ever slipped her mind—so what was she hiding?” Kiki wondered. “Maybe Em?”

  The rain was coming down thick and steady now. They’d all seen worse.

  Flora nudged Kiki. “Hey, tell him about our kupuna theory.”

  Roland turned to Flora. “You getting messages from the spirit world now?”

  “You make fun, we won’t tell you.” She folded her arms beneath her heavy breasts.

  Kiki tried to explain. “Flora thinks Harold might have been talking about kupuna, not punda. There’s not even a ‘d’ in the Hawaiian language.”

  “If Harold found that bone at Fernando’s—” Suzi began.

  “And told Leilani—” Kiki cut her off.

  Suzi finished, “There would be a lot of trouble. Big trouble that might have held up the sale. The owners might have even backed out if it seemed like too much hassle.”

  “Big humbug.” Flora nodded.

  “Major humbug.” Roland stared through the rain at the hedge that bordered Fernando’s and Hale Pua.

  “Two properties side by side. Both Leilani’s listings,” Kiki reminded them.

  “She sure couldn’t risk Fernando suing her for nondisclosure when his contractor found a burial site and called in the state. Maybe Harold tried to warn her. Maybe the old coot even tried to blackmail her,” Suzi said. “He was always out of money.”

  “Maybe Leilani was desperate to close these two deals,” Suzi continued. “She stood to lose a lot in a non-disclosure case, that’s for sure. I heard she let her E and O insurance lapse six months ago.”

  “What’s E and O?” Roland reached for his notebook.

  “Errors and omissions. She’d be up poop creek without it if this thing turned ugly.”

  “Yeah. I been there a time or two myself,” Kiki laughed. “Without a paddle.”

  “How do you know? About the E and O thing?” Roland asked Suzi.

  She smiled. “Everybody in real estate on Kauai knows everyone else’s business. Besides, I have connections.”

  38

  Just When She Thought It Was Over

  As a tropical depression pounded Kauai, Em huddled on a comfy chair on Louie’s front lanai where she had amassed a stack of magazines and a couple of novels.

  Water was running in bucketsful off the roof. Pools formed all over the garden. Beyond the yard, the ocean reflected a steel gray sky. Not only had the power been out for an hour, but the Hanalei bridge was closed, cutting off the North Shore from the rest of the island. No one was getting in or out.

  Em had never seen anything like it. If it rained any harder she was going to hunt up her snorkel and flippers. Back in L.A. this much rain would have sent the Malibu hills sliding into the Pacific.

  She was lounging around reading, far from ready to go back to work. She tried to muster the energy, but she still felt as if she’d been hit by a truck. She reminded herself that it was only yesterday that Sophie had stuffed her into the trunk of the Honda. She deserved another day off.

  Louie was over at the Goddess manning the bar. There were already quite a few cars in the lot. Tourists with no way to get back across the bridge had stopped in to pass the time and usually wound up sipping drinks and talking story with the locals until the tide went out or the rain stopped and the bridge reopened.

  Em hoped Louie could manage alone. No telling how much the cash drawer would be down tonight. Right now, she was too tired to care.

  She glanced down at the romance novel with a half-naked pirate on the cover and imagined Roland Sharpe dressed as a swashbuckler in a puffy white shirt unbuttoned past his navel. She decided she wouldn’t mind having her swash buckled by Roland and smiled. It was a far better fantasy than anything she dreamed whenever she closed her eyes. Last night she woke up in a sweat after having a nightmare about being bound, gagged and shut up in the dark on hard, cold cement.

  Not only that, but Sophie’s voice haunted her, too.

  “I didn’t do it, Em. I didn’t kidnap you. Why would I?”

  Sophie had used her one phone call from jail, not to call a lawyer, but to plead her innocence. The call had left Em shaken, doubting herself, doubting everything that had happened. Except for her own accusation and the tape and strands of blond hair found in Sophie’s car, there was really no other hard evidence against her.

  Sophie had sounded so sincere during the call that Em found herself wondering if she’d been wrong. She hated to send an innocent girl to jail. All she could do was hope that Roland would find more proof.

  As she stared out at the falling rain, she heard a car pull into the gravel driveway next door. The house to the left of them was a vacation rental. Every couple of weeks a new family would move in.

  Em thought that the bridge must finally be open when she heard someone walking around the front of her own lanai. A slim figure in a hooded plastic poncho carrying a small bundle appeared and walked up the side steps. For a second she thought it was Trish. The photographer often wore a plastic poncho to shield her camera from the rain.

  “Hey, come on in,” Em called out. She set her book aside. She started to get up and recognized Leilani Cabral the minute the woman stepped onto the lanai and pushed back the hood of her rain gear.

  “Don’t bother getting up.” Leilani waved her back down.

  Em was surprised to see the woman and thought how nice it was of her to call until she noticed the gun in Leilani’s hand. She didn’t miss the long, blood red acrylic nails, either. Em’s gaze flew to the woman’s eyes. They were cold and calculating.

  Before she could react, Leilani tossed a bundle onto Em’s lap. “Put these on.”

  “No.”

  Leilani raised the gun with sure hands. Em willed her own not to shake.

  “You wouldn’t want your uncle to get hurt, would you? If he walks in before we’re out of here he will be, I can assure you. So hurry.”

  Em stood up. “I’ll change inside.” She wanted to get to the newly acquired weapons stash that she had dumped into the bottom drawer of Louie’s desk.

  Leilani glanced over her shoulder. Em saw that there was no one outside the house. No one on the rain soaked beach. A gust of wind blew a fine mist through the screens.

  “You can change right here,” Leilani said.

  Em unzipped her shorts and shrugged out of them. She unwound the bundle, held up pair of black silk slacks
. They were tight and a bit too short, but she got them on. She glanced at Leilani, wonder if she should bolt for the door and run into the living room—

  “Don’t even think about it,” Leilani warned. “Now the blouse.”

  The top was patterned sleeveless silk with a Mandarin collar. Em slipped it on and buttoned the silk frogs up the front.

  “Get some paper and a pen,” Leilani demanded.

  Em almost sprinted for the desk, then pretended to balk. “Why should I?”

  “Do it —”

  Em’s mind raced. Paper and a pen. If she could just slip the pepper spray out of the bottom drawer. Leilani followed close behind, watching every move.

  When Em opened the drawer, Leilani would see everything—the gun, the switchblade, the sickle, the pepper spray.

  The only items in the top drawer were ball point pens and felt tipped markers. And Lil’s lei needle. Em had dropped it into the pencil tray so it wouldn’t get lost. She pictured herself whirling around, trying to stab Leilani with it. Death by lei needle? Impossible. Em picked up a pen.

  “Write exactly what I tell you to,” Leilani ordered.

  “How did I guess that was coming?” Em poised her hand above the paper.

  “Dear Uncle Louie. I’m sorry but I am too shook up to stay. I’m heading back to California.” Leilani waved the gun at her. “Write that.”

  “Too shook up?” Em winced. “I’d never say shook up.”

  “What would you say?”

  “Too stressed after what happened.”

  “Fine. Whatever.” Leilani watched her write. “Now sign your name.”

  Em tried to think of a way to write in code. Leave out a few letters. Spell her own name wrong. Anything. But it was impossible to think with Leilani hovering over her with a gun in her hand. She read over Em’s shoulder.

  “Leave it on the floor, near the front door. Then roll up your clothes and bring them with you.”

  “The bridge is closed, you know. We can’t get out of Hanalei.” Em slowly put the pen back and then glanced at the front door. Leilani followed her gaze for a half second but it was long enough for Em to slip the lei needle out of the drawer. She quickly slid it though the fabric of the silk slacks along her thigh.

  With any luck at all, she wouldn’t be the one who ended up punctured.

  “We aren’t going that way.” Leilani stepped in front of her and held out a plastic zip tie. “Wrap that around your wrist.” She held the gun to Em’s head while Em tried to get the plastic ties around her bandages.

  “I need two hands,” Em said.

  “Use your teeth.”

  Em struggled, finally managed to bind her own hands. Leilani cinched the plastic strip tighter. Em thought about bringing her hands up and knocking Leilani backward, but she was too afraid of the gun barrel pressed against the back of her skull.

  “Where are we going?” Em asked.

  Leilani said quite pleasantly. “Anywhere I want to go.”

  39

  When it Rains it Pours

  After talking to Roland at Hale Pua, Kiki was so upset she called an emergency practice at her house in Haena to keep her mind occupied. Unfortunately, because of the rain, Big Estelle, her mother, and Lillian were now stuck on the north side of the bridge and couldn’t go home.

  “I’m sick of practicing,” Flora announced. “No bettah anyway. Time for cocktails.”

  “I second that,” Little Estelle mumbled.

  “Is that all you can think about, Flora?” Lillian sniffed. “Really, you should have more self-discipline.”

  “Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere.” Kiki headed for the refrigerator in the corner of her outdoor entertainment area. Kimo’s latest project, the hula platform, was pronounced a success. So far, no one had tumbled off the edge.

  Little Estelle was parked on her Gad-About while the rest of them sat in white plastic chairs lined up along the covered hula platform watching it rain. Suzi filled them in on the conversation she and the others had with Roland at Hale Pua and their theory about Shark Lady’s involvement in Em’s abduction.

  “Funny she forgot to show him the safe room,” Kiki said.

  “That woman never forgets anything,” Suzi assured them. “Thank heavens Roland went to get the keys to search the place again.”

  “Hope he finds something that will clear Sophie,” Lil said. “When and if he makes it over the bridge.” Over the past hour, the rain had slowly let up and now the sun was struggling to show itself. “Hey, look at that. A rainbow.” Lillian pointed toward the mountain behind Kiki’s.

  “Finally,” Big Estelle grabbed her purse. “The bridge is bound to open soon. Let’s go, Mother.”

  “I’m not finished with my drink,” Little Estelle grumbled.

  “Suck it up and get a move on. I want to be the first one up the hill. Thanks, Kiki.” Big Estelle found her car keys and headed for the van. “I’m lowering the tail gate, Mother. Come on.”

  “I’m calling Roland,” Kiki announced. “See what’s up.” She talked to him a few seconds and hung up. “He’s stuck on the other side of the bridge at the substation but he says the river’s going down fast. He left a message for Leilani but she hasn’t called him back so he got a search warrant to enter Hale Pua without her.”

  Little Estelle handed Kiki her wine glass and revved the Gad-About while Big Estelle pulled their big white van closer. Everyone had assembled in the driveway. The rain had stopped but water was still dripping from the eaves of the house and leaves of the plants. The sun was fighting to break through.

  “Nice with no cars on the highway, eh?” Suzi looked up and down the empty road. “Like the old days.”

  Big Estelle lowered the lift and Little Estelle rolled aboard. As the lift was rising back into place, a black Mercedes sped into view.

  “Hey,” Suzi yelled, pointing at the car. “There goes Leilani.”

  All heads turned as Shark Lady’s car flew by.

  “Did you see that?” Lil said. “That looked like Em in the passenger seat. I know I saw someone with blond hair in there.”

  “Probably a client,” Big Estelle called out from the driver’s seat.

  “What if it was Em?” Kiki asked no one in particular.

  “Why would Em be with her?” Suzi wondered. “Unless…”

  “Only one way to find out.” Kiki grabbed the van door handle. “Everybody get in. Hurry!”

  They crowded onto the bench seats and grabbed their seat belts. Lillian kept yelling, “Click it or ticket!” Big Estelle managed a three point turn and took off heading north.

  “Step on it!” Little Estelle yelled from the back. “You drive like an old lady!”

  “Shut up, Mother.”

  “I get car sick, you know,” Lil warned as Big Estelle careened around a curve and everyone tilted to the left.

  “Have a sip. “ Flora tried to hand Lil the Gatorade bottle.

  “She’s already out of sight,” Kiki said. “If she turns off anywhere we’ll never find them.”

  They were flying along but the van was no match for the low-slung Mercedes and it quickly disappeared around a curve. When they started to pass Hale Pua, Kiki yelled stop.

  “Maybe she ducked in here.”

  Big Estelle backed up and turned into the drive. Everyone tilted right.

  “There’s no car here,” Lil said.

  Kiki opened the van door while they still were moving. “Pull up as close as you can get to the garage. I’ll stand on the front bumper and look in the garage window. Maybe she has the opener and already slid inside.”

  “Just like Batman.” Flora smiled and burped.

  40

  The Getaway Plan

  Em was in the passenger seat of the Mercedes with her bound hands in her lap, staring straight ahead. Leilani Cabral was as cool as someone nicknamed Shark Lady should be and her hands were steady on the wheel. Em wondered how anyone could stay so calm with a handgun clamped between her thighs.


  “Isn’t that kind of dangerous?” Em asked. “Keeping that gun down there?”

  “Actually, it’s kind of a turn on.”

  “You mind telling me why you’re doing this?”

  “Because everything was going perfectly well until you and your ridiculous friends started snooping around.” Leilani checked the rear view mirror and sped up.

  Em refused to show an ounce of fear even though she was scared out of her wits. She figured the best thing she could do was keep Leilani talking.

  “Why did you kill Harold?” she asked.

  Leilani smiled. “What makes you think I killed Harold?”

  “Well, the fact that you’ve abducted me—for the second time—is a pretty big hint.”

  “Both properties at Lumahai were in escrow when Uncle Harold found some old gravesites while digging up his pakalolo. I helped that ingrate make a truckload of money over the last few years but he blew through it gambling and then he had the nerve to try and blackmail me. Thank God Fernando had no idea what my uncle was yammering about. I was so furious at Harold—”

  “That you killed him.”

  “I hadn’t planned to. We were arguing in the garage when he slapped me. Him. Slapped me. He turned around and I blew. I grabbed his machete and hit him with it. Then I waited until everyone next door went inside for the luau and used his wheelbarrow to wheel him over and dump him into the imu. I wanted it to look like your uncle was involved—after all, their feud over Irene was legendary. So was the beef over the smoke. Everyone knew your crew called him the Smoke Monster. I’d heard all about it from Harold. It was easy enough to toss in the murder weapon and dump in the body. I went a back to the house, poured bleach all over the wheelbarrow and hosed it out. I propped it up where I found it before I split.”

  “But why kill Fernando? He’d already bought the house. He was bound to find out about the burial site soon enough.”

  “I wanted to delay construction for as long as I could. What better way than to get rid of Fernando? If that grave, or worse yet, multiple graves were found, one thing would lead to another and the Hale Pua escrow would be in jeopardy, too. Killing that peacock Fernando was easy. I told him one of his koi looked sick and when he bent over to check it out, I hit him in the back of the head with a rock and shoved him in the stream. Everyone started running around looking for that old woman on the scooter and things worked out better than I planned. I ducked out.”