Maui Murders

by Kathy Callahan

  Donnie was anxious to report the good news about Lester Phillips. He thanked Chief Burton and ended the call as quickly and politely as he could.

  “Charlene, can you please phone two members of the city council and the merchant’s committee? I need to get with them about the excellent recommendation I’ve received on Mr. Phillips. It sounds like he’s just what Paia needs,” Donnie said enthusiastically.

  The meeting was scheduled for noon the next day. The two city council members and the committee agreed with Donnie that once everything was cleared through the county sheriff, he should make an offer to Lester Phillips. Four weeks later, he got approval from the county sheriff’s office.

  Donnie e-mailed Lester Phillips, telling him the job was his if he still wanted it and to reply back, giving Donnie a convenient date so he could make arrangements for him to fly to Maui and see Paia for himself at the city’s expense.

  Six hours later, he received a reply from Phillips, saying he thought the deal was off the table because of the length of time since he last heard from Mayor Munson. He had packed up his things, had sold his home with furnishings, and was in the process of moving to a warmer climate. He said he would take the job as described and was available to be on any flight Mayor Munson could arrange, the sooner, the better.

  Donnie e-mailed Phillips right back that he would put Charlene Griffin in charge of getting him and his things to Maui and arrange for him to be picked up at the airport. He told him he could depend on her to get him to a warmer climate as soon as possible.

  Donnie phoned Charlene and explained what he needed her to do and arrange a meeting for tomorrow between the two council members and the committee so he could announce the good news. Relief swept over Donnie, now feeling he would be able to look back on his tenure with pride, knowing he had made a difference to his beloved Paia.

  CHAPTER 3

  Layla Madison Morgan Richfield had never experience such excruciating pain before and welcomed every breathtakingly painful moment. This was motherhood; the sweet, devastating pain that was necessary to bring new life into the world. Layla and Kyle’s beautiful baby daughter was about to make an entrance. Layla was glad to accept this burden of pain because her little girl would be the start of a real family for her and Kyle, something Layla had always dreamed of, a real family. She would see to it that theirs was a good family with lots of love, hugs, kisses, and words of encouragement; things Layla had never gotten from the globe-trotting Morgans, things Layla had missed growing up in the huge penthouse in Manhattan or the sprawling mansion in the Hamptons. Layla knew nannies and servants and people whose job it was to tend to her every need and whim, but she wanted her parents to love her and let her know they were grateful she had been born.

  Most thought Layla had a charmed life, born into one of the old-money families of America. Fair-skinned with light soft curly hair and haunting deep blue eyes, she had excelled in everything she did; she knew she was only trying to please and get the attention of her parents. To everyone else, she seemed too perfect. To Layla, it was her cry for parental love. In college and graduate school, she was at the top of her class in grades, as was expected. Her degree in art history led her into art restoration, a field she loved, being surrounded by beautiful art her whole life.

  Layla had known Kyle Jeffers Richfield her whole life; from the same background, they always saw each other at various functions. One day, she ran into him on a trip to Washington, DC. He was at Georgetown Medical Center getting his doctor’s degree. They grabbed a quick coffee and made plans for dinner the following evening. Their dinner turned into a discussion that lasted into the early morning hours, each sharing their dreams and ambitions. Layla left Washington with a new feeling for Kyle Richfield. She and Kyle both wanted a family; he too was an only child and wanted to give his doting parents a grandchild. She envied Kyle’s childhood, so different from her own; he had loving parents that encouraged him to be his own person. Although the family wealth was in banking, they were proud their son had entered the field of medicine. She hoped she would be seeing Kyle again during the holiday season and imagined she would; their paths always crossed at various parties and events that time of year. A week before one of the big parties, Kyle phoned, asking her if he could escort her to the party. She immediately said yes; the Morgan-Richfield romance began, and two years later, theirs was the ultimate in lavish weddings.

  The honeymoon had been a quick five-day trip to a high-end Caribbean resort catering to newlyweds. Layla wasn’t a virgin, and her times with Kyle left her feeling lovemaking was not one of his strong points. She thought he had other things on his mind and decided it was the stress of obtaining a medical degree. Kyle was doing his internship at Georgetown Medical and decided he would stay on staff there. Aside from a medical school and renowned hospital, it was also an outstanding research facility. Kyle had gone into the field of anesthesiology, following his good friend from the beginning of medical school, Kim Okamoto. Kim, from the island of Maui in Hawaii, had chosen anesthesiology because so few doctors were doing research in the field, and he believed there were large strides to be made, along with large sums of money. Kim’s parents ran a small grocery store in the city of Paia on the north shore of the island. They worked many long hours to afford Kim the opportunity at Georgetown Medical, and Kim wanted to repay them. He hoped within the next five years to be able to make enough money through research and development for his parents to sell their grocery store and enjoy their remaining years work free.

  Kim came into Layla’s room and squeezed her hand to assure her he was there when she needed him. Kim was her anesthesiologist; Kyle, the husband/father-to-be, was not allowed to administer to Layla. Layla smiled at Kim as another contraction assaulted her body. Immediately thereafter, Kim received a page to report to his office stat. Kim told her there was plenty of time for him to run to his office and be back before the baby was ready to make an appearance. He told her Kyle should be finishing up in emergency and would be with her shortly.

  Layla felt alone and scared, but she knew soon her daughter would be there for her to love, and the loneliness of a doctor’s wife would be replaced with the joys of motherhood.

  Kyle left Kim’s office going to the nurses’ station, requesting Kim be paged to come to his office stat. When Kim arrived, he asked Kyle why the hurry, and Kyle told him Mr. Tashika had phoned to change their teleconference meeting time to 3:00 p.m., which only gave them fifteen minutes to get their notes together, fresh ties and lab coats on, and ready their pitch to Mr. Tashika of Pollack Pharmaceuticals. Both Kyle and Kim had plans for research using Pollack Pharmaceutical grant funding, which would be coming their way if they could convince Mr. Tashika of their research goals. Kyle asked Kim how Layla was doing and was told she had a good hour of labor and not to worry. Kim stepped out to the nurses’ station, saying he and Kyle would be on an overseas consultation and no calls or pages, as the consultation was regarding a high-level government official of a foreign country, a tale he and Kyle had devised to avoid interruptions.

  Layla knew something was wrong; there had been no contractions in nearly five minutes, and she felt terrible pain in her abdomen. She rang for the nurse, and when she arrived, Layla relayed her concerns. After checking the monitor, the nurse left, saying she was going to get the doctor. Layla knew her baby was in trouble. She prayed for Kyle to come into the room, to hold her hand, to console her, to show concern about their child. Once again, she was alone and needing someone who never seemed to be there, and an old familiar loneliness crept into Layla’s heart.

  When the doctor arrived and looked at the monitor, he told Layla her baby was in distress, and they would be taking her in for a C-section immediately. Layla begged him to find Kyle; she needed him with her and their baby. The doctor instructed the nurse to have both Kyle and Kim paged stat. As Layla was wheeled into surgery, she prayed to God to save her baby girl and to bring Kyle to her side. Kim
, she needed Kim too; where was everybody? Layla could not understand what was happening and felt panic growing by the second as she neared the massive doors to surgery.

  When she awoke, Layla was assailed by the cold of the recovery room. She reached to pull the covers up and found tubes running into her veins. She felt her stomach; her baby was gone, replaced by a huge bandage, and a sudden fear jumped into her heart. Where is my baby? Where is my husband? Is the world gone, and am I all that is left?

  Silently, Kyle walked into the recovery room and stroked her forehead. He smiled down at her and asked how she felt. The only thing Layla wanted to know was “Where’s our daughter? Is she all right?”

  Kyle took her hand gently into his and cast his eyes downward. He explained to her, they did not get to the baby in time, and she had died in surgery. The umbilical cord had been twisted around her neck, and she had been too long without oxygen. Layla could not grasp what Kyle was saying; she only wanted her baby. Slowly, Kyle’s words penetrated her mind, and Layla realized her dream of a family was not to be; her daughter would never know the love Layla had to give. Kyle said he would leave her to rest and be back later; he was going to console Kim who had become distraught at not getting the page sooner. Kyle squeezed her hand and walked out of the recovery room. Layla knew he blamed her for losing their daughter and did not want to be in the room with the woman who could not delivery their daughter into the world.

  Kyle and Kim felt terrible about the loss, but they were elated that the Pollack Pharmaceutical deal had gone through. Their future as leaders in the field of anesthesiology would be assured, and other babies could be made at a more opportune time.

  Eight months had passed since the loss of the baby. Kyle and Kim had done important research and published a paper on a new drug-injection technique using a drug Pollack Pharmaceutical was already producing. This new drug-delivery technique would bring in millions to Pollack and sealed the success of Kyle and Kim in the field of anesthesiology research. In a week, they were to be honored in Honolulu, Hawaii, at a pharmaceutical convention that would bring acclaim to both them and Pollack. Kyle had insisted that Layla attend with him, saying the sun and warmth would do her good. She was still on leave from her job and had grown reclusive. Her stunning youthful appearance had now become bleak and severe. She wore her once fluffy hair pulled back tightly in a bun, and her lively blue eyes were dull and lifeless. Her complexion was pale, and she had lost fifteen pounds, making all her clothes hang on her like ill-fitting hand-me-downs. Still not venturing outside their apartment, Layla had shops deliver clothing for her to try on and selected suitable items for the Hawaiian climate.

  Kim had talked Kyle into spending a week in Maui in the city of Paia where they could all relax. He thought his mom would be good for Layla to help her through her mourning period. They boarded a jet to Los Angeles, then onto Oahu and their hotel in Honolulu.

  After their second day in Honolulu, there was a possible hurricane watch issued for the islands. The first chance it would hit the islands was six days away, giving them plenty of time to make the big dinner where both Kyle and Kim would be introduced and another day to get to Maui to ride out the storm.

  CHAPTER 4

  Wind blew through the open hotel lobby as the three made their way into the convention dining room; Layla walked between Kyle and Kim with her arm through Kyle’s for support. She looked chic in a strapless pale blue silk sheath. She wore low-heeled silver sandals, carried a small silver designer purse, and her only jewelry, diamond stud earrings. Her makeup was a hint of blush, mascara, and pink lip gloss. She looked model thin, New York sophisticated, and unapproachable. Both men looked handsome in their tuxedos and walked with strides of self-assurance.

  Kim had invited his mother and father who were already seated when the trio arrived at the table. Introductions were made, and Kim sat next to his father, Layla sat next to Kim’s mother, and Kyle next to Layla. Layla knew she was supposed to keep a conversation going with Kim’s mother, but she didn’t feel up to the rigors of talk with a total stranger.

  Mitsu Okamoto smiled at Layla and grabbed her hand as she was placing her napkin in her lap. Mitsu said, “I know what you have been through. Kim told me about the loss of your daughter. I too lost my first child. I was only four months along, so my loss was different from yours, but I still have the ache in my heart for that child. My husband and I were just starting our market, and we were working so hard. We were doing all the manual labor ourselves, along with tending to our customers. I was very sick the first three months and was not taking proper care of myself. I began to feel better in the fourth month, and then a terrible pain seized me as I was reaching to place something on an upper shelf. That is when I lost our baby.”

  Mitsu’s grip tightened on Layla’s hand, and she looked sadly into her eyes.

  “Two years later, I became pregnant with Kim. My husband would not let me work in the market. I rested, ate well, and had a healthy baby boy. What I want to say to you is that you will have another baby, and things will be different. Get your body and mind healthy, and you and your husband can try again to bring a baby into your family.”

  Layla squeezed Mitsu’s hand and smiled a sad knowing smile. “Thank you for sharing your loss with me. I hope, in a few years, Kyle and I can try again for a baby. You’re right, I have to get both my body and mind healthy first.”

  Mitsu’s phone gave a gentle ring; she answered, speaking Japanese, and looked at her husband with a worried grimace on her face. She related something to her husband, then turned to Layla, saying, “That was my cousin’s son, who works at the airport in Maui. Because of crosswinds, it is anticipated the airport will close down at 1:00 a.m. This means unless we catch the 11:00 p.m. to Maui, we will be stranded in Oahu until the winds have quieted. We have to open the market tomorrow. We have customers depending on us to open before the storm gets worse. My husband and I will leave as soon as the speech honoring your husband and our son is finished. You and Kyle should also leave. I would feel safer if you were in Maui, and I could look in on you both.”

  Layla grabbed Kyle’s arm and told him she was going up to their room to pack and change their plane reservations and they would leave on the 11:00 p.m. flight with Mr. and Mrs. Okamoto. Kyle was surprised; he wasn’t used to Layla being so firm, and he planned to celebrate with Kim and some of his doctor friends. However, he realized Layla asked for so little, and things had been so hard for her these last months, he agreed to her request.

  The flight from Oahu to Maui qualified as a theme park adventure ride. Everyone was grateful to place their feet on the solid ground of Maui. A light rain was falling and gusts of wind made the rain whirl in all directions. Kyle insisted the Okamotos ride with them to Paia instead of waiting for their relative to get off work. Gratefully, his offer was accepted. Kyle got their SUV rental, loaded everyone and their luggage inside, and drove the few miles to Paia.

  On the ride to the market, Mrs. Okamoto commented on Kyle and Layla’s luck to rent Joe Wong’s home. It was one of the nicest rentals in the area and had a beautiful ocean view. Although she conceded, it might be a little frightening if the storm made it to hurricane proportions. At the market, Kyle helped the Okamotos with their luggage as the rain came down harder and the wind picked up steadily.

  While Kyle assisted the Okamotos, Layla noticed what appeared to be a drunk homeless man asleep under a side awning of a local bar. How anyone could sleep through the noise of the wind, she could not fathom; besides, it appeared he was getting wet from the rain. Poor soul, she wondered what sadness he had endured to be in such a state.

  When Kyle got back in the car, he said the Okamotos had given him simple directions to the Wong home: down the hill to their right, last house on the left. Kyle parked under an open connected carport and got their luggage upstairs and inside.

  Kyle sat on a kitchen barstool with a towel, drying his hair and face. Layla
looked closely at him and commented he looked a tad green. He said he felt green between the rich dinner, the roller-coaster ride to Maui, toting luggage upstairs in two homes, combined with the wind and rain; he felt queasy. He suggested they leave things packed for the night and go to bed. Layla said she wanted to clean her face and find a long T-shirt to wear to bed. Kyle went to the bedroom, undressed, and crawled into bed with a slight moan.

  Layla liked the sound of the wind and roar of the surf as it crashed onto the shore below. She walked out onto the lanai and decided that it was too close to the crashing surf. She went back inside, leaving the slider open to the sound and smell of the ocean. The night air was warm; she curled up on the sofa to take in the fury of the storm.

  Nighttime, when she felt so lonely, so vulnerable, when an arm around her shoulder would save her from all the emptiness she felt, an arm that never seemed to be there.

  CHAPTER 5

  Annie Boone stood at the kitchen sink, cutting stalks of celery into pieces and placing them in a storage bag which, when the electricity went out because of the storm, would be placed in one of five ice chests. Annie was at her best when planning things, and she made quite a few contingent plans when she heard a tropical storm or hurricane might hit the islands: one container for fruit and vegetables, one for dairy products, one for bottled water, one for condiments, and the biggest one for meat. Two weeks ago, she purchased $400 worth of meat, an excellent purchase—prime steaks, chops, hamburgers, and free-range chickens—except now it would have to withstand ice-chest storage or be grilled once power is lost. George teased her, saying her great bargain just might have caused the hurricane. Annie did not find much humor in his joke.