Maui Murders

by Kathy Callahan

  Thinking of George, she wondered where he was; he was supposed to begin nailing plywood sheets up to the windows that looked out on the ocean. He had gone down the beach over an hour ago, and she knew he was checking on any windsurfers he could spot farther down the shore. George always worried about the windsurfers, such a scary sport but a beautiful sight to see them soar into the air. When they first saw the windsurfers, George confessed he was not up to the sport; although still in his twenties, he felt it took skill you learned at an early age.

  Annie stopped chopping, dried her hands, and walked out to their front lanai. She wore shorts and a loose-fitting T-shirt, figuring she would have to be dressed for any emergency after today; she purposely left off her bra, giving “the girls” a day of rest. She looked up the beach but no George. She wished he would come home; there was so much to do. The sky was overcast, and the large waves crashed with such force on the beach.

  Annie needed George and was proud that as they had grown older together, they had grown closer, more loving, and needier of each other’s touch. She had loved George for so long, she was surprised that once they retired and both their children and grandchildren were on the mainland, their love seemed to bloom once again.

  She had met George in her third year at Stanford; he was in his second year, being a year younger than her. She left her last class of the afternoon and was hurrying to get back to her sorority house. Her head was down as she moved quickly around other students and teachers. That was when she ran into George literally, head first right into his chest. Although Annie was five-foot-seven, she hit six-foot-four George in the chest. He was looking into a textbook with one hand and holding a Starbucks cup in the other. Both went flying, and George grabbed Annie around the waist to keep her from falling and began apologizing for his lack of attention. Annie looked up into laughing blue eyes and heard the soft, clear, melodious tone of his voice; she caught her breath. After assuring him she was all right, he insisted she accompany him back to Starbucks, and he would buy coffee or anything she wanted. She thanked him but explained she was not one of those gals who were into the jock thing. George admitted he was an athlete, but he was an alternate on the Stanford volleyball team and wondered if that counted in her “jock” book. He looked so distressed, and those blue eyes began to sway her, and then he grinned the cutest lopsided grin that grabbed at Annie’s heart. He introduced himself as George Boone, and she replied, “Annie Miller.” Neither one of them ever dated anyone else after that coffee; it seemed their meeting was fated. Neither looked back, only forward with their dreams and the deep love that developed between them.

  Annie went to Stanford because her father had graduated from there and insisted his daughter and only child should also attend his alma mater. Annie’s father had a degree in engineering and worked for Boeing in Long Beach where the family lived since before Annie was born. Annie would have been just as happy going to Long Beach State for her teaching credentials, but her father insisted and her mother had gone back to work when Annie was thirteen, with her salary going into a “send Annie to Stanford” fund. Annie’s graduation was a big thing for her parents, and she was proud to have made them so happy.

  They were thrilled with George; aside from getting an engineering degree, he had developed into a much heralded volleyball player, pleasing her father tremendously. George told them a year before Annie graduated that they were in love and would marry once he graduated and had a substantial job.

  Annie began teaching in the Santa Barbara Unified School District and loved helping young minds develop and learn; it was her calling, and she was an excellent teacher. Her students liked her, parents were thrilled by the way she was able to get through to their kids, and school management thought she was an excellent addition to their staff. Annie was not too well-liked by her fellow teachers. Jealousy could be one factor, but in reality, Annie was not the friendliest of people. She was the first to admit she was horrible at small talk and was often lacking in people skills; students and parents were fine, but her peers often found her standoffish. Around George, she was open in all things and never felt pressed into conversation. She felt a sense of relaxation and peacefulness around him she never felt around any other person, not even her parents.

  George had gone to several recruitment days prior to graduation, where interested companies were seeking Stanford engineer graduates. One recruiter had gotten his attention because it was a work source George had never envisioned. A representative from United Airlines was there looking for a graduate who would be part of a two-man team developing long runways for the island of Maui in Hawaii to handle the new larger jets that would be dropping off tourists to the island; along with the runways, adjustments in the entire system of baggage delivery, tourist delivery, and the biggest of all obstacles, the daily deliveries of necessities that everyone on the island depended upon. The representative assured the recruits he spoke with it would probably be a lifelong position, if they so desired.

  Both parents had helped plan a big wedding, which neither Annie nor George really wanted but made their parents happy. They were not so sure the news that George had accepted a position with United Airlines in Hawaii would make them happy. Annie was sorry to leave her school but knew kids in Hawaii would be as open to learning as kids in Santa Barbara with the right teacher, and Annie knew she was that teacher.

  After they were married, United Airlines shipped all their possessions to Maui. George had gone ahead and found a pleasant but small apartment for them in the city of Paia because it was close to the airport and had a homey feel. Annie liked the quaint town and started putting in her application for teaching. Although the first few years she did not teach directly in Paia, she was close enough to their apartment and the commute was easy.

  They decided to purchase a home as soon as possible; it would make a good investment, and besides, someday they wanted to start a family. George came home one Saturday afternoon after jogging and told Annie he had found the perfect home, right on the beach. Annie knew the prices and told him he was dreaming; they could not afford anything as expensive as beach property. George would not be deterred and phoned the agent to set up a viewing for the next day. Annie decided she wouldn’t fight it; besides, it would be fun to see what a luxury beach home looked like inside. Sadly, the former owner had let the home run down terribly. The inside was dirty, the appliances needed replacing, and all the walls needed Spackle and painting. The floors, beautiful hardwood, had been damaged possibly beyond repair. The front had a sweeping lanai that was too rotten to even walk on, and the back slider dropped off steeply to a driveway that ran behind the beachfront homes. They were appalled, not understanding how someone could let such a once lovely home turn into such a dump. The agent explained the owners lived on the mainland, and their two children, out of high school for two years, had lived there, partying and bumming around.

  There was a silver lining; there had been no offers on the house, and the owner was anxious to sell the home and not spend any money on repairs. The agent told George and Annie she thought she could get them into the home for about $155,000. Annie teetered; George did his lopsided grin and told the agent if she could get it down to $150,000, they would have a deal. They scrimped and saved for several years, and as both their salaries escalated, they saw their way to remodeling and, best of all, adding children to their home. Now that good deal George had gotten for $150,000 was worth over a million dollars, and to Annie, it was her dream home.

  She walked to the end of the lanai that gave her the best view farther up the beach. She spotted a tall, lean, shirtless man half-jogging, half-walking headed her way. As he got closer, she waved; he stopped, looked up, waved back, and gave her his lopsided grin. Damn, she loved that man. He really hadn’t changed that much, still lean and, for his age, still solid. That curly brown hair was now silver with curls at the back, and there was far less of it then when they first met. He seemed to always be a soft
tan color, which only highlighted his silver hair. And those laughing blue eyes, although still laughing, found themselves behind glasses. George’s large hands had made him an outstanding volleyball star at Stanford; Annie called them his bear paws. She loved the gentleness of their caress and how safe she felt when she was in their grip. Annie sighed and drew herself away from the lanai and back into the kitchen to her vegetables and her list of to-dos before the storm hit.

  George was enjoying jogging with the surf crashing on the shore and the strong wind blowing; it was invigorating and stimulating. The storm clouds were intermixed with white cotton-ball clouds that hung low above the waves. He looked up and saw his Annie waving from their lanai; he grinned and waved back at her, admiring the trim, sexy grandmother that was his wife.

  He recalled the first time he laid eyes on her; she was engaged in a conversation with a girl his best friend at Stanford was dating. He turned to his friend and declared that was the woman he was going to marry. His friend reminded him there were several brothers at the house that were psychiatry majors, and perhaps he should make an appointment with one of them. George asked his friend to find out who she was, what house she was affiliated with, and anything and everything he could about his wife-to-be. The next afternoon he got a report that her name was Annie Miller, and she was a year ahead of them. She was a real brain, on the dean’s list. She was at their sister sorority, the one associated with their own fraternity. George could not believe he had never seen her before until he was told she was not social. She was truly into her studies, she dated a few times but nothing serious, and no rumors had ever gone around about Annie Miller.

  George secretly began to follow her around and devised a plan to accidentally bump into her; today he would be a stalker. He had the exact day planned a week in advance. Two hours before they would accidentally bump into each other, he purchased a large cup of coffee from Starbucks and drank about three-fourths of it. As he approached Annie, he held the lidless coffee outward in one hand as he appeared to be reading a book in his other hand. The moment arrived and his plan worked perfectly. They had coffee together and agreed to a date the following weekend. Three weekends after that and quite a few sensual kisses later, George asked Annie if she would go away with him for a weekend. She agreed, and he raided his savings account to pay for a weekend at one of the many romantic inns in the area. George knew Annie was a reserved, somewhat shy person, and he would have to tread carefully when it came to their romantic liaison. When they arrived at their cabin, George confessed that the moment he saw her, he had decided he was going to marry her. Annie said that was great, walked up to George much to his dismay and pleasure, and began unbuttoning his shirt. George learned that weekend that shy, reserved Annie was anything but that in bed. She was shy and reserved and told him the only two places she excelled were the classroom and the bedroom.

  George bounded up the lanai stairs, through the backdoor to the kitchen. Annie turned from the sink and, with one hand on her hip, said, “George, you’ve got to begin nailing plywood up to the windows.”

  George grinned and grabbed her around the waist, saying, “The only thing I want to nail at the moment is you!”

  “George!” Annie exclaimed. “What’s gotten into you?”

  “It’s the storm, the surf, it’s exhilarating, brings out the animal in me, which, of course, led me directly to you,” George said, drawing her even closer as he cupped her head in his hand and kissed her lustfully. With his other hand, he reached up under her T-shirt and pulled back, saying, “Honey, you’re not wearing a bra.”

  “I figured I would have one on straight for the next few days, in case we have to evacuate, so I’m taking a little breather.”

  George grunted, “Huh,” as he began lifting her T-shirt.

  “George, what are you doing?” Annie exclaimed, pushing his hands and T-shirt back down.

  “I wanted to feel those lovely breasts next to my bare chest,” George said, looking innocently into Annie’s eyes.

  “In front of the kitchen window? I don’t think so.”

  “Oh,” George replied, crestfallen. Looking over Annie’s shoulder, he said, “Do you ever get the urge to make love someplace wild and exciting?”

  Annie turned and followed George’s gaze, then exclaimed, “George, are you looking at our dining room table? My god, this storm has made you crazy! That’s open to the world through the back lanai windows.”

  George grinned, asking, “We could close the curtains.”

  Annie shook her head, turned, and grabbed George’s hand, leading him through the kitchen and dining room to the bedroom.

  George gladly followed his wife.

  CHAPTER 6

  A clap of thunder woke George; he rolled over to find Annie sitting up on her side of the bed, her hands hugging herself.

  “Honey, what’s the matter?” he asked.

  “I have this horrible feeling of foreboding.”

  George felt sure it was storm-related and put his arms around her, pulling her into him. “Sweetheart, don’t worry about this storm. We’ve secured things as best as we can. This is just a house. It has many memories, and we’ve packed a lot of those memories into the Jeep, ready to go if we have to leave quickly. The main thing we have to worry about is us. This house and most everything in it can be replaced, we can’t.”

  George held Annie until she went back to sleep, but now it was his turn to feel uneasy. He recalled the first time she had one of her feelings; she was cleaning the breakfast dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. He was rounding up the kids to drop them off at school on his way to work when Annie spotted Sally Rogers riding her bike on the street. A car turned onto the street, and Sally ran into the side of the car. One broken arm and two distraught parents later, Annie confessed to George that the night before, she had woken up with this terrible feeling of dread and had carried it with her all morning. Now she knew why. There were several other occasions where Annie had those feeling, and usually, something had happened that bore her feelings out.

  The next morning George was up before Annie; he thought her anxiety from the previous night had worn her out and she was sleeping late. He could feel the change in the air, much heavier than the night before. He decided to get the plywood sheets up to the lanai windows right away. Going to their closet, he got his work shorts, T-shirt, heavy socks, an old pair of high-top hiking boots now used for working around the house and went into the bathroom to change.

  A year after retiring, they couldn’t decide whether to go on a cruise through the Panama Canal or have central air-conditioning installed. Each had both pros and cons, and it was truly a toss-up which one they would decide upon. So they did the only thing two well-educated people could do: they wrote “Canal” on a three-by-five card and “Air” on another. Folded them, placed them in a coffee can, and asked their neighbor, Mr. Soo, to draw for them. He picked the “Air” card, and air-conditioning was installed and used often, with Mr. Soo a frequent visitor when muggy weather arrived. George shut the bathroom window and the windows in the other two bedrooms. He quietly walked back into their bedroom and closed the slider, then walked over to the bed and threw a sheet over his wife and quietly walked out of the bedroom.

  In the hallway, he turned the air-conditioning on, went to the kitchen, and started the coffee, a chore Annie usually handled. He walked down the back lanai stairs to the garage and got a coffee can of long nails and a hammer. Back inside the house, he felt the cool air coming out of the vents and knew it would be short-lived; the storm would soon take its toll on everyone’s electricity, but they could enjoy it while it lasted. George wouldn’t start nailing until Annie was up; he didn’t want to wake her. He had coffee, fruit, and yogurt, hoping Annie would fix him a big breakfast after he finished nailing the plywood sheets up to the lanai windows. He was putting his things in the dishwasher when Annie sleepily walked into the dining room.r />
  “George, how long have you been up?”

  “About forty-five minutes,” he replied, pouring a cup of coffee, handing it to her as she sat at the counter.

  Annie accepted the coffee and reached her arms up to George’s neck, pulling him down for their good morning kiss.

  “Yum,” Annie said. “You look sexy in your work clothes. All ready to start pounding?”

  “Yup,” George said, “I was waiting until you got up. Didn’t want to wake you, thought you needed the sleep after last night.”

  “I’m sorry about that, honey. I hate it when I get those feelings. I hope I didn’t keep you from getting back to sleep.”

  “No problem,” he said, smiling down at her. “Well, off to the dreaded nailing task.”

  “Honey, I left a message on Mitsu’s phone that I would come and pick up a big can of Yuban early this morning. I told her to put it on the counter, and I would leave the money under her money rock. She could put any change in the charity jar. After I finish my coffee, I’m going to get dressed and walk up to the market, then come right back home. I thought they might be sleeping as I’m sure they got in late last night or early this morning. By the way, thanks for turning the air on. It looks hot and humid out there.”

  “Damn, Annie!” George exclaimed. “Why didn’t you think of this sooner? I hate that you are going to walk up those slippery stairs in this wind. Don’t wait much longer. It will be raining soon. I get upset when you do things like this. I worry about you so much.”

  Annie got up and grabbed George around the middle, hugging him to her. “I’m sorry. I’m scared I’ll run out of coffee. No telling how many people we’ll end up feeding. and I don’t dare run out of coffee. George, you know you do not want to be around me when I don’t have coffee.” She kissed him again, hoping to smooth things over.

  Twenty minutes later, Annie, dressed in shorts, T-shirt, and an old pair of running shoes with a rain parka thrown over her, went to the lanai to tell George she was leaving and check on his progress. He had raised and secured the retractable stairs to the beach and had three windows covered. He stopped and came inside. “Annie, where’s your cell phone?”