Ukulele Murder: A Nani Johnson Aloha Lagoon Mystery (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 1)

by Leslie Langtry

  "Yeah." Todd relaxes a little. "Binny here says you're from Aloha Lagoon. Did they catch the guy who did this?"

  I shake my head. "Not yet. I knew Kua too." We need a premise for this conversation. We'd decided on the way here that I'd pretend to be connected to the dead uke player.

  "Some cop called," Todd says. "Says he's going to talk to me. Find out what I know. But he hasn't been here yet."

  So Todd has a phone. Just because we couldn't find a number doesn't mean he's disconnected. I'd bet he has a cell and no landline. I wonder how Detective Ray found the cell number.

  "He talked to me too," I say, leaving out the parts where he practically arrested me as the murderer. "He wanted to know if I knew anything. I just can't believe someone would kill Kua. Do you have any ideas?"

  I held my breath waiting for him to answer. It wouldn't be farfetched for this guy to clam up. But if I pushed a little, maybe he'd give us something to work with.

  Todd shrugs, his bland face revealing nothing. "He had a few enemies. Always going off on people if they weren't Hawaiian. Especially surfers."

  I already knew Kua was prejudiced. It was good news that he'd pissed surfers off. That could take the heat off of me. If Detective Ray would get up here and interview people.

  "Yeah, he had a temper," I nudge.

  "I never had any problem with anyone who isn’t native," Todd says. His expression softens now that he doesn't deem us a threat. Binny's attention might have something to do with that.

  "To me," he continues, "anyone who surfs, even the beginners, are paying homage to our ancestors and culture. Kua could be a jerk."

  Still no mention of possible suspects. How could we get him to talk?

  "How long have you known Kua?" I ask. "I've only known him about a year or so."

  Todd looks off at the waves, possibly concerned he's missing out. "All my life. He's my brah. Well, he was."

  Binny steps up her game, slipping her arm through his. "Do you know Pauli Keo? I think he lives around here."

  Todd gives up half a smile. That's something. "He's not a surfer. Plays guitar at a coffeehouse. I don't think Kua knew him." Todd gives us the address.

  So, Pauli must be connected to Leilani. We might kill two birds with one stone today.

  "See those guys?" He points down the beach to a group of men standing and staring at the sea. "They are pilau. Bad sort. They had a big fight with Kua a few days back. Said he stole their waves for the last time."

  I squint at the figures. We're too far to see them properly.

  Nick speaks up. "Is that a gang?"

  Todd nods. "Call themselves Sea Dogs. Dogs is about right though."

  "You don't get along with them?" Binny asks. She gives him a dazzling smile. Good girl.

  "No. They're bad. Get into trouble all the time. Like to beat up malihini just cuz they're not local. Not good."

  So they're violent, which makes them suspects in my book. The only problem is, none of them know me enough to frame me for Kua's murder, and the probability that they'd know Leilani enough to want to kill her is zip.

  It occurs to me that Alohalani is the only member of the Terrible Trio still alive. But he wasn't on the detective's list, so maybe he's not a suspect? No, I can't see it. He's the top musician on the island. He has no reason to kill Kua or Leilani. I push the thought out of my mind and try to focus on the business at hand.

  "Gotta go," Todd says as he ambles away. He's either done with us or has figured out that Binny isn't actually interested.

  "Mahalo!" Binny shouts after him. Hawaiian terms still trip me up. But Mahalo is so much prettier than “thank you.”

  "I wonder why he's on Detective Ray's list," Nick says. "He doesn't seem like a suspect."

  "What are we going to do about them?" I point to the Sea Dogs.

  "Nothing. At least nothing right now," Nick says. "Too dangerous. We can tell the detective about them, but I don't think we should investigate them on our own."

  Binny nods. "Some of these surfers are bad news. They wouldn't talk to us anyway. Let's go check out this Pauli guy."

  Ten minutes later we find ourselves in the coffeehouse Todd mentioned. It looks more like a dilapidated bar. We leave the bright sunshine outside as we walk into the stale darkness of the tavern.

  There aren't many people here. Just the bartender, a few locals at the bar, a couple of tourists at tables in front of a tiny stage where a lone guitarist sings folk songs.

  "I'll get the drinks," Nick says, pointing at a table near the back. "You guys go sit down."

  Binny and I sit at the table, and I turn my full attention to Pauli Keo. He's a young guy. Definitely part Japanese or Chinese, with long silky black hair and a slender but muscular body. He wears puka shells and an aloha shirt over khaki shorts.

  His voice is rough, deep, kind of like a growl. It reminds me of a Russian singer I used to listen to. It's a great blend with the music. He sings in Hawaiian, a song that Binny translates to be about a girl who dies and the young warrior so depressed that he throws himself into an active volcano. Cheerful stuff.

  "What do you think?" Binny asks over the din.

  "Because Todd doesn't think this guy knew Kua and he's on Ray's list, I'd say he's a connection of Leilani's. But then again, Todd knows him, so he could've known Kua too." Which would be great, because he'd be a reasonable suspect for both.

  Nick joins us with a pitcher of beer and a plate of poke, the popular raw fish appetizer. We dig in as we listen to the musician. I'm really getting into him. His unique voice and devotion to traditional music is hypnotic. That's a good thing—making it easy to stand out among the competition. The three of us sit there, saying nothing as we watch him finish his set.

  "I'm going to take a short break," he says, running his right hand through his hair. "Mahalo."

  We watch as the entertainer goes to the bar. The bartender hands him a drink and then points at us.

  "I bought him a drink for when he got on break." Nick winks at me. "I thought maybe he'd come to us." Nick is smart. If I don't go to jail, I'm definitely keeping him.

  Sure enough, the singer smiles as he brings his drink over to our table and pulls up a chair.

  "Mahalo, man." He shakes Nick's hand and gives us a warm grin. "Nice to have real music lovers at this dive."

  This guy can't possibly be connected to either Kua or Leilani. He's just too nice. I notice that he gives Binny the once-over before sliding his seat a little closer to hers. My friend smiles and doesn't say anything. She neither encourages nor discourages him. It seems to make him more interested. I never understood that, but Binny has it down. She can tell what a guy likes just by watching him. And this guy is definitely interested.

  We make introductions all around. For a split second, I think I see him frown when my name is mentioned, but it's possible I imagined that.

  "Aloha Lagoon, eh?" Pauli grins. "I've always wanted to work there. They have that amazing little tiki bar on the beach…what's it called?"

  "The Lava Pot," I say. "You should approach them. Definitely."

  No, please don't, I think. I don't need any more competition. With Kua's and Leilani's deaths, there will be more work for me. As soon as I think this, I regret it. Good thing I didn't say that out loud.

  "Especially now that we've lost two musicians in Aloha Lagoon in the last couple of days," Nick adds before taking a drink of his beer. Crap. Nick says what I'm thinking.

  Pauli's eyes settle on Nick. He seems to be appraising him.

  "I heard," Pauli says as he drains his glass. "Two ukulele players, right?"

  Binny nods, bringing his attention back to her. "It's so sad. I heard they were both murdered." Her face falls, and I see Pauli take it in. Oh, she's good.

  "That's a shame," he finally says. "Do they know who did it?" Again, I imagine his eyes are settling on me.

  I shake my head. "No. At least, we haven't heard anything."

  "You're a musician, aren't you?" Pauli cat
ches me off guard with this comment. He looks completely calm—as if that's a normal thing to ask someone.

  I sit back and smile. "Good guess. I studied at Julliard."

  "Really?" He looks interested, his eyes drilling into mine. "What instrument?"

  I hesitate for a second. "I started out with classical guitar. How did you know I’m a musician?" I'm not ready to say that I play ukulele.

  "You were watching my hands, not my face, when I played," he says, still focusing completely on me. "You still perform?"

  I shake my head. "Not anymore." Not a lie. I don't play guitar anymore. I only play uke. Somehow I have the gut feeling that telling him this would be a bad idea.

  "Right," Pauli says after a long drink. He doesn't believe me. "What brings you here from Aloha Lagoon? Scoping out the competition?"

  Ah. So that's it. He thinks I'm just making sure he won't take over my territory. Musicians are so territorial. Kind of like the mafia or drug lords, I guess. Only we slay with our music. Hmmm…I'd have to remember that joke. Maybe I could use it around Fat Mookie.

  "Just out for a drive," Nick says smoothly. He points at me. "Nani just moved here a year ago. She's starting to get island fever."

  Pauli nods. "That happens a lot. Not to me—I love it here. But I can understand mainlanders feeling that way. I once drove across the whole country in a week, from California to Maine. It amazes me that you can do that on the mainland."

  "It's kind of like Europe," Nick adds. "And there, the countries are much smaller. You can go from Paris to Berlin in mere hours."

  The two men start talking to each other very animatedly, so I lean over to Binny and whisper, "Island Fever?"

  "It's something people who move here from the mainland get. Being confined to a small island gets a bit claustrophobic. Many move back within a year."

  I sit back and think about that. I've never felt that way. Kauai is one big county with maybe 65,000-plus people. Just Wichita, in my home state, has six times that many people.

  I guess I'd never thought of it before. Growing up in a small city, miles away from anything else, prepared me for living here. It makes sense that some folks find the ocean surrounding the island to be confining. But I don't. I look out at the deep blue and think of the places I could go.

  "Isn't that right, Nani?" Nick is looking at me meaningfully. Uh-oh. What did I miss?

  "Sorry," I say, feeling the heat creep up into my cheeks. "I was daydreaming."

  Everyone laughs at that, so I relax. Maybe it wasn't something important.

  "Nick tells me," Pauli says, "that you play the ukulele. Why didn't you mention that earlier?"

  His eyes are on me. I'm being sized up as a competitor. I've never been comfortable with that. Perhaps it's time to fight fire with fire—find out why he's on the detective's list.

  "I don't know," I say. "I've been so distracted lately. With two of my colleagues brutally murdered, I'm worried I might be next." I throw in a little shrug and hope he buys it.

  "Scary." Binny nods. She looks at Pauli. "Did you know them? Kua Liu and Leilani O'Flanagan?"

  The musician hesitates for a second, but I notice it. "Yeah. I knew both actually. There aren't a lot of professional musicians living on the island. You kind of run into each other now and then."

  Pauli sits back. He doesn't give us enough information. He's probably on the detective's list for a reason, but for what?

  "You knew both of them?" Nick asks easily, as if it is the most normal question in the world. "Were you close?"

  I hold my breath because this could be the thing that shuts this suspect down. Pauli looks at each of us, lingering a bit too long on me. Does he think we are being too nosy?

  "Kua and I played a couple of gigs in the same place. I met Leilani a couple of years back. She'd just come back from the Big Island after living there a few years. I don't think it went well."

  I could barely contain myself. "What happened?" I thought Leilani had always lived here. I never heard about her living on Hawaii.

  Pauli shakes his head. "She didn't say. I dated her for like…one minute."

  My jaw drops. I couldn't help it. Someone dated that redheaded dragon lady?

  "I'm guessing your experience with her hasn't been the best," he says, studying me. It feels like I'm under a spotlight.

  "You're right," I admit. "Something about me rubbed her the wrong way."

  Nick and Binny don't say anything. Why aren't they saying anything?

  Pauli finally smiles. "Yeah, I can see that." He gets to his feet and thanks us for the drink. "I've got another set to do. Nice meeting you."

  "Did he just slam me?" I say under my breath as the musician walks away.

  "I don't know," Binny says thoughtfully. "I kind of took it to mean he knew Leilani could be awful."

  Nick shrugs. "I have no idea. It could be either or both."

  "So we have no idea why this guy is on the list." I sigh.

  "Not necessarily," Nick says. "He performed at the same places as Kua and briefly knew Leilani. His history is more with Kua."

  "Unless…" Binny brightens. "Unless he's throwing us off track and he really had more of a relationship with Leilani."

  "I'd kill her too if I was him," I say. "But that could be a red herring. I can't tell if he was honest with us or not."

  Pauli is back on stage, playing a slow ballad. This time, I study him. What's going on with this guy? He knew both of the deceased. He's a musician who'd love to play at Aloha Lagoon. That is a possible motive, but a bit extreme. Of course, Detective Ray thinks that's my motive.

  It could be that there was bad blood between him and Kua. I didn't like some of the people I graduated with. I could picture Kua bullying Pauli because he saw him as a threat. Or maybe they dated the same girl?

  Or he murdered Leilani because she was a complete psycho. He could've killed both of them. That would be very convenient. But is this man capable of that? I can't tell. Will Detective Ray think so? I'm not sure of that either.

  "What do you think?" Binny asks. "Is he our guy?"

  Nick shakes his head. "I don't know. And I don't think we're going to get anything more out of him today."

  It's getting late, so we decide to head back. As we talk on the drive back to Aloha Lagoon, I realize we have nothing so far. Nick is convinced that Pauli is suspicious. Binny thinks the Sea Dogs did it. I've got nothing.

  "I think this trip was a waste of time." I sigh as we pull into town. "We haven't really found anything."

  "Did you think we'd show up and they'd confess?" Nick asks.

  "Yes. That's exactly what I hoped would happen." I'm not kidding. That would've been awesome.

  Binny laughs. "There's always tomorrow. We have three people to interview tomorrow. Maybe we'll get lucky."

  Lucky. Right. If tomorrow goes like today—we'll be no further than we are, and I'll probably end up in jail.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We set out the next day with new hope. All night, as I tossed and turned in bed, I told myself to relax. It's early. Too soon to tell. And then I'd tell myself I was running out of time. If we didn't solve this, then I was going to be arrested. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

  But the sun shines brightly in the sky today, and Binny has brought malasadas, so things are looking up. As we climb back into Nick's beater and head to Lihue, I note the three people we are going to see.

  "Elizabeth Chen, Gina Perkins, and Bob Reed. These guys are our targets."

  "I looked them up last night," Binny says. I wish I'd thought of that. It would've been more productive than tossing and turning and imagining myself in an orange jumpsuit.

  "Elizabeth and Gina are roommates, so we can knock them out with one visit. Bob Reed runs a shave ice stand on the beach."

  I stare. "How did you find all that out?"

  "Facebook," Binny says. "You guys didn't think of that?"

  Nick shakes his head. "No. It never occurred to me. I'm not on Facebook."
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  This time, both Binny and I stare at him. "You're not on Facebook?" I ask.

  Who doesn't do Facebook in this day and age? My mom even has a page. She lists herself as single and "looking for men." She has four thousand nine hundred friends. All men.

  Nick shrugs. "What? I don't think it's a big deal."

  "How do you live?" Binny howls. "It's how I keep track of twelve aunties and uncles and forty-seven cousins. I'd never remember their birthdays if I didn't have that alert." She shakes her head. "Then there are all my high school and college friends, my surfer friends…"

  "Almost every venue on the island has a page. It's how I find out if they're looking for talent," I add.

  "I just don't think it's necessary," Nick says. "It's no big deal."

  Binny's mouth opens and closes multiple times…like a gasping fish.

  "Well, now you know what a good tool it is for investigations," I say.

  Nick decides to change the subject. "So Gina and Elizabeth are roommates. It's possible that they know Leilani. Bob works on the beach, so he probably knows Kua, right?"

  "We can't assume anything until we talk to them." But I do hope it's that easy.

  It's noon by the time we pull into Lihue. We decide to start with Bob Reed. It takes no time to find his beachside shave ice stand. As I order, I try to sum him up like a detective.

  Middle aged, balding, with a pot belly. Nice, friendly smile—a normal sort of guy. No bodies in his cooler, no sign saying I'm a Murderer.

  The sun is high, and people are crowding the stand. Binny grabs a picnic table, and we sit, sizing up our target as we eat.

  "What do you think?" Nick asks.

  "He's pretty old," Binny says.

  "I'd say we don't beat around the bush this time," I mumble. "Let's try the direct approach. See if that works?"

  Nick and Binny nod. We've got nothing to lose. After about 20 minutes, the crowd thins, and in another five, Bob Reed is alone.

  "Let me try this on my own," Nick says. "I think these guys are clamming up with three people interrogating them."

  "Fine," I say. "Binny and I will handle the girls." I'm actually relieved. I was starting to think the same thing. We got almost nothing out of the two men yesterday. I'd be intimidated if three strangers came up and started asking me odd questions about dead people.