When the police walked me to the front of the department's offices earlier, I noticed a long, bloody trail that started about halfway down the hall in the other direction, back to Alohalani's office. That had to be where it happened. He was attacked in that spot. But by whom?
The police will think this a pretty open-and-shut case. They had me, red handed, at the scene of the crime. This is it. I'm not going to be Alohalani's mentee. We are never going to play together with the ukulele greats. I wonder if they'll let me bring an instrument to prison? Unlikely, since they think I killed Kua with a uke.
"Is there anyone we can call for you?" A policewoman stands in front of me. Her face is soothing, comforting.
"Um…" I struggle to hold it together. "I drove here."
She shakes her head. "I don't think you should drive like this. You're in shock."
I am? Well that makes sense. That explains the fogginess. But who to call? Mom is probably three sheets to the wind by now. Binny is on a plane to the Big Island. There's only one person.
"Nick Woodfield," I say as I hand the officer my phone. My fingers feel too clumsy to dial it myself.
The woman nods and, after pulling the name up, dials. I barely hear her speak. It comes across as a garbled mumble. I stare at the wall across from me, trying to make sense of everything.
It all happened so fast. I think about the open window. Had the killer been just outside and thought he was going to be revealed? That might be something. And the white car from earlier. The one I thought I should know. Was that the killer following me here?
Which begs the thought—was I the target? Maybe the killer was going to take me out, but when he saw where I was going, decided to continue with the plan to frame me by killing Alohalani. If the killer was eavesdropping outside the window, he heard that Alohalani thought he knew who killed Kua and Leilani. The murderer then made the call to the teacher's office, asking him to come down the hall. And that's when and where he struck.
It was so easy to frame me yet again. I'd walked right into it. Led a killer to the perfect time and place for a murder. Why hadn't I thought of this before? I'm so stupid.
"Miss Johnson?" Detective Ray is standing there, looking down at me.
"Nani!" Nick appears in the doorway.
He rushes to my side. "Are you okay?"
That was awfully quick.
"Mr. Woodfield." The detective narrows his eyes. "Would you take Miss Johnson down to the police station? She's not under arrest, but I do want to talk to her."
Nick nods and helps me to my feet. We leave before the policeman can change his mind.
"What happened?" Nick asks once we're in the car. "I got a call from the police telling me to come to the community college because there'd been a murder."
I tell him everything. All of it, leaving nothing out. It's like a rehearsal for what I'll tell Detective Ray later. About the clue. About the professor wanting to take me under his wing. Everything.
Nick pulls off the side of the road and stops the car. He throws his arms around me, holding me close. He's just come from work and smells of grass clippings and green things. It's nice. It's soothing. And I just melt into him.
After a few minutes, he pulls away and searches my face. "Should I call your mom?"
"What? No!" I croak. My voice is breaking. It's all too much. "She'd just show up and make it worse."
"Binny?" he asks.
I shake my head. "She's on her way to a family thing."
Binny would drop everything and come back if she knew. But it isn't necessary. She could visit me in prison. Wow. My thinking has gone from zero to bleak in seconds.
Nick starts the car again and pulls away from the curb. "I'll be there for you. And I think you should tell the detective everything. Absolutely everything. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."
I nod because he's right. We should never have taken it this far. Alohalani is dead because of me. Because I went to see him.
"This might not be the right time to tell you," Nick says. "But Kua's funeral is tomorrow morning. Leilani's is the next morning."
"And Alohalani's is going to be soon." I feel awful. That poor man. I'll never get that image out of my head.
"Do you want to go?" Nick asks gently. "You don't have to. Nobody would think badly of you if you don't."
"What will people think if I don't go?"
"We shouldn't worry about that."
I throw my hands up. "It doesn't matter anyway. I won't be able to go. I'll be in jail in a few hours."
"No you won't," Nick says. "I already called our family attorney. He's ready in case they do arrest you."
I turn to look at him. "Why would you do that? You barely know me?"
Nick smiles. "Because I like you. I like you a lot. And I want to help."
I let his comments percolate. I hope it's true. But what if it's not? What if Binny's right? I hardly know Nick. I just met him only moments after finding out Kua was dead. And he's been by my side ever since. It does seem weird.
Okay, so he's moving too fast. Does that make him a bad guy? I really like him. He just came into my life at a crazy time. He shouldn't be punished for that.
I lean back against the seat and close my eyes. I give up thinking for now. Let someone else do the thinking. Pretty soon, I'll be at the police station. A place I probably won't be leaving. Might as well enjoy my freedom as much as I can for the minutes I have left.
So much for Hawaii. So much for paradise. I should've stayed in Kansas.
"We're here," Nick says, and I feel the car stop.
I open my eyes and see that we are parked at the coffee shop across from the police station.
"I thought you might like something to eat and drink before you head over to talk to the detective," Nick says. His eyes are searching mine, looking for what he can do to help.
I nod, and he gets out of the car and runs inside. I'm just about to slip into sleep when he climbs back into the car, holding a bag and two steaming cups of Kona coffee. The aroma is intoxicating, and I hear my stomach rumble. I haven't eaten anything since this morning.
"Actually I'd like a Get Out of Jail Free card, please," I say as I open the bag. Donuts! Real donuts! The kind I'd get back home. I might have to skip from liking Nick to loving him.
"I'm so sorry this happened." Nick frowns. "I should've gone with you to interview Alohalani."
I shake my head. "He would've been uptight if you'd come. Going alone was the only way. The only thing that might've changed is, and this is if the killer was following me, Alohalani might be alive—if I didn't go see him."
"Whoa, hold on there." Nick shakes his head. "This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."
"I think the Terrible Trio—now the Dead Trio—would disagree with you."
"If you think I'm letting you see the detective with that attitude, you're crazy," Nick insists. "Besides, Alohalani told you he wanted to see you. It's not all on you, Nani."
"I'll tell him that. Like you said—I'll tell him everything. All of it. From the white car to the dying professor."
We eat in silence for a few moments. My brain begins at last to clear. I'm a little more focused on a full stomach. This isn't good—but it is better.
"What was it about the white car that made you notice it?" Nick asks. He looks so nice. Like a white knight in shining armor on Christmas Day. I'll miss that in prison.
I shrug. "I don't know. It was too far behind me to see the plates or the driver. It just made me think I'd seen that car before."
"Do you know anyone with a white car?"
"Lots of people. Maybe a dozen or so. It's a common color here."
"That's true. You said the window in Alohalani's office was open. And you think the murderer was listening outside?"
"I have no proof. There's no way of knowing if that happened. It's just a theory."
"It's a good one," Nick muses. "In fact, I think that's exactly what happened. The killer followed you.
Hid under the window and heard the professor say he knew who killed Kua and Leilani. Maybe something in the clue he gave you tipped the killer off. And he had a perfect chance to frame you for this murder too."
I groan. "So now the murderer will either kill me next or continue to frame me. I'll end up dead or on death row. Neither of these are good options for me."
Nick thinks. "I wonder if the detective will let me sit in with you."
"No idea, but I think it's unlikely."
"I'm at least going to try." Nick tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "I convinced you that we needed to investigate on our own."
Detective Ray pulls up at the station across the street and gets out of his car. He glances our way but makes no effort to acknowledge us. I watch as he goes in.
"It's time." I undo my seat belt and step out of the car.
Nick nods. "Let's go."
An hour later, the detective leans back in his chair. I'm seated in front of him, and Nick is standing, crammed into the back corner. He has to stand because of the lack of chairs. He doesn't seem to mind or even notice how insanely messy this office is. Maybe it's a guy thing.
"That's quite a story, Miss Johnson," Detective Ray says.
But does he believe it?
"It's the truth, I'm afraid. I feel terrible that this happened." And I do. I wish more than anything that Alohalani was still alive. And not just because his murder implicates me.
"So the professor was going to tell me who he thought killed the other two?" The detective frowns as if he can't get his head around the idea.
I nod. "That's what he said."
"And his clue to you allegedly was"—he looks at his notes—"'it's not what you think. If you're looking at strangers, you're looking in the wrong place.'"
"That's what he told me." I feel like a parrot, repeating the same thing over and over.
"Any idea what it means?" the detective asks.
I shake my head. "None at all. Why would I make up some stupid clue to cover my tracks if I'd killed him? And why would I invent that he wants to mentor me? I've wanted that ever since I arrived on Kauai. Why would I kill him if he offered that?"
"I don't know," Detective Ray says. "It doesn't make sense. But all the circumstantial evidence points to you."
At least it's circumstantial. He doesn't really have anything on me. Nothing to prove I did it. So why do I feel so miserable?
"My gut reaction is that you didn't do it," the detective explains. "But everything points to you."
Um…yay? "So, what are you saying?"
"I'm still not arresting you. Not yet," Detective Ray says. "But the knife is in the lab, and if there's one fingerprint of yours, that's it. You're going to sit out the rest of the investigation in a cell."
I nod. "I didn't touch the knife. Not at all." Wait…no. I'm sure I didn't touch it.
"Did you recognize it?" he asks.
"No, but I didn't look at it that closely either." A chill rushes through me beneath my skin. What if it's one of mine? That's what this killer does—finds a way to frame me.
"Mr. Woodfield," the detective says. "I'll need to warn you off investigating. I tried to do that to this woman." He points at me, and I slink a little lower in my seat. "But that didn't work. So I'm counting on you to nip this in the bud."
Nick nods but says nothing. Which means he's planning to keep investigating.
"I'm letting you go for now. I still have some folks to interview. But I mean it when I say do not leave the island."
I jump to my feet. "I promise. Thank you, Detective." I grab Nick's hand, and we are out of there before Detective Ray can change his mind.
"So what now?" I ask as we get into Nick's old green beater.
He turns to me, and the look in his eyes says I'm not going to like the answer.
"Alohalani said he'd written down his suspicions, right?"
"That's right! I forgot about that!" I should've told the detective. Why didn't I think of it earlier?
“How do you feel about doing a little breaking and entering?"
"Well of course, that's what I was thinking after narrowly escaping arrest—let's give him a real reason to haul me away. Are you crazy?" I shout. "I'm one tiny step away from being arrested! Getting caught breaking into somewhere would definitely land me in jail."
Nick considers this. "What if I can guarantee we won't get caught?"
I think he's teasing, but those lovely brown eyes are definitely serious. That's it, I'm falling for a man who has no idea how things really work. Wait…did I just say I'm falling for Nick?
"You can do that?" I sound a little skeptical because I am.
Nick holds up his fingers and starts ticking them off. "One, we'll wear gloves and hats. Two, we'll be very careful. If it looks too dangerous, we won't do it."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, well, as long as we have hats and gloves, there's no way we'll get caught."
He ignores me and continues. "Three, and most importantly, we're going where no one else will be."
"And where, pray tell, is that?" I fold my arms over my chest, unconvinced.
"We will break into Alohalani's office at the college." Nick grins triumphantly. "He's dead, and the police have gone through the office, so no one should be there."
"Won't the police still be at the college?" I ask.
Nick shakes his head. "I don't think so. You didn't tell the detective that Alohalani wrote down his thoughts. And Kahoalani doesn't have the resources to guard it. But like I said, if anyone's there, we won't attempt it."
I say nothing. Mostly because I have no idea how to respond to such a suggestion. I'm dating (well…sort of dating) a crazy person. Is Nick really interested in me, or is he just after the buzz he gets from all of this?
Nick puts a hand on my shoulder. "We can do this. I know we can."
"We've already pushed things too far by interviewing those five people," I say at last. "The detective is going to find out we were there questioning them. He won't be happy with that. Especially when he realizes I copied the list on his desk. That has to be a jailable offense."
"Okay." Nick considers this. "Then this is our big chance to prove you didn't do it before he finds out we talked to his list of witnesses."
I lean back against the seat and close my eyes. Do I want to take this step? Become some sneak thief in the night? If we get busted, I might as well go on the run. I hear Greenland is nice this time of year…
"Think of Nancy Drew." Nick's voice interrupts my thoughts, which now involve getting used to prison food. "I'm sure you read her books when you were a kid. She always did stuff like this."
That seems like a low blow—involving Nancy Drew in this. I open my eyes and look at him. "She was a fictional character with cute clothes, a blue convertible, and whose dad was a big-shot attorney. There's a difference." And how does he know about Nancy Drew anyway?
"Okay, consider this—what choice do we have? And if we find his notes, we'll be able to prove that the professor didn't think you killed Kua and Leilani."
He's right. I know he's right. It's not that I mind that—it's just I have an aversion to breaking the law and getting caught. It's almost like I'm running head first into a cell to save the detective some time and trouble.
"All right," I say finally. "When do we do this?"
Nick starts the car. "I'll drop you off at home and pick you up at ten tonight."
"Ten. Fine. Let's just get it over with. I'll be ready," I agree.
The problem is, ready for what?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hours later, I look at myself in the mirror. My long brown hair is tied up in a bun. I'm wearing a black T-shirt and black cargo pants. In my hands are a pair of black rubber gloves and a black stocking cap, and I'm wearing black sport sandals. I look like a deranged ninja.
I've spent the last few hours trying to talk myself out of this (by the way, I lost the argument). I can't believe we're going through with it. My stomach is twisting in
to knots that would make a sailor nervous. Why does Nick think we can pull this off? Has he ever broken into a building? I haven't. The man is overly confident. He's going to have to make this happen. I don't even know where to look in Alohalani's office. It was packed with stuff. How could we hope to find a needle in a haystack?
I can hear Mom's TV show blaring in the next room. Hopefully, I can sneak past her and…
"Nani!" Mom shrieks as she rounds the corner, wine in hand and sloshing over the edge of the glass. "Where are you going dressed like that?" I can hear the plastic flamingos clacking together in her wake.
"Oh, um, Nick and I are going to a costume party," I lie.
"Dressed as what?" Mom asks.
If I say burglars, she'll remember that and possibly let it slip to the wrong people.
"Merchant marines," I somehow come up with. "It's a naval theme."
She looks at me for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "I just can't understand why you'd want to go to a party with a man looking so…so masculine? Couldn't you be a slutty marine?"
"Mom!" I cry. Slutty marine? Is she kidding me?
My cell buzzes, and I look at it. "Nick's here. Gotta run!"
I make it out the door before she can say one more word. Huh. It isn't Nick's ancient Cadillac in my drive. It's a new black SUV. I squint through the passenger window and see Nick waving me inside.
"Where did you get this?" I ask as I get in.
"I wanted to go totally incognito. I borrowed it from someone and changed the plates to some we had in the garage. They're at least a decade old. Untraceable."
Nick is dressed like a mirror image of me. All we need are little black masks, and we could rob banks in the 1940s.
"How are we going to get into the office?" My stomach is doing flips, and I worry that I'm going to vomit. This had better pan out.
"I figure we can try to get in through Alohalani's office window."
"You think it'll be open?" I ask. "That's just too much to hope for."
"Stranger things have happened. Besides, the building has one unlocked entrance, and there might still be a student at the front desk. If the window doesn't work, we can try that."
Ukulele Murder: A Nani Johnson Aloha Lagoon Mystery (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries Book 1) Page 13
