Murder at Pope Investigations Read online

“I actually hadn’t planned on it,” Shredder answered. “I’m only on the island to confirm something which I’m pretty sure I just confirmed, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Sean and Kevin are doing enchilada and margarita night,” I persuaded. “And the waves are decent for June. We could get in a few runs.” I looked the man up and down. “It looks like you could use some sun.”

  “Are you back in the condos? I heard you moved out to Luke’s place.”

  I nodded. “Cam moved to LA, and Luke has been in Texas so long, I moved back in with Kekoa. Everyone is still around, except for Mary and Malia who moved out not long after you disappeared.” I could see that Shredder was tempted, so I continued. “If you stay, we can talk about the murders. Three in twenty days. All three were men and all three were left in locations where the odds were high that I would be the one to find them. I’m not sure what this is all about, but I would welcome your input. If you come back to the condo, we can talk. Between runs, of course.”

  Shredder turned onto the highway that led to the condo. “Okay. I need to make a call, but I wouldn’t mind a few days on the island. Is it okay if we stop and pick up Riptide?”

  “Absolutely. Sandy will be thrilled to see him.”

  Chapter 6

  As soon as I got home, I called my dad and informed him that our missing person was seen at Dillingham Airfield with two men who looked to be up to no good. Of course, once I shared this information, I had to endure a lecture about going off on my own without telling anyone where I was going. I wanted to remind him that I was his partner and not his daughter when it came to the detective agency, but I was so happy to have Shredder home, even if it was only for a few days, that I decided to let it go. Dad offered to go and have a chat with Hokulani Palakiko, so I forwarded him the photo. Now that we had technically found the guy, I supposed our job was over. We hadn’t been able to return him home, but that hadn’t been what the woman had hired us to do. Palakiko didn’t look to be under duress. I figured he was most likely involved in some sort of illegal activity, and most likely didn’t want to be found. If the men on the plane were on Shredder’s radar, then the odds were they were pretty darn dangerous, and it would probably be best if Hoku left things alone.

  As predicted, Sandy was thrilled to see that his old buddy, Riptide, was back, and everyone was happy to see Shredder. Shredder wanted a few minutes to make some phone calls, so I told him I’d just meet him out on the beach. I was the only one living at the condominium complex who knew about his secret life, so I was sure he was going to have to come up with one heck of a story as to why his golden brown tan had faded to a skin tone that can only be described as ghostlike when the excuse he most often used when he was away was that he’d been chasing the waves.

  I checked my messages just before I tossed my cell onto my towel. There was a text from Dad, letting me know that he’d called and spoken to Hoku, and was on his way to show her the photo I had taken as proof that her husband was alive and well. I felt bad for the woman. It seemed she genuinely loved her husband, and I was sure it would be rough on her if it turned out he was wrapped up in some sort of illegal activity and ended up in prison. I supposed there could still be another explanation as to what Shredder and I had seen, and if there was even a doubt in her mind, I supposed Hoku would have to decide whether or not she wanted Dad and me to look into things further.

  Grabbing my board, I headed toward the warm salty water. The waves off the condo weren’t really the best, but they were adequate, and it was convenient not to have to drive anywhere for a few runs. The water felt like satin against my skin as I slowly paddled out beyond the breakers. When I’d worked as a full-time lifeguard, I’d gotten a lot of exercise. Much more than I’d needed. My job had basically consisted of me swimming out to save someone or running down the beach to handle an accident or other types of incidents on the sand. Now, my job mainly consisted of sitting around waiting for people, clues, information, or whatever was needed to wrap up a case. I still surfed most days, but I could feel the tension in my muscles. If I wanted to maintain the muscle mass and aerobic conditioning I’d spent years developing, I was going to need to up my game.

  Once I’d paddled out a good distance, I turned and sat on my board. I could see Shredder and Riptide walking toward the beach, so I supposed I’d wait for him before catching the first wave. There is something so totally relaxing about bobbing gently in the sea. The steady rhythm, the sound of the waves crashing to the shore, the cooling breeze blowing in from the sea, all combined to create the perfect heaven on earth. It was times like these that I knew I would never move from my homeland. Not for Luke, not for anyone. It really was time for us to have a talk about the state of our relationship. I’d hoped to do it in person, but if he was unable to make the trip to the island as he’d hoped, I supposed a video chat would have to do.

  “Man, I’ve missed this,” Shredder said, after paddling up next to me.

  “You never did say why you were gone as long as you were. You mentioned being incarcerated. Have you spent the entire nine months you were away behind bars?”

  “No. I was only detained for a few weeks. I was working the rest of the time.”

  “Okay, so what did you do to end up being detained in the first place?”

  “I can’t go into the details. Let’s just say that there was a slight miscommunication between myself and one of the sheik’s wives that led to an unfortunate encounter between the sheik’s guards and me.”

  “Miscommunication?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say she failed to disclose her marital status in a timely manner.”

  Figured it would be a woman who would land Shredder in hot water.

  “So other than spending time in some Arab prison, what else have you been up to?”

  Shredder shrugged. “Oh, you know. This and that. How about you? I assume you gave up on the idea of joining the HPD.”

  I took a few minutes to explain how Dad and I had worked together to find the person who’d shot Jason and almost ended his life. I shared that Dad felt we worked good together and that he realized he wasn’t quite ready to fully retire, so he’d suggested the detective agency. So far, things had gone very well. We were slowly building a reputation which kept us busy, and the cases we’d handled, while mostly tame in comparison to whatever seemed to be going on with our missing person, had been satisfactorily wrapped up.

  We discussed the fact that Cam had moved to LA, and Shredder admitted that he was going to miss the guy. We chatted about the other tenants of the condominium complex, and the changes they’d each gone through while Shredder had been away. We spend the next hour just catching up and never did get around to catching any waves, but we could surf anytime. Today, I just wanted to reconnect with my friend.

  After we’d discussed most of the important subjects, we surfed in, and then each went our separate ways to shower and dress for dinner with Sean and Kevin. Kekoa had showered earlier, which worked out well since I was running behind. I jumped in the shower and let the cool water wash the salt from my body. I supposed I should call Dad and see how his meeting with Hoku went. It had been a case that we’d both worked on, so I should be in on the wrap up as well. I’d do it after I got dressed. I could hear Kekoa chatting with someone in the other room. Probably Elva. If I had to guess, one or both of the women had volunteered to bring dessert for the dinner party.

  After washing my hair, I rinsed one more time and then turned off the water. I dried myself with the towel I’d brought in from the hall closet and then pulled on a clean pair of shorts and a fun summer t-shirt. I ran a comb through my hair, paused to make sure I’d mopped up the water that had found its way to the tile floor, and then headed toward the hamper. Once I’d deposited my soiled towel and clothing, I headed toward the small kitchen to join the women.

  “Mom? I didn’t realize it was you out here talking to Kekoa.”

  “I came by to ask if you knew where your father was. He was sup
posed to come with me to a benefit dinner for the arts program I work with, but he never came home, and he’s not answering his cell. I hoped you might know what he was up to.”

  “I know he was planning to meet with one of our clients. Did you check the office?’

  “I did, and he’s not there.” Mom looked at her watch. “I am supposed to give a speech and present the awards, so I really need to go. Kekoa said you had plans, but do you think you could track him down and remind him that he promised he would attend the benefit this evening? He keeps promising me this new business of his won’t interfere with the promises he made to me to take it easy and relax after he retired, but it seems like he misses as many events as he did when he was a cop. We’ve had to cancel dinner with the Howards twice in two weeks. I really don’t think this new hobby of his is working out at all.”

  I knew that Pope Investigations was a lot more than a hobby to Dad, but I didn’t say as much since the last thing I wanted to do was to get in the middle of a spat between my parents. I promised my mom that I would track Dad down and remind him about the benefit. I just hoped that if he wasn’t at the office by now, he was still at Hoku’s home. Otherwise, I had no idea where to look for him.

  “I hope I won’t be long,” I said to Kekoa after Mom left. “Maybe an hour at the most if Dad isn’t at the office. Tell the others to save me a margarita. I’ve been thinking about them all day.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, I’m fine. If I am going to be more than an hour, I’ll text or call. I know that Dad planned to meet with Hoku, so I’m hoping that he simply got tied up trying to work out the next steps with her and lost track of time.”

  Luckily, the traffic wasn’t too bad, so the drive to Hoku’s home only took about twenty minutes. When I pulled up in front of her house, I immediately noticed that Dad’s car was parked in the drive next to Hoku’s. I was a little surprised that Dad hadn’t been checking his phone for messages, but he did tend to get distracted when working a case, and lately, it seemed he was more distracted than usual. I walked up the front walkway and rang the bell. When there was no answer, I knocked and rang the bell again. When there was still no answer, I tried the door, which I found to be unlocked. I opened it, stepped into the entry, and called out to announce my arrival. When there was still no response, I started down the hallway, calling out my presence as I went.

  I felt the muscles in my stomach tighten with each step that I took without a reply. Surely, even if the pair was outside on the lanai, they could hear me calling out to them. “Dad,” I called again. “It’s Lani. Are you here?”

  Still no reply.

  When I arrived at the room that I knew the Palakikos used as an office, the door was closed. I slowly opened it and then gasped. “Dad!” I called out when I saw him lying unresponsive on the floor. I fully entered the room and started toward him when everything went black.

  Chapter 7

  Thursday, June 27

  When I came to, I found myself chained to the wall of an old shed. The length of the chain was generous, so I could move around the room, but I really couldn’t go anywhere. I looked toward the boarded up window. There was a gap between the board and the bottom of the window that was large enough for a limited view. It looked like the sun was just beginning to lighten the sky. The last thing I remembered was going to the home of one of our clients in search of my dad. It was evening then, and now it was early morning. Had I been here all this time?

  I sat on the hard dirt floor and tried to remember how I’d gotten here. I remembered arriving at the home of Hokulani Palakiko. I remembered that no one seemed to be around, so I let myself in. I remembered walking down the hallway to the office, where I hoped to find my dad. I remembered opening the door and stepping in and — oh god.

  Dad had been lying on the floor. He’d clearly been unconscious. I remembered trying to get to him. The next thing I remembered was waking up here. Based on the fact that the sun had not yet peaked the horizon, it was probably around five a.m. I’d arrived at the Palakiko home shortly after seven p.m. Had I really been unconscious the whole time? It seemed unlikely, but I didn’t remember a single thing after a brief flash of pain as a hard object connected with the back of my skull.

  I tugged at the chain around my right ankle, but it had been secured tightly. I needed to get out of here, and I needed to get help. I had no idea if Dad was dead or alive. If he’d been alive when I’d found him, would he still be alive now? I wanted to panic. I wanted to scream and cry and tug at my chain until my ankle was bloody, but I knew that wouldn’t help. I needed to keep my cool and figure this out. I slowly looked around the room. Wooden walls that had decayed after years under the sun, dirt floors, a small window, which had been boarded up, allowed a thin view of the world outside. A door that looked to be newer than the walls and, if I wasn’t mistaken, it was made of reinforced steel. Chances were that even if I could escape the chain around my ankle, I’d have better luck trying to pry the wood from the window than going through the door which I assumed was locked.

  I did a quick search of my clothing to confirm that I was no longer in possession of my cell. Actually, now that I thought about it, I was pretty sure I left my cell in my Jeep, which the last time I’d seen it, had been parked in front of the Palakiko home.

  I paused to consider the entirety of my situation. I didn’t seem to have access to water, which was going to be a problem before too long. It was still early in the day, but the enclosed space was already getting hot. I tried to remember if I’d ever seen a shack such as the one I’d been imprisoned in. I could hear the sea in the distance, but other than the sea, I didn’t hear anything. That told me that I wasn’t close to a road. At least not a road with much traffic.

  There was nothing inside the small shed except my chain, a rock, and me, so I didn’t think it was currently being used for any other purpose. I had been out cold during the entire time I was being transported to this location, so I had no idea how far we’d traveled from the Palakiko home. I looked down at my ankle as the shock I’d been feeling turned to fear, and the first tears began to flow. I knew I needed to do something, both to save myself and to save my dad if he was still alive, but I had no idea what to do. Should I scream? Would that only attract the person who kidnapped me, alerting him that I was awake? If I was going to have any hope at all of getting out of here, it needed to be quick because by mid-morning this little shed would be an oven.

  I knew that attempting to pry the plywood over the small window loose could very well alert my abductor that I was awake, but I also knew I needed to take that chance. I needed to find a way to circulate the stale air in the shed, and the window seemed to be the only option unless someone had actually left the door unlocked. I decided to try the door first, but couldn’t quite reach it. I stretched out my body and extended my arm as far as it would go, but having a tiny body also meant I had short arms, so no matter how much I wanted to reach the door, I could see that success was not going to be an option. Heading toward the window, I stood and considered the makeshift carpentry job. A piece of plywood had been nailed to the window from the outside, so all I needed to do to remove it was to present enough force to loosen the nails. Once they were loose, I should be able to push the piece of wood onto the ground. Getting the leverage needed to loosen the nails when the window was both high on the wall and narrow, was going to be tricky.

  I tried to shove at the wood for a good fifteen minutes before I realized I was both tiring myself out and getting nowhere. I was certain the nails holding the plywood would give if I had enough oomph behind my movements to push the board away from the window, but it wasn’t like I could really push with my legs. I needed to get the dang chain off my ankle so I could walk around freely, but short of cutting off my foot, which even if I had been brave enough to do, I had no tool to do so with, I really had no way to get free. Then it occurred to me that if I couldn’t free my ankle from the chain, maybe I could figure
out a way to free the chain from the wall.

  Deciding to focus my energy there, I left the window and made my way to the wall. The chain was attached to a ring that had been bolted to the wall. The bolts looked to be tighter than I could unscrew with my fingers alone, and I didn’t have any tools to help me, but I did have a rock, so maybe if I pounded on the ring that was attached to the wall, it would loosen up a bit. I had no way of knowing if this would work but decided I had nothing to lose by trying. If I did nothing, it seemed fairly apparent that I would die.

  When I hit the ring on the wall with the rock, the chain vibrated, causing the cuff around my ankle to dig into my already tender skin. I stiffed a scream before gritting my teeth and hitting the ring in the wall once again. I tried over and over again as blood ran from my ankle down over my bare foot. In spite of my continued effort, it didn’t seem like anything was happening. I didn’t see any other option of freeing myself, so I continued to hit the ring with the rock in spite of the pain, and eventually, I noticed that the bolt began to loosen just a bit. I continued to pound on the ring in spite of the damage it was doing to my ankle, and eventually, the bolt loosened enough that I was able to unscrew the ring and get the chain free.

  Of course, the cuff was still around my ankle, and the chain was still attached to the cuff. Trying to escape while dragging a chain was not going to be easy.

  Now that I was no longer attached to the wall, I turned my attention to the need to get out of the room. I tried the door I had previously been unable to reach to confirm that it was indeed locked, and then I turned my attention to the window. As I’d already determined, it was high and narrow and boarded from the outside. My only tool was my rock, but if I could get some height, that might be enough to do the job. I also had the long chain that was still secured to my ankle. Now that I was no longer attached to the wall, I realized I might be able to use it as a tool as well.