"Samantha!" Detective Ray's voice boomed across the space, causing me a near heart attack.
I spun on my heel and hoped that my face wasn't as flushed as it felt.
Thankfully, so far my plan had worked, and we had reached the kitchen before being spotted. Now it was time to find out if the detective believed our reasons for being there.
"Oh, Detective Ray! Hi," I trilled, willing my voice to stop shaking.
"What are you doing here?" Today his shirt of choice was aqua blue with a bevy of surfers riding the waves scattered across his chest. The happiness of it was in direct contrast to his expression.
"Alani and I were just wanting to chat with Jamieson. He's Vivienne's chef."
"I know who he is."
"Of course. Well, now that my wedding has been postponed, I needed to chat with him to, well, you know…" It was all I had. I was never that good with coming up with a lie on the spot.
The detective eyed us both suspiciously. "And you thought you'd find him here?"
"Ummm, yes. It's where he works."
"Did you find him?"
"No. We were just knocking on the door when you called my name."
Ray's eyes narrowed. After a minute that felt like an hour, he nodded. "Well, we're conducting a second search of the property, so I suggest that you come back another time."
"Of course. I'd never want to stand in the way of a police investigation."
Alani nudged me in the ribs, indicating that I needed to shut up.
"We'll get going, then," she said, grabbing my elbow.
I felt Ray's stare on my back all the way along the path, only breathing a sigh of relief once we were out of his sight line.
"That was way too close for comfort. Remind me of this next time I have a great idea."
Alani's shoulders deflated as her shaking hand unlocked the car door. Hearing the lock clunk open, we pulled the door handles, before we both sank down onto the car seats.
"There's not going to be a next time. Sam, you promised Casey you would stay out of trouble, and I don't need to have Ray breathing down my back ever again." Her eyes filled with tears as she used two hands to put the key in the ignition.
I gulped as I realized the consequences of my actions. "I'm sorry. I promise you that I won't ever put you in that situation again."
Swiping her lashes dry, she turned to me and gave me a shaky smile.
"I guess we did learn a lot though," she admitted.
"Yeah. Now I just need to find out who MB is and what Vivienne was blackmailing them with."
* * *
Waking up alone in my old bed at Mum's house was not the start to the day that I had envisioned. But as I'd arrived at Casey's the night before and found his parents had checked out of the resort and had moved into his house, I knew that there was no room for me, as Casey only owned one bed.
Despite being upset that I couldn't snuggle him, I did understand how he wanted to spend as much time with them as he could. And besides, I had the rest of my life to snuggle him.
It was the aroma of coffee brewing that had me out of bed and searching for the source of the scent.
"Morning, Samantha," my mum Rita called from the lanai. "The pot's brewed, and a cup is on the countertop waiting for you."
God bless mothers.
I helped myself to a cup before finding a slice of Luke's leftover vegetarian pizza in the refrigerator then made my way out to sit beside Mum.
This morning she was dressed in floral yoga pants and a sleeveless yellow knit top, displaying her great figure to perfection. Her fair hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head, and her skin was glowing. For a woman in her fifties, she didn't look a day over thirty.
"No work today?" I asked, sitting in the chair alongside her as she gazed out over the garden.
"Late shift. I don't start until two." She worked as a nurse at Aloha Ohana, the nursing home that cared for our elderly.
"Nice."
"I was surprised to get home last night and find you asleep in your old room."
"Yeah, well, Casey has given his bed to his parents and is on the couch. His entire family camped there last night, and I felt there was no room for me."
"In his house or his family?"
It was hard to get anything past Mum.
"I'm sure it's just an adjustment thing. Casey said his mum's still jetlagged. Things will get better once she gets to know me."
"Is that what you've been told or what you believe?"
I took a bite of pizza and looked out over the frangipanis, enjoying their scent drifting towards me.
"I'm trying to believe it," I mumbled. A glare from Mum had me finishing my mouthful before continuing. "But last night when I arrived at Casey's, they were all playing Trivial Pursuit, and I asked if I could join in. Leonie said that it was too late, as they already had teams, but I could play the next round. Only problem was once they finished, she packed up the game and declared it was dinnertime."
"So you didn't get to play?"
"No. Which was fine. We both know how bad I am at trivia."
Mum smirked.
"Only I then tried to help her with dinner, and she excluded me from that too, getting his sisters to help. Every time I tried to be a part of anything they were doing, she made sure there was no opening for me."
"Maybe she was trying to be nice, to allow you to put your feet up."
"Maybe. It didn't feel that way though."
"Did you speak to Casey about it?"
"Uh-huh. Only every time that I say something about his mum, it kind of ends up in an argument. Nothing major, but he defends her and not me." I shrugged, wanting to act like an adult, yet damping down the feeling of rejection that I had when he couldn't see what I meant.
Mum reached across to me and patted my arm.
"It'll all be okay though," I continued. "Casey says she's just upset over the wedding because she hates surprises and wanted to be a part of the planning."
"I guess I can see her point."
"Were you upset not to have been included?"
Mum shook her head. "Nope. I'm grateful, as it meant I had no work to do." She laughed. "But I do wish I'd helped choose your dress. That's the only part I was sad about."
"I'm sorry. I did want you to be there, but we also wanted to surprise you."
"I know. But maybe next time you could let me in on it?"
"There won't be a next time. The way things are going, Casey and I will never be married."
"You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"Maybe, but my wedding planner is the number one suspect in the murder of my caterer. The resort has no more openings for over a year, and the other caterer I was considering probably won't work for me now."
Mum raised one eyebrow, her head tilted.
I took the next ten minutes to bring her up to date on what Alani and I had found and how Rhiannon didn't like the questions that I had asked her.
"You need to stay out of it, Samantha. Remember what happened last time you got involved in something that was none of your business?"
"Of course I do, but how do I convince Leonie that Casey is meant to be in Aloha Lagoon?"
"Maybe he's not. Maybe his path is for him to return to the UK with you beside him."
"Me move to the UK?" I asked, my eyelashes fluttering.
"Yes."
"Well, we were hoping once we were married, then he could apply for residency." I stared into my cup, watching the steam rise from the liquid, lost in my thoughts. "I never thought about living over there."
"Why not?"
I swallowed hard as emotion clogged my throat. "Because I like it here. I've really only just found you again, and I'm not sure I want to give that up just yet." Eight years ago, before Grandma had passed away, Mum had packed up and moved from Sydney, Australia to Hawaii to look after her. Me moving to Kauai was what had brought us back together.
Mum placed her cup on the timber deck and stood, moving to me and leaning in close to plant a kiss on my cheek. "I love having you here too, but if you need to be in the United Kingdom to be with Casey, then that's what you need to do."
I blinked and allowed a single tear to fall down my cheek. "But I love it here, with you and Luke and my friends. I love my job and everything that Casey and I are creating together."
"Trust Casey, Samantha. He won't do anything to hurt you."
I stood and pulled Mum in tight. There was nothing quite like a mum hug when you were feeling low, and before I knew it my positive vibe was once again humming in my veins.
By the time that Alani pulled her car into the driveway and tooted her horn for me, I had dressed in my favorite denim shorts, white V-neck T-shirt, and sparkly sandals. I'd allowed my hair to fall loose around my shoulders but had pulled one side back with a large hibiscus hair clip. My confidence renewed, I was ready for anything.
"Good morning," I cooed, sliding onto the passenger seat.
"Is it?" she asked, dark rings beneath her eyes.
"You okay?"
"I just didn't sleep well last night. I kept thinking how Detective Ray could have caught us yesterday."
"The important part is that he didn't catch us."
"That was sheer luck."
"You know what they say? It's better to be lucky than good."
Alani gave me the side-eye.
"I'm sorry," I replied. "I won't put you in that position again. I promise." I gave her the Scouts' honor salute, which gained me a smile.
"Where are we headed?" she asked, putting the car into reverse and moving out of the driveway.
"To the resort if that's okay. Casey messaged to say he's going into work for a few hours while the girls have gone for a spa day and the men have gone to play golf. We're going to have lunch together."
"That'll be good for you both." Alani pointed the car in the direction of the resort and accelerated down the street.
"Yeah. It's only been a few days since our near marriage, but it feels like years since I've spent quality time with him. I miss him."
"How long is his family in town for?"
"Two weeks." My breath escaped me in a rush.
"It'll go quickly. And the whole Vivienne thing should keep you entertained until then." Alani grinned.
"Speaking of which, I read over those screenshots I took of her electronic tablet yesterday."
"And?"
"And I think we need to track down who MB is. The spreadsheet that was attached to her file showed some extremely large sums of money. Much larger than the ones in Whitney's file. Oh, we need to chat with her too. I sent her a message asking if she could meet me later today."
"Did she give you a time?"
"Yeah. Three o'clock outside The Lava Pot."
"I can't be there, sorry. I'm just going to drop you at the resort and then head over to the shop. I need to cover Hani's shift today."
Alani owned and ran Lahela's Surf, a boutique surf shop that was positioned in downtown Aloha Lagoon, right across from the ocean. She hired her cousin Hani to help in the shop so that she could have a day off at least once a week.
"That's okay. I can manage Whitney on my own."
"Sam, shouldn't we go to Detective Ray with this?" Alani asked, biting her lip.
"Not yet. First of all, how do we explain how we know about it? And secondly, he entered the house after us. He's a detective. I'm sure he found the emails too. I think today we learn who the initials on Vivienne's list all belonged to and start asking questions."
"But Ray's a good detective. He will figure it all out."
"Alani, I agree, he is a great detective. But he works on island time. I want to get married before Casey's family goes home to England and take him with them."
"Then get married."
"I can't! His mother thinks it's cursed. I need to prove that this murder had nothing to do with our wedding, and then she'll give us her blessing." I hoped. "And do I have to remind you that my wedding planner and friend is the number one suspect?"
"Okay, okay. But how do we know who all the initials are?"
"I was going to ask Casey if he knows who the woman in the photo is. His job puts him in the position of meeting a lot of people. And he has an exceptional memory for faces. Then I think we should flush out the writer of the emails."
"How?"
"We have their email address. We send them an email saying we know the truth and they're to meet us somewhere."
"That sounds dangerous. What if they're the killer?"
"There's two of us, Alani. One can stand guard while the other questions them."
"I don't like it." Alani pulled the car to a stop in the employees' car park at the resort.
"Can you think of a better way?"
"No. But maybe word it a bit differently. Like, we've heard that they were having some issues with Vivienne, and we wanted to chat about it. It doesn't sound quite so accusing."
I nodded and pulled my phone from my pocket. Opening my email app, I hurriedly typed in MB's email address and wrote what Alani had dictated. I then hit Send.
"I guess we now wait to see if they reply."
* * *
The sun belted down on the concrete paths that meandered around the resort. The sunlight danced on the clear blue water in the pools, and I took a moment to stop and say hi to my favorite turtle, Harold.
He lived in the pond after being rescued by the resort many years before and was a favorite of the guests, lapping up the attention they lavished on him and posing for every photo opportunity. Well, that was my take on his life. To be honest, he spent his day eating and swimming and always seemed to be in the right position for a selfie. What a life.
I grinned and allowed him to bask in the limelight before I made my way towards the beach.
Casey had agreed to meet me outside The Lava Pot around eleven a.m. I was early and decided to use the time squishing my toes in the sand and letting the cool water give my feet the pedicure they needed. Actually, a quick check of my chipped toenail polish, and I figured nature needed a bit of a hand. Oh well.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the clean salty air as it filled my lungs. On the exhale, all tension left my shoulders, and I relaxed for the first time in days, the ocean calming my soul.
"I thought I'd find you here." Casey's smile could be heard in his voice as he walked up behind me and circled his arms around my waist.
His warmth radiated into my back as his musky scent surrounded me, overtaking my senses, and my knees buckled.
"I've missed you," I replied, allowing him to spin me to face him, my hips skimming the band of his jeans as they sat low, revealing a flash of skin that, as it collided with mine, made me audibly moan with pleasure. His blue cotton shirt pulled tight across his biceps, the color enhancing his electric blue eyes, and I gave in to the pull of his lips as they tempted mine.
My arms circled his neck, and I leaned into his hold, his lips devouring mine. I figured he'd missed me as much as I'd missed him.
As we came up for air, I groaned. "You know, this is supposed to be our honeymoon, and I've hardly seen you," I said, snuggling into his chest. Geez, he smelled good. My hands travelled up under his shirt, and I felt his abs harden as I touched them. His lips found my ear and his breath tickled my neck.
"You need to stop doing that," he teased. "It's broad daylight, and we're standing on the beach."
"We need some time alone!"
He chuckled. "True. I've loved having my family around, but I've missed you."
"It's been great meeting them all, but do you think we could slip out for dinner one night? Just the two of us?"
He nodded, his grin spreading as a twinkle started in his eye. "Maybe you and I can take the blanket and have a picnic at the rock."
There was a rock resembling a small island situated on the beach across from Casey's house. It sat on the sand and jutted out into the ocean, and when the tide was high, water surrounded it on three sides. On top of it, Mother Nature had carved a seat that gave us the perfect spot to sit and watch the ocean, and I'd nicknamed it Casey's Rock, as it was the place I would find him when he needed to reconnect with himself. It was one of my favorite places in Aloha Lagoon.
"I can't wait!"
Casey chuckled. "Great. Let's try for this Friday night. Mum and Dad have gone to Oahu for a few days, but it's still chaos at home." He slipped his fingers through mine. "Are you ready for lunch? I know it's early, but after the boys finish their golf, we're meeting up for a beer."
"I'm always ready for food." I grinned and ignored the nausea that I had been carrying around with me for the last few days. "What were you thinking?"
"Well, what I had in mind is off the menu for now." He waggled his eyebrows, making me giggle. "So I thought we could grab some burgers from the Loco Moco and watch the waves."
"Perfect."
Casey linked his fingers with mine, and we made our way along the boardwalk, both of us eager to catch up with each other.
It was awesome spending the time together chatting about our week as we waited for our food, and I quickly learned just how much he was enjoying his family being around.
"Casey, do you think you'll ever return to the UK to live?" My heart missed a beat as I waited for his response.
"I haven't ruled out never returning, but Aloha Lagoon is my home now. Why? Did you want to move there?"
I shook my head. "I was just asking. Mum wondered if it was your path to return."
"My path is wherever you are. No matter where that is." He leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on my lips, and my heartbeat returned to normal.
"Hi guys!" Carrie Jorgensen called as she carried two bags of food and a cardboard tray holding two drinks towards us. "Lunch is served."
The aroma of Hale's famous burgers made my stomach growl as we accepted the order and made our way back towards the beach, my steps easily falling into sync with Casey's.
"You haven't told me what you've been up to," he said as we found the perfect spot to sit on the sand under the shade of a large palm tree.
Oh boy. Here we go.
"Oh, not much. Just looking into caterers." Well, that wasn't a complete lie.
"Did you find anyone?"
"No. Casey, would you consider eloping?"
"What?" He opened the bag and handed me a wrapped burger.
"The resort has no availabilities for a wedding until late next year. I can't wait that long to be your wife."
"Don't stress, Sam. It'll work itself out."
So everyone kept saying.
"Does that mean you're not open to the idea of eloping?"
"I really wanted my family to watch us get married."
"Oh. When will they be able to get back to Hawaii again?"
"All of them together like this? Who knows? It's hard to coordinate so many people to be in one place at a particular time."
"What you're saying, then, is you have no idea when we can try the whole wedding thing again?" My hopes sank, taking my appetite with them.
Casey sensed the shift in my mood and reached his hand out to cover mine. "Sam, I love you. That's not going to change."
"I know." So why did it matter so much to me? I knew why. My women's intuition was screaming it at me.
I rubbed my belly, comprehension of why I was feeling unwell, and why I was so emotional of late, hitting hard. Oh geez.
"Whitney came into The Lava Pot earlier today," Casey continued, completely unaware of the thoughts racing through my mind. "She's not looking very well. Apparently, Detective Ray is closing in on her being guilty of Vivienne's murder."
"Yeah. I'm meeting with her later today." Right after I visited the pharmacy, but I wasn't going to say anything to Casey until I had confirmation. "I wanted to ask her a couple of questions about her relationship with Vivienne. Hey, that reminds me." I pulled my phone from my back pocket and flipped to the photo of the woman in the photo arguing with Vivienne. "Have you seen her around at all?"
Casey took the phone and zoomed the photo in. After a few moments, he handed it back and shook his head. "She looks familiar. Like I've seen her before, but I can't put my finger on who she is. Why?"
I brought him up to date with what I'd learned so far. By the time I'd finished talking, his brow was pinched, and his shoulders were rigid.
"Sam, you're not getting involved with this, are you?"
I really needed to learn to keep my mouth shut, but raging hormones could make me ditsier than normal, right?
"I'm only asking a few questions. Nothing like the last time. I promise."
"I don't want you putting yourself in danger, and these kinds of questions lead to exactly that."
"Not this time. I'm taking what I learn to Detective Ray."
"Let him do the investigating. After all, it is his job."
"I know, but he works kind of slowly, don't you think?"
"And what does that matter?" Casey's voice held a dangerous edge.
"We need this murder solved before your mother goes home."
His eyes grew wide, and his mouth formed an O. "Because?"
"Because then she'll believe that this is a good place for you, and she'll be happy for you to marry me."
"She is happy for you to marry me."
I rolled my eyes. He could be so blind some days. I was about to argue my case when the shadow of a large man fell across Casey, and we both turned to see Detective Ray Kahoalani staring down at us. Well, to be specific, he was staring at me, a deep vertical line between his brows.
Oh boy.