It was almost evening when both Casey and Luke got called into work at The Lava Pot, as most of the staff had come down with a stomach flu. That didn't sound good, so I chose to stay away from the place. And anyway, Alani wasn't in the mood to go out, so I grabbed some takeaway burgers and headed to her house.
Alani and her brothers still lived with their parents on the outskirts of town. The house wasn't large and blended beautifully with the lush gardens that surrounded it. The timber siding was painted a pale green, the window trim was white, and the shutters were dark green. It was homey, friendly, and filled to the brim. I loved everything about it, but mostly I loved the people who filled it.
Alani's dog, Roxy, trotted down the steps from the lanai, stopping as she sniffed my feet, her tail beating a tune any drummer would be proud of.
"Hey, gorgeous girl," I trilled, stopping to give her a pat. Roxy was a cross between a staffy and a corgi. Unfortunately, her head was bigger than her body, reminding me of a bobblehead doll, but she had a kind nature and loved Alani more than life itself.
I was about to make my way up the steps when the front door slammed open and Kalei stormed out. Alani was hot on his heels.
"I'm not interrogating you," she stated. "I was just wondering where you were going. Oh hi, Sam!"
"It's none of your business where I'm going," Kalei retaliated, ignoring me. "I'm a grown man, and you're not my mother."
Alani sighed as Kalei stomped past me. I wasn't even game to look him in the eye, let alone talk to him.
Only once his car had roared away did Alani turn to me and smile. "Sorry about him."
"What's his problem?"
"Who knows. He's been really secretive lately and not around much."
My skin prickled. "Did he say why?"
"No. Just that he's busy. Doing what? Who knows?"
Alani led the way onto the lanai. Under the porch lights she looked pale and tired.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, placing the bag of food on the table between us.
"I'm okay. I'll just be better when this is all over." She pulled the bag towards her and ripped it open as she took a seat. "This smells good."
"I got all your favorites."
Her smile kicked up as she looked to me. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for, Sam."
A familiar glow behind my breastbone warmed me, and I took a moment to bask in it.
"Thanks, but you make it easy." It had been a long, stressful few days, but relaxing was a certain at the Alapai house.
The sounds of the television drifted out towards us as we ate, and the song of the evening news played in the background.
"In high definition, this is your breaking news." The distinct voice of the newsreader boomed through the airwaves, announcing tonight's headlines.
I allowed the sound to fall into my peripherals, my mind on Alani and what I needed to do next. Like I had any idea.
I sighed.
"Are you okay, Sam?"
As my stomach rumbled, I realized I hadn't eaten since the Loco Moco, and that had been hours ago. No wonder thinking was getting difficult. "Just considering what I should do next."
"Eat junk food. That always helps."
"I've done quite a bit of that today." I smiled and reached for the wrapped bun. Inhaling deeply, I already felt better and more focused.
After the first few mouthfuls, the sugar kicked in and my mind caught up. "Alani, do you remember this man from your time with Nathan?" I opened my photos and passed her my phone.
She studied it for a moment then shook her head. "He's the guy from The Lava Pot the other night."
"Uh-huh. You didn't recognize him?"
"No. Should I?"
I shrugged.
"Sorry, Sam." She returned my phone then placed the remainder of her burger on the table. "Is he important?"
"You remember the woman from Nathan's closet?"
Alani nodded.
"Well, I tracked her down and asked her a few questions." I quickly brought Alani up to speed with my meeting with Kensie.
"So Nathan conned others as well?"
"It seems that way."
"Oh. That's so sad about her friend. I can understand how she felt though."
"You never considered taking your own life, did you?" I asked, my heartbeat skipping erratically.
It settled as she shook her head. "No. Even with the embarrassment and shame, my family means too much to me to put them through something like that."
"I guess Kensie's friend just couldn't see through the fog."
After a moment of silence, Alani asked, "What does that have to do with the guy in the photo?"
"Oh, well, Kensie didn't know who he was, but she did know that he was connected to Nathan. And this photo was taken at a time when you were friends with him."
Alani picked up my phone and studied the photo. "Sorry. He doesn't look familiar other than when I saw him with you the other night. Nathan didn't talk a lot about his life outside of me. It should have been a warning signal, right?"
She gulped a few times before tears sprang behind her lashes. Swiping at them, she said, "I've been replaying everything over and over in my head, trying to work out where it all went wrong. I know that I said I wanted revenge, Sam, but all I wanted was for him to be humiliated like I was. I didn't want him to die."
"I know you didn't, Alani."
"I don't want to go to jail. One night in lockup was interesting, but I'm not made of strong enough stuff for the real thing." The tears spilled down her cheeks, splashing onto her lap.
I dropped my burger and quickly moved to her side, pulling her in close for a hug. "You don't need to worry," I soothed. "We're going to find the real killer, and then Detective Ray will drop all charges against you. You're not going to jail." If only I felt as confident as I sounded.
It took her a minute, but when she got control of her emotions, she squeezed me so tight I almost couldn't breathe. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." I smiled. "Now, finish your burger before it gets cold."
Unfortunately, Roxy beat us to it, licking her lips, seemingly enjoying every morsel.
Alani started to giggle, and within seconds her deep belly laugh roared through the evening air.
It was good to hear her laugh again.
"I bought fries too," I commented, reopening the bag and pulling out a large packet of hot potato fries smothered in salt.
"Roxy doesn't like those, thank goodness." Alani smiled.
Sharing the packet between us, I wondered about her friendship with Abigail.
"What happened to stop you two being friends?" I asked.
Alani nibbled on a french fry, her mind lost in a memory. "We just lost contact. I guess it was my fault. After the Nathan debacle, I buried myself in the shop, wanting to forget about him. I became obsessed about paying my family back the money that they'd lost, and I wasn't a good friend to her. Once she'd taken the job, she sent me messages, but eventually even they stopped."
"You don't need to feel bad about what he did to you, Alani. He wasn't a good person."
"I was fooled by him, though. I wanted to believe that he loved me and that we were going to have such an amazing life together. I forgot to look at my real life and realize it was pretty good already. I had no idea Nathan was conning other women too," she whispered.
"Why would you?"
"Are you sure this was happening at the same time he was with me?"
"According to Kensie's timeline, yes."
I allowed her the time for the information to sink in. Only when the color returned to her cheeks did I continue.
"When did you learn that Abigail was back in town?"
"Only a few days ago when I saw her at The Lava Pot."
"Why didn't she make sure you got home okay?"
"She hadn't expected to bump into me and had already made other plans."
That sounded reasonable, but I would have made sure that Alani was okay.
"Was Nathan known for a temper?"
"Not really, but he definitely had one. Something was in him the night before he died, though."
We sat quietly, processing everything.
"Do you know what's bothering me the most?" I asked, breaking the silence.
Alani shook her head.
"Why was he killed in your shop?"
"I still wonder if he stumbled across a burglar," she said quietly.
It sounded plausible but unlikely.
"Possibly, but the facts are that you saw him the night before hanging around the shop. Then the very next morning he was found dead." I sighed and nibbled on a French fry.
"So what do we actually know?"
"Nothing that I can piece together. Yet. Did he ever leave anything at the shop that he might have come back for?"
"The only thing that he ever gave me was a plastic elephant. It sits on the shelf under the cash register. But I can't see that being valuable enough for him to come back for though."
"Really? Hmmm. I'd love to have a look at it."
"The shop still has the police tape around it, and before you suggest anything, I don't want to break it. I'm already in enough trouble."
"I wasn't going to suggest anything."
"Yes, but I know that look in your eye. It's the glint you get when you're hatching a plan."
"You can hardly blame me," I protested. "My new surfboard is locked in the shop, and I can't wait to get my hands on it."
Alani gave me a small smile.
"Detective Ray told me that the tape should be removed soon," she added.
"Great. I'll be able to get my board and have a look at the elephant at the same time."
"Seriously, Sam. It's a trinket. I can't imagine Nathan would want it back, let alone go to the trouble of breaking in to get it."
"Fair enough, but it won't hurt to look. In the meantime, who else knew that he was back in town?"
"The hairy-armed guy. He was looking for Nathan that night too, remember."
"I know. I haven't forgotten about him. Dad and Patrice have left his description at every bar and restaurant around the resort. If anyone sees him, they're going to call me."
Alani gave me a wry smile.
"What?"
"You're calling him Dad now and no longer using his name," she noted, her eyebrows raised.
I lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Yeah, it seems so. But it doesn't mean anything," I quickly added, seeing her smile. "I still haven't figured out how I really feel about him yet."
"Okay. If you say so." Alani gave me her mega smile. "But while you're figuring that out, where do we start looking for Hairy Arms?"
I ignored the grin. "Without even a name he's hard to track down, but I have my fingers crossed that he will show his face around the resort soon. Until then, maybe if we dig around Nathan's old life in Aloha Lagoon, maybe it will lead us to him." I stood, keen to get started. "Want to do some sleuthing?"
* * *
We were heading along the coast towards town, a happy tune belting from the radio in Alani's car. The moonlight glittered off the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filtered in through the open windows, and my soul settled with every breath of fresh air.
"Nathan never had a lot of friends, but I remember one guy he hung out with at times," Alani explained. "His name was Ben, and he lived on the other side of the resort."
We'd decided that our next stop for the evening was to one of Nathan's friends.
"What do we know about Ben?"
"Not a lot. I only ever met him a couple of times."
"Was he Nathan's best friend?"
She shrugged. "When Nathan and I were together, it was usually just the two of us and Abigail. He worked a lot, which didn't leave a whole lot of time for socializing, and he always said he was too tired to go out much. I never complained, as I enjoyed staying home with him."
The lights from the dash lit her face, and even from the side I could see the sadness that sat in her eyes.
I gave her a moment then pushed, "Where did he work?"
She swallowed hard. "Nathan? On one of the vegetable farms west of here. Nash Brothers. They hire a lot of locals."
Alani pulled the car to a stop alongside the curb, causing three wild chickens to scatter into the nearby bushes.
I took in my surroundings as we made our way down the graveled path towards the house, and I started to hum the nursery rhyme "There Was a Crooked Man."
Alani nudged me in the ribs, glaring at me before she rapped on the door. The cicadas ceased their evening song as the noise disturbed them.
The creaking of the door broke the silence that followed.
"How can I help you?" The anxious face of a meek and mild man peeked around the doorframe of his house. I say house, but it was more of a shack. The walls were on a dangerous lean, the paint was peeling, and at least two of the windows that I could see were boarded up.
"Hi, Ben." Alani gave him her killer smile, and his eyes widened as he was momentarily mesmerized. I couldn't blame him. I was sure Alani's smile could outshine the sun.
"A-A-Alani?" he stuttered. Ben looked about my height and age. His long black hair hung in greasy strands, and his beard reminded me of Grizzly Adams.
Alani upped the wattage of her smile.
He opened the door a little bit more, and the stench of too many cats and not enough open windows caused me to catch my breath.
I coughed as his gaze fell to me, and he hurriedly reclosed the door just that little bit.
"Hey, Ben. It's been a long time," Alani continued, moving her body closer. "This is my friend Sam. She's friendly."
I gave him a little finger wave, grinned, and fluttered my eyelashes, going for the innocent angel look. Not quite sure I pulled it off, as he took a large step backwards. Alani put her foot in the door to prevent him from closing it all the way.
"Sorry to be calling around so late in the evening," she explained. "I was just hoping to have a quick chat about Nathan."
"Nathan?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed towards us.
"Uh-huh. I wondered if you knew why he was back in town?"
"H-h-haven't you been accused of his, his murder?" Ben asked, rapidly blinking.
"Yes, but you don't really believe that I did it, do you?"
He released a long sigh, the rush of air causing the greasy strands of his hair to sway. "No. I know y-y-you could never hurt anyone."
If only the police shared his sentiment.
"Do you want to c-come in?" he asked as his eyelids slowed.
I wondered if his blinking was because of his nervousness or because his eyes were stinging from the stench of the cat urine. I knew mine were.
One of the cats saw their escape route and shot between my legs into the night air. I took its hissing for gasping and willed it to freedom.
Ben pushed past us, running after the cat. "Here kitty, kitty," he called, crouching and clicking his fingers as he approached a shrub. "Come on, p-pretty girl," he cooed.
The cat who had taken refuge obviously didn't like being called pretty, as she hissed some more then launched at his head.
He howled, covering his face as her claws scratched at his skin. Happy with the damage she had inflicted, she dropped to the ground and trotted away, her tail swishing as she moved.
Ben's shoulders slumped as he turned to us, and his meek and mild manners disappeared as more than one cussword escaped his lips.
"Sorry about your cat," I muttered.
"It's not the first time it's happened. She'll come back eventually." He wiped his bleeding arm on his shirt.
"Should we come back another time?" Alani asked.
Ben sighed. "What did you want to know about Nathan?"
"Oh! Do you know why he was back in town? Had you seen him?"
"He stopped by a few days ago."
"What did he want?" I asked.
"To get some stuff that he, he'd stored here."
I raised my eyebrows. When he didn't take the hint, I said, "Well? What was it?"
"Just some clothes and some papers."
"What were the papers?" Geez, this was worse than pulling teeth.
"I don't know. I, I didn't read them, but he said they were from his, his old employer. I figured they were references." Ben narrowed his eyes at me, his hands trembling.
"Was he trying to get his old job back?" I pushed.
Ben shrugged and stepped inside his home. "I, I, I don't know."
"Was he his usual happy self when he was here?" I asked.
"Not really. He was k…kind of edgy."
"Did he say why he was back in Aloha Lagoon? If he was only after references, surely you could have posted them to him."
Ben sighed, looking defeated. "Honestly, I thought he was back for A-Alani, because he kept asking me about h-her." He turned to the woman in question. "He wanted to know if you still had the surf shop, if you still lived in the s-same house, that kind of thing. I didn't know the answers, so he took wh-what was his and left." He turned his narrowed eyes towards me. "Why are you interrogating me?"
"Sam's just trying to help me," Alani soothed, her eyes wide.
Ben's uncertainty instantly dissolved. "Oh. Then I wish I knew more. But I don't. Sorry, Alani."
"That's okay, Ben. You've been a huge help," she cooed.
As we made our way back to the car, Ben's cat scampered across the road and disappeared into the night. Even though I knew that it wasn't good for cats to be outside at night, I wished her safe travels.
"Ben seems like an odd friend for Nathan," I mused once we were driving back towards town.
"I know he's a bit different, but he's a good guy, and Nathan trusted him."
"Do you think that's why he left his papers there?"
"Maybe. I've only ever been inside that house once, and it was stacked to the ceiling with stuff. Ben's a hoarder, but despite the mess, he's actually an organized hoarder and can tell you where everything is."
"So we're to believe that Nathan was back in town for…what? Surely not his old life back?"
"I have no idea, Sam." Alani pulled into the resort parking lot and killed the motor. "But I need a drink, and a Lava Flow is calling my name."
"You're prepared to risk getting sick?" I asked cautiously.
"Hey, I kiss Luke, and he's been here all night."
Fair point. And a Lava Flow definitely sounded good.
Alani and I made our way through the grounds of the resort. The breeze exhaled through the palm fronds, causing the fairy lights to sway, and the flames roaring from the torches danced to its tune. Any anxiousness that I had calmed, and I breathed in a feeling of peace.
Until we reached The Lava Pot, that was. It was jammed with tourists, and the staff were run off their feet.
The loud music of Benny and his Ukulele Wahines pumped across the busy room. Waitresses rushed past us, trays laden with food, and despite the part burger and fries I'd enjoyed a few hours prior, my stomach grumbled with the aroma.
Casey noticed us as we pulled up a stool at the bar. He made his way towards me, leaned across the bar top, and planted a soft kiss on my lips.
The scent of his woody aftershave pushed the memory of the cat smell from my mind.
"Wow, it's good to see you," he said on a sigh.
"Busy night?" I asked, a self-satisfied grin spreading.
"Yeah, and it doesn't help that it's just me and Owen behind the bar."
I glanced towards Owen, who was serving a group of women, one of whom was wearing a Bride tiara.
"He looks like he's enjoying himself," I commented.
"He always enjoys himself. He loves this job as much as I do." Casey moved to make us a drink. When he came back, he said, "I'm glad you came in, and not just because I like your company. I have a name for the guy we've been looking for."
Alani and I both raised our eyebrows.
"The one who was in here looking for Nathan. Hairy Arms."
My heart missed a whole beat. "You do?"
"Uh-huh. He came in here today, and Owen got chatting to him. Turns out he's the owner of a farm not too far from here."
I held my breath, waiting for a name.
"Hang on a sec," said Casey as a patron leaned across the bar, a ten-dollar note between his fingers. Casey quickly poured him a beer, took his money, and then returned to our conversation. Meanwhile, I was ready to pass out, as I hadn't taken a breath since he'd said the guy was a farmer.
"Sorry. Where were we?"
"Hairy Arms," I prompted breathlessly.
"Oh yeah. He owns a vegetable farm. Nash Brothers."
So the guy who was looking for Nathan was connected to the same farm that he had worked for.
I was about to fill Casey in on our visit to Ben when a fresh group approached the bar and he moved to serve them.
"Well, that's interesting," said Alani.
"It sure is. Do you know what I'm wondering?"
Alani shook her head.
"If whatever paperwork Nathan had stored at Ben's was what Hairy Arms was after."
"But if Nathan gave it to him, then why kill him?"
"Maybe Nathan didn't give it to him."
"Maybe."
"Or maybe Hairy Arms wasn't the only guy who was after it?"
Alani sighed. "But it still doesn't answer why he was killed in my shop."
No, it didn't. And that was the million-dollar question.