Murder at Dolphin Bay (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery Book 1) (3 page)

“Does your dad know the identity of the people involved in the project?”

“Branson never said who he was in business with, but I got the feeling my dad has an idea who might be involved. He also told me Branson said he was spending time with a woman who lived on the island. Apparently she’s significantly younger than Bran and quite the looker, so he’d been bragging about his new relationship to anyone who would listen. Her first name is Helena, but that’s all my dad knew.”

I sat down on a nearby rock as I tried to figure out my next move. I really wanted to solve this case before the HPD. I felt I had been handed a chance to show them what I could do and I didn’t want to waste it, even if that meant I would have to work with Luke.

I turned toward him and looked directly into his eyes. “I’ve decided to look into Mr. Cole’s murder myself. I could use some help if you’re interested.”

I hated Luke just a tiny bit less when he didn’t laugh or even question the fact that I intended to investigate.

“Are you working tomorrow?”

“No, I’m off,” I answered.

“Then why don’t you come out to the ranch? I’ll make you lunch and we can talk.”

“The ranch? The place you keep the horses?”

Luke laughed. “Don’t tell me the fearless Lani Pope is afraid of horses.”

“I’m not afraid of anything. I seem to have misplaced my phone, so I need to replace it first thing in the morning, but I can be out to your place by eleven.”

“Eleven works fine. Bring Sandy. I think he’ll get along well with my dogs. Maybe we can take a walk along the bluff, or even ride—if you’re brave enough.”

I wanted to say I was brave enough to do anything, but I wasn’t sure
anything
included climbing up on top of a smelly beast that had the power to toss me off its back and stomp me to death. I really don’t get the fascination so many people have with these four-legged modes of transportation. It never ceases to amaze me that the number-one extra our guests want to add to their resort package next to a luau is horseback riding on the beach. Really? Horseback riding? You would think our guests would be more interested in learning to surf or scuba dive, but the horses win out every time.

I stood up and wiped the sand from the back of my shorts before turning my attention back to Luke. “When’s the last time you spoke to Mr. Cole?”

Luke furrowed his brow, and I hated to admit it, but he really was good-looking doing it. His smile was wide and inviting, the dimple on the right side of his mouth seemed to draw your attention every time he spoke, and his blue eyes were framed with thick dark lashes that had half the women on the island panting after him. Like I said before, and I will say again, I have absolutely no use for any man who is, in my opinion, just a bit too perfect. Still, on more than one occasion, I’d found myself picturing him shirtless, wearing nothing but low-riding jeans and cowboys boots like the models they use in aftershave ads.

“It’s been quite a while actually,” Luke finally said. “He came around on a regular basis when I was a kid, but then I went off to college and didn’t get home much.”

“And after college?”

“I moved to New York.”

I know I made a face that clearly communicated my disdain for his choice of residence. “Why in the world would a country boy from Texas move to New York?”

“This country boy got a job as a stockbroker. My time in the Big Apple provided a lifestyle that was completely different from anything I’d ever known, but I loved it. There’s something about that city. It has its own energy and I got caught up in the vitality of the place. I worked hard, I partied hard, I took huge risks with my money, and I made a killing. Don’t get me wrong: I know the risks I took could have gone either way, and I wouldn’t recommend the particular portfolio I developed for myself to anyone else, but it worked for me. I made enough money in less than a decade to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

I dug my toes into the sand as the wave that had just rolled onto the sand covered my feet. I’d assumed Luke’s daddy had bought him the horse ranch. I guess it made me feel moderately better about him if he’d actually worked hard and earned the money himself. But just barely. The man still spent the bulk of his time around horses, and that I would never understand.

I picked up a shell and tossed it into the receding water. “So how did you end up living on a horse ranch on Oahu?”

“I woke up one day and realized my lifestyle was killing me. Literally. I was only thirty years old and I’d developed high blood pressure and insomnia. I decided to cash out and return to a simpler way of living before it was too late.”

“Okay, so why Hawaii?”

Luke stopped walking. He turned and looked out toward the sea. “Texas was a great place to grow up, but when I asked myself where out of all the places I’d spent time in my life I’d most like to live, I realized it was here. Hawaii is the antithesis of New York. While Manhattan generates a feverish energy you can almost hear and most definitely feel, Hawaii is slow and calming. The lifestyle that can be had on the islands seems almost devoid of urgency. I could feel my blood pressure drop the moment I stepped off the plane.”

I totally got what Luke was saying. There
was
something really calming about living your life on island time. As for me, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

I could hear the others laughing in the distance. I was never going to live down the sly remarks and innuendos if I spent much more time alone with the man I’d made clear to everyone was my archnemesis and mortal enemy. I quickly said my good-byes, grabbed my stuff before anyone took the time to notice who I had been with, and headed toward my Jeep.

I willed my racing heart to slow as I made the drive home. I really felt nothing but disdain for Luke, and yet our conversation had served to make him just a bit more tolerable in my eyes. Still, there was no way I was going to let Cam be right about me having a thing for him. I’d let him help me solve this case and then I’d go back to avoiding and ignoring him.

I decided a long time ago that if I decided to marry—and that was a big if—I was going to marry a Hawaiian boy from a good family who would understand the history and traditions I’d been brought up with and were still very important to me. Sure, I’d dated my share of white guys who thought hula was nothing more than a dance or a roasted pig nothing more than a meal, but those meaningless flirtations were nothing more than that: meaningless.

As I unloaded the Jeep I noticed something odd. It appeared as if unit 6 was dark. It was never dark. Mr. B had heavy drapes that he kept closed 24-7, but at night you could hear the sound of his television through the open window and see the outline of the light from his living room around the edges of the curtains. Tonight there was nothing.

After I set my belongings in the condo and tiptoed along the walkway to the opposite end I stood outside the window and listened. I didn’t hear the sound of a television or a person moving around or anything else. I was tempted to knock on the door, but I didn’t have a good reason for doing so, and he might simply have retired early. Each condo came with a single garage space and the door to his was closed, so there was no way to tell if his vehicle was on the premises or not. I went back to my condo and stood on the lanai in front of it, staring down the row toward unit 6. There must be some way to find out if Mr. B had left the building for the first time since he’d been living there or if he’d simply decided to turn in early.

My next-door neighbor, Elva Talbot, was home. Elva didn’t drive and rarely went out at night unless she was with a friend. I could hear the sound from her television, so I assumed this wasn’t one of those nights. She, like me, enjoyed keeping tabs on the comings and goings of the other residents of the complex, so I knocked on her door and asked if it was okay to come in.

“Lani, how are you, dear? I hoped you’d stop by.”

“You did?” I sat down on the sofa across from the woman who more than filled out the large lounger on which she sat. Elva was a senior woman who had lived in the condominium building longer than any of the current residents. Although she wasn’t one to talk about her past, I knew that at one time she’d had both a husband and a daughter. It seemed, based on the tidbits I’d managed to gather and piece together, her daughter Emily was killed in an automobile accident when she was just eight and her husband, who had been driving at the time of the accident, never had recovered from the guilt and grief. After quite a few years of trying to make a marriage out of the debris that had been left by their daughter’s passing, the couple had divorced and Elva’s husband had moved off the island.

“I heard you found a dead man on the beach today.” Elva’s face, red with excitement, seemed to clash with the orange and yellow of the muumuu she wore. “I want to hear all about it. Don’t leave out a single detail. It’s not often we have so much excitement on our end of the island.”

I spent the next twenty minutes filling Elva in on the details of what had occurred without saying anything that might incriminate me regarding my activities immediately after my discovery of Branson Cole’s body. Elva encouraged me to take my time and be specific in the telling of the tale. I suppose I could see how the recanting of the details of a murder scene could be the highlight of the woman’s week. Other than Mondays, when I drove her into town for lunch with her friends, followed by senior bingo, the woman rarely went anywhere.

When I felt I had exhausted the subject I asked about Mr. B, who Elva confirmed had left his apartment earlier that afternoon. I had to wonder if Branson Cole’s death and Mr. B’s decision to leave his apartment for the first time we knew of were in any way related. Elva hadn’t spoken to Mr. B and really had no idea where he had gone or when he might return.

“It’s been quite the day, I’ll say that,” Elva concluded. “Did you hear there’s a new tenant in unit three?”

“No, I hadn’t. Who moved in?”

“A lovely young woman named Mary and her adopted Hawaiian daughter, Malia. I’d say Malia is around ten or so.”

“The apartment was dark when I walked by.”

“They were here today to look at the condo. Mary mentioned they’d be moving in over the weekend. It’ll be nice to have a young one around. I do so miss the sound of children playing on the beach.”

“Yeah.” I placed my hand over Elva’s and gave it a squeeze. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

I spoke to her for a few more minutes and then returned to my condo. I felt sorry for the lonely woman who had been through so much sadness in her life. Elva was the sort to always present a joyful exterior, but I’d been around her long enough to recognize the grief that often clouded her eyes.

I logged onto my laptop to confirm that the photos I’d e-mailed myself had come through clearly. Luckily, they had. Now that I’d lost my phone they were the only copies I had.

I slowly worked my way through the photos in an attempt to see if anything obvious jumped out at me. There didn’t seem to be anything all that interesting in the suitcase on Mr. Cole’s bed. The note on the table next to the phone simply had a date—tomorrow’s date, to be specific—the number 4, which I assumed meant four o’clock, and the name of a locals’ bar that was quite a way inland and off the beaten path. I supposed the four could refer to something else altogether, but I didn’t think I was going out on a limb in thinking Branson Cole was meeting someone at the Jungle Bar at four in the afternoon the following day. It couldn’t hurt, I supposed, to stop by for a drink and a look around.

I studied the photos of the items I’d found in the bathroom. It looked like Cole was on a lot of medication. I’m not an expert on prescription drugs, so I had no idea if anything he was taking could relate to his death. I made a list and vowed to find out.

I supposed before I got too far ahead of myself I should confirm that Branson Cole’s death actually could have been caused by some sort of chemical added to his drink. The missing glass indicated to me that something was going on; still, I didn’t want to waste a bunch of time chasing windmills. Chances were Jason had a copy of the ME report on his home computer. It was his habit to keep copies of important documents relating to open cases at home so he could check things out if something occurred to him while he was off duty. It just so happened that I knew the password to his home computer, so all I needed to do was pop in to say hi and then come up with a way to access the computer while no one was looking.

I decided to get an early start the next morning. I had a lot I wanted to accomplish before I headed out to the ranch to meet Luke at eleven. I greeted the day as I do most days with a run along the beach with Sandy, followed by a series of sun salutations as the sun rises into the sky. One of the things I love most about my island home is the connection to nature I experience each time I ride a giant wave, watch the sun rise or set, or hike along an isolated trail in the tropical paradise that few others have traveled. There’s a natural rhythm that permeates the culture that really isn’t duplicated anywhere else in the world. I guess I don’t really know that for a fact because I’ve never really been anywhere, but I’ve overheard tourists make that comment time and time again.

I finished my yoga routine and returned to the condo, put on a pot of coffee, and headed to the shower. Both Cam and Kekoa had shifts at the resort but neither had to check in until ten and neither tended to be an early riser. I normally enjoy the early mornings, when I have the condo and beach to myself. It’s easy to get so caught up in the everyday moments of your life that you forget to pause and enjoy the peace and beauty around you. I once took a class with a yoga instructor who encouraged us to stand in meditation and then turn to face each of the four directions: north, east, south, and west. As we faced each, we were to verbally thank the universe for something we’d experienced that made us happy or in some way brought joy to our lives. I can’t say I do that every day, but it wouldn’t be at all unusual to hear me thank Mother Nature for the scent of the flowers that grow near our condo, the sound of the waves as they break on the beach, the sight of the whales in the distance, or the feel of the white sand under my feet.

I dressed in casual shorts, a tank top, and comfortable tennis shoes, poured a cup of coffee, and headed out onto the lanai in front of the condo. It looked like it was going to be another perfect day in paradise and I for one couldn’t wait to get started. The phone store didn’t open until ten and I was supposed to meet Luke at eleven, so if I wanted to stop by Jason’s I was going to have to do it first. Chances were Jason had gone into work early because he had a murder case to solve, and my sister-in-law, Alana, usually took my niece and nephew to school at around nine, so it made sense that the best time to pay a visit to my brother’s home was just as Alana was leaving. She’d tell me she had to run the kids to school, I’d offer to wait, I’d hack into Jason’s computer during the fifteen minutes or so it took Alana to take the kids to school, share a quick cup of coffee with the woman I really did adore when she returned, and then make my excuses and head to the phone store.

The plan seemed solid and in theory shouldn’t have posed any problems except that when I arrived at Jason’s house Alana had already left. Luckily, the back door leading out onto the patio was rarely locked during the day, so I hopped the fence and let myself in. Then I unlocked the front door and let Sandy in. If it came up, I would simply claim the front door was open when I arrived so I decided to wait.

I left Sandy in the kitchen with Jason’s dog Kali and headed down the tiled hallway to my brother’s office. It only took me a few minutes to log onto his computer. Sure enough, there was a file on his desktop labeled
Cole
. I opened it and went straight to the medical examiner’s report. If Alana had left early to take the kids to school, she might be home early as well. I thought about e-mailing the file to myself, but I was afraid Jason might notice that, so I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down a few notes.

It appeared as if the ME had found, among other things, Tetrodotoxin, histamine, tryptamine, octopamine, taurine, acetylcholine, and accelerated levels of dopamine in Cole’s system. Most everything that was found could be explained by natural occurrences in the body combined with the prescription drugs he took with the exception of the Tetrodotoxin. According to the ME, Tetrodotoxin was a neurotoxin associated with pufferfish, ocean sunfish, triggerfish, and blue-ringed octopus among other inhabitants of the ocean. According to the report, the toxin could enter the body of a victim by ingestion, injection, inhalation, or through abraded skin.

I couldn’t help but think about the missing glass. Was it possible the venom had been added to the drink? I needed to do some more research to know for certain, so I made a note of the chemicals and slipped it into my pocket. Then I logged off the computer and slipped into the sunny kitchen just as Alana arrived home.

“What are you doing here?” Alana hugged me in welcome.

“I wanted to borrow that yellow top you bought the last time we went shopping for my date this evening,” I improvised. “When I realized I missed you I decided to wait.”

“I’m glad you did. It’s been forever since we had a chance to catch up. Who’s the date with?”

“Just a tourist I met at the resort. It’s nothing serious, but I figured if the guy wanted to buy me an expensive dinner I’d let him.”

Alana set her purse on the counter. “You should really be careful dating guys you don’t know. There are a lot of weirdos out there.”

I shrugged. “I know, but this guy seems harmless and I can take care of myself. So can I borrow the top?”

“Sure. I’ll get it. Help yourself to some coffee.”

I decided I had time for a quick cup. Alana would think it odd if I didn’t stay to chat for a few minutes at least. I didn’t really have a date that evening, but I could always use a hair appointment or something girlie as an excuse to make my escape if our chat went too long. Besides, maybe she knew something about Jason’s investigation. It couldn’t hurt to casually ask.

Jason and Alana lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. The house was large enough so that each of their two children had their own bedroom and there was additional space for Jason’s office and Alana’s sewing room. The house wasn’t on the beach, which would be a deal killer for me, but they did have a large lot with a pool and a BBQ area where they entertained quite often. Honestly, living in a middle-class neighborhood where every house is similar to the next wouldn’t be my thing at all, but as far as I could tell the family seemed happy with their living arrangements.

Alana came back downstairs with the top in her hand.

“Thanks so much. I’m sure I could have dug up something in my closet, but from the moment I was invited to dinner all I could think about was how awesome this top would look with that new floral skirt I bought.”

“The top will look good with the skirt and I’m happy to lend it to you. I could, however, use a favor in return.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Do you remember Jennifer Branton?”

“Your college roommate? Yeah. What about her?”

“She’s vacationing on the island and has invited Jason and me to dinner a week from Saturday. I don’t suppose you could babysit?”

“I’d be happy to as long as it’s after my shift. I don’t get off until seven.”

“Seven will work. I’ll make a reservation for eight. Hopefully Jason will have his murder investigation wrapped up by then. If history is any indication, I won’t be seeing much of him until he closes the case. He left for work at six this morning with instructions not to wait up.”

“He does tend to get pretty intense when he’s working on a case. Does it seem like he has any leads?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say, but he didn’t seem happy, so I’m thinking no. Hopefully something will break today. He said he had a few ideas he wanted to check in to, so maybe they’ll pan out.”

“For your sake I hope so.” I crossed the tile floor with my mug of coffee, then sat down at the small table nestled in the kitchen nook. Alana followed me.

“Jason said you were the one to discover the man was dead.”

“Yeah.” I added a dollop of milk to the dark brew. “He was on Drake’s beach and he didn’t even notice the guy was burned to a crisp. Maybe if he had checked it out sooner he could have helped him.”

“Drake is pretty self-involved, but there probably wasn’t anything he could have done. Based on what Jason said, the man didn’t even try to get up, so it must have been quick.”

“Yeah, I guess. Still, it seems odd that someone could die in the middle of a crowd and not a single person noticed anything.”

“Crowds can create a sense of isolation. There are so many people around that no one feels responsible for anyone else. There’s a tendency to build an invisible wall around yourself and the people you’re with. It’s sad that the man couldn’t get help before it was too late, but I suppose not really all that surprising.”

I hated to think Alana was right, but what she said did seem to make sense. It was the same in the water. There could be a hundred people swimming and body boarding when one person got into trouble, yet there were so many times no one responded or even seemed to notice until the lifeguard or WSO dashed into the water to make the rescue.

“Are you guys going to be at Mom’s for the barbecue on Sunday?” I asked.

“The kids and I are planning on it. Jason’s presence will depend on whether he feels he needs to work or not.”

“The brothers are all coming, so I know Mom will be disappointed if Jason doesn’t make it. You should really try to talk him into it even if this case isn’t wrapped up.”

“Is Jeff bringing Candy?”

“He is as far as I know. I have to say, I wasn’t really into the party when Mom first mentioned it, but now that I know Candy will be there I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I wasn’t aware you were such a big fan of Candy.”

“I’m not. But I am a big fan of the fireworks that will erupt when Jeff shows up with her.”

Jeff is my youngest brother and Candy is the good-for-nothing, two-timing whore who broke his heart. At least according to my mother. The truth of the matter is that Jeff and Candy began dating in high school and the decision to spilt after graduation was mutual. They really did seem to care for each other, but they realized they were too young to be in such a serious relationship and felt it best to part ways. The main problem was that Candy moved on right away while Jeff mourned the loss of something he held dear, so in my mom’s mind Candy was the reason they didn’t get back together after they had a chance to think things through. Who knows, maybe Mom was right; it did seem Jeff regretted the decision they’d made once he took a step back and realized what it was he’d given up.

“I’m sure Jason will try to come if he can. I know he enjoys these family gatherings, but I also know he has big goals and really puts a lot into his job,” Alana commented.

“Yeah. He really does.”

Suddenly I felt bad for wanting to solve the case before him. It wasn’t that I wanted to show him up exactly; it was more that I wanted to be given credit for my knowledge and skills.

“Listen, I have some errands to do, so I need to head out. Thanks for the use of the top and I’ll be sure to put that Saturday on my schedule. Seems like it’s been a while since I spent any time with Kala and Kale.”

“The kids will be excited as well. I’m pretty sure next to Jason and me, Aunt Lani is their favorite person.”

I smiled. Kala and Kale, six-year-old twins, are two of my very favorite people too. Being the youngest of six children, I was always the baby, and being the only girl of the six, I was spoiled and pampered from day one. I never really had a desire for a younger sibling, and when I got to be old enough to earn some extra money babysitting, I tended to pass. In fact, until the birth of Kala and Kale, I was pretty sure children weren’t in my future, but after spending time with the adorable twins I’ve begun to open my mind to the possibility. In the very distant future of course.

My mom seems fine with the fact that my brothers, with the exception of Jason, are all single, but she’s been hounding me to find a guy, settle down, and provide some grandbabies almost since I finished high school. I don’t really get the double standard. Kekoa thinks my mom wants me to find someone who will take care of me, but I’m going to state outright that Kailani Pope can take care of herself.

The trip from Jason’s back into town was pretty quick. Luckily, the phone store wasn’t crowded, and once I wrote them a ridiculously large check, they replaced my phone with not only a new one but a newer model. By the time I finally completed all the paperwork required for the upgrade, it was time to head toward Luke’s ranch. I wasn’t going to have time to go home to change, so I hoped shorts and casual tennis shoes wouldn’t be frowned upon on the upper-class part of the island.

The drive along the coast toward Luke’s ranch was along one of the most beautiful parts of the island. The land Luke had purchased was on a bluff overlooking the water and I assumed he’d paid a mint for it. After our talk the previous evening I had to wonder how much money Luke actually had made from his high-risk portfolio. He didn’t seem to have a current source of income, so I imagined his investments must still be paying off quite nicely.

I turned off the main road and onto the private one leading to the house. White fences surrounded bright green fields where horses grazed on the tall grass. Luke didn’t have a lot of horses, maybe ten, and he didn’t seem to do anything with the ones he had. I’d never heard him mention racing or breeding, so I thought he must keep them for their entertainment value.

The house was a low-lying ranch style that seemed to sprawl in all directions. I’d been to Luke’s place once before with Brody, so I knew there was a large pool and patio area behind the house. The barn was set away from the house but was accessible via a paved footpath. I supposed it might be nice to live in a house where the bathroom alone was larger than my condo, but Sandy and I really didn’t need anything more than we had.