4 Maui Macadamia Madness (15 page)

Color me confused. I
took their vacant seat and patted the bench for Ethan to join me. “What do you
make of all this?”

“Sounds
like we have a hotel full of people with a motive.
Including your uncle.”

“What?” I jerked to
face him.

“Your uncle said he
came not only because you were in trouble, but because he wanted to check on a
possible investment. I think this is the investment.”

My stomach sank.
Surely Uncle Roy didn’t pay a chunk of money for a time share. What about his
retirement? “Uncle Roy wouldn’t kill anyone.”

“No, I know he
wouldn’t, but I think Roy needs to answer some questions.”

We waited until the
others exited the dining room and fell into step beside them. Instead of
branching off to our own cottage, Ethan and I followed them into theirs.

“Roy, we need to
talk.” Ethan waved him to a chair.

“Yep, I’m guessing
we do.” Uncle Roy ran his hands down the legs of his pants. “Have a seat,
Eunice. You
ain’t
going to be happy about this.”

Her eyes bugged, but
she did as she was told. “What did you do now?”

Ethan held up his
hand. “Roy, what type of investment did you come to Maui for? We know it wasn’t
only to check on
Summer
, you told us yourself.”

“I thought I could
get a timeshare for me and the missus. Thought it would be nice to spend a
month or so here every year.” Uncle Roy rested his elbows on his knees and
leaned forward. “Thank the good Lord I didn’t fork over any money. Told the
fella
I wasn’t going to until I’d taken a look for myself.
He wasn’t happy, but he agreed.”

“I’m thinking you’re
right.” I sagged onto the sofa. Thank goodness my uncle had a level head.
Things could have ended very differently for my family.

“Well, that don’t
make me mad,” Aunt Eunice said. “I knew all about it. Found the emails one day
on the computer. Knew it sounded too good to be true.”

“This puts you
toward the top of the suspect list, if
Manano
finds
out.” Joe shook his head. “Especially after Aunt Eunice chatted up Mrs.
Aldrich, and she turned up dead.”

“I know. We’re in a
pickle for sure.” Uncle Roy lifted his head. “Why do you think I haven’t said
anything? I hoped by keeping my mouth shut, nobody would know of my
involvement. I’m a shade embarrassed.”

“We might still be
able to keep your name out of this.” Joe crossed his arms and leaned against
the wall. “It ought to be easy enough to keep
Manano’s
suspicions on
Summer
. The man isn’t the brightest
pebble on the beach, and since my cousin can’t keep her nose out of trouble,
she ought to cause enough upheaval for
Manano
to
focus on her.”

The spider web
continued to wind around, in and out, until I had no idea which end was up. The
only thing I knew for sure was that folks involved in a false timeshare offer
were turning up dead, and I didn’t want my uncle to be one of them.

“Unless
Jamison had a list somewhere.”
I chewed my nail. “He must have. Then, whoever killed
him,
is going down the list, getting rid of witnesses.”

“What if
Manano
has it?” April moved to stand next to Joe.
“Or the killer?”

“We need to find
it.” I glanced around the room at all the faces I loved, and prayed my passion
for solving mysteries wouldn’t get any of them killed.

“You’re crazy.” Joe
pushed away from the wall. “
Manano
has Jamison’s
laptop. If there’s a list, it’s on there and you won’t have access to it.” He
marched to the kitchen and opened the small refrigerator. “Why isn’t there any
soda?”

“Probably
because you drank it all?”
I shook my head. “Maybe Jamison had a partner? I doubt the man was scamming
people on his own. It seems like a large undertaking.”

Joe straightened.
“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said in a long time.”

“Which part?” I
frowned.

Ethan leaned to
whisper in my ear. “I think he means the part about a partner.”

“A
partner killing people.”
Tingles shot up my spine faster than a rocket. I pushed him away so I could
concentrate. “Stop whispering. It tickles.”

“That’s the idea.”
He chuckled.

“You two lovebirds
stop nuzzling,” Aunt Eunice scolded. “We have
work
to
do.”

“And
managed to get way off track.”
Joe slammed the fridge. “We need to find another victim.”

“Alive, I hope. I’ll
be right back.” I left and retrieved Susan’s mail, returning minutes later. “I
found this under a bush earlier when a dog had Susan Woods’s mail. It’s a
threat.” I handed it to Joe. “Maybe I should go talk to her.”

“Maybe Ethan
should.” April giggled. “The woman seems to like him better.”

No way on earth
would I let my husband be alone with
her.
Not for one
little bit.

Ethan winked. “I
think I’m up to the challenge.”

“No, you’re not.” I
punched his arm.
“Unless I go with you.”

“How about Ethan and
I go?” Joe moved back to April’s side. “She definitely seems to relate more to
men.”

“But then I won’t
know what’s going on!”

“We’ll tell you.”

My nail went back in
my mouth. “No, it needs to be somewhere I can eavesdrop. Something always gets
left out when information is passed along secondhand.”

“I’m a cop,
Summer
.” Joe crossed his arms. “I think I can properly relay
information.”

“Still.”
There had to be a way. I rarely saw her at
the meals, and occasionally on the beach. “We need to find out where she’s
going tomorrow and follow her.”

“And how, Sherlock,
do you propose we do that?” Joe smirked.

“We ask the
Wahine’s
if she’s rented a car or asked directions.” I
grinned. “I’ll do it first thing in the morning. Then, we follow her. You two
sashay up and start a conversation, while I pretend to be somewhere else
mentally, and—”

Joe guffawed. “That
shouldn’t be hard for you.”

I glared. “I will
stay a few steps away and be engrossed in the scenery while actually listening
to y’all. It’s a brilliant plan.” I dared any of them to disagree.

“I know where she’s
going,” Aunt Eunice said, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “I heard that boy,
David,
ask her if she wanted to visit the seven pools.
They’re taking the road to
Hana
.”
That
twisting, turning, hundred miles of one-lane road.

I couldn’t help but
remember the last road we were on.
The one where somebody
tried to run me over.

Chapter
Eighteen

“I want Ethan to drive.” I set the tour pamphlet on the hood of the van
and stabbed at it with my index finger. “This says we should pick our best
driver.” Not only that, but the warning of 600+ turns had me popping motion
sickness pills and praying I could convince Joe to let me sit in the front seat.

“I haven’t driven
the group this whole trip.” Uncle Roy crossed his arms.

“And you aren’t
doing it today. Not on this road.” I plucked the keys from his hands and handed
them to Ethan.

A few cars over,
Susan climbed into a convertible with David Hatcher. If we didn’t leave right
when they did, we might not see them again until they returned later that
evening. “I’m sitting up front, unless y’all want me to get sick all over you,
and we need to leave now.”

Everyone climbed
into the van, and we pulled from the parking lot mere seconds after Susan. I
really hoped they planned on sightseeing. According to the brochure, there were
more things to see in a day along the road to
Hana
than there was time for. I grabbed the pamphlet from the hood and climbed into
the front passenger seat, spreading the glossy brochure across my lap.

“Take Highway 36. It
turns into 360.”

“What if Susan turns
off?” Ethan sped up to get closer to her. “Do I turn or continue?”

“We do what she
does.”

“Won’t she know
we’re following her?” April asked from the middle row of seats.

I shrugged. “Just
about everyone who comes to Maui takes this road and there’re places to stop
everywhere. We won’t have to say anything. She doesn’t own the island.” I dug
in my purse and located the Dramamine. “I suggest everyone take one of these.”

Joe grabbed the box
and handed it around. “I’d like to come back to Hawaii someday, when I’m not
trying to find a murderer or having to follow someone else’s schedule.”

I knew exactly how
he felt. Being on my honeymoon and following someone who might intend me harm,
was not my idea of a romantic getaway. I rested my hand on Ethan’s thigh. At
least we were spending time together.

Almost immediately,
the scenery took my breath away. Highway 360 was a cliff road, winding around a
turquoise ocean. I wished we could have rented a convertible so I could hear
the waves. Instead, I closed my eyes for a second, leaned my head back, and
pretended.

“She’s stopping.”
Ethan pulled the van over.

I opened my eyes to
see mile marker six, then scanned the brochure. Oh, a bamboo forest. I
scrambled from the van, grabbing my camera, and stepped aside while the others
exited. Susan and David had already disappeared down a dirt path, and I was
anxious to follow. “Aunt Eunice, can you hand me my backpack? The guide says to
wear good shoes and bring water.”

“Do you have enough
for everyone?” She tossed the bag to me.

“One
for each.”

“I’ll wear it.”
Ethan snatched the pack and slung it over his shoulders. “Let’s see what we can
find.” He grabbed my hand and dragged me into something magical.

A mile from where we
parked, we entered into a towering forest of bamboo. The breeze caused the
stalks to brush against each other and whisper sweet nothings. At least, that’s
what I imagined they said. I almost felt as if they called my name and tried to
lure me into a fantasy. Sunlight dappled and winked through the swaying stalks.
Before too long, our conversation became hushed, almost reverent. I imagined
all types of things waiting for us around the bend, such as deranged killers,
zombies, Susan and David in an embrace. I wasn’t sure which frightened me more.

Hushed words caused
me to stop, halting Ethan, and I held up my hand for the others. I held a
finger to my mouth and strained to hear. As carefully as possible, I parted the
stalks and peered through.

“This is getting out
of control.” Susan paced the path, waving her arms around as if a swarm of
flies plagued her. “Because of one stupid decision, we’re all going down,
unless we stop her from snooping around. I cannot have everything I’ve worked
for taken from me.”

David held out his
hands. “Settle down. It’s being taken care of. I promise.”

“That’s what you
keep saying, but she’s still a thorn in my side!”

Mercy.
Susan really wanted me out of the picture.
My mouth dried up. I let the stalks fall back into place and sidled up to
Ethan. “I think she’s going to have me killed.”

He hugged me against
him and kissed the top of my head. “I won’t let that happen.”

“You might not be
able to prevent it.” I straightened. “Let’s go, y’all. No need to be secret
now. I’ve heard all I need to.”
At least for the time being.

A cloud passed over
the sun. No matter how many crimes I tried to solve by snooping where I
shouldn’t, it never ceased to amaze me that people might actually want me dead.
After my prior experiences, what would they try on the island of Maui?

Drench me in blood
for the sharks and barracudas? Leave me stranded in the middle of the ocean in
a life raft with a slow leak? I shook my head, trying to stop my overactive
imagination. I wanted to enjoy my honeymoon, not worry about what waited around
the next bend.

We continued our
hike through the bamboo forest. The beauty and awe of the place did a lot for
raising my spirits. God truly shined when he made these islands.

When we reached the
van, Ethan helped me inside and then moved to get behind the wheel. A car
careened around the corner. Ethan flattened himself against the door until the
reckless driver disappeared around the next corner.

From the tic in his
jaw when he got in the van, I could tell Ethan struggled to control his temper.
Not many things riled him, but when they did my gentle man turned into a tiger.
I’m guessing almost getting hit by a car, after I told him someone wanted to
kill me, might have lit his fuse.

Without speaking, he
turned the key in the ignition and pulled back onto the road. The scenery left
nothing to be desired. The atmosphere inside the van did. No one talked.
Everyone stared silently out the window.