Murder at Dolphin Bay (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery Book 1)
Read Murder at Dolphin Bay (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery Book 1) Online
Authors: Kathi Daley
Murder at Dolphin Bay
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
This book is dedicated to the gang at Kathi Daley Books Group Page, who helped me come up with a title for this series. They are listed individually on the next page.
I want to give a shout out to Sergeant Glen Luecke of the Honolulu Police Department for providing information regarding entrance requirements for the HPD. I had to take a few liberties, but Glen’s input was invaluable.
I also want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.
I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions.
And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.
Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.
Special thanks to Pamela Curran, Vivian Shane, Joanne Kocourek, Taryn Lee, Connie Correll, and Della Williamson for submitting recipes.
And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.
Shelli King
Angie Young
Shirley Fields Layne
Catherine Willson Bogert
Robin Gzikowski Christofaro
Jeannie Dannheim
Donna L. Walo-Clancy
Jan Flynn
Kimberly Perry Gayheart
Martie Peck
Terry Smith
Pam Paison
Sheryl Hagan-Booth
Debra Woloson
Stephanie Treadway Hobrock
Marissa Yip-Young
Sandy Swanger Bartles
Ruth Nixon
Sonya Steele
Melissa Adkins
Connie Heim Reynolds
Robin Coxin
Elizabeth Dent
Bonnie Littleton
Kathy Dunn
Traci Putinski
Kathleen Costa
Terri Crossley
Nickieann Fleener
Jess Dimovski
Lin Casteel-Butler
Candy Albright Kennedy
Sharleen Wells
Sharon Frank
Donna Fuller
Lynne DeBoer-Moody
Colleen Wisnom-Ladoux
Robyn Konopka
Spunky Laferrera
Melinds Lyngstad Bouwman
Verna Gass
Cindy Olmstead Russell
Tricia Dunbar
Penny Burns Marks
Barbara Tobey
Lynn Hogan
Kory Bull
Shelia Ann Wade
Doward Wilson
Joanne Kocourek
Pamela Dennis Petteway
Laura S Reading
Alice Ihnen
Donna Fuller
Kay Monk
Linda Rima
Donna Black Bates
Cindy Olmstead Russell
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle –
May 2016
Zimmerman Academy Shorts
The New Normal
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby –
July 2016
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise –
June 2016
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
Wednesday, March 9
My name is Kailani Pope. Everyone who isn’t my father or my paternal grandmother calls me Lani. Probably the most important thing you need to know about me is that I want to be a cop. Correction: I
need
to be a cop. Not only is being a proud member of the Honolulu Police Department my destiny but it’s in my blood. My dad was a cop, my grandfather was a cop, my Uncle Steve is a cop, and my five brothers are all cops for various agencies within the state of Hawaii.
I know most little girls dream of being a princess, ballerina, or beauty queen when they grow up, but from the moment I was old enough to start picturing my future, I
knew
I wanted to be a cop. In the years since, I have never once wavered from my commitment to do this very thing. So why, you ask, am I
not
a cop?
You see, in spite of my unwavering determination, I have had a teeny, tiny problem making my dreams come true. That teeny, tiny problem, as it turns out, is a teeny, tiny me. While all five of my brothers top the six-foot mark on the height charts, I have to stand on my tippy toes to even approach the five-foot mark. Although the HPD doesn’t technically have a height requirement, they do have a lot more applicants than they have jobs, so it makes sense that the candidates who are most qualified, like my burly brothers, are more likely to be given the opportunity than those of us who are vertically impaired and don’t quite meet the ideal prototype for police work.
I understand that a teeny, tiny cop really doesn’t pose much of a threat to the oftentimes large-framed population of my home state, but I’ve met all the requirements set forth by the HPD and I know I could do the job better than anyone else if only the powers that be would let me try. So while I’m waiting for the growth spurt I’ve been praying for for the past fifteen years to finally kick in, or my name to come up on the never-ending list of qualified applicants, I work in guest services at the Dolphin Bay Resort on the north shore of Oahu as a water safety officer. Calling me a WSO is a fancy way of saying I’m a lifeguard, activities director, and babysitter all wrapped up in one.
Working for the resort isn’t bad as jobs go. I get to spend the day outdoors, soaking up the sun and enjoying the tropical climate Hawaii is famous for. I work with five other WSOs, most of whom have become close and entertaining friends. The pay for a safety and rescue worker with my level of experience and training is really pretty good. When I’m not working I like to study the detective manual I lifted from my brother Jason after he finished studying for the test that moved him to the next level of the HPD food chain.
I think I’d be a good cop. What I lack in size I more than make up for in intellect and intuition. My save record as a WSO is unmatched on the island, mostly due to my ability to sense a dangerous situation before it occurs. My colleagues don’t understand how I can already be in the water and on my way to the rescue before a victim even realizes they’re in trouble.
“Hamilton wants you to move down to tower two.”
I smiled at Cameron Carrington, my fellow lifeguard. Cam is the quintessential beach boy: tall and tan with a fit frame and blond hair that brushes his shoulders. Probably the most outstanding things about Cam, however, are his bright blue eyes, which mirror the aqua of the sea where he spends a good deal of each and every day. Cam and I went to high school together, competed on the same swim team, joined the junior lifeguard program, and landed jobs at Dolphin Bay at about the same time. I guess you could say Cam is my best friend, along with my cousin Kekoa, who works in the hotel at the front desk.
“Okay.” I got up and began gathering my belongings. “I prefer tower two anyway.”
The truth of the matter is there’s a lot more action on the surfing beach, where tower two is located. I feel my talents are wasted at tower one, on the family beach, but it’s still a lot better than the worst assignment of all: the family pool. Whoever is assigned there needs to be long on patience, which I am not. Luckily, my boss, Mitch Hamilton, knows this and more often than not assigns me to the beach.
“Keep an eye on the riptide,” Cam warned. “It’s been strong all day. And there’s been an unverified shark spotting from one of the surfers.”
“Probably a dolphin,” I countered.
“Yeah, probably, but keep an eye out anyway.”
“We still on for later?” I asked as I slipped my backpack over my shoulder.
“Makena and a few of the others heard we were going to party on the beach and asked if they could join us. I told them they could. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine.”
It wasn’t.
I was really looking forward to having a best friend bonfire with Cam and Kekoa, but I knew he had a crush on the newest WSO team member, so if Makena wanted to hang out with us, who was I to deny him his heart’s desire?
I jumped down from the tower and landed smoothly on the white sand beach. “I need to run home to grab Sandy after I get off.” Sandy is a lab mix I rescued from a strong tide a few years ago. I’m not sure how he came to be in the water in the first place, but, although I looked, I was never able to find his owner. So Sandy moved in with Cam, Kekoa, and me, in the very small and very cramped condo we share. “I’ll just grab the food while I’m there and meet you at the Point. I hope you told the others to bring food and beverages to contribute because I only bought enough for the three of us.”
“I did. I’m not sure who all is coming. Makena said she’d fill everyone in. Maybe Brody will bring Luke.”
I sent a dirty look in Cam’s direction before I jogged down the beach to tower two. Brody Weller, another WSO, is an all right sort of guy except for the fact that he has a tendency to bring his very annoying best friend Luke Austin everywhere he goes. I’m not sure why Luke annoys me so much. There’s just something about his huge horse ranch, perfect smile, shaggy brown hair, deep blue eyes, and southern charm that make me want to throw sand at him every time I see him. Cam thinks I have a thing for him, which I absolutely do not. There is no way I’d ever hook up with a displaced cowboy from Texas. Granted, Luke can fill out a pair of jeans better than anyone I’ve ever met, but the mere idea of riding a horse makes my skin itch.
No, if I was going to hook up with anyone it would be Kilohana Kapule—Kilo for short. Now there’s a man after my own heart. Not only was he born and raised on the island and well away from horses but he could surf with such majesty that it seemed as if the hand of God had reached down to give him some sort of supernatural power over the forces of the sea. Of course Kilo barely knows I’m alive, but marrying the man and having his babies is definitely part of my ten-year plan, right behind becoming a cop, making detective, and winning the women’s division of the Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing competition.
Okay, maybe that last one is a pipe dream. I can handle myself on a board, but I’m nowhere as talented as Kilo.
“Cam told me Hamilton wants me to take over,” I said to Drake Longboard, my least favorite co-worker. Not only is he much too arrogant for someone of his subpar intelligence and athletic ability but he has really long bangs that are constantly covering his eyes. He looks like a shaggy dog. The worst part of all is that he is continually, and I mean continually, running his hand through his hair to swipe it away from his face. The guy is a mess. I don’t know why Hamilton hasn’t made him cut his hair because I really don’t know how he can see well enough to know whether anyone is drowning.
“So where am I supposed to go? I have three hours left on my shift.”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. You’ll have to go up to the office to ask the boss. Cam took over in tower one, so I’m guessing the family pool.”
Drake grumbled the entire time he gathered his things. I ignored him as I placed my binoculars to my eyes and surveyed the situation. The family beach was protected by a reef that attracts moms and dads with their pail-toting offspring, who wade in the gentle surf and build sandcastles that will be washed away by the evening tide. In contrast, the waves on the surfing beach are pretty intense, which means it’s generally occupied by surfers and the young adults who hang out watching them. Experience has shown that when you’re assigned to tower two your potential victim is either going to be a tourist who really doesn’t understand the power of the waves or a hot shot local who is so intent on showing off he isn’t paying attention to what’s going on around him.
“How long has that guy with the red trunks over by the jetty been sitting there in the sun? He’s as red as a Hawaiian sunset.”
“How should I know? I’m paid to watch the water, not to monitor the sunbathing habits of clueless tourists intent on baking themselves.”
“You’re a safety officer and it’s your job to make sure our guests are both safe and happy whether they’re in the water or not. The guy looks like a lobster. Trust me, when he realizes how burned he is, he isn’t going to be happy.”
Drake shrugged. “What ev.”
“Keep an eye on the water for one more minute while I head over to suggest he call it a day?”
Drake’s only answer was in the form of a completely inappropriate comment about the man’s plump belly resembling a crab rather than a lobster, but it appeared that he’d do as I asked, so I grabbed my rescue buoy and headed down the beach. I really don’t know why Hamilton puts up with Drake. I mean, he’s an okay WSO and he’s never actually killed anyone with his lackluster attitude toward his job, but I know there are a lot of qualified people out there who would do the job better than he does, so why keep him around? Cam thinks Hamilton has a thing for Drake’s aunt, Veronica, which I suppose he might. Hamilton is single and Drake’s aunt is very attractive. They’re about the same age and I suppose an argument could be made that the two would make a compatible couple. Still, I can’t imagine being related to Drake in any way would be worth a hookup of the serious kind, even if his aunt is a babe.
“Excuse me, sir,” I said as I approached the man who was laid out on a lounger with a hat over his face. “It looks like you’re getting a pretty serious sunburn. It might be a good idea to call it a day.”
The man didn’t respond. There was an empty bar glass on the table next to the chair. It looked as if he’d been drinking our signature rum punch, which can sneak up on you if you aren’t aware of the high alcohol content of the fruity drink. Chances were the guy was hammered. I can’t even begin to tell you how many really serious sunburns are the result of overindulgence of alcohol combined with a day at the beach.
I used my rescue buoy to gently touch the man on the shoulder. “Sir? Can you hear me, sir? I really think it’s time to head in.”
The man still didn’t move. I debated what to do. My instinct told me to pour water over him, but my common sense said that might make him pretty mad. After a moment’s hesitation I reached over and touched the man on the shoulder. He felt cold even though it was a hot day. I was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what might happen next. “Sir,” I said as I gently removed the hat from the man’s face. I let out a little screech and jumped back. It was obvious from the empty stare of his open eyes that he wasn’t sleeping; he was dead.
I replaced the hat over his face before instructing one of the locals to head to the tower to tell Drake to call for backup. By this point I’d attracted quite a bit of attention from lookie loos, so I focused my attention on maintaining the integrity of what I was sure was going to be declared a crime scene while I waited for someone from HPD to arrive.
“Did anyone notice if anyone was with this man?” I asked the crowd.
“He was alone when I got here and I’ve been here most of the day,” a young woman with curly red hair answered.
It appeared the man had simply died in his sleep, most likely due to heart failure, but looks can be deceiving. My gut told me there was more going on, and my gut is rarely wrong.
“Did anyone stop by to speak to him?”
“Not that I noticed,” the redhead added. “He did chat for a few minutes with the woman who brought him his drink, but that was it.”
“Was the woman you’re referring to one of our cocktail waitresses?”
“No; at least I don’t think so. She didn’t have one of the resort’s uniforms on. It looked to me like she was flirting with the guy. I remember thinking she’d set her sights pretty low. She was gorgeous and this guy was…well…” She glanced at the clearly out-of-shape middle-aged man.
“Do you remember what she looked like?”
“Tall. Dark hair. Fair skinned. I didn’t pay all that much attention and might not have noticed them at all if it hadn’t occurred to me that the woman could do better.”
I looked back toward the man whose skin was as red as his swim trunks. It amazed me that no one had tried to wake the man before I came along. If he hadn’t been dead, he would have been in a whole lot of pain once the fire from the burn set in.
“What happened?” Kekoa, who must have noticed the ruckus when Hamilton was informed we had a body on the beach, came jogging over. The front desk where she works looks out onto the beach, so she’s usually pretty tuned in to what’s going on.
I turned my attention to my cousin. “Male victim. He was dead when I found him. I’d say he’s in his late forties/early fifties. Maybe older. It’s hard to tell.” I lifted the edge of the hat to reveal the man’s face.
