4 Maui Macadamia Madness (14 page)

I was knee-deep in a
murder investigation. I’d check out the contents of the envelope and return it
to her myself.

No sooner had I
closed the door behind me than I was reaching for a steak knife left from a
previous supper. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first envelope I’d slit open with
the hopes of sealing closed with no one the wiser. I slid the blade under the
flap and voila! A single sheet of paper fell out.

Written in bold
letters was the words PAY UP OR SUFFER JAMISON’S FATE.

I folded onto the
sofa. What was Susan mixed up in? If Jamison was suspected of being a loan
shark, who could he have angered enough to kill him, and why would they be
threatening Susan?

Every answer I
uncovered raised a handful of more questions. Why was Susan on Maui? Why was
she consistently seen in
Manano’s
company? Was she
friend or foe? I shook my head, wishing I had never gotten involved. After
someone threw the spear, Ethan and I should have packed our things and gone to
a different island.

I released the note,
letting it flutter to the beige carpet like a wounded butterfly. I couldn’t
walk away now. Maybe God sent us here to save someone from suffering Jamison’s
and Mrs. Aldrich’s fate. I needed to talk to the dead woman’s husband. Had he
left the island yet?

After changing from
my bathing suit to walking shorts and a tank top, I left Ethan a note letting him
know where I was going, put Susan’s mail in the top dresser drawer, and then
locked the cottage behind me.

The Aldrich cottage
wasn’t far from mine and
Ethan’s,
and the front door
stood open. “Hello? Mr. Aldrich?”

“Back here.”

I followed his voice
to the bedroom. An open suitcase sat on the bed.

Mr. Aldrich tossed
clothing inside, leaving his wife’s in a pile on the floor. “What do you want?”

Not his usual
friendly self, but I understood, under the circumstances. “Is there anything I
can do for you? When are you leaving?”

He sighed. “Tonight
was the earliest flight I could take. They’ll ship my wife’s body, once they’re
finished with the investigation.” He sagged onto the bed. “Outside of bringing
her back, there isn’t anything anyone can do.”

“I can pray.”

He huffed. “That
won’t bring her back. My wife was the one with the faith.”

“Mr. Aldrich.” I
laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you know why anyone would want to kill her?”

“Sure, I do. She
started asking questions about Jamison’s death.” He shook his head. “Always
fancied
herself
an older Nancy Drew. I called her my
Agatha.” He brushed his hand across his face. “Like you, I guess.”

Except
I was still alive.
I
heard the accusation in his voice. “I’m sorry.”

“Guess you want to
know if she found out anything.” He stood and moved to the dresser and took a
cigar box out of the top drawer. “She kept all her notes in here.”

“Did y’all come to
Maui to follow Jamison? Your wife said it was your anniversary.”

“It was our
anniversary.” He slapped the suitcase closed. “She wanted to solve a mystery in
celebration.
Said the love between a man and a woman was the
second greatest mystery outside of God’s love for us.”
He fixed his eyes
on me. “You solve this thing for her, you hear?”

“Yes,
sir.”
Tears stung my eyes
as I accepted the box. “I’ll do my best.”

“No.” He shook me.
“You do this. You stay alive and found out who killed her.”

“Summer?”
Ethan stepped beside me. “Everything all
right here?”

“Yes.” I held out my
hand to Mr. Aldrich. “Have a safe trip. May God go with
you.
”

He grunted, grabbed
his case, and marched out.

I turned and buried
my face in Ethan’s chest, letting the tears escape.

“Hey, baby.” He
cradled me close. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

I shook my head.
“No, I’m just hurting for him.” I lifted my face. “I promised him I would find
out who killed his wife.”

“Sure you did.” He
smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Keeping his arm around my shoulder,
he led me back to our cottage.

“Into
bed for you.
I’ll bring
back supper.” Ethan pulled down the bedcovers.

“I’m not sleepy.
It’s only six o’clock.”

“Then look through
the box in your hand, but I want you resting in bed in your pajamas. I know you
won’t go wandering around in your
nightie
.”

True. I smiled
through my tears and nodded. “I will stay here. Let the family know I have a
headache and we won’t be accepting visitors.”

“I will.” He kissed
me. “Be back in a flash.”

After slipping into
my nightgown, I crawled into bed and scooted against the headboard. The box sat
next to me, chanting my name. I opened the lid then closed it.

Mr. Aldrich’s grief
spilled over onto me, dispelling my previous curiosity about his wife’s notes.
I loved solving mysteries, but didn’t relish dying for it. I leaned my head
back, knocking it against the headboard. That would leave a bruise.

With my finger, I
traced the ornate, upraised design on the box. One corner was smashed and
smudged as if the box had been thrown. I shrugged. Maybe Mrs. Aldrich retrieved
it from the garbage. It was a pretty, sturdy thing with its forest green and
gold designs. I sighed and pushed off the bed.

Lying around would
get me nowhere. The cottage didn’t have a television, and since I was in my
nightie
, I couldn’t go borrow a book. I parted the curtains
and stared out into the beginning dusk.

The sunsets on Maui
were indescribable and usually lifted my spirits. Suddenly, I yearned for the
Ozark
mountains
of home.
The
peacefulness of Mountain Springs.

Somebody walked down
the beach, a man, from the body build, and sat on the sand. The glow from an ember
shined in his hand. I let the curtains fall, allowing the man his solitary
smoke.
On second thought…

I changed into
capri
sweats and a long-sleeved
tee-shirt. A walk on the beach might be just the thing I needed to clear my
head and lift my mood. I left a note for Ethan, promising not to go far, and
slipped my feet into flip-flops. Already I felt better in anticipation of
feeling the waves on my feet.

The smoker was gone
when I stepped outside, and I practically skipped to the water. I sat in the
sand,
arms wrapped around my bent knees and gave up my cares
to God. After all, He was the only one strong enough to make sure I solved this
mystery without joining Him any time soon. If He chose to call me home, then so
be it, but I would do my best to find Mrs. Aldrich’s and Jamison’s killer as
promised.

I stood and moved
into the water, wading until it crested my knees. Warm silk caressed my skin. I
stretched out my arms and lifted my face to heaven. Thank you, God, for a place
such as this. Other than my beloved mountains, this was paradise.

Footsteps pounded
behind me. I turned. Someone barreled into me, taking me into the dark sea.

Holding my breath, I
flailed at the hands holding me under. He was going to drown me!

Think,
Summer
!

I doubled up my fist
and hit him where it counted. No time for modesty. For good measure, I grabbed
his crotch and pulled up. He sagged, and I fought my way free. Before I could
get my feet firmly under me, he was staggering from the water.

“Hey!” I splashed
after him. “Come back and
fight like
a man!” I giggled
as adrenaline coursed through my body. I hated how my emotions betrayed me in a
life or death situation. I either laughed or cried. I guess this time I was a
comedian.

On the sand, my
attacker stumbled away, leaving me to collapse. I thanked God for the
self-defense classes Ethan had badgered me to take. I wouldn’t have known that
grabbing a handful of private parts and tugging could be so effective.

My chest heaved as
my lungs struggled to draw in air. I tried to remember any distinguishing
features of the man, but came up with nothing but long pants, strong hands, and
most likely a bruised ego. So much for a relaxing
sit
at the ocean’s side.

I pushed to my feet
and made my way back to the cottage, thankful Ethan hadn’t returned home yet.
My steps faltered. Why hadn’t he? He had said he was bringing dinner back.

I rushed inside and
searched for my cell phone. Within seconds, I held my breath as it rang on the
other end.

“Sorry,
Babe.
I got tied up
talking to Joe.”

I released my pent
up breathe at the sound of his voice. “I was worried.”

“I’m fine. I thought
you were resting.”

“Couldn’t
sleep, so I took a short walk on the beach.”
I grimaced. Probably shouldn’t have said
that.

He sighed. “I wish
you wouldn’t do that.”

“What are you and
Joe talking about?” I plopped into a chair.

“Jamison. Seems the
guy was mixed up in some pretty bad stuff. Did a lot of people
wrong.
He wasn’t the actual shark in the loaning operation,
but rather a middle man who stiffed the boss.”

“How does this
affect anyone here?”

“That’s what we need
to find out.”

The plot thickened.
I eyed the cigar box on the bed. Soon, I would have to dig through a dead
woman’s thoughts and see whether she had found anything to help us.

Chapter Seventeen

“I am leaving on the next flight out of here!” Maryann Franklin tossed
her fork to her plate with a clatter and stormed from the dining room.

Bruce leaped from
his chair and bolted after her.

My hand paused with
its bite of roll clutched in my fist. Should I follow?

Although the two
were on my list of suspects, they stayed to themselves most of the time. Out of
sight, out of mind, so they say. Before anyone could stop me, I shoved the last
of my breakfast into my mouth and mumbled, “I’m going to make sure she’s okay,”
before running out of the room.

“Summer.”

I glanced over my
shoulder at Ethan, motioned my head for him to follow, and kept running. When
the Franklins stopped suddenly, I did, too, and ducked behind a fake potted
tree.

“I see you, Mrs.
Banning.” Maryann rolled her eyes. “It’s no secret that Bruce and I have fought
our entire sham of a honeymoon.” She took a deep shuddering breath.

“Can I help?” I
stepped from my ridiculous hiding place.

“Not unless you can
find the five thousand dollars my dear husband invested in a dead man!” She
whirled and marched outside.

“Are you talking
about Mr. Jamison?” I kicked off my flip flops, bent to retrieve them, and
rushed after her.

“Yes.” She stopped
fast enough for me to run into her. “His investment idea sounded wonderful, at
first.” She dropped to a stone bench.
“Five thousand dollars
for a timeshare property on Maui.”
She waved her arm. “Does this look
like time share property to you?”

“The
bed and breakfast?”

“Yes. Oh, Bruce will
be so angry with me.” Sighing, she covered her face. “Mr. Jamison stiffed a lot
of people.
Us
included.”

Ethan and Bruce
joined us. Bruce sat beside his wife.

“Did y’all kill
him?” I didn’t see any reason to beat around the bush.

“Of
course not.”
Bruce
glowered. “Are you two seriously the only guests here that are not involved in
this ridiculous scam?”

“Apparently
so.”
Ethan rubbed his
chin then glanced toward the dining room.
“At least most of
us.”

What did that mean?
I felt as if I were living an Agatha Christie story where the characters were
knocked off one-by-one. “Has anyone called the police?”

“Isn’t
Manano
a cop?” Bruce smirked. “A poor excuse for one,
anyway. This weekend was supposed to be a gathering of interested parties to
determine who stayed when. The whole thing was a joke.”

I didn’t think
timeshares worked that way, but what did I know? “Is that why you tried to kill
yourself, Maryann?”

She shrugged. “We’ve
lost everything. With Jamison dead, there’s no collecting now. Seems the dearly
departed Jamison had no timeshare. He swindled people out of money in order to
build some resort somewhere.”

“What do the
Wahines
say?”

“They’re innocent.”
Bruce raked his fingers through his hair. “Had no idea any of this was going
on. They just thought they were having a really productive week.” He stood and
held out his hand. “Come on, Maryann. Going home is a great idea.”