Murder at Waters Edge (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery Book 6) Read online

  I hesitated before I continued. I knew I needed to tread lightly so I wouldn’t further upset Bethany. “Zoe and I took a walk to the cliff where…” I let my thought trail off. “It’s high, but not that high, and there are rocks but also beach. Do you think it’s possible Cammy was pushed because she and Stone were in second place in the competition rather than because of some computer conspiracy?”

  “You think one of the contestants killed her to better their own chances?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone pushed her to injure her, but she fell wrong. I’m not saying that’s what happened, but if you’re going to speak to Stone maybe you can ask him about the other competitors. It would be good for us to get a feel for who exactly we’re up against. He was competing against the entire field for the whole competition and we’re just starting. Any tips he might have could come in handy.”

  “Okay,” Bethany agreed. “I’ll talk to him. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to share what he knows, but I’ll try.”

  “Call me either way.”

  “All right. And Lani—be careful. I’m so very grateful you agreed to look into things, but I don’t want you getting hurt. If Cammy did die because one of the competitors wanted her out of the way I’m afraid you might pose the same threat.”

  “I’ll be careful and I won’t get hurt,” I said, hoping deep inside that I would be able to keep that promise.

  Chapter 3

  Sunday, April 30

  When I entered the common area of the cottage the next morning Zak was already up. His hair was wet, so I assumed he’d showered before dressing in blue denim shorts and a white T-shirt. I offered a greeting, but he didn’t reply. He seemed to be focused intently on whatever he was doing on the computer, which I figured was a good thing, so I headed into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. It was early, only a little after five, so the sky was still dark, but I knew the first hint of dawn would appear at any moment. I stepped out onto the lanai and sipped my coffee as I watched the moon set behind the island in the distance. It was already warm, which meant a hot day even though the long days of summer had yet to arrive.

  I had lived in Hawaii my entire life, so I was used to the heat and humidity, but I worried about my friends from a mountain climate should the barometer climb too high. I made a mental note to remind them to use plenty of sunscreen and pack lots of water. It never ceased to amaze me the number of tourists who arrived for a two-week stay after months of planning but without bothering to take precautions with hats and sunscreen. Too often, after a single day on the beach said tourists would spend the remainder of their vacation in their rooms getting over nasty sunburns.

  I sat down on a lounge chair and glanced at my phone. I saw I had a text from Luke, wishing me good morning and good luck. I knew it was five hours later in Texas, which meant it was already midmorning for him. He’d said his mother had a party planned for that afternoon, but I hoped he’d be available for a quick chat that morning, so I texted him and waited for a reply.

  He didn’t answer after a couple of minutes, so I headed inside to take my own shower and dress in preparation for the day ahead. The email that would provide the starting point for the day’s events was due to come through at six a.m., so I figured I had plenty of time to get ready, maybe even grab a bite to eat before we got started.

  When I returned to the common area I found Zoe curled up on the sofa with a bottle of water and Zak still busy at the computer. I poured myself a second cup of coffee and sat down across from Zoe, who was dressed in khaki-colored shorts and a sunny yellow top.

  “Are you feeling better this morning?” I asked her.

  “Much.” Zoe’s eyes sparkled. “I guess I just needed a good night’s sleep. I really, really hate the reason we’re participating in this event, but I do find I have a certain amount of enthusiasm now that the contest is upon us.”

  “I have to say I agree,” I admitted. “It’s going to be hard to maintain our prospective and not get caught up in the competition. I wasn’t following the race before this, but Bethany did tell me the clues are in the form of puzzles or riddles to solve, and I’ve always loved a good puzzle.”

  “I’ve been thinking about the clues,” Zoe said. “If the same person or group of people are creating them I’m guessing there’s some sort of pattern. After four weeks the teams will have figured that out. I’m afraid we’re going to be at a huge disadvantage.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. But we have Zak, and I’m willing to bet he’s a more proficient hacker than anyone else, and we have me, who spends a fair amount of time on Maui thanks to having a brother living here. I’m also pretty good with local culture and history, and I know the language.” I paused. “Well, to a degree. All we really need to do the first few days is stay in the running. I’m hoping by the end of the week, when the competition becomes fiercer, we’ll have settled into a rhythm.”

  Zoe tilted her head. “I’m sure you’re right. I don’t know what I can bring to the table, but I’m happy to help however I can.”

  I got up from the sofa and went back into the kitchen. I topped off Zak’s coffee and refilled my own. There wasn’t a lot I was going to be able to do to help until after Zak completed the hacking part of the challenge, so I settled back on the sofa to check my emails and text messages. There was one from my mother, reminding me that I’d promised to come for dinner that evening. Dang. I’d forgotten all about that. She knew Luke was in Texas, so she’d taken advantage of the fact that I wouldn’t be spending the day with him to invite me to spend the evening with her, my father, and the young boy they were fostering. I should call to explain what was going on, but I knew she’d read me the riot act for putting myself in the middle of yet another murder investigation, so I texted her instead, explaining that something had come up and I was on Maui for a few days and would need to reschedule dinner.

  There was also a text from my cousin and best friend, Kekoa, asking how things were going so far. I texted back with the condensed version of the situation. Luke still hadn’t answered my text from earlier, which had me frowning. It seemed that even if he was busy with his family he could find the time to type out a few words in reply. Of course it was possible he was somewhere that didn’t have cell service.

  “Okay, we have the email,” Zak announced from the table where the three computers were set up. “It seems pretty straightforward. Just give me a minute.”

  I was expecting a minute to turn into an hour—Bethany had said the hacks had become more complicated as the contest progressed—but Zak was in and had retrieved the required information in an actual minute.

  “That was fast,” I said admiringly.

  Zak was frowning. “It was an easy hack. Too easy. I have a feeling it was a test of some sort. Given the fact that we’re new to the contest, it could be that the event organizers are taking it easy on us the first day.”

  “Do you think they know how quickly you got in?” I asked.

  “They know. Someone is monitoring every keystroke, which is why I’ll be using my own computer to conduct the snooping-around portion of the day.”

  “So do we have the first clue?” Zoe asked from her position on the sofa.

  “Hang on,” Zak instructed. I imagined he was delivering the information the contest organizers asked for, as instructed. After a minute or so the contest computer dinged, alerting us that we had a new email, which contained only four words.

  “‘Where the queen played,’” Zak read aloud. He sat back in his chair while Zoe turned to look at me.

  “Queen?” she asked.

  “Hawaii was once a kingdom, so there are quite a few references to royalty on the islands,” I explained. “The Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center is a shopping complex in Kahului. The clue could be leading to that, although it seems to refer to the past, while the shopping center is very modern. There’s a church in Wailuku named after Queen Ka‘ahumanu. The current structure was built in the late 1800s, but there’s been a church of s
ome sort on that site since ancient times. It’s only open on Sundays, so that could be it, though the clue says where the queen played , not where she prayed .”

  I paused and tried to think of other options. “There’s a sacred area currently known as Maluuluolele Park, built over a royal residence called Moku’ula. I suppose a queen could have played there. It might not be a bad place to look for a clue.” I took a breath, narrowed my eyes, and pursed my lips. “The town of Lahaina was once the home of royalty on Maui, so, again, I suppose it’s possible there are many locations there where a queen could have played.”

  Zak was typing on the computer as I considered the possibilities. Zoe was simply watching quietly from her spot on the sofa. She seemed interested in what was going on, yet content to take on a passive role.

  “What about the Queen Theatre?” Zak asked, turning from the computer to look at me. “According to this website, the theater is gone, but the building, which is in Lahaina, still stands.”

  I smiled. “That does fit the clue the best of anything I’ve suggested so far. It seems all roads lead to Lahaina, or at least that part of the island, so I think we should head in that direction. We’ll check out the old theater and if we don’t find the second clue we’ll try one of the other options.”

  Zak offered to drive, so I took the backseat, offering Zoe the passenger seat up front. The drive took about thirty minutes, which gave Zoe and me the opportunity to chat about the scenery while we traveled. It was a clear and sunny day with nary a cloud in sight. Like Zoe, I was very much saddened by the reason behind our participation in the event but undeniably enjoying the adrenaline created by the chase now that it was underway. The fact that the Queen Theatre was in Lahaina would be easily discovered by anyone who thought to cross-reference queen with Maui, so I assumed the second clue, if we were correct about the first one, would be harder to figure out. If the clues weren’t going to be a bit more challenging I had to wonder why the prize was a very generous million dollars.

  In Lahaina, Zak parked in one of the hourly lots down a narrow side street. It was early in the day, so the cute though touristy town wasn’t yet crowded, as I knew it would be later in the morning. The old theater currently housed an art gallery and a T-shirt shop, neither of which were open yet. It was only a little after seven, and I knew the shops wouldn’t be open for another two or even three hours.

  “Now what?” Zoe asked. “Do we just wait around for the shops to open?”

  “No,” I decided. “The event organizers knew it would only take us a little while to crack an encryption this easy and then figure out that the Queen Theatre was most likely the answer to the first clue. They would know we’d get here before the shops opened.”

  We all looked around, trying to work out what we should do next.

  “You know what’s strange?” Zak said after a moment. “We seem to be the only ones here. If there are ten teams and they all have the same clues doesn’t it seem as if at least some of the others should have figured it out by now?”

  Zak had a point. The hack had been easy. The first clue was easy. So far everything was just a little bit too easy for my taste.

  “The theater might be the obvious answer; maybe it isn’t the right answer,” Zoe voiced the conclusion we’d all come to.

  I paused before I jumped on the wrong-clue train. Maybe the fact that the theater was too easy and therefore should be discounted was part of the strategy. Before we simply left in favor of one of the other options I felt it was prudent to think things through a bit. “Unless,” I countered, “it’s the correct location and we don’t need to go inside to get the next clue.” I stood looking at the building from across the street. There was a sign out front that said, “Queen Theatre Building 1933.” That could be a clue or a code of some sort. There was also a poster in a glass case between the art studio and the T-shirt shop. The case was the kind that opened so whatever was inside could be changed. Today there was a print of a painting depicting a baby swaddled in white cloth, sleeping in what appeared to be a cave. Beneath the photo were the words aina hanau . I knew that meant birthplace in Hawaiian.

  “Hāna,” I said.

  “Hāna?” Zoe asked.

  “The painting of the baby in the cave. Kaʻahumanu was the favorite wife of the first King Kamehameha and acted as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii. It’s said she was born in a cave near Hāna, on the southeast end of Maui. The cave can be reached via a moderate hike.”

  “And the drive to get to the trailhead?” Zoe asked.

  “It isn’t more than seventy-five miles by car, but the road is narrow and winding. It’ll take about two and a half hours at this time of day if we drive straight through.”

  We all stood staring at one another. If we were wrong and our real destination wasn’t the birthplace of Kaʻahumanu, we’d be wasting a huge chunk of the day. The woman I’d spoken to the previous day had told me Team Honu was currently in ninth place and that two teams would be cut by the end of the day. To come out in eighth place or better, we probably needed to finish in the top six or seven, although it was difficult to calculate more exactly without knowing the actual point totals of each team.

  It was still bothering me that we seemed to be the only team at the theater. Zak had cracked the code, allowing him to hack into the site pretty darn fast, which meant we most likely hadn’t been the last team to arrive at the theater, but even if we’d been the first team here at least one other team should have shown up by now. I looked up and down the street at the small shops, most of which weren’t open yet. There were a few people wandering around, but not so many that it should have been difficult to pick out others who would have been overly interested in the same building we were. Zak had expressed surprise that he’d hacked into the internet location indicated so easily. Could he have missed a step? Was there something else to find?

  “What now?” Zoe eventually asked, after none of us had spoken for several minutes.

  I glanced at Zak, who was waiting for me to lead the way.

  “How certain are you that you hacked into the correct site and there wasn’t anything else to find?” I asked Zak.

  “Absolutely certain. The hack was easy, which, as I said, I found odd, given the fact that we’re in the finals, but I went where it took me and there was nothing else other than the four words I shared.”

  “Do you think someone—maybe one of the other competitors—hacked into the system and fed us false information?” Zoe asked.

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Zak admitted. “The system used for the contest is closed but only moderately protected. If I wanted to, I could hack in and alter the information provided to the others. And if I could there are others who can as well.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I knew I needed to make up my mind, and quickly. Even if the birthplace of Kaʻahumanu was the correct clue, we had no way of knowing whether there was an additional clue or it was the last destination for the day. If there was a third clue time would be of the essence.

  “Okay,” I decided. “The hike to the cave is a fairly easy one, so I think Zoe and I should head in that direction. Zak, we’ll drop you back at the resort. Take another look around to see if you can figure out whether the others received the same information. If you find anything strange call or text Zoe.”

  Zak glanced at Zoe, who nodded. “I think that’s a good plan,” she said. “If Zak finds something we missed we can react accordingly.”

  I looked around the area one last time before we went back to the car. It continued to bother me that no one else was around. Bethany was counting on me to figure out what had happened to Cammy, and that would be a lot more difficult if Team Honu was eliminated from the contest on the first day. Maybe I should have asked more questions when I had the chance. If we were missing a step it was going to be too late to change direction and adjust our course by the time we figured it out.

  Chapter 4

  Hāna was a beautiful area littered
with tall waterfalls and lush greenery. If we were simply doing the tourist thing I’d be driving slowly and stopping frequently along the way to enjoy the scenery that had to be experienced up close and personal to be truly appreciated.

  The road was something of a loop that meandered along the shore toward the very southern tip of the island and then through the high country on the way back to the west. Most tourists drove the loop clockwise, often creating tremendous traffic jams as they stopped to appreciate the sites along the way, so I’d decided to do the opposite, approaching Hāna through the high country rather than along the eastern shore.

  “Tell me about the area,” Zoe said as she hung her head out of the window, enjoying the coolness of the spring morning.

  “The high country is a series of small towns occupied with locals, many of whom farm the land. Haleakalā, the dormant volcano that climbs to ten thousand feet, is to your left. It’s an awesome experience to drive to the top and then hike down into the crater, but we’ll have to leave that for another day.”

  Zoe took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It really is spectacular and much cooler than the coast.”

  “It can be downright frigid at the top of the volcano, which can offer a nice change on a hot summer day.”

  Zoe and I traveled in silence for a while as I focused on the road and she took in the scenery. Eventually she brought up Cammy’s murder again, asking if I had seen the police report.

  “Not yet,” I admitted. “My brother John is a detective for Maui PD. He’s a levelheaded guy, not prone to overreacting, but he’s the oldest of us and can sometimes be overprotective. I’m not sure how he’ll respond to me intentionally snooping around in the case. I have another brother, Jeff, who works for MPD. He’s the closest to me in age and by far the least protective. I’m not sure he’d have access to as much information as John, but it wouldn’t hurt to contact him to see what he knows.”