Murder in Maui Read online

  Leila felt put on the spot. As one of the lead investigators, she didn’t want to overlook something or someone who could make a difference.

  “We interview everyone again who might have been involved with the victims, personally and professionally, or by association.”

  Ortega pursed his lips. “Fine. Whatever it takes. Anyone else have something to say?”

  Rachel raised her hand. “If it turns out we’re headed in the wrong direction, we may need to step outside the box and see if there’s someone out there gunning for doctors with a different agenda.”

  “Such as?” Seymour regarded her.

  “Revenge for a medical procedure gone wrong. Or maybe some other vendetta against the association itself.”

  “I agree,” Leila said. “The more doctors killed, the more likely the unsub is a disgruntled person out to right some perceived wrongs in targeting the group.”

  Ortega’s brow furrowed. “The point is we don’t want any more doctors killed if we can help it. Let’s stop whoever is responsible, whatever the motivation is!”

  Leila was sure they were all on the same page there. Now if only the killer or killers would step forward and take responsibility, they could turn their attention elsewhere.

  She wasn’t holding her breath.

  * * *

  “Akela’s birthday is next week,” Seymour told Leila en route to pay a visit to Courtney Brennan. “Got any idea what to buy a nine-year-old these days?” He used to talk about this with Mele, but since she had decided to shut him out, Leila was the next best thing.

  “Have you tried asking her what she likes?”

  “Wouldn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of surprising her?”

  “Not really. My dad used to ask me that all the time. I usually had a long wish list, so whatever he decided to get was a surprise.”

  Seymour grinned. “You’re a genius.”

  “You don’t have to be Einstein to figure out kids. Just a little ingenuity.”

  “I knew I liked you for some reason.”

  Leila chuckled. “And I thought it was my sex appeal all this time.”

  “That, too.” He warmed at the thought of making love to her before forcing himself to focus on the investigation. “Seems like being in the medical profession is becoming pretty risky these days.”

  “Only if you’re marked for death. Brennan surely never expected his days as the CEO of the Medical Association of Maui would end so suddenly.”

  “Wonder who his replacement will be?” Seymour dribbled his fingers on the steering wheel.

  “Maybe someone who would do anything to be at the top—including commit murder...”

  * * *

  Courtney Brennan lived in a condo on Ka’anapali Beach. Leila was sure she’d gotten her fair share of what her ex had when they divorced. But was it enough?

  The door was opened by a twenty-something man, muscular and tanned.

  “Yes?”

  “Detective Kahana and Detective Seymour with the police department,” Leila said. “We’d like to speak to Courtney.”

  He gave her the once over. “C’mon in.”

  They waited in a large foyer while the man went upstairs.

  “Looks like the former Mrs. has moved on,” remarked Seymour.

  Leila chuckled. “More like a boy toy. And just the type of person who might do anything for you.”

  “A frightening thought.”

  They watched as an attractive woman in her mid forties bounded down the stairs, followed by the man.

  “I’m Courtney. How can I help you?”

  “We’d like to talk to you about your ex-husband,” Leila said.

  “What about him?”

  “Can we speak alone?”

  Courtney favored her companion. “Why don’t you go make us a drink? I’m sure this won’t take long.”

  He nodded obediently. “Whatever you say.”

  She waited a beat and then met Seymour’s eyes. “I’m listening...”

  “Douglas Brennan was shot and killed last night.” Seymour held her gaze.

  Courtney flinched. “Douglas...dead?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Who shot him?”

  Leila got her attention. “We don’t know yet. Maybe you can help us with that.”

  “Not sure how I could.” Courtney hand brushed platinum hair from her face. “Douglas and I haven’t kept in touch much since our divorce.”

  “We understand your husband left you because you had an affair with Larry Nagasaka.”

  Courtney’s mouth furrowed. “I made a mistake with Larry and paid the price.”

  Leila glanced at the expensive condo. “Looks like you came out pretty well after the divorce.”

  “I got what I deserved after a ten year marriage. I’m not ashamed of that.”

  “No one’s asking you to be. Unfortunately the bad blood between you and Brennan makes you a suspect in his murder.”

  Courtney widened her eyes. “You think I killed Douglas?”

  “Did you?” Seymour’s voice was blunt. “Wouldn’t be the first time an embittered ex-wife got her ultimate revenge after losing more than what she gained in a divorce settlement.”

  Courtney flashed him a wicked look. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. I had nothing to do with what happened to Douglas. I spent the entire night with my boyfriend, Henri.”

  “I’m sure he’ll vouch for that,” Leila said.

  “Yes.” Courtney wrung her hands. “No matter our differences, I never wanted Douglas dead.”

  “How about Larry Nagasaka?” Seymour asked. “Did you want him dead? Maybe losing to Elizabeth Racine was enough to send you over the edge.”

  “It was never serious with Larry. We both agreed that when the time came to move on, we would with no questions asked. The fact he chose to be with Elizabeth was not my concern.” Courtney licked her lips. “I’ve moved on from my past relationships and am happy with Henri. There’s no room for bitterness in my heart.”

  Leila saw Henri approaching them with two drinks. She gave Courtney the benefit of the doubt till proven otherwise.

  NINETEEN

  When Seymour suggested they bypass lunch for sex at his place, Leila was quick to agree. Each stripped the other naked and fell onto the bed, kissing and touching all the way.

  Leila felt free with Seymour to express her sexuality and enjoy his. She put him in her mouth and teased with her tongue. For an instant she imagined his wife doing this and felt a twinge of jealousy before it passed. She wouldn’t let his past lessen their present.

  Seymour grunted and twirled strands of her hair with his fingers. “Feels damn good,” he said.

  “Then just lie back and let it happen.”

  “I’d rather not, especially when it would be even nicer being inside you.”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “Yeah, badly!”

  Leila lifted and grabbed a condom packet, tearing it open with her teeth. She covered Seymour’s erection, straddled him, and slid on.

  She liked the feel of him impaling her as she slowly moved up and down. Her face lowered to his and she attacked his mouth in whole.

  He attacked back, gripping the back of her head and sucking Leila’s lips. Their bodies were in perpetual motion, perspiring and moist, hot and bothered. The sounds of sex and erratic breaths filled the air like a melody.

  Leila heard herself cry out Seymour’s name as an orgasm ripped through her. A few moments later he climaxed with a shudder.

  Leila climbed off him. “What a fun way to take a break.”

  “Beats fighting crime anytime,” Seymour said.

  She looked at him. “Anytime?”

  “Yeah. Especially with you.”

  Leila smiled, feeling the same way. Was that really smart?

  At the moment she could care less.

  * * *

  Rachel sat across from Melissa Eng, while Ferguson hovered over them. The object was to s
ee if she knew anything about the murder of Douglas Brennan. Though Melissa’s beef seemed to be directed toward Larry Nagasaka, the similar M.O. in both cases made her a suspect.

  “We’d just like to clear up a few things and then you should be on your way,” Rachel said, knowing her nephew, Travis Takamori was being grilled in another interview room. “Any time you’d like to have counsel present, just let us know.”

  Melissa sneered. “I didn’t do anything so I don’t need a lawyer.”

  “Fine.” Rachel glanced at the one-way mirror where Lt. Ortega and maybe Detective Seymour were observing. “Why don’t we start by asking where you were last night between 9:30 and 9:45?”

  “At home where I always am at that time.”

  “Can anyone verify that?”

  Melissa sighed. “If you want to know if I killed that CEO, the answer is no!”

  “What CEO would that be?” Ferguson asked.

  “The one shot in front of his house. You think I don’t know what this is all about?”

  “Good for you that you’ve got a brain in there somewhere. Too bad you only choose to use it selectively. Otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten canned for stealing.”

  Melissa scowled. “It was a lie,” she reiterated. “I had no desire to take any of their precious items out of the condo.”

  Ferguson narrowed his eyes. “Maybe you got yourself a gun and decided you could take something even better from rich people like Larry Nagasaka and Douglas Brennan—like their lives.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You can’t pin these murders on me.”

  “No one’s trying to pin anything on you.” Rachel’s tone was friendly. “We only want to make sure a killer doesn’t slip through the net. If it wasn’t you, maybe Travis was acting on your behalf...perhaps without your knowledge?”

  “No way!” Melissa tensed. “Travis has his problems, but he’s a good kid deep down inside. He couldn’t kill anyone any more than I could.”

  Rachel wanted to believe her. Except for the fact that anyone was capable of murder if provoked enough, real or imaginary.

  Including Travis Takamori.

  * * *

  Seymour let Leila take the lead in questioning Travis Takamori. The jury was still out on whether or not they were looking at a murderer. At the very least, he seemed unpredictable.

  Leila sat close to the suspect. “Your story about being with your girlfriend the night Elizabeth Racine and Larry Nagasaka were killed didn’t exactly hold up.”

  Travis cocked a brow. “I told you the truth.”

  “That’s not what I heard. According to Jocelyn Dandridge’s statement, there was a period in there were you and she were separated. Maybe that’s when you made your move against the doctors.”

  “I didn’t kill them. I don’t care what Jocelyn told you, we were together!”

  “So how do you explain the discrepancy?” asked Seymour.

  Travis hunched his shoulders. “I can’t.”

  “Just like you can’t adequately explain why you would brag about killing two people you didn’t even know.”

  “It was stupid.” Travis frowned. “I didn’t really shoot them.”

  “How about Douglas Brennan?”

  “Huh?”

  Leila took over. “He was shot to death last night the same way as the doctors. Do you know anything about that?”

  “No. Why would I?”

  “You tell me. Could be you simply did what Melissa told you to.”

  Travis rubbed his nose. “She’d never tell me to kill anybody.”

  “What if she had? Would you have done it, damn the consequences for you and her?”

  “No way. I’m not a killer.”

  “So prove it to us.”

  “How?”

  “By giving us an alibi that will stick for your whereabouts last night around nine-thirty.”

  He sniffed. “Yeah, I can do that. I was with my girlfriend...having sex. There was no time when she let me out of her sight.”

  Leila met Seymour’s eyes. He cracked a smile and she colored as images of their afternoon romp danced in her head.

  “We’ll check out your story,” she told Travis.

  * * *

  Leila met with Jan that night for drinks at a Lahaina watering hole.

  “So tell me more about this new guy.” Leila looked across the table. Jan had text messaged her about him a day earlier.

  “Well, he’s good looking, charming, and loaded. Not to say I’m looking for a sugar daddy. In fact, I wasn’t really even looking, per se. But there he was at the art supply shop.”

  “So he’s an artist?”

  “More of an art connoisseur.”

  “What happened to the last guy?” Leila tried to remember which one it was.

  “Turned out to be a total flake.” Jan wrinkled her nose. “Maybe this one will be different.”

  “When do I get to meet him?”

  “After I get to know him better. Patience has never been my thing, but I’d really like to give it a try this time and see if things work out.”

  “Good luck!” Leila lifted her cocktail.

  “To us both.” Jan touched her glass to Leila’s. “Looks like things between you and Blake are heating up.”

  “Yes, in bed. Still too soon to know if there’s a future.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Not sure it’s what he wants.” Leila sat back. “We’re just starting to get comfortable with each other as lovers. I don’t want to push and scare him away.”

  “Then don’t,” Jan said. “Just be careful to keep things in a proper perspective. I’m sure he’s a great catch, hot in bed and all, but at the end of the day, the man’s still married and may only be in this for the short run.”

  “His marriage is over.” Or so Leila had been told.

  “In that case, I say have your fun and let nature take its course, just as I intend to. What happens will happen.”

  Leila sipped her drink. Jan was right. No reason to rock the boat or try to predict a future she couldn’t control. Best to enjoy the delicate balance she had with Seymour between work and play without having any expectations, realistic or not.

  TWENTY

  Seymour was up at six a.m. on Thursday. He was in his own bed, though wishing it had been Leila’s bed, if not Mele’s.

  He did fifty pushups and rode an exercise bike for half an hour. Every now and then he went to the gym. The truth was he was too damned busy to dedicate a regular program to strength training and the other benefits of a fully equipped gym. Maybe if he was lucky he’d get to retire with enough time left to smell the roses.

  He drove to work, contemplating everything from picking out Akela’s birthday gift to hoping to solve three murders before things really got out of hand. Problem was, they hadn’t reached that stage, and the clock was ticking.

  At his desk, Seymour worked on a little unfinished paperwork. He looked for Leila, but she wasn’t at her desk. He might have thought she wasn’t coming in today, except that Leila never missed work.

  He doubted that would change as the nature of their relationship had.

  “Blake Seymour...?”

  Startled to hear his own name in full, Seymour looked at the man standing over him. He was holding an envelope.

  “Yeah, I’m Seymour.”

  “I’ve got a delivery for you. If you’d just sign here...”

  He grabbed the pen from man’s hand and gave his signature.

  “You have a good day,” the man said with a smirk and walked away.

  Seymour opened the envelope and pulled out a document. His heart skipped a beat when he realized it was divorce papers. He’d just been served, meaning there truly was no turning back in the glimmer of hope he could still salvage his marriage.

  Hadn’t he expected this? Yes, he just didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

  “Are you awake?”

  Seymour saw Leila and realized he’d been so caught up in his thoughts he
must have missed what she’d said. “Yeah, I’m awake.”

  “Why so gloomy?”

  He pondered whether to share the news with his lover before handing her the papers. “Mele’s made it official.”

  Leila flashed a sad look. “I’m sorry.”

  Seymour believed her, even if it was awkward for both of them.

  “It’s not like I didn’t expect this. Mele made it perfectly clear that what we had is over. I have to accept it.”

  “Do you think you can?”

  He met her probing eyes and didn’t want to disappoint. “I don’t have any choice. Life goes on.”

  A tiny smile played on her lips. “Glad you feel that way.”

  He touched her in a non sexual way. “Are you ready to head over to the M.E.’s office?”

  “I am if you are.”

  “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Leila felt a bit odd learning Mele had actually filed for divorce. She had met Seymour’s wife a couple of times at police functions. Though cordial, Mele had also seemed distant with little desire for friendship. Leila imagined it might have been a reflection of her feelings about Seymour being in law enforcement.

  Or had Mele’s disposition really been a defense mechanism against being hurt?

  Leila refused to feel guilty about sleeping with Seymour as though she had been the cause of his marital breakup. That was his own doing, along with perhaps Mele and whatever issues had come between them.

  As far as Leila was concerned, Seymour was a grown man more than capable of choosing who he wanted to be with post Mele. And he’d chosen to be with her for now. Leila got what she wanted, too—an experienced lover and great person to hang out with. She had no intention of allowing herself to fall in love with him.

  Only to end up being hurt, like Mele was.

  Or was Seymour hurting even more right now?

  Leila switched her thoughts to something more morbid as the medical examiner welcomed them.

  “Did I ever tell you how nice it is to talk to living people?” Patricia Lee quipped, standing over the covered remains of Douglas Brennan.

  “You’re not telling us you talk to the corpses, are you?” Leila joked.

  “Hey, it’s great therapy. I can tell them everything and they’ll never reveal it to a soul.”