Homicide in Hawaii (Flight Risk Cozy Mystery Book 3) Read online

  Homicide in Hawaii

  A Flight Risk Cozy Mystery

  Susan Harper

  Fairfield Publishing

  Copyright © 2018 Fairfield Publishing

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.

  This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Message to Readers

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Thank You!

  Thank you so much for buying my book. I am excited to share my stories with you and hope that you are just as thrilled to read them.

  If you would like to know about all my new releases and have the opportunity to get free books, make sure you sign up for our Cozy Mystery Newsletter.

  FairfieldPublishing.com/cozy-newsletter

  1

  “So long, Nairobi, It’s been fun,” Kendell McDonald said as she gazed out her window as the plane took off. She had just spent a few days in Nairobi, Kenya at Giraffe Manor—an amazing hotel on a giraffe reservation where she had been able to regularly dine with the beautiful creatures. Now, she had a long flight ahead of her, but Pauline had just informed her that the next stop on their journey would be Hawaii. She could hardly wait. The African sun had been lovely, and the food and the culture and the animals equally astounding, but there was just something about the idea of visiting an exotic beach that made her all the more excited.

  She sat with her little carry on bag in her lap, a souvenir from London. So far, she had placed exactly two stickers on her bag to pay homage to her travels: London, England, and Nairobi, Kenya. Frankly, this whole thing had been a very impromptu adventure. As a flight attendant, Kendell had taken the job expecting a lifetime of adventure. Instead, she had just worked—going to places all over the world, but never stepping outside of the airport. It was a crying shame. That was, until she met Pauline and Dot. Pauline, the elderly woman currently sitting beside her, and her loveable white purse dog, Dot, had invited her along for the adventure of a lifetime. She was following the woman on what was essentially her attempt to complete a bucket list, and Pauline was kindly paying for flights and hotel rooms. The two had become friends, despite their age difference and their different backgrounds: Kendell was a liberal from the bustling city of New York while Pauline was a southern belle from rural Georgia. New York had been Pauline’s first visit on her bucket list, and the two women had met on a flight leaving the Big Apple.

  Pauline fell asleep almost as soon as the plane took off. Thankfully, the woman was in the aisle seat, so Kendell and her friend Lil did not have to talk over the woman and risk waking her. Lil, one of Kendell’s fellow flight attendants, had bumped into them on the flight from London to Nairobi, and Pauline had invited her along for the Nairobi trip. “You sure you don’t want to join us in Hawaii?” Kendell asked quietly.

  “No, I got to get back to work. Unlike you, I don’t have five year’s worth of vacation days saved up,” Lil said with a smirk. “I still can’t believe they approved you using all those at once.”

  “My supervisor said they were worried about layoffs and having one less person walking around might give him some leeway to save some jobs,” Kendell said. “But he said I don’t have to worry about layoffs considering I have been there since the company started.” The airline where Kendell and Lil worked was only about five years old, and Kendell had been one of the original hires.

  “Yeah, I doubt you have anything to worry about,” Lil said. “But I’m surprised to hear they are doing layoffs at all. They’ve grown a lot in the past five years.”

  “True,” Kendell said. “It sounds like they over-hired and have more than they need at the time.”

  Lil shrugged, then nodded to the sleeping elderly woman. “So, you’re really going to Hawaii with her after everything that happened in Nairobi?”

  “Everything turned out okay,” Kendell said. A fellow traveler, an American named Zachariah, had been murdered during their stay at Giraffe Manor. It had certainly put a damper on things, especially after Lil had been accused of the murder and they’d had to get her to the US Embassy quick.

  “Yeah, well, I suppose you’re right, but that doesn’t mean this old broad isn’t some jinx,” Lil said with a slight laugh.

  “Pauline’s not a jinx,” Kendell said. “Shut up and go to sleep. We have a long flight ahead of us.”

  Kendell curled up, leaning her head away from Lil and toward the window. She always liked this part about flights—the view of the clouds. It was very relaxing, and she drifted off to sleep. She stirred and woke up a few times, but for the most part, she slept the flight away. When they finally touched down on the island of Oahu, Kendell was giddy with excitement, as was Pauline.

  “Oh, I just cannot believe you are flying back to New York!” Pauline complained to Lil as they stepped off the flight.

  “I know, but eventually, your vacation has to end,” Lil said. “My flight leaves in, like, an hour.”

  “Then let’s enjoy some dinner here at the airport,” Pauline said. “My treat.”

  “I will definitely take you up on that,” Lil said. After retrieving their bags, the women headed toward the airport’s finest dining experience, a steakhouse. “Ooh, Pauline, you spoil me!” Lil teased.

  The three women, and Dot, all laughed and talked about the adventures they’d had thus far. Lil particularly spoke about the incident where a lioness had fallen asleep on the hood of the jeep Pauline and herself had nabbed for their escape to the embassy, as well as the beautiful village they had visited. Kendell was a little jealous she had missed out on the experience at the village.

  After enjoying their dinner, Lil bid them farewell and good times during their time in Hawaii. “Have a safe flight back home,” Kendell said, giving her friend a hug.

  Lil nodded. “Will do, and don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Jack for you like I promised.”

  Kendell frowned, but she thanked Lil nonetheless. Jack was her boyfriend, and he had been acting very strange ever since she decided to go on this little trip with Pauline. Very controlling and angry. He wanted her to come home, and she felt like something more was up than just him missing her. “Thanks,” Kendell said and watched Lil head off, her bags in tow.

  The two of them headed out front to catch a cab to the resort, and that was when Kendell heard a familiar voice. “I mean, are you serious? There’s really no room at your place for me to crash, Nick?”

  Kendell spun, and she spotted her best friend, Brandon, standing on the curb with a cellphone to his ear. Kendell tapped Pauline, and the woman glanced over. “I recognize that boy,” Pauline said. “He was one of the flight attendants when we flew to London.”

  “Hold on a second, would you, Pauline?” Kendell said and snuck up on her friend, tapping him on the shoulder.

  The man spun around, and a big smile came over his face. He spoke into the phone. “Nick, I’m not sleeping on your porch. Let me call you back,” he said, hanging up the phone. “Kendell! What are you doing here?”

  “This is the next leg on mine and Pauline’s journey,” Kendell said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Visiting my little brother,” Brandon
said. “He lives here on Oahu.”

  “I didn’t know that! Your little brother Nick moved to Hawaii?” Kendell asked.

  “Yeah,” Brandon said. “He moved out this way a little over a year ago. He met a Hawaiian woman while she was in Jersey, and he pretty much followed her out here. She’s a professional surfer, and there is this local contest happening this week, and he signed up for it—her too—so the family is coming out to watch and have a good laugh about my idiot brother trying to keep up with professional surfers, but he swears he’s a natural at it.”

  “That’s so cool!” Kendell said. “Is the competition here on Oahu?”

  “That’s right,” he said. “If you’re going to be here, you should go.”

  “Definitely!” Kendell exclaimed as Pauline trotted up to them.

  “I overheard you on the phone,” Pauline said. “Do you not have a place to stay?”

  “The hotel I booked lost my reservation,” Brandon sneered. “And Nick is already hosting our parents and sister. I kind of decided to tag along last minute, and that’s why I booked the hotel in the first place because he doesn’t really have any room for me to stay. They live right up on a beach, so the floor is basically sand, and they already don’t have a spare bedroom—everyone is slumming on couches and chairs. He offered me to sleep outside on his porch on some patio furniture, but I’m not really feeling that. It’s going to be so expensive to get a last-minute reservation on Oahu…”

  “Oh, there’s no need for that, hon,” Pauline said. “I’m sure Kendell and I could squeeze you in somewhere in our hotel room. They could probably send up a cot or something. We’re staying in Honolulu here on Oahu.”

  Brandon seemed to have a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly intrude—”

  “Pauline offered Lil her own bed in Nairobi, you’re just getting a cot,” Kendell teased.

  Brandon smiled. “Well, okay!” he said. “You two sure I won’t be a bother?”

  “No way,” Kendell said and hooked arms with Brandon. “This will be fun. Pauline, did you hear him say his brother is competing in a local surfing contest?”

  “That sounds just lovely!” Pauline said. “I would love to watch a surfing contest! And, you know what? With your brother living here, he could probably tell us where to go to an authentic luau!”

  Brandon grinned. “Are you kidding? We’re going to one tonight! You ladies have got to tag along.”

  “Oh, that sounds just lovely!” Pauline exclaimed. “Okay, we mustn’t dawdle! Let’s get ourselves a cab so we can make check-in!”

  The three of them, and Dot, loaded up in a cab, and Brandon continuously thanked Pauline for her kind offer. They arrived outside an enormous resort, and Kendell felt herself becoming giddy once again. There was a pool, spa, and a complimentary bus that would take people directly to the beach. Kendell simply could not wait to check out the room.

  Brandon carried Pauline’s bags—anything to let her know how appreciative he was. Pauline got them checked in. They were on the tenth and highest floor of the resort. When they opened the door to their hotel suite, Kendell was blown away. Beautiful and elegant décor, lovely floors, and fine furniture. “Hey! The couch pulls out!” Brandon exclaimed and proceeded to test out the pull-out bed. “And, it’s comfy!” he said before folding it back up again.

  “Great!” Pauline said. “There’s two bedrooms, so us ladies will each get our own little bed, and Brandon, you can sleep here in the living room. Ooh, I must go look at that balcony!” She scurried through the living room, and Kendell could hear her gasp once she made it outside. “Oh, Kendell! You must check out this view!”

  Kendell hurried after her, Brandon right on her heels. The view was simply breathtaking. They could see much of the beach, and in the distance across the ocean, they had a slight view of one of the other islands and the enormous volcano. “Whoa,” Kendell said. “When you said you booked a room with a view, you weren’t kidding. This is beautiful!”

  “Wow,” Brandon said. “Ladies, thank you so much for letting me accompany you!”

  “Well, you have the room to yourself for a little bit,” Pauline said, plopping Dot in his arms. “I don’t suppose you would mind watching my little pooch while Kendell and I head downstairs?”

  “Um…yeah, sure,” Brandon said. “Where are you two going?”

  “Yeah?” Kendell asked. Pauline rarely included Kendell with her plans.

  “Oh, well, we need to avoid jet lag. And a relaxing massage and spa day sounded like a good way to do that to me,” Pauline said, and Kendell’s eyes widened.

  “You booked me a massage!” Kendell cried.

  “Oh, you are just such a sweet girl,” Pauline said. “I just love spoiling you.”

  “Dang,” Brandon said. “Kendell, where did you get her? I want one.”

  Kendell laughed. “She’s a hoot!”

  “So, we’ll start with massages, but we have full spa access,” Pauline said as they left their hotel room. “Mud baths, sauna, hot tub, and we can even get manicures and pedicures.”

  “Fun!” Kendell said. “I can hardly wait. Let’s try to make this a fun, crime-free trip, what do you think?”

  “We have had some very interesting luck on our journey, haven’t we?” Pauline said. “But, honestly, what sort of trouble could we possibly get into in Hawaii? It’s such a lovely and peaceful place. Oh, I just cannot wait for that luau tonight! I’m so glad we bumped into your friend. That is going to be so much fun.”

  “Same,” Kendell said. “And the surfing contest? That should be fun too!”

  “Agreed,” Pauline said. “What could possibly go wrong?”

  2

  Evening arrived, and Pauline and Kendell were beyond ecstatic. After their day at the spa, followed by a well-deserved nap, the two ladies had gone shopping to get some new bathing suits and covers. The luau, according to Brandon, would be taking place along a tourist-free beach area. Brandon had thrown on his own suit, a colorful neon thing, and a t-shirt. Kendell was wearing a stylish one-piece with lots and lots of lace in a teal color that complimented her orange hair and light skin. Pauline had gotten herself a black suit with a skirt, and she had thrown on a grass skirt over it along with a very tourist-looking beach hat, Tiki earrings, and of course, a matching bag for Dot. She had even gotten her dog her own grass skirt, and to finish off the look, Pauline had thrown on the leis they had gotten from the airport.

  “Wow,” Brandon muttered to Kendell when he saw Pauline. “It’s like she wants everyone to know she’s a tourist.”

  “She’s having fun,” Kendell said. They followed Brandon out, taking a cab out of the tourist-friendly area near the resort. After exiting the cab, Brandon took them on a brief walk through some neighborhoods, eventually locating a bus stop where Pauline could take a seat.

  “This is where Nick said to meet,” Brandon said, checking the time on his phone.

  Kendell pointed, spotting a young couple walking toward them. “Oh, wow, is that Nick?” she yelped, hardly recognizing her friend’s younger brother with his hair grown out to his shoulders and his facing having blossomed into a much older version than what she remembered.

  Nick hurried over, all smiles. “Yo! Brandon!” he called, giving his brother a welcoming hug and punch in the arm.

  “The rest of the family not coming?” Brandon asked.

  “Yeah, they’re hiding out at the house,” Nick said, smirking. “Jet lag. Guessing you’re used to that?”

  “Flight attendant,” Brandon reminded his younger sibling and then he smiled at the lovely Hawaiian woman who had walked up with Nick. “Good to see you again, Makani,” he said, giving her a hug. “This is my friend Kendell, a fellow New Yorker.”

  Nick smiled. “Good to see you again. It’s been a while,” he said, then looked at Pauline. “Is this your grandmother?”

  Pauline laughed. “Nope! Just an old friend. I’m Pauline.”

  Makani giggled slightly. “I li
ke her. She’s funny.”

  “She’s really looking forward to the luau,” Brandon said. “So, how are we getting there?”

  “Bus,” Nick said. “It will be here soon.”

  They waited for nearly thirty minutes before a bus finally came zipping up the road, blaring music, and they could hear excited shouts and singing coming from inside. The door swung open as it came to a stop. “Makani!” a few people from the very sketchy-looking bus shouted out the window.

  Kendell grinned as they were all invited on board. “Whoa, Nick, who are the out-of-towners? You know you’re the only city sewage rat we allow at these things,” the driver said, smirking at Kendell and Pauline in good fun.

  Nick shook his head, but he had a smile on his face. “This is my brother, Brandon. He’s here to watch me fall on my butt at the surfing contest.”

  “That sounds about right,” the driver said and fist-bumped Brandon on his way through. He winked at Kendell. “How about the pretty ginger?”

  “I’m friends with Brandon,” Kendell said.

  “Aww, man, we got ourselves another Jersey rat!” the driver called.

  “Ooh, don’t you dare! I’m not Jersey slum like these boys,” Kendell said. “New York City, baby, born and raised.”

  “Dang, girl!” the driver said, hooting and raving. The crowd laughed as Kendell plopped down in an empty seat.

  “What about you, Mama?” the driver asked Pauline as she made her way up the steps.

  “I ain’t no city girl,” she said.

  “Ah!” the driver shouted in excitement. “You hear that accent? We got ourselves a southerner! Ooh, where you from? Bama?”