Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set Read online

  Richard tilted his head to the side, utterly confused. “But I just told you, I’ve never cheated on my wife.”

  “Don’t you get it?” I whispered, patting him on the arm. “Hawaii is the other woman your wife is jealous of.”

  “But that’s ridiculous.”

  “Try this. Next time you talk to her, tell her you’re planning a Hawaiian vacation for just the two of you. Tell her you can’t wait to show her Waikiki at sunset. You see, all she wants is to experience Hawaii with you.”

  “That’s all I have to do?”

  “Trust me,” I said. “But here’s the most important part. You actually have to follow through with it. Catch my drift?”

  An appreciative smile slowly spread across his face.

  Richard turned back towards Max. “Find anything in there?”

  Max held up a photo of a red Volkswagen bus. “This is Brenda’s, right?”

  “Yeah,” Richard said. “Why?”

  “It looks like there’s a bumper sticker on the back. Did you notice it before?”

  Richard leaned in closer and squinted. “I see it now. I can’t really make out what it says.”

  “It looks like, Big Kahuna Cake. But that doesn’t make sense unless it’s a bakery of some kind.” Max held it up. “Sarah, how are your eyes?”

  “Pretty good.”

  Max handed me the photo. “Can you read what it says on that bumper sticker?”

  It was a bit pixelated, but I could make out the words. “Big Kahuna Café?” I said. “It could be a coffee shop.”

  Max took out his phone. A minute later he was smiling. “Sarah, I could kiss you.”

  “You could?”

  Max held out his phone for us to see. “The Big Kahuna Café is an Internet coffee shop less than five miles from here. Brenda must frequent the place if she has that bumper sticker on her vehicle, right?”

  Richard nodded. “Someone there might know where she is. It’s worth a shot.”

  Max stuffed the photo back in the file and stood up. He came around the table and put a hand on my back. “Sarah, can I buy you a cup of coffee?”

  “Sure. Unless that kiss you mentioned is still up for grabs.”

  Chapter 19

  The overwhelming combination of patchouli and body odor assaulted our nostrils as we walked through the front door of the Big Kahuna Café. A quick glance around told me this was not a touristy establishment.

  To our right was a long table accommodating three computer stations. Overhead, a hand-scribbled sign read, Internet 3 bucks an hour. The walls, a combination of crumbling plaster and paint the color of pea soup, housed an eclectic collection of art. Straight ahead, a counter displayed baked goods, carafes and other coffee and tea related paraphernalia.

  “What would you like, Sarah?” Max asked as we approached the employee behind the counter. The woman wore a loose tank top and no bra. I wondered what her nationality was: Asian, Polynesian, or possibly Hispanic? She wore her dark hair in a mullet. Apparently she never got the memo.

  “Two cups of Kona coffee, please,” Max said.

  She filled our mugs and took Max’s money without ever making eye contact.

  Max followed me to a table. “This place reeks,” he whispered as we sat.

  “No kidding,” I said, pouring sugar into my mug. “We’re probably the first people to walk in here wearing deodorant.”

  Max chuckled under his breath.

  We spent the next ten minutes sipping on sub-par coffee and watching customers filter in and out.

  “Maybe now’s a good time to ask the friendly barista about Brenda,” I said, setting my coffee cup down. “Shall I do the honors?”

  Max leaned back and regarded me with a smile. “Sure. Give it your best shot.”

  I stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in my pants, and headed over to the counter, pretending to look over the curious selection of baked goods. The woman looked bored. “I’’m wondering if Brenda Graves has been in today. I’’m trying to get in touch with her.”

  The woman’s dark eyes studied me. “Who are you?” Her voice had a deep, throaty roughness as if she’d been smoking for years.

  “I’m just a friend.”

  She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I know Brenda. But she not been in today.”

  “What time does she usually come in?”

  The woman took a few steps to her left, peeked through a doorway, and motioned to someone. A large man appeared, walking as if he owned the place. Tribal-looking tattoos adorned his dark skin, covering both arms and one side of his face. His t-shirt looked two sizes too small, stretching over bulging muscles.

  The woman tipped her head in my direction and said, “She looking for Brenda.”

  Tattoo Face studied me with a scowl. “What you want with her?” he said.

  “Brenda’s a friend of mine.”

  Tattoo face looked me up and down, glanced over at Max then crossed his bulky arms over his chest. “I can’t help you.”

  I stepped away and slowly returned to the table where Max had been watching quietly.

  “Did you hear all that?” I whispered.

  Max nodded. “Nice try.”

  I finished my coffee then excused myself to go to the restroom. When I returned to the table, Max was reading something on his cell phone. “How much longer should we stay here?”

  “Just letting Carter know what’s up. Let’s take a drive. I have an idea.”

  We pulled away from the coffee shop and headed west. The further we went, the seedier the neighborhoods became. We approached an intersection and Max slowed down. The beach to our left looked like a shantytown, with rows of dilapidated tents and rotting garbage sullying the beautiful ocean view. A convenience store sat on the right.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “The wild west.” Max smiled at my frightened expression. “I read that this is the most dangerous area of the island. The locals named it that because of its checkered past.”

  “Great,” I said.

  Max pulled into the convenience store and parked next to an overflowing dumpster. “While I was going through Brenda’s file, the police report mentioned she was arrested at this 7-11. I did a little research back at the coffee shop. This place has played host to many a drug bust.”

  No big surprise. The place was scary during the day. I couldn’t imagine what it was like at night. “So what do we do? Wait for the dealers to come around and see if any of them know where Brenda is?”

  Max raised an eyebrow at me. “I don’t know about you, but I was just thinking of asking one of the cashiers in the store if they’ve seen her red bus.”

  “That’s probably a lot safer than my idea.”

  Max smiled and caressed my cheek. His little show of affection left me tingling. “I’ll go in,” he said. “Stay here, and lock the doors.”

  Five minutes later, Max returned to the car with two bottles of water. When he got behind the wheel, I knew his efforts had been in vain. I asked how it went anyway.

  “The cashier wasn’t much help, but she did give me the name of one of her pals, a drug dealer named Tank who hangs around here with his posse. The cops usually aren’t far behind.

  “Sounds like a swell guy.”

  Max backed the Jeep up, spun around in a tight circle, and was about to head out of the parking lot when a red VW bus drove right past us, heading east.

  “Hold on.” The engine wailed as Max floored the Jeep.

  “No way! Is that her?”

  The metallic sign on the side panel read, ‘I clean houses.’

  “Did you get a look at the driver?” he asked.

  “No, but it’s got to be her, right? Should we call Carter?” My heart was beating so fast I could barely speak.

  “Not yet. But do me a favor. There are two flashlights in the black duffel. I need the one with the silver tip.”

  I unbuckled my seatbelt, twisted my torso around, and reached into the back seat. “Got
it.” Just as I turned to face forward, the Jeep jerked hard to the left and sent me crashing into the passenger side door. “What the hell, Max?”

  “Sorry. She’s trying to lose us.”

  The gravel road we had just turned onto was making it hard to latch my seatbelt. “Where the hell is she going?”

  “I don’t know, but she’s an idiot if she thinks she can out run this Jeep with that heap.”

  Billowing clouds of dust made it difficult to see as Max did his best to negotiate the winding dirt road. I looked to my right at the open fields. Rows of planted pineapple crops stretched out for miles, taking us further away from the coastline.

  “She knows these back roads better than we do. We have no idea what she has up her sleeve,” I said.

  “She can’t go too far. We’re on an island.”

  “I know, but what if her drug dealer friends are waiting for us at the end of the road? This could be an ambush.”

  Max ignored my comment as his face took on a new expression of determination. I’d seen it before. The Jeep bounced and jostled us around as he picked up speed, getting ever closer to the red bus. Max floored the gas and rammed the bumper, causing the back end of the bus to skid to the right.

  “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” I gripped the door handle with white knuckles.

  His jaw muscles clenched as he repeated the move more violently. The clash of metal to metal jarred my nerves as I watched the bus skid and drop down off the edge of the road into a ditch. Max hit the brakes, grabbed the flashlight, and jumped out without a word. I followed.

  The driver’s side door creaked open. Max stepped back, shielding me in a protective gesture as we witnessed a young lanky Hawaiian kid emerge, hands up.

  “Who else is in there with you?” Max asked. “Where’s Brenda?”

  The kid looked scared and confused. “Who?”

  “Brenda Graves. This is her bus. Where is she?”

  The young guy licked his lips and looked around as if he hadn’t a clue what to say next. He eventually laughed and lowered his arms. “You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you, brah.”

  “Try me.”

  “Okay, okay.” The kid glanced at the flashlight in Max’s hand. “I was down at Mahiku Beach this morning. A lady pull up in da parking lot driving dis bus.”

  “And?”

  “So she come up and say she need to sell her bus for five hundred bucks. I look at her and say, ‘yeah right’ but she serious. Said she need cash real bad. So I go ATM across da street and got her money. Don’t believe me? I can show you bill of sale.”

  “Where did she go after you gave her the money?”

  “She go to the bus stop.”

  “Was she alone? Did she have a kid with her?”

  “No, nobody wid her.”

  Max rubbed his face with a hand and grunted. “Why did you try to outrun us?”

  “Cuz you chase me.

  “Did she tell you why she needed the money?”

  “She say nothing to me and I don’t ask.”

  “You mind if I take a look inside the bus for a minute?”

  The kid held out his palm in an inviting manner. “Okay, but I already empty out her stuff.”

  “What kind of stuff?”

  “Old vacuum cleaner, a mop, some cleaning stuff. Oh, and a box of toys.”

  That last part got our attention. “A box of toys?” I repeated.

  The young kid shrugged. “Yeah. Look like stuffed animals.”

  I followed Max to the back of the van, where he unlatched the rear window and raised it over his head. He turned on the flashlight and aimed it inside, illuminating a dusty looking blanket crumpled to the side. A weathered surfboard lay on top of it. There wasn’t much else to get excited about.

  “Where are her things now?” Max asked.

  “The thrift store down the street.”

  Max peeled the magnetic sign off the side panel and looked at the kid.

  The kid nodded. “Keep it.”

  “Did she leave any papers in the glove box?”

  He shook his head.

  Max placed one hand on his hip while the other held the flashlight. He walked around the bus as if he were doing a rental car inspection. It would have taken him all day to list all the dents and scrapes. “Look,” he said, stopping to stand in front of the kid. “Sorry for running you off the road. Let’s get this thing out of the ditch.”

  We returned to the Jeep as the kid drove off in the bus, slightly more damaged than when he bought it. Max tossed the flashlight back into the black duffel bag and started the engine.

  “What kind of flashlight is that?” I asked. “Does it have a special hidden camera or something?”

  “No. I used to sell them to security guards when I had my company. It’s also a stun gun. Press that silver latch on the side and you just zapped someone with 200,000 volts of electricity.”

  “Yikes. Remind me not to piss you off.”

  Chapter 20

  The West End Thrift Store was located in a small, nondescript strip mall that looked like it had been built in the sixties.

  Inside, an elderly lady with black hair and grey roots squatted near a box of dusty VHS tapes.

  “Excuse me, ma’am. Do you work here?” Max asked.

  She looked up and smiled as if she’d forgotten that her teeth were the color of rotten bananas. “Yeah.” She straightened herself up, and wiped her hands on her apron. Her eyes sparkled as she regarded us with a kind expression.

  Max smiled graciously, and I could tell it had an immediate effect on her. Who could resist a smile like his? “We were hoping you could help us out. A friend of ours came here this morning and dropped off some items. A vacuum, mops, brooms, cleaning supplies, and a box of stuffed animals.”

  She tilted her head and looked up. “A teenager, right?”

  Max nodded. “It was a mistake. We were hoping to get the toys back. I’d be happy to give a cash donation to the store in return.”

  The woman giggled. “You’re very kind, but I’m so sorry. Someone came in and bought the whole box. Said his grandkids would love the toys.”

  “Do you remember what grampa looked like?”

  “He looked like a Menehune.”

  “A what?” Max said.

  “A Menehune. They’re mythical Hawaiian creatures that resemble gnomes.”

  “So he was short and wore a cone-shaped hat?”

  The old woman let out a belly laugh that made the walls vibrate. “What a dear you are,” she said. “Would you like to look around in the back? We have other toys out there.”

  Max smiled and made a polite wave. “That’s okay. Thanks anyway.”

  Minutes later we were back in the car. Max asked why I had a grin on my face.

  “You sure know how to charm the ladies.”

  He looked wounded. “Are you making fun of that sweet old lady, or are you making fun of me?”

  “Neither,” I said. “It warms my heart.”

  Chapter 21

  “Why would Brenda have a box of stuffed animals in the back of her bus?” Carter asked. He stabbed a shrimp with his plastic fork and stuffed it into his mouth.

  I remained silent as we ate lunch. I had my own theories about what was really going on.

  Carter took a sip of water and shook his head. “What if she’s in a state of panic? What other reason would she have to sell her bus and disappear?”

  “That kid who bought her vehicle said she walked to the bus station. She could be at the airport right now trying to get a flight out,” Max said. “I think something or someone has her spooked.”

  “I figured the same thing,” Carter replied. “Richard has been at the airport keeping an eye out for her just in case. However, my guess is she’s staying on the island with a friend.”

  “Do you have any more ideas?” Max asked.

  “Sure,” Carter smiled. “But you won’t like them.”

  Carter was right. I wasn’t fo
nd of the idea of going back to Brenda’s apartment. But it was our only option.

  Chapter 22

  Max and I climbed the three flights of stairs to Brenda’s apartment; keeping a watchful eye out for the Hawaiian hulk we’d encountered the night before. Thankfully, we weren’t interrupted as we made our way to unit 304. Max knocked on the door. We waited a few minutes to make sure the place was vacant. Max handed me a pair of latex gloves. I slipped them on while he picked the lock. Seconds later I heard the telltale click.

  “Wait here,” Max said. He disappeared into the apartment. No sooner had I spun around to check for prying eyes when I heard him say, “It’s clear.”

  I entered the apartment more excited than scared. The first thing I noticed was the stench of rotting garbage. I covered my nose. “And this woman cleans houses for a living?” I said.

  “She’s on the run,” Max replied. “Taking out the garbage is no longer a priority.”

  There wasn’t much furniture; just a square card table with mismatched chairs, a small tattered love seat, and a cardboard box for a coffee table.

  “I don’t see a desk or a computer,” Max said.

  “That’s why she goes to the Internet café.”

  “I don’t see any kid stuff either.”

  A few yellowed paperback books and an opened can of tuna fish sat atop the makeshift coffee table. “That’s disgusting,” I said as I spotted maggots making a meal of the rotten fish. I started scratching myself all over as if things were crawling on me.

  “Do you mind looking through that stuff on the floor?” Max pointed to a pile of papers next to the couch. “I’ll go through the kitchen drawers.”

  “Okay.”

  “Check for address books, bills, notes, and such. She could be hiding stuff under the sofa or in the cushions, too.”

  “Yeah, right. I’m not sticking my hand inside of anything.”

  I couldn’t see Max from where I stood, but I could hear him laughing.

  I leafed through the paperwork when I came across something I knew would be useful. “Found a cell phone bill.”