Hibiscus Homicide (Maui Mayhem Cozy Mystery Book 4) Page 9

  “I won’t taste good anyway. My skin’s too tough and my flesh will probably taste like rotting cheese.”

  Delirium had set in on my friend.

  “I have nothing against limburger.” I still managed a tease. Keeping my sense of humor helped me stay calm. Well, I should say ‘calmer’ because I was well past calm. In fact, calm hadn’t visited since early this morning.

  “Ginger, that’s not funny.” Reese moaned again. He didn’t sound too good.

  “Yes, it is. C’mon, Reese, buddy, you can’t give up. Stay with me.”

  On hands and knees, I dragged myself over to him. Four hours might not seem long at face value, but it was stifling in there and hard to breathe. And hot as hell, I might add. When they built this thing, somebody didn’t do a sleepover test. Either that or the vents were plugged.

  I held Reese’s head in my lap as though he were my child. A big child. A thirty-year-old child. As I brushed my hand over his crewcut, administering comfort as would a mother to her child drenched with fever, I hummed a song. Don’t ask me what song because it probably didn’t sound like the song I thought I was humming.

  “Okay, please stop,” Reese said. “I’d rather go to my grave not having my last thoughts be trying to guess what the hell song you’re trying to hum.”

  Well, at least his sense of humor was coming back. Or maybe he wasn’t joking.

  After another hour, drowsiness took over. Reese seemed to be knocked out. The only sound emitting from him was the wheeze of his belabored breath. At least he was still alive.

  My thoughts went to Blaine. There was no way I was going to die without being able to say goodbye to him, or to tell him how much I’ve loved him.

  No, I couldn’t die yet. I couldn’t.

  I tried to fight the drowsiness, but I felt weak. My mind was fuzzy. I wiped the sweat that trickled down my forehead. A drop splattered Reese’s face, but he didn’t even flinch.

  My eyelids were feeling as if microscopic controllers were playing with the switches that opened and closed them.

  Delirium had set its sights on me now. My stubbornness must’ve helped keep it at bay longer.

  Just before the ‘close’ switch won out, my little sister’s ghostly figure came into view.

  She put her two hands, crisscrossing them, over her mouth and nose. What was she trying to tell me? Was she indicating my death by suffocation? Or was she telling me that’s how she died?

  I was losing it. My eyes were closing for good now and I couldn’t stop them.

  “Maiiiiiile,” I said in a gravelly voice as I reached out for her. “Maiiiii ...”

  * * *

  “Ging.” A high-pitched voice sounded out. “Can you hear me?”

  Was I in heaven? That wasn’t Maile’s voice. It sounded like ... like ...

  “Ginger.”

  Yup, that squeaky high-pitch was Pako.

  Why couldn’t I open my eyes?

  “We’re taking you and Reese to the hospital. You’re dehydrated, but you’re gonna be fine.” I felt someone touch my hand and then ...

  I must’ve blacked out because when I came to again, my nose was being violated with that awful smell I hated. The smell of sickness and dying. That same smell I had to visit time and again when my mother was ill.

  “How are you feeling?” That was the next thing I heard when my eyes popped open.

  “Blaine?” I turned my head to where the voice came from and my beloved hubby was by my side, grasping my hand so tightly that it probably turned white.

  “Yes, I’m here.” He kissed my forehead. I hoped it was no longer sweaty. That would be yucky.

  I must’ve still been a bit delirious because the things that were crossing my thoughts were rather silly, I had to admit.

  “How’s Reese? I didn’t eat him, did I?” I asked with a smile.

  Blaine scrunched his eyebrows. Yeah, right, he wasn’t in on the joke earlier.

  “I haven’t seen him yet, but I’m sure he’s still intact. They didn’t find you picking your teeth with his bones or anything.” He played along, the sweetheart.

  “Good. I need him on the next gig.”

  We both smiled.

  “Your dad and Aku went to see Reese since you were still sleeping. Reese must be awake because they’ve been gone about a half an hour. Jemma called and she’s on her way.”

  I didn’t respond. I just nodded. Knowing how slow she drives, I figured she’d be here in an hour.

  “Pako said he’ll be back later. He had to attend to some police work.”

  I nodded to that too. I wasn’t feeling myself yet. Still weak and tired. My eyes traced the intravenous tube to the hanging bag of clear liquid next to the bed.

  “You were dehydrated.”

  “Yeah, before I blacked out again, that’s what I heard Pako say.”

  “You should rest.”

  I nodded one last time before closing my eyes.

  Behind my eyelids, I sensed tears welling. All I could think was—we made it—we were alive.

  Thank you, Pako. Thank you for saving us, my dear friend.

  Chapter 16

  “We got ‘em,” Pako told me. “They had tried to book a flight to Honolulu, but we nabbed ‘em at the Kahului airport.”

  Thank god!

  “How did you finally find us?” I asked.

  “When I didn’t see your car parked on the Wilder Estate, yet you weren’t answering my calls, I figured something was up. You would’ve contacted me if you had moved locations.”

  Did I mention Pako knew me well?

  “After searching inside the house, the shed, and surrounding areas, I roamed the outside perimeter. That’s when I spotted your SUV.”

  What a relief! If he hadn’t seen my car, he might’ve left without further pursuit of my being there.

  “I knew then, you had to be somewhere on the premises. After additional searching and coming up empty, I got an uneasy feeling that you were hidden somewhere.

  “So I called somebody I knew at the Building Department and asked them about the building permits on the property from years back. After receiving the PDF blueprints, I was able to locate the bomb shelter.”

  “You didn’t carry us up the ladder on your own, did you?” I asked.

  “No, that would’ve been dangerous. I would need both hands on the rungs, and since you guys were out cold, there wouldn’t be any cooperation on your part to hang on to me as I climbed. If I dropped you, you would’ve been hurt. I called for backup and the paramedics. We lifted you both out as we would have if you were in a cave.”

  That certainly made sense. I didn’t need any more dents in my head, and neither did Reese. Ha-ha.

  “You know, Pako, it’s such a tragedy that such a beautiful thing like a mother’s love for her son would drive her to commit murder. Theresa killed Kyle, then Elisse, to protect Stevie.”

  I could never commit murder to save my child, but whether I’d lie for them? That I couldn’t say, in all honesty. Since I had no children of my own, that is one nightmare I’ll never have to experience. Thank god.

  I wondered if Pako would ever lie for the sake of saving one of his kids. I didn’t ask. That would be a hard question to answer. And maybe I didn’t want to know, in case his answer would be ‘yes.’

  And if that were the case, would I judge him for it? I doubt I would. Saving your child was an instinct—and if they’re still young—a parent’s duty, most would think. But if it involved a crime? I couldn’t approve that, nor condone it, but it would be hard for me to pass judgement or condemnation on the person. Love for and protection of their child would be any parent’s top priority.

  In any case, I’m just glad that I’ll never have to make that choice. Hopefully Pako won’t either.

  “Just before I blacked out, Maile came to me.”

  Pako raised his eyebrow. “She must’ve known you already knew who the murderers were. Did she give you another clue?”

  He might’ve bee
n thinking someone else, a third person, might be involved.

  “I have a feeling she was giving me a clue about something else. Since I’m not dead, it probably wasn’t about me. It has me wondering though, if she was finally letting me in on her own death.”

  “Yeah, she hasn’t helped you with that, has she?”

  “Nope. It’s as if she doesn’t want me to know. It kinda scares me, actually. It could mean that it’s somebody I know and she doesn’t want me to get hurt, or ...”

  When I paused too long, he said, “Or what?”

  “Or I killed her.” My voice faltered.

  “There’s no way you killed her, Ging. I’ve told you this a hundred times already. You’re no murderer.”

  Yeah, none of my family or friends would ever believe that I could do such a thing. I can’t believe it either. But I just can’t remember anything about that day, so could I have done it accidentally?

  But the fact that Maile’s body was never found, that would mean somebody hid it. Got rid of it.

  If her death was an accident, then I would’ve gone for help. No way would I have covered up her death.

  Not being able to remember what happened frustrates me to no end. Blaine has woken me on occasion due to my thrashing around, yelling out my sister’s name. Until I find out the truth, my nightmares won’t end.

  “So what did she show you?” Pako asked.

  “She put both hands over her mouth and nose. Like she was suffocating, or rather somebody was suffocating her.”

  “Hmm. That’s disturbing,” Pako said.

  “Isn’t it? Unfortunately, I didn’t see if she did anything after that because I passed out.”

  “Maybe the next time she visits, she’ll give you more.”

  “I hope so. But I can tell you ... a part of me shudders at the thought of what it’ll uncover. I want to know yet I don’t. Does that make sense?”

  “Of course it does. It’s damn scary to find out the truth about horrible things that have happened. Especially to someone you love.”

  Pako touched my hand. “You should get some rest.”

  “I’m feeling fine. At least I didn’t have to stay at the hospital overnight.” After they rehydrated me and Reese, they sent us home. We hadn’t sustained any injuries, just dehydration, and it wasn’t to the extent we needed further medical care. I was glad to be out of there.

  “Well then, where’s the goodies? You haven’t even offered me anything.”

  “You just got here about fifteen minutes ago.”

  “What kind of hostess are you?” he said, teasingly.

  “Hey, you’re no guest. You’re like family, so you know where the kitchen is. Go get your face-stuffers yourself.” I laughed.

  He darn well knew this, but I guess Pako—after the scare he had finding us nearly dead in the bomb shelter—had to start in on me, now that I was out of danger and pretty much back to myself.

  As I watched him head for the kitchen, a smile curved my lips and a ‘warm-fuzzy’ blanketed over me.

  I let out a reminiscent sigh.

  I sure have a bunch of really great friends. And along with an awesome hubby and wonderful family, what more could a woman ask for?

  : The End :

  Thank you so much for taking time out to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it. Please check out my other books in this series if you haven’t already. And stay tuned for more rotten, stinkin’ murder mayhem in paradise with Ginger and her quirky crew. Mahalo!

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  And before you head back home, hop on a virtual flight from Hawaii to a quaint, idyllic Canadian village and check out author Rickie Blair’s ‘From Garden to Grave.’ I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, well-crafted cozy and I’m sure you will too! =)