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  After a few minutes he stated, “we’re done here. You two can get back to trying to enjoying the rest of your vacation.” He stood, thanked both of them and shook their hands. He walked them to Lead Detective Sheldon’s office, where he was talking to a slender, petite woman with straight black hair that went down her back.

  Sheldon excused himself from the conversation and stood.

  “We’re done,” Mike Driscoll told him. “Here it is.” He handed the lead detective his drawing.

  “Thanks, we’ll get this out there.”

  As Driscoll thanked Caroline and Wolf once more and walked off, the petite woman turned and smiled at the couple. Her smile turned to surprise. She said, “Caroline?”

  “Nalani (nah lah knēē)… Nalani Yung?” Said Caroline, just as surprised to see her friend.

  “Yes! How are you?”

  “Fine!”

  Nalani Yung stood and the two women hugged each other tightly, like they were long-lost friends.

  After their embrace, Caroline told Nalani, “This is my husband, Matthew,” she said pointing to him.

  Nalani Yung stood and extended an enthusiastic hand to Wolf.

  “Your wife and I go way back.”

  Wolf smiled.

  “You all know each other?” Inquired Detective Sheldon.

  “Yes!” They both chuckled when they answered in unison.

  “Dr. Yung was responsible for putting a reprehensible dentist behind bars. He murdered my friend, Lisa Matthews.” Caroline’s eyes registered sadness, and she hesitated, thinking about her girlfriend. “Don’t let me interrupt your meeting. We’re on our way back to the hotel.”

  “We were done here. I’m glad to hear your forensic skills held that dentist accountable, Dr. Yung. Hopefully, you’ll be able to assist us to catch Mrs. Kamehameha’s murderer.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she told Lead Detective Sheldon.

  “Brianna Kamehameha had a bite mark, so we’re hoping Dr. Yung can get us some DNA.” The lead detective explained.

  “Well, that all but guarantees you’ll catch him,” said Caroline. “She’s the best forensic dentist I know.”

  Nalani smiled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “It comes from the heart,” Caroline told her. Nalani smiled at her dear friend.

  “You said you two were headed to your hotel, do you have a rental car?”

  “No, a policeman drove us here. We’re staying at The Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo.”

  “Let me buzz him so he can take you two back to your hotel,” said Sheldon.

  “Wait…” Nalani told him. “I have to go to my home office to go over this report. The Grand is on the way. I’d be glad to take them. That’ll give me a chance to catch up with them.”

  Caroline and Wolf smiled. Wolf liked his wife’s friend.

  “Fine with me,” smiled the detective. He shook hands with Nalani.

  “Thanks again for your assistance with this matter. I look forward to your report.” He then extended his hand to Caroline, then Wolf. “Thanks to both of you for coming in. Caroline, you’ve at least given us a lead to follow. That beats shooting in the dark any day.” He smiled.

  “Glad I could help,” she told the handsome detective.

  Once they’d left his office, he sat and leaned back in his chair. He turned his thoughts toward Dr. Nalani Yung. She was a real looker. Her long hair was straight and black as coal and fell down her back, almost to her small waist. But what he found most striking about her were her eyes. She had gorgeous almond-shaped hazel eyes. Some of the most beautiful eyes Gage had ever seen. And he noticed how warm her smile was when she recognized Caroline.

  But before running into Caroline, though she’d acted professional—she’d also acted almost stand offish. He wondered if someone had warned her about him. He got the feeling she thought he’d be all over her. Because, she was so pretty, she’d probably gotten used to fending off unwanted advances from men.

  Little did she know—he took great pains to keep his personal life separate from his work life. He’d dated Dr. H for weeks, but no one in the office would’ve ever guessed. They kept it separate from their work lives. If he’d wanted to ask Dr. Yung out—it wouldn’t be while either of them was on duty. And, after she let her guard down and he saw the real Nalani Yung, he definitely wanted to get to know her better.

  “So, how long have you lived in Hilo?” Asked Caroline as Nalani drove her and Wolf back to the Grand.

  “I’ve been here about a year and a half. After I graduated from UCLA, I trained at the Los Angeles Police Academy. I worked for a few months before I learned a little about forensic dentistry while I was on the force. I went to dental school. I worked for a couple of years in a dentist’s office in downtown Los Angeles. I helped out on a few forensic cases. But I was homesick. I missed my mom and my little brother, Mikey. He’s only twelve. There’s such a big age difference, sometimes I feel like he’s my kid instead of my brother. I moved back to Hilo and opened my own practice about a year and a half ago. But this is my first case with the Hilo Police Department.”

  “Wow. You’ve got a big one. We heard the victim is from the most powerful family in Hilo,” said Wolf.

  “Yes. The biggest. It’s a real tragedy for the royal family. Queen K and her family live in the mansion on the hill. It’s enormous. They own half the real estate on the island. I think they even own the hotel you’re staying in. If she knew I referred to her as Queen K instead of Queen Kamehameha, she’d probably have me shot in front of a firing squad,” she laughed.

  “Anyway, how long are you two going to be in Hilo? I’d love to have you over so we can catch up.”

  “We’ll be here all week,” Caroline told Nalani.

  “Terrific. Say—have you all met Detective Sheldon’s partner, Makoa Koskos?”

  “Yes,” answered Wolf. “He interviewed us last night at the scene.”

  “His wife, Irene and I are good friends. I’m having them over for a luau (lūū ow) on Thursday. Why don’t you all come? It’d be a real favor for me. Makoa sits around bored while Irene and I catch up on we call ‘sweet tea and spicy talk.’ He rarely comes with her, but with her coming up on her due date—he won’t leave her side. Matthew, you could keep Makoa company.”

  Caroline smiled at her husband. “I’ve never been to a luau.” Caroline loved the idea of seeing the island from the eyes of someone who knew it well.

  “Sounds like fun.” He liked Makoa. He could also quiz him about updates on the case. “We’d love too,” Wolf answered.

  “Terrific. Since you all don’t have a car, I can pick you up around 5 p.m. Thursday. Will that work?”

  “Sounds good,” said Wolf as they were pulling up to the entrance of the lobby.

  Nalani pulled over and parked in the entryway—opposite valet parking. She jumped out of her car and hugged Caroline and Matthew. She already felt like he was sort of a big brother type. He and her good friend seemed to be made for each other.

  “I’m so happy you two are here! Caroline, you must tell me all about how you met your hunky husband. You done good, Girlfriend.”

  Wolf blushed. He and Caroline waved as Nalani drove off.

  The next day, Makoa knocked on Detective Sheldon’s open office door. “Come in, Man. Have a seat.”

  “Sounded like thunderbolts coming from Chief Cummings.”

  “There were. He’s not happy I had the nerve to question Hanale had anything to do with is wife’s death. He got a call from the queen. Guess I didn’t make a good impression on her.”

  “Man, rich people always get a pass,” said Makoa.

  “Well, I’d typically agree, but this time, it’s a little more than that,” sighed Sheldon. “Hanale and Chief Cummings go way back. He’s got real feelings for the man. He’s conflicted, but he doesn’t think he could have done it.”

  “I guess that’s understandable. Still, if that man killed her because she was having his baby…and knifed his own b
aby.”

  “That’s just it, Makoa. The baby—it wasn’t his.”

  ~ Chapter 6 ~

  As Nalani turned the key to her front door, she could hear Shredder’s excited whine.

  “Hey, boy!”

  Shredder barked and bounded around the perimeter of her legs, like he was saying, Bestie! I sure missed you today! She had to brace herself to keep from losing her balance and dropping her briefcase. She knew her Rottweiler wolf mix rescue puppy had no clue of his strength.

  She’d rescued him from the shelter when he was much smaller. She’d been searching for a companion/guard dog when she moved to her new home. She knew a single woman like her on the island could be vulnerable to creeps. So she wanted a dog that would intimidate.

  When she saw him at the shelter, she picked him because he had such large paws for a puppy his size. She reasoned he’d grow up to be fierce. And his wolf and Rottweiler mix could only help with his toughness.

  She couldn’t have been more wrong. She had to chuckle at the thought of him being vicious. The dog she’d named Shredder was only good for shredding her with kisses. At almost 80 pounds, she had to carry him whenever she took him to the vet. He was afraid of the other dogs and animals. Sometimes she had to bribe one of her male friends from work with Starbucks to help her carry him in and out of the vet’s office. She swore he had some cat in him—as in scardey cat.

  She loved him to death despite him not being a guard dog. And his size intimidated. No one messed with her whenever she jogged down the street with Shredder. Most guys were so put off by his size, they never took the time to notice how hard a time she had dragging him and getting him over his fear of, well—everything.

  No… they’d see a huge Rottweiler mix and avoid him at all costs. Even though she’d picked him because she thought he’d be vicious, she’d instantly fallen in love with him. Shredder’s size benefited her—even if he was a pussycat at heart. He’d often jump on the couch to sit next to her—he also thought he was still little. She’d been trying to train him to sit on the floor, but he preferred to sit next to her on the couch. He’d become her true-blue bestie.

  After rubbing Shredder’s face and hugging him, she told him to sit. She stood and plopped her keys in the wide flat Koa bowl on her entry table. Then she took off her heels and placed them underneath the console. Slipping into her comfy fuzzy slippers, she made her way over to her den which housed her home office.

  Shredder took his place beside her on the couch in the den, placing his chin on his folded paws, looking up at her as if he was saying, what’s up girlfriend? Where ya been today? She smiled and rubbed his head. Then she pulled out her cell and tapped the phone message icon marked two. She recognized both numbers—she sighed when she saw the second number. She’d already looked at the reminder on her tech watch, so she knew she had messages waiting.

  “Aunt Lane,” she exhaled. She pushed away her negative thoughts about her aunt, then focused on the voice she wanted to hear. Ionale (ēē oh nah lay) Palikiko— (pal lēē kēy kōh)the man she’d been dating for the last few weeks but been in love with for forever.

  “I’ll call Aunt Lane after I call Ionale back,” she told Shredder. He perked up his ears as if he were saying, good idea.

  She’d much rather focus on the love of her life right now. The man she’d fallen head over heels for when she was in ninth grade. He was a senior. The captain of the football team and a total dreamboat. He’d never noticed her when they were in the same high-school.

  She remembered how she used to daydream about marrying him. She’d sit in class, writing his name hundreds of times on pieces of paper in her notebook instead of taking down her homework assignment. She’d loved how she got to watch him walk by her locker every day before class. She was so focused on Ionale in school, she’d almost let her Biology grade cost her her 4.0 average.

  She thought she’d never see him again after she went to UCLA because she hadn’t planned on coming back to Hilo. But she ran into him at her favorite coffee hangout, The Loved by The Sun Juice Shop on Furneaux (fur know) Lane a little over two months ago.

  “Good morning!” He’d said in his sexy, good humored voice. He’d walked over to her table. She sat alone surrounded by a few others at different tables sipping their coffee. She’d recognized him in an instant. He still had the same sumptuous black curly hair and gorgeous cinnamon-kissed skin. His features were so chiseled it was as if a sculpture had spent all day making him with loving care. Smitten all over again, her eyes had glazed over.

  “Nice day, isn’t it? Hey, didn’t we go to high school together? I remember you.”

  Dumbstruck, she thought he didn’t know she was alive in high school. He’d asked if he could join her and they’d talked for over an hour. After having coffee together, they’d walked on the beach and Ionale had bought her a coconut leaf hat from a vendor on the promenade.

  “Here, make sure it’s this way, That way you can see the rose.” After he’d positioned the hat on Nalani, he’d gently put strands of her long hair behind her left ear.

  “Your hair is so silky, he’d said.” He’d taken two fingers and brushed them lightly on her cheek, sending tingles up her spine. Then he’d cupped her chin with those same fingers to raise her face. Bringing her lips up to his, he’d feathered them with a velvety smooth kiss.

  It had taken everything she had not to jump into Ionale’s arms. She’d wanted to straddle him with her long legs and push her tongue down this kissable man’s throat. After all, she’d been tonguing him in her fantasies ever since high-school! She’d wanted so much more, but kept her cool. They’d walked together on the beach for hours that day and when she’d driven home, she barely remembered getting in her car and navigating it. She was too busy floating on the cloud Ionale had put her on. When she glided in her house and Shredder greeted her that day, he’d cocked his head and looked at her as if to say, Girlfriend, what is up with you? You’re looking all glassy-eyed. She had to grin at the memory of it all.

  Her grin turned upside down when her phone started chiming and she saw Auntie Lane’s name on her display.

  “Hello?” Nalani answered, trying to sound upbeat.

  “Well, I could see you weren’t gonna call me, so, I decided to call you again,” Nalani’s aunt slurred her words. She braced herself. Her aunt was drunk.

  “It’s getting late, I was gonna call you back tomorrow. I had a late class and I’ve got an early day at the office tomorrow.” She sighed.

  “I know you don’t want to talk to your Auntie—I know you, Gurlie.”

  “I care about you Aunt Lane, you know I do.”

  “That’s more like it,” her aunt slurred. “You know you’re my ‘chinky baby’.”

  Nalani’s body stiffened.

  “Aunt Lane, I’ve asked you not to call me that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because… I don’t know… I don’t like that name.”

  Nalani knew. And she wanted to tell her aunt—I know how much you hate that Mom married someone who was not Hawaiian. When you say that, even though you think it’s cute, it reminds me of how much you disliked my father. Your dad raised you to hate Asians because the Japanese occupied Hawaii years and years ago when none of us were even alive. And I can’t even remember why you hate Whites. You say Haloe (howl lee) like it’s a curse word. The discourse in our family caused my father to die of a broken heart when he was 54.

  But she couldn’t bring herself to say what was on her mind. She thought about her sad but proud and gentle Japanese American father. Thought about the life he had to endure because he dared to fall in love with a woman whose father hated him for his heritage.

  While Aunt Lane continued her rant about life, Nalani listened. Even as she could feel tears brimming her eyes as she thought about her loving father. He took on her mother’s entire family because he loved her.

  Mom and Aunt Lane’s father never spoke to her mother after she married him. He never acknowledged Nala
ni’s existence. And rather than Aunt Lane blame their dad and his prejudice, she blamed Nalani’s father. Nalani’s mother, Julie, never stood up to her dad nor would she stand up to Aunt Lane. Aunt Lane had raised Julie and the other siblings after their mom died of cancer at 32. Nalani’s mother thought of Aunt Lane as more of a mother than a sister.

  Nalani knew even though her Aunt Lane was supposed to love her because she was her blood—she didn’t. Aunt Lane couldn’t come to terms with her own prejudice long enough to love Nalani. And every chance she got, she made Nalani feel like an outsider in her own family for being half Japanese. Aunt Lane would always call her her ‘chinky baby’ and professed it was her special name for her special niece. It never made Nalani feel special—it made her feel different.

  When Nalani was 8 her father caught her crying after a barbecue at their home. He asked her why.

  “I hate when Aunt Lane calls me her ‘chinky baby.’ She makes me feel… different.”

  Her father cradled her and to Nalani’s surprise when she looked at him, he had tears streaming down his sweet face. It was as if her tender tears had burst a dam in his heart. He tried to explain to her that her Aunt Lane loved her, but she had a different way of talking.

  “But if it hurts you, I’ll ask her to stop.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.”

  And Aunt Lane did stop. In front of her father, anyway. But anytime she got drunk enough, like now, and anytime she worked herself up about the state of her dead-end life, she somehow worked that into the conversation.

  Nalani also noticed how much rougher Aunt Lane was with her than she was with her other nieces and nephews. She always made Nalani feel bad about herself. Nalani knew because Aunt Lane was family, she was supposed to love her. But deep down—she hated the way her aunt treated her. And she hated the way she treated her brother Mikey even more.

  “Are you listening to me Gurlie?” her aunt slurred. “I can always call your mom and tell her to let me talk to Mikey.”