“Everyone’s a little spooked by such a killer being loose on the island,” she told him candidly. “True crime writers who happen to be female are no different.”

  “Is that why the officer is over there—to protect you?”

  Daphne didn’t deny it. “You could say that.” She saw no reason to mention that the protection was more about a stalker than a serial killer, though knowing Kenneth, this was his way of trying to keep her safe from both offenders.

  “Figured as much,” Francis said. “Well, you’re safe with me.”

  She gave him a confident smile. “Good to know.”

  “I will say that I was blown away when the man whose life I tried to save on the day we met, Ben Hoffman, was believed at that time to be the Maui Suffocation Killer.”

  Daphne smoothed a brow. “The evidence seemed to point toward that conclusion till the killings started again.”

  “And Hoffman wound up being a copycat killer,” Francis contended.

  “So it seems,” she said musingly, not ruling out that Hoffman did what he did without any inspiration beyond his own homicidal impulses.

  “This may sound odd, and I’m not even sure why I’m mentioning it, but on the day Roxanne Sinclair died, I had a voice-mail message from her asking if we could meet because we had something in common.” Francis furrowed his brow. “She said she’d been having an affair with Norman Takahashi. Before I could call her to get together, she was dead and they said it was the work of the real Maui Suffocation Killer.”

  Daphne processed what he’d just said, again glancing at the officer and back suspiciously. “Did you tell this to the police?”

  “No, I didn’t think it was relevant to their investigation,” he argued. “It was probably a bad move on my part.”

  “You think?” Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

  Francis reacted. “Since I still have the voice-mail message, I’ll send it to Detective Kealoha, who I hear is working the case.”

  “That’s a good idea,” she pressed, knowing Kenneth would want it as potential evidence. Daphne wondered if the doctor could have killed Roxanne as a way to get revenge for Takahashi killing Jenny. Or as the Maui Suffocation Killer getting back on track after Ben Hoffman’s possible copycat killing took away from the serial killer’s infamy.

  Seeming to sense her misgivings, Francis took a step back and said, “Just in case you’re wondering if I murdered Roxanne Sinclair, I can assure you I did not. I was stuck in the ER that entire day and well into the night. Pretty easy to verify. Same is true for last night, when I understand another young woman was killed.”

  “Okay.” Daphne took him at his word, knowing that Kenneth would follow up on his alibi for both murders. She breathed a sigh of relief nevertheless as it appeared that Francis Hiraga was still grieving the loss of his lover, but was not a killer. Which indicated that someone else was out there continuing to mark women for death.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Probably the last person Kenneth, or Vanessa for that matter, expected to hear from was Zack Lawrence, the fitness instructor who had once been their number one suspect as the Maui Suffocation Killer. But given that he claimed to have information on the investigation, they had little choice other than to hear him out. Kenneth drove into the parking lot of the Wailuku Gym on Kolu Street owned by Lawrence as Vanessa muttered, “Think Mr. Casanova is just looking for some attention to stroke his ego?”

  “We’re about to find out,” Kenneth said, trying to keep an open mind. “My guess is that Lawrence has no desire to stay on our radar by getting us over here just to mess with us.”

  “Hope you’re right. We’ve got better things to do with our time than play games.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Kenneth was certainly in no mood for games. Not when too many lives were at stake as long as a killer remained on the prowl and dangerous as ever.

  They left the car and headed toward the gym, bordered by Golden cane palm trees. Inside, the large gym had all the latest equipment and was in full swing with users exercising. Kenneth spotted Zack Lawrence at an elliptical machine, flirting with a fit and tanned brunette-haired young woman, before he left her and approached them, wearing designer workout clothes and black cross-training shoes.

  “Hey, thanks for dropping by,” Lawrence said casually as if they were old friends.

  “Gee, you’re welcome,” Kenneth responded wryly.

  Lawrence grinned crookedly at Vanessa and said, “Nice to see you again, Detective Ringwald.”

  “Wish I could say the same,” she stated, sneering at him.

  “Why don’t you tell us why we’re here, Lawrence,” Kenneth spoke impatiently, “and we’ll be on our way.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Lawrence looked around the gym. “Let’s go to my office.”

  Kenneth eyed Vanessa and back. “Lead the way.”

  They went inside a spacious office with modern furnishings and a ceiling fan spinning. “Do you want to sit down?” Lawrence proffered his long arm at a rust-colored velvet sofa.

  Both declined and Vanessa said hotly, “You said you have some information pertaining to our serial killer investigation.”

  “Yeah, I think so.” He walked over to his ergonomic T-shaped standing desk and grabbed a sheet of paper, bringing it back over to them. “I happened to see this sketch of the suspect you’re looking for on my laptop and realized that I know this guy.”

  “Really?” Kenneth glanced at the sketch and back.

  “Well, not really. I mean, we weren’t friends or anything,” Lawrence said, shifting from one foot to the other. “I saw him at a couple of clubs where I hang out. At least it looks like the guy.”

  Vanessa pursed her lips. “You need to do better than that, Lawrence,” she snapped. “Do you have anything worthwhile for us or not, beyond some less than convincing belief that he looks familiar?”

  “All right, all right.” Lawrence lifted his hands as if in mock surrender. “If it’s the person I think he is, he came up to me one time and asked what my secret was for getting women. I told him there is no secret. It’s as plain as day and tried and true over the centuries. Look good, smell good and give them what they want. Simple, really.”

  “I don’t think so,” she snorted. “Not all women fall for that, sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He shrugged. “Win some, lose some.”

  While he was apparently charming more women than not, with Vanessa being the exception to the rule, Kenneth was much more interested in the other man. “How did he respond to this?”

  “It angered him,” Lawrence indicated. “He accused me of making it difficult for men like him. I said it was just the opposite. All you needed was to follow the formula and have confidence in yourself. He didn’t respond well to that, either.” He rolled his eyes dismissively. “Some dudes just don’t get it.”

  “Did he ever tell you his name?” Kenneth asked interestedly.

  “Yeah, I believe he said it was Tommy.”

  Kenneth looked at Vanessa. The presumed name of the suspect had not been made public as yet. This appeared to give more fuel to the likelihood that this was the same man who had come to Daphne’s book signing while fitting the description she and Ruth Paquin gave of the unsub.

  “Did he give you his last name?” Vanessa asked.

  “Just Tommy.”

  Kenneth peered at him. “Have you seen this Tommy at your gym?”

  “No.” Lawrence shook his head. “Not exactly the type who was into staying in shape, if you know what I mean. Still, I’m a believer that anyone can better themselves if they’re willing to take that first step. So, I gave him my card.”

  “How generous of you,” Vanessa said sarcastically.

  Kenneth eyed him. “If you happen to run into Tommy again at a club or he decides to show up here, let us know.”

  “Count on it.” Lawrence ran a hand along his jawline. “Is this guy really the serial killer every woman I know is freaking out over?”

  “That’s yet to be determined,” Kenneth said truthfully. “We count on people like you to help us find him and possibly prevent someone else from dying.”

  Lawrence nodded. “I’ll keep my eyes open,” he promised. “And ask around, in case someone else I know has information to pass along about him.”

  To Kenneth, this would have to do. They left the gym with him feeling as though they had turned a corner in the pursuit of the suspect who went by the name Tommy and seemed to pose a clear and present danger to attractive women with long dark hair on the island.

  Outside, Kenneth remarked to Vanessa, “You were a bit hard on Lawrence, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, probably,” she admitted. “It’s not like he didn’t have it coming. I’ve met too many men like him, including my ex, who thought they were all that and seemed to have no problem playing head games with women.”

  Kenneth understood that she still had a chip on her shoulder from being forced to raise a child alone after her ex-boyfriend absconded his obligations, but all men weren’t like him, or Zack Lawrence for that matter. Kenneth suspected she knew that, even if feeling the need to vent. “At least Lawrence gave us more to work with in getting some perspective on this Tommy. If he’s who we think he is, the man seems to be taking his own inadequacies out on his victims.”

  Vanessa frowned. “That’s a scary thought.”

  “Which is why we need to locate him,” Kenneth said, a sense of desperation in his voice.

  “We’ll find him,” she said with determination.

  As they headed across the parking lot, Kenneth got a call from Daphne. He answered casually, “Hey, how did it go at the cemetery?”

  “It was interesting,” she told him, piquing his curiosity.

  “How so?” He glanced at Vanessa, who was checking her own phone.

  “Francis Hiraga said he received a voice mail from Roxanne Sinclair on the day she died, hoping they could meet, given their common ground with Norman and Jenny Takahashi. Francis says they never met and apparently has an alibi for Roxanne’s time of death,” Daphne pointed out. “Anyway, he’s supposed to contact you about this. I thought it might be relevant to the current investigation, one way or the other.”

  “It is,” Kenneth assured her. “Thanks for the heads-up. We’ll certainly look into this.”

  “Okay.” Daphne paused. “So, how’s the search for Marissa progressing?”

  He noted the concern in her tone. “She was apparently spotted loitering outside a supermarket in Kahului. Seems as if we just missed her.”

  Daphne groaned. “She’s hard to catch.”

  Sounds like someone else we’re searching for, Kenneth told himself sourly. “That won’t last,” he promised, then thought to ask, “How’s Officer Menendez’s presence working out?”

  “Good,” she assured him. “He’s doing his job, watching over me.”

  “Happy to hear that.” Short of being with her around the clock himself, Kenneth believed that Menendez was a good man to have on the job till they were able to make some arrests.

  “My editor’s calling,” Daphne said. “I should probably get this.”

  “You should.” Kenneth wanted her life to go on as normally as possible under the circumstances thrust upon her. It would be better all the way around when they could operate without the cloud of homicides and stalking hanging over them. Then see where things went. “Bye,” he said, and hung up.

  “Everything okay with Daphne?” Vanessa asked.

  Kenneth brought her up to date regarding the unexpected connection between Francis Hiraga and Roxanne Sinclair.

  “Hmm...” Vanessa batted her lashes. “Talk about six degrees of separation.”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s strange. Yet not so much,” Kenneth said when thinking about it.

  “Could Dr. Hiraga actually be involved some way in Sinclair’s murder?”

  “He claims to have an alibi for her time of death. We’ll have a chat with him and see if there’s cause for further investigation,” Kenneth told her. “But as it stands, Hiraga doesn’t fit the description of the unsub we’re looking at, even if the Tommy name is a moniker.”

  “Good point,” Vanessa said as they reached the car. “Still, the way this case is going, one never knows...”

  “True enough.” Kenneth acknowledged that it was troubling to see some symmetry between a closed case and one still very much open. Was there anything to it? Or was this merely playing into the hands of a ruthless serial killer seeking to add to his number of homicides?

  In the car, Vanessa turned to Kenneth and said unevenly, “This is probably none of my business, but what’s going on between you and the true crime writer?”

  You’re right, it is none of your business, he thought. Yet, Kenneth felt the question wasn’t unreasonable, considering the time he had been spending with Daphne. He also had a good working relationship with Vanessa, ever astute, and also considered her a friend. “Daphne and I have hit it off,” he replied candidly.

  Vanessa chuckled teasingly. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  Kenneth glanced at her and back to the road. “Guess it wasn’t that hard to figure out. She’s a wonderful person, beyond the bestselling author.”

  “Just as are you, Kealoha, beyond the hard-nosed police detective,” she told him. “I think you make a great couple.”

  He grinned musingly. “Mahalo.”

  “I just hope you don’t blow it,” she warned.

  “You and me both,” he concurred behind the wheel. “Long-distance relationships can be tricky, though. Not that we’ve delved into that much as yet.”

  “Trust me, all relationships can be tricky,” Vanessa said matter-of-factly. “That doesn’t mean we don’t do what’s necessary to keep them going, if the connection’s strong enough. I’m just saying.”

  Kenneth laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe you missed your calling, Ringwald. Psychologist might have been more apropos.”

  She chuckled. “Actually, I was thinking that crime writer might suit me. I certainly have my fair share of murder investigations to draw upon. But not till I log in a few more years of detective work to add to that. Anyway, we’re talking about you, not me. Go with your heart and the rest will take care of itself. And that’s my two cents.”

  “But worth its weight in gold,” Kenneth told her sincerely, giving him more to ponder, with Daphne never leaving his thoughts for long and with good reason.

  * * *

  DAPHNE SPENT THE early afternoon on her laptop, doing an online question-and-answer session as a guest blogger for a popular true crime blog. She tried to keep her answers short and sweet but deep enough to hold the attention of viewers. It was a welcome detour from dodging stalkers and serial killers, though she felt confident that with the Maui PD searching for them, neither would be able to stay on the loose for very long. She knew that Kenneth, in particular, was doing everything in his power to take both into custody. Of course, with the unsub yet to be officially identified beyond a man named Tommy, the hope was that this could be accompanied by scientific and other hard evidence to lead to an arrest and conviction of the serial killer of at least eleven women.

  In spite of wanting to see Marissa Sheffield off the streets and out of her life for good, Daphne did find solace in the fact that she hadn’t been the most recent victim of the Maui Suffocation Killer as Daphne had feared. I wouldn’t wish that type of death on my worst enemy, she told herself. Troubled stalker or not. But that hardly meant she wanted to give Marissa a pass for following her to Maui and threatening both her and Kenneth. Even though she was sure he could take care of himself, Daphne didn’t doubt that crazy people were capable of doing crazy things, no matter the obstacles. As such, she wouldn’t feel at ease until her obsessed stalker had been located and the threat was over.

  Until such time, Daphne preferred to focus on self-promotion and wrapping up the research needed for her next book, A Maui Mass Murder. Beyond that, there was still a strong possibility that once the Maui Suffocation Killer investigation had come to a conclusion, she would write about it as well, including the unexpected crossover of elements between the two murder stories. She wondered how this might fit in with things between her and Kenneth. Would they be able to move forward at the end of the day? Or would love not be enough to conquer any roadblocks they would surely face if they were to make this work?

  Feeling restless, Daphne put her hair up and threw on some jogging clothes, having checked out of the Kiki Shores Villas to stay at Kenneth’s house, gladly accepting his invitation to do so as both a matter of practicality and an opportunity to be closer to one another. She peeked through the venetian blinds and saw that Officer Menendez was in his car on duty. Meaning that he would spot Marissa if she somehow showed up at the house.

  Stepping outside, Daphne took in Kenneth’s beatific property before going for a jog, while marveling at the amazing views of Molokai and Lanai, along with the ocean itself. If there truly is such a thing as paradise, she thought, this is pretty close to it. She only wondered if that would be enough to keep her on Maui much longer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After interviewing Francis Hiraga and checking out his alibi, Kenneth believed the doctor had nothing to do with the death of Roxanne Sinclair. Or, for that matter, the other serial killings, with Hiraga also able to account for his whereabouts. Still, Kenneth found it somewhat eerie that Hiraga and Sinclair were forever bound by Norman and Jenny Takahashi’s infidelity and murder-suicide; with Sinclair now a victim of a serial killer, indirectly linking the homicide cases.