“Couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Kenneth stated with an edge to his voice. “Now comes the hard part, tracking him down before he can do more harm.”

  Morrissey gave Kenneth a stern look and said, “That’s what I’m expecting of you and the task force. Bring the perp in and let the justice system do its job.”

  Kenneth gave him a respectful salute, but understood where he was coming from. It was all part of what was expected in his line of work. Either deliver or get out of the way and someone else would. He had no intention of walking away anytime soon. Not unless there was a good reason for his doing so. Somehow, he ended up thinking of Daphne.

  * * *

  AFTER LEAVING THE police department, Kenneth got onto Highway 30 and headed home. He continued to think about the alluring true crime writer and fantasized about spending the night with her. Or even the day in bed, for that matter. But that was getting way ahead of himself, wasn’t it? Maybe getting involved with someone who could be leaving the island any day now was a very bad idea. Maybe she was still caught up with her ex, Nelson Holloway. Kenneth didn’t do well with rebound relationships. Not that he’d been involved in any romance in a serious way, as it turned out. If Daphne were to be willing to meet him halfway—wherever that was—then it could be a game changer of sorts.

  The possibilities of romancing the writer waned in his head as Kenneth neared his house on South Lauhoe Place in Lahaina. It sat nestled on nearly three acres of land with great views of the ocean and Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Lanai. He’d purchased the single-story three-bedroom, two-bath plantation-style home two years ago, with investment savings and a small loan from his parents. Though he welcomed his little slice of island paradise and the privacy it afforded him from the rat race, Kenneth would gladly share what he had should the right person come along. Or was that asking too much?

  He drove through the palm tree–lined driveway and reached the house. Inside, he walked across the engineered hardwood flooring, admiring the open floorplan that included floor-to-ceiling windows, a great room, gourmet kitchen and tropical ceiling fans in every room. He had outfitted it with an eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings. Front and back lanais offered him a spot to chill and enjoy the sights and sounds of his property that had a security system in place for further peace of mind.

  After grabbing a beer from the stainless steel refrigerator, Kenneth flopped onto the armless sectional sofa. Barely noticing the gecko that scurried across the floor fearlessly, he picked up the copy of The Accident Killer from the bamboo coffee table, intending to read a couple of chapters at best. But the more he read, the more Kenneth found himself riveted. He wound up reading the entire thing and it gave him more insight into the dark mind of Oscar Preston and, by virtue, a greater sense of what they were up against in dealing with the Maui Suffocation Killer unsub.

  Chapter Four

  Daphne was already up bright and early when her cell phone rang. Seeing that the caller was Kenneth, she was eager to answer. “Hey,” she uttered, tempering her enthusiasm.

  “I read your entire book last night,” he said flatly.

  “Really?” This surprised her. Given his full-time duties in law enforcement, she had expected him to take his sweet time finishing the book.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that, either. But the truth is, I couldn’t put it down. You did a terrific job, Daphne.”

  She reveled in his compliment. “Thanks.”

  “I have a couple more questions for you about it,” he said. “I was hoping you could come over to my place for dinner tonight. I’d like to cook you a traditional Hawaiian meal before you leave the island, if you’re game.”

  Daphne chuckled. “You cook?”

  “Of course.” Kenneth laughed. “Does that surprise you?”

  “Not really,” she lied. “Guess I’m just not used to men cooking for me.”

  “Maybe it’s time to change that. So, are we on?”

  “Yes, I’d love to experience a genuine Hawaiian meal while I have the chance,” she agreed, unable to hide her excitement in dining with him and otherwise spend quality time. The fact that he could actually cook, which was not exactly her own strong suit when it came to anything extravagant, was another feather in his cap. “What time?”

  “How about six?”

  “Works for me.”

  “I live in Lahaina, so it won’t be a problem to swing by and pick you up,” Kenneth offered. “While letting the food work its magic.”

  Though it sounded appealing in an old-fashioned way, Daphne saw no reason to put him out. If he was doing the cooking, the least she could do was come to him. “I’ll drive to your place. With a GPS navigator, it should be no problem getting there.”

  “All right,” Kenneth said. “See you around six.”

  “Shall I bring wine?” Daphne wondered, feeling the need to contribute in some fashion.

  “Not necessary. I have several varieties to choose from.”

  “Okay.” She got his address and hung up, curious about how his investigation was going. As with her last book, she could only hope that the killer would be brought to his knees before he could hurt anyone else. I’ll ask Kenneth for an update tonight, Daphne thought, as the notion of one day writing about the disturbing subject continued to intrigue her.

  Gazing out the window at the inviting waters of the ocean, she decided to go for a swim before everyone else at the resort beat her to it. Minutes later, she had put on an orchid-colored one-piece swimsuit, grabbed a long towel and headed out. It didn’t take long before she had walked across the sand, dropped the towel and dove into the water. Having excelled on the swim team in high school, Daphne immediately felt in her element as she started off with freestyle swimming and switched effortlessly into the breaststroke and backstroke, before ending up where she began. She took measured breaths and felt the strain on her muscles while swimming through some ripples in the water. Even though there were no other swimmers in the vicinity and very few beachgoers, she felt a bit uneasy as though someone were spying on her.

  Don’t allow your imagination to run away with itself, Daphne chided herself. No one’s out to get you. The one person who might have been was safely locked up in Tuscaloosa. And there was no reason to believe a serial killer had truly set his sights on her of all people. Was there?

  By the time she had swam back to the shore, Daphne had chalked up her jumpiness to nothing more than misplaced paranoia just for the sake of it. After drying herself a bit with the towel, she padded across the sand and went back to the villa.

  * * *

  DAPHNE DROVE TO the Lahaina Banyan Court Park on the corner of Canal and Front Streets, where she had arranged to meet the sister of Jenny Takahashi, Katie Lacuesta. The park, which featured the largest banyan tree in the country, was near the Lahaina Harbor. After parking, Daphne approached a woman of medium build in her late forties with short gray hair in a choppy cut and hazel eyes.

  “Katie?” Daphne asked to be sure.

  “That’s me,” she responded with a tender smile.

  “Daphne Dockery.” They shook hands and Daphne thanked her for taking time away from her day to meet with her.

  “I’m happy to help you get a more vivid picture of my sister,” Katie expressed maudlinly.

  They sat on a bench and, after getting permission to record the conversation, Daphne jumped right in. “Tell me a bit about Jenny?”

  Katie’s eyes lit. “She was a vivacious person, a great doctor and loving mother. Jenny never expected to fall out of love with Norman and in love with Francis, but it happened.”

  Daphne waited a beat before asking gingerly, “Did you know Jenny was pregnant before she was killed?”

  “Yes,” Katie responded equably. “We talked about everything that was happening in her life. Though the pregnancy was unexpected, she still looked forward to being a mother again and starting over with Francis.”

  “And he felt the same way as the other man in her life?” Daphne needed to ask.

  “Very much so. He wanted to marry Jenny. They were in love. Francis embraced the idea of becoming a dad for the first time.” Katie’s voice broke. “To have this taken away by Norman out of spite was unconscionable. Just as it was to murder my niece, Sarah, and my mother, along with Sarah’s boyfriend, Lucas. I hope Norman rots in hell.”

  Daphne gave her a moment while collecting her own thoughts. “Had Jenny expressed concern over telling Takahashi that she was leaving him?”

  “Of course. But she never thought Norman would go that far in exacting revenge,” Katie insisted. “Jenny would not have put her own needs ahead of the lives of those she loved. She would have stayed with Norman if it had come down to that, had she known he would commit a cowardly act of murder and suicide.”

  After a few more questions for clarity, Daphne ended the interview, knowing that Jenny Takahashi’s spirit would live on in her sister and the coworkers she left behind. Including her erstwhile lover and father of her unborn child, Francis Hiraga.

  Back at the villa, Daphne spent a few hours on her laptop doing research for her book, wanting to tell as complete a story as possible in presenting the truth to her readers.

  When it was time to get ready for her dinner date, Daphne freshened up, brushed her hair and left it down, and changed into a floral-print midi dress and low-heeled slingback pumps. In spite of being a little nervous in what amounted to her first romantic-type outing with a man since breaking up with Nelson, she was more enthusiastic to see if it might lead to anything down the line. Or should she not look too far ahead when the time they could be together was getting shorter by the day?

  The short drive down Highway 30 East, took her onto the Punakea Loop, and to South Lauhoe Place, where Daphne ended up at Kenneth’s door. He was standing there, sporting a big grin and looking dapper in a yellow Oxford shirt, brown khaki pants and cognac-colored derby shoes. “Right on time,” he said. “E komo mai. That means welcome.”

  She smiled while thinking that was a good step to feeling at home with him.

  * * *

  “YOU LOOK NICE,” Kenneth said sincerely as he perused her.

  “Thanks.” Daphne flashed her teeth. “I could say the same about you.”

  “Mahalo.” It was his turn to blush while knowing he wanted full well to make some kind of impression on her by cleaning himself up. “The food is just about ready.”

  “Smells delicious.”

  “It’ll taste even better.” He grinned at her confidently. “Feel free to look around while you wait.”

  “All right, I will,” she said, taking him up on the offer with a warm smile.

  On that note, Kenneth proceeded to head back into the kitchen, where he had prepared authentic cuisine he’d learned from his parents. That included Hawaiian green salad, mango-glazed baby back ribs, steamed white rice and sautéed mushrooms, and pono pie for dessert. He hoped he hadn’t overdone it. That would be up to Daphne to decide.

  “Your place is lovely,” she gushed as he handed her a goblet of pineapple wine while they stood by the back lanai.

  “Thanks. I like it,” he had to admit while tasting his wine. But he also felt it lacked a woman’s touch to truly make it a home. This made him curious about her place of residence. Would she ever be willing to leave it? “I’m sure you have a place that fits your needs.”

  Daphne sipped the wine, marveling at its taste, then said, “Yes, I’m happy with it.” She paused. “Doesn’t mean I couldn’t be just as happy somewhere else, if it was meant to be.”

  Kenneth nodded musingly. “Yeah, I’m with you there.” He wondered if he would truly be willing to leave the island. Yes, he loved it on Maui for all the right reasons. Still, if the right powers of persuasion were there, then why wouldn’t he entertain relocating?

  “Have you ever been to Alabama?” Daphne seemed to read his mind.

  “Can’t say that I have,” he hated to admit.

  “You should visit sometime. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Kenneth met her pretty eyes challengingly. “I think I have some idea.”

  “Oh, really?” Her eyes batted coquettishly. “What idea might that be?”

  He pretended to think about it, enjoying this easy flowing banter between them. I’ll bite the bait, he thought. “Let me put it this way, if you’re representative of Tuscaloosa, then yes, I’m definitely missing something worth seeing.”

  Daphne flashed her teeth. “Good answer.”

  Kenneth laughed, but was dead serious. They would go down that road later. “Let’s eat.”

  As they sat in wicker dining chairs around the rustic trestle gathering table and dug into the food, Daphne proclaimed, “It’s delicious!”

  “Mahalo.” He couldn’t help but grin, happy to cook for someone other than himself for a change. Even better would be to share the cooking duties. He imagined she could teach him a dish or two from her part of the country. And then some.

  He watched as she scooped up white rice and said, “So, now that you’ve finished my book, what else would you like to know?”

  Kenneth collected his thoughts while taking a bite of his salad. “First of all, let me just say again that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Reads like a novel, but with all the twists and turns of a real-life crime story as it unfolds.”

  “That’s the only way readers will connect without losing their attention,” she contended.

  “Makes sense.” He stuck his fork into a mushroom. “How did you get Oscar Preston to grant you an interview? I assumed that most serial killers preferred to keep us guessing as to the nature of their criminal behavior.”

  “Actually, it’s just the opposite,” Daphne said. “The majority, if not all, serial killers are narcissists and only too happy to boast to the world about their killing ways and the ins and outs of it. Preston couldn’t wait to tell his side of the story, no matter how disturbing and self-serving it was.”

  Kenneth frowned at the thought of the perp getting his kicks from bragging about committing multiple murders, but understood the value in the public knowing. “What took the authorities so long to figure out that the so-called accidental deaths were no accidents at all?” he asked curiously.

  “Preston was smart enough to cover his tracks well for a period of time in that the deaths by accident and set far enough apart were plausible.” She lifted a rib and took a bite. “But every ego-driven killer eventually becomes overconfident and slips up, as he did.”

  Kenneth thought about the Maui Suffocation Killer and wondered if he had slipped up as Daphne asked interestedly, “Any new developments with your local serial killer?”

  “As a matter of fact, there has been a development,” he answered, knowing that it had already been made public. “A digital sketch of a person of interest has been released. We’re hopeful it’s the break we’ve been looking for.”

  “Do those sketches really work in terms of giving a strong resemblance to the suspect?” she questioned, forking salad. “Or are they more likely to result in a flood of people claiming they know the person, even though they don’t, throwing you off in the process?”

  “The sketches aren’t meant to replace a witness identification or photograph of a suspect,” Kenneth pointed out. “Even if only reasonably accurate, it can be enough to get someone to recognize the person and lead to an arrest, no matter how many misses come with it. Of course, the sketches are only one tool in our arsenal in trying to nab criminals.”

  “I know that,” she said ruefully. “Didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. You guys have a difficult job to do and I can’t imagine how the rest of us could ever rest comfortably if you weren’t there to separate us from them.”

  “We all play our roles,” he told her modestly, finishing off his rice and mushrooms. “I’m glad to be able to give it my all in getting the bad guys off the streets. Writing true crime books is every bit as important in the scheme of things to inform the public about what happens when we miss the signs all around us, emboldening criminals to continue to carry on as they see fit.”

  “I suppose.” Daphne dabbed a napkin at the corners of her sexy mouth. “You’re definitely good for my ego.”

  Kenneth laughed. “Just telling it as I see it.” And he imagined there was much more to unravel in her appeal as a woman. “Hope you saved room for pono pie.”

  She smiled. “I think I can manage a bite or two.”

  “Good. So can I.” He stood and began clearing the table.

  “I can help,” she insisted, getting up and grabbing used dishes.

  Kenneth liked working in unison with her. He hoped they could put that to practice in other ways. Even if it wouldn’t last. Half an hour later, they were out on the front lanai with their wineglasses and Kenneth felt compelled to say, “I have a confession to make.”

  “Uh-oh... Not sure I like the sound of that.” Daphne looked at him warily. “You’re married and you forgot to mention it before now? Or something even more unsettling?”

  “No, not married. And no other dark secrets.” He tasted the wine thoughtfully while meeting her eyes. “I did a little snooping about you. Or, more specifically, your relationship status. Saw that you broke up with Nelson Holloway.” Kenneth wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut. “What can I say, I was curious about where things stood in your love life.”

  She sighed. “You could have just asked me. If so, I would have told you that Nelson and I ended things months ago.”

  “Sorry,” Kenneth voiced shamefully. “Didn’t mean to pry. Or maybe I did,” he admitted, “but I should have just asked, as you say.” He paused. “So, what happened between you two?”