I wasn’t all that familiar with Aussies other than Hugh Jackman. That adorable Hugh could push me into Moby Dick’s mouth, and I’d still have a major crush on him.
“Walea and Amanda were below deck with the passengers,” I said, “but I have no idea where Rafe and Rick were when I fell overboard. Or Henry. He seemed shaken up when he and Walea saw me at the pier afterward. I suppose the most obvious person is Timmy. He ran away when I called out to him. And when I went below to talk to him earlier that evening, I found him holding some parcels in his hand. He quickly stowed them in a locker.”
“Okay, that’s a clue with a capital C,” Stan said. “He could be smuggling something and was worried you noticed.”
Brian cocked his head. “Aren’t there a lot of issues with drugs being smuggled in and out of the islands, Steve?”
Steve nodded. “It’s a problem, that’s for sure. I hate to think one of my crew is involved in something like that though.”
“Didn’t you say Timmy had a record?” I asked.
“A lot of these kids have something negative in their past. Usually something dumb when they were juveniles. That doesn’t elevate him to drug dealer.”
“I don’t know,” Stan said. “I kind of like him for our killer.”
“Me too,” said Dave, as he and Regan joined our group.
Mother jumped up to hug her eldest and his wife. It was nice to see them together although their body language wouldn’t convince Dr. Phil or anyone else that they were a loving couple.
“So who did you all decide was the killer?” Dave asked. He started to put his arm around Regan then hesitated as if gauging her reaction. It was nice to see her lean in rather than push him away. Maybe this horrible situation would bring them closer.
“Yes, what’s our next step, Madame Detective?” Stan’s grin quickly switched directions into a frown as he stared over my shoulder.
“I think you can leave the next step to us,” said a familiar voice.
I twisted in my seat and met the intense gaze of Detective Lee standing next to a smirking O’Grady. “What brings you here, Detective? Would you care to sample some sushi?”
“No, we’ll leave the sushi for you. We have an arrest to make.”
Chapter 31
“It’s about time the police realized Regan didn’t murder Keiki,” Mother said. “Are you here to apologize?”
Detective Lee looked confused for a second, but that didn’t stop him from pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket.
Uh oh. This couldn’t be good.
Regan closed her eyes and lifted her arms, prepared for the worst. The detective surprised us and instead asked my brother to stand. The litany began, “Dave Bingham, you have the right to remain silent….”
Lee had barely begun reciting Miranda rights when Mother shrieked in his ear.
“Stop. He didn’t do it,” she screamed. “I killed Keiki.”
Between Mom claiming to be the killer, Regan crying over Dave’s arrest and Stan’s attempts to secure dozens of takeout boxes for the remains of our dinner, the atmosphere in the Japanese restaurant quickly changed from softly subdued to caterwauling chaos.
Dave remained quiet as Lee cuffed him. He whispered in Steve’s ear then attempted to quiet down our mother.
“Mom, it’s okay, we’ll sort it out at the police station. Settle down.”
I’d never seen my mother so agitated. Not even when five of her escrows all contingent upon one another fell apart. And what was the deal with her claim she was the killer?
She began pounding her fist against Lee’s chest. He calmly placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “Mrs. Bingham, please settle down or I’ll have to arrest you for assault and battery against a police officer.”
She held out both arms. “Take me. I’m ready. Just leave my son alone.”
Good grief. My mother had been watching too many crime shows. Or drunk too much sake.
I grabbed her arm and dragged her away. “Mom, pull yourself together. Let me find out what’s going on.” I plopped her down on a cement bench outside the restaurant and went back into the fray. Briefly. The manager of the restaurant shooed our group toward the door. As far as I knew, they hadn’t given us a bill for our dinner, so peace and tranquility must be more of a priority than profit.
Brian left us to speak with Detective Lee while Detective O’Grady walked ahead with Dave. Even with his arms cuffed behind him, my brother held his head high.
Brian returned to our group, and Regan questioned him. “What did he tell you?”
He shrugged. “Not much. Some new evidence came up that implicated Dave although I have no idea what it is. You need to contact your attorney and have him meet with Dave at the police station tomorrow.”