Chapter 9
The adrenaline disappeared as quickly as it had blossomed. Mark would have called if he had good news about Efren; he wouldn’t just text. This was something else.
Ben sipped his Coke, waited a couple of minutes, then hit the text bubble and read the message.
Check out the news coming in from Hawaii.
He stared at the words, tapping his jawline with an index finger.
Curiosity roused, he left the kitchen and sat down at his office desk.
He didn’t care to search on his phone; he preferred a larger computer screen.
Once online, he checked for happenings in Hawaii.
He saw shark attack and clicked on that one.
Once he read the name Stanley Moffit, he knew he had the right story.
When he realized the story was more about Evangeline Moffit, his heart nearly stopped.
He read the story twice, heart rate spiking at a horrible coincidence: The wife of a man whose name appears under the umbrella of their investigation suddenly went missing.
After he read everything available and checked out the posted newsclips, he picked up his phone and called Mark. “What do you think is going on?”
Mark sighed. Ben could visualize his boss striking a pensive expression, stroking his bushy salt-and-pepper mustache, and considering his response carefully. “I don’t know. I’ve been researching this event since yesterday. It’s very odd that this happened now. A coincidence.”
“Neither one of us believes in that word, do we?”
“Accidents do happen.” The tone of Mark’s voice telegraphed his doubt.
Ben waited a few seconds before he responded. “How do you want to handle this?”
“Moffit becomes a priority. I want you to go to Hawaii, check this situation out. They haven’t found a body, and since this involves Stan Moffit, we need to be certain the story he’s telling is true.”
“I won’t argue about a trip to Hawaii. How much do I tell the locals?”
“As little as possible. I’ve done a lot of research since Moffit is already on our radar. An insurance policy is involved. Tell them you’re curious because of the life insurance policy. Make it sound like a fact-finding mission.”
“Is a big policy in play?”
“Moffit took out a four-million-dollar policy on Evangeline Moffit six months ago. I sent you some files.”
Ben whistled.
“My understanding is that they have not found a body or body parts, and today the wind is too strong to resume the search.”
Ben frowned. “I don’t like how any of this sounds.”
“That’s why I want you there, to see firsthand what the locals know.”
“I’m on my way to the island.” Ben set the phone aside and pulled up his e-mail.
Mark’s e-mail from work was in his inbox, and it had three attachments.
The first was an article from Hawaii News Now about a woman who disappeared while snorkeling.
She and her husband were celebrating their anniversary at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii.
One document he hadn’t yet seen was the life insurance policy.
“Hmm.” Ben skimmed the policy.
The third document was a request filed by the beneficiary, Stan Moffit, for a payout. Ben’s eyes went back to the news article. He noted the date and time. A mirthless chuckle escaped.
“You only waited eight hours after you told police your wife was missing to apply for a payout. That is not suspicious at all.”
Another e-mail came in. Ben opened it. It was a ticket for a plane ride to Hawaii and a request for local cooperation in a federal investigation.
Ben downed his coffee and got up to pack. He had to hurry and catch a plane.
The wind blew strong and hard all day Sunday. There could be no official search until the wind calmed down. The inaction made Lainie feel as if there were columns of ants marching all over her body, just under her skin. She couldn’t stay inside.
She found a trail that ran along the shore, a crushed coral trail that took her back to A-Bay. In spite of the wind, she walked by herself to the beach. There were still tourists here and there. She didn’t think the wind was as strong as the day before, and she hoped that meant it was decreasing.
All Lainie could do was walk along the beach.
She did that until the wind really began to get to her, and she went back to the hotel.
Her father and Stan were watching golf on TV.
They’d gotten some food, and since she couldn’t remember when she’d eaten last, she made herself a sandwich, then went out on the lanai to sit and eat.
She barely tasted the food and only ate about half of what she’d made.
The wind whistled around, but the lanai was protected.
When night fell, she went to bed early.
“I’d try to pray,” she whispered in the dark. “But I still can’t say that I believe it works. I did at one time—but right now I’m so rusty. And this is the most desperate prayer of my life. I don’t want my sister to be gone. Please help us find her.”
She was completely unconvinced that her prayer was heard. The only thing she was 100 percent sure of was that if they couldn’t search the next day, she would lose her mind.
When dawn broke, the palm trees were calm, the slight breeze barely detectable.
Detective Yamada called Lainie back that morning. She was out by herself again, walking back toward the beach on the same shoreline trail. Her father had still been asleep when she left the room. She didn’t know about Stan and didn’t care.
“I’m Detective Jensen. Evie Moffit is my sister.” She explained that she was a detective in Long Beach, California.
“Detective Jensen, how can I help you?”
At a loss for a second, Lainie mouthed a silent O. She wanted her sister back. Yamada couldn’t help her there.
“I, uh, want to know where my sister is. How is it possible she disappeared completely?”
The line went silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Detective Jensen. Sharks are mobile and quite destructive. I’m sorry, but remains can be difficult to recover. I assure you, we’ve searched the area completely for your sister. We did not find her.”
“Are you sure my brother-in-law is telling the truth?”
Lainie blurted the question out without thinking. It was not something she would have asked if her father were standing next to her.
“There were at least two, maybe three, other people on the beach that day who thought they saw a shark. Several more helped your brother-in-law search. And we recovered a portion of your sister’s mask and snorkel. Is there some reason we should doubt your brother-in-law’s story?”
Lainie closed her eyes and tears leaked from the corners. “No, ah, no, I’m sorry. This is so hard to understand.”
“I realize it’s difficult. Many visitors underestimate the ocean and the dangers within. Detective Jensen, as a professional courtesy, I’ll send you what we have on this case as soon as I am able. Can you give me your e-mail address?”
Lainie complied.
“I will be back at the beach in about an hour. We’ll continue the search today.”
“Okay, thank you. I’m at the beach now. I’d like to help in any way I can.” Lainie disconnected and continued walking. The wind had calmed down to nothing, and Lainie planned to take a kayak out into the bay, to where Stan had said he’d last seen Evie.
She was early. The kiosk was not yet open. Frustrated, Lainie walked down to the water’s edge. A few people were enjoying the now calm and gentle surf and even more were on the sand, chatting and laughing.
She wanted to scream. How could life go on so normally?
To ease her frustration, she walked along the water.
A rock structure jutted out into the bay a bit, and she walked out on it as far as she could go.
It was a warm morning, a gentle breeze waffling through her hair now and again, but nothing like the day before.
Small swells lapped against the rocky shore.
The two catamarans anchored in the bay were stable, only rolling gently.
Lainie studied the water, hating to think of her sister’s remains being consumed by marine life. Tears fell and she wiped her face with her palms.
She stayed there until she began to feel too warm, then returned to the kiosk, which now showed signs of opening.
An older Asian man strode along the water.
He was not in uniform, but it had to be Yamada.
He looked like a cop. Someone once told her that cops tended to walk alike because of the weight of the gun belt on their hips, and the weight of the memories of tragic scenes in their hearts.
Lainie could always tell a fellow officer by their situational awareness.
The man strode with a purpose, he was taking everything in, he was not a tourist.
She changed direction and walked toward him. “Detective Yamada?”
He met her gaze, a neutral cop expression on his face. “Detective Jensen.”
“Yes.” She held out her hand and he took it.
“A pleasure to meet you. Sorry it is under such tough circumstances.”
“What is the plan today? There’s hardly any wind.”
He nodded. “The helicopter is on the way. Also, two Jet Skis.” He pointed and she and saw a couple of men farther down the beach dragging two Jet Skis down to the water.
He looked over her shoulder, and she turned to see her father and Stan coming toward them. “I’m going to go out in a kayak.”
“You won’t be able to go as far out as the Jet Skis as they follow the current, but please, paddle out if you wish.”
Dad and Stan joined them. Stan reached out and grasped Yamada’s hand with both of his. “Thanks for coming back out, Detective.”
Lainie left them to talk and went to the kiosk to rent her kayak. While the attendant was unlocking a boat, her father caught up with her. When she turned to face him, she noticed that Yamada was now on the phone as Stan trudged off down the beach.
“Lainie, can I have a word?” Her father was not happy.
“About what?”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little too hard on Stan?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you tell Detective Yamada you thought Stan was lying about the shark attack?”
Lainie stared at her dad. “I just asked if he was sure Stan was telling the truth.”
Dad shook his head. “Evie is his wife. The mother of his children. He’s devastated. You accused him of letting her die.”
“I didn’t—I . . . ah.” Her heart pounded in her chest. Raw emotion erupted to the surface. “Dad, it’s so suspicious. How could he swim off, get out of the water, and leave her to die?”
Dad leaned close. “We’re all in shock. We’re all hurting. There’s nothing here that says it’s Stan’s fault. Lashing out at him won’t bring Evie back. Please be a little more sensitive.”
Lainie turned away, squeezing her eyes shut as tears threatened. “I hate this. All of it. Most of all I hate thinking of Evie in the past tense.”
Her father pulled her into a tight hug. “Me too, baby, me too,” he whispered, emotion clear in his voice. “All I’m asking is that you don’t take it out on Stan. Try to be a little less police officer and a little more sister.”
All Lainie could do was nod and swallow back tears as she stepped away.
“Renting a kayak?” he asked.
“Yeah, I need to do something.”
“Want company?”
Lainie shook her head. “I need to do this on my own.”
He threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Okay.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’ll hang out with Stan.”
The kiosk operator explained the boundaries—basically Lainie was not to take the kayak beyond the bay. Lainie only half listened. She pushed the kayak into the water and hopped in.