Too Hot Four Hula: 4 (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series) (33 page)

“What if Felicity’s checked out?” Em scanned the reception area.

“I told my cousin to call me if she did. He’s working until Wednesday night, so he’s got it covered.”

“She was supposed to check out on Wednesday. If she’s still here, what if we run into her?”

“I’ll detain her, tell her Bardon wants to talk to her again, and then we’ll call him.”

Roland’s badge and smile worked on the same manager who connected them to the security office before. The Moana surveillance cameras had been working on Thursday night, and with the help of security officers, the replay was cued up in no time.

Em leaned over Roland’s shoulder as he scrolled through on fast forward. She held her breath as they watched and had to remind herself to breathe. Felicity and Hasigawa entered the penthouse suite around nine thirty. The bodyguard took up his post outside the door. There was a chair in place, but he ignored it and stood still as a stone staring at the opposite wall. As time passed he paced the foyer, then finally sat down. Around eleven thirty his head nodded and fell forward. He apparently fell asleep.

A few minutes later Felicity slipped out the room with her shoes and bag in her hand.

“She left the room. She wasn’t there all night long,” Em said.

“Got her,” Roland said. “She lied. She’s using the emergency exit stairwell. No elevator door bell.”

“How did she get past the guard later? The exit door would be locked from the other side. I can see walking
down
all those flights of stairs but not up all those stories?” Em’s legs burned just thinking about it. “Surely the guard would wake up if she used the elevator.”

They pressed fast forward. At one thirty-seven the elevator door opened, and Felicity stepped out. The guard sat up and looked around, confused. Felicity stared the man down until he finally stepped aside without a word. She used the key card to let herself in.

“That’s weird. Why didn’t he stop her?”

“She’d entered with Hasigawa. If he stopped her and disturbed his boss, he’d have to admit he’d fallen asleep and didn’t see her leave. She caught him sleeping. It was safer for him to let it go, and she knew it. If he let her go in without a hassle, Hasigawa wouldn’t be any wiser. If the guard admitted she’d gone out but he hadn’t seen her leave, he’d be toast.”

“I have a feeling he’s toast anyway,” Em said.

“Wherever he is, I don’t think he’s having fun.”

“What now?” She stepped back.

“We’re calling Bardon. We’ll need a photo of the frame when she left and when she returned with a time and date stamp.”

She smiled at the use of
we
. “Am I an official partner now?”

“Not on your life, Nancy Drew. At least not as a detective.”

While Roland called Bardon, the manager went to check the reservation. She waved Roland over to the desk when he finished his call.

“Sorry to tell you, but it looks like Ms. Duncan checked out forty-five minutes ago. She was booked until Wednesday but left early.”

“In a rush no doubt,” Em said. To Roland, “I thought your cousin was supposed to call if he saw her leaving.”

“I’m about to find out why he didn’t.”

Roland thanked the manager, and together he and Em hurried toward the main entrance beneath the porte-cochere.

“Are they going to arrest her?” Em asked.

“They’re definitely going to keep her from leaving and haul her in for questioning.”

They reached the valet stand. His cousin was on duty. A smile broke out on his face when he saw Roland. “Hey, cuz.”

“Felicity Duncan checked out already. How come you no call?” Roland demanded.

“I jus’ got here, bra. There was an accident on the H1. If I’d seen her I’d have called you.”

He described Ms. Duncan to the other valets.

“Oh, yeah. I remember her,” one of them said.

Another said, “Me, too. Hard to forget.”

“She took a limo to the airport,” the first added. “I held the door for her and heard her tell the driver United Terminal.”

46

ROLAND CALLED Bardon before they jumped into the rental car and raced to Honolulu International Airport. Traffic was heavy headed that way as visitors were headed home. Em could tell Roland was used to a squad car with a siren and was frustrated with the slow crawl. She had to close her eyes more than once as he changed lanes and passed cars.

Once they reached the airport he pulled over outside the United Terminal where three HPD cruisers were already parked at the curb. It was a restricted area, and they were immediately approached by an airport traffic officer.

Roland flashed his shield and explained he was working with Detective Bardon. They were able to leave the rental car there and head into the terminal. Roland saw one of the HPD uniformed officers and identified himself. The police officer was hefty, with salt and pepper hair. He told Roland that Detective Bardon was speaking with a ticket agent and pointed down the lobby.

They walked further inside. Roland was on a mission when Em grabbed his arm and they stopped.

“Roland, I’ve
got
to use the lua.” She found herself thinking,
oh great. Fine time to have to go.
But nature wasn’t just calling, she was screaming out loud.

“Go.” Roland pointed toward the restrooms.

“What if I lose you?” She started to panic. She
so
wanted to be there when they nabbed Felicity.

“You have your phone. Stay by an officer. You know what Duncan looks like. If you see her, point her out to him. She may have already checked in and is up in the boarding area.”

Em ran toward the restroom, unwilling to miss the action. She was already washing her hands with her back to the room when Felicity stepped out of a stall. Em almost didn’t recognize her in what Em thought of as standard “movie star” disguise. She’d seen it enough in the Goddess to know: sunglasses, hair pulled back in a ponytail, a white Roxy baseball cap. Instead of her usual body-hugging clothing, Felicity wore a paisley India gauze top, white slacks, and she had a scarf artfully draped around her neck. She must have already checked her luggage. All she carried was a Hermes bag.

Em ducked her head as if concentrating on washing her hands but decided she could sneak a glance or two. Felicity wasn’t paying attention to anyone around her, and besides, it was the last place she’d expect to see Em. She walked to the basin farthest from where Em was scrubbing as carefully as a surgeon before an operation. She was tempted to look again, but afraid Felicity might see her in the mirror.

Phillip’s former fiancée finished up quickly and dried her hands on a paper towel before she walked out. Em wiped her hands on her capris to save time. She counted to three before she headed out the door.

She nearly ran smack into Felicity’s back. The woman had halted just beyond the restroom exit and was watching the cop. He walked around a corner, and Felicity surveyed the ticket lobby, then put her head down and walked swiftly toward the TSA screening line. She entered the first class aisle and must have had priority security screening because she was already entering the x-ray machine.

Em ran after the cop who had gone around the corner and didn’t see him anywhere. She scrabbled for her phone, finally dug it out of her purse, fumbled, and nearly dropped it.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She kept eyes on Felicity while she hit Roland’s call number. She didn’t see him anywhere and figured he’d found out Felicity had checked in and gone upstairs.

The call went straight to voicemail.

“Roland, I saw her. Call me,” Em said.

Two seconds later he called her back.

“She’s just cleared TSA and is going upstairs right now,” Em said.

“Okay. We have her gate number. We’re here.”

“Don’t let her see you. She skirted the cop—he disappeared somewhere. She’s got on a white baseball cap, aqua print blouse, white slacks, big black purse. Her hair is in a ponytail.”

“Got it.”

He was gone without a goodbye.

Without a ticket or a badge there was no way anyone would let her upstairs. Helpless, she turned around, looking for the officer again, and spotted him at the other end of the lobby. She wove through passengers with their luggage waiting in long lines and ran up to him.

“Hi. Remember me? I was with the officer from Kauai who just spoke to you about meeting Detective Bardon? I had to use the
lua
and we got separated. He’s upstairs now. Could you escort me up?”

“No, ma’am. Not without authorization.”

“Would you call Detective Bardon? Please?”

She could tell by his expression he was wavering, so she turned up the heat.

“It’s really,
really
important that I get up there.”

He pulled his two-way radio off his belt and clicked it on. His rapid fire pidgin was almost unintelligible, but she heard enough to know he’d asked if he could escort the blonde
haole
lady with the Kauai guy upstairs.

She heard Bardon loud and clear when he answered no.

The officer clipped his radio on again and shrugged. “Sorry.”

“We tried. Mahalo.”

Em wandered over to a low wooden bench and sat down. She thought about crowding to the front of the line and charging a ticket to anywhere just to get upstairs but then thought better of it. Last minute ticket, one way, no bags, traveling alone. Bad idea. With her luck she’d get flagged as a terrorist.

A party of eight tourists with enough bags to field a safari for a month rumbled by. She was always amazed by how much stuff people thought they had to take on vacation. Then again, the Hula Maidens not only packed flowers, frozen fish, and poi but costume changes for impromptu appearances.

Em was wondering how long she’d have to sit and cool her heels when her cell suddenly vibrated. It caught her unaware, and she nearly fell off the bench. It was Roland.

“We have her,” he said. “We’re on the way down.”

Em worked her way over to the interior exit from the upper level and waited. Within three minutes she saw Felicity walking between Roland and Bardon as they escorted her through the glass doors and into the main lobby.

As much as she would have loved to have seen Felicity in handcuffs, she wasn’t cuffed. She was only going in for questioning, but as far as Em was concerned, the woman was as guilty as hell. Why else would she have lied about leaving the Moana the night Phillip was murdered? Em very much doubted Felicity had run out to an ABC Store for some last minute necessity. Besides, when she’d returned to the suite she hadn’t been carrying anything but her purse and a key card.

She was staring straight ahead. Even with sunglasses on, even flanked by two detectives, Felicity gave off an aura of hautiness. Without thinking, Em stepped right in front of the trio and they were forced to stop. When Felicity recognized Em she couldn’t hide her anger. She looked down her nose at Em, and her posture stiffened.

“Em.” Roland’s tone held a warning.

Em was too upset to listen. “You lied when you said you hadn’t left the hotel the night of Phillip’s murder.”

“I didn’t lie.”

“You left Hasigawa’s suite that night,” Em said.

“I went to my room.”

“That’s easy enough to prove on the video surveillance, but we both know that’s a lie.”

“Em . . .” Roland said again.

Bardon took a hold of Felicity’s elbow as if to steer her past Em, but Felicity shook him loose. That obviously didn’t sit well with the detective.

“You wanted revenge because Phillip conned you into believing he was wealthy, because you were humiliated and embarrassed. Phillip was a player and a liar, but he didn’t deserve to die.”

“What makes you think I hated him enough to shoot him through the heart?” She faced Bardon, made certain her fake breasts were front and center and pointed at Em. “She had more reason to want him dead than I did.”

Bardon reached for the cuffs in his back pocket and in a split second snapped them around Felicity’s wrists.

“Felicity Duncan, you have the right to remain silent
.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

“What are you doing?” Felicity tried to tug her hands free, but it was too late. Roland held her firmly by one elbow as Bardon took hold of the other. “What’s going on? Why are you doing this? I thought you were only taking me in for questioning.”

“We’ve never publicized that Phillip Johnson was shot in the heart, just that he died of a gunshot wound.”

“Let me go!” Felicity cried. “I’m calling a lawyer. We’ll see about this. I’m calling my lawyer. I’ll sue this city for every penny I can get. I’m innocent.”

“That’s what they all say,” Bardon said. He nodded to Em, and she took it as a compliment. At least he wasn’t frowning for a change.