Page 42 of Sachie's Hero

When they walked in, she asked to see Detective Mahalawai. The desk sergeant made a call. Moments later, they were shown into the inner sanctum of the department, weaving between desks to an office in the corner.

Though the door was closed, Sachie knocked on the doorframe.

A man in uniform swiveled in his desk chair and glanced up. “Sachie, come in, come in.” He rose and greeted her with a hug. “How are you?” His brow furrowed as he stared down at Sachie.

“I’m okay,” she said.

Teller wanted to tell the man that was a lie. She was being stalked and had almost been killed. In Teller’s books, that wasn’t okay. But he held his tongue. This was her sandbox, and people she knew and had worked with.

Sachie turned to Teller. “Jim, this is Teller Osgood. He works with the Brotherhood Protectors, an organization based on the Big Island. He’s prior service Army Delta Force, and he’s helping me with an investigation.”

“I’ve heard of them, but you’re the first one I’ve met.” He held out his hand to Teller. “Nice to meet you and thank you for your service.”

“Nice to meet you,” Teller said..

After the detective released Teller’s hand, heturned back to Sachie. “I’d heard you’d moved to the Big Island. What brings you back so soon?”

“The same reason I left,” she responded. “I thought I’d get away from whoever broke into my apartment in Honolulu by moving to the Big Island.”

Jim’s lips thinned. “Didn’t work, did it?”

“I don’t know if you get the reports from Hilo, but someone broke into my house the night before last. He was armed and fired at least three rounds.”

“Damn, Sachie.” The detective ran his gaze over her. “Are you all right? You weren’t hit, were you?”

She shook her head. “No, but Teller was while protecting me.”

Detective Mahalawai’s eyes rounded, his glance shifting to Teller.

Teller raised a hand. “Only a flesh wound.”

“Did you get a look at the perpetrator. Could you identify him?”

Sachie shook her head again. “No. And he didn’t stop at breaking into my house. My office in Hilo burned to the ground in the early hours of yesterday morning, and I was attacked by a drone while staying with a friend at Parkman Ranch. I need to find out who’s doing this and end it.”

The detective nodded. “Were they able to lift prints? Were any clues or messages left behind on any of those attacks?”

“No prints, just like at my apartment here. But yes, on messages. I had a voicemail on my cell phone from an Unknown number stating,You failed me. Now you will pay. AndYou Failed Mekeyed into the side of Teller’s SUV while we were dealing with the fire.”

“Have you done anything to anyone lately that would make them want to hurt you?” His lips twisted. “I’m sure there’s a long list of angry parents when you removed their children from their abusive homes. I’ll need names. And what about the kid who committed suicide? Did he have family or friends who might blame you? I’ll need their names as well. Have you had a breakup with an obsessive boyfriend who might be angry at being dumped?”

Sachie snorted. “No, on the boyfriend.” She handed the detective the names of the two people she’d noted from Dr. Janek’s patient database. “These two were parents of small children who’d been physically abused and moved into child protective services. They each swore they would get me.”

“But the message statingYou Failed Mesounds more personal,” the detective said. “It’s more personal, like from someone you were counseling who didn’t benefit from your work with them.”

Sachie’s brow furrowed.

Teller could almost guess who Sachie thought of first. She didn’t need someone to tell her she’d failedLuke. But he was dead. He couldn’t be sending those messages. If the harassment was revenge for allowing Luke to go through with the suicide, they had to find someone who had cared enough about the teen to blame the last person who saw him alive for allowing him to successfully kill himself.

All the more reason to dig into Luke’s family and friends.

Teller’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

While Sachie briefed the detective on her reasons for pulling the names she had, Teller checked his text messages.

Swede had already gotten a hit on those names Teller had given him.

When Teller clicked on the link, he landed on a video of a woman screaming in a courtroom as a man was led out in a prison uniform and handcuffs. The man glared at the woman and glanced over his shoulder at someone else, who was out of range of the camera. He shouted something that sounded like,I’ll make you pay for this.

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