Page 62 of Shark Cove

Lei headed toward the interview room where Harry’s daughter waited.

“Hey, Malia!”Sergeant Lei Texeira let herself into the room, carrying a clipboard. Malia’s mom’s friend looked slim and pretty in black jeans, a green tank shirt, and a tan cotton jacket, her face shiny and makeup-free, her curly hair still damp from a shower. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m here to take your statement.”

Malia made herself smile—she’d been waiting a long time, and it had been scary to sit alone in this grim room with its bolted-down steel table. “I’m glad it’s you to talk to me, Lei.”

“This interview is going to be recorded. Is that okay?

“Sure.”

Lei flicked a switch on the wall that turned on a camera mounted in the corner, then took a seat across from Malia. “Sorry it took so long for me to get here.” She blew out a breath that made a curl on her forehead lift comically. “We had a break in the case and were able to rescue two of the missing girls.”

“Really?” Malia sat up in excitement. “Where were they?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t discuss an active case with a witness, but I thought you deserved to hear the good news. Anyway, the police scanner was going nuts after your calls from Shark Cove asking for help. I’m really interested in how you got involved with what went down.” Lei clicked her pen and poised it above the yellow legal pad in front of her expectantly. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

“Sure.” Malia let go of her knees, which she’d pulled up under her hoodie, and slid her feet to the floor. “But I don’t really know where to start.”

The door banged open. Harry strode across the room, dropping a granola bar and a couple of juice boxes in front of Malia. “Malia’s a minor. I have a right to be here.” Harry yanked another chair out and sat next to Malia, eying Lei. “Hope you didn’t ask my daughter anything without me present.”

Lei grinned and held her hands up in a “surrender” gesture. “I wasn’t sure where you were, Harry. We were just getting started. I’m glad you’re here.”

Harry pushed one of the juice boxes over to Malia in a silent gesture of support. “I take it this is all being recorded.”

“It is. Saves Malia having to tell her story over again.”

Malia unwrapped the little straw, stuck it in the hole, and sucked thirstily. The taste and smell of apple juice reminded her of being a little kid; she’d never been so grateful to her mom. She leaned against Harry. “What do you want to know?”

“Only everything.” Lei smiled. “Why don’t you begin at the beginning?”

“I’m not sure where that beginning is.” Malia glanced at her mother. “I’ve basically been looking for Camille since she went missing. I never believed she ran away,orthat she was at the fat camp.”

“I gathered that.” Lei leaned back slightly. “Tell us why.”

Malia pierced the second juice box and sucked it dry. “I know Camille. She would have found a way to communicate with me if she could have. From the beginning, I thought something bad happened to her, and that her mom had something to do with it.” Malia proceeded to tell Lei about her theory about Ms. William and the rat poison.

Lei frowned, meeting Harry’s eyes. “I remember when we searched the house. You were looking for that.”

Harry nodded. “We never found the yellow box of poison you described,” she told Malia.

“She must have got rid of it.” Malia shrugged. “The other person I suspected was Leonard William. I know he’s her dad, but he seemed fishy, too.” Malia left out how she’d come to get his number but described the content of their phone call and how it had made her more worried and suspicious. “Then I tracked the IP of his computer and found his boat at the Lahaina Harbor.” Malia fiddled with the straw, uncomfortable with leaving Blake’s involvement out, but unwilling to name him.

“Let’s move to today’s events. How did you come to be driving Camille William’s car?” Lei’s brows rose. “Regina told us you came to her house and confronted her.”

“Yes. Dad dropped me off near their house.” The part about getting Dad to do that was best left out. “I went to talk to Ms. William—I wanted to push her a bit and find out if I could contact Camille at the fat camp. I ended up telling her off. After we had words, she threatened to call the cops.” Malia spared a glance at her mother, who shook her head. “I left, but I still thought she was up to something and I wanted to find out what. Her car was parked in front, which usually means she’s going somewhere, so I went around the back of the house to see what she was doing.”

“You’re very observant and curious.” Lei smiled.

“You mean good at spying on people,” Harry said.

Malia flushed but forged on. “I heard Ms. William on the phone outside her office. She told someone she’d be there shortly. She seemed really stressed out. I thought she might have done something to Camille and was covering it up.”

Lei’s eyes widened. “Really. What did you think she’d done?”

“Like I said, I thought she was medically abusing Camille. I thought she maybe did something really bad to Camille and she and Camille’s dad were . . . um . . . hiding her or something, probably on the boat, but maybe at a house somewhere in Lahaina—I don’t know. So, after she got in her car, I borrowed Camille’s car and followed her.”

“Borrowed?”

“Yes. Borrowed.” Malia didn’t look away. “Ask Camille. She’d given me permission to drive her car.”

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