Page 38 of Deadly Sacrifice

“Thank you,” Lei said.

They rode the elevator in silence, the soft hum of the machinery the only sound. When the doors slid open, the receptionist led them across a plush carpeted foyer to a sleek glass door with ?David Steinbrenner’ etched in elegant script. The entire third floor was David Steinbrenner’s office.

The young woman swiped her keycard and the lock clicked open. “I hope you find him,” she said. “I heard about his partners. I’m worried.”

“We are too,” Pono assured her.

Lei nodded, offering a tight smile of thanks as the woman retreated to the elevator. Pono pushed the door open, and they stepped into Steinbrenner’s massive suite.

The space was as upscale as Lei had expected—floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the mountains, modern furniture, and a large, polished desk in the center. Everything was meticulously organized.

“He’s not here,” Pono muttered, stating the obvious as he walked around the office, checking drawers and looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“Don’t think he’s set foot in here today.” Lei’s eyes scanned the room quickly. There was no sign of struggle, no overturned furniture. She pointed to the stripes of fresh vacuuming on the lush cream carpet. “I’ve seen executives come and go behind their receptionist’s backs, but it doesn’t look like he made it in at all.”

“Let’s put out a Be On the Lookout,” Pono said.

“Agreed.” Lei took out her phone. She called in to Dispatch and gave the necessary details, requesting officers keep an eye out for Steinbrenner’s vehicle and any sighting of the man himself. Once the call was made, she turned back to Pono, who was now leaning against the desk, arms crossed. “We’re not going to find anything here. We need to check out that development site in Iao Valley. We’re close by.”

Pono nodded. “Makes sense. If this is about the project, we might get some answers there.” He paused, then added, “You want to call the project manager, Beck what’s-his-name? Maybe he knows something—or at least could show us around.”

Lei nodded. She got the program manager’s number from Dispatch and called it. After a few rings, the project manager picked up. “Hello. This is Beck Noble.”

“Mr. Noble, this is Detective Sergeant Texeira from Maui PD. I’m calling because we’re trying to locate David Steinbrenner. He didn’t show up for work today, and we’re concerned.”

There was a brief pause. “What? David’s missing?”

Lei kept her voice firm. “We’re not sure yet—he hasn’t been answering his phone, and he hasn’t been in to his office. We’re heading to the development site in Iao Valley to take a look around. Can you meet us there and show us the area?”

“Uh, yeah, of course,” Noble said, his voice tight with concern. “I’ll head over there now. I can meet you at the site in about thirty minutes.”

“Thanks,” Lei said. “We’ll look for you.”

She hung up and turned to Pono. “Let’s head out.”

25

LEI

The driveto Iao Valley was a short one, but Lei couldn’t shake the feeling of urgency pressing down on her as they wound through the narrow roads of Wailuku to enter the valley.

The valley was lush and green, with towering ridges that seemed to reach up toward the sky. Small farms and old cottages hid here and there among taro fields and tall trees.

It was hard to imagine anyone wanting to disrupt this place with an exclusive, ultra exclusive resort—and yet, Lei could too easily imagine the greed and privilege of those who’d want all this for themselves.

As they neared the back of the Valley, the road narrowed even more, and the tropical growth thickened. Lei spotted the new fencing first—a tall blackout barrier blocking any view inside established the boundary of the development site. A large sign read ‘Future Home of Kuleana Resort’in elegant lettering.

Pono whistled as they pulled up to a gate entrance in the fencing. “This is the place, huh? Doesn’t look like much now.”

“And I hope it stays that way. Beautiful, and undeveloped.” Lei parked her truck, stepping out onto the uneven ground. Visible through the bars of the gate, the site was bare dirt save for some heavy machinery parked in the distance and a few makeshift trailers that looked like they served as temporary offices.

She could see why the locals were angry: building a fancy tourist hotel here would feel like a violation of the valley’s history and culture—a stealing of natural beauty that should be enjoyed by all.

“Beck Noble should be here soon,” Lei said, scanning the area. “He can unlock the gate for us.”

A few minutes later, a black SUV pulled up behind them and Noble stepped out. He was a tall, slightly disheveled white man in his forties, wearing khakis and a polo shirt, his face unshaven and lined with stress. He hurried over to them. “Hey. I’m Beck Noble.”

“Sergeant Texeira, Detective Kaihale,” Lei said, introducing them. “Glad you could come meet us so quickly.”

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