Page 40 of Deadly Sacrifice

Beck’s mouth twitched, a flicker of panic crossing his face. “But I don’t know anything! I’m just the program manager. I handle logistics, paperwork, deal with the contractor. I don’t?—”

Lei cut him off. “Everyone connected to Kuleana is in danger, and that includes you. We’re going to shut this site down, and then you’re coming to the station with us. We’ll talk more there.” Lei shot a look at Pono. They had to stay cautious—there was still the possibility that Noble knew more than he was letting on. If he was involved in some way, they couldn’t afford to let him out of their sight. “Detective Kaihale, you ride with Mr. Noble to the station,” Lei said, her tone making it clear this was more than just a suggestion. “I’ll lead the way. We’ll continue the conversation there.”

Pono nodded, his eyes briefly locking with Lei’s in understanding. “Got it.”

They escorted Noble back to the entrance, supervised as he called his workers to leave, and then put up crime scene tape. Lei made a quick call to Captain Omura to give her a heads-up of their plans and the site shutdown; Omura was onboard.

“I’m telling you, I haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t know anything.” Noble said, and glanced nervously between them as they made their way back to the vehicles.

Lei watched as Noble fumbled with his keys, unlocking his SUV, while Pono calmly slid into the passenger seat.

Before getting into her own truck, Lei took a deep breath, staring out at the vast, untouched beauty of Iao Valley. This development would tear open old wounds in the community—wounds related to land, culture, and identity. The brutal and methodical murders seemed to be illustrating that.

Was this killer some activist gone wrong? Or was he sitting beside Pono, right this minute?

She got into her truck, the engine roaring to life. She pulled out of the makeshift parking area, and in her rearview mirror, she could see Pono and the witness following behind in the black SUV.

As she drove, Lei’s mind ticked over the possibilities. Beck Noble had seemed genuinely shocked by the murders and Steinbrenner’s disappearance, but that didn’t mean he was innocent. People could be good liars, especially when they were desperate. And if Noble was involved—whether directly or indirectly—he might hold answers they needed.

26

LEI

Lei’s eyesflicked between the road and the rearview mirror, watching as Pono and Noble followed closely behind her as she drove from Iao Valley to the Kahului Police Station. Pono would keep an eye on Noble as the program manager followed her in. If the man tried anything, her partner would handle it.

Soon they pulled into the parking lot, and the familiar cube of a cement station building loomed ahead. Lei parked her truck and waited for Pono and Beck to pull in beside her. After they all stepped out of their vehicles, Lei approached Noble, her expression serious.

“We’ll head inside now. I called ahead, and the interview room is ready. Let’s go through the last few days step-by-step, Mr. Noble. If there’s anything you know that might help us find out who is responsible for these murders—anything at all—it could help save lives.”

Noble swallowed hard, his face pale. “I’ll . . . I’ll tell you everything I can,” he said.

Lei led the way into the station. Pono walked beside Noble, his tall, solid form a quiet but unmistakable presence of authority. They passed through the main entrance and moved through the station toward the interview rooms.

Lei kept turning over the details—the strange ritualistic killings, the shadowy figure in the lava fields, and the growing sense that something bigger was at play.

Hopefully, with Beck Noble in protective custody, the pieces would start falling into place; and at the very least, the man would be safe while they held him—though he wasn’t going to like that.

The interview room felt colder than usual, its stark white walls and harsh fluorescent lighting amplifying the anxiety Noble seemed to be feeling. The program manager sat at the metal table on a bolted-down chair. His hands were clasped tightly, his knuckles white. His eyes kept flicking around the room, as if searching for an escape.

Lei and Pono seated themselves across from him. Lei stated the date, time, and persons present, informing Noble the interview was being recorded. Behind the one-way mirror on one side of the room, Captain Omura would be silently observing them, and the thought sharpened Lei’s focus. She leaned forward slightly, her voice steady but probing. “Let’s go over your movements for the last few days, Mr. Noble. Start with yesterday.”

Noble shifted in his seat, his skin greasy looking under the fluorescent lights. “Yesterday, I was at the office in Wailuku. Same place that Steinbrenner works out of, but he has the whole top floor. I was there the whole day, mostly on the phone, one quick trip to the site to sign for a delivery. I didn’t leave until six.”

“And after you left the office?” Lei asked, her tone neutral but pressing.

Noble hesitated, his eyes darting toward the one-way mirror, then back to Lei. “I went home.”

“That’s it?” Lei pressed. “No one can confirm that?”

“I live alone,” Noble said, his voice defensive now. “There’s no one to confirm anything.”

Lei made a note, her expression unreadable, then continued. “What about the day before? Did you have any contact with David Steinbrenner?”

Noble swallowed hard, his hands clenching and unclenching on the table. “No. We talked on the phone in the morning, just about the delays with the project, but I haven’t seen him in person for a few days.”

Lei’s gaze didn’t leave Noble’s. “Let’s talk about Goodwin and Kleftes.”

Beck Noble’s face drained of color at the mention of the victims’ names. He shifted as if uncomfortable in his seat. “I barely knew Kleftes. He was the moneyman—he handled the funding. We had some meetings, but we weren’t close.”

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