Page 11 of Deadly Sacrifice

One case stood out immediately—the Ko?ele Bay Resort Expansion. The half-billion dollar project had been a public relations nightmare from the start, with environmentalists and native Hawaiian groups fighting tooth and nail to stop the development. The land, they claimed, was sacred, its fragile ecosystems too vital to be paved over for luxury suites and infinity pools.

But Cheryl had pushed the deal through, dismantling lawsuits and navigating zoning loopholes with surgical precision. The resort opened on schedule despite protests that had never really stopped.

Katie tapped her fingers against a fidget toy, eyes scanning further. Cheryl’s name surfaced again, this time in connection with the Maui Land Trust scandal. The project had been pitched as a conservation effort, a land swap that would supposedly protect agricultural spaces. But investigative reporters uncovered a different story—backroom deals, falsified environmental impact reports, whispers of corruption. The scandal had never been fully resolved, but it had left a stain on her firm’s reputation.

And now, Cheryl was dead. Staked out on sacred land, her throat slashed with aleiomano, a weapon steeped in Hawaiian warrior tradition. Those in opposition to her machinations, when they heard about it, might say she’d had it coming.

Katie’s lips curled into a smile. Lei thought she wouldn’t have anything substantial in a short time.Challenge accepted.

8

LEI

Lei and Ponoflipped a coin for which vehicle to take and ended up with her silver Tacoma. They drove to the address they’d obtained for the victim’s residence, a large house near the top of an upscale neighborhood in Wailuku Heights. The contemporary style home was complemented by mature tropical landscaping with a Buddha here and a fountain there.

Pono stayed in Lei’s truck, on the phone with the clerk of their go-to judge to get a warrant to search the house, as Lei exited the vehicle.

Stepping out into the wide driveway cobbled in smooth river stones, Lei turned to gaze out over the great central valley of Maui and across to Haleakala rising on the far side. The bay and harbor at Kahului were clear and visible below, and one could see way up the coastline on a clear day.

“A million-dollar view,” Lei mused. “If you’re alive to enjoy it.”

There was no car in the driveway, and two of the latest editions of theMaui Dailylay rolled on the porch. Lei walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. The warrant might not be necessary if someone was home to let them in and agreed to the investigation-related search.

No one answered, though Lei rang, then knocked, then called out. She tried to peek in a window, but closed drapes covered it.

She glanced around, then poked around the entry area, looking for a spare key under the WELCOME mat, above the door lintel, under the planters in the entry.Nada.

Truth was, they just didn’t know much at all about the victim, not even whether she had a roommate or significant other living with her.

As if on cue, Lei’s cell phone rang with a call from Katie. Lei moved into the shade of apoincianatree and sat on an artfully carved rock bench facing a statue of Kwan Yin to take the call. “What did you find out about our victim?”

“Hey, Lei, how about answering your phone professionally?” Katie teased.

“Excuse me, Investigations Intern McHenry—what did you just say to your commanding officer?” The kid was definitely pushing the limits.

Katie cleared her throat. “Sorry. Yep, I found out some stuff about the victim. On the personal level, she’s single, been divorced for eight years. That’s when she moved to Maui and bought the house in Wailuku Heights. No children. No pets. Hobby is diamond painting, whatever that is. Not religious but gives money to the arts and human needs on Maui. Emergency contacts are her parents. They’re elderly and reside in an assisted living place in California.” Katie paused as if waiting for a response.

“So no relatives here for us to notify of her death,” Lei said. “Tell me who her closest connections on the island are.”

“Probably Goodwin’s partners at the law firm. It’s called Goodwin, Wilbur & Keith Law Offices. Address in old town Wailuku; it’s one of those cottages made over into a business building.” Katie’s keyboard rattled in the background. “There are pictures of the attorneys together at social events, concerts, places like that. Their names are Maryanne Wilbur and June Keith. I’ll send contact info to your phone.” A moment later, Lei’s phone beeped with the names, numbers, and addresses of the two women, and also the firm’s office building address.

“Any security on Goodwin’s home?” Lei glanced around. “I haven’t seen an alarm notification sign on the grounds or in the windows. Wondering how hard it will be to get in if we can’t locate a key.”

“Nope, no security firm listed at her address in the community HOA roster and first responders’ info board. Also, Goodwin drove a blue Lexus SUV. I’ll send you the plate number.” Lei’s phone dinged with the incoming info.

“Let me see if we need to put out a BOLO on that,” Lei said, getting up from the bench. She walked back into the driveway and over to the closed garage, which held a fan-shaped glass insert in the middle of the rollaway door. She peered inside; though the view was distorted, the blue SUV was there. “Vehicle is on the premises. Goodwin was taken, then, either from here or somewhere else.”

Pono called out from the truck. “Judge Medeiros’s office is faxing a search warrant over to the station. We can search the house once we gain access.”

Lei threw him a thumbs-up and addressed Katie on the phone. “Anything else?”

“Do you want me to get into Goodwin’s work info? There could be a possible motive related to being a part of forcing through several development projects.”

Lei thought a moment. “Too soon. I want to see what we discover through boots on the ground interviewing. But save all that to the file.”

“How about her financials? Tax records? Her phone? Anything like that?”

Lei’s brows flew up. “Were you offering to hack an attorney’s personal accounts, Katie?”

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