Page 32 of Deadly Sacrifice

“Is there someone we can call for you?” Pono asked.

She told him a name and gave him a number; Pono stood and walked into the kitchen to make the call.

“I’m sorry to have to discuss this now, but we need to gather some information,” Lei began, her voice soft but firm. “Time is of the essence in a situation like this. You mentioned your husband went to Haleakala last night to take pictures?”

Miranda nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Yes, he’s been excited about capturing the star trails. He left just after dinner . . . he loved his night photography sessions. They were his ‘me time.’”

Pono, who had finished with his call, returned. “Your friend is on her way, Mrs. Kleftes. Would it be all right if we took a look at his office? There might be something there that could help us understand what happened.”

She hesitated for a moment, then gestured towards a hallway. “His office den is down there, last door on the right. Please, help yourself to anything.”

Lei and Pono expressed their thanks and proceeded down the hallway.

The office was a stark contrast to the airy, sunlit living room. This was a meticulously organized space with a distinctly personal touch. Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with photography books, astronomy guides, and several thick binders labeled by year and location. Kleftes’s desk, a large koa wood affair, faced a window that offered a view of the lush backyard which had been planted in rows of grapevines.

Pono began examining the bookshelves while Lei sifted through the papers on the desk. Among the neatly stacked papers, Lei found a planner. Flipping it open, she noted Jonas’s appointments and photography plans noted meticulously. She moved the planner into the light falling through a nearby window and photographed the pages in case they were useful.

In the top drawer of the desk, Pono discovered a cache of paperwork amidst the photography notes and equipment manuals. These were business documents, some with headings relating to land acquisitions, and others to real estate investment ventures. Buried beneath these was a small, locked box.

“Found something,” Pono called out, holding up the box. “Seems like Kleftes kept some documents locked away. Might be worth checking this out.”

Lei joined him, her gaze narrowing on the box. “Let’s ask Mrs. Kleftes if she knows where the key might be.”

They returned to the living room. Miranda Kleftes was now sitting upright, her head in her hands, as the little girl sat quietly absorbed in her tablet nearby.

“Mrs. Kleftes, we found a locked box in your husband’s desk. Do you know where the key might be?” Lei asked gently.

The woman looked puzzled for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yes, he keeps that key on his house keychain. It should be in the kitchen, on the hook by the fridge.”

Lei fetched the keychain and unlocked the box, revealing more documents and a couple of USB drives. The contents looked potentially significant—contracts, nondisclosure agreements, and financial statements that didn't seem to align with Jonas’s photography hobby or personal and family papers.

As Lei flipped through the documents, her instincts told her something more than human sacrifice was going on with these killings. They were connected and had something to do with real estate development. She addressed Pono. “As soon as Mrs. Kleftes’s friend gets here, let’s get these drives to Katie. The common denominator tying the victims together might be right here.”

21

LEI

Lei and Ponostepped out of the Kula, Maui, mansion. Each carried a box of the evidence they had collected from Jonas Kleftes's office. Evening sun hit them, a contrast to the cool dim of the interior of the Kleftes home. As they approached Pono’s truck, Lei couldn’t help but admire the vibrant colors around them: the deep blue of the sky with its broad band of clouds, the lush greenery that framed the driveway, and the bright floral bursts of the garden’s protea flowers.

Even in death, life went on. Life would go on for Miranda Kleftes, their daughter, and the baby on the way; but their family would never be the same.

“Glad Miranda had a friend to come over,” Lei said, gesturing with her chin to an SUV that had pulled up behind them. “I would have felt really bad leaving her alone with the news.”

“It’s a real shame.” Pono unlocked his vehicle, and they loaded the boxes containing documents and the USB drives into the back seat. As they settled into the front, the seats were still warm from the sun's early heat. Pono started the engine, and the truck’s rumble and metallic smell was reassuring—a signal that they were getting back to familiar territory, back to their element.

“Alright, Stanley, let’s get this stuff back to the station without you overheating on us,” Pono said, patting the dashboard affectionately.

Lei rolled down her window, letting in a rush of air that smelled of sunbaked earth. They began the descent from Upper Kula, the landscape rolling past in a blur of pastoral beauty. The road from Kula to Kahului wound through diverse terrains: from Upcountry’s rustic charm with its jacaranda trees and sprawling pastures to more arid vistas as they passed through agricultural fields and housing.

About halfway down, the truck’s temperature gauge started to climb, a warning that Stanley was feeling the strain of the day’s multiple journeys. Pono pulled over at a shoulder as steam began to hiss from under the hood. “Dammit. I was worried that would happen. Good thing I have some coolant in the back.”

“Time for a tune-up, huh?” Lei said, stepping out of the truck.

“More like a new radiator.”

Lei leaned against the guardrail, looking out over the expansive view of central Maui spread out below them. The contrasting fields featuring citrus, coffee, and other food crops formed a patchwork of varying shades of green and brown, leading the eye out to the deep blue of the Pacific.

Pono eased the cap off and refilled the radiator. After a few minutes, he gestured to Lei to get in. “Let’s hope Stanley holds up till we get these documents secured.”

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