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LEI

The drive to 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.”

“Of course,” Noble said. “I can’t believe David’s missing. What’s going on?”

“We don’t know yet,” Lei said. “But we’re concerned he might have been abducted; we’ve got an alert out on him. Two of your colleagues in the Kuleana project have already been murdered. We’re concerned you might be in danger too.”

Noble’s face paled. “Who else was murdered? I knew about Goodwin, but . . .” He trailed off, clearly shaken.

“Jonas Kleftes was killed on Haleakala,” Pono said. “We’re trying to keep it quiet in the news.”

“How do you know the murders are connected?” Noble ran a hand through his disordered hair. “I mean, it is a lot to be a coincidence . . .”

“It’s connected,” Lei said firmly. “We need you to show us around the site and tell us what is happening out here.”

Beck nodded quickly. “Of course. I’ll take you through the main areas. We’ve had a few delays with the environmental protests, but nothing that seemed like a dangerous threat.” He produced a key for the chain and padlock on the gate and opened it for them. “The archeological surveys were recently completed. No burials or artifacts on the grounds.”

“Environmental impact study?” Pono said, his eyes narrowed.

Noble avoided her partner’s gaze. “Ongoing.”

As they followed Beck through the site, Lei never stopped scanning the surroundings; David Steinbrenner might be here, on this site, dead or alive.

The tension in the air felt palpable. The valley, usually calm and peaceful, felt like it was holding its breath.

And then, a wild chicken with a batch of babies flew up from under Pono’s feet with a loud squawk, making the three of them jump—until they saw the little puffball chicks cheeping as they ran after their mother.

“Comic relief,” Pono said. Noble gave a nervous chuckle.

“Anything out of the ordinary? Construction delays? Unhappy workers? We’re looking for anything that might help us figure out where David is,” Lei said as they moved deeper into the muddy development area.

“No, believe me. I’ve been racking my brain. I was just out here yesterday, and everything looks the same, today,” Noble said.

They walked deeper into the site, the sounds of nature mingling with the hum of machinery behind the trailers. The Kuleana development project was still in its early stages as the land was cleared. Beck led the way, his movements quick and nervous as he pointed out various areas that were under construction or intended for future development.

“This area here,” Beck said, gesturing toward a patch of flattened earth, “is where we’re planning to build the main resort. The foundation work was supposed to start next week, but with everything going on, we’ve had to delay it.”

Lei glanced around, her eyes scanning the perimeter. There was something unsettling about the way the area seemed so serene, yet a suspenseful feeling hung in the air, almost as if the land itself was watching and waiting. The ‘aina wanted something.

Lei suddenly felt certain what it was.

“Beck Noble,” she said, coming to a stop and turning to face the project manager. “I’m ordering that all construction on this site be halted immediately.”

Pono stepped over to back Lei up. “We’re closing down the operation as of now. Call your people and turn off the machinery.”

Noble blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Wait—what? Halted? Detective, you can’t just?—”

“It’s Sergeant, and we can,” Lei interrupted firmly. “These grounds are now part of an active murder investigation. Two people connected to Kuleana Development have already been killed, and now David Steinbrenner is missing. We have reason to believe that whoever is targeting your group isn’t finished yet. And if Steinbrenner isn’t found soon, you won’t have a team to continue building, anyway.”

Noble’s face drained of color as the reality of the situation sank in. “I guess you’re right about that.”

“I am,” Lei’s voice was hard. “And until we figure out what’s going on, this entire project is on hold. No one comes in or out of this site without police clearance. We’ll put up tape around the barrier before we leave.”

Beck opened his mouth to protest, but Lei’s expression stopped him. He swallowed, his eyes darting nervously between Lei and Pono, who had folded his arms over his massive chest.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll notify the construction teams to stop work immediately.”

“Good,” Lei said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “But we’re not done. After that, you’re coming with us back to the station.”

“What?” Beck’s eyes widened. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Lei stepped closer; her voice low but growing more intense. “We need to interview you formally, Mr. Noble. You’ve been involved with this project from the start, and you might know something—whether you realize it or not—that could help us figure out who’s behind these murders.”

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.