Page 30 of Tiki Beach (Paradise Crime Cozy Mystery #6)

“Kawika?” Pearl’s voice quavered. “Is this true?”

Kawika gazed at Pearl. Then Kawika’s shoulders sagged, his confident posture giving way to something heavier. For the first time since entering the room, his hard demeanor changed, showing a face aged suddenly, etched with conflict and regret.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You weren’t supposed to suffer.”

Pearl’s arms trembled as she clutched the bed rails. “No. Please say it isn’t true.”

Kawika tugged at the scrubs he wore, as if suddenly uncomfortable in the disguise.

“Santos told me to dress in these. Said it would be easier to access your room, to adjust your medications.” He stared at the window, shame writ large in his stance.

“When I got up here and saw the officer gone, when I realized it was really happening . . .”

“You were just with Santos,” I said, not swayed by his apparent remorse. “I watched you both talking not fifteen minutes ago. And how did you get injured? A difference of opinion with Santos?”

“Yes,” Kawika said, clenching and unclenching his hands.

“He decided I was a liability. He thought I was losing my nerve. But I didn’t rat him out.

Downstairs, he was giving me final instructions.

Showing me Pearl’s chart, which medications to increase.

” His voice grew quieter. “He’s waiting in the cafeteria for me to text him when it’s done. ”

“And were you going to do it?” Pearl asked, her gaze searching his face.

“I don’t know,” Kawika said honestly. His voice cracked. “I’ve been drowning in debt. And guilt.”

“Then help us,” I said, seizing the moment of vulnerability. “Santos is downstairs. The police are looking for him. Help us stop this whole thing now. It will help your case.”

Kawika scowled. “You don’t know what he’s capable of. What they’re all capable of. The development means too much money, too much power.”

“And what about what’s right?” Pearl asked, her frail voice finding strength. “What about justice for the families who were interned? The records prove what happened, what was taken from us.”

“I know,” Kawika’s voice was hollow. “I’ve thought about that every day since .

. .” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “They said the past should stay buried, that it would only hurt people to bring it all up again. They made it sound reasonable at first. Then they made it sound necessary, when they bought my gambling debts.” He gestured at the scrubs he wore.

“They made it clear I didn’t have a choice. ”

“There’s always a choice,” I said. My hand had crept down into my pocket to hold my phone. “And you’re making one right now, with every second you stand between us and that door.”

“Santos has people throughout the hospital,” Kawika said finally. “Security, nurses, maybe even doctors. You think that officer just happened to disappear from his post?”

“Help us get out of here,” Pearl said, her voice gentle but firm. “Help us and then tell the police everything you know. It’s the only way to make this right, Kawika.”

His face reflected his internal struggle—fear, shame, and something like hope battling for dominance. Finally, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Santos is expecting me to text him when it’s done,” he said, his decision visible in the straightening of his shoulders.

“I can help you get out of here, and we can send him straight to the police.” He glanced down at the scrubs he wore with an expression of disgust. “I never wanted any of this.” He gazed at Pearl. “I was wrong. So wrong. I’m sorry.”

“Show us, then,” Pearl said simply. “With actions, not words.”

Kawika nodded, a new resolve settling over his features. “I know a service elevator that leads to the parking garage stairs. I can text Santos to meet me there. Tell him it’s done. He’ll believe that.”

“And Lei can find him there,” I said, hope surging.

“Yes,” Kawika said, moving toward the bed.

“But we need to move Pearl in case he decides to take action himself or send someone. He’ll come up here, and he’s armed.

” Kawika moved to the bed. “We need to move quickly and quietly and hide her. There’s an empty room at the end of this hall—used for storage. No one will find us there.”

I nodded, positioning myself at the foot of the bed while Kawika took the head. Together, we guided Pearl’s bed toward the door, the wheels gliding silently. I peered into the hallway; it was empty, the abandoned coffee cup still sitting on the small table outside.

“Clear,” I whispered, and we maneuvered the bed through the doorway. I winced at the soft squeaking of the wheels against the linoleum floor.

The corridor stretched before us, eerily quiet.

Kawika pushed us away from the nurses’ station, toward a deserted area.

The overhead lights hummed softly, casting long shadows as we moved swiftly but cautiously down the hall.

Pearl lay still in the bed, her expression alert despite her frailty, one hand clutching the rail while the other pressed the tissue against the spot where I’d removed her IV.

“In here,” Kawika said, stopping at a door marked ‘Equipment Storage.’ He pulled a key card from his pocket—part of his disguise—and swiped it through the reader. The lock clicked open, and he pushed the door wide.

The room was dim, filled with shelving units stacked with supplies—extra bedding, unused monitoring equipment, boxes of gloves and masks. A small window high on the wall let in just enough light for us to navigate the space.

We wheeled Pearl’s bed into the center of the room, and I immediately began scanning for anything we could use to barricade the door. Kawika seemed to read my mind, dragging a heavy metal storage cabinet toward the door.

“Help me with this,” he grunted, and I moved to assist, the cabinet scraping against the floor as we positioned it in front of the door.

Kawika pulled out his phone. “I should text Santos. Keep him here until the police can find him.”

I nodded, and he quickly typed a message. “Done,” he said, sliding the phone back into his pocket. “I told him to meet me in the north stairwell in ten minutes.”

With the door secured, I pulled out my phone, relieved to see I had service. This time when I dialed Lei, my fingers were steady, my purpose clear. The phone rang once, twice.

“Where are you, Kat?” Lei answered, her voice crisp and professional.

“I’m with Pearl. We’re hiding in a storage room on the third floor, east wing.”

“Kat, what the heck . . .”

“David Santos is down in the cafeteria,” I interrupted. “And we have Kawika with us. He was working with Santos—he’s the one who poisoned Pearl’s tea. But he’s helping us now, and he’s willing to testify.”

I heard Lei’s sharp inhale. “Are you safe? Is Pearl okay?”

“Yes, for the moment. We’ve barricaded the door.

But Santos is waiting for Kawika to . . .

to finish the job.” I glanced at Kawika, who was checking on Pearl, adjusting her pillows with gentle hands that belied his earlier intentions.

“Santos doesn’t know Kawika has switched sides.

He’s told Santos to meet him in the north stairwell into the parking garage. ”

“I’ve got units three minutes out,” Lei said, and I could hear her moving, the jingle of metal in the background. “I’m less than five minutes away myself. We’ll lock down the hospital and find Santos. Do not open that door for anyone but me, understand? I’ll identify myself when I arrive.”

“Got it,” I said, relief washing over me. “Hurry, Lei.”

As I ended the call, I turned to find Pearl and Kawika deep in conversation, their voices low but intense. I moved closer, catching Pearl’s words.

“. . . doesn’t excuse what you did, but I understand the pressure you were under,” she said, resting her hand on Kawika’s arm. “Mayor Santos has always known how to manipulate people, even back when his father ran things.”

Kawika shook his head, unable to meet her eyes. “I should have been stronger. Told you about my troubles, my debts. You trusted me, mentored me. And I betrayed that trust in the worst possible way.”

“Yes, you did,” Pearl was gentle but unflinching. “But you’re trying to make it right now. That counts for something.”

“How can you even look at me?” Kawika asked, his voice breaking. “After what I did? I could have killed you.”

“And I’m angry about that—angrier than I’ve been in a long time. But I’ve lived long enough to know that people are complicated, Kawika. Good people can do terrible things when they’re scared or confused.”

A tear slipped down Kawika’s cheek; he swiped it away angrily. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

“Probably not,” Pearl said. “But it’s mine to give, and I choose to give it. What matters now is what you do with it.”

The distant wail of sirens filtered through the small window, growing louder by the second. I moved to peek through a crack in the blinds and saw police cruisers pulling up to the hospital entrance, lights flashing against the afternoon sun.

“They’re here,” I said, relief flooding through me. “The hospital will be on lockdown soon.”

Belatedly, I remembered Keone, waiting for news in Lei’s cubicle. I composed a text telling him what was going on, then didn’t send it. Better to inform him after we were safe.

We fell into tense silence then, listening to growing commotion outside—raised voices, hurried footsteps, the muffled announcements.

Pearl closed her eyes and dozed off, exhaustion finally catching up with her.

Kawika sat down on an overturned bucket and dropped his head into his hands, the weight of his actions visibly pressing down on him.

Minutes stretched like hours until finally, a firm knock came at the door.

“Kat? Pearl? It’s Sergeant Texeira.”

“Lei?” I approached the barricade cautiously as Kawika rose to his feet.

“It’s me,” she confirmed. “Santos is in custody. We caught him in the north stairwell, just where Kawika said he’d be. It’s safe to come out now.”

Kawika and I exchanged a glance, then moved aside the heavy cabinet. The door swung open to reveal Lei, her badge visible on her belt. Her gaze landed first on Pearl, checking that she was safe, then moved to Kawika, hardening instantly.

“Kawika Pali,” she said formally. “I’m placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Pearl Yamamoto.” She reached for her handcuffs. “Turn around, please.”

Kawika complied without protest; his shoulders slumped in resignation.

“He helped us,” I said quietly as Lei secured the cuffs.

“I know,” Lei said. “And that will count in his favor. But he still has to answer for what he has done.”

She recited his rights, then leaned closer.

“Just so you know,” she said quietly, “I recognized your voice on that recording even before Kat confirmed it. It’s a good thing for you that you chose to help Kat and Pearl.

You were never getting away with anything.

It’s kind of ironic that you were the one who helped us get into the safety deposit box. ”

“Meant to be, I guess.” Kawika nodded, accepting this. As Lei led him toward the door, he turned back to look at Pearl one last time. “I’m sorry,” he said simply. “For everything.”

Pearl, now awake and watching the scene unfold, nodded once. “I know you are,” she said. “Make it right, Kawika. Tell them everything and take down those other men.”

Lei guided him into the hallway where two uniformed officers waited to escort him out.

As they disappeared down the corridor, I sank onto a box beside Pearl’s bed.

The adrenaline was draining away, leaving me shaky and exhausted.

I sent a text to Keone telling him what happened and that everything was fine, now.

And it was.

Or maybe would be.

I wheeled Pearl back to her room. We called for a nurse, and one she knew showed up, along with a different officer to monitor the door.

I was glad to see it was Officer Palakiko.

We conferred for a moment as I caught him up on recent events.

“Hopefully too much has gone down for the suspects to make another move,” I told him. “But I’m glad you’re here, anyway.”

“Proud to do my part for a kupuna like Pearl Yamamoto,” he said.

Back in the room, I made sure she was settled, tucking in her blanket. I handed her a plastic cup of water with a straw; she drank thirstily. “Thanks, Kat. You solved this.”

“I had a lot of help, and I’m just glad it’s over,” I said, squeezing Pearl’s fragile hand gently.

“You’re safe now. There’s no reason for Mayor Santos or Councilman Akana to move against you with Kawika in custody.

The jig is up, as they say.” I studied her face, worried about the impact of Kawika’s betrayal on her health. “Do you really forgive him? Kawika?”

Pearl was quiet for a moment, her gaze distant.

“Forgiveness isn’t the same as forgetting,” she said finally.

“I forgive him because holding onto anger would only poison me. But I won’t forget.

The garden will stand as a reminder—not just of what happened to our families all those years ago, but also of what happens when people choose to let power corrupt them. ”

Outside, the sun was lowering, casting long golden rays through the window when I raised the blind.

In the warm glow Pearl closed her eyes, instantly falling asleep in the way of very old people and babies.

Her pale lined face looked peaceful, now that the danger had passed.

The truth would come to light after decades in shadow; we had set everything in motion.

My job to serve and protect was done here; but there would be others.

For now, Keone was waiting for me.