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The police officer looked strangely familiar, and he seemed to be studying her as well.
“I think we met on the Waikiki beach a week or two ago. Didn’t you witness a murder?”
“I didn’t witness anything—it was dark. But I heard men fighting and then heard a gunshot.”
“But then one of them came after you, right? I was one of the responding officers.”
She nodded wearily. “I barely got a glimpse of him then, either. I was called into the police station to talk about it several times, for all the good that it did. Last I heard, he hadn’t been caught. Do you know?”
“The prime suspect was apprehended a few days ago while trying to flee the island.”
Relief flooded through her. “So tonight I met up with just arandompurse snatcher? What are the chances that anyone else would be relieved to hear that?”
“Could you identify him?”
“No.” She heaved a sigh. “He was burley and really strong. There was some sort of dark tattoo on the back of his hand. Dark clothes, dark ball cap. But that could describe hundreds of men around here.”
The cop took notes as she spoke. “Anything else?”
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of tracking him down, using all of the surveillance cameras around these buildings? He stole my driver’s license, a credit card, and my phone.”
“I can look into it. But by now the thief is probably on a local buying frenzy. Or he handed off your purse to someone else so he can’t be caught with the evidence.”
A buying frenzy. Just what she needed.
“Call your cell phone company to block the phone and start a claim for receiving a replacement. Cancel that credit card and anything that could lead to identity theft. Sometimes thieves rush off to buy big-ticket items. So report any fraudulent activity to those card companies and to the police.”
“I will.”
“Your friend’s 911 call mentioned injuries and requested EMTs, but they’re all involved in a major accident up on the H1 freeway. Do you need them to come?”
“Not at all. The guy wrenched my arm so he could grab my purse, but I’ll probably just have some bruises for a while.”
By the time the cop finished taking his notes, Sniper was pulling on his leash toward the building. She felt more tired than she had in a long time.
Her muscles were stiff and sore when she rose to her feet and closed the SUV door behind her.
Nick eyed her with concern. “Can I help you upstairs?”
“No, I—” Alarm shot through her as she reached into her pockets. “My keycard. It was in my purse.”
She searched the floor of the vehicle, then scanned the sidewalk, praying that it had fallen out of her purse somehow, then crossed the sidewalk to the heavy iron gate into the property and read the after-hours sign. “Can you call this number? I’m going to need someone to let me in.”
Nick punched the number into his cell and handed it to her. It rang a dozen times before rolling into voice mail. She left a message and handed the phone back. “Now what? That message might not be answered for hours.”
“I’m not so sure you should stay in your room now, anyway. I doubt anyone can take care of changing your room key code this late at night. It needs to be changed first, or you could wake up to find that guy in your room.”
The thought made her shudder.
“I can google nearby hotels if you want me to. Most would be full and probably expensive, but I could lend you the money. Do you want me to try?”
Stifling a yawn, she nodded. “Thanks. I’m sorry to be such a bother.”
“You certainly aren’t a bother. I’m just sorry that you’ve had such bad experiences. The police presence is strong around here. I haven’t heard of any violent crime in the area since moving here.”
They settled on a bench along the sidewalk. She googled her credit card company and reported her card stolen, then contacted her cell phone provider and had her old phone blocked and a replacement ordered before handing Nick’s phone back.
He looked up lodging options and tried one after another. After the fifteenth call, he looked over at her. “Keep trying?”
