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“Did Makai inherit the apartment money from his father?” Angel asked, suspecting he already knew the answer.
“No.” Leilani’s lips pressed together. “Uncle Jim had purchased an expensive home in Vegas and blew through what money was left over, remodeling that house and gambling. When he ran out of cash, he accrued a massive amount of credit card debt. It took the sale of his house to repay most of his debt. As far as I know, it wasn’t enough. Makai got nothing but the mess his father left.”
Angel frowned. “Could he be resentful of what you have?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I reached out to him after the fire to see if I could help him in any way I could. He said he didn’t need my help, that the resort where he worked had taken in their employees who’d lost their homes. He expected the resort to reopen soon. They were one of the first to start taking tourists after they opened Maui up to visitors.”
“To me, it sounds like your cousin could be a prime suspect.”
“Why would he want my business to fail?” Leilani shook her head. “What’s in it for him?”
“Misery loves company?” Dev said.
Leilani’s lips twisted. “Seems like a lot of work to make someone else miserable. Especially when we’re all trying to figure out life without Lahaina. Besides, he and his fiancée, Alyssa, are doing well enough, as far as I can tell. She’s a competitive surfer like Makai. That’s how they met. Their wedding was put on hold after the fire, but they’ve since set another date. It’s full steam ahead on the planning. Alyssa even asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I can’t imagine Makai would be at the bottom of my business’s sabotage.”
“Other than family drama and competitors, are there any others who might want your business to fail?” Angel asked. “I read some Maui residents don’t want the tourists back.”
“There’s truth in that statement,” Leilani said. “Some locals would be just as happy if tourists didn’t return. When they arrive in massive numbers, they disturb the ecological systems, and some of them disrespect cultural boundaries and ignore no trespassing signs.”
Angel could understand residents being resentful of strangers desecrating sacred grounds. “Do these locals have anyone in particular leading the charge?”
“Buddy Akina has been pretty loud lately, campaigning against tourism,” Leilani said. “He’s put his hat in the ring to run for state senator. Our state governor has shut him down a couple of times recently, though, to placate Buddy, she promised a phased approach to reopening Maui so as not to overwhelm the Maui residents who are still grieving the losses of loved ones and homes.”
“What about the man you were arguing with as you left the resort earlier?” Angel asked. “Brentwood someone?”
Leilani gave a short bark of laughter. “Pete Brentwood is annoying, but he’s harmless. He’s only one of a number of brokers who’ve been stalking Lahaina landowners, hoping to buy cheap property while it’s nothing but rubble.”
“If they’re determined to get you to sell, they could sabotage your business,” Angel said. “You said yourself that you need the money from tours to make payments on the boats and fund your employees’ salaries. If they keep you from providing those tours...”
“I won’t have the funds to keep operations running.” Leilani crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll just have to be more vigilant and do my best to stay ahead of the attacks.”
“You can’t be everywhere or watch all your assets twenty-four-seven,” Angel pointed out. “You’re only one person.”
Dev grinned. “Maybe we can help. At least, while we’re here for the rest of the week.”
Leilani’s brow twisted. “I can’t afford to pay my employees. How do you expect me to pay all of you?” She shook her head. “No, I can’t ask you to give up your vacation to help me.”
“You didn’t ask,” Angel looked at his teammates. “We’re offering to do it free of charge. Right, guys?”
“Right,” they agreed in unison.
Angel grinned. “I noticed a signup board for guests to volunteer at local businesses as a way to give back to the people of Maui. This will be our contribution.”
“I can hang out with the bus to make sure no one slashes its tires,” Teller said. “Where do you park it when it’s not in use?”
“In the resort parking lot,” Leilani said. “They have cameras, so I don’t think it’d be necessary to monitor it overnight. We could always tap into the surveillance videos if it happens on the resort property. It’s when we take guests out that it’s most vulnerable, and our guests are left stranded.”
“I’ll go with the bus, then,” Teller said. “When’s the next tour?”
“Tomorrow,” Leilani said. “My assistant, Olina, is scheduled to lead the tour as long as her babysitter doesn’t bail.”
Reid held up both hands. “Sorry, I’ll volunteer to cook, clean, swab decks or ride along with tour groups, but I draw the line at childcare. I’m not good with little people.”
Leilani grinned. “Even if you were, Olina would hesitate to leave her kids with a stranger. She’s got one of the other Lahaina refugees lined up to keep an eye on her children after they get out of school.”
“Where else do you need enhanced security?” Angel asked.
“We have two snorkeling tours scheduled for tomorrow. One of my captains is picking up the repaired boat as we speak. He volunteered to sleep on it tonight to make sure no one comes back to trash it again. My other captain has been alternating with his deckhands to stand guard on the other boat at night. They could use some relief if any of you are up to roughing it on a craft that’s not designed to be lived on.”
