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“Hang on,” Angel said. “Let me put you on speaker so Leilani can hear as well.” He switched the phone to speaker.
“Good morning, Leilani,” Swede said. “I wanted to bring you up to date on what I’ve found on the names of the people Cortez gave me to dig into.”
“Anything interesting?” Angel asked.
“Maybe,” Swede said. “You’ve met these people. I’ll let you decide. First, I searched the internet for information on the broker, Peter Brentwood. He’s a high-dollar broker out of California who helps large corporations find properties that meet their investment and or expansion needs. He’s racked up a lot of money in commissions and has been a top earner for the past five years. Some of the most noteworthy properties he brokered had articles identifying him as the man who’d cut the deal. He’s had a couple of lawsuits filed against him, accusing him of using strong-arm tactics to get the owners to sell. The cases were dropped due to lack of substantial evidence.”
Leilani’s gaze met Angel’s. “He’s been very persistent, but we haven’t caught him in the act.”
“That could be his MO,” Swede said.
“Anything else on him?” Angel asked.
“As much money as he’s made, he doesn’t have a lot to show for it. When his second wife divorced him recently, she took him to the cleaners. She got the house in California, the one in Florida and most of the money in his bank accounts. He got the credit card debt and the attorney’s fees for both sides.”
“He needs to refill his bank accounts,” Angel said.
Leilani nodded. “Being broke is a strong incentive to land a big deal. Did you find out who he’s representing in his campaign to buy my property?”
“Starlight Resorts International,” Swede said. “They have resorts all over the world, except in Hawaii. They prefer to build from the ground up rather than purchasing existing properties. When they go after a particular property, they give huge incentives to the people who help them close the deal.”
“All the more reason for Brentwood to use whatever methods at his disposal to make it happen.” Angel’s brow creased heavily. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“What else?” Leilani prompted.
“I searched for information on Buddy Akina,” Swede said. “He’s been arrested several times for trespassing on private property. There was a big article about him claiming the properties belonged to the native Hawaiians. They were sacred to his people and should never have been sold. He has organized sit-ins blocking construction workers from building or expanding resorts. He was sued for destruction of property when he pulled a fence down and blocked access to a beach. Charges were dropped, and the fence remained down.”
Leilani’s lips curled. “I can’t picture Buddy driving a jet boat and crashing it into a boat full of people. He wants to limit tourism on Maui, but not by killing or injuring anyone.”
“I did a search on Leilani’s cousin, Makai Kealoha.”
Leilani’s gaze shot to Angel.
“I had him look at anyone who might have a reason to want to hurt your business,” Angel said. “He might harbor resentment that you inherited family property, and he didn’t.”
“Most of what I found on Makai had to do with his surfing competitions. He’s done well for himself. If not winning, he’s at least placed second and third in a number of competitions.”
“Second and third are amazing, but don’t get the big cash prizes,” Leilani murmured.
“He’s listed as one of the Lahaina residents whose home burned to the ground,” Swede continued.
Leilani nodded. “He had just sunk a bunch of money into remodeling before his wedding.”
“That would explain why he’s got significant credit card debt,” Swede said.
Leilani frowned. “You can see that kind of information?”
Swede didn’t answer but continued with, “Quite a few articles about Makai linked him to another surfer, Alyssa Matson.”
“His fiancée,” Leilani said.
“Right,” Swede concurred. “Each of the articles made a point of showcasing their romance. One article went so far as to dub them the sweetheart couple of the surfing scene.”
“Makai is crazy about her,” Leilani said. “They both love surfing above all else. Makai works at the resort not because he loves his job and wants to make it a career but because he wants to fund his real passion.”
“Surfing,” Angel concluded.
“While I was looking into Makai, I ran a search for information about Alyssa.” Swede paused.
