Lurking on the Tightrope (eBook)

Mystery at Diamond Head

Van Argan (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017 | 1. Auflage
290 Seiten
Jaylen Florian (Verlag)
978-0-00-004052-7 (ISBN)

Infos

Intrigue and secrets lurk everywhere, even in the world's most beautiful places.

Altruistic people, trying to preserve the Hawaiian Islands and make the world a kinder place, are in danger from an unknown killer.  

Solving the complex mysteries and crimes becomes the ambition of a young woman, Pari, who becomes an accidental and amateur sleuth.  She is a keen observer and discovers complexities about the suspects.  But she is a suspect too, with contradictions and problems of her own.

To stop a murderer, Pari uncovers a plethora of secrets, reveals hidden and puzzling behaviors, and inadvertently unravels the deepest enigma of her own past.

'Lurking on the Tightrope' is a captivating mystery novel set throughout the paradise of Oahu, including Diamond Head State Monument, a 'garden of Eden' historical park along an ancient mountain river stream, and a Gothic neighborhood in the North Shore clandestinely created by a classic movie star

Textauszug

Monday, 8:40 am

Abby is telling Pari about the North Shore's world-famous waves and surfing competitions as they complete their beach walk.

"Good morning, Abby!" They turn to see a tall woman with straight, sandy-blond hair and slender, long legs entering the beach, wearing jogging shoes and compression shorts and top.

"Is this Pari?  Abby has been singing your praises and I am happy to meet you."

Abby introduces Katerina Rivera and mentions to Pari that she lives in the cottage directly across the park from her in The Ring. After pleasantries are exchanged, Abby relays that Pari is visiting for one week, leaving Sunday.  Katerina offers to accompany Pari to Pearl Harbor and a tour of the Battleship Missouri on Ford Island on Wednesday. Pari accepts and thanks her.

"Of course," Katerina says to Pari. "I'll enjoy it very much. I'm kind of tired of taking visitors shopping and to nightclubs. Abby said she thought you would prefer the visual beauty and spirituality of the island and its history. This is refreshing."

"She's right.” After a brief hesitation, Pari grins awkwardly, referring to Abby's speculation. "My interest in shopping and nightclubs is minimal. I look forward to joining you Thursday."

"Oh!", Abby interjects. "And Tuesday? Tomorrow! Can you join all of us for the filming on Diamond Head?" she asks Katerina.

"Yes. My brother and Camila are donating a drone that should be sturdy enough to handle the wind currents up there. Miguel said it will arrive today. The drone will be perfect too for stunning shots of Moe’uhane and its waterfall."

Katerina smiles a goodbye and begins her run, while Abby and Pari commence their short walk back to The Ring. Abby explains that much of Tuesday is dedicated to filming videos for the Moe’uhane Ahupua’a that will be played for park visitors and included in media and fundraising promotions too. Tuesday morning will feature a special group shot and interviews on Diamond Head, Tuesday late afternoon will be filming throughout the ahupua’a, and then still shots and video of other sights in Oahu will be included and intertwined as well. 

“The footage extends across the island because of the Moe’uhane’s importance to its history and future,” Abby says.  “I will take you there after lunch.”

“Is that a Hawaiian word?” Pari asks.  “What does Moe’uhane mean?”

“Dream.”

“Is Katerina a sports star?” Pari asks. 

“Not really.  But she studied performance dance and classical dance in her teens and twenties.  I don’t even know for sure what performance dance and classical dance is, but that’s what she called it.  Katerina is graceful and athletic.  However, I haven’t seen her dance before and I don’t believe she has pursued dancing professionally on the islands.”

“She’s at least 5’10” or 5’11.  What does she do professionally?”

“Katerina doesn’t have a 9-to-5 type job,” Abby answers.  “She extensively helps her brother and sister-in-law, Miguel and Camila, in many ways and they depend on her a great deal.  Both are famous, in their own specialized worlds.  Miguel is a former pro baseball player and Camila is a business owner and TV salesperson.  Instead of having personal assistants or teams of helpers, both trust Katerina to help them with their home, especially when they travel, as well as helping with their scheduling and arrangements and charity fundraisers, and so forth.  Miguel and Camila are the ones who live in the tall home in the center of Apapane Ring and they own the four cottages, including mine, on the estate too.  Katerina makes their lifestyle possible and they are a close family.”

Monday, 9:00 am

Pari discerns that The Ring is an even smaller neighborhood than she imagined.  She and Abby return from the beach and walk toward the center, oval-shaped park, which is lush with short, densely shaded, blooming trees. The gravel road transforms into cobblestone when they reach the park. A long, level home with a slender tower reaching up at least three stories rises on the sloping hill behind the back of the park. The house has no sign of a front door and there are enormous, front-facing windows on the tower’s stories. Pari notices a white, longhair cat sitting at the bottom of the second-story window. Is he gazing above the park trees and out to the ocean? Monitoring the neighborhood and park?  Or waiting for someone special?

On each side of the manor are two small cottages, four total, like forearms encasing the park, nearly identical in shape with gable roofs and generous front porches, but with different jewel-stone coloration, landscaping, and decoration, giving each a unique character.  Paris is aware that the skinny streetlights which caught her eye the previous night are painted a rich, forest green and now appear to blend in perfectly.  She also notices a man in the park.

Campbell Vaughn is lost in his thoughts at one of the two park bench tables, studying a lengthy, narrow blueprint with pencil and ruler in hand. Abby introduces him and Pari. He explains that he is mapping out the filming for tomorrow's video and still shots at Moe’uhane. The women see detailed notes on the blueprint, though he has used codes rather than words, plus arrows indicating his chosen camera angles at numerous selected spots, most of which are near the large river stream running through the center of the drawing.

Pari learns that Campbell retired from the military four years before, specializing in naval intelligence at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, then at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and has lived in The Ring for approximately nine years.  Pari assesses him to be particularly trim and clean-cut, with salt-and-pepper hair parted on the side, and aged close to 65.  His golf-style, short-sleeve shirt is blue and tan, and Pari wonders if he is aware it matches his complete heterochromia  — light blue right eye and light tan left eye.  Abby explains Campbell is a "jack of all or many trades", keeping himself busy with creative pursuits that range from film editing and production, to writing, mapping, and studying history. Campbell is the president of the board of directors at the ahupua’a where Abby volunteers and he is taking the lead on producing the promotional videos and images for their new media and fund drives. Like Abby, his service is for the love of the charity, as a volunteer, without compensation.

"The Ring, Apapane Ring, was built from the determined imagination of Irene Lazar," Campbell says, “and secretly constructed shortly before her infamous missing years. At the time, the early1950's, fewer people lived in The North Shore. The ahupua’a — Moe’uhane — was then owned and operated, dismally, by the government. It was mismanaged and shifted from being a park to a small tourist attraction, and was even shut down completely for many years. It didn't have an identity. But they could not suffocate the atmosphere and mammoth appeal of the historical and natural ahupua’a—meaning, water from the mountains, stream from the mountains—which was vital to survival on the island."

"We can find no proof that Irene Lazar ever visited the ahupua’a. But obviously she did, and she must have been bewitched. The Ring is nestled just to the east of the it,” Campbell said, pointing over and above Abby's cottage and the hillock behind her backyard.

"Decades later, the land was transferred to a nonprofit organization, bearing its same name. It was very controversial at the time and many thought the government should maintain ownership and control due to the area’s vital history. There are numerous ahupua’a on the island, but this is one of the largest and most important, and, I believe, the most compelling one.  Only two are even accessible to the public on a daily basis. But the transfer of the land proved to be a brilliant stroke. The charity's board and director, Nathan Patrick, were laser-focused on its mission and purpose to preserve the ahupua’a and share aspects of its past and plants and importance to the people and animals who survived there. The island is obviously completely surrounded by water, but the river streams from the mountains were the life force, the source of fresh drinking water."

Campbell continues.  “Moe’uhane is a work in progress. I think that's the nature of charity though," Campbell says. "We are working so it can continue to reach its full potential. Some love the land for the history, others for the animals and plants, others because of the sheer beauty, yet others because it is a peaceful place, still others for weddings and school group tours, and so much more. Abby has stellar abilities to motivate and encourage the volunteers, so much of the current success is in large part because of her."

"Thank you, Campbell," Abby says politely. “But please tell Pari some more about The Ring and the reason for the gargoyles." She is looking at the manor at the back of the oval park.

“There is almost nothing documented — that has been discovered yet, I should add — but everything here in The Ring was to suit the fancy of Irene Lazar. Apapane was her whimsy, a favorite bird, a being she obviously identified with and admired.  Apapanes are petite, bright red and...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.11.2017
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-10: 0-00-004052-5 / 0000040525
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-004052-7 / 9780000040527