A Lei Crime Kindle World novella by Laurie Hanan
It started as a low moan, then rose to a raspy chorus that might have been born of intense pleasure, or pain.
“Danged cats,” I said under my breath. “They’re enough to wake the dead.” I rubbed my arms, trying to shake off the chill that shot down my spine.
Nai‘a ignored me. The little black and white terrier’s eyes were locked on the screen door. Her hair bristled, her lips quivered as they pulled back to reveal sharp fangs. She let out a low growl. This was more than the indignant yapping she reserved for the neighborhood cats.
A glance at Simon told me he hadn’t heard it. He lay sprawled across the couch, headphones firmly in place, engrossed in that online game he liked to play till the early morning hours.
As I shut the front door and turned the deadbolt, I caught a whiff of something slightly foul. How long had it been since Simon last showered and put on clean clothes?
“C’mon, Nai‘a girl,” I said. “Time for bed.”
“Ma! Open the door!” Simon demanded. “I already sweatin’ like one pig.”
He took a swig of beer and slammed the bottle onto the coffee table. His hand slid into a bag of Cheese Puffs. He shoveled a handful into his mouth, wiped orange crumbs onto his shirt, brushed them onto the couch. All without taking his eyes off the laptop. His version of multitasking.
Nai‘a trotted down the hallway, looking over her shoulder to make sure I followed. She knew the routine.
I locked the bedroom door behind us and started to undress in the dark.
“Ma!” The thin wall did nothing to muffle Simon’s yell. “I told you, open the door!”
I didn’t answer and he couldn’t be bothered to keep on yelling.
The closed room was stifling, but I made sure the sheet covered every inch of my legs. Nai‘a curled up beside me.
It wasn’t five minutes before another drawn-out yowl brought Nai‘a to her feet. A warning rumbled in her throat.
The cat had to be right in our backyard.
“It’s okay, Nai‘a,” I whispered. “It’s just a cat.”
But if I didn’t know better, I’d almost swear it was a baby crying.
Nai‘a lay down and pressed against my side. She tensed at every noise.
The ceiling fan whirred above me. Its tick-tick-tick sounded like an old-fashioned wall clock marking the seconds, while the cats carried on outside.
About Hoaka Moonshine
When Dee Maltin bought the little beach cottage on Maui, all she wanted was to leave her memories behind. Now, fifteen years later, things are starting to go awry. Why does everyone else deny hearing the feral cats that keep Dee awake all night? What’s the smell that permeates her house no matter how much she scrubs? Why does her strange neighbor, who hasn’t spoken to her in all these years, choose this moment to strike up a conversation? A woman shows up at Dee’s door looking for her birth mother. Is she a con artist, or just deluded? Dee searches for answers and is soon over her head in one big Hawaiian-kine mystery.
Get it exclusively from Amazon.
About Amazon Kindle Worlds
Kindle Worlds is an Amazon initiative that allows authors to publish stories set in another author’s fictional universe. The Lei Crime Kindle World is based on the Lei Crime series, created by bestselling author Toby Neal.
About the author
Laurie grew up in the picturesque islands of the South Pacific, with a father who pioneered air travel to some of the remotest islands. She graduated from high school in the Mariana Islands, then studied art at the University of Washington. She continued her studies in Israel, where she met her husband. They settled in Hawaii, Laurie’s first childhood home, and raised three children. After retiring from the Honolulu Post Office, Laurie began writing her Louise Golden mystery series, about a mail carrier who can’t keep her nose out of trouble.
Find out more about her on her Amazon author page.