Double Take Chapter 2

Detective Halani managed to get his hands on a video tape of the incident, and once he saw it, he thought he might have a possible motive. The police reports from Huntington Beach indicated that Sandy Lane had been hospitalized with a massive concussion and a severely broken nose, and he had dropped out of sight after he was released from the hospital. On a hunch, Halani asked for a print out of the arrivals and departures from Honolulu International Airport the day of the Cruz murder. Sure enough, Sandy Lane was listed as a passenger on a United flight that left for Los Angeles three hours after the estimated time of Buster's death.

Detective Halani still wasn't convinced that Lane, who had a spotless criminal record, was his suspect. But maybe he could provide the police with information as to the identity of the mystery woman. The detective called Lieutenant Goering in Los Angeles and brought him into the picture.

* * *

They decided to spend the week at Sandy's condo in Redondo Beach, since it was a short drive from Lunada Bay. Sandy hadn't been there since the day after Thanksgiving, so they stopped at a supermarket to stock up on food, disguising themselves from autograph-seekers with baseball caps and sunglasses. They were each wearing jeans, flip-flops, and baggy sweatshirts, and nobody gave them a second glance as they made their way down the aisles.

Ashley had packed only an overnight bag, intending to borrow some of Sandy's clothes if they decided to go out. When Sandy hauled the groceries into his kitchen, he saw that he had six phone messages.

The first was from his parents, wishing him a happy Thanksgiving. He had called them already from Ashley's house the next day. Sandy's parents had retired to Park City, and he hadn't seen them in over a year. They had finally reconciled themselves to his life as a vagabond surfer, but they were still not happy about it, and their occasional telephone conversations served to maintain an uneasy peace.

The next four messages were from telemarketers, and Sandy deleted them all. Ashley had gone into the bathroom, and she did not hear the sixth message: