Page 43 of Tiki Beach
Once inside the cozy, yummy-smelling kitchen area, Artie said, “Opal can deal with any stragglers out there.” He closed the connecting door to afford some privacy. “Must be serious.”
“It is,” Keone said. “We need information about Councilman Akana’s development plans. Specifically, anything you folks know about something called the Hana Cultural Corridor.”
Artie’s eyebrows shot up and he blinked rheumy eyes. “Now there’s a controversial topic. Councilman Akana’s been trying to get that project off the ground for years. Most locals are against it—too commercial, too much traffic for Hana and Ohia. But he’s persistent.”
“What exactly is he proposing?” I asked.
“A ‘cultural experience’ along the coast,” Artie explained, making air quotes around the euphemism. “Shops, restaurants, cultural demonstration areas—all designed to look ‘authentically Hawaiian’ while being commercial.”
“Where exactly would this corridor be located?” Keone asked. I suspected we both knew the answer.
“It would start just south of Pearl’s property and extend up the coast,” Artie confirmed. “Originally, he wanted to include her land, but she refused to sell. That’s when he shifted to a partnership approach, trying to convince her that her Heritage Garden could be the ‘cultural anchor’ for the larger development, which would include the Santoses’ five-acre parcel she wants for the garden.”
“And she agreed to this?” I asked skeptically.
“Ha!” Artie snorted. “Pearl was adamant that her garden would be a place of reflection and education, not a tourist trap.”
“So why is he listed as cosponsor on her historical preservation grant?” Keone asked.
Artie’s expression registered surprise, then he frowned. “Ah, now I see where this is going. Akana sits on the board of the Historical Preservation Society. He could have influenced the grant process, perhaps even modified the application.”
“Without Pearl’s knowledge,” I said. “Except someone issued her a letter disclosing it. That’s how we found out.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time Akana’s operated that way,” Artie said. “His development company, Anuenue Enterprises, has a reputation for aggressive tactics. They’ve bought up several properties along that stretch of coastline over the past decade, sometimes using questionable methods.”
“Questionable how?” I asked.
Artie glanced toward the door, lowering his voice further. “There have been rumors about properties experiencing ‘mysterious’ problems just before Anuenue makes an offer. Water line breaks, electrical issues, vandalism, even a stream drying up in a pasture.”
“Definitely sounds shady,” Keone said.
“There’s one more thing you should know. Anuenue Enterprises doesn’t operate alone. They have a financial partner that provides much of their capital—Santos Investment Group.”
The connection hit like a thunderbolt. “Mayor Santos’s family investment company,” I said. “Of course.”
“The Santos and Akana families have been business partners for decades. The mayor’s father and Akana’s father started working together in the 1960s, developing some of the first tourist accommodations in Hana.”
“That means we have two families with historical connections,” Mr. K summarized, “both with financial interests that would be threatened by Pearl’s garden project, both with motives for wanting to control or stop it.”
“And both with connections to the historical injustices Pearl was preparing to expose,” I added.
“I’m just sharing what I’ve heard,” Artie said, spreading his hands. “What you do with that information is up to you.”
“That’s why we came to you, Uncle Artie,” I said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “This helps a lot.”
We helped Artie carry a fresh pan of cornbread and hot pot of chili out to restock the lunch counter after hastily packing a ration for ourselves to take back to the shack to eat while we updated Lei.
“We need to look into Anuenue Enterprises and its connection to the Santos Investment Group,” Keone said as we neared the shack and set our lunch on the rickety table. “If Akana and the Santos family are business partners, they could both have motives for stopping Pearl’s project.”
“But which one poisoned her?” I wondered. “Or are they working together?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Keone said.
We sat down and hastily consumed our to-go bowls of chili and hot buttered sides of cornbread. Once the needs of the body were taken care of and my teeth had been brushed, I called Lei on the landline and put her on speaker. “It’s Kat and Keone checking in,” I said. “We have new information about Councilman Akana’s connection to all this.”
“Interesting timing,” Lei replied. “Akana just called asking to be present during Mayor Santos’s interview, claiming ‘community interest.’ I denied the request, of course.”
“They’re working together,” I said. “Akana and Santos are business partners. There’s a financial connection between their families going back decades.”
