Daniel Mendoza Thrillers

Chapter 1

Maui, Hawaiʻi

Present Day

“Aloha. Good morning. This is KMTV. The best local news on Maui. I’m Melissa Kamane. My co-host, Charles Anderson, and I have devastating news about a local fire. KMTV 7’s Leilani Morris joins us live at the Regal Wisteria Wailea resort with breaking news.”

Dressed in matching blue outfits, which complimented the elaborate set design, both news anchors turned towards the two large full-screen monitors behind them as they eagerly watched their fellow newscaster take the reins.

With a soft, professional voice, Leilani announced, “Well, Melissa and Charles, you’re correct. We were the first on-site and arrived here even before the fire trucks and police, who had to drive several miles from Kihei. Fortunately, we were nearby for a local festival when we learned of the fire. The scene here at the Hoʻomaha Villas, modern, luxury townhomes located on the grounds of the resort, is chaotic at best with hordes of resort guests anxious to find out what happened and why.”

Leilani stood on the opposite side of the street, the fires raging in the background. The fire-engulfed townhomes of the Hoʻomaha Villas were perched on a secured mountainside with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The azure ocean filled both monitors. Local Maui residents, however, were familiar with and unfazed by the views and would be more concerned about the pending destruction on their island.

In the distance, a firefighter suddenly exclaimed, “Watch out!” as debris from the two-story townhome now almost entirely engulfed in flames was projected high into the air towards the opposite side of the street.

The live video shook erratically as quickened footsteps could be heard from the cameraman rushing backward to avoid the approaching debris. His hysterical voice was muffled and indiscernible after the camera was dropped to his side and it continued filming the ground. Only his shadow could be seen on the screen. Leilani hurriedly ran after him, tightly gripping her large, news microphone as she feared for her life. Guests near them also chaotically ran for cover, some screaming out in anguish.

“Be careful,” Charles interjected as he watched in horror.

His body instinctively flinched as if he was personally in danger. Melissa reacted similarly. Nevertheless, both anchors were transfixed by the pandemonium and confusion and couldn’t keep their eyes off the monitors out of concern for their co-workers’ well-being as well as those around them.

The debris landed only a few feet from where the news crew and onlookers were watching the fire. The spot was thought to be a safe enough distance away. Sounds of the debris crashing on the ground could be heard in the background as the cameraman quickly turned the camera towards the impact location. The video now showed several small plumeria trees lining the grounds of the luxury resort catching on fire from the falling debris. The white and salmon-colored flowers were quickly consumed into ash that was carried away by the gentle coastal winds. Fortunately, the winds were mild and barely stoking the flames. The camera panned back towards the street as a single firefighter dashed across, tasked with putting out the newest fire.

“As you can see…,” Leilani said as she stood up from her semi-crouched position and straightened her blazer “…the firefighters have been valiantly fighting this fire for the past two hours, but the explosions continue, causing subsequent fires. They have also been working on a nearby townhome that caught on fire from debris previously ejected from the first townhome. Several minutes later the second townhome also exploded, causing even more devastation.”

The camera panned to the second townhome. Billowing, black plumes of smoke filled the sky while orange flames vigorously destroyed the walls and roof of the once luxurious accommodation. Bright yellow and white fire engines could be seen dowsing both townhomes with strong streams of water. Progress was slow but steady.

“Leilani, thank you for that update. It seems like the firefighters are really busy now, but were you able to speak with them about the cause of the fire?” Melissa asked her colleague.

“Yes, we briefly spoke with the fire captain before I was rushed away from the scene by local police. He was concerned for our safety. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, we were assured the fire will be contained and will not pose a threat to the neighboring resorts. All guests and employees of both Hoʻomaha Villas and the resort were evacuated. As you can see, some guests are not heeding the advice of the Wailea police department and are gathering to watch this gruesome scene.

“Guests have told us they heard a loud thud, started feeling intense heat, and got out of the area as quickly as possible before the evacuation notice from the resort was even given. Lots of lives were saved by the quick reaction of many involved. I tried to interview a resort employee but was instructed not to do so by management. Even guests from adjoining resorts heard the explosion and saw what happened. I spoke with a guest earlier about what happened. Take a listen.”

She pointed to the camera. Video of Leilani’s previous interview with a female guest played on the full-screen monitors but no sound could be heard.

“Apparently, we are having some technical difficulties getting sound,” Leilani explained as she eventually reappeared on the screen. “But the guest said she and her family were on the beach nearest to the townhome when the explosion occurred. She turned around and saw black smoke after hearing something. She then saw all of the flames consuming the townhome. In fact, she saw a couple of workers who were approaching the villas turning in the opposite direction and running away. A few minutes later, other workers followed and were covered in soot. The guest suspected something was going on and hoped everyone made it out okay.”

As the smoke seemed to die down, Leilani walked confidently closer to the first townhome and instructed the cameraman to film the villas, the entire resort, and beach area.

“The Regal Wisteria Wailea resort is located on Wailea Alanui Drive near the other luxury resorts on Wailea Beach,” she added.

“Have there been any fatalities?” Charles asked with a concerned expression.

“Resort employees have confirmed the first townhome was occupied. The resort, however, did not know if the family of five was present at the time of the explosion or if they were enjoying the resort facilities or sightseeing. So far, the resort will not confirm the names of the family members or how long they’d been staying in the villa. We’ve been asking around if any other guests were familiar with the occupants of the first townhome. No one knows or remembers. The Regal Wisteria Wailea resort is part of an international conglomerate with resorts in Asia, Europe, the U.S., and the Caribbean. It’s headquartered in Tokyo. This particular resort is very popular with Japanese tourists given its proximity to Japan. But it’s unclear whether the occupants of the first townhome were from Japan or were locals or from the mainland.”

“Thank you, Leilani. Keep us informed if you find out who stayed in the villa and whether they are safe. We want to know and I’m sure our viewers want to know. We can only hope and pray for the family’s safety,” Melissa said while pursing her lips in frustration from the resort’s lack of cooperation.

“We will, Melissa.”

“What about the second townhome?” Charles inquired, not wanting to downplay its significance. “Was it evacuated in time? Any of its occupants injured?”

Leilani seemed delighted by the questions and eager to respond.

“I am pleased to announce the resort confirmed that the second townhome had not been rented. The resort’s focus for the second townhome is solely on the property damage from the fire which it insists is a secondary concern over any potential loss of life.”

“That’s good to know,” Charles marveled as he turned toward his co-host who had a look of affirmation.

He was about to ask a follow-up question before being interrupted.

“Hold on. We are hearing reports of firefighters experiencing smoke inhalation injuries,” Leilani revealed as she turned her head towards guests who were gathered in a circle and talking among themselves about the startling news. “We’ll look into this.”

“Please do,” Melissa suggested.

As Leilani approached the group, one guest loudly proclaimed, “I seen it. I seen it all.”

He was apparently being ignored by the other guests, which was only frustrating him and making him more incessant about telling the crowd what he knew.

“What did you see?” she asked hoping to glean valuable information the audience would appreciate. After all, the firefighters were likely relatives of the show’s viewers.

The guest pointed in the direction of the townhomes and was about to say something when the video footage of the newscast narrowed until a smaller television screen faded entirely to black and then off.