The Killer Series

By Steve Akley

The Killer Series features three of Steve Akley’s short stories involving, well, you probably guessed it: killers. These tales come from Steve Akley’s Commuter Series – the perfect length for one or two rides to work. Despite the central tie-in of the “killer theme,” each has a unique approach and different storytelling style.

Included in this book are the following short stories:

A Killer in Kilauea
Kilauea is a sleepy town on the northeastern shore of the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. The beauty of the area attracts tourists and celebrities, many of whom enjoy a second home there. When an international starlet turns up dead in Kilauea, the pressure is on the local police chief to solve the mystery of who committed the murder before being forced to turn over the case to a larger department.

Can the chief save the integrity and dignity of the police department by solving the mystery of A Killer in Kilauea in time?

The Bacon Killer
Everybody loves bacon, right?

With the bevy of t-shirts, recipes and encroachment into popular culture, you sure would think so. Then again, you don’t know Scott Lomez. He has a different take on bacon and what it represents.

Getting everyone onboard against their favorite salty, fatty treat is going to prove a real challenge. Scott is willing to go to any length to get the American public to take note, though.

It’s time they meet The Bacon Killer!

The Donut Shop Killer
In the small St. Louis suburb town of Oakville, The Orange Rooster’s Donuts has been serving up the area’s favorite treats since 1956. Several years ago, this small shop generated a “crime of the century” level of attention when patrons of this beloved donut haven began turning up dead.

Now awaiting execution on death row, author Steve Akley checks-in with the killer and the other players in this mystery which captured so much interest a few years back. Firsthand accounts by all of the players involved, along with an in-depth interview of the cast of characters, provide unique insight and the definitive look at The Donut Shop Killer.

Be sure to check out the rest of the stories in Steve Akley’s Commuter Series!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Akley
• Release date: May 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310455162

Steve Akley

Steve Akley is a lifelong St. Louis resident. He grew up in, and now lives with his family in the south St. Louis county community of Oakville.While it took him more than 40 years (okay, 45) to get his first book published, doing so has caused a flurry of creative ideas for new works. With a simple direction of writing about subject matter that he likes, he has a lot of potential material to write about.He looks forward to getting more of his ideas out there for others to enjoy.He thanks you for your interest in his work!

Book preview

Chapter 1 – A Killer in Kilauea

The sound of multiple cars turning down King Kawai’s street awoke him from a deep sleep. He had been up late the night before so he had slept in. It was already afternoon as he was awakened by the cars heading his way.

He quickly looked out the window to see it was three police cruisers coming down his long driveway. He turned on the TV. As the TV came into focus, it was clear in his mind why they were there.

Every channel had coverage of the death of popular film actress Morgan Tyler. Her films had grossed over 3 billion dollars in total.

Despite the lofty success affirmed by her box office numbers, it was apparent Ms. Tyler was still a star on the rise… at least she was.

Morgan Tyler had starred in the two top grossing films of the year. She was coming off of back-to-back Best Actress Oscars and seemingly would be in the hunt for a third with a film she had coming out later in the year, which would tug at the heart strings of audiences and the Oscar Academy voters. Fans loved her down-to-earth approach to her stardom. Despite all of the accolades, fame and wealth, she had remained grounded and was widely regarded as one of the good people in the entertainment industry.

Ms. Tyler loved Hawai'i and maintained a second home in Kilauea on the Island of Kaua'i. When she wasn’t working on the set of a film, she liked to stay far away from the limelight in her garden paradise in Hawai'i.

As King Kawai was still clearing the cobwebs, hard fast knocks began pounding on his door. Alani Kawai, shouted a voice on the other side of the door, open up.

Hmmm. This must be serious, thought King. His suspicions came from the use of the name Alani. It was his birth name, but no one called him by it. Not friends, neighbors or even family. In fact, only the closest of his relatives even knew it actually was his name. Most just thought his first name actually was King. Open up Alani Kawai, instructed the voice outside of the door again. It’s about the death of Morgan Tyler.

Hmmm. This was serious.

Morgan Tyler grew up in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her father was a highly decorated Los Angeles policeman, having worked on several high profile cases during his time on the force.

With the film industry literally in her backyard (many movies and TV shows were filmed at locations within walking distance of her home), Morgan always wanted to be a star. She got her break in 1992 when Quentin Tarantino was filming parts of Reservoir Dogs in Eagle Rock. His first film was shot on a shoestring budget, and many of the extras were simply plucked from the crowd of onlookers. Morgan Tyler was one of those extras. A brief speaking role led to her getting more jobs and quickly she was a hot commodity in Hollywood.

The grounded, blue-collar upbringing (her mother was a stay-at-home-mom, and despite the accolades her father received, he never desired to get promoted and remained a patrolman for his entire career) she enjoyed stuck with her for her entire life. She never fell victim to some of the pitfalls others get trapped in when they suddenly find themselves rich, young and famous. For the most part, she shied away from the Hollywood scene. She always wanted to star in movies, but she never wanted to be a movie star. Unlike so many who pledge a dedication to the craft, Morgan Tyler actually lived it.

Staying out of the limelight facilitated her full-time residence in Kilauea, Kaua'i, when she wasn’t working. There she maintained a very low profile existence just trying to blend in. Yes, she did hang with the likes of Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Woody Harrelson, former NBA coach Don Nelson, Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis and other celebrities, who also had homes on the Island, but only because being a star of her magnitude made it difficult to get to know those outside of the industry. Like most celebrities, she was suspicious as to why someone would want to get to know her.

She found it easier to simply enjoy friendly interaction with the locals on Kaua'i, but maintain friendships with the celebrities she also thought were beyond the glitter of L.A. when they were staying in Hawai'i.

With seemingly no enemies, and a personality which drew people to her, it was difficult to believe she was dead. Murdered in her own home.

Who and why were the questions police, friends, family, adoring fans and the entertainment industry were wanting answered. It appears Alani King Kawai might be the only person who could answer these questions and the police were about to find out what he could tell them.

King Kawai’s IQ was tested at 193.

193.

That’s higher than Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Not that anyone actually uses this test anymore. It does provide a little historical perspective about one’s intelligence, and it’s certainly worth noting the lofty score King tested at compared to such well-known people of intelligence.

King’s brain power has always been both a gift and a hindrance. It’s not like you study in school and educate yourself to an IQ score of 193. Nope. It’s something you are born with. Schooling itself can be challenging when you are five years old and already the smartest person in the school, teachers included.

King was born in Kilauea, not far from where Morgan Tyler was killed. His parents were Native Hawaiians, and they even claim royal blood with King’s Great-Great-Grandfather being a second cousin to revered King Kalākaua. That’s where King got his nickname. In fact, he got it before he was born. King’s mother loved the name Alani, a popular name for girls in Hawaii, though occasionally it is the name for a boy. King’s father was fine with Alani if they had a girl, but he wasn’t for the name at all if it was a boy.

King’s mother persisted, and the compromise was they would draw upon the family connections to the Royal Hawaiian family and give him the nickname King. On February 12, 1968, Alani King Kawai was born. True to their prenatal deal, he’s been just King ever since.

It’s a proven fact that the mind of a genius simply works differently than those of simple normal intelligence. As such, despite his high level of intelligence, King couldn’t hold a job. He got bored easily. He couldn’t keep to an 8 – 5 schedule, and he had issues with authority.

King had always dreamed of being a police officer. He actually joined the Police Academy after college in 1990. All of the previously mentioned issues factored into his inability to stick to the Academy. The final straw was a confrontation with a senior officer during class over policy and procedures outlined in the manual. King tried to show up the senior officer by quoting the most archaic rules just to show how well-versed he was in the manual. The embarrassment he caused the senior officer led to a request King be removed from the class, and he was dismissed during his probationary time.

It worked out for the best. King would have never been able to survive