Hibiscus Homicide (Maui Mayhem Cozy Mystery Book 4) Read online

  “All right. Sorry. You getting back at me for my bitching about ‘seriously’?”

  “Get on with your story,” I told him, disregarding his question.

  “Where was I?”

  “I dunno. You started to say something about Kyle and his ex-wife when they were still married.” I got that much.

  “Oh, yeah. So, the dead ... I mean ... Kyle, worked at this gun shop and he accused a coworker of stealing money. The coworker got fired and had been so humiliated and distraught by the accusation that he killed himself.”

  “Holy cow.”

  “Well, turns out they found the money. The bank deposit envelope had slipped between the cash register counter and the showcase next to it. She didn’t go into any more details than that, but she did say that the ex-coworker’s sister held a grudge and harassed Kyle with prank calls day and night.”

  “How awful that the poor man killed himself.”

  “Yeah. Theresa said that the sister was hellbent on making Kyle’s life miserable.”

  “I wonder why Kyle would implicate his coworker as having stolen the money?”

  “Beats me. Like I said, she didn’t give details.” He shrugged. “Theresa said that what happened was karma. She rambled something about Kyle paying for his sins.”

  “Wow. Good work, Reese.” I would’ve patted him on the back had my hands not been maneuvering the steering wheel.

  “I’m your Numero Uno Watson, right?”

  I swear, sometimes he and Jemma acted like two kids when it came to competition.

  “Well, after our Big Island trauma, I’m not sure I want to knock Jemma out of the running just yet.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t make that trip. I would’ve freaked.”

  One thing about Reese, he had no problem admitting to being a chicken. Acting all macho-like wasn’t him. Aside from his pathetic need to get laid, Reese was all right. The moment I met him I liked him.

  Heck, there weren’t too many people I didn’t like. A person had to be a real jerk to make me hang ‘em from a noose. Okay, I just thought of one person who fit that ... Jemma’s ex. Yup, sorry to say, I’d throw him into the volcano as sacrifice.

  “Are you and Pako gonna interview some of the people at the memorial service?”

  “Not sure.” I glanced at Reese briefly, then put my attention back on the road. “I’ll tell Pako what you said about Theresa, and Kyle’s coworker’s sister. He’ll want to check them out.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You did good, my dear Watson.” I turned and smiled at him. I’ll give him the Numero Uno Watson spot for today at least.

  He looked at me, and this time his smile spread the width of his face.

  I had made his day.

  Chapter 7

  Pako had an interview with Olivia the same day I was to meet with Yvonne, so we didn’t partner up this time with these two events.

  Since Yvonne wanted to talk business anyway, it was best that I met with her alone. Pako didn’t need to be in on all that chatter.

  “Hi,” Yvonne greeted when she opened her front door and saw me standing on her doorstep.

  I replied in kind and shot her a smile.

  She invited me in, and we sat at her kitchen table.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked.

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  Either this lady was an immaculate homemaker, or she’d recently remodeled her cabinets and granite countertop. Everything looked so pristine and white.

  I would never pick white cabinets. With the amount of cooking I did—not to mention, I was far from passionate when it came to cleaning house—they’d end up cream-colored or worse.

  We immediately got down to business discussing her catering needs for her dad’s kanreki. That didn’t take too long. She was easy to work with and left it pretty much to me to recommend a menu from the budget she could spend. No problem.

  So now, on to the other stuff ...

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like your help with something. It has nothing to do with catering,” I told her.

  She crinkled her brows. “Oh?”

  I’ll just come out and tell her the truth. “My detective friend is investigating Nani and Kyle’s case. I’m sort of helping him.” I didn’t know how else to put that. “Now, just between you and me, we think there might be more to this case than meets the eye.”

  Yvonne jerked her head back. “Really? In what way?”

  “We can’t pinpoint it yet, but there are a few clues that don’t add up. Will you help us?”

  “I don’t know how helpful I’ll be, but I’ll do my best.”

  Good. I loved people who cooperated willingly.

  “Mainly, if you can share with me what was going on with Nani. Like with her personal life. Was she having problems? Was she depressed? Her relationship with Kyle. Things like that.”

  Yvonne sat back and regarded me for a moment. “Well, you may want something to drink because you may be here for a while. How about a glass of wine?”

  I expected maybe coffee or tea or even a soft drink.

  Without waiting for an answer, she rose to her feet. “Join me in a glass?”

  Ah, the wine was what she needed.

  “Sure. But only half a glass for me,” I replied.

  She kept silent as she carried out her task. I didn’t say a word either.

  After setting my goblet on the smoked glass top, she sat down and took a sip of her wine. Before uttering a word, a sigh escaped.

  Yvonne’s eyes met mine.

  “There was a lot going on with Nani.” She paused and sighed again. “Gosh, where to begin.”

  She took another sip. “I had figured Kyle shot her after she had asked him for a divorce. The last time I had talked with her, she’d said she was going to do it soon.”

  “When was that? That you talked to her.”

  “About a week before the tragedy.”

  “Do you know the reason for the divorce? Was she unhappy with Kyle and just wanted out? Or was there someone else?” The two most obvious possibilities.

  Yvonne hesitated.

  “I’ll be telling my detective friend what you disclose to me for his investigation, but it won’t go any further than that,” I assured her. “There’s little doubt that Kyle shot Nani, but it’s not apparent Kyle killed himself.”

  She blinked hard. “You mean someone else might’ve killed Kyle?”

  “It’s still just speculation at this point, but it’s a possibility.”

  “Let’s say that was the case, then couldn’t that person have killed Nani too?”

  Interesting that she’d want to think that.

  “Yes, that’s a possibility. Is there a reason you might think Kyle didn’t shoot Nani?”

  Yvonne didn’t seem at all bitter or angry toward Kyle after what he’d done to her best friend.

  “I don’t know. I’m totally shocked and confused about the whole thing. I would never have thought something like this would happen to any of my friends.” Her eyes welled with tears. Losing someone you love was painful. I knew that well.

  She pulled a napkin from the holder that sat in the middle of the table and dabbed her eyes.

  “You asked if there was a reason Nani wanted a divorce.” Yvonne scrunched the napkin to her nose. “Well, yes, there was.”

  My ears perked.

  “Nani was having an affair with Lane Andres.”

  “Kyle’s best friend?” I said a bit too abruptly. But that info came as a surprise.

  “Yes. He did the eulogy with me at the memorial service.”

  That part I knew.

  “Did Nani say if Kyle knew about the affair? Or if she thought he might?”

  “No, she didn’t say. She and Lane were very careful though, so I doubt Kyle suspected.” Yvonne took another sip of her wine. I joined her.

  Then she shrugged and said, “But who knows?”

  “How long had they been involved?”
/>   “Maybe six months or so.” Yvonne looked at me pointedly. “I knew Kyle wasn’t the match for her, but she needed a father figure back then. Kyle was more that than a husband to her. He was twelve years her senior.”

  Then she added, “But so was Lane, although she claimed that Lane didn’t fill those shoes for her. She said they had more in common than she and Kyle did. Also Kyle wanted to control her. Like a parent would a child. She couldn’t take that.”

  Kyle ended up being too much of a father figure it seemed.

  “Is there anything else about Lane that you feel my detective friend should know?”

  “I didn’t get to know him that well. From what Nani said about him, he seemed a nice enough guy. She loved him, and I’m sure he adored her. Most men did.” From her tone of voice, that statement didn’t come from jealousy but more just a ‘matter of fact.’

  “Do you know anything about her stepson?”

  “Stevie?” Yvonne’s eyebrows scrunched. “All I know is that he had a weird crush on her.”

  “What do you mean by ‘weird’?”

  “Well, according to Nani, he kinda creeped her out.”

  “Did she say in what way?”

  “She couldn’t put a finger on exactly what it was, but more just the way she felt when around him. She’d catch him staring at her in a way that made her feel like she was naked. Nani found it disturbing.”

  “Oh my.” I could imagine how awkward and weird that would feel.

  “Other than that, she didn’t talk about Stevie much. I’ve had only one interaction with him, when we first met. Didn’t say one word to me. Not even a ‘hello.’ I chocked it up to his being a shy teenager at the time. After all these years, I know as little about Stevie as I do Lane.”

  Seemed he hadn’t changed much from his teenage years as far as my observation of him at the memorial service. Whether Stevie was shy or reclusive—or maybe the heartbreak of losing someone he had a crush on—caused him to withdraw from those around him that night.

  “I guess I should also mention that Kyle and Elisse were having a bit of a feud. Elisse probably didn’t tell you about that, right?”

  No, she didn’t. But most people wouldn’t just bring something like that up, especially with their caterer.

  “I hadn’t talked to Elisse about anything other than her catering needs. Detective Anzo will probably be interviewing her at some point soon.”

  I’m debating whether to be in on that interview. It’ll be somewhat awkward since she’s my client.

  “What were they feuding about?” I asked.

  “Nani said that it had to do with the family estate. Elisse and Kyle owned that Olinda property 50/50, and Kyle paid rent to the estate to live there. The amount was way lower than what they’d have to pay renting outside.”

  Nothing unusual about that. Siblings inheriting property who didn’t sell it right away often had arrangements of that sort if only one of them lived there. If the mortgage was paid off, all they’d have to dish out was yearly property tax and occasional maintenance.

  Yvonne continued, “Evidently, Elisse wanted to sell it, but Kyle didn’t.”

  That would indeed be cause for a rift.

  “How long had they been disputing about that?” Was it recently? Was it years?

  “Nani had only complained about their bickering within the last two months or so, so it was probably within that timeframe.”

  With her brother and sister-in-law dead, Elisse had control of the family estate. Stevie probably wouldn’t care, leaving his aunt to handle it all.

  My question now was, why would Elisse be desperate to sell? Was she having financial problems? Hmm. Seemed my catering client had secrets. But I guess ... didn’t we all?

  “I have one last question.” With everything Yvonne had told me thus far, the probability was high she’d know the answer to this too. “Was Nani’s favorite flower a pink hibiscus?”

  Yvonne ever so slightly tilted her head to one side. “Not really.”

  Interesting. I was sure it had some significance to Nani.

  “What makes you ask that?” she added.

  I couldn’t tell her I’d seen one in Nani’s ghostly hair, so I replied, “Someone left one on top of Nani’s urn. I’m thinking it was Lane.”

  “Or it could’ve been Stevie,” Yvonne said.

  Lane or Stevie. Yes, it could’ve been either of them, or even somebody else.

  One more thing crossed my mind, bringing up the pink hibiscus thing. “Did Nani have a charm bracelet?”

  “She did. In fact, I can’t think of a time she’d forgotten to wear it. That bracelet was a part of her.”

  So that charm I found must’ve belonged to Nani then.

  “Sorry. I thought I was done with the questions, but I have another.”

  “It’s fine. No problem.”

  “Did she have a pink hibiscus charm?”

  The woman drew her eyebrows together. “Not that I know of. But then again, I couldn’t tell you exactly what charms she did have. I remember a dolphin, a starfish, maybe a crab. They were more beach stuff. To tell you the truth, it was never something that interested me to the point I took inventory.” She smiled, conveying that the last bit should be taken amusingly. “Anyway, she could’ve had a hibiscus charm, but I just don’t recall seeing it.”

  Yvonne had been a tremendous help tonight with some aspects, but this puzzle was far from being solved.

  I had to go back to the Wilder home and check something out.

  Chapter 8

  “How’d your interview with Olivia go?” I asked Pako after he called to ask about Yvonne. I had just finished telling him everything she told me.

  “She pretty much said the same things Reese told you. She admitted to harassing Kyle Wilder after what happened to her brother. She’s one bitter woman.” Pako made it sound as though he were glad his name wasn’t on that woman’s hit list.

  “Did you get the feeling she did more than harass him?”

  “Nah. This woman might be sour but I doubt she murdered anybody. She had crucifixes on the walls with paintings of Jesus all over the place.”

  What did that have to do with anything?

  “Hey, look at the mafia. They’re super religious yet they commit crimes all the time,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know. But I just didn’t get the feeling she’d be capable of murder. Another thing was, I could’ve picked this woman up with one hand and tossed her like a baseball. She was frail. Even to the point she might have an illness. Unless she had help, there’s no way she’d be able to carry out this murder.”

  Pako’s intuition about people was usually spot on. Of course, he’s human and has been wrong a few times, but being a detective for many years has fine-tuned his knack for reading people.

  “Did she say why Kyle was so quick to accuse her brother of a crime?” I asked.

  “She thinks jealously and wanting to get him fired. She said according to her brother, Kyle never liked him.”

  Could that have truly been the case, or just her and her brother’s suppositions? Well, only Kyle knew that answer, and he took it to his grave.

  “Okay, so she’s on the bottom of the list then. But we shouldn’t rule her out completely. At least not at this point in time.”

  We’ve had some surprises in the past so unless the person had a spotless alibi—like being in the Bahamas at the time of the murder—they were still a suspect in my book until the case was solved.

  “I need to go back to the Wilder home,” I told Pako. “There’s something we missed there. And I should talk to Nani’s ghost again after all this new info we got.”

  “Okay. I got time today after three. Meet me at the station and I’ll take you up there.”

  “Sounds good.”

  * * *

  “Look here, Pako,” I said after I found the answer to one of my questions I had come back for. “You see all these photos of Nani?”

  I hadn’t bothered to check ou
t the framed photos around the house when we first visited, but they were the main attraction on my menu this time.

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Look at her wrist.”

  I watched his eyes zoom in on the photos of Nani posing like a model. They, along with a few others, were displayed on the black Yamaha upright piano standing against the living room wall. Seemed a lot of people, my family included, used their piano as a photo gallery at some point.

  “Huh,” he said in a puffed-out breath. “She’s wearing a charm bracelet.”

  “Exactly! It’s just as Yvonne said. She always wore it.”

  Oops, I forgot to mention that part to Pako when I gave him the summation of what Yvonne told me.

  “So that charm you found must belong to her.” Another good deduction by the detective. “The question now is ... what was it doing out on the grounds?”

  Pako had his own conjectures waiting in the wings, but I jumped in with ...

  “Either it fell off her bracelet at some point before her death and she considered it lost, or on the day of the Wilders’ deaths somebody took it off her charm bracelet and accidentally dropped it as they made their escape.”

  “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” I thought Pako was about to slap me on the back like he would his male buddies. He never did, though. Guess he didn’t think that’s the kind of thing you do to your female buddies. Good thing too because the force of the blow would launch my heart clear out through my mouth.

  “I need to conjure up Nani’s ghost,” I said, looking around, thinking she might just show up on her own. But she didn’t.

  “You gonna ask her if she lost the charm?”

  “Yeah, that and a few other things. Also, I want to see if she had her charm bracelet on her. I don’t recall seeing it the first time I talked to her.”

  Pako’s eyes got wider. “We didn’t admit any charm bracelet into evidence. She wasn’t wearing it when we found her body.”

  Okay, that was a huge hole in our puzzle to fill, and of importance.

  “If the perp took the bracelet, how would that pink hibiscus charm end up on the ground outside?”