Unknown Victim

by Kay Hadashi

  He looked at her face, giving her a close scrutiny. “Your face looks good.”

  “As compared to?”

  “The last time I saw you when you were hiding a shiner with makeup.”

  She touched her eyelid. “Back to normal. Is that why you came here today?”

  “I have a few updates on the recent murders.”

  She led him into the kitchen, and after giving him something to drink, started chopping vegetables for the minestrone. “Danny and Chuck? Have they officially been classified as murders?”

  He nodded. “The evidence is solid that Chuck was the one who killed Danny. That comes from a witness that came forward during the week, telling me how Chuck had mentioned on at least two occasions that he was going to kill Danny.”

  “What was his motive?” Gina asked.

  “Simply to shut him up. Danny had been threatening to come to the police about Chuck’s operation at Bunzo’s, and was trying to pry hush money out of him to keep quiet. But Chuck never paid, and when Danny kept threatening, Chuck took care of him once and for all.”

  “Okay, I can see that. But who dumped his body on my front porch?”

  “Chuck did, or at least someone wearing his shoes. We found a pair of sneakers in his home that matched perfectly with the shoe prints found in the soft dirt, all the way from the bridge to the porch, and then back again. The shoes even had remnants of the same dirt in the treads as what’s found here. We also found the empty bottle of Tuyo beer in the recycling bin at his home, with both his and Danny’s fingerprints on it.”

  “And you think Danny kept the bottle cap, simply as a clue to someone if he was found dead?” Gina asked.

  “Maybe Danny thought his days were limited, not because of his cancer, but because he was afraid someone was out to get him dead first.”

  “It sounds like Chuck was trying to hide evidence by tossing the bottle away at home,” Gina said. “Is there a way of matching the bottle cap from Danny’s pocket to the bottle found at Chuck’s place?”

  “I asked a technician to look into that, but even microscopically, there was nothing definitive.” Kona flipped to a new page on his yellow pad. “We did find Danny’s prints inside Chuck’s home, along with a small spot of blood on the carpeting that matches Danny’s. Oddly, the furniture had been rearranged in the living room, and a couch had been placed over the blood stain.”

  “How do you know the furniture had been moved recently?” she asked.

  “There were still the old dents in the carpeting from the original placement.”

  “Good enough for me,” Gina said.

  “One more thing. Since some of the homeless people have been moving back into Kapalama Park, I was able to talk to a few of them. One woman in particular remembered Danny having a heated argument with a man that matches Chuck’s description in the last couple of days before he was killed.”

  “Would it have been good enough to take to the DA if Chuck were still alive?” she asked.

  “Should’ve been. Means, motive, and opportunity. Physical evidence of Danny having some sort of injury in Chuck’s home, Chuck’s shoeprints in the dirt at the scene of the crime, and eyewitnesses to the vic and the perp arguing just before the crime was committed.”

  “Was there an ice pick in Chuck’s home?” Gina asked.

  “Yes, but it had a round cross section rather than square. That would’ve been the last piece of evidence to wrap up that investigation. Unfortunately, it’ll remain open for a while yet.”

  “What about Chuck’s murder?”

  “That’s going to be tough. There’re probably a dozen women just at Bunzo’s that wanted to stick him with a knife or swing a barstool at his head. I spent a few evenings there this week, asking around. Every girl I talked to was able to point to a scar on her body they attributed to Chuck.”

  “What about alibis?” Gina asked.

  “All of them had an alibi for the night he got whacked, that they were on dates, or in another bar with each other. I ran down some of the alibis, and for what I could find, they checked out, at least as well as any other alibi that a prostitute has even given me.”

  “What about Harry?”

  “At home watching on-demand pornos for most of the night, and I was able to verify that with his cable provider.”

  “More believable story than saying he was watching Disney videos.” Gina put everything into the kettle and added the chicken stock to simmer. “Just so you know, I had a couple of long heart to heart talks with Clara this week. I learned a few interesting tidbits that’ll help your investigation.”

  While Gina continued to prepare the minestrone, she filled in Detective Kona with what she’d learned from Clara, who it turned out still had a few friends in her old workplace.

  “That settles it,” he said, putting away his yellow pad. “Time for an arrest. I just need to find our perp.”

  “I have an idea about that, too,” Gina said before filling him in on her idea.

  “Is that something you’re making for your dinner?” he asked once he agreed to her plan. He’d gone to the counter to watch what she was doing.

  She was preparing dried pasta for boiling, to add to the soup later. “I’m working on a summer minestrone recipe. Every Sunday, I try something a little different. This week, I’m taking some to a friend.”

  “Oh.” Kona sat down again. “Someone from church?”

  “No.” With her back turned to him, Gina smiled to herself, wondering if her little suspicion was right about him visiting that day. “For Mister Tanizawa.”

  “Which one?”

  “Actually, for both Bunzo and for Kenzo. I get the idea they don’t get much home cooking unless someone brings it to them.”

  Detective Kona stood. “There’s a background story in there that I’d love to hear some time.”

  “It’s a great story, and involves minestrone. I have time to tell you about this evening, if you like? Or maybe you’d rather run down some evidence instead?”

  He shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Tonight?”

  “Yeah, tonight.”

  “Yes, we could, um…”

  Gina decided to save him from the chore all men went through. “I haven’t been to Waikiki yet. I’ve only driven past it once. Is that something people do here? Go for a walk on the beach in the evening?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I just need to let this simmer for a while and then take it to the Tanizawas,” Gina said. “Then I have a tennis date later this afternoon. You don’t happen to play tennis, do you?”

  “I tried once,” Detective Kona said. “I either hit the ball into the net, or it was a grand slam over the fence. I spent more time chasing balls than hitting them.”

  There was one thing that had been bothering Gina about Harry, Chuck, and Danny. Maybe it meant something, maybe it was nothing, but Gina had to follow it through. She got her phone and called the Tanizawa house where Bunzo lived with his son, Kenzo. She gave Kona the job of stirring the noodles into the soup while she made a call to Kenzo.

  “Hullo?”

  “Kenzo, this is Gina.” She told him her made-up story of making too much minestrone and wanted to bring them some. “Would in an hour be okay?”

  “Almost time for lunch. We’ll wait for you.”

  “One other thing. Maybe you could have Harry come? He said something last week about wanting to try it.”

  “His day off. I’ll call him.”

  Gina had to be sneaky now. “Have him bring Holly with him.”

  “Why?”

  “She was interesting. I’d like to talk with her again.”

  “Not interesting to us.”

  “I think she will be today,” Gina said, before ending the call.

  “What’s this about Holly?” Detective Kona asked.

  “You’ll see.” Gina put most of her minestrone in a Tupperware and sealed it up. She decided to keep on her church clothes for the visit to the Tanizawa’s
house. “You’re taking me there, by the way.”

  “What are you up to, Miss Santoro?”

  “You’ll see.” She buckled into the front seat of his sedan, holding the container of soup on her lap. “Is there any way at all possible that you could call me Gina?”

  “Once the investigation is done, yes. But only if you call me Michael.”

  Kenzo was waiting at the front door for them when Gina and Detective Kona arrived. When they went inside, Harry was waiting impatiently, with Holly by his side. She wasn’t any happier about being there than he was, and made the point by flashing a scowl at Gina.

  After visiting with Bunzo in his bedroom for a few minutes, Gina instructed Kenzo on how to reheat the soup. While he was distracted with that in the kitchen, and Bunzo waited in his bedroom, Gina maneuvered Harry, Holly, and Detective Kona to the patio. She shut the door behind them so the others couldn’t hear.

  Gina set her eyes on Harry. “Roll up your sleeves.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I want to see your forearms.”

  “I’m no user!”

  “Miss Santoro, why are we doing this?” Kona asked.

  “Just bear with me for a moment. Harry, show us your arms.”

  He slid up the sleeves of his long-sleeved T-shirt. The scabbed-over injury she’d seen on him the week before was nearly gone, replaced by a long, pink scar.

  “How’d you get that scar?” Gina demanded.

  “It’s nothing. Just something that happened at work. It’s all healed up.”

  Holly made a move toward the patio door into the house, but Kona blocked her departure.

  “Baloney. You got that from Danny, didn’t you?”

  “Danny who? I know half a dozen Dannies.”

  “Don’t try and bluff me, Harry. You know which Danny I mean. He tried to knife you, but his crappy little pocketknife couldn’t do much more than gouge your arm. Is that when you stabbed him with the ice pick?”

  “That wasn’t me. You have to believe me.”

  “I’m the one that needs to believe you, Harry,” Detective Kona said. He now had Holly’s arm locked in his grip.

  “Okay, we had a fight, more of an argument, and he got me with that stupid knife he carried around. I was more worried about getting tetanus from that than bleeding to death. But I didn’t spike him.”

  “Do you know who did?” Kona asked.

  Harry’s eyes shifted back and forth, looking from one person to another. “I dunno.”

  “What did you argue about?” Gina asked.

  “He came to me one day with this story about how the nighttime bartenders were running a prostitution ring out of my bar in the evenings. I called him a liar, he said I was stupid, and I told him to get lost and not come back. Maybe there was some pushing and shoving to get him out the door of my bar, and that’s when he gouged me. He left, and I never saw him again.”

  “What day was that?” Kona asked.

  “Saturday, two weeks ago yesterday. But I’m telling you, I didn’t spike him.”

  “What he told you about the bar was true, Harry,” Gina said. “Chuck had been running a prostitution ring out of there for months. Danny had been also, until Chuck stole his girls and shut down his business. That’s why Danny had been hanging around the bar. He’d been trying to get hush money out of Chuck, to not to go to the police.”

  “I knew there were girls getting picked up. I never knew it had gotten so big.”

  “There’s something else you need to know.” Gina looked at Holly, who was wearing the face of anger by now. “Holly, you want to tell him or should I?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “She’s been working for Chuck, and before him, Danny.”

  “Say what?”

  “Surprise!” Gina said with a chuckle. “Holly, where were you last Sunday night, after closing time at Harry’s bar?”

  “Me?”

  “You’ve been on my radar for several days,” Detective Kona told her.

  Holly tried pulling her arm away from his grip. “Shove your radar!”

  “Thanks, but not today. My CSI teams have collected several of your prints from Chuck’s apartment, and from the seat of a barstool at Bunzo’s. From that same stool, we found DNA and hair that match Chuck’s. From near as I can tell, you talked your way back into the bar after closing to have some sort of meeting with Chuck. He would’ve let you in because you were one of his girls. Maybe the meeting got heated, or maybe you just cold-cocked him with the stool, I don’t know. The evidence I have now has a barstool in your hands, with DNA and hair from the victim on that stool, and a dent in the back of his head that matches that of the stool leg.”

  Holly tried wrestling away from his grip again. “Let me go!”

  “Holly, what’s your real name?” Gina asked the girl, now writhing in Detective Kona’s grip like a snake.

  Once again, she got the same two-word reply she always got from Holly.

  “It’s Lisa, isn’t it?”

  “How do you know that?” Holly hissed.

  “You know all those other girls in Chuck’s corral, all your old workmates? Guess what? Not a single one of them likes you. In fact, they all ratted you out this week.”

  “Rat on me for what?”

  “It seems you’ve been bragging to the other girls about how you got rid of Chuck, once and for all. News like that makes it way through the neighborhood pretty fast, Lisa.”

  This time, the curses placed on Gina were conjugated in peculiar, and personal, ways.

  “Not today, thanks. You’re not my type,” Gina said, smiling at the girl. She looked at Harry, who looked like he was turning inside-out over the revelations about his girlfriend. “You were the one who whacked me in the head that night at the park, weren’t you?”

  “It wasn’t me, honest. But I think I know who it was.”

  “Why didn’t you come forward earlier?” Kona asked him.

  “There’s been so much trouble at the bar lately. I’m about to lose my liquor license. I can’t afford any more police reports going through the system.”

  “Who was it?” Gina demanded.

  “Just some bar patron that knew Hughes. Chuck didn’t trust Hughes, and sent the other guy out to keep an eye on Holly, to make sure she got back to the bar.”

  “But he found me already there helping Holly, right?” Gina asked.

  Harry nodded with sadness on his face.

  “Was he the one who put a bullet in Hughes’s head?” Detective Kona asked.

  Harry nodded again. “That’s what I heard. By then, Hughes was high as a kite, and the guy took him for a ride and got rid of him.”

  “A ride to the Ala Wai Marina?” Kona asked.

  “I don’t know where, just that Hughes got a bullet put in his head. Good riddance, if you ask me.”

  “Why?” Gina asked.

  “Worst bartender ever. Clueless when it came to blender drinks, and those are the ones with the highest profit margin.”

  “Are you willingly coming downtown to make a witness statement, or do I need to haul you in?” Kona asked Harry.

  “I’ll come.”

  “What about her?” Gina asked, nodding at Holly.

  Detective Kona reached behind his back for a set of handcuffs. “Lisa Oshima, you’re under arrest for the murder of Charles Andover. There may be further charges in the murder of a man named Danny.”

  When Kona took Holly, Ivy, Rose, or Lisa to his car for the trip downtown, Harry followed in his car. Once they were gone, Gina tried to smile apologetically to Kenzo, who had been watching from the patio door.

  “Sorry you had to see that, and in your home.”

  “Glad to see her go,” Kenzo said quietly. “Should’ve taken that guy to jail with her.”

  “Why? He’s your brother.”

  “Half-brother. Other half is no good, I tell you.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Gina followed her nose to the kitchen and spooned minestrone into t
hree bowls. “I have a question, Kenzo. Who watches over your father when you’re working on the house?”

  “You met Reiko earlier, yah?”

  “The pretty one? I think she’s married to Brad, right?”

  Kenzo nodded. “Another half-sister. She’s a nurse. Works night shift at the hospital, and stops in to stay with him while I’m at the house.”

  “She’s Harry’s sister? They don’t look like each other at all,” Gina said.

  “Another mother.”

  “Wow. Your father really…never mind. Sorry.”

  Kenzo shrugged. “No matter. He likes women.”

  “I have the idea women like him, too.”

  She took two bowls of minestrone with her into Bunzo’s bedroom, with Kenzo remaining behind in the kitchen to eat his.

  “Fresh summer minestrone for you, Mister Tanizawa!” she said, setting the bowl in front of Bunzo.

  “Thank you,” he said quietly.

  “My pleasure. I enjoyed cooking it.”

  “No. Thank you for taking her away.”

  “You heard us talking?” she asked.

  He nodded in the direction of the wall. “Window was open.”

  Gina chuckled. “Again, my pleasure. Now, it’s time for hanashi-banashi. Did I say it right?”

  He gave her a thumbs-up.

  Gina smiled, happy her little plan was working out so well. “Tell me about the girl in Italy again. I want to hear all about her.”

  About The Author

  Kay Hadashi

  Kay Hadashi is the author of more than forty mystery, suspense, and adventure books, with women as main characters. Most stories are set in the Hawaiian Islands, and include Hawaiian and Japanese themes and characters. Please visit her website at kayhadashi.com.

  Other Series by Kay Hadashi

  June Kato Intrigue

  Island Breeze

  Melanie Kato Adventures

  Maui Mysteries

  Maile Spencer Mysteries

  Honolulu Thrillers

  Gina Santoro Mysteries

  Visit Kay Hadashi at Amazon