Wings in the Dark

by Michael Murphy

  Laura took my hand. “Darling, I’m sorry about what Landon and Reggie did to you.”

  I shrugged. “They’re just doing their jobs.”

  “Remember the other morning on our bike ride? How worried I was about the danger of Amelia’s long-distance flight? I never could’ve expected this.”

  As angry as I was with Stoddard and Reggie, I knew they’d do their best to keep Amelia safe.

  As we stepped outside, I glanced up at angry gray clouds in the evening sky. “Maybe rain will postpone the flight.”

  “We can’t just give up.”

  “Sure we can.”

  Stoddard and Reggie were waiting beside the black convertible. The Brit was evaluating the polish on his shoes, but Stoddard met my gaze. “I’m sorry, Jake. My boss gave me orders to make sure Amelia Earhart’s flight takes off on time.”

  “I got that.” I opened the rear door for Laura. “If you’re going to ensure Amelia’s safety, one of you should stay behind, don’t you think?”

  Stoddard nodded. “I’ll drive you back to your hotel.”

  As Reggie headed toward the plane, where Amelia stood with her husband and Billy, Stoddard climbed in the front seat, started the car, and turned on the headlights. We drove away in silence.

  As we left Wheeler Field, a car pulled behind us.

  I glanced out the back window. The driver wasn’t even trying to hide the fact they were following us. Before I could alert Stoddard, the passenger set a dome on top of the car. A red flashing light came from the dome. “Cops.”

  Stoddard pulled over and shut off the engine.

  I smiled at Laura. “Maybe Stoddard’s a suspect in Kalua’s murder.”

  Laura didn’t look happy. “That’s not funny.”

  An officer came to the driver’s window. Another stood ten feet away, with one hand on his gun. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

  Stoddard gripped the wheel. “Of course, Officer. What seems to be the problem?”

  Without answering Stoddard, he looked at me. “Are you Jake Donovan?”

  “I am.”

  The officer yanked open the rear door. “Come with us.”

  Chapter 21

  Truth and Lies

  For Laura’s sake, I struggled to remain calm as the officers drove us downtown without so much as a hint of why we were in the backseat of a cop car. Laura kept up a running conversation with both. Within the first couple of miles, she knew their names, their marital status, and the names of their kids.

  I’d gathered plenty of information on potential suspects in Kalua’s murder, but the day turned when Stoddard and Reggie double-crossed me. They left me dangling over a cliff when I recommended Amelia’s flight be postponed. If anything happened to her, I’d blame myself for not being able to convince her and her husband of the danger she faced from an unknown assassin.

  It was dark by the time we pulled into the police station. As we climbed out of the car, I took Laura’s hand, and we made our way to the front entrance, which was flanked by two potted palms decorated with Christmas lights. Welcome to jail.

  The officers escorted Laura and me down a tiled corridor to an open doorway. Detective Tanaka sat at his desk in a spacious office, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. His suit coat lay draped over a credenza, his tie was loosened, and the collar of his white shirt was unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up his arms.

  The detective dismissed the officers and gestured toward two chairs in front of his desk. “Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, thank you for coming.”

  Thank you for coming? “Your officers didn’t make it sound like an invitation, Detective.”

  Laura looked like she’d dropped into an old friend’s parlor. She picked up a framed photo on his desk. Tanaka, a wife, and two kids around ten or so. “You have a lovely family, Mr. Tanaka. It must be positively delightful to grow up in Hawaii.”

  “We love the Islands.”

  Enough of the chitchat. Why were we here, and when could we leave?

  Laura set the frame back on the desk. “Tanaka, is that Japanese?”

  “My grandfather on my father’s side came here in 1870.”

  When the monarchy ruled Hawaii.

  Tanaka tugged on his shirt collar. He slid a pad of paper and a fountain pen toward Laura. “Would you mind signing an autograph…for my wife? When I mentioned we’d met, she…well, she insisted.”

  An autograph! Tanaka sent a patrol car to pick us up so he could get my wife’s autograph? The day was getting crazier every minute.

  Laura picked up the pen and paper. “I’d be delighted. What’s your wife’s name?”

  “Alani.”

  “How lovely.” Gracious as usual, Laura wrote more than a paragraph before signing her name. She handed him the autograph and the pen. “Is that why you wanted to see us?”

  Tanaka chuckled. “Of course not.”

  Then get on with it. I hadn’t eaten all day, and after the betrayal by Stoddard and Reggie, I could use a drink.

  Tanaka slipped the autograph into his pocket. “Fanny Chandler clammed up after we took her into custody. This morning she insisted on talking to you, Miss Wilson.”

  “Me?” Laura pointed to herself.

  Tanaka nodded. “It seems you’re the only one she trusts.”

  People often reacted to Laura that way, but I hadn’t been too rough on Fanny. If she didn’t want to talk to the cops, why not me? “I’m trustworthy. Why doesn’t she want to talk to me?”

  Laura pinched my cheek. “Not every dame is captivated by your charm, darling. It only seems that way.”

  Tanaka rolled down his sleeves. He slipped into his suit coat and gestured toward the door. “I hope you can get her to talk, Miss Wilson.”

  He led us down the hall and pointed to a closed door with a brass plate reading EXAMINATION ROOM 2, like some kind of doctor’s office.

  I held up one hand. Laura was about to enter a room alone with a possible killer. “You sure you want to do this?”

  Laura cocked her head. “You think I can’t? So far you’ve had most of the fun. Now it’s my turn.”

  Fun? “It might get heated in there. Fanny’s backed into a corner and for some reason thinks you might be her way out.”

  Laura grinned. “I can handle myself, darling, but if things get rough, don’t worry about my safety, worry about Fanny’s.”

  “Tanaka and I will be in the next room.”

  Laura winked. “Let’s get this show started.”

  Tanaka opened the door and Laura went inside.

  The room next to the examination room was dimly lit with two stools in front of a two-way mirror showing the room where Fanny, in a black-and-white-striped prisoner uniform, rose to greet Laura. She didn’t resemble Amelia Earhart’s mechanic, or the girl next door we’d visited in her apartment, just any other prisoner arrested for murder. “Thank you for coming, Miss Wilson. I didn’t think you would.”

  Laura patted the woman’s hand as if Fanny was her best friend. She was playing a role, like she was on Broadway or in front of a Hollywood camera. “Of course I’d come. I don’t like seeing women in jail.”

  Tears glistened in Fanny’s eyes. “An innocent woman.”

  Laura sat across from her and patted Fanny’s hand. “Why’d you ask to talk to me?”

  “At my apartment, I felt you and I had a few things in common when it came to men.”

  “I admire your skill and determination to achieve success in a man’s world, but I don’t think we have much in common regarding men.”

  “I have to get a few things off my chest, but before I start, you have to believe me. I didn’t kill Hank.” She dabbed tears with the tissue.

  “I believe you.”

  Her voice trembled. “When we first got involved, I was flattered.” She let out a sigh and sounded a little calmer. “I appreciated the gifts and the dough he slipped me. He was such an important man in Hawaii. I thought I could use his interest to fund my own high-profile flights and
make some money, so I told him about some of the flying races I’d won.”

  “Why did you think you could get him to do that?”

  Fanny smiled. “I was a nickel-a-dance girl, barely twenty, when I first realized how easy married men are to manipulate. I know you know what I’m talking about.”

  Laura’s face reddened. She squeezed the edges of the table like she might snap it in two. “I’ve never been involved with a married man.”

  “Okay, maybe not married men, but with your looks, you’ve been with plenty of men, right?”

  Laura took a deep breath to regain her composure. “Let’s talk about you.”

  Fanny glanced toward the two-way mirror and nodded. “I get it. Sorry. I wasn’t entirely honest with you and your husband when you came to my apartment.”

  Laura took a quick glance at me through the mirror. “We suspected as much.”

  “Hank did come see me the night of the murder and we…well, we, you know.”

  “I get the picture.”

  “Afterward, I dozed off. When I woke up, he was in the next room on the phone. He spoke in almost a whisper, but I overheard him talking about meeting at Amelia’s hangar.”

  “You think he was talking to his wife?”

  “I think it was someone else.”

  Beside me, Tanaka hadn’t spoken a word. From his blank expression, I had no idea whether he was swallowing Fanny’s story or not.

  Fanny blinked away tears. “Anyway, last night in the hangar, your husband noticed he was decked out in a tailored suit and freshly polished shoes. He wasn’t wearing that suit when he dropped by earlier, and his shoes looked like they hadn’t been shined in a week. He must’ve gone home and changed before going out again.”

  “So, after he left your apartment, you went back to the hangar.”

  Laura was asking all the questions I needed answers to.

  Beside me, Tanaka was watching intently. “Your wife’s a pro. If she ever decides to give up acting, she can come work for me.”

  In the next room, Fanny stared at her nails. “Not right away. I was upset about the phone call. It was the first time I realized Hank kept secrets from me. Until then I thought I was his secret. Ain’t that something?” Fanny dabbed her eyes again.

  “Go on.”

  “I didn’t know if he was talking to his wife or some other dame he was meeting at the hangar. So I had another drink then took a shower. I changed into my overalls and drove to Wheeler Field. If I hadn’t had those two drinks, I might’ve gotten there in time to save him.”

  Laura shook her head. “No, Fanny, whoever killed Kalua would have killed you too.”

  “I…I never thought about that.” She smiled. “You’re very kind.”

  Laura glanced toward the window as if wondering what further to ask. “Anything else?”

  Fanny nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure his brother shot him.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Ihe hated Hank. When their old man died, Hank inherited everything and Ihe got nothing. They barely talked after that.”

  “But they must’ve patched things up.”

  “Hank mentioned that a few months ago he received a phone call from his brother, inviting him to meet at the Kana Bar. They met a few times and worked things out. Hank put Ihe in charge of the plantation while he concentrated on the other businesses he considered more important.”

  “If they patched things up, why would Ihe shoot him?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t think Ihe ever really forgave him. I think he wanted to meet with Hank to try and talk him out of financing Amelia’s flight. After the will was read, Ihe lived in this small shack with a few chickens on the other side of the plantation, while Hank enjoyed the comfort of the family mansion his old man left him. But, most of all, Ihe didn’t like the way Hank cozied up to Americans, and when he and his two business associates ponied up ten thousand bucks to the first person to fly the Pacific, that was the last straw.”

  Laura was doing a good job, but I wished I was in there to ask some questions.

  Laura stared at Fanny. No doubt, like me, she was wondering whether the woman was telling the truth. “And you think…”

  “I think Hank was talking to Ihe in my apartment. I think Ihe asked Hank to meet him at the hangar. He shot him and wanted to make it look like Amelia pulled the trigger.”

  Laura nodded.

  Fanny shrugged. “That’s it. That’s what I wanted to get off my chest.”

  Laura gave Fanny a hug and went to the door.

  “Miss Wilson…”

  “What is it?”

  “If you see Billy…” Fanny stared at the tissue in her hand. “Tell him I’m sorry.”

  “Of course.”

  I glanced at Tanaka. “What do you think, Detective?”

  “Who’s Billy?”

  “Putnam’s personal secretary.”

  “Oh, the kid. She was involved with him too? Damn. That cinches it. I didn’t believe a word she said in there.”

  She’d convinced me.

  Laura stepped into the room. “How’d I do?”

  I kissed her cheek. “You were fabulous, as always.”

  Laura clutched my arm. “Jake, she didn’t kill Hank. I think she might’ve actually loved the guy.”

  Love? I wouldn’t go that far. Fanny loved his dough and his power. She saw him as her own George Putnam. “Detective Tanaka doesn’t share your impression.”

  Laura threw her arms in the air. “Were you even listening?”

  “Let’s go to my office.”

  We headed to Tanaka’s office and went inside.

  When Tanaka entered, I tried my best to convince him. “The case against Fanny is purely circumstantial—the gun in her kitchen and the secrecy, but dames are like that.” I smiled at Laura. “Present company excepted. She admits part of the allure was his generosity. I think Fanny’s telling the truth.”

  Tanaka took a seat at the table in the corner. “The day before Kalua was killed, Fanny deposited five hundred bucks into her bank account. The teller said she handed over five hundred-dollar bills.”

  Laura blew out a breath. “Five hundred bucks? That’s more than I made for my first Broadway play.”

  A lot of dough for an aircraft mechanic. “If Kalua gave her the money, then why kill the goose that laid the golden egg?” I asked.

  Tanaka ran a hand over his weary face. “If Fanny Chandler didn’t kill her boyfriend, who do you think did?”

  “She makes a good case against Ihe.”

  Tanaka shook his head. “I know the man. I don’t think he’s capable or hated his brother. He resented him over the inheritance, sure, and his loyalty to Americans, but not enough to kill him.”

  “If Fanny didn’t shoot Kalua, Amelia Earhart’s life is still in danger. Ever heard of the Japanese spy Kitsune?”

  Tanaka furrowed his brow. “I know the name from some army buddies. What makes you think he’s in Hawaii?”

  “Let’s just say I have reason to believe he is. The Japanese don’t want Americans to fly across the Pacific. The way Kalua was shot suggests to me someone professional, not a lover, who would tend to empty the gun into a lover’s chest.”

  Tanaka tugged at his brow, looking skeptical. “Three shots were fired, one missed.”

  “A real pro wouldn’t make it appear to be a professional job.”

  Laura added, “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, Detective, but if Kitsune is your murderer, you might assign a few men to provide security for Amelia and to guard her plane until she takes off.”

  Tanaka ran a hand over his jaw. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Think about it?” Was he crazy? I couldn’t just stand by quietly. “Think about your career if you arrested the wrong person and Kalua’s real murderer kills Amelia Earhart.”

  Laura tugged on my arm. “Darling, calm down.”

  I did need to calm down. I needed sleep and something to eat. I needed a drink, a st
rong one. “I don’t suppose you have anything to drink?”

  Tanaka smiled. “This isn’t Queens, Mr. Donovan. I can get you a cup of coffee.”

  “That’s okay. There’s still some champagne waiting for us at our cabana.”

  Tanaka escorted us to the hallway. At the entrance to the lobby, Hunter Conway was talking to a well-built dame in a tight red dress. With a look of surprise, he nodded to me then tipped his hat to the woman and disappeared into the lobby.

  Tanaka wrinkled his brow. “You two friends?”

  “Not really.”

  Laura slipped her arm in mine. “Ever since Conway told Jake about his parents getting murdered, Jake has softened up. My husband’s a sucker for a sob story.”

  “His murdered-parents story?” Tanaka laughed. “If I had a buck for every sap who swallowed that story…Sorry, Jake. Conway’s parents are very much alive and live in Arizona. He came to Hawaii ten years ago after graduating from UCLA. He’ll say or do anything to get a scoop.”

  I couldn’t believe the reporter tagged me as a gullible sap. I felt like a complete fool.

  We reached the lobby, and Conway was nowhere in sight.

  Pete, Tanaka’s partner, came in with a man in tow. The man was in his mid-forties, wore a fancy blue pin-striped suit, and was freshly shaved. “Look who I found, Detective, Lyle Benedict.”

  Benedict, one of the men who put up the ten grand, shook free of Pete’s grip and glared at Tanaka. “Do you know who I am?”

  Pete didn’t care who the man was. He shoved the businessman forward. “Nice threads, don’t you think? Doesn’t look like something one would wear fishing.”

  Tanaka thumbed toward the hallway. “Take him into my office. Jake, Laura, care to join us?”

  Chapter 22

  A Fishy Story

  Pete was younger and clearly less experienced than Tanaka, and he wasn’t as polished and calm. I liked that in the man. He escorted Lyle Benedict into Tanaka’s office. He shoved him into a seat at the corner table and uncuffed him.

  Benedict straightened his suit coat. “I’d like the wine list, please.”

  “Cut the crap, wise guy.” Pete’s lip curled in disgust.

  Benedict pulled out a small notepad and pen from his suit coat pocket. “Is this going to take long, ’cause my wife expected me an hour ago.”