I emailed back and thanked her, and said we would continue with the investigation.
The next thing we did was go to the Police Department to talk to the officer who was working on the murder of Chas Baker. It took a while, but we were eventually introduced to Detective Larry Chen. He was new at this precinct, which was a blessing to us. He was happy to work with us and said he needed all the help he could get. He mentioned that so far they had nothing to go on, but it was still early, as the murder was just a few hours old.
We shared with him our involvements, explaining that we were pretty sure the victim was the person who was blackmailing our client. We also mentioned about Nick Lang, Nadia’s fiancé, and his disappearance. We assured Detective Larry Chen that as far as we knew it had nothing to do with the murder, but Nick was also working on a blackmailing case with a law firm on Oahu.
Larry said he would look into it and give us any information he could come up with, and to give him a couple of days.
We left the station having no more information than when we arrived, wondering where the investigation would take us. When we got back to the Fern Grotto Hotel, Leilani the receptionist, told us someone had been looking for Mr. Baker.
I asked, “Did he say who he was, or why he was looking for Baker?”
“No, he didn’t give me his name or any other information. He asked if I did hear from Mr. Baker, would I kindly tell him his partner was looking for him. I, of course, said I would. I asked him for his phone number, but he said, ‘No need, Chas knows it by heart. We’ve been partners for over thirty years.’ And then the news came through of Mr. Smith’s murder at the Paradise Hotel, but he couldn’t have known about it.”
We thanked her and then went up to our room. Both of us wondered out loud if it was possible that there were two blackmailers, instead of just one.
Kat said, “Yes, very possible, but whoever this partner is, I’m sure he doesn’t know that Chas Baker has been murdered. I wonder if Leilani can give us a description of what he looks like.”
I called the reception desk. “Aloha, Fern Grotto Hotel. This is Leilani. How may I help you?”
“Aloha Leilani, this is Kit Jones. You’re just the one I wanted to talk to. Can you give me a description of the person who was asking about Mr. Baker?”
“Yes of course. When he asked for Mr. Chas Baker I knew you would want to know more about him, so I’ve been looking at the security camera recordings. Unfortunately our cameras are quite high and the visitor was wearing a large floppy hat. There’s no clear view of his face, so I’ve been writing everything down that I could remember about him.”
“You’re an angel. We’ll come by and pick it up. Will you be at your desk the rest of the day?”
“I’ll be leaving in about two hours. I can bring it up to you if you like.”
“No, that’s okay, we’ll pick it up on the way out. If we miss you, would you please put it in an envelope with our name on it?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“Thanks, Leilani. We’ll try and pick it up before you leave.”
Chapter 8
An hour and a half later we picked up the description from Leilani at the front desk. She was very friendly and helpful. She appeared excited about helping us. Leilani said she felt like she was being a private detective herself. By the way, she always looked nice in her Hawaiian attire: muu muu, flowers in her hair, and always with a great big smile.
The description of the visitor was detailed, but it described a few dozen other men. What we needed was a picture of him like the one we had of Chas Baker to send to our client. But no way could we figure out how that could possibly come about, unless of course he called again, and the hotel had lowered their security cameras in the reception area!
I did wonder if the choice of hat was deliberate, to avoid being identified on the cameras. It would be asking too much to get Leilani to take a picture using her phone. Besides, it would raise the visitor’s suspicions, and Leilani might lose her job.
Leilani did say he reminded her of the short guy with the big eyes in the movie Casablanca. Being big fans of the Turner Classic Movies, we knew exactly who she meant: the wonderful Peter Lorre. She also said the big floppy hat was red, with a black band. That was a really useful piece of information, and might be of great help when we asked at other hotels.
Leilani said she thought maybe our mystery man was staying somewhere down south, and at the Paradise Hotel we were staying in might have been the meeting place. She thought perhaps they met somewhere in the middle of where each of them was staying. Since the hotel where Chas Baker was staying was about forty minutes away, Kat and I decided to drive in the opposite direction for that length of time and see what was out there.
So with the top down of our rented convertible, off we went, taking in all of the beauty of the Big Island. We enjoyed the ocean and its waves as well as the beautiful flowers as we drove along the coast. Leilani had mentioned for us to stop and eat at the Coffee House on our way. We did and vowed we would return before we left the island if at all possible, next time for one of their special breakfasts.
We drove out for about forty minutes as planned, but didn’t see any hotels or anything that looked like someone would be staying in. But we had seen a hotel about twenty-five minutes from our hotel in a small town called Captain Cook.
So Kat and I thought we should turn around and check it out. It was a small, very old and quaint hotel.
After arriving, we checked in at the small counter and gave the description of our mysterious person. Clearly the hotel catered to mostly local people, either from the Big Island or visiting from outer islands, and the gentleman at the counter immediately recognized our missing person with the red floppy hat. He said not many people fitting that description stayed there.
To our surprise and misfortune, our man had just checked out, about twenty minutes before we arrived. If we’d stopped there first, we would probably have been able to question him.
The clerk said he was a nervous little guy and reminded him of one of the characters from the movies of the forties he had seen on television. Fitting the description Leilani gave us, he said the man in the red floppy hat had big eyes that darted back and forth. Peter Lorre again popped into our minds.
I asked if he had left a forwarding address. He said the man we were looking for had told him that if his partner called, or came looking for him, to tell him that he had gone out to the hotel where he was staying. I asked him where. He said, “The Paradise Hotel.”
Kat asked him what name he had registered under.
“Mr. Gary Smith. It sounds funny, because we get the occasional Mr. and Mrs. Smith staying here, but it’s his real name according to his credit card and driver’s license.”
Chapter 9
Kat and I decided to go to the Paradise Hotel in the morning and stay there for a few days. We would try to be inconspicuous, looking more like tourists to the island, rather than two private detectives looking for someone or some evidence on a case.
When we returned to Fern Grotto Hotel, we asked Leilani if she would make reservations for us at the Paradise Hotel for three days.
She said she would be happy to do it, but would be sorry to see us leave. We informed her that we’d be returning after the three days, and would like to keep our room here at the Fern Grotto.
She smiled and said, “No need to keep the room while you’re away. Why spend the money on something you won’t be using. I’ll check you out tomorrow morning and then make a reservation for your return to us. I’ll try to give you the same room if you like.”
We thanked her and said we’d make sure to tell her boss how helpful she was and that we would highly recommend the hotel to others.
She thanked us and said that her sister Pualani, meaning flower, worked at the desk at the Paradise, and that she’d put in a good word for us, and knew that Pualani would help us as much as possible.
She got right on the phone and we heard her ask for Pualani. She
looked up at us smiled. “My sister will call back in a few moments.”
We had noticed the historical pictures in the lobby of the hotel, but hadn’t had the time to check them out. So we wandered around the lobby while waiting for Leilani’s sister to call back.
The Fern Grotto had its own little beach and was situated in the small town of Kailua-Kona. Very convenient for those who wanted to be in walking distance of the quaint little shops. Now that the larger hotels with their beautiful golf courses are close to a few small shopping areas, most of the visitors stayed out there, about forty minutes from the airport. Even though at one time it was volcanic rock, the architects and builders had turned the landscape into a beautiful sight.
As we were walking around, looking at the pictures on the wall of famous Hawaiian Kings and Queens, with some information on each them, Leilani came over.
“Your reservations are all set. My sister, Pualani, said she’s looking forward to meeting the two of you, and she’ll help you as much as she can. She also said she was there when the murder of Mr. Chas Baker occurred and that a Mr. Smith has checked in. But she wasn’t there during that time, so didn’t know if it was the same Mr. Smith. My sister said that many Mr. Smiths check into the hotel.”
With that, Leilani gave a coy smile. Kat and I both smiled back and wondered how many Mr. Smiths there really were!
“I hope you don’t mind my asking Pualani all those questions. I’m not prying, I just want to help.”
We assured Leilani it was okay, and thanked her. We asked if she should hear anything else she thought we might be interested in, or see anything that might help us, to please call us on one of our cell phones listed on our card. Her eyes lit up. You could tell she was thinking she might be playing detective again.
Leilani said she would, and we could call her at any time if we needed any more help or information.
Chapter 10
The next thing I did was to email Mrs. Anita Sinclair the name of Gary Smith. She wrote back immediately and said the name was not familiar, and wondered if it was a real name or an anonymous one. She also wrote and asked for a picture, if at all possible, as that might help her remember him. She wanted to know if he could also be a blackmailer.
I wrote back and said it was under investigation and we were going to spend a few days at the Paradise where we believed Mr. Smith was staying. As soon as we could, we would somehow take a picture of him and send it off to her. Since we would be leaving for the Paradise Hotel the next morning, we packed the things we’d brought, and Kat said, “Kit, we have got to go shopping. I need some things that I didn’t bring, because I thought we’d only be gone for a few days.”
“Me too, Kat. I need some personnel items myself.”
Chapter 11
We arrived at the Paradise Hotel and were struck by how beautiful it was, like something out of a Hollywood movie. It didn’t take us long to find Leilani’s sister. She was a spitting image of Leilani, who had neglected to tell us that Pualani must be her twin. The looks, the clothes, the flower in her hair and the great smile made us think at first it was Leilani. We could picture Leilani laughing this very moment, and wondering what our reaction would be.
As we walked up to check in at the reception counter, Pualani was on the phone. She looked up at us and continued her conversation. When she had finished, she gave us the big smile and said, “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Jones,” then added, “I have Leilani on the phone. She’s been waiting for me to tell her what your reactions were when you first saw me. She’s laughing and wants to know every detail from the second you walked up to my counter.”
Pualani handed me the phone. I could hear Leilani laughing. “Very funny, Leilani. You’re getting to be quite the detective!”
“I’m so sorry, but I just wanted to hear what your reactions were when you saw my sister. I guess you’ve figured it out that Pualani and I are identical twins. I knew you’d find it amusing. Am I right?” She sounded a little worried.
“Yes, you’re right. But don’t worry, Kat and I were taken back at first. It was like you beat us over here, but then we thought that was impossible. When we left, you were working; checking in someone, and we got in our car and drove directly here. Yes, it was very funny, Leilani.”
“Please forgive me. Pualani will help you in any way she can. I asked her to give you a special room with a great view of the ocean. I must go now, I have a customer coming up to my station.”
“Goodbye. You’re still one of our favorite people here in the islands, so don’t worry about your little joke. We’ll see you in a few days.”
I knew she would probably worry as she thought more about not telling us that her sister was also her identical twin. And maybe she felt that since we were guests of the hotel, she shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted her to feel okay.
She answered back, “Thanks, Mr. Jones, I feel better now. Perhaps we’ll see each other before the few days are up. Who knows?”
Chapter 12
After Pualani checked us in, we asked her if she had any information on Gary Smith, our mystery man.
“No, not yet. Sorry, but the person who checked him in is off today. I’ll call her during my break in about an hour. But there was a gentleman who was asking about Mr. Smith a little earlier. I’m not sure if he’s a guest in the hotel or not, since I didn’t ask him his name.”
Kat asked, “What did he look like? Was he tall, short, young or old?”
She gave us a description, and again it could fit many other men. But it also fit the description of our friend, Nadia’s fiancé, Nick Lang.
I took out the picture I had of Nick that Nadia had sent, and asked Pualani if this was the man.
“Yes, that’s him. Is that Mr. Smith?”
“No, his name is Nick Lang. Would you please check and see if he’s registered here?”
After checking her computer she said, “No, no Mr. Nick Lang, but a Mr. Nick Davis registered and paid cash for three days in advance.”
At just that time her phone rang. “Aloha, Paradise Hotel. This is Pualani speaking, how may I help you?”
With that she looked up at us and with her lips whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, we’ll go to our room and check with you later.”
We decided to walk to our room. We were fascinated by all of the statues and artifacts while walking down the outside corridor.
Kat looked over at me and said, “I wonder why Nadia’s fiancé, Nick Lang, is here and looking for Gary Smith, our mystery man. And why hasn’t he contacted Nadia? And why did he use Davis for his last name?”
“Exactly, Kat. I was just wondering the same thing.”
Chapter 13
On the way to our room, we stopped off at one of the specialty clothing stores in the lobby of the hotel and bought some of the items we needed. When we arrived, we unpacked the few items we had and went out on the lanai. We took in the beautiful view of the ocean and its surroundings. Pualani had definitely given us a room with a beautiful scenic view. We agreed that we had to thank her, and Leilani, for assigning us to our room.
There were diet cokes in the little refrigerator and some potato chips on the counter. I gathered them up and took them out on the lanai where Kat was still enjoying the view. We sat on the two chairs provided, with a small table in between, and we both at the same time said, “Davis?”
Kat continued, “Yes, I wonder why Nick Lang used that particular name? Why not Jones or Brown, or even Smith? I pray for Nadia’s sake that he has nothing to do with the murder, and is just following up on his assignment from the law firm he’s working for.”
I said, “I hope you’re right, Kat, but it looks like Nick’s assignment is the same as ours, or otherwise why would he also be looking for Gary Smith?”
Before Kat could answer, the phone rang. It was Leilani. “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Jones, but a Detective Larry Chen is here looking for you. If you’d like to talk with him, I can put him on one of the hotel
phones.”
“Thanks, Leilani, I’d be happy to talk to him.”
“Just a moment please,” then I heard her say, “Mr. Chen, you can take this call on the hotel phone. The white one right over there. Mr. Jones in on the line.”
“Hi, Kit, Larry Chen here. Sorry, but I didn’t know you’d left the Fern Grotto hotel.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t let you know. Everything happened so fast, but you were on my list to let you know. What’s up?”
“I was checking up on your friend, Nick Lang, and his disappearance. I called a friend of mine at the precinct where I was before I came to Hawaii, in the Hollywood area of California. It was just on a hunch. He’s an old movie buff, just like me. Don’t know why, but I asked him about your client, Mrs. Anita Sinclair. He remembered her. There was a brief scandal about her having a baby out of wedlock. It never went very far and many thought it was a publicity stunt. But right afterward she retired from the movie scene and a year later married a very wealthy guy. I thought this might help you with your case.
“By the way, Anita Sinclair went under another name while making her movies. She was never a big star, but from what my friend says, she could have been. Her movie star name was Dena Davis.”
Chapter 14
I thanked Chen and told him we were pretty sure we had found Nick Lang. Then I told Kat about our now number two mysterious man, and that she no longer had to wonder why Nick Lang used the name of Nick Davis.
Kat wondered out loud, “Is it possible Nick Lang, or Nick Davis, is Anita Sinclair’s son? And that’s why she’s being blackmailed?”
“Possible, and maybe Nick Lang found out about it. He then took life into his own hands, and murdered Chas Baker, the blackmailer. Maybe Nick Lang was working on the same case and discovered unexpectedly that he was the cause of his best friend being murdered. So he killed the man who had killed his friend.”
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