Wedding Day Dead: A Murder on Maui Mystery

by Robert W. Stephens

  “Somewhat better. She finally climbed out of bed this morning.”

  “So she’s still staying with you?”

  “For the time being. I suspect she’ll be going home soon. Her tenet moved out of her house here on the island a month ago, so she’ll probably be staying on Maui for a while. She said she has no real desire to go back to L.A.”

  “I’m sure you’ve been a big help to her,” I said.

  “I wish I could do more, but I’ve been trying to be at work as much as possible to stay in the loop. Michelle has mostly been the one staying with her.”

  “How is the investigation going? Adcock actually interviewed me, if you can believe it,” I said.

  “I had a discussion with Detective Adcock regarding you right before I came over,” she said.

  “You have to admit that him thinking of me as a potential suspect is a giant waste of time.”

  “That’s not what he came to me about,” she said. “He got a call from Kai, who told him you came by his shop today. He said you asked him all sorts of questions about Panos. Did you do that?”

  “Yes,” I said, not willing at that second to elaborate.

  “What are you up to, Poe?”

  I said nothing while I tried to figure out how to get out of explaining my actions to Alana. I refused to lie to her, but I knew she would explode if she knew the true reason I interviewed Kai. I figured when I accepted the job that she’d find out sooner rather than later. I just didn’t expect it to be this soon.

  “What are you up to?” she repeated.

  My brain completely failed me, as it often does, and I had no great excuse other than the truth.

  “Panos’ mother asked me to look into it,” I admitted.

  “When did you meet Panos’ mother?”

  “She flew to the island to bring back Panos’ body. She asked me to go see her, so I did.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “Something about not having a lot of faith in Adcock.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re conducting your own investigation.”

  I said nothing.

  “You are, aren’t you?” Alana asked.

  “All right. She hired me to find the killer. Well, technically, she didn’t hire me since I’m working for free.”

  “This is a horrible idea.”

  “Trying to find the killer is bad?”

  “No, clashing with Adcock is bad. He’s threatening to arrest you for interfering in a murder investigation,” she said.

  “Can he do that?”

  “Yes he can, and he will.”

  “You didn’t do that to me,” I said.

  “They’re two entirely different situations.”

  “So you think Adcock can figure this out on his own?” I asked.

  “Adcock is a vindictive SOB. He wouldn’t hesitate to throw you in jail even if the charges didn’t stick. He’d keep you in there as long as he possibly could.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  “Don’t expect me to bail you out. I’ve warned you.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  “Fine,” she repeated.

  We both stood in silence a few moments. Alana picked up the tennis ball and threw it for Maui the dog. He watched the ball roll toward the pool and decided he didn’t want to chase it. Instead, he yawned and laid down on the ground.

  “I guess I should be getting back to Hani,” she said.

  “Please give her my best,” I said.

  “I will.”

  Alana walked toward the back gate.

  “Where are things with us?” I asked.

  She stopped and turned around to face me.

  “I don’t know. Where are things?” she asked back.

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” I said. “That’s why I asked the question.”

  “I apologized the other day. You didn’t really say whether you could forgive me or not.”

  “Forgiving is one thing. Forgetting is something different. I was in Wes’ office yesterday. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw in there.”

  “That’s the thing, isn’t it? I can’t spend the rest of our relationship having you throw that at me. It was a stupid mistake, and it meant nothing.”

  “I’m not throwing it at you, Alana. I’m telling you how I felt at that moment.”

  Alana said nothing.

  “You still loved him, didn’t you?” I asked.

  “No.”

  She answered so quickly that I didn’t know if she was lying or just knew the answer.

  “Then why did you kiss him?”

  “I don’t know. It would never have gone any further than that. He kissed me. I should have immediately pushed him away, but I didn’t.”

  “People say hate isn’t the opposite of love. It’s indifference. I knew something was up when I saw how emotional you were with his return to Maui. You still had feelings for him. I knew it. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

  “He humiliated me, Poe. Have you ever had anyone leave you for your sibling? Do you know how quickly word got around? I was the laughing stock of the island.”

  “No one was laughing at you,” I said.

  “How do you know? You weren’t even here then.”

  “Because people respect you, and Panos’ actions aren’t your fault. If they were laughing at anyone, it was him or Hani, but it wasn’t you.”

  “The thing is that I was more mad at myself than I was at him. I knew from the start something like that was going to happen.”

  “Then why be with him if you didn’t trust him?”

  “Because it was exciting, at least at first. He lived an exciting life, and I lived a very safe life. I was always the good girl, always the one who did the right thing, did what everybody thought I should do. I was Ms. Predictable. Panos came along and showed interest in me. I was flattered. I knew it would never last, but even then, I didn’t expect him to run off with Hani. I was furious with myself for not seeing that betrayal coming.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. Nobody would expect that.”

  “I should have been smarter. It was typical Hani. If I had something, she had to make it hers,” she said.

  “How soon did you meet me after that?” I asked.

  “Maybe six months. Maybe a little longer.”

  It suddenly made sense. During our first dinner date, I sensed Alana holding back, like there was a hidden pain deep inside her. Don’t get me wrong. No one lays everything out on the table during the first date. I didn’t expect Alana to do that. I knew I didn’t even know everything there was to know about her now, and I really didn’t want to know. People are deep mysteries. Part of the adventure is solving that mystery slowly over a long period of time, but there was a sorrow that night just below her surface. A hesitation. A fear. Now I knew what is was. Panos had come between us even then. I wondered if we’d ever be able to get past him even though he was now gone.

  “We moved too fast, Poe.”

  “How did we move too fast?” I asked.

  “We slept together on the first date,” she reminded me, as if I actually needed to be reminded.

  “You didn’t want that? I thought you enjoyed it,” I said, suddenly feeling very defensive, like she was accusing me of doing something she didn’t want to do. I knew I had been aggressive that night, but I thought I was also respectful. I hated now thinking I had talked her into doing something she wasn’t ready for. Suddenly I felt like I was part of a sexual harassment training video.

  “We should have taken our time,” she said.

  “That wasn’t some one-nighter. It turned into a relationship.”

  “Maybe I just wasn’t ready.”

  “Ready for the sex or ready for the relationship?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Both, maybe.”

  I didn’t know exactly what she was trying to get at. My gut told me this was officially the end, and she was trying to figure out a way to break it to me gently. T
his sort of felt like a “this is not you it’s me” kind of talk.

  “Sometimes I just don’t trust happiness,” she said.

  “I get it. I really do. But that doesn’t mean you should never allow yourself to be happy. You have to let your guard down sometime. You can’t go through life worrying about something going wrong at any moment.”

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do.”

  Alana hesitated a moment.

  “Please do me a favor and stay out of this investigation,” she continued. “I do care about you. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

  Alana turned and left. I went back into the house. Maui the dog followed me. Foxx was still on the sofa watching married couples killing each other on television. I hoped this wasn’t the universe’s way of telling me to get the point.

  “You guys work everything out?” Foxx asked. He still didn’t take his eyes off the television.

  “Not quite,” I said.

  He didn’t respond.

  “How can you watch this crap?” I asked.

  Foxx put the remote down and turned to me.

  “What’s the holdup with you two? I was convinced you’d put this behind you by now.”

  I brought Foxx up to speed on everything that had just happened outside.

  “I don’t understand why she needs more time. Time for what?” I asked.

  “I think that’s the second question you should be asking yourself,” Foxx said.

  “What’s the first?”

  “Whether or not you forgive her for kissing Panos.”

  I said nothing.

  “Do you forgive her?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It just happened a week ago. How do you forgive someone just like that?” I asked.

  “You don’t, buddy, but you have to decide whether or not you’re going to try. This isn’t about her fear of being happy or not happy, and it’s damn sure not about Panos. It’s about you. She’s waiting for you to make a decision. Are you going to cut her loose, or are you going to forgive her?”

  “It’s not that simple. I told you what she said. She said she’s not even sure she’s ready to be in a relationship.”

  Foxx laughed.

  “Ready? I’ve got news for her. She’s already in a relationship. No, man, she’s waiting to hear from you. She’s just trying to protect herself in case you reject her. She’s just tricking herself now into thinking she might not even want a relationship. It’s self-protection mode. We all do it. She may not even realize she’s doing it, but she is.”

  “You sound like a psychiatrist,” I said.

  “No, just a dude who’s been around a lot of women. I don’t pretend to understand them. Not even close. I just understand people not wanting to get hurt. People will do anything not to get hurt.”

  I thanked Foxx for the pep talk and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. I soaked my head for what must have been twenty minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised if I completely drained the hot water heater. I got out of the shower, got dressed, and took Maui the dog for a walk so he could do his business. I walked back into the house and intended to ask Foxx if he wanted to get a drink at Harry’s, but I found him asleep on the sofa. The murder shows must have worn him out. I was debating whether to get the drink by myself, when my cell phone vibrated. I walked back into my bedroom so my conversation wouldn’t disturb Foxx.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Poe, this is Shae from the restaurant.”

  “Hello, Shae. What can I do for you?”

  “You asked me to call you if I thought of anything new about the party.”

  She paused. I guessed she was waiting for me to ask her what, so I asked.

  “What did you remember?”

  “It’s not something I remembered. It’s just something I didn’t tell you.”

  “What is it Shae?”

  “Not over the phone. Is it possible for you to come to my home?”

  “You can’t talk about this over the phone?” I asked.

  I wondered what the hell she was going to say. Did she expect the NSA was listening? Actually, they probably were.

  “I would rather tell you in person. Please, can you come over now?”

  “No problem. Just text me your address. I’ll be over soon.”

  I ended the call and wondered if she was actually going to tell me something useful.

  I felt my cell phone vibrate again and saw Shae’s address appear on my display. I turned to leave and saw Maui sitting in the doorway of my bedroom. Once we made eye contact, he rolled over onto his back, expecting me to rub his belly.

  “Maybe later, Maui. I need to go right now.”

  I walked past Maui. I had no idea everything was about to change.

  XII

  The White Sedan

  I drove to Shae’s home. She lived in a tiny apartment less than thirty minutes from the restaurant in Lahaina. It looked like it might have been an old motel complex converted into apartments. Her place was on the second floor. I climbed the outside stairs and knocked on her door. I was immediately greeted by the sound of her dog barking.

  Shae opened the door, and a Chihuahua ran out. The dog immediately tried to bite me, but it couldn’t get its mouth around my leg.

  “Sorry about that,” Shae said, but she didn’t pick up the dog or try to stop it from biting me. I walked into the apartment. The dog continued to try to eat me.

  “What did you want to see me about?” I asked.

  “It’s about the night of the party,” Shae said.

  “I’m sorry, but do you mind doing something about this?” I asked. I shook my leg gently to try to get the dog loose.

  “Butterscotch, sit!” Shae told the dog.

  It ignored her.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said.

  Shae picked up Butterscotch and walked the little beast to the back of the apartment. She placed him in another room, I assumed the bathroom, and shut the door. I could hear Butterscotch continue to bark that would probably better be described as a yelp. At least it was a muffled yelp now.

  “Can I get you anything?” Shae asked.

  “A glass of water would be nice,” I said.

  I felt dehydrated from the run, and I had forgotten to get something to drink afterward due to the conversation with Alana. Shae returned in a minute with a tall glass of water. I tried not to immediately gulp it down. We walked over to a small, worn-out sofa and sat down. The springs on the sofa squeaked. There was nowhere else to sit in the studio apartment, except the bed, but I imagined that it squeaked too.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the party,” Shae repeated.

  “What about it?”

  “I didn’t exactly tell you everything when we spoke in the restaurant. When I left the party, I did see Panos and Hani arguing in the parking lot, but I left out the part about Hani yelling at me.”

  “Why did she yell at you?”

  “She was screaming at Panos for kissing Alana, and then she confronted me and said she knew I was sleeping with Panos.”

  Bombshell, I thought. But was it really? I was beginning to think I was the only one on the island Panos hadn’t slept with.

  “Were you sleeping with Panos?” I asked.

  Shae nodded. There was silence for a few moments. I noticed Butterscotch had stopped barking.

  “We started an affair shortly after I went to work at the View. That’s why Jim left the restaurant. He found out about Panos and me.”

  “Jim was the chef ?” I asked.

  I tried to remember if that was the name of the chef Wes mentioned.

  “Yes, he and Panos argued about a lot of business stuff, but the affair was the real reason Jim left. Jim confronted him one day in the kitchen, and Panos didn’t deny it. He just laughed at him. He told him I wouldn’t have strayed if Jim had kept me satisfied in the bedroom. Jim tried to attack him in the kitchen, but Wes and some others broke it up.”

  Add Jim the chef to the list of
suspects, I thought.

  “How did Hani find out about your affair?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe Jim told her. Maybe Panos did. He didn’t seem to care who knew about his women.”

  “Did he actually say that to you? That he didn’t care who knew about his affairs?”

  “Not really. He didn’t have to. He was so open about everything. I should have known Jim would find out. The affair was never serious. We would be together a few times a month. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere.”

  “So why risk ruining things with Jim?” I asked.

  “Because the relationship with Jim wasn’t going anywhere either. He cared way more about that restaurant than he did me.”

  “Did Hani confront you before that night in the parking lot?”

  “No. I expected her to, but she never did.”

  “Panos and Hani were living in L.A. for months. Your affair was over. Why do you think Hani would still be mad?”

  “She saw Panos flirting with me during the party. He said he wanted to be with me one more time before the wedding. I told him no. Part of me thought he was joking to begin with.”

  “He wasn’t joking.” I guessed.

  “I got home after the party, brushed my teeth and collapsed into bed. That’s when I heard a knock at the door. It was Panos.”

  “Did you let him in?” I asked.

  But I already knew the answer. Shae nodded.

  “We talked for a few minutes. He told me about the kiss with Alana. He started laughing about it. He said he was glad you and Hani opened the door because he was sure Alana might pull out her gun and shoot him for kissing her. Then he kissed me. I told him we couldn’t.”

  Shae stopped talking. I thought she might start to cry.

  “I never meant to hurt Hani. He talked me into it. I made him promise he wouldn’t come back here.”

  “So you and Panos had sex that night?”

  “I never would have been with him after he got married. I don’t sleep with married men.”

  I wasn’t sure what the difference was between sleeping with Panos the day before he got married versus the day after he got married. Did a piece of paper mean that much difference? Maybe. I guess that’s your call to make.

  “What time did Panos leave here?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. I think around four. I walked him to the door, and he kissed me goodbye.”