The lecture on homicide by blunt violence was interrupted at the point where determination of time of death could become extremely difficult, since vital signs could continue long after the initial battering. The cause of the interruption was the arrival at the table of a tall figure dressed in a white apron and looming over them in a cooks hat.
Joseph Schmitz, the head chef, had heard a guest from Hamburg had arrived. His own five years at an exclusive restaurant in that city had to be shared. The almost immediate discovery Fanny had been born in Metz, Schmitzs own birthplace, produced a flood of German from both parties.
The side conversation allowed Werner to go back to his favorite topic. Only now, he detailed the variations in morphological damage in a much louder voice to make himself heard over the added noise. The tumult soon produced the hotel manager. This newcomer shifted almost immediately from trying to quiet the diners to joining in with his own reminiscences from his years as a contract worker in Hamburg.
Rhine wine of the finest vintage appeared, after a rather lengthy explanation to Fanny of the meaning of the phrase, “on the house.” Discussions of quality led inevitably to more bottles which had to be sampled. By the end of the convivial meal, Clyde considered it the better part of discretion to accept the offer of the hotels limousine service. The luxurious vehicle quickly, quietly and comfortably delivered the mellowed pathologists to the morgue.
“You are very fortunate,” the German said, patting the startled Clyde on the shoulder as he stooped over and fumbled for the keyhole in the labs door.
“Why, fortunate?” Clydes thoughts were none too clear, and this sudden shift away from shoptalk made no sense at all.
“Fortunate in America to live. I know that you here many, how does one say?…deaths of undetermined origin have, and homicides too. One a day in many places. Very fortunate. In Hamburg have we not such good fortune. Weeks with none go sometimes by.”
Clyde tried to correct Werners assumption, pointing out how only large urban areas such as Washington DC or New York City happened to fit the rosy picture drawn by his companion. But Clydes description of this small, rural Hawaiian island, and of its relatively low crime rate, had no impact on the Germans convictions.
Werner simply shook his head. “Americans are much prone to violence. Very, very fortunate.”
***
The familiar voice on the phone suddenly reminded Kay of how much she missed Sid, though he had been gone less than forty-eight hours. Today had been a long day. She was tired and had waited impatiently for the promised eight oclock phone call.
“Hows your Mom doing?” she asked, patting the friendly shepherd dog who had put her head on Kays lap for just such a purpose.
“After fiftyone years of being inseparable from Dad, Im amazed shes doing so well. Shes packing and talking about how nice it will be to see her friends and relatives back in Syracuse. Thats something else, Kay. You know how she hates to fly, and theres no one else here to go back with her. So I volunteered myselffor the train ride. Can you hold down the fort for a week or so? Qual should be back soon.”
Kay suppressed her disappointment. “Sure. Ill survive. I envy you the train trip. Ive never been on an American train. Anyway, dont worry about me. Jennyll watch out for me. Shes here right now, wondering who Im talking to.”
“It was sure nice of the Oliveras to let us borrow her. I feel a lot better about you being home with her there.”
Kay and Sid had recently moved into the new home they had built on an acre of land overlooking Napua and the ocean. While both of them had been raised in the city, the country quiet had charmed them. Sid had been concerned, however, about leaving Kay alone in a house where there were no near neighbors. The enormous German shepherd had provided the answer to his concern.
Surprisingly, their three cats had accepted the newcomer with a minimal amount of fuss. Bluebeard, the youngest, had even found the wagging tail of the furry giant a fascinating feature, demanding to be swatted at. For her part, Jenny, who came from a household with its own share of felines, found no problems in adapting to the new surroundings. All she asked for was affection from her temporary mistress, and Kay was pleased to grant her that.
“Shes right here looking up at me with those soulful eyes of hers.”
“Give her a pat for me. Any excitement there?”
“A brush fire, if it deserves to be called excitement. It lit up the whole sky to the south last night and woke me up. It was pretty scary, even though it turned out to be five miles away.”
“Im glad we have a metal roof. Maybe we should get some kind of animal to graze around the housea sheep or a goat.”
Kay smiled at Sids antipathy to yard work. When they had moved out to their isolated acre, they had both resolved to become part-time gardeners. Kay kept the resolution. Sid soon retired to the garage and the wood lathe, which held much more appeal for him.
“I think a lawn mower would be cheaper and more tractable.”
“Maybe, but a goat doesnt need gas or oil, and you dont have to pull a rope to get it started.” Sid paused, thinking over his comment. “Well, maybe not as often. Hows business?”
“Busy. Mostof its routine, but we may have something big coming up. Masayoshi Ono, the electronics magnate, was found murdered at the Malalani. His assistant came by and wants to hire me to defend Mrs. Ono, the widow.”
“Did she do it?”
“I havent the least idea, since I havent even talked to her yet. But, so far, she hasnt been charged and, apparently, the police dont even suspect her.” Kay weighed her next words carefully, since Sid took a dim view of her investigative tendencies. “Actually, I think hes hoping I can figure out who the real killer is.”
“Oh, oh. Youre off again.”
“Relax, Sid. I havent accepted, mostly because I cant quite figure out what hes up to. Maybe it is as simple as that. He just wants to find the murderer and thinks a small town police force isnt capable of doing it on their own. He says hes contacted the company board of directors and they gave him carte blanche.”
“It sure sounds crazy. Have you gotten in touch with Qual to see what he thinks?”
“Yes. Hes leaving it up to me, so Ive set up an interview with Mrs. Ono in the morning right after Ive talked to Yamamoto again.”
“Didnt Onos assistant give any explanation for this all-fired eagerness to find out who killed his boss?”
“He was pretty vague about it all. He said something to the effect Ono had been good to him, and he felt this was the minimum he owed his ex-employer.”
“Sounds very Japanese, but do you really think its enough reason for the board of directors to get so involved in the investigation?”
“Maybe they feel the same obligation as Yamamoto does. Ono may have just generally inspired loyalty in all of his employees, so they feel obligated to do whatever they can to find out who killed him.”
“Are you sure he doesnt really suspect the wife? Maybe he hired you to get a confession out of her under the pretense of defending her.”
“My, but you have a suspicious mind, Sid. But it so happens mine worked in the same fashion. The only thing is, I cant see any reason for him to push for her to confess, unless there is something he would gain by getting her out of the waywhich is something Im going to look into. Anyway, Im going to have a long talk with him beforehand to clear up a lot of the questions I have. No way am I going to touch this unless I get all the information I want ahead of time.”
“Have you talked to Hank yet? He is handling the case, isnt he?”
“Yes he is, and no I havent. Im too tired to think straight tonight. As soon as I hang up Im heading for bed. Besides, unless Yamamoto comes through with a lot of satisfactory answers to a lot of questions, I wont have anything to do with the case. So theres really no need to contact Hank yet.”
Sids voice hardened. “Dont you go off alone on your own doing any private investigating.”
Kay smiled. “Relax, Sid. Ive learned my l
esson. If I uncover anything, Hank will be the first to know.”
“Even if you just have hunches, let him know. I dont want anything happening to you. I want you all in one piece when I get back.”
“I want to beall in one piece too. I miss you. Ill miss you especially when I take my shower.”
“Hey! Cut it out. You make me want to catch the next plane back.”
Chapter 4
Defying the environment can do wonders sometimes, Kay thought as she drove down the long approach to the Malalani and looked out on the vast resort complex. The hotel was perched out on a spit stretching into the warm blue-green waters of the Pacific. The ancient Hawaiians had never settled the narrow stretch of land, for the simple and sensible reason that the nearest reliable source of fresh water was several miles away.
Virtually rainless for nine months of the year, this portion of leeward Elima had nursed along a few straggly coconut palms and scattered clumps of short-lived, salttolerant vegetation. Then, one day, it was discovered and bought by an American multimillionaire. That had been back when the rest of the island offered only bed-andbreakfast lodgings for the occasional tourist. Modern drilling equipment and powerful pumps provided the life-nourishing liquid which turned the semi-desert into an oasis.
Only within recent years was the price of this defiance of nature being felt. New developments were encroaching on the same freshwater lens, sucking up its contents in giant gulps and so encouraging the ocean's invasion of the underground storage. Gradually at first, but now at an accelerating pace, the efficient technology was turning the reservoir into a buried, brackish pond.
In response to the looming crisis, the hotels PR people had taken to wining and dining the islands politicians to get them to construct a massive pipeline from the wet side of the island. Local reaction to the proposal had been far from positive, and the future of the project was uncertain. Angry letters to the paper asserted the plan was intended to “soak the taxpayers in order to soak the hotel grounds.”
What was certain was that, without a new and munificent infusion of water-from some source, the Malalanis days, and especially its magnificent tropical-garden days, were numbered.
In the meantime, passing through the security gates produced a startling transition. From parched lava fields, sparsely dotted with struggling fountain grass and an occasional stunted keawe tree, the land became a lush green world bordering a long whitesand beach. It was a brochure photographers dream.
Nick was already waiting for her, though she was a few minutes early for their eightthirty appointment. The office was lined with a bleached wood Kay did not recognize. Simple in design and in furnishings, the large room nonetheless bore the unmistakable signs of wealth. Nick waved her to a comfortable chair and settled down behind the desk.
“Im still not quite used to it. Manys the time Ive sat on that side of this desk, but Masa Ono was sitting on this side. ”
“Will you be staying on?”
“Its hard to say. It will be up to the board. Whatever they decide, I cant complain
though. The salary has been excellent, and I have a good retirement opportunity. There arent many Japanese, and probably even fewer Americans, who can stop working at fifty and have a life-long, well-paid vacation ahead of them.” He paused and seemed to be mulling over what he had just said, then asked,“What did you decide?”
“I talked to the senior partner, also to Sid, my husband, whos on the mainland at the moment. We all agreed I can take on the case, providing I get full cooperation.”
Nick shrugged. “I can certainly guarantee complete cooperation.”
“Good,” Kay said, pulling the tape recorder out of its case. “Ill give the guarantee a test, right now. If it proves out, Im hired.”
Nick smiled. “Try me.”
“Take out a note pad, because youre going to have to get me a lot of information. Some of it you should be able to provide right now. Lets start with my prospective client. Will I need an interpreter to talk to her?”
“No. Her English is excellent.”
“Tell me about her.”
“Shes Masas second wife, a very nice person. After youve met her youll see why she couldnt have done it.”
Kays skepticism showed. “You mean she couldnt have lifted Masa up into the machine?”
Nick broke into a laugh. “Hardly that. Just about anyone stronger than a healthy tenyear old could have done that, since he was a small man. Mrs. Ono is healthy and strong. You should see her out on the courts. She doesnt have the coordination to be a champion, but she most certainly is a power player.”
“Really? Maybe Ill challenge her to a game. Tennis is my favorite sport.” Kay had the feeling Nick was going to let her draw her own conclusions directly from the upcoming interview with Mrs. Ono. With the time for the interview growing short, she decided to move the conversation along to the victim. “How about giving me some background on Mr. Ono?”
Nick was quick to reply.“If all you want is a summary, thats easy, even though he crowded about six lives into his lifetime. He was born and raised in Tokyo. He had just received a degree in electrical engineering and was working on early television models, when the Japanese military started looking for pilots.
“So Masa got his first view of Hawaii from the cockpit of a navy fighter plane. From then on to Forty-four he was in about every theater of the war, received several wounds, and decorations to go along with them. Near the last months of the war he got a bad one. It put him out of action.
“Fortunately for him, it was just before the Japanese airforce went kamikaze in a big way. He recovered enough to start a small family business involving electrical appliances, mostly repairing light bulbsif you can believe it. He and his mother and sister used to collect burntout bulbs. Theyd remove the base, replace the filaments, pump out the air with a hand operated machine and then glue it all back together.
“When the war ended, he had a thriving business all ready to take off. It did. He moved on into electronics, and his biggest problem became deciding what to do with his money.”
“What was he like?”
“He hired me as his personal assistant about nine years ago. I was a translator for Ono Electronics prior to then, but Id never spoken to him directly until I was actually hired. I certainly have no complaints about him as a boss. He was extremely demanding, but I had no objections to that. It suits my temperament to work at capacity. The best part is he was as generous as he was demanding.”
“Does he have any family other than his wife?”
“A son and daughter-inlaw, both of whom youll meet. He also had a daughter who died in a plane crash three years ago along with her infant son. His first wife, the mother of his children, died of cancer a year or so before I was hired. He didnt marry his current wife until two years ago. Their anniversary is next month.
“How about enemies?”
“Plenty. If anything, Japanese businessmen are even more competitive than their American counterparts. Enemies are a way of life for them.”
“Would the competition be serious enough to lead to murder? American businessmen are more apt to turn to the courts to settle their disputes.”
“Some disputes dont lend themselves to litigation.”
Kay said nothing, certain Nick would come up with an illustration. He did.
“Just over a year ago, Masa decided he wanted a particular painting, one by Hieronymous Bosch. Its a strange piece of work. I like it, but not everyone shares my tastes, or Mr. Onos. He was always attracted to the weird and different.
“It was in a private collection, and he sent me to France to buy it, which for him meant to offer whatever was necessary to get it. Now Masa was no art dealer and really had no great interest in art,” Nick waved his hands at the bare walls of the office. “But hed seen a copy of this particular painting. It struck his fancy, and he just had to have the original. It was yet another of his traits. Whenever he wanted something, he didnt rest until he got it. Wh
ich is exactly what happened with this painting.
“I was actually empowered to pay any amount for it, and the owner wasnt especially eager to sell. When I came up with my offer, the old counts teeth about fell out. Somehow, word got out about the possible sale, probably through the counts secretary. A real dealer showed up before wed worked out the final details. He was Japanese too but, unlike Masa, was an art fiend. He wanted the painting in the worst way and started bidding against me, but he didnt have a chance.
“Im sure the count still cant believe the final price. Anyway, the upshot was Masa got the painting, along with a veiled threat from the art dealer, who happens to be someone with connections to the yakuza.”
“Speaking of yakuza,” Kay said, “what about the false finger, and why didnt you mention it yesterday when you came by the office?”
Nick laughed. “I see you have an „in with the local police. So much the better. Frankly, I didnt want to scare you off. Masa was most certainly not a yakuza, but yesterday I didnt have the information to fend off questions about his missing finger. Since then Ive spoken to the pathologist who will be doing the autopsy. He says a missing finger joint can be dated back to the period of life when it occurred.
“In this case, it goes back to when Masa was six years old. He had an accident with a firecracker. Ill give you the pathologists report on it as soon as he has it ready. Masa was no gangster, let me assure you. In fact, he was very sensitive about how people would think he was a yakuza, which is why he wore a fake finger. It was an excellent imitation, by the way. The best money could buy, as usual. I suspect his close relatives and I were the only ones who knew he wore it.
“Which brings me to the main reason I came to you for help. Im convinced the yakuza are responsible for his death, though Im not sure why they killed him. Thats really why Icame to you. Obviously, they didnt send one of their hit men from Japan to do the job. Whoever did it was familiar with the Malalani and would have passed unnoticed here. My guess is its one of the hotel employees who was working for them. You have the contacts to find out who. I dont.”
The Yoshinobu Mysteries: Volume 2 Page 35