Before a more detailed description of Tonis itinerary was forthcoming, a parade emerged from the kitchen with Alan in the lead carrying Juni. Then came Leilani and John Pak, followed by Hank and Toni, and then Craig carrying a two-tiered haupia cake ablaze with candles. Everyone but Sid stood up, and the entire group sang the traditional “Happy Birthday.” Juni, having been put down on the floor by his father, broke into a dance which actually came close to keeping time to the chant.
Hanks son, almost breathless with the news, assured Sid that, “Uncle Alan makes the best frostingever.”
“And believe me, Sid,” Craig said as he put the flaming cake down on the coffee table, “Toni makes the best haupia cake ever.”
“So this is the real reason why Hank wanted to hold the conference here,” Sid said, looking over at Kay.
Kay laughed. “Craig and I have been plotting this for a week, but we were going to hold it over at his house. Then Hank said he wanted to see us this afternoon, and thats when I found out Toni had a haupia recipe, and Alan is a frosting expert. So I guess it all came together.”
Sid succeeded in blowing out all of the candles, and everyone cheered. Soon, the crowd was enjoying the birthday dessert. Kay assured Corky that Juni looked fetching in his new frosting mustache. Hanks children, ignoring the warnings they would spoil their supper, did more than their share toward reducing the cake to crumbs.
Sid sat back and sighed with satisfaction. Craig insisted champagne for the adults and a soft drink for the children were essential to crown Sids thirty-fifth birthday celebration. Quiet John Pak resisted, shaking his head at the proffered drink, but Toni tapped her cache of sake and poured him a small tumbler. Leilani, sitting next to Sid, said, “Oh, oh! Shell be sorry. One drink and hell talk everyones head off.”
Craig called for quiet, and said, “To Sid! Remember, the first thirty-five years are the hardest. The next thirty-five will be a lot easier. And the thirty-five after those will be a breeze.”
Glasses were raised, champagne and soft drinks were sipped at, but the sake was downed in one gulp. Small John Pak immediately began to tell about the day at the dock in Korea when, as a six year old, he and his parents climbed the gangplank on the boat taking them to Hawaii. “The sea seemed so big when we sailed off. I couldnt see the other side, and I couldnt understand why not. And then, after a long time, we began to see mountains off in the distance. I asked my father, „Is that Hawaii? He laughed, and said, „No thats just Japan, Hawaii is still a long way off. And we sailed, and sailed and then we saw flying fish and…”
While John continued his narrative, Kay leaned across to Sid and said, “Sorry I didnt get around to getting you a present.”
Sid grinned, reached over and hugged her.“This is present enough. Besides, you already gave me the best present ever.”
“Whats that?”
“You wont be doing any private-eye work, trying to find out who killed Mrs. Dyer and OHearneor, worse yet, trying to find out if Morton Dyers alive or not. What a crazy, wild goose chase it would have been!”
Overhearing part of the conversation, Leilani leaned over from Sids other side and said, “I havent had a chance to tell you the news, Kay. Mrs. Dyers sister, Laverne or something like thatManns her last namewas in with her father. They want to hire you to find out where the million dollars came from that the state accounting office received. I kind of got the impression hes willing to spend just about any amount of money to find out what happened. He said it was a matter of honor.”
Sid sat back on the sofa and sighed.
Chapter 12
Lamerne didnt seem half bad today. That was Kays first impression after the introductions and after Lamerne and her father had seated themselves in her office. Following a few moments conversation and, on second thought, it was apparent Lamerne was simply shining in contrast to her father.
John Beaudoin was tall and somewhat overweight. He was carrying a cane, which he really didnt seem to need. His complexion was florid, his hair white and sparse, his nose long and thin. Blue-gray eyes stared out unblinkingly at the world, but his most salient facial feature were thin lips folded into a shape somewhere between contempt and distaste. The expression tended to inspire the onlooker to return the emotion. In order to avoid doing so, Kay had to remind herself several times in the course of the interview how John Beaudoin was going to provide the excuse and the wherewithal for her to settle the OHearne case once and for all.
Beaudoin seemed to be looking down his long nose at her when he said, “As Charlottes heir, Lamerne is legally entitled to the money.”
Kay made noncommittal noises. Lamerne nodded emphatically and jutted out her pointed chin in further emphasis. Seemingly unmoved by, and certainly uninterested at his audiences reaction, Beaudoin continued, “I am prepared to pay any reasonable sum for you to find out who mailed the money. Once weve established this „friend of Morton Dyer had illegal possession of that sum, then we can clearly legitimize our claim to it.”
Kay could hear the quotes enclosing the word “friend.”
Beaudoin droned on regarding his certainty that, once the source of the mysterious package was discovered, no court would challenge Lamernes right to it. Kay managed to suppress a yawn and decided to look on the bright side. After briefly feeling sorry for whoever was currently being inflicted with their presence, Kay was suitably grateful the twins hadnt accompanied their mother and grandfather. It occurred to her Hawai'is old quarantine laws for cats and dogs could profitably be revived and extended to children. Since, with modern vaccines, the original reason for those laws no longer existed, their current function of keeping out tourists petsor at least making it difficult for them to bring them inshe felt, would seem equally useful if applied to their offspring.
The abrupt cessation of the word-flow brought Kay back from her satisfying reverie.
Looking her sternest, she said, “You realize of course, there can be no guarantees, and we would have to have a suitable retainer.” Remembering Louies performance at the airport, she was tempted to add “up front,” but didnt yield to the temptation.
Beaudoins lips everted into an even more contemptuous shape. “I am fully aware of the legal ramifications of my request. My daughter and I are prepared to enter into a contractual agreement with your firm and to provide a reasonable fee as a retainer.”
Kay had had Leilani prepare a contract in advance. Reaching into her desk drawer, she removed a cardboard binder which included the original three sheets of the document along with four copies. Passing one of the copies to Beaudoin and another to Lamerne, she said. “In cases such as these (and weve never had one before like this one, she added to herself) we expect a retainer of five thousand dollars. All expenses are in addition and, naturally, we will not undertake any expenditures beyond an additional five thousand dollars without your written permission.
“You, of course, must realize our first step will be to employ a mainland agency to run down the leads we currently have. If we are successful in finding the person who mailed the money to the state, Iand perhaps one of my colleagueswill very likely have to go to the mainland for a face-to-face interview in order to get the full particulars. Since the mailing of the money involved no criminal offense, extradition would be impossible as well as being contraindicated. I hope you are fully aware of the implications of my employment.”
As an afterthought, she asked,“Why did you come to me rather than going directly to an agency?”
Beaudoin looked up from the copy he was perusing, “The maitre d at the Malalani, who seems quite knowledgeable about such matters, said you had been quite successful in similar ventures in the past.”
Kay knew the maitre d well, and also knew he preferred the title of headwaiter. Some years before, Qual had successfully defended the headwaiters son in a criminal trial, and the grateful father had since become a prime booster of Quals firm and all of its staff. She was certain he had given her an unqualified recommendation.
; Kay got up, saying, “I think it would be best to allow you to read the full contract without being disturbed. Ill be in the outer office if you have any questions.”
Leilani looked up from her computer screen as Kay emerged from her office, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead and asking, “Do you have any aspirin, Leilani? I can feel a headache coming on.”
Leilani gave her a sympathetic look and began rummaging through her purse. Kay downed a couple of the white tablets with the help of a cup of water from the cooler. “Qual wants to see you when you have a moment, Kay.”
“Nows as good a time as any. If my clients come looking for me, ring me in his office.”
Qual looked annoyed. “You know, Kay, both Sid and I dont think much of this arrangement youre working out with Lamerne Mann and her father. Its one thing to do investigative work when were defending a client, but were really outside of our element to just hire out as private eyes.”
In spite of her growing headache, Kay had to smile at this conservative streak in Qual which surfaced at some of the unlikeliest moments. “Are you going to start citing case law, Qual? You know theres nothing to prevent us from doing this kind of work if we want to and, believe me, I want to find out who killed Charlotte Dyer. Besides, we owe it to our deceased client to find out who killed him too.”
Qual couldnt resist returning the smile accompanying the intensity of feeling. Grudgingly, he said, “Id still feel a lot more comfortable if we were representing a real client. Theres some justification then, since finding out who the real murderer is turns out to be the best possible defense.”
The phone rang. Qual answered and nodded toward Kay. “Your pseudo clients are waiting for you. Leilani says theyre all signed up.”
There were still questions to be answered, and reaffirmations to be made to indicate no guarantees could be given. At the end of a long half-hour, Kay finally ushered father and daughter out of the office. As she turned, Qual was coming out of his office. Seeing her, he said, “You should have waited a couple of hours and you wouldnt have had to bother with those two.”
Kay raised an eyebrow.
“I was just talking to Sid. He was at the station when he ran into Joe Demos.” Kay still said nothing, knowing that an explanation was on its way.
“Joe has just confessed to killing OHearne, and Sids already acting as his attorney.” ***
It had been a weird morning for Sid from the moment hed left the office and started off on the short walk to court for an eight-thirty hearing. A loaded cattle truck had stopped abruptly at the streetlight at Kapiolani and Cook, when its rear ramp unloosened and slammed down to the street. Within seconds, eight mature Hereford steers had piled out into the morning traffic. Pedestrians, Sid included, scrambled for cover. Motorists stopped dead in their tracks. Moments later, the panicking animals had disappeared in various directions, patrol cars made their appearance, the driver of the truck stood helplessly in the middle of the intersection mopping his brow, the traffic remained snarled, and the pedestrians resumed their respective journeys after exchanging comments on this rare sight in the streets of Napua.
The court session had ranked almost as high in the scale of weirdness as the street scene. What Sid had counted on as being a routine sentencing hearing for his client, Manuel Medeiros, who twelve of his peers had found guilty of an equal number of burglaries, turned out to be mass confusion presided over by a fuming Judge Wong. It began when Sid looked up from his notes to see two policemen bringing in a chained and manacled prisoner whomSid didnt recognize, but who answered to the name of Manuel Medeiros. The judge was the first one to become aware of the transposition. Manuel Medeiros, the burglar, had been replaced by Manuel Medeiros, the drunken and disorderly reveler from the previous evening. The Manuel Medeiros who had faced a possible seven-to-ten had been mistakenly released, twelve hours before his sentencing, and was now undoubtedly walking the streets of some mainland city, carefully casing the homes of future victims.
But the third event of the morning far surpassed the others in its level of strangeness. Having promised Kay he would pick up the final autopsy report on OHearne, Sid had dropped by the station and was talking story with the desk sergeant, when a startling sight appeared in the long hallway leading from the back of the building. Joe Demos, handcuffed to a police officer, was being herded along in the direction of the cells.
Sid recognized Hawaiian Harvests owner from a case he had had a few months back. An employee of the company had been up on a driving-under-the-influence, and Joe Demos appeared as character witness on his behalf. Sid, as the employees attorney, had briefly questioned Joe and found him to be a persuasive witness. At the moment he seemed something less than persuasive.
Looking up and catching Sids eye, Joes lips twisted into a wry grin. “Well, Mr. Chu, I do believe youre just the person I should be seeing about now.”
***
The rest of the morning went swiftly. Despite Sids efforts, it seemed unlikely Joe would have a bail hearing that day. Quick calls to various clerks found a possible opening in Judge Raines tight afternoon schedule. But Sid promised his new client nothing, since the prosecutor was not immediately available, and his presence was essential in a capital case.
Later, sitting in Hanks office and reading Joes confession, Sid shook his head over the two sheets of paper in his hand. To his way of thinking, about all that could prevent his new client from spending the next few months in the county jail awaiting trial would be another case of mistaken identity. But it wasnt too likely a second Joanilos Triantaphlos Demos would appear suddenly in court the way a second Manuel Medeiros had.
Hank watched the expression on Sids ordinarily unexpressive face and said, “Looks like Old Joe should have called you up an hour ago, doesnt it?”
Sid continued to shake his head in exasperation. “Did he just walk in off the street?” he asked.
Hank nodded. “He sure did. The desk called and said he was sitting out there waiting for me. I didnt know what he wanted to see me for, and I sure as hell didnt expect that.” Hank waved his hand toward the confession. “The first thing he says, even before he sat down, was, „I killed OHearne. After I got my jaw up where it belongs, I called in an officer as witness and a clerk to take notes. I read him his rights, turned on the tape recorder, and there it isword for word.” Hank again gestured toward the sheets Sid was holding.
Sid was still shaking his head, “I cant believe it.”
Hank gave one of his characteristic grunts and said, “No reason why you should. Its all lies, beginning with line one and ending just above his signature.”
***
When Sid opened the door to the office, he was greeted by four questioning faces turned in his direction. Qual, Craig and Kay were clustered around Leilanis desk carrying on a lively conversation which ended abruptly as they became aware of Sids arrival.
Sid looked at them and said, “I feel like Id just walked out on a stage with my fly unzipped.”
Qual was the first to comment, saying, with a laugh,“Well, you have to admit we have every reason to believe you are bringing interesting tidings. Arent you? “
“Interesting, all right, and plenty baffling. Can anyone explain to me why Joe Demos would confess to a crime he didnt commit.”
“Are you sure he didnt commit it,” Craig asked.
Sid shrugged. “If he did, then hes sure confused about time, places and a dozen other things in his confession.”
“There are two possibilities,” Kay said, “and my guess is youve thought of one of them already.”
Qual broke in, “My guess is everyone has guessed one possibility. Hes covering for someone.” Heads nodded in agreement. “But whats the other possibility, Kay?”
“He did do it, figured the police were closing in on him, and if he got his licks in first with a screwy confession, wed all start thinking the way were doing right now.”
It was Craig who broke the silence following this brief speech. “You kn
ow, Kay, Sids right about you. You can find more improbable solutions to any problem than any other living being.”
Kay grinned.“I guess thats my specialty. But lets stick with the first possibility, since it seems to be the horse while the second one looks like a zebra. If he is protecting someone, who would it most likely be?”
Craig interrupted. “Whats this about a zebra and a horse?”
Qual laughed, saying, “Youll have to forgive Craig, hes led a sheltered life.” Turning to Craig, he added, “Kays referring to the old saying, 'When you hear the sound of hoof beats, you should think horses, not zebras.'“
Craig murmured, “Oh,” evidently still baffled.
“Well,” Kay said, an amused expression on her face. “Whos Joe most likely to be protecting?”
Sid and Qual simultaneously said, “His wife.”
Craigs face lit up as he said, “Zoe!”
“Right,” Kay agreed. “Now, the next question is: 'What does he suspector knowabout her?'“
Craig wrinkled up his nose and said, “Thats a tough one, Kay. Number one, he thinksor knowsshe put those explosives inOHearnes car. But why would she have done that?”
“Or why would Joe have thought she did?” Qual asked.
“Phew,” Sid said, now this is really getting complicated.”
Kay nodded. “So much so,” she said, “that wed better get organized. Lets go into the conference room and draw up a list of what we have to do.”
“Leilani looked up from her computer and grinned, saying, “And if any locals turn out to be suspects, let me know.”
***
When theyd settled down at the conference table, Sid took out his copy of Joes confession and summarized it for the others. “He says he was in love with Charlotte Dyer. When he heard OHearne had killed herand he claims to be convinced OHearne didhe lost his head, went out to the Hawaiian Harvest Ridge Field, got himself two sticks of dynamite and wired them to the ignition of the car. Along with the fact our bomb expert says there were at least five sticks involved, and they werent wired to the ignition, is the whole fishy notion he was in love with Charlotte Dyer and thought OHearne would get off scot-free. The major sticking point is the notion Joe would lose his head so easily.”
The Yoshinobu Mysteries: Volume 2 Page 61