“That’s what we want to discuss with the Sergeant,” Parker said, firmness in his tone.
“Really now?” Andrews gave Parker a suspicious look. Then he strolled over and took the bag Parker was still holding. He gave his finger a lick and took a dip to taste. “Damn.” He turned to Yamagata.
Yamagata gave him a knowing nod.
Andrews expanded his chest and went into full authoritarian mode. “I’m sorry, Mr. Parker. But the Sergeant wants me to bring your wife in for questioning in the Keola Hakumele case.”
Miranda took a step toward him. “Does he realize it was murder now?”
“There’s been some new evidence and…I’m sorry, but you’re a person of interest.”
“Me?” That didn’t make any sense.
“And with this additional…evidence,” he gestured to the bag, “I’m going to have to arrest both of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Tell me again what you were doing at the blowhole the other night when you found the victim’s body?”
Victim? Now Keola was a victim?
Miranda sat back in the hard chair of the narrow interrogation room in the Lahaina police station and watched Sergeant Balondo pace up and down, peering at her with dark, suspicious eyes. It had to be past seven. Way past his usual shift and he seemed pretty grouchy about it.
She wasn’t feeling too peachy herself. Did he really think they were drug dealers? That she was involved in Keola’s death? She’d never heard of anything so ridiculous.
She couldn’t help curling a lip at him. “Didn’t we go over that the other night?”
He slapped his legal pad down on the table and took a seat at the opposite end. “I’d like to hear your story again.”
She folded her arms. “You did make a report, didn’t you?”
The little man’s eyes grew even darker with annoyance. “Humor me.”
She drummed her fingers against her arm. Better cooperate or this would just go on longer. She drew in a breath and went over the details again. Her late night run. The blowhole. Finding Keola and dragging him out of the water, giving him CPR, realizing he was dead. “And then I called 911 and you and your team showed up.”
“Are you sure that’s all there was to it?”
“Of course, I’m sure.”
Balondo’s soul patch swayed back and forth as he pursed his lips and considered her reply. “Mrs. Parker, we found nothing at the crime scene but Keola’s fingerprints and yours.”
Yeah, and what about those bloody handprints on the sign? She thought of how neatly those marine boxes had been packed. Ha’aheo had to be too anal to leave evidence behind.
“And today we find you and your husband in the vicinity of the crime scene. In a sea cave with stolen goods and drugs. I don’t know about you, but to me that looks a little too coincidental.”
She opened her mouth, shut it again. How could he even imply that?
“Do you have an explanation as to why you were there?”
She raised her palms “We’re investigating the murder?”
He gave her a smug little smirk. “Don’t private investigators usually have a client?”
“Not always.”
He got up and strolled to the wall. “Yesterday you call me to tell me there’s new evidence in the Keola Hakumele case—”
“Yeah, what about those prints?”
He cut her off, raising his voice. “And today we find you and your husband near that spot with twenty kilos of cocaine. Plus assorted stolen goods. And you can’t tell me why.”
She glared at him, resisting the urge to shake the little man. “We have a suspect.”
“Oh, you do, do you? And who is he?” he plopped himself down in the chair again and ran his fingers over his soul patch.
She thought of those police reports Parker had accessed online. Better not mention those. Her mind raced. Suddenly she remembered the detective Parker knew. “There’s an officer here. Actually, he’s on vacation. Officer Nakamura. My husband knows him. He trained at the Parker Agency.”
Balondo’s eyes went wide. “What did you do? Pick up a card in the lobby? Answer the question, Mrs. Parker.”
She gave him a sassy smirk. “No, I didn’t pick up a card in the lobby.”
His eyes flashed. “Not that question. Why were you in that sea cave today?”
She ran her tongue over her teeth. Best to be the one to act like a professional here. She and Parker were going to tell him about the cave anyway. “We noticed the sea cave when we were at the blowhole yesterday. We suspected there might be a clue to Keola’s murder down there. Turned out we were right.”
“So it was just a hunch? Intuition?”
“That’s right. Don’t you use intuition at times? Or is it all just dull facts with you?”
She could have sworn his face twitched. “You’re frustrating me, Mrs. Parker.”
“Likewise.”
Grinding his teeth he stared down at the table a moment then slapped his hands on it and shot to his feet. Picking up his pad he waved a finger at her. “You’re in deep trouble, Mrs. Parker. Now you sit here and think about that while I go talk to your husband and see what kind of story he gives me.” He turned to go.
She wanted to tell him to engage in a lewd act with himself, but she’d only be digging the hole she was in deeper. Maybe it was time for the truth. Part of it anyway.
“Sergeant Balondo,” she said in the most somber tone she could muster.
His hand already on the door, he turned back. “Yes?”
“I went to speak to Keola’s father yesterday. I met his son, Mikaele. He told me Keola was involved with a man named Jonathan Ha’aheo.”
Balondo turned around with a satisfied look that told her she’d just made a big mistake. “Mikaele is your brother, isn’t he? Well, you’re half brother anyway.”
How in the hell did he know that? “I—”
“His father goes by the name of Pumehana, but his real name is Edward Steele. And Steele is your maiden name. Still your legal name, right? And Keola’s last name.”
Miranda swallowed. If she’d thought Balondo was the type who didn’t do his homework, she’d been wrong. He’d run a background check on her. She felt a sweat drop slither down her back. “I only found out about my father yesterday.”
Balondo chuckled. “Are you sure about that?”
She stared at him. She sure didn’t want to air her dirty laundry in front of this guy but apparently, she had no choice. “My father abandoned me when I was a child,” she admitted. “I didn’t know he was here or I never would have come to Maui.”
His lips formed a who-are-you-trying-to-kid smirk as he folded his arms over his square torso. “Are you sure you didn’t find out about him when you were in the states? Your PI husband has been poking around looking for him, right?”
Her mouth opened.
“And when he found him and told you your father had a new family and other children, maybe you went a little ballistic. How dare your father go off marry someone else? You were going to show them who you were, right?”
She felt like he’d just punched her in the gut. “That’s crazy.”
“It would be pretty farfetched.” He leaned over and put his face close to hers. “If there just wasn’t so much evidence against you.”
She bared her teeth. “What evidence?”
He straightened and chuckled to himself. “Those bloody prints you pointed out on the warning sign on the blowhole?”
“What about them?”
“There were two sets. One Keola’s. The other yours. No one else’s was there.”
What? How could that be? She thought back. She must have drifted over to the sign and leaned against it while she was waiting for the cops to arrive that night. It was the only explanation. But not one this hardheaded cop would buy.
“If I were guilty of killing Keola, why would I call it in that night? Why would I call you about those fingerprints?”
H
e shrugged. “Maybe to look innocent. Maybe you want to rub it in the dumb cop’s face. Maybe you’ve got self-destructive tendencies. Psychology isn’t my department, Ms. Steele.” He sounded like he relished saying her real name. “All I know is that all my evidence points to you.”
She pressed both hands to her temples. What would Parker do? Think. Then she knew. Lifting her chin with an air of confidence she barely felt, she uttered the words she’d thought she’d never say in her life. “I want a lawyer.”
Balondo looked like he was about to do a victory dance. “Do you have one you want to call?”
Estavez, she thought. But he was back in the states. He might know someone here, but that would take too long. “Not really.”
“You’ll be assigned a public defender then.” And with that he turned and left the room.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Well now, Mr. Parker, private investigator, what do you have to say for yourself?”
Parker turned from the corner of the small interrogation room where he’d been staring at the walls and gave Sergeant Balondo his most ingratiating smile. “Sergeant, I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you and your men. There seems to have been a terrible misunderstanding.”
Balondo’s lip curled as he laid a notebook on the small table in the room. “Oh, you’re good, aren’t you?”
“I beg your pardon?” The refined approach would work better if he were in a suit rather than a tank top and jeans, Parker thought.
Balondo scratched at his cheek and shook his head. “There’s no misunderstanding, Mr. Parker. My men caught you and your wife red-handed.”
“You mean you caught us just as we had discovered illegal drugs and stolen goods. You do realize there’s no cell phone signal in that cave, don’t you? We would have called you as soon as we left. Just as we did yesterday at the crime scene to report the evidence we found.”
The sergeant put his hands behind his back and chuckled. Odd reaction. “And how would I know this?”
Parker eyed the square-bodied man, recalling Ryo’s words about his stubbornness. He had hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to pull his trump card, but apparently it was. “Sergeant,” he smiled. “As you’re probably aware, I’m quite well acquainted with Detective Ryo Nakamura. I believe he’s your boss?”
Balondo’s expression told him Miranda must have mentioned the name as well. “Who my boss is isn’t relevant to this investigation.”
“On the contrary, it’s extremely relevant in this case. If you call him, Ryo will vouch for me.”
“I can’t do that, Mr. Parker. Officer Nakamura is on vacation.”
“Oh, I’m aware of that. He mentioned it to me when I came to see him two days ago. In fact, it was just before he left. You see, Ryo is a former student of mine and I dropped by to catch up and chat about old times with him.” He gave him another one of those society smiles that he’d learned from his father.
He watched Balondo’s hands ball into fists before he put them behind his back and stared at the floor. He was weighing the choice of calling his boss and disturbing his vacation over nothing and looking like a fool, against the evidence he had. If he were as by-the-book as Ryo had said, Parker could guess the decision before he made it.
Balondo raised his head. “Okay, Mr. Parker. We’ll call the Detective.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket and speed dialed the number. He laid it on the table and pressed the speaker button.
It rang three times before Ryo picked up. “Yes, Sergeant?” Ryo didn’t sound pleased.
“Sir, I’m very sorry to disturb you, but we picked up a person of interest in the Keola Hakumele case and he claims to know you. I need to verify.”
The sound of muted voices and clattering dishes trickled through the phone. Around ten a.m. in LA. Ryo must be having a late breakfast with his family. “And who is it, Balondo?”
“His name is Parker, sir. Full name, Wade Russell Parker the Third.”
Parker was relieved to hear Ryo’s chuckle over the speaker. “Yes, Balondo. I know Mr. Parker. I attended his investigative agency. It’s one of the best in the country.”
The look of chagrin on Balondo’s face was something Parker would relish for a long time. “And what about his wife, sir? Do you know her as well?”
“I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her. Did you say you picked Mr. Parker up?”
Balondo did a little hemming and hawing before he thought of a reply. “It was just routine, sir. I simply needed to verify his identity.”
Parker stepped toward the phone with a smile. “Ryo, it’s good to hear your voice again.”
“Parker, are you getting into trouble with my men?”
Parker gave an easy laugh. “I’m trying to keep my nose clean, but you know how difficult that can be for me.”
“Well, just try to behave yourself in the future.”
“I’ll do that.”
Balondo cut off the friendly banter. “Thank you for your help, sir. I won’t keep you any longer.”
“That’s quite all right.” With another chuckle, Ryo hung up.
Balondo pursed his lips back and forth for a few moments. Finally, he stiffened his shoulders. “Very well, Mr. Parker. I stand corrected. You’re released.” He picked up his notebook from the table.
“And my wife?”
Balondo’s jaw went hard. “You heard Detective Nakamura. He doesn’t know her.”
“She’s my wife. She’s also my employee. The Parker Agency will vouch for her.”
“She’s got a rap sheet.”
Parker winced. Of course Balondo would have run her background. “Misdemeanors.”
“And she’s related to the vic.”
The man was as methodical as Ryo had described him. “She didn’t know that until yesterday.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Parker raised a brow. “Are you calling me a liar, Sergeant?”
Balondo opened his notebook and shuffled through a file until he found what he was looking for. “Yesterday morning you rented a second BMW because your first rental was missing. Is that true, Mr. Parker?”
Parker tensed. “Yes it’s true, what does that have to do with anything?”
“Your wife took the first car, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she came to see you that night.”
Ignoring the point, he kept his gaze on his notes. “But you didn’t rent the second car until the next morning. It looks like she didn’t come home.”
Parker frowned. “What are you saying?”
Balondo shut his notebook with a snap. “Just that you wouldn’t be the first husband not to know everything his wife was up to.”
He laughed. “I assure you, Sergeant. I know my wife.”
“Like I said. Maybe, maybe not. In my book, she’s got motive. And that’s all I can say to you about it right now.”
Anger pounded in Parker’s temples. Time to play his other trump card. “Sergeant I have reason to believe one Jonathan Ha’aheo is responsible for the contraband found in that cave.”
There was no sign of recognition in Balondo’s expression at that name. He didn’t know the case. “Thanks for the tip. We’ll look into it.”
“Sergeant, Jonathan Ha’aheo’s father was a dangerous criminal. Jonathan may be following in his footsteps.”
“As I said, we’ll look into it. Now if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Parker, I have work to do. You’re free to go.”
Parker felt the pulse in his neck quicken. Free to call Ryo back. This time the call wouldn’t be so friendly. This time he’d have Balondo’s job.
Giving up the argument with the dense sergeant, Parker stepped past him and through the open door. As he did, another thought struck him. He turned back. “Has my wife asked for a attorney?”
Balondo nodded stiffly. “She’ll be assigned a public defender.”
“I’ll take care of her attorney.” If she still needed one after he made that call.
Summoning all his control,
Parker turned away and marched down the hall to the small waiting room. He glanced at the clerk on duty at the reception desk. He seemed oblivious enough. Parker strolled to a potted palm tree in the corner, pulled out his cell and dialed Ryo again.
“Parker? What’s going on?”
“Your sergeant let me go, but he’s still holding my wife.”
There was a groan of annoyance. “I apologize, Parker.”
“There’s more. I have reason to believe Jonathan Ha’aheo is involved in the Keola Hakumele case.”
There was a long pause. For a moment Parker thought he had lost the connection. “Do you mean Robert Ha’aheo’s son?” The son of the man they’d chased down together four years ago. The man who had almost shot Ryo. The man Parker had killed to save the detective’s life.
“Yes. We haven’t got enough to prove it yet, but our evidence is leading that way. I told Balondo about the younger Ha’aheo, but he brushed me off.”
There was more than annoyance in Ryo’s voice now. “Give me a minute. I’ll straighten the sergeant out. I’ll call you right back.” He disconnected.
The next few minutes seemed like an eternity. Parker paced to the potted palm across the room and back again. He thumbed a magazine on the small coffee table, then returned to the palm. He’d made several trips before his cell rang.
“Yes?”
Ryo didn’t speak right away, but when he did, Parker felt his whole body quake. “Bad news.”
“What do you mean?”
“Balondo’s got evidence on your wife.”
“The drugs and stolen goods we found today?”
“No. There were bloody fingerprints on the warning sign near the blowhole.”
Stunned, Parker blinked. “Yes, we discovered those yesterday. We reported them to the sergeant. I don’t understand what—”
“One set of them was your wife’s.”
Parker had to sit down in one of the metal chairs at that news. They thought they’d found Jonathan’s fingerprints but, of course, he wouldn’t have been so sloppy. Parker’s mind raced. “That could have happened the night she found the body.”
“I’m sure there’s some explanation but there’s no other evidence right now. Nothing to point to Jonathan Ha’aheo. I ordered Balondo to investigate Ha’aheo, but that will take time. Meanwhile, I talked Balondo into letting your wife see a lawyer before he books her. A good one might get her released temporarily. That’s the best I can do.”
Fire Dancer Page 16