“What did they say?” Mara asked.
“They said they were going to kill me. That my time was up.”
“Did you keep them?” I asked.
“No, I was so upset that I threw them away.”
“Were they typed or handwritten?” I asked.
“They were typed on white paper.”
“Have you ever received any letters like this before?” I asked.
“Never,” she said.
“Do you have any idea who might want to harm you?” Mara asked.
“I know exactly who did it.” She paused. “One of my children.”
“Your children?” I asked.
“The greedy bastards. One of them tried to off me.”
I almost burst out laughing, but I managed to restrain myself.
“Why would they do that?” I asked.
“I was approached by a large company a few weeks ago. They offered to buy my hotel. They’d made the offer several times before, but this time the price they threw out was substantially more. You might even describe it as obscene. My children have pleaded with me to sell, but I won’t do it.”
“May I ask why?” I said.
“My late husband, Millard, made me swear on his death-bed that I would never sell the company. He built the hotel over fifty years ago, and it was an instant success. It’s an older property now, but we still take good care of it. It makes a good amount of money for the family.”
“I assume the land is what’s so attractive to your potential buyer,” Mara said.
“Yes, Millard was a genius when it came to business. He bought in an underdeveloped area and got some of the best real estate for next to nothing. Now, the property is worth a fortune. My children want me to sell so they never have to work again. They’re lazy, and they feel entitled. I’m convinced they want to see me gone so they can move forward with the deal.”
“Did they threaten you? It’s a big leap to go from wanting you to sell your land to trying to murder you in the bathtub,” I said.
Plus the woman was eighty-five. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but for how much longer could the dear lady hang on? Why risk getting caught for murder when you can just wait a couple of years for her to naturally pass away? It wasn’t like the land was going to lose value. On the other hand, drugging the wine was a brilliant way to get away with it. No one would have suspected foul play, and it was highly unlikely an autopsy would be performed. Did this mean I was now actually thinking she might have been the target of a nefarious plot? Not at all. These were just hypotheticals I ran through my mind as I sat in Mara’s office.
“The family has had terrible fights in the last week. It’s not just the offer to buy the hotel, though. My children can’t stand each other. Each one thinks they’re the only one in the family with any brains. They’ve all accused each other of almost ruining the company through incompetence.”
“Is there any merit to these accusations?” I asked.
“Somewhat. They say certain characteristics skip a generation. None of my children possesses the business acumen of my Millard.”
“Forgive me if I’m giving you unwanted advice, Mrs. Chambers, but maybe it would be a good idea if you sold the hotel based on your lack of confidence in your children,” I said.
“I just can’t do that. It’s the promise I made Millard. He’s been gone over twenty years. I thought the pain would be less by now, but it isn’t. I still miss him terribly. I can’t break my promise to him.”
I admired the woman’s loyalty and commitment to her late husband.
“Mrs. Chambers, you said you wanted us to determine who drugged your wine. Does that mean you’d like us to open an investigation into this? Do you actually want us interviewing your children?” Mara asked.
“Yes, I need to find out who did this to me. I can’t let that person inherit a portion of the estate. I won’t allow it.”
“Unfortunately, there’s a distinct possibility we won’t be able to discover who’s responsible. What would you do then?” I asked.
“I don’t even want to consider that possibility. You must determine who’s guilty.”
Mara turned to me.
“Is this something you can take on?” she asked.
Talk about putting me in the hot seat. I didn’t want to take the case. I was still convinced she simply fell asleep in the tub. I hated the thought of letting her down, but I had no doubt that’s exactly where this case would lead.
“Please take my case, Mr. Rutherford. I know they’re going to try again. You have to figure out who’s doing this to me.”
“I really can’t make any promises other than to do my best,” I said.
“Thank you.”
“What should be the first steps?” Mara asked.
I had only done two previous investigations and still considered my solving those to be strokes of luck rather than professional skills. My technique, if you can even call it that, was fairly straightforward. It was mainly a matter of meeting with the likely suspects and looking for minor clues that pointed to inconsistencies and lies. Add enough of those lies together, search for a motive, and eventually the truth reveals itself.
“I’d like to meet with your family members,” I said, “but I need to determine a way to speak with them without them realizing why I’m really there. I don’t suppose you have any events coming up where they’ll all be present, some sort of social gathering, maybe.”
“My husband’s ninetieth birthday would have been in a few days. Perhaps I can throw him a birthday party of sorts. It would be a way to honor his memory.”
“That’s a fantastic idea. They won’t be able to say no to that, and it will be a good chance for me to wander around and meet them all. Do me a favor, though. Invite plenty of friends and neighbors. Don’t make it just a family gathering. My presence mustn’t seem out of the ordinary.”
“Is a few days enough time?” Mara asked.
“I have a good staff working for me. We can get anything done in that time.”
“One more thing,” I said. “Please make a list for me of your children and any pertinent information about each one. Photos of them would also be good.”
Mrs. Chambers nodded. “Thank you again, Mr. Rutherford.”
“What about the next few days. Do you want me to arrange for security?” Mara asked.
“No, Patricia will be there with me, and I won’t be drinking any of the remaining wine.”
Mara and I walked Mrs. Chambers to the door. After she drove off, Mara turned to me.
“Has she turned senile?” she asked.
“You would know better than me,” I said. “This is my first time meeting her. I’ve seen no prior behavior to compare it to.”
“Keep a record of your hours so we can bill her appropriately. This may be a waste of your time, so at least you’ll get paid for it.”
After leaving Mara’s office, I drove to the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner with Alana and Foxx. One of the few downsides to living on Maui is the high cost of groceries because most things have to be shipped from the mainland. After much thought and consideration, I decided to make chili, which I realize is by no means a classic Hawaiian dish, but it’s one of the few items I actually know how to make. My talents don’t go much beyond chopping vegetables and boiling water.
Once I got home, I took Maui the dog for another long walk and then cooled down by swimming underwater laps in the pool. Foxx was nowhere to be found, and I assumed he was gallivanting around with his new gal, Suzy. I admired Foxx’s natural ability with women. I used to be jealous of it. That’s not easy to admit, but it’s the truth. My relationship with Alana is probably the only reason I’m not jealous anymore. We’re very comfortable around each other. I wouldn’t want to replace that with the excitement of meeting someone new. Foxx, on the other hand, loved that experience of getting to know someone. I knew Suzy would most likely not last. I didn’t feel sorry for her because I figured she probably alrea
dy knew it, too, and was apparently okay with it. I realize that women are way smarter than men in probably every category, so I had no doubt Suzy knew what the deal was.
I took a shower and then headed into the kitchen to lay out the various ingredients for dinner. Foxx arrived a few minutes later. He was alone.
“Where’s Suzy?” I asked. “I thought you said she was coming with you.”
“I’m pretty sure Suzy and I are no longer seeing each other.”
“That fast?” I looked at my watch. “By my calculations, you still had another week or so before you got tired of her.”
“Yeah, but she accused me of flirting with another woman.”
“Were you?”
“You know me. I flirt with everyone.”
The doorbell rang, and Maui the dog took off running toward the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Foxx said.
Foxx followed Maui to the door, and a second later, I heard two female voices. I immediately recognized Alana’s telling Foxx hello. I wondered if Suzy had a change of heart and was the other person with Alana, but then I recognized the voice as it continued to talk.
“Look who Alana brought with her,” Foxx said.
I turned around from the kitchen counter and saw Alana’s sister, Hani, standing beside her. For those of you who didn’t read my last tale, Hani is Alana’s younger sister. She’s equally stunning - maybe even better looking, although I would never admit that to Alana. I wasn’t even aware of Hani’s existence until a few months ago. She grew up on Maui but spent the last year in Los Angeles pursuing a modeling career. She recently moved back to the island, and, like Foxx and me, was currently trying to figure out what to do with herself. I wouldn’t call Hani a dishonest person, but she has a way of withholding vital information. This trait, and a few other things I won’t go into, was the reason Alana and Hani had a terrible relationship. For all practical purposes, they weren’t even talking to each other until a recent legal matter and the death of a loved one brought them closer together. I wasn’t sure how long this was going to last, but I certainly hoped it would be permanent. Like all high emotions where family is involved, you just never know.
“When I told Hani you were making chili, she asked if she could come along,” Alana said.
“The more the merrier,” I said.
“Make it spicy, please,” Hani said.
I unwrapped the ground meat from the plastic package and walked over to the stove. I turned it on medium and placed a pan on it.
“Foxx and I were just talking about his flirting,” I said.
“Oh, great,” Foxx groaned.
“What about his flirting?” Alana asked.
“His new girl, Suzy, just broke things off because she thought he was flirting with another woman,” I said.
“Can’t anything be private around here?” Foxx asked.
“Were you flirting?” Hani asked.
“We were at Harry’s getting a drink, and I struck up a conversation with a woman at the bar,” Foxx admitted.
“You did this right in front of Suzy?” Alana asked.
“Not exactly. She was in the bathroom at the time.”
“So you waited until she went to the bathroom to hit on the other woman?” Hani asked.
“Who said I was hitting on her? I was just talking to her.”
“At least, that’s what he told Suzy when she walked out. My guess is she saw you pass the woman your phone number,” I said.
Foxx said nothing.
“Oh my god, I’m right, aren’t I?” I asked.
“Listen. It’s not like Suzy and I were exclusive. We didn’t even have that conversation,” Foxx said.
I laughed and started chopping the vegetables.
“Do you need any help?” Alana asked me.
“No, I’m great. Just grab some beers for you and Hani. I just stocked the fridge.”
Alana walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers. She handed one to Hani.
“Thanks,” Hani said.
“You want one, Foxx?” Alana asked.
“Sure. It looks like I may need a few.”
Alana pulled a couple more beers out and handed them both to Foxx. He immediately popped the top and took a long gulp.
“What’s the deal, Foxx? You can’t commit to a woman?” Hani asked.
Alana gave me a quick look. We both knew Hani didn’t know the details of Lauren’s death, and she had no way of knowing how much Foxx cared for her. To his credit, Foxx let the comment roll off. He took another long pull from his beer.
“There aren’t that many women worth committing to,” Foxx said. “Present company excluded, of course.”
“Of course,” Alana said.
I dropped the meat onto the hot pan and stirred it around.
“Don’t be too hard on him, ladies. He’s always been this way. It’s a birth defect,” I said.
Foxx laughed.
“I wouldn’t call it that. It’s just that half of all marriages end in divorce. Why put yourself through that?”
I instantly thought back to my morning Internet search for engagement rings. Was I making a mistake to even consider proposing to Alana? I wondered if that statistic of marriage was even correct. I’d heard it many times before, and I guess it’s been said so many times that people now take it as gospel. I had no way of knowing if it was actually true, though, and even if it were, how many of those divorces were from repeat offenders? I had a few former co-workers at the architecture firm who had each been divorced three times.
“I think the idea of marriage is a very romantic thing,” Hani said.
“Oh god, I’m sorry, Hani. I wasn’t even thinking,” Foxx said.
When Foxx and I first met Hani, she had just announced her marriage plans. It didn’t work out for her. I’d go into more detail, but I don’t want to ruin the plot of Wedding Day Dead.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“No, it’s not. I feel like a giant ass,” Foxx said. “I’m always sticking my foot in my mouth.”
Hani laughed. I wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Let’s change the subject,” Alana said. She turned to me. “Why don’t you tell Hani about your first professional investigation.”
I groaned. “Please, let’s try to avoid that subject.”
“Now you have to tell me,” Hani said.
I reluctantly told Hani about following Doctor Peterson and photographing his extramarital activities on the balcony of his beach house.
“He actually went for it right there in the open?” Hani asked.
“Technically, he wasn’t exactly out in the open. There was some privacy,” I said.
“Except for you and Alana hiding in the bushes,” Hani said.
“There’s that, yes,” I said.
I put the browned meat and the chopped vegetables into a large pot.
“What happened when you went back to see Mara? Did she give you a new case?” Alana asked.
I filled them in on my conversation with Mara and Mrs. Chambers.
“That poor woman. I can’t believe one of her kids would try to murder her,” Hani said.
“You don’t think that actually happened, do you?” Alana asked me.
“Not at all, but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to the lady. I really felt bad for her.”
“So she’s going through with the party?” Foxx asked.
“As far as I know, which is one of the things I wanted to bring up tonight. Is there any chance you guys can come to the party with me? There are a lot of members of the Chambers family, and I’ll need help talking to all of them.”
“Divide and conquer?” Alana asked.
“Something like that,” I said.
“You actually expect to uncover some big murder scheme?” Foxx asked.
“Not a chance. I just want to give this lady some piece of mind. There’s no reason for her to spend her last years being paranoid.”
“At the very least, we get a fre
e party out of it,” Foxx said.
“Count me in,” Alana said.
Hani turned to Foxx.
“Does that make you and me dates for the party?” she asked.
“Sure. Just don’t get mad at me if you see me talking to some other woman.”
I finished preparing the chili and turned the stove to a low setting.
“Well, it’s going to be about an hour before this is ready,” I said.
“Why don’t we go out to the pool,” Alana suggested.
I grabbed a few mores beers from the refrigerator, and we all walked outside. The sun was setting, and the colors were beautiful.
“You’ve got a hell of a view, Foxx,” Alana said.
“It’s extraordinary. I never take it for granted,” he said.
Alana, Foxx, and I sat in wooden chairs, while Hani sat on the side of the pool and dipped her legs into the water.
“The water’s so warm,” she said.
Maui the dog ran up to her, which somewhat surprised me considering he had never taken to her before. Hani smiled and scratched him on the top of his head. Hani turned to me.
“Have you and Foxx always been friends?” she asked.
“I can’t really remember a time when we weren’t,” I said.
“If you knew this guy the way I know him, you’d be shocked at how well things have turned out for him,” Foxx said.
“Oh, you have to tell me more,” Alana said.
“Poe was always the skinniest kid on the block. I was constantly protecting him from the bullies. What did you weigh in high school? A buck-fifty?”
“If that,” I admitted.
“That’s pretty thin for someone of your height,” Alana said.
I nodded. “I couldn’t gain weight. At the time, I didn’t appreciate what a nice problem that was to have.”
“And now he’s living on Maui and dating a hot lady like Alana. Man, you should have seen how bad he was with the women before.”
Alana and Hani laughed.
“How did this turn into Poe’s most embarrassing moments?” I asked.
“Do you remember that girl you went to the prom with? What was her name?” Foxx asked.
“I tried to block it,” I said.
“Tina or Tara?”
“Tonya, I think, or maybe it was Tina,” I admitted.
Blood like the Setting Sun: A Murder on Maui Mystery Page 3