“Looks like this place got bombed out,” I said as we walked across the parking lot.
I looked up at a small wooden sign that hung over the open doorway. “Edelman Designs” was written in pale letters across a faded-pink background that probably had been red when it was first painted.
Alana and I entered the warehouse and spotted a few employees working on various wooden canoes. The gorgeous watercrafts were all in different stages of completion. Most of them looked like they were based on ancient Hawaiian designs. They had a typical canoe-like structure in the middle, but many of them also had wooden attachments on either one or both sides. I assumed this was for better balance in the high waves of the ocean. I wasn’t sure who his customer base was, maybe hotels or clubs that wanted these things for ceremonial purposes or decoration. They were handmade - at least I didn’t see any large machines in the warehouse. The wood looked of superior quality, so I imagined these things cost a pretty penny.
We approached the first employee we came across and asked for Trevor. The man pointed to a fifty-year-old near the back of the warehouse. He was of average height and was muscular, probably from cutting and sanding boats every day. We walked over to him. He ignored us as he chiseled away at a block of wood.
“Trevor Edelman?” Alana asked.
“Who wants to know?” Trevor asked. He looked up at Alana and smiled, which made the statement come across as more friendly than hostile.
“I’m Detective Alana Hu, and this is my associate, Mr. Rutherford.”
“In that case, I’m not Edelman,” he said, and he smiled again.
“All jokes aside, is there somewhere we can go to speak in private?” Alana asked
“Sure.”
Trevor put down the chisel and led us out a back door. We walked over to a picnic table that had been placed under a large tree. I admired the beautifully constructed table while the three of us sat.
“Is this handmade too?” I asked.
“Yeah, it turned out well, I think.”
“Beautiful,” I said, and I ran my hand across the smooth surface.
“I was wondering if I was going to get a visit from the police,” he said.
“And why is that?” Alana asked.
“My guess is Chambers told you about our little conversation.”
“He described it as more of an argument,” Alana said.
“Maybe that’s the way he saw it.”
“How would you describe it?” Alana asked.
“Like I said before, it was a conversation.”
“I’m sure you heard about the death of Charlotte Chambers,” Alana said.
“On the news. It was a terrible thing. I always liked her.”
“Mill made it sound like you didn’t like any member of the Chambers family,” I said.
“Mostly that’s true, but Charlotte was different.”
“How so?” Alana asked.
“She lacked the Chambers arrogance, at least around me,” Trevor said.
“You saw her frequently?” I asked.
“Not really. Maybe once a year or so. We would mainly just bump into each other from time to time.”
“Were those encounters awkward?” Alana asked.
“Why should they be?” he asked.
“Seems like your family and theirs had a falling out. I would think that would make things a bit strained when you saw each other.”
“My issue was more with her husband and her kids.”
“Why is that?”
“As I said before, the arrogance. It’s my least favorite of the personality traits.”
“You say Millard Chambers was an arrogant man. Everyone I’ve talked to described him as a great guy,” I said.
“And who is everyone? His kids? I’m guessing you never met him. Maybe arrogant isn’t the best word to describe him. Perhaps world-class asshole would be more appropriate,” Trevor said.
That’s three words, but who’s counting, I thought.
“Mill Chambers said you demanded a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the hotel. How did you hear about the potential sale?” Alana asked.
“I ran into the youngest one, Joe, at a bar. He was drunk, and when he saw me, he came over to gloat about the sale of the hotel. He said it was going to go for tens of millions.”
“Your father was once one of the owners of the hotel. Is that right?” I asked.
“Chambers and my father had known each other since childhood. They had been best friends. He asked my father to go into business with him. He found the property for the hotel, but my father provided the connections for the funding.”
I didn’t know what “connections for the funding” meant. Did that mean he knew the guy at the bank, or was there under-the-table money involved?
“Why did they eventually part ways?” Alana asked.
“The way my father described it was they had very different visions for the company. That translated to constant arguments. My father offered to buy him out, but he refused.”
“So your father accepted a buyout from Millard?” I asked.
“If you can call it that. It was a ridiculously low offer. My father refused at first, but Chambers made his life a living hell. He ended up accepting it just to get away from him.”
“Did your father ever consider opening a new hotel by himself ?” I asked.
“He told me he did, but he ultimately decided to go into other business areas.”
Judging by the dilapidated setting of Edelman Designs, I guessed they hadn’t worked out. Either that or he left money to Trevor that was promptly blown on expensive cars and frivolous possessions.
“You know you have no legal claim to that hotel,” I said.
Trevor’s mood immediately darkened.
“Let me ask you something. How would you feel if that jackass Joe Chambers approached you in a bar and said what he said? You think that idiot deserves that money? What did he ever do?”
“He was Millard Chambers’ son,” I said.
Trevor looked away. I thought he might stand at that moment and leave us sitting there under the tree, but he turned back.
“Chambers screwed my family out of millions. His kids need to make that right.”
“How do they do that? Give you half the money?” Alana asked.
Trevor said nothing.
“Where were you the night Charlotte Chambers was killed?” Alana asked.
“Now we really get to why you’re here. Did one of her kids accuse me of doing it?” he asked.
“No one has accused you of anything,” Alana said.
“I was at the warehouse all day. My employees can vouch for me. Afterward, I went into town for dinner. Then I came back here to work again.”
“I don’t suppose there was anyone else with you that night,” Alana said.
“No, I was alone.”
There was a long pause in the conversation before Trevor spoke again.
“Two things - if I did kill Charlotte Chambers, don’t you think I would have tried to come up with a better story than I was alone at work?”
“And the second thing?” Alana asked.
“What did I have to gain by killing the lady? I still don’t have any part of that hotel or their money. You’re looking in the wrong place,” Trevor said.
“Where should we be looking?” I asked.
“Try the family. They can all rot in hell for all I care.”
“Does that include Charlotte?” I asked.
“She didn’t deserve what she got,” Trevor said.
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you? You have an answer for everything,” Alana said.
“I’m innocent. Why wouldn’t I have an answer for everything?”
Trevor studied both Alana and me for a response. We didn’t give him one.
“Is there anything else?” Trevor asked.
“No,” Alana said.
Trevor stood and walked back to the warehouse. Alana and I stayed at the picn
ic table.
“What’s your gut tell you?” she asked.
“He didn’t do it.”
“Did you sense he was holding anything back?”
“Not really. My guess is he grew irate when a drunk Joe Chambers rubbed the money in his face. I can’t blame him for that. I would be too. His visit to Mill Chambers was probably more to let off steam than anything else. Maybe he thought the family would give him money to avoid a lawsuit.”
“Did Mara mention a lawsuit to you?” Alana asked.
“No, but I’m sure the Chambers family may be thinking one is coming. You know people can sue for any reason these days. Lawyers recommend settling a lot of the time because it’s way cheaper than going through the actual court proceedings, even if you know you’re going to win.”
“You think so?” Alana asked.
“Absolutely. I have a friend I went to school with who’s now a lawyer in Atlanta. He represents a lot of companies who get sued for sexual harassment. Most of the time the male executives are actually innocent, but the companies settle anyway. It’s a huge racket, and a lot of lawyers make good money just filing frivolous lawsuits.”
“Let’s say he’s intends to shake the family down for money. That reinforces his argument that he had nothing to gain by killing Charlotte.”
“That’s true, but there’s always the revenge factor. His line about only admiring Charlotte seemed a bit of a stretch to me.”
I looked down at the table.
“This is a hell of a piece of work. I was half-tempted to ask him how much he’d charge to make another one,” I said.
“That would have come out well. We think you might have killed Charlotte Chambers, but let’s talk wood working first.”
“Good point. Did you see how many guys he’s got working in there?” I asked.
“I think I saw three.”
“That’s how many I saw. There were way more boats than guys. Either a bunch of people called in sick today, or his business isn’t doing so well, and he can’t afford more people.”
“The boats looked beautiful, but I can’t imagine there are many people in the market for an old-style Hawaiian outrigger,” Alana said.
“I was thinking the same thing while we were in there. The guy’s got real talent for something but maybe not much demand for it. I bet if you looked into his finances you’d discover he’s in deep debt. Maybe he did go to Charlotte after his argument with Mill and demand money from her. Maybe he thought he could scare her more easily.”
“Let’s say he did that. Why would Charlotte change the will at that point? He’s got nothing to do with her kids. As weird as it sounds, maybe she would even be somewhat relieved knowing it was someone other than a family member who had threatened her.”
“Everything keeps coming back to the will, doesn’t it?” I asked.
“Do you have the energy for one more interview today?”
“You thinking Bethany and Barry?”
Alana nodded.
Chapter 11
Bethany and Barry Williams
We left Trevor Edelman’s and went straight to see Bethany and Barry. They lived in Wailea, not far from Charlotte’s house. Their quaint home was at the end of a narrow road that ran through the center of their neighborhood. The grass looked freshly cut, and the bushes in front of the house were neat and trimmed. You could tell they cared for their property.
Barry answered the door and led us into the living room, which was in the back. We saw Bethany sitting in a chair by the window. She didn’t rise to greet us, which I found rather odd. I wasn’t sure if she was attempting to pull a power play of some kind.
“May I get you anything?” Barry asked us.
“No, I’m good,” Alana said.
“I’m fine, too. Thanks,” I said.
“Please have a seat,” Barry said, and he sat down in a chair near Bethany’s.
Alana and I sat on a sofa across from them. It was rather stiff and uncomfortable. I looked around the room. It didn’t seem very lived in, and I wondered if they treated this as one of those old style living rooms that people only used when they had guests. I always found that arrangement a colossal waste of square footage.
“How’s the investigation coming?” Bethany asked.
“We just had a conversation with Trevor Edelman. Do you know him?” Alana asked.
“Of course, but I haven’t seen him in years.”
“Your brother Mill said Trevor came to see him a short while ago and demanded a share of the potential sale of the company,” Alana said.
“Really?” Bethany said.
“Mill didn’t say anything to you?” I asked.
“No, but we usually only talk about the hotel operations.”
“Surely this would fall under that category,” Alana said.
“I don’t see how. Trevor has no claim at all to our hotel. His father signed away his ownership years ago.”
“Has he made similar claims before now?” I asked.
“Not that I know of. Like I said before, I haven’t seen him in a long time. I don’t even remember when the last time I saw him was.”
“Did your mother say anything about him?” Alana asked. “Did he make any threats to her?”
“No. Nothing,” Bethany said.
“Do you think he has something to do with Charlotte’s murder?” Barry asked.
“We’re not sure. That’s one of the reasons we wanted to talk to you,” I said.
“You told me a few days ago that you couldn’t think of anyone who would want to harm your mother. Is that still the case?” Alana asked.
“I wish I could give you a name. I’d love to give you a name, but I just don’t know of anyone,” Bethany said.
“Before your mother passed, how were things at the hotel?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Bethany asked.
“Was business good? Were there any disagreements over the operations?”
“No, everything was fine. It’s a tough job, and the work can be extremely demanding, but what job isn’t these days?”
“You and Barry do the marketing for the hotel, right?” Alana asked.
Bethany nodded.
“Do you find the work fulfilling?” Alana asked.
“It’s not that it’s fulfilling or not fulfilling. It’s a means to an end.”
“And what is that?” I asked.
“Providing for our family,” Barry said.
“Jen mentioned to us that Mrs. Chambers didn’t share the profits of the hotel. Is that correct?” Alana asked.
I studied Bethany closely, assuming her reaction might display the truth of her feelings toward her late mother, but she had no reaction. There wasn’t even a fake smile. Her expression was about as neutral as you could get. It was so weird to me. Her mother was murdered, and she didn’t seem the least bothered by it. I know that’s me judging someone, and we all handle stress and pain differently, but shouldn’t she be showing some form of emotion or realness, if that’s even a word?
Her answers to Alana’s questions were coming off to me as measured, rehearsed, and anything but authentic. It was like we were an employer, and she was interviewing for a job. “What is your biggest weakness, Bethany?”
“Well, I’m a perfectionist, and I work too hard”
Back in reality, Bethany said, “I’m not sure what our finances have to do with this investigation.”
“They have everything to do with it,” Alana said. She then informed the couple of the origins of my involvement, including a vague description of my first conversation with Charlotte Chambers and Mara Winters. Of course, she left out the part about Charlotte thinking one of her adult kids was responsible for the drugged pinot.
Again, Bethany’s reaction was blank. I wasn’t sure if the woman was a robot, if she was hiding something, or if she had already been informed about the nature of my investigation by her sister-in-law, Jen. Maybe it was all of the above.
“Did you want your
mother to sell the hotel?” I asked.
“Of course. The property was worth way more than the hotel business itself. The offer my mother received was more than generous. She planned to take it,” Bethany said.
“That surprises me. When I met with your mother, she told me she’d never sell,” I said.
“I don’t know why she would say that,” Bethany said.
“Something to do with a promise she made to your father to never sell the business.”
Bethany laughed.
“She was still telling that old story,” Bethany said.
“Charlotte was a smart business woman. She knew the longer she held out, the higher their offer would go. That’s all,” Barry said.
“What you’re saying is that Mrs. Chambers intended to sell the hotel after all?” Alana asked.
“Absolutely. She told us that numerous times, but it wasn’t just the money. It was also about the family,” Bethany said.
“I don’t understand,” Alana said.
“My mother knew we weren’t going to be able to run the business after she was gone. Mill and I can’t agree on anything. And Joe, he’s just hopeless.”
“Your mother was going to sell the property to keep her children from tearing each other apart?” I asked.
Bethany nodded.
“Did Mill know your mother was going to sell? We were under the impression he wanted her to keep the business,” I said.
“He probably wanted her to sell more than we did. He couldn’t wait to get out of that place,” Bethany said.
“Jen told us Mill lives for that job,” Alana said.
“Mill spends the entire day looking at his watch. He can’t wait for the night manager to arrive,” Bethany said.
“What does Jen have to gain, though, by telling us Mill loves the hotel business?” I asked.
“Well, Jen’s not exactly the most honest person,” Barry said, and then he chuckled. It was one of those things people sometimes do when they’ve just criticized someone - sort of like using the phrase “bless his heart” after a royal slam.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because she lies constantly, even when telling the truth would benefit her. I’ve never seen anything like it, but she’s always been like that. It’s just something we’ve gotten used to,” Barry said.
Blood like the Setting Sun: A Murder on Maui Mystery Page 11