“The first two threatening letters were mailed. The third was delivered in person during the party. You managed to avoid suspicion by not being at the party and therefore not being there when the letter was left in the pantry. However, it would have been easy for Patricia to do it. She helped plan and setup the party. She had free reign of the house,” Alana said.
“Since it was a party, I’d imagine lots of people had free reign of the house. Anyone could have left that letter, including my Uncle Joe.” Olivia turned to me. “I already told you I thought he did it. He had a drug and alcohol problem. We all knew it. He even went so far as to forge a will and try to cheat my mother and uncle out of their rightful inheritances,” Olivia said.
“Joe was nothing more than a distraction. You’re right about the fake will and the drug problem. It was a desperate act from a desperate man, but it doesn’t mean he killed his mother,” Alana said.
“Are you now going to accuse my clients of murdering Joe Chambers, too?” Mara asked.
“No, I think Joe’s death was the accident it appeared to be,” Alana said.
“Then there’s the wine. You first wanted Charlotte’s death to look like an accident. You took some of your mother’s sleeping pills and had Patricia drop them in the bottle of wine,” I said.
“That’s ridiculous,” Olivia said.
“You hated your grandmother for helping cover up the crime against you. I don’t blame you. It was a despicable thing to do, but you also hated your mother. She of all people had to know the danger of leaving you with your grandfather, but she did it anyway. I don’t know why she did. Maybe she was actually hoping it would happen so she wouldn’t be alone in her misery,” I said.
“That’s not true,” Olivia said.
“And what about your father? He was supposed to protect you,” I said.
Olivia turned to Barry. “Would you like to answer that, Father?”
Barry said nothing. He didn’t even look at her.
“You planned this entire thing out, Olivia. You set Patricia up inside. She delivered the third letter. She left the house early the day your grandmother was killed. That left Charlotte alone in the house for you to come over and murder her.”
“I would never kill my grandmother. I loved her, despite what she did, and you’re forgetting that no one forced my grandmother to be alone that day. Patricia told me my grandmother was the one who called off the security team.”
“That’s not exactly true. I spoke to the security company. I know the woman who worked your grandmother’s account. She said the person who called her and cancelled the service claimed to be Charlotte Chambers, but the voice was wrong. She said the voice sounded young, not someone who was over eighty,” Alana said.
“That’s hardly conclusive evidence, and it would get laughed out of court,” Mara said.
“We think Patricia told Charlotte that you were behind the letters. Charlotte knew why, of course. No one needed to remind her of what had happened. She went to see you, maybe to apologize, maybe to warn you off. Either way, I’m guessing she never thought you’d go through with your threats. She was wrong,” I said.
“I’d barely seen my grandmother for weeks before she died. I was too busy at work. It’s one of my biggest regrets. I certainly didn’t see her the day she was killed,” Olivia said.
“Did you know there’s a security camera on the outside of the building across the street from yours? I got access to their footage. It clearly shows Charlotte arriving at your office and going inside,” Alana said.
“So? That’s doesn’t prove I was inside as well.”
“Your car was already in the parking lot, and Charlotte didn’t come out until ten minutes later.”
“Again, that doesn’t prove anything. I leave that office all the time to get a drink or go have lunch. She might have decided to wait for me. When I didn’t return in time, she left,” Olivia said.
“Do you always leave your business doors unlocked when you leave?” Alana asked.
“Sometimes. I’m forgetful. I’m very busy.”
“It’s not a crime for her to speak to her grandmother,” Mara said.
“I didn’t say it was, but you’re conveniently ignoring the fact that she just lied to a police detective when she said she didn’t see Charlotte that day,” Alana said.
“No. All you established is that Charlotte went to her shop,” Mara said.
“Your mother knew you did it, didn’t she?” I asked.
Olivia said nothing.
“You knew where your father kept his weapon,” I continued. “I’m betting you offered her a choice - a bullet or the pills.”
“Now you’re accusing me of killing my mother, too?” Olivia asked.
“It explains why there weren’t any prints on the handle of the gun. Someone had wiped them clean,” Alana said.
“My mother’s death was a suicide.”
Alana turned to Barry. “Is that what you think?” He didn’t answer.
“I hate to say this, but my mother was a deeply disturbed person. She was in therapy for many years and was addicted to those sleeping pills. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a surprise when she took her own life.”
“Is that true?” Alana asked Barry. “You told me the doctor had just prescribed those pills after Charlotte’s funeral.”
“My wife had just died. I didn’t want to make her out to be an addict. Bethany had been taking pills for much longer. I tried to get her to stop, but she couldn’t sleep without them.”
“Tell her about her previous suicide attempt,” Olivia urged her father.
Barry hesitated a moment, and then he said, “Bethany tried to kill herself after I took Olivia away. She overdosed on pills. Charlotte found her in the bathroom and had her rushed to the hospital.”
“That doesn’t mean she did it again,” I said.
“What’s more likely?” Olivia asked. “That I pointed a gun at my mother’s head and forced her to take those pills or that she took her own life after a long history of mental problems and the recent depression over the loss of her mother and brother?”
“You know she killed your wife?” I told Barry. “Are you going to just sit there and let her get away with it?”
That’s exactly what he did, though. He said nothing. He did nothing. He didn’t look at any of us. He just stared at the floor and retreated into his own little world of denial and despair.
“All you two have is guess-work. You have nothing that directly links either of my clients to either the death of Charlotte Chambers or Bethany Williams,” Mara said.
She was right, unfortunately. Olivia had planned it perfectly, and she had a father who wasn’t going to betray her. I doubted they’d come to any kind of official agreement. There probably hadn’t been any conversation at all. She just knew he didn’t have the guts to stand up for what was right. He hadn’t done it when Olivia was molested by her grandfather. He certainly wasn’t going to turn on his daughter then. This whole meeting had been a longshot at best. Alana and I knew that, but we had to try.
Mara ended the interview, and Alana and I stood to leave.
“Do you remember what I said to you in my shop?” Olivia asked me.
“No, what did you say?”
“You’re a clever man,” Olivia nodded toward Alana, “and she’s a beautiful woman, and I said not to let her get away.”
I knew what Olivia was really saying. She was letting me know I had gotten it all right.
She was a hell of an actor, as I had pointed out earlier, and she was deeply disturbed like her mother. They were both victims of the same evil man, and the act of betrayal set both their destinies. Olivia had her innocence destroyed by her grandfather, and her grandmother had manipulated the situation to protect him, just as she had done when her daughter, Bethany, had been molested. Olivia’s parents still could have stepped up and protected her, but they didn’t. Although I couldn’t justify or condone the murders Olivia had committed, I could understa
nd her desire for revenge.
The question now was, what would become of Olivia? Would she find peace now that those who betrayed her the most were gone, or would she fall deeper into the hole when the reality of what she had done finally seeped into her consciousness? And what of Barry? Would he seek revenge against his daughter by one day testifying against her? Probably not. At least that would be my bet, if I were a betting man.
Chapter 21
Defining Moments
Several days went by after the meeting in Mara’s office, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had wallowed in the filth of the Chambers family and hadn’t been able to wash myself clean. I decided I needed to get away. I asked Alana if she thought she could get a week off from work so we could take a trip. I thought it might take some convincing. She’s a workaholic, whether she wants to admit it or not, so I was a little surprised when she immediately responded with the two word answer “Hell, yes!”
The result of the Chambers’ case was a hard pill to swallow. I’d failed. It wasn’t the first time in my life, and I knew with certainty it wouldn’t be the last. The entire incident, if that’s the right word, had left me feeling disgusted and sick. They were a family driven by greed and a desire to protect the guilty in an effort not to lose their riches. Millard Chambers had been the lowest form of humanity I could think of. I remembered what his son Mill had told me the night of that party. His father had died on the golf course. Mill declared it as a great way to go out. The guy should have spent his final years rotting away in a prison. I did my best to push it all out of my mind, but it was impossible. I tried to concentrate on my upcoming trip with Alana. I planned every detail, every step, every moment in an effort to make it perfect. I knew it wouldn’t be, though. Nothing is ever perfect, but I wanted it to be as close as possible. Just when I’d finally made some progress in pushing the Chambers family to the back of my mind, Mara called me.
“Hey, Poe, I just wanted to touch base with you and see how you were doing,” she said.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Busy. But that’s how things are normally around here.”
“That’s good, right?”
“I’m sorry for how things turned out,” she said.
“So am I, but why are you apologizing? It wasn’t your fault. You were just doing your job.”
“I know, but I wish I could have done more to help.”
“I get that Mara. We’re fine, though.”
“Good, because I was hoping we could continue our working relationship.”
“Did you have something new come up?” I asked.
“Not yet…but I will. Something always comes up.”
“Why don’t you call me when it does. We’ll take each one as it comes, like we originally planned.”
“In case you’re interested, I heard Barry quit the Chambers Hotel. He sold his house and moved to Oahu. I don’t know if he got a new job yet.”
“You know, Mara, I don’t mean to sound rude, but I don’t care about the Chambers family anymore.”
“I understand. I’ll call you later then, when something comes up.”
“Sure thing. Have a good day, Mara.”
“You, too.”
I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket. I hadn’t been totally honest with Mara when I told her I didn’t care anything about the Chambers family anymore. I kept myself apprised of Olivia’s movements, hoping against hope that she’d slip up, but she was way too smart for that. I heard from the bartender at Harry’s that Olivia was in the process of selling her wedding company and moving back to Los Angeles. If you’ll recall, Patricia ate lunch on a regular basis at the bar, and she’d apparently been the one to tell the bartender this news. I wouldn’t be surprised if she told the bartender just so I would eventually find out. Maybe it was their way of letting me know that I’d missed my chance. Of course, Patricia could be lying about moving to California. She’d done it before.
I also hadn’t been honest with Mara when I’d implied there were no hard feelings between us. I was pretty pissed with her. I know it’s an attorney’s job to provide good counsel to their clients and make sure they receive a favorable outcome, but what about justice? What about doing the right thing? I wasn’t sure how Mara could sleep knowing she had helped protect a corrupt family.
So why hadn’t I told Mara I wasn’t interested in working with her anymore? Two reasons, really. The first is that I don’t like making decisions when I’m feeling emotional. I almost always regret it later. The second reason was that I’d become addicted to being involved with these cases. There was a certain high to chasing murderers and trying to outsmart them. I wouldn’t be being honest with you, though, if I didn’t admit that those feelings kind of freaked me out. It was a dangerous hobby I’d started, and I wasn’t sure how it would end.
As far as Charlotte’s will, I assumed Mill got his half and Olivia got hers. I did read in the local news that Mill had negotiated a sales price for the hotel and property. Both Mill and Olivia were about to be very wealthy. I thought back to something Rebecca Acker told me in her office in Honolulu. She’d said it all started because she begged her father to give Edward Edelman the land for the Chambers Hotel. Now that land was selling for millions, and there wasn’t one Edelman or one Acker that would see a dime.
So the case officially ended with riches and three deaths. Two of those deaths were murder, and no one would spend a single day in jail for them. Maybe Rebecca was right when she said there’s no justice. I didn’t want to believe that, but I was having a hard time thinking otherwise.
On the home front, Foxx finally admitted he was still seeing Hani. He wasn’t sure, but he thought they might be dating exclusively. I asked him how he could not be certain, and he said the conversation never came up, but as far as he knew, neither of them were seeing anyone else. He then went into a long and detailed discussion on her talents in the bedroom and how he couldn’t believe how amazing she looked naked. It was typical Foxx talk, but I won’t share any more.
My trip with Alana ended on a much happier and upbeat note. I refused to tell her where we were going, but I did give her a breakdown of what the highs and lows of the temperature would be. She started to overpack because she didn’t know the types of activities we would be doing. I told her to bring one small suitcase for the few items of clothes she’d bring and a large empty suitcase for all the clothes she’d buy on the trip. I knew I was setting myself up for torture since I view shopping for clothes as one step above getting my fingernails violently ripped out.
We drove to the airport, and Alana still had no idea where we were headed until I handed her the boarding passes after we checked in.
“Paris!” she exclaimed, and I thought the normally cool and calm Alana was going to jump in my arms.
For those of you who have read my previous two tales, you know I have horrible luck when it comes to air travel. I normally get stuck near the back of the plane, if not the very last row in front of the toilet. I believe the airlines think my middle name is “middle-seat-on-the-plane.”
The flight plan called for a five hour trip to San Francisco, a rather long layover in the airport, and then an incredibly long flight to Paris. I didn’t think I’d be in one piece if I flew economy. Plus, I hoped this would be a memorable event, so I decided to spring for two first class tickets. The price was obscene, and I thoroughly cursed the greed of the airline as I typed my Visa number into the checkout box on the travel website.
Alana was floored when she saw where we were sitting. The drinks were free, and the food was several notches above the food you get in the back of the plane, but that still wasn’t saying much considering I wouldn’t feed that garbage to Maui the dog. The big advantage of first class revealed itself when it came time to try to sleep. The seats actually reclined themselves until they were completely horizontal. It was the first time in dozens of flights that I was actually able to sleep on a plane.
I’d
rented us a boutique hotel a few blocks from the Champs-Elysees. The room was small but comfortable, pretty typical for a European hotel. We spent the first day touring the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The second day was almost 100 percent shopping on the Champs-Elysees. Alana bought so much clothing that I realized I should have suggested she bring two empty suitcases. The third and fourth days were dedicated to museums. We toured the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed the latter more. The Louvre was a bit overcrowded and chaotic. Okay, it was a lot overcrowded and chaotic.
The meals were a bit hit or miss. We did our best to search reviews online and get the advice of the concierge at the hotel, but we still struck out a couple of times.
All things considered, we had the time of our lives. At one point, Alana asked me if this was what my European trips had been like with my parents. I told her we saw many of the same things, but it was a lot different going back to the hotel with a beautiful woman.
As much fun as I was having, I was also suffering from a lot of anxiety. I know that sounds like a weird combination of emotions, but that’s how it was for me. Why? Well, there was the little thing of the engagement ring in my pocket.
Ironically enough, I’d taken Olivia’s advice and bought a ring with an Asscher-cut diamond. I almost pulled it out on the third night, but I found that my hand was shaking so badly that I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Alana. I decided during the next morning that I would pop the question that night. Big mistake. I got myself so worked up throughout the day that I thought I might faint as we finished dinner. I’m sure you’re laughing at me by now. I don’t blame you. It was kind of pathetic.
We toured the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame on the fifth day. That night we had dinner near the Louvre at a ridiculously overpriced restaurant, but the food was delicious. We decided to walk back to the hotel since the weather was so nice.
There’s a beautiful park you walk through to get from the Louvre to the Champs-Elysees. I’m sure it’s got a name, but I don’t remember what it is. The park was so lovely that we sat down on a bench so we could look at this little pond surrounded by statues.
Blood like the Setting Sun: A Murder on Maui Mystery Page 21