Murder on Kaanapali Beach

by R. Barri Flowers

  "So he actually confessed to being hired by Willa Takeyama to take out her ex-husband?" Leila asked.

  "Yeah, he broke under pressure," Seymour said. "Even as we speak, his house is being searched for the murder weapon and anything else that can tie him to the crime."

  "What about tying him to Takeyama?" Chung asked.

  "We're working on that, too. Since she supposedly handed him ten grand to complete the job, it shouldn't be too difficult to uncover the transaction from her financial records. Apart from that, we'll put the squeeze on McCloskey to give us more to nail Takeyama. No reason for him to go down alone."

  Leila agreed, but didn't want to see it end there. She gazed up at Seymour. "Can we make the connection between Parker Breslin's murder and the murder of Joyce Yashiro?"

  Seymour frowned. "We're still working on that. Right now, McCloskey is sticking to his guns that he played no part in Joyce Yashiro's death. Yet there's every reason to believe that Takeyama and Verlin Yashiro are joined at the hip in the dual murders. If McCloskey didn't kill Yashiro, he damn sure was indirectly involved—if only by virtue of being part of an elaborate plot by Verlin Yashiro and Willa Takeyama to get away with murder."

  "I want to talk to him," Leila said of the suspect. "Maybe I can get something out of him that Rachel and Ferguson missed, regarding our own investigation."

  "Go right ahead," Seymour said.

  "If you need backup, let me know," added Chung.

  Leila nodded, but said: "It's probably best if I talk to him alone." It wasn't that she didn't think Chung was more than capable of grilling a suspect. It was just that she was more experienced at it and better equipped to play on McCloskey's weaknesses as someone who had owned up to his own guilt in a murder conspiracy.

  She stepped inside the room, where the handcuffed suspect sat sullenly. "I'm Detective Sergeant Kahana," she said, as she sat down in front of him. "I understand that you confessed to the murder of Parker Breslin."

  McCloskey grimaced. "Yeah, I did it."

  "And you were paid by Willa Takeyama to kill her ex-husband?"

  "Yeah," he admitted tonelessly.

  Leila sighed, wondering what went on inside a person's head to so cruelly take another person's life. "I'm investigating the murder of Joyce Yashiro," she told him. "She was the estranged wife of Verlin Yashiro, the man Willa Takeyama has been having an affair with. I believe the two conspired to kill Joyce and Parker Breslin. My colleagues tell me you say you weren't involved in Joyce Yashiro's murder. Do you expect me to believe that, all things considered?" she pressed, hoping for a reaction.

  McCloskey's eyes narrowed. "I didn't kill her! Whatever went on with Willa and Yashiro was between them."

  Leila leaned forward. "Actually, that's not quite true. Here's the deal: as a confessed murderer, you could still end up being charged as an accomplice in the murder of Joyce Yashiro, if we discover you've been holding back on us. If you know more than you're saying, now would be a good time to come clean..."

  He drew a deep breath. "All right. When I first met Willa, she was with a dude who drove a BMW. I never asked his name, he never volunteered it."

  It has to be Verlin Yashiro, thought Leila, knowing he drove a BMW. "Can you describe him to me?"

  McCloskey's description was a close match to Yashiro, which, in Leila's mind, placed him in the company of Willa when she initially approached Howard McCloskey. But that still wasn't enough in and of itself to connect Yashiro to Breslin's murder—much less Joyce's death.

  "Did Willa mention anything to you about committing a second murder?" Leila asked McCloskey.

  He wavered. "I wasn't a part of that," he reiterated.

  She picked up something in his tone and went with it. "I'm not saying you were. But she brought it up anyway, right?"

  McCloskey sniffed. "She mentioned something about taking someone else out. I refused. Told her it would be too much heat."

  "And how did she react?"

  "She said it was all right—her friend would just take care of it himself."

  Leila glanced at the mirror, with Chung and Seymour listening in. "When you say friend, do you mean the man in the BMW?"

  McCloskey shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

  She fixed the suspect's face. "And by take care of it himself, you mean kill this person?"

  "Yeah, that's what I thought she meant." He paused. "All I know is I only took out Breslin. You have to ask Willa and her dude, Verlin Yashiro or whatever, about that—"

  "Oh we intend to," promised Leila, feeling they had turned the corner in nailing their chief suspects in the dual murders. She stood up, looking down at the triggerman in Parker Breslin's murder. "I hope for your sake you continue to cooperate. It won't get you out of this jam altogether, but it might give you a little more peace of mind and a lighter sentence."

  She seriously doubted the latter point. The County of Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney didn't take too kindly to execution-style murders on the island and, as such, weren't likely to cut him any slack.

  But McCloskey didn't have to know that.

  * * *

  Ferguson and Rachel were in the crime lab as ballistics specialist Gil Delfino had news on the firearm brought in from the home of murder suspect Howard McCloskey.

  "It's a positive match!" Delfino declared. "The .45-caliber bullets removed from Parker Breslin's body definitely came from the .45-caliber pistol you removed from the suspect's house."

  Though not surprised, Ferguson asked nevertheless: "You're sure about that?"

  "Oh yeah, ballistics don't lie. The bullets had five grooves and lands that were a perfect match for several bullets from the box of .45-caliber ammo you retrieved when they were fired from the .45-caliber weapon. In other words, the ejection and firing pin marks were identical—meaning this was the gun used to shoot Parker Breslin. As a bonus, the fingerprints on the weapon belong to Howard McCloskey."

  "So we've definitely got our man," Rachel said, breathing a sigh of relief.

  "Sure looks that way," stated Delfino. "Between that powerful evidence and a confession, I'd say you've got a slam dunk and a half."

  "Yeah, but now we need to get our woman," voiced Ferguson. "And hopefully our other man, who's up to his neck in this murder investigation."

  Delfino put his hand on Ferguson's shoulder. "My bet's on you for getting the culprits to pay for their misdeeds."

  Ferguson twisted his lips thoughtfully. "It's a bet we fully intend to make pay off for the Maui PD as well as the victims."

  A little later, they were back in the interrogation room with Howard McCloskey. They had already updated Leila, Chung, and Seymour with their latest findings. All parties were in agreement that the noose had tightened around McCloskey's neck. But they still needed to get the goods on the masterminds behind the assassination of Parker Breslin and the murder of Joyce Yashiro.

  With that in mind, Ferguson gave the suspect a hard look. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, McCloskey. You're in a heap of trouble. We've got the murder weapon that tested positive as the one used to kill Parker Breslin. It also had your prints on it, so we know you pulled the trigger. We also have your cell phone records showing that you called Willa Takeyama shortly before and after the estimated time of death, and twenty other times in the week leading up to the hit."

  "Yeah, I know I'm screwed," McCloskey said forlornly.

  "That's about the size of it. But you don't have to go down alone. Not when you can bring down the person who hired you. And maybe even her lover and partner in crime, Verlin Yashiro."

  McCloskey eyed him warily. "What do I get out of this?" he asked. "I mean, I know Willa shouldn't get away with it, but I'm facing hard time. What can you do about that?"

  Why am I not surprised that he wants something as incentive to put his partners in crime behind bars? Ferguson asked himself. He expected as much from a habitually violent offender, but didn't want him to think for one minute that his assistance would lead to something
akin to a miracle insofar as not paying the piper for his role in the death of Parker Breslin.

  "You're going to have to pay for what you did," Ferguson told the admitted killer quite candidly. "However, if you play ball, I can certainly put in a good word to the prosecutor that you cooperated. I can't offer you anything more than that."

  As he waited to see if McCloskey would bite the bait, Ferguson exchanged glances with Rachel.

  After a moment or two of contemplation, McCloskey tilted his head and asked: "What do you want me to do?"

  Rachel met his eyes and said equably: "We'd like you to wear a wire and see if you can get Willa to open up about hiring you and maybe also her involvement, along with Yashiro's, in the murder of his wife Joyce."

  McCloskey stared at the request, before responding shakily: "Okay, I'll do it."

  Ferguson nodded and said: "We'll set it up—"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The detectives and a technician were in the police van with the electronic surveillance equipment they would use to monitor the conversation between Howard McCloskey and Willa Takeyama. McCloskey had arranged to meet with Willa in her car in Kihei on Moolio Place.

  "Quiet everyone!" Leila ordered as they listened in, hoping McCloskey could get her to talk.

  "Why are we meeting?" Willa demanded.

  "I just thought we should talk," McCloskey responded coolly.

  "We have nothing more to talk about."

  "I think we do. The ten grand you gave me to kill your ex isn't enough."

  "It's what we agreed on," she spat.

  Leila silently applauded the admission to conspiracy to commit murder that Willa Takeyama had unsuspectingly just made on tape.

  "Yeah, I know," McCloskey told her, "but the cops have been asking around—looking for Breslin's shooter. I need to get off the island till things settle down."

  "I hope you weren't stupid enough to keep the gun,'' Willa said tartly.

  "Of course not," he said convincingly. "I just need another ten grand and then I'm out of here."

  "I can't just come up with that kind of money out of thin air," she complained. "I'll need a few days to get it, and then I never want to see you again!"

  "Fine." He paused and Leila hoped McCloskey had not forgotten to try to get her to implicate Verlin Yashiro in the murder of his wife. "So did you ever get anyone else to take out your boyfriend's wife?" McCloskey asked casually.

  "What's it to you?" Willa asked suspiciously.

  "Just asking," he said, trying to cover himself. "I heard about her being killed on the beach and then they showed Verlin Yashiro's picture on TV and said he was the husband and a suspect. I remember you told me he would take care of it himself..."

  "Well forget what you heard and mind your own damn business," she warned him.

  "Okay, okay," he said unevenly. "You're right it's none of my business. And as soon you get me that ten grand, we'll go our separate ways."

  "I'll be in touch," Willa told him.

  "Yeah," McCloskey muttered and got out of the car, before they heard it drive off.

  Leila glanced around the van. That was a tacit admission from Willa that Yashiro had killed his wife, while conspiring with Willa and using her as his alibi. But would that be enough to have them both arrested, much less indicted?

  "Did you get any of that?" asked McCloskey.

  "We got it all," Ferguson told him. "Your work is done—for now."

  Leila understood that they would still need him to testify against Willa and Yashiro, while owning up to what he did himself, to go with the strong evidence in the case against him.

  The signal was given for nearby detectives to re-arrest McCloskey for the murder of Parker Breslin.

  Next up was Willa Takeyama.

  * * *

  Rachel and Leila waited in the police sedan as Willa parked her car in the driveway. They had decided to wait until she got home to make the arrest—but planned to do it before she could get inside and expose her daughter to the trauma. Rachel was less concerned about Willa's mother, Lynnette Takeyama, as mother and daughter seemed to be cut from the same cloth. They were both overprotective of their daughters. Only one took it too far, resorting to murder.

  When Willa emerged from the vehicle, Rachel and Leila followed suit, with Ferguson and Chung serving as back up, if needed.

  "Willa Takeyama," Rachel said, tempted to add her married name, but she did not, as she no longer deserved to carry the name of the man she had killed.

  Willa turned around, startled. "Yes—"

  "You're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder in the death of your ex-husband, Parker Breslin..." Rachel then read Willa her rights as Leila handcuffed her.

  Though clearly agitated, Willa did not resist, seemingly more concerned that her daughter Marie did not witness it.

  Rachel put her in the back of the police car.

  One down, one killer to go...

  * * *

  Leila sat beside Rachel and across from Willa Takeyama as the handcuffed woman who was suspected of orchestrating the murder of her ex-husband, Parker Breslin, sat mute. While Leila was happy to know that they had a solid case against her for Breslin's murder, she was more interested in tying Willa to the murder of Joyce Yashiro. Or, to put it another way, discrediting Verlin Yashiro's alibi for his wife's murder.

  "You're going away for a very long time," Rachel told the suspect bluntly. "You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself and pumped three bullets into your ex-husband's body."

  Willa wrinkled her nose. "This is crazy. I had nothing to do with that."

  It amazed Leila just how conniving and ridiculous some killers were. Did she really think they would have charged her with conspiracy to commit murder if they could not back it up? Was she that arrogant to believe she would somehow be able to walk away from this?

  Not this time.

  "Actually, you had everything to do with it," Rachel told her. "We know you lied about waiting for Parker to pick up your daughter the day he was murdered. In reality, you were supposed to deliver her to your ex, but that would have messed up your plan to steer clear of the crime scene you set up."

  Willa gave her an outraged look. "I don't know who has been feeding you this nonsense, but—"

  "Believe it or not, most of it came directly from you," Rachel said with pleasure. "We have you on tape admitting that you gave Howard McCloskey $10,000 to murder Parker Breslin and agreeing to give him another ten grand as hush money so he could flee Maui."

  Willa's nostrils flared. "That bastard!"

  "Now now, no name calling please," Rachel said comically. "It was our suggestion that he wear a wire and get you to talk—which McCloskey did shockingly well, considering the gravity of the charges he faces: starting with first degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. But what you face is even worse, given that you put this whole thing into motion."

  For the first time, Leila detected fear in the suspect's face. Or was it contempt? Probably both.

  "Look, I never meant for things to go that far," Willa said shakily.

  "Really? Well, just how far did you expect them to go?" Rachel asked.

  "He was only supposed to scare Parker, that's all. I just wanted him to back off trying to get custody of our daughter."

  "I'm afraid that won't fly," Rachel snapped. "You see, in addition to Howard McCloskey's detailed statement and the murder weapon—which, by the way, he didn't get rid of after all—we have phone records of multiple calls he made to you and vice versa, before, during, and after the deed was done—Parker Breslin gunned down at your bequest. So you see, there is no wiggle room here. What you did is abominable as a mother or even a daughter. Now you're going to pay a very big price for it."

  Rachel eyed Leila, and she realized this was her moment to step in. "Detective Lancaster is right. They're going to throw the book at you for taking away the life of your child's father in such a cruel way. But there may be something we can do to help yo
ur mother get custody of your daughter, which I'm sure you'd prefer." Leila took a deliberate pause while watching her reaction, before continuing. "We know that you and Verlin Yashiro cooked up this plot together. You admitted to it, more or less, on tape to McCloskey. Yashiro wanted his estranged wife out of the picture for his own reasons as much as you wanted your ex out of your life. But, right now, you're the only one going down, while Yashiro could remain free as a bird. After all, you're his alibi for the morning when Yashiro's wife was suffocated and strangled on Kaanapali Beach. Once you go down, he'll be able to turn his attention to someone else to charm and cuddle up to, while you're rotting away in prison. Is that what you want?"

  Willa sucked in a deep breath and muttered: "No."

  Leila made eye contact with Rachel and back to the suspect, feeling she was ready to break. "So are you standing by your story that Yashiro was with you that awful morning? Or are you ready to tell the truth?"

  "I'll tell the truth...." Willa looked down at the table glumly. "I lied about being with Verlin that morning. It was all part of the plan to make sure we both had alibis for Joyce's murder and Parker's murder—which we planned together from the very beginning." She sighed, raising her face to look at them. "It was Verlin who killed his wife. He poisoned her dog the day before, to keep it at home; then he followed Joyce to the beach that morning, strangled her with the zip line so it looked like the Zip Line Killer had done it, then went back home and told me to come over."

  Rachel peered at her. "And this is the truth that you're willing to testify to in a court of law?"

  "Yes, it's what happened and I'll testify against Verlin." She paused, her eyes watery. "I doubt he ever truly loved me, or I him, for that matter. We were only fooling ourselves, hoping this whole thing wouldn't somehow blow up in our faces. Now it looks like it has—"

  "That's usually the case," Leila told her unsympathetically. "Verlin Yashiro will get what's coming to him, we can promise you that much."

  She stood and Rachel did as well. They left Willa sitting there, appearing emotionally exhausted as the reality of her dire situation seemed to dawn on her.