Dewey was lost in her embrace, her smell, and the sound of her voice; finally, he found his voice. “I’ll always be here for you. Call me when you get home to let me know everything is fine and you arrived safely. Call me anytime you want to talk, need a long-distance shoulder to cry on, or need someone to laugh with.”
He handed her a card with his private cell number and told her there were very few people that had that number, and he carried that cell with him no matter where he was or what he was doing.
“I’ll call you when I get home, and I’ll call you often.”
Dewey bent down and planted a lingering kiss on her cheek. Again, they said goodbye as Dewey departed. He got in the Range Rover and drove off the tarmac but stopped, got out, and stood beside the car, waving toward the plane. Layla waved from the window and hoped Dewey could see her toss a kiss in his direction.
Shortly, the plane roared to life, taxied out onto the runway, and was soon a blur in the sky. Dewey stood and looked in the direction of the departing plane, long after it was out of sight, his heart leaving with the flight.
CHAPTER 20
George approached Annie who was in the kitchen, spotting one of his grilling T-shirts prior to putting it in the washer. “I’m going to take Pearl to the car wash.”
“You’re going to take who to the car wash?” Annie asked, thinking she could not possibly have heard correctly.
“Pearl. Now I know we used to laugh at people who named their cars, but honestly, I feel silly saying I’m going to take the Escalade here or there, and if I say car, you’ll never know if I mean the Jeep or what. So since she’s pearly white, I decided I’d just call her Pearl.”
“George Boone, did I hear you correctly? First, it’s she, now it’s Pearl. I think you are in love with that car.”
George walked up behind Annie and nuzzled the left side of her neck. “Yum, essence of Tide.” Then he nuzzled the right side of her neck. “Ah, the scent of Downy.” He turned her around and placed a couple of fingers on her lips, smiling. “And the best part of all, a taste of Annie.” He bent down and kissed her.
“Go take Pearl to the car wash. You two have a good time. Named the car, I wouldn’t have believed it a week ago. You’re always surprising me.”
George went out the back lanai steps to the garage. As he was raising the garage door, Mr. Soo walked up and asked where he was going. George told him the car wash and asked if he would like to ride along. Mr. Soo agreed, and they were off to the local car wash.
After the car wash, George suggested they stop by the sheriff’s office to check on any developments in the case. Mr. Soo was happy to stop, noting that there were usually doughnuts available, and he enjoyed talking to Charlene.
“Mr. Soo and George, how nice to see you both. What brings you gentlemen here?” Charlene asked.
“Mr. Soo was anxious to see you Charlene, and I wanted to ask the sheriff if there was anything new in the Okamoto case.”
“Let me see if the Sheriff is available. Mr. Soo, behind me on Danny’s desk is a box of doughnuts, and there are some yummy ones in there.”
Charlene was used to Mr. Soo on a doughnut hunt and did not keep him waiting. She rang the sheriff, who said to have George come right back.
“George, want a doughnut? Oh, look one of my favorites, a raspberry-filled, healthy fruit inside.”
“No, thanks, I’ll skip it this time.”
Both greeted each other cordially, and George sat down in a chair facing the sheriff, causally stretching his long legs out in front of him. He asked if there was any further information on the case.
“I just came back from a meeting with the state police and the local Maui law enforcement. So far, they have learned that the biker had a great alibi for the time of the murders. He was jailed in Hilo on a drunk and disorderly charge. Believe it or not, the other two jerks have declined to give any alibi. They believe one or both are either covering up the murders or covering up some drug activity. That’s about all we know, which isn’t a whole hell of a lot.”
“Yesterday, two state police came and interviewed Annie. They didn’t call ahead, just came to the door. It really pissed me off, but Annie answered all their questions politely and to the best of her ability. After they left, she was a mess, and it took her the rest of the day to recover. Reliving those events isn’t easy for her. She may not show it, but this has affected her more than she may even know. Sometimes, I’ll find her just staring out into space, and I know she is reliving something from that morning. I hate this happened to her.”
“I do too, George.”
“They also asked about Dewey and our opinion of him. We told them we thought he was a good person, a brilliant person who escaped for a few months from the pressures of his life. They wished he were here in person to speak with them. I suggested they set up a telecommunication conversation. I told them if they needed his help, Dewey would be glad to assist. They were a bit lofty in their attitude.”
“They tend to get full of themselves sometimes, but they are pretty sharp and have excellent backgrounds and training. Have you spoken with Dewey and let him know the latest?”
“No, we’ll call him this evening. Thought he would know how Layla was doing by then. She’s determined to be moved back into her New York brownstone in four days.”
“What do you mean, leaving Washington and moving back to New York?”
“While here, with everything going on, she decided her relationship to Kyle had deteriorated beyond the point of saving. You know about them losing the baby. Once she decided to leave Kyle, there was no need for her to stay in Washington. She has the family brownstone in New York and has an art restoration job lined up. Annie and I couldn’t see her and Kyle making it together. I’m glad for her. She could do a lot better.”
“I think you might have Dewey in mind as someone she could do better with.”
“He sure fell for her. Well, Sheriff, I’ll be going before Mr. Soo eats all your doughnuts. Before I go, do you have any new theory of what happened?”
“That’s an interesting question because I have changed my original idea on what happened. I now think it was a local that had a grudge against the Okamotos. Maybe they were jealous of Kim’s success, maybe the Okamotos did something at the market they took offense to, but I feel it was personal. I was going over and over the crime-scene photos because I always felt I was missing something and finally saw it.” The sheriff pulled a photo from under his desk plotter, turned it around, and motioned George to come forward and look.
George jerked up in his chair. “I’m not good with the gore stuff.”
“Nothing like that, but I want you to see why I think it was personal.”
George leaned forward and peered at the photo, which showed the back of the two large chairs that sat in front of the Okamotos’ television. All you could see of the bodies was each of their arms with Mr. Okamoto’s hand clasping his wife’s. “Notice, it’s a light clasp, like their fingers were placed together. This was staged. That’s why I think it was personal.”
“Damn, Sheriff, I hate to hear that because that would mean the killer is still around, and that’s a scary thought. But after looking at this photo, I see what you mean. Did you tell the state police your theory?”
“Yep, but to them, I’m some old cowboy who’s not up on all the new forensics, and unlike several of them, I’ve never been to Quantico to learn profiling. Had I been schooled in the art of profiling, I would see that my theory is invalid. Frankly, I think they want an easy answer that won’t taint tourist trade. Don’t go telling this around, it’s just between us, but keep things locked up for a while longer. I’m not sure it’s safe yet.”
George rose to leave and shook the sheriff’s hand. “Thanks again. Annie and I appreciate your concern.”
George went to gather Mr. Soo and say goodbye to Charlene. On the way hom
e, Mr. Soo asked if there were any developments, and George told him everything except for the sheriff’s new theory and suggested Mr. Soo still keep the house secure because there hadn’t been an official arrest.
George put Pearl in the garage, and Mr. Soo went home for a nap, saying he might have eaten one too many doughnuts. George opened the screen to the back lanai and realized they had indeed become lax in security; the screen had been unlocked all the while he was gone, and Annie was washing and drying clothes, causing quite a noise.
Annie was sitting at the kitchen bar doing a crossword and having coffee. She looked up when George came in. “Glad to see you and your lady friend made it back safely.”
“Yep, me, Mr. Soo, and Pearl are all home safe. Honey, we have to talk about something, and I’m not happy about having to do this.”
George went to the counter and swiveled her chair around so that she was facing him.
“Annie, we stopped by the sheriff’s office, and he has been in meetings with the state police and local law enforcement. They are no further along in finding who murdered the Okamotos. However, the sheriff has changed his theory. He now believes that it was someone local with possibly a grudge against them or even jealous of Kim’s success. This new line of thinking was based upon a crime-scene photo, which he showed me, and it looks like the killer took the time to stage them holding hands. No crazed doper would ever do that. The sheriff wanted you and me to know of his new theory so that we stay diligent on our security. We haven’t done that, and we need to get back in the habit.”
As George related all this information to Annie, she became pale and grasped her throat with her hand. She slowly slid off the chair and stumbled into George’s grasp.
George hugged her to him and patted her back, saying, “We’ll be OK, honey. We’ll be OK.”
CHAPTER 21
Layla took advantage of the bedroom and slept for two hours; she woke hungry, went to the galley, and heated the dinner Dewey provided. After taking her dishes back to the galley, she called the captain and inquired how long before they landed, and he told her in a little over one hour. Layla went to Dewey’s desk and found a yellow tablet and pen. She sat about making a to-do list in priority to meet her goal of leaving Washington within four days. The list turned out to be more daunting once everything was on paper, and Layla realized she would need help. She would ask their housekeeper Zenzi for assistance. Zenzi had a sister, Magda, that Layla would gladly pay to aid in the packing. She would call Zenzi and ask her to arrange for Magda’s help. Then she would call Dewey, to thank him for everything.
Hearing the ding of the Fasten Seat Belts sign, she took a seat, buckling up for the landing. After landing, she went to the front of the plane to thank the pilots for a safe journey. She also wanted to ask where she could call for a taxi to take her into the city.
“That won’t be necessary. Mr. McMaster has arranged a car for you. He always provides transportation for his guests and for us. He’s very considerate.”
The stairs were lowered, and two limos were there to pick up their passengers. The driver assisted the crew in getting Layla’s luggage into the trunk as she sat in the car and kept warm. Layla placed a call to Zenzi and told her she was leaving Kyle and moving back to New York. Layla told her about all the packing, sorting, getting boxes, and straightening up that would need to be done and asked if she thought Magda would like to earn some extra money and assist. Zenzi said Magda would be glad to help; she rung off to call her, arranging to be at Layla’s at nine the next morning.
Probably because Layla was dreading going back to the home she had known while she was pregnant, it seemed like she was there in no time. She reached into her wallet and pulled out $50 for the tip. Once the driver had her bags inside, she handed him the money.
“No, thank you, my tip has already been taken care of. You have a nice evening now.” The driver tipped his hat, closed the door, and was gone.
Layla secured the lock, sighed, and looked around the cold apartment. Suddenly, a sense of loss and loneliness came over her, and she began to cry. She moved to the stairs that led to the upper level, threw her arms around her knees, and cried for the loss of her daughter, the years wasted with Kyle, and for almost losing herself. She had to move on, but she felt so alone, and then she remembered she must phone Dewey.
Layla dialed Dewey’s number.
“Hello, Layla, is that you?”
“Yes, I’m home and on a crying jag. It’s so empty and lonely here, I wish you were here.”
“I can get a plane and be there in several hours. Will that help?”
“Dewey, you are such a good friend. No, you stay in Salt Lake City. I just have to get past this moment. I need to thank you for so much. The waiting limo was a surprise. You are so thoughtful, and it was a fabulous plane trip. I made myself a list of all the things I have to get done before I go back to New York. There is much more than I anticipated so I phoned my housekeeper. She and her sister will be here at nine in the morning to help me begin the move. Tonight, though, I felt down when I got inside, and now I feel much better. I’m going to take a nice hot shower and go to bed. There’s a lot to begin doing tomorrow.”
“Anytime you want to talk, remember, just call. There is nothing I’m doing that can’t be interrupted to help a friend.”
“Thanks again, Dewey. I’ll call you before I leave for New York so you can keep tabs on me. I know you’ll worry about how things are going, and I’m glad you are there to worry. It’s nice to have someone who cares. Good night.”
“Good night, Layla.”
Dewey was in bed, reading technical papers, when Layla called, but after talking with her, he was unable to concentrate. He kept thinking of Layla in the shower, tucked in bed all alone, and he began to fantasize.
“Shit,” he said out loud, turned the bedside light off, fluffed his pillow, and tried to sleep. He spent a fitful night dreaming of angels on top of Christmas trees, all with Layla’s face.
Dewey’s phone rang the following evening. “Hello, Layla?”
“Sorry, Dewey, it’s George. Haven’t you heard from Layla?”
“She called last night. I thought she was calling again.”
“She got back safely, and is everything all right?”
“Yes, she made it safely home, but she got very emotional once inside, told me she had a crying jag. That must be a female thing. I wasn’t quite sure what it meant.”
“Yea, it’s a female thing. When their emotions overwhelm them, a crying jag relieves the pressure. We guy cuss, kick things, have a beer, I go and pound things with a hammer. It’s a pressure relief valve. Get used to it, son, if you want to have a successful marriage.”
“Thanks, I never thought of that.”
“One of the other reasons I called is to let you know you will probably be contacted by the Hawaii State Police to set up some type of video questioning. I suggested it since I knew your equipment and theirs would accommodate such a process. They came to the house yesterday, a Sunday no less, unannounced, to questioned Annie. She retold her story in vivid detail to their satisfaction. I felt so bad for her. The rest of the day she was so upset, and she had a crying jag, which did seem to help.”
“I’m sorry Annie had to go through all that again. Any progress with those guys they arrested?”
“No, nothing. The biker was in jail in Hilo, and the college guy had a solid alibi. The other two aren’t talking, and no one knows if one or both are involved or if they are keeping quiet because of their drug connections.”
“I wonder if this thing will ever get solved.”
“The sheriff told me confidentially, he has changed his theory about the murders. He now believes it was someone with a grudge against the Okamotos or against Kim for his success. He warned that we should maintain tight security. I’m letting you know, but don’t tell Layla. He showed me a crime-sce
ne photo, where the Okamotos were holding hands, and you could tell it was staged. The sheriff doesn’t feel anyone high on dope would take the time to do such a thing, and I agree.”
“That’s horrible. What do the state police think?”
“They don’t agree and laughed his theory off. But, Dewey, damned if I don’t see his point.”
“What about Mr. Soo? Did you say something to him?”
“I told him no arrest had been made, and he should continue to secure his home.”
“George, give me the phone. I want to say hello. Hi, Dewey, I wanted to say hello personally and tell you that we miss you and Layla.”
“I miss you both too, and I’m serious, I expect to see you both here this summer. Call me and I’ll send a plane. In fact, I’ll plan something special while you’re here.”
“We will come for a visit. Think you can get Layla to join us?”
“When you give me an exact date, I’ll try. I know she’ll want to see you both again.”
George was back on the line again. “We’ll say our goodbyes now, Dewey. Take care. We’ll talk again soon, and see you this summer.”
After George and Annie rang off, Dewey smiled. Having them visit would be a perfect way to get his angel back to Salt Lake City. He would plan something special for their visit.
CHAPTER 22
By mid-Thursday afternoon, three tired ladies sat at the kitchen counter, eating delivered pizza. They finished all the packing and tagging, Zenzi and Layla had loaded the SUV, and Zenzi was going to take the extra clothing and toiletry articles over to a women’s shelter after lunch. The movers would be there tomorrow to pick up the thirty-some boxes and the three pieces of furniture going to New York.
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