by Rose Smith
“No, we were dropped off. We can call for a ride.”
“No. Please. Let me have one of our detectives take you back to your hotel. He whistled for one of the policemen in uniform.
“This is Mr. & Mrs. Steel. Can you please give them a ride home?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Thank you for your help, Mrs. Steel—I mean Caroline. I will see you both tomorrow morning at the precinct,” said Detective Koskos. He shook both of their hands and bid them goodnight.
The policemen escorted Caroline and Wolf to a police cruiser and drove them back to the Grand.
Detective Sheldon took a pair of gloves out of his suit pocket, carefully slipping his fingers into each hole, pulling them over his hands. He turned his attention to the condition of the body. Sheldon bent over to look at the wounds, speaking into his phone to record his findings.
“Female, late twenties, early thirties, looks to be Brianna Kamehameha, wife of Hanale Kamehameha. Her Bentley is about a half mile up the road. Close range bullet wound in the middle of the forehead, and a knife wound to her abdomen,” he stated. He could see drag marks near her feet, he noted she’d probably been killed somewhere else and placed here in the doorway of the shack. “There’s also a nasty bite wound on her left shoulder.”
He bent closer, shining his flashlight on the corpse to get a better look at the bite mark. “Shit. I can see the indentation of the teeth. Better get Dr. Yung (young) in on this for possible DNA,” he tapped open his reminder app then spoke into his phone to record the to-do note to call Dr. Yung first thing in the morning. He wanted the doctor to study the bite mark for clues.
“What’s this?” Said Detective Sheldon. He positioned his flashlight so the light showcased what looked like a piece of gum next to Brianna Kamehameha’s head. He took a pair of tweezers and small baggie from his pocket and plucked it from the floor and carefully placed it inside the bag and tagged it for Dr. Yung’s office.
He walked to the back of the building and recorded a few more details. Then he and Makoa made their way to the Bentley. They shined their lights onto the front seat of the car.
“Look at how far back her car seat is,” noticed Detective Koskos.
“How tall would you say she was?”
“She couldn’t have been more than 5’4”— 5’5”.”
“How tall is her husband?” Sheldon asked Makoa.”
“How tall are you?”
“6’ 3”.” Gage answered.
“He’s not quite as tall, but he’s at least a six footer,” Makoa answered.
They both walked around to the trunk but saw no obvious evidence on the body of the car. The trunk had been left open.
“Call this in for the forensic team to do a thorough search, including the trunk,” ordered Sheldon.
“I’m on it.” Makoa swiped up the police evidence team phone number on his cell and called in the location of Brianna Kamehameha’s Bentley.
Sheldon and Koskos stayed on the scene to brief the coroner. Once the calm chaos of the forensics team had slowed to a crawl, they secured the body. Detective Sheldon made sure the team had carefully gathered the chain of evidence. Afterward, he took Makoa home then drove to the coroner’s office. Makoa wanted to go with Sheldon, but Gage insisted he go home and check on his pregnant wife. He’d brief his partner in the morning on the coroner’s findings.
“What you got for me Dr. H?” Gage Sheldon asked the coroner as he walked into the autopsy room where Dr. Hekekia (heck ah key ah) was examining Brianna Kamehameha’s corpse.
“Hello, Detective Sheldon. Congratulations on your promotion. Long overdue,” she smiled.
“Thanks,” he smiled back. He stood next to her while he pulled on a pair of gloves.
“I’ve got some standard info as well as some that’s not so standard.” Dr. Hekekia said. “The gunshot that killed her was definitely the one to the head, the knife wound to the abdomen probably came afterwards. The bite mark is nasty, it came while she was still alive. Someone probably wanted her to feel real pain before they shot her,” surmised the coroner.
“Is the bite what you mean about not so standard stuff?”
“Bites are unusual, we could be dealing with a sexual sadist, but that’s not what I was talking about. Look here, at the stomach wound—I don’t believe the knife wound was meant for the corpse, even though she was the one who took it.”
“I don’t follow you, Dr. H.”
“The victim was pregnant. As unpleasant a thought as this is, I think the killer may have pierced Brianna’s body with a knife to symbolically kill her baby.”
~ Chapter 5 ~
Gage picked up Makoa in the squad car at 7 a.m. He updated him on the details as they headed to Ainanani Place. Sheldon wanted to speak to Hanale Kamehameha about his wife’s death. The police chief, a friend of the family, had already been to the estate to notify them. Sheldon wanted to find out if he knew anyone who’d want to harm his wife—or him. Maybe he had enemies who targeted her to get revenge.
“She was pregnant and the sick bastard knifed the baby?” That turned Makoa’s stomach. He was thankful he could keep details like this from his pregnant wife. He was glad she didn’t have to see the seedy side of paradise up close like he did. He’d witnessed more than he cared to.
“Yeah, whoever did it knew they killed her but they made a statement about not wanting that baby.”
“That puts the husband further up a notch in my mind. Most pregnant women who end up murdered are killed by husbands and boyfriends who don’t want the baby.”
“I know, but they usually have an ulterior motive. Like they’re cheating on their wives and don’t want their mistress to have their baby. Or they don’t want the financial burden. Neither jibes in this case. Brianna was Hanale Kamehameha’s wife and we know money is not an issue with him. Perhaps he didn’t want to be a father at his age. A lot to ponder. We need to keep an open mind on this one. The higher-ups are already breathing down my neck but I’m not gonna jump to conclusions to make them happy. I’m doing this by the numbers.”
“Rajah dat, my brotha,” Makoa agreed. Reminding himself to clear his suspicious mind, he’d assist his partner as best he could. He knew the Chief had already called Sheldon on the mat about this case. Like life, murders involving rich people trumped everything else on the books.
He knew the mayor and every high-up politician who knew the royal family would be breathing down Sheldon’s neck. They’d consider his partner green. Hell, the family was landlord to half of the buildings on the island!
And he didn’t want to even think about the racial implications. The first black lead detective they’ve had in a while. A solid cop, he knew the good ‘ole boy network was alive and well in Hilo. Sheldon should’ve made detective years ago.
Plus, no one wanted the citizens of Hilo to panic about a killer on the loose. And the fact that the victim was from the most powerful family on the island spoke volumes. Either to the killer’s ruthlessness or something more personal.
“Ainanani Place is so high maka maka” (mah kah mah kah) Makoa commented. They drove up the winding road to the main house on the huge estate.
“What’s that again?”
“It means stuck up in Pidgin. Hoity toity.”
“Word. It is big and high fluetin’ alright. Big pimpin’ money.”
“For sure,” Keoki whistled as they drove up the lush drive to the main house.
Sheldon parked the squad car inside of the circular drive. Both detectives made their way to the entry. Koskos rang the doorbell on the massive front door. After a couple of minutes, an Asian woman dressed in a black dress with a white apron answered.
“Hello. I’m Lead Detective Gage Sheldon and this is my partner Detective Makoa Koskos.”
She gave a slight nod and inspected the badges they flashed. She took the business card Sheldon handed her. She gestured for them to come into the foyer and told them to wait.
Both men couldn’t help lo
oking up at the opulent winding wooden and black wrought iron staircase. It was so huge it looked as though it were lingering at the heavenly gates. Sheldon thought this house looked more like a castle than someone’s home. Beyond the foyer, he eyed a stunning courtyard. Surrounded by glass and mahogany windows, he saw a petite figure sitting on a bench near a hibiscus flower garden.
“Please follow me, gentlemen,” gestured the maid.
She led the detectives down a large hallway almost as wide as a room and into a step down living area. Flanked by two enormous ancient-looking porcelain pink, white and turquoise ginger jars almost as tall as Makoa, the entry alone was worth eyeballing. The maid led them to the sitting area. Hanale Kamehameha sat on a large dark brown leather tufted couch.
Detective Sheldon noticed how disheveled Kamehameha looked. As he sat there surrounded by opulence, Sheldon couldn’t help but notice he seemed lost. The richest man on the island’s fortune couldn’t shield him from the pain he was feeling. The servant introduced the detectives to Hanale Kamehameha.
“Please sit, gentlemen.” The maid gestured to two leather chairs that sat facing the sofa. Hanale, spoke first.
“I already know about Brianna,” he said, sounding angry.
“We’re very sorry, sir,” said Detective Sheldon. Each time he visited a family to talk about the death of a loved one, he felt like it shaved five years off his own life. He hated seeing their pain.
While they waited for Mr. Kamehameha to gather his emotions, Detective Sheldon glanced around the room. The enormous portrait hanging over the even more enormous fireplace caught his eye. Hanale Kamehameha glared down at him with an I-have-it-all-and-I-know-it billionaire look.
He studied the man on the couch and noticed the straight jet black hair in the portrait was being replaced by coarser flecks of gray. When he viewed the portrait again Kamehameha’s eyes were like two black coals staring at him—arrogant. His frame stood tall, decisive and powerful. And unlike Makoa, his skin was not kissed by a tan—he was more pale. Sheldon reasoned women would find him attractive—his money even more so. That the picture wasn’t one of the family or even one with him and his wife spoke volumes.
A petite woman waltzed into the room. Sheldon gathered she must have been the one who was sitting in the courtyard. One glance told him who she was. Queen Kamehameha. Her back was as straight as lined-paper and her manner stiff as glue. Clothed in a long kimono with long sleeves and a high collar, she protected her paler Hawaiian skin from any sunlight. She held her head high as if she were walking into a crowd of subjects bowing at her entrance. On instinct, both detectives stood and bowed in the queen’s direction. She waved both of them back into their seats.
“Gentlemen,” she said, her tone icy. “You must excuse my son.”
She acted as if any display of emotion for his wife was beneath him. He was royalty. She sat next to Hanale Kamehameha on the couch and sternly faced them. She offered her son no understanding. No comfort.
Detective Sheldon almost had to shake his head at her display of arrogance. Rich people would breathe different air if they could, just to prove they were better than. They really do think their blood is blue.
Hanale had already gathered himself once he heard his mother’s voice even though he hardly glanced her way.
“We know this is a difficult time,” Detective Sheldon said, looking at Hanale Kamehameha, but we have a few questions. “We need to gather as much evidence as soon as possible so we can find out who did this to your wife.”
“And your child,” Detective Koskos, broke in angrily, almost as surprised by his outburst as Sheldon. Hanale’s face went flush.
“You didn’t know your wife was pregnant?” Detective Koskos continued, eager to hear what Kamehameha would say.
“We knew,” the queen interrupted before Kamehameha had a chance to speak.
“Yeah, we knew,” he flushed in anger as he muttered the words.
“Can you tell us where you were last night, Sir?” Detective Sheldon asked.
“He was with me,” said the queen. “Here at Ainanani Place.”
“All night?”
“All night,” stated the queen, glaring at both of them.
“Can anyone else corroborate that?”
The queen shot darts at Detective Sheldon with her eyes as if he’d slapped her.
“I need it for the record ma’am.”
“I can vouch for her,” the maid who’d been standing in a corner behind the queen, spoke. “For both of them. They were here all night.”
Sheldon asked a few more questions, then stood up, signaling the end of the interview.
“Sarah will see you out,” said the queen with a dismissive gesture.
As they drove back to the precinct, even though Detective Sheldon felt Hanale Kamehameha was genuinely grieved by his wife’s death—he also noticed his white-hot anger. Especially when Koskos mentioned the baby.
“What do you think about Kamehameha? Think he did it, or had it done?” Detective Koskos asked.
“I don’t know. He seemed furious. But who was he angry with? What I do know is that he’s got an iron-clad alibi. Must be nice for your mother to be Queen. The most powerful woman on the island as your alibi. Nobody’s gonna question that. Even if she is his mother.”
“Sho’ nuff,” said Makoa. “Where to now? Back to headquarters. Chief wants to see me.”
The bellowing coming from the chief’s office signaled he already had a beef with the way Lead Detective Sheldon was handling this case. Makoa wasn’t surprised given this was only the highest profile one they’d had on the island in some time.
“You don’t have to shout, Chief. I’m right in front of you,” Standing toe to toe with Chief Cummings, Lead Detective Sheldon spoke evenly.
“I want to make damn sure you hear me! Even though I didn’t think I’d have to!” The balding red-faced chief continued. “I got a call from Queen Kamehameha. Shit, she said you questioned Hanale as if he were some kind of common criminal. For christ sake—you even asked her whereabouts!” He got up in Sheldon’s face. “Hanale is the victim. He’s off limits to you!” He said, pointing square into his chest to emphasize each word.
“The husband is always suspect. Isn’t that what you’ve told me dozens of times?” Sheldon shot back.
“Well…not this time. I know the man. He couldn’t…wouldn’t. He loved Brianna.” He went around to his desk then slumped in his chair. “This just came in.” He sighed in a softer tone.
He handed the official autopsy report to Detective Sheldon. He read the lab results the chief had highlighted.
“But…if he knew…this makes him even more of a suspect.”
“You think I don’t know that, Man? I’ve been grappling with that thought since I saw this. Still, no interviewing him without going through me first, got that?” He said sternly. Then, his voice softened, “I’m asking, Sheldon, not ordering. Shit. Do what you gotta do—just let me know first.”
At 8:45 a,m., the young police officer had the front desk of the hotel call room 807 to let Wolf and Caroline know he was waiting for them in the lobby.
The desk sergeant rang Lead Detective Gage Sheldon. He came down and greeted them then took them to the forensic artist’s office.
“Hello Mike. This is Caroline Steel and her husband Matthew. Caroline got a good look at the perpetrator. As I explained to you earlier—not him—but his ring. I’d like you to draw it and we’ll show it around to some of our informants to see if we can get a lead.”
“Will do,” Mike Driscoll said as he invited Caroline and Wolf to sit in the two chairs facing his desk.
“Would either of you like a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you. We ate breakfast at the hotel.” Caroline told him.
“Ok, Mrs. Steel. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
“Take your time. Describe to me in as much detail as you remember about the ring,” the forensic artist told her. Wolf watched on.
She exhaled. “I remember it was shaped like a horseshoe.”
“Do you remember if the top of the horseshoe was upside down?”
She thought a moment. “No, the top of the horseshoe was closest to his knuckle. I remember that because it had a round blue jewel in the center.”
“What color blue? Royal blue?”
“No—it was a turquoise stone.”
Driscoll sketched in pencil while Caroline talked. He started with the horseshoe itself. He’d already drawn a finger.
“Was it this size?”
“No, it was bigger than that.”
He erased the ring and drew in a bigger horseshoe shape.
“Yes, more like that.” Caroline confirmed. The artist concentrated on his sketch for a few moments.
“Ok. Where was the turquoise? Was is on the horseshoe?”
“No,” said Caroline. “It was in the center of the ring. Sort of hanging from the top but on the inside.”
He grabbed a slender light blue piece of chalk and drew what she described. “Like this?”
“A tad bit bigger,” she told him. “And actually, it was more oval shaped than round.”
He erased the jewel on the sketch and tried again. Once done, he showed it to her.
“Yes, like that.”
“Good.” He continued working on the sketch. “How’s this?”
“Yes. Yes. That’s it,” Caroline affirmed.
“Do you remember anything else about the ring?”
Wolf looked at Caroline. “Remember, you said something about diamonds.”
“Oh yes, I forgot about that. The ring had what looked like diamonds or rhinestones around the outside of the horseshoe. Little diamonds,” she told him.
He drew a series of jewels around the horseshoe.
“Ok, how’s this?”
“That’s it. That’s the ring I saw.” Caroline crossed her arms about her to still the chill that came over her as she recalled what had happened on the beach. Wolf reassuringly rubbed her back.
“This has to be difficult for you both,” Mike Driscoll said sympathetically. He continued fine tuning the sketch, giving Wolf a few more moments to soothe his wife.