The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  “He’s spoiled, and a bit cranky sometimes,” Haku said. “But overall, yes, he’s fair. We’ve known each other forever, and he treats me like a brother. Plus he promised me that if I worked hard, I’d get a promotion soon, like I said before. Anyway.” Haku sniffed. “I told you I had a clue, right?” He led them onward, into a small red brick cottage. He opened the door, and they were greeted by a mess. “My office,” Haku murmured. “Also, my home.”

  It was a roomy cottage, and with some care, would have made a great home. The right person, for example, might have put a rug by the door, or bright drapes by the window, or a vase on the mantelpiece. As it was, Haku clearly had no interest in decorating. One corner of the room housed a bed, with a pile of clothes on it. Next to the bed was a wooden chair with a jacket draped over it and a bottle of wine on its seat, along with a bizarre paperweight shaped like a fish fighting a dragon.

  The large iron desk near the window was surprisingly neat, however. A stack of papers sat in a basket labeled To-Do. An old Apple Mac laptop sat open on it. The wallpaper was a smiling Haku, with a beautiful girl hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  “My fiancé, Elikapeka,” Haku said. “Elly for short. She’s studying to be a veterinarian. Right now she works down at Dr. Momoa’s clinic. But if this zoo works out, Degas promised to hire her, and we’re hoping to both settle down and try for a baby a year or two from now.” His voice, when he spoke of Elly, held both respect and love. Nora smiled. The couple had a happy life stretching out ahead of them, clearly.

  “Well, let’s see. Here we are.” Haku opened a drawer, and rummaged through a stack of CDs with various animal names on them. He took out one labeled Tutti Frutti: Parrot, and smiled at Nora. “I take great pride in being well organized,” he said.

  “So it seems.” Nora bit down a smile, trying to ignore the piles of clothes on his bed.

  He inserted the CD, and waited, before double clicking on the file as it came up. “Let’s see now…” He was talking mostly to himself, it seemed. He fast-forwarded the video, which was taken two days ago. “I was taping my attempts at developing Tutti Frutti’s intelligence,” Haku said. “Have you heard of Alex, the African parrot?”

  “No,” Nora said.

  “Oh, you should look him up. He was an exceptionally intelligent animal, and apparently had the intelligence of a five year old. He’d passed object permanence tests, and could exhibit…” Haku interrupted himself, pausing the video he’d been scrolling through. “Ah! Here, you’ll see.”

  The video showed the parrot’s cage, with Haku and his fiancé both inside. It was a large cage, about ten feet by twenty feet. A few mynah birds were asleep in the upper corner, while Tutti Frutti walked about in circles on a stand.

  “Pick out the red ball, Tutti Frutti,” Haku said in the video. “Red. Ball.”

  The parrot paused, cocked his head, then pecked at one of three balls before him.

  “Very good!” Haku smiled. “Very good indeed! He always performs better when you’re here, Elly. I think he likes you.”

  “Don’t be silly, Haku.” Elly smiled.

  “Sugar at Tintop! Sugar at Tintop!” The parrot squawked nonsense words.

  “Do you want a treat, then?” Haku laughed. “You have to wait a bit. Ok, now, look closely.” Haku put a sugar cube under one of three identical cups, then switched the cups around several times. “Okay, Tutti Frutti. Which one is it? Where’s your treat?”

  “Sugar at Tintop!” the parrot cried again. “Sugar at Tintop! 1909! 1909!”

  “No, silly, It’s 2016,” Elly said.

  “He repeats what he hears all the time.” Haku laughed. “That’s not how you impress me, Tutti Frutti. Come on, now. Find the treat. Find it.”

  They both jumped as a rock flew through the air, and landed in the cage. The parrot squawked and flew overhead to his shelter. Furious, Haku swung around to face someone off camera.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he shouted. “I’ll call the cops on you.”

  “Always threatening to tell tales, brother.” Akamai’s lazy voice was heard, even though only his shadow appeared onscreen. “What’s up, Elly? Still wasting time on this loser?”

  “Get out of here, Akamai, no one invited you,” Elly said.

  “Oh, I don’t need invitations.” Akamai stepped into the cage, walking uncomfortably close to Elly.

  Nora sneaked a peek at Haku. He was biting his lip, and his eyes were narrow with fury. In the video, he was shoving his brother backward, out of the cage. Akamai raised a hand and slapped him hard. Nora winced. That must have hurt. Not least because his fiancé was right there to witness it.

  Onscreen, Akamai shoved his brother back, and then both he and Haku were locked in a struggle, as they tried to land punches unsuccessfully. The parrots shrieked in fury above them.

  “Stop it!” Elly was crying. “Just stop it, both of you!”

  “He’s just a punk, Elly,” Haku said, and in his moment of distraction, Akamai managed to fell him with a well planned blow. Haku went flying backwards, into Elly’s arms, a small speck of blood appearing on his lip.

  Immediately, there was a cry from above. “Sugar at Tintop!” Wings fluttered as Tutti Frutti flew down, angrily pecking at Akamai. Akamai gave a cry, and seconds later, as he flung his hands out, the video camera toppled over.

  The rest of the video was of the cage’s floor, with Akamai screaming, “Get him off me! Get him off me!” in the background. Finally, the video ended, with Akamai’s shadow as he fled the cage.

  “You see?” Haku said. “Pretty solid proof, right?”

  “It’s definitely evidence that Akamai had motive.” Nora nodded. “But proof… I wouldn’t go as far as that.”

  “Akamai is a punk who should have been behind bars a long time ago,” Haku said. “But of course, he’s my father’s favorite, so he gets protected.”

  “Has Degas seen this?” Nora asked.

  Haku looked a bit ashamed. “Well… you see, I didn’t want him to think I was irresponsible, leaving the cage door open and allowing Akamai to come in. I never showed him the video because I was afraid what he might say.”

  “I think you should,” Nora said. “If for no other reason than it might help you find out if Akamai really did do it. Degas is planning on hiring a private investigator, isn’t he?”

  “Won’t do anyone much good,” Haku said. “Us locals won’t talk to an outsider. Akamai will probably just tell his friends to make up a fake alibi for him. They’re just as bad as he is. My guess is, much as I hate it, he’ll get away with it.”

  “Don’t underestimate Degas,” Nora said. “He seemed very upset about Tutti Frutti’s death. He may have a few tricks up his sleeve yet.”

  “I suppose so,” Haku said. “In any case, it’s late. I better get to sleep now. We’ll be able to think things through in the morning. Hopefully get a fresh perspective on it.”

  In the days that followed, Nora often wondered how differently things would have worked out if she’d stayed a little longer, or if the three of them had offered to give Haku company. It was a ridiculous thought, of course, for there was no way that the trio could have predicted what happened next.

  Yet, Nora wished that somehow, she’d had a crystal ball that would have helped her prevent the murder of Haku Kahane.

  *****

  Chapter 5

  The Murder

  The trio spent the next day on the beach, trying to unwind after a rather exciting night.

  Tina had a surfboard out, and dressed in a wetsuit, she was doing her best to catch the waves, occasionally giving excited shouts as she managed to stand, or yelling muffled curses as the waves dragged her under.

  Nora sat under an umbrella with a book balanced on her stomach. Her attention was on her phone, however. She was reading a message from Harvey.

  It read:

  How’s Hawaii treating my darling bride-to-be?

  The little hearts next to it wer
e a sweet touch and made her blush. She was a lucky girl.

  Simone, who preferred gentler sports, were combing the beach for shells, and had gathered four or five unique specimens in their bag, when Degas appeared, dressed in beach shorts, goggles and nothing else.

  “Ladies.” He smiled.

  “Degas.” Tina walked out of the surf, her hair plastered on her head. She gave him a big grin. “How nice to run into you… again. Simone was just remembering you this morning.”

  Nora groaned internally. Honestly, Tina never had understood the meaning of the word subtle. It seemed to suit Degas, however, as he threw back his shoulders and strutted with his chest out. He was muscular, though not in the male-model league, Nora noted. His body told the story of a man who liked to work out regularly, but also eat the occasional burger and fries. Simone, though, was staring at him very appreciatively, as if he were a work of art. Nora bit her lip and grinned. The two of them were so cute.

  “Um, so, I wanted to apologize about last night,” Degas said. “I got a little emotional and didn’t even say goodbye.”

  “You had a lot on your plate.” Simone nodded. “Are you feeling better now?”

  “Somewhat.” Degas sighed. “It’s such a cruel, senseless thing to do, you know? Haku and I discussed it this morning.”

  “He showed you the video, then?” Nora asked.

  “What video?” Degas looked surprised.

  Nora and Simone looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

  “There was a tape of him and…” Tina began, but Simone interrupted her. “Tina, maybe we better let Haku tell Degas, all right?”

  “Tell me what?” Degas was beginning to look upset again. “We don’t have any surveillance systems installed yet. There aren’t any cameras in the zoo yet. As a matter of fact, we’ve got a crew over there working on the security system right now.”

  Nora nodded. “So Haku’s probably just looking for the right time to tell you.”

  “Haku’s one of the smartest guys I know,” Degas said. “But he’s a little short on bravery, you know? I wish he’d just tell me instead of being afraid I’ll bite his head off. He’s like a brother to me anyway, I’d never really do much more than yell a bit.”

  “Well, maybe you can try not shouting at him,” Simone pointed out.

  “Yesterday? Well, I was just… a little emotional. I did actually apologize to Haku today morning.” Degas sighed. “I told him to take the day off, but he refused because of the security work that’s going on. Personally, I don’t feel up to working today. I thought I’d just take a nice hike around the island. Catch some views from the cliffs.”

  “Have you explored the island, too?” Simone smiled.

  “Well, I grew up here,” Degas said. “So I know every inch of this place. You know, one of the local landmarks is my doing. When I was twelve, I decided it’d be a fine idea to take my grandfather’s old Suzuki, and drive around the island. Problem was, I wasn’t a very good driver. I ended up going at low tide, and overturned the jeep while attempting a crazy stunt. The engine failed, and water started pouring in once the tides changed. It’s still stuck there, upside down, with a lot of rust on it. The kids use it as a toy nowadays.”

  Simone laughed. “Your father must have been furious.”

  “Oh, he was too busy to notice,” Degas said. “My tutor warned me not to do it again, but I got away pretty easily.”

  “You grew up around here?” Nora asked. “Did you know Haku back then?”

  “Of course I did. He is my buddy. He was an outsider like me, so we played a lot of pranks together. The three of us were best buddies - him, me and our other friend Elly. In fact, Haku and Elly were in the Suzuki with me when I had that stupid accident. Then, when I was 14, I had to leave and go to boarding school, but I didn’t forget him. So when I came back from my trip and decided to set up base here, Haku was my person of choice. I was glad he dropped everything to be my assistant. Of course, I had to promise him he’d get the zoo all to himself eventually to lure him in.”

  “That’s…” Simone sighed and shook her head. “What do you intend to do once you leave him in charge of the zoo?”

  “Me?” Degas blinked. “Explore Bangladesh, I suppose.”

  “You’re lucky,” Simone said. “Most people are tied down by chains of responsibility. Not everyone gets to travel the world.”

  “Well, I’ve seen about 40 countries so far,” Degas said. “Let me tell you a little secret, Eventually, you start to get homesick. Only in my case, I never had a home to miss. I guess this island’s the only place I’ve got.”

  Simone smiled. “I know that feeling. I moved around all over Europe as a child. The first time I called a place home was when I got my own dorm in uni. Then, I moved to Wyoming.” She halted, unsure of how to continue. “I guess… you build a home, eventually.”

  They gave each other a look of understanding, their eyes locked together for a while. Improbably, Simone thought she saw pain buried beneath his layers of charisma. Had anyone ever bothered to look beyond his veneer of sophistication and wealth, to see the little boy who craved attention beneath?

  Degas’ phone rang, and jolted him back to the moment. He raised a finger with an apologetic look, as he slid the phone between his chin and shoulder. “Degas,” he barked. He stayed silent for ten seconds, as a voice on the other end spoke rapidly. “So ask Haku,” he said dismissively. “That’s his job, isn’t it?... What do you mean nowhere to be found? He’ll be in his cottage or in my office.” Degas was frowning. “Yes. In his cottage. Do me a favor and don’t bother me, all right? The last thing I want to think about today is security systems.”

  He hung up, and faced Simone again, his charming smile back on his face. “So, I was thinking, maybe you’d like to come hike with me?” Degas asked. “That is… your friends are welcome too, of course.”

  “Oh, no. Our schedule is packed,” Tina said. “Absolutely packed. Simone would have to go alone.”

  “You’re on vacation, right?” Degas looked confused.

  “Yes, and we’ve budgeted at least 15 hours of sleep a day.” Tina smiled.

  Simone elbowed her hard. “Degas, that’s really very sweet, but I—”

  His phone rang again, and with an apology to her, he picked it up. “What is it this time, Tom. I…” Instantly, he paled. “What?”

  Nora, Tina and Simone looked at each other.

  “No. How… that can’t be possible. Are you sure? Haku was just… I met him this morning!”

  They could hear rapid squeaks from the phone now. Simone squeezed Nora’s hand. Something bad was happening. She was sure of it.

  “What do you mean escaped again?” Degas asked. “There’s no way that’s possible. I locked him up myself!”

  Escaped? That didn’t sound good.

  “Fine. Call the police, don’t touch anything. I’ll be right there,” Degas said. He was already sprinting away from them, but the trio followed him to his car got in.

  He hung up the phone and gunned the engine of his Range Rover. “There’s something… something terrible’s happened,” he stuttered. “They found Haku. He’s… he’s dead.” His hands were shaky on the steering wheel.

  “Dead!” Tina looked at him, horrified. “But.. we just saw him yesterday. This feels unreal.”

  “How did it happen?” Simone asked.

  “I saw him myself this morning,” Degas said. “We discussed the security plans, and I told him we’d talk about everything else tomorrow.” He gave a groan. “I can’t believe this. There must be a mistake. There has to be.”

  “How did it happen?” Nora asked, insistent.

  “They don’t know yet. They just found him at his desk, dead,” Degas said. “And… and Neo’s escaped again. So they say.”

  “Neo?”

  “The snake we caught at your cottage yesterday,” Degas said. “The contractors said he isn’t in his cage. I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this.”

  “D
egas. Take a deep breath.” Nora placed a hand on his arm, and took a deep breath herself, which helped calm him down a little.

  “You’ll stick with me, right?” he asked, almost plaintively. “The locals hate me. I don’t know how they’ll react. I don’t know how I’ll break this news to Elly!”

  “Degas…” Simone looked at the others, unsure.

  “Please stay with me,” Degas said. “I know this seems… foolish, considering we’ve just met, but I trust you three. You… you were some of the last people to meet Haku. I’ll pay you handsomely if you only—”

  “We’ll stay with you,” Nora said. “As long as you don’t act ridiculous and offer to start paying us. We’re doing this as friends.”

  “Right.” Degas nodded. “Right. Of course. I’m being stupid. I didn’t mean to insult you or to imply—”

  “Degas. Deep breaths. Everything’s going to be all right. Are you even sure that Haku is dead? Sometimes… sometimes people can make mistakes.”

  Immediately, Degas brightened. “Yes. Of course. That’s what this is. It’s a mistake. It has to be.”

  But it wasn’t.

  *****

  They reached Haku’s cottage in half an hour, and a little crowd was gathered outside it.

  “Haku took the cage into his cottage because we were wiring it up,” Tom, one of the installers of the security cameras said. “Now the snake is nowhere to be found and Haku is dead. He had puncture marks on his neck.”

  “This makes absolutely no sense,” Degas said.

  David, the police chief, looked shaken. “Poor boy,” he said. “My poor young boy.”

  His deputy flipped the pages of his book, writing notes.

  Turning to Degas, the police chief stuck a fat finger in his face. “You. This is all your fault. It’s your fault my son is dead. If you hadn’t had too much money and too many big ideas about building a zoo, this never would have happened.”

  “I didn’t cause this!” Degas protested. “I can’t even understand it. I just can’t imagine Haku doing something as stupid as letting the snake out of its enclosure.”