by Larry Darter
"He took everything?"
"Yep, the backpack, Shaw’s money, the gun I took off Allison, everything."
"We’ll get him," Young said. "He can’t get off the island. If he shows up at the airport and tries to buy a ticket security will arrest him."
"Have you found out his last name?" I said.
"Yes, and we found out where he worked," Young said. "We talked to his former boss at the helicopter tour business he flew for. His boss fired him after he discovered some damage on one of their choppers Adam had flown and wouldn’t explain. His full name is Adam Morton."
"He won’t risk the airport," I said.
"Then he won’t get off the island."
"He’s a bloody pilot, he doesn’t need commercial air to get off the island," I said.
"Well, we will worry about that later," Young said. "We’ll be at the chapel in 2 minutes."
WE TURNED ON AN ACCESS road with a sign that read SEA LIFE PARK HAWAII and then onto another narrower paved road. There was a white wood frame chapel on a hillside.
"What is this place?" I said.
"It’s mostly used as a wedding chapel," Young said. "It’s very popular with Japanese tourists who come to Honolulu to get married."
Young drove into the carpark outside the chapel. An armored tactical vehicle, another unmarked police sedan, and an ambulance were there. A police helicopter orbited overhead. Oshiro was walking down the steps from the chapel entrance. She started towards us as we got out of the car.
Oshiro shook her head from side to side. "They are both dead," Oshiro said. "Both were shot. Allison Shaw was already dead when we arrived. Kathleen Shaw was still alive, but she died before the ambulance arrived."
"Shit," Young said.
Oshiro turned to me. "Before she died, Kathleen confessed to killing her husband. They had an argument in your hotel room. She slapped him, and he flew into a rage. He started beating her. She believed he was going to kill her. She saw the wine bottle on a table, grabbed it, and hit him in the head to make him stop hurting her. Guess you’re off the hook, O’Sullivan. Somehow that doesn’t seem right."
"And why is that Oshiro?" I said. "I told you I didn’t kill him."
"Because four people have died since you arrived in Honolulu," Oshiro said. "Four people who chances are would all still be alive if you had contacted us sooner."
"No way to know that for sure," Young said.
"Piss off Oshiro," I said. "I was only doing my job. No one could have predicted any of this was going to happen."
Oshiro took a step toward me. Young stepped in front of her. "Let it go," he said. "If you’ve got this, O’Sullivan needs to get to a hospital."
"Call for an ambulance then," Oshiro said. "The one already here already has two passengers."
"No, I’ll drive her," Young said. "I’ll call you later. We’ll need to organize the search for Adam Morton."
Oshiro stood there tight-lipped. Then she nodded to Young, turned, and walked back towards the chapel.
"Get in the car," Young said. "I’m taking you to a hospital."
Chapter 20
AT PRINCESS KAIULANI Medical Center the on-duty ER resident examined me. He confirmed I had two concussions. Both he had rated as mild.
"As far as traumatic brain injuries go, concussions are the most common and the least serious," the doctor said. "Still, concussions must be taken seriously. I'm going to admit you."
"But, other than a sore head and feeling a bit tired I'm fine," I said.
"Perhaps, but you lost consciousness both times you were struck on the head. That combined with the confusion, nausea, and blurred vision you experienced requires you must stay here for observation."
"For how long?" I said.
"Overnight at least," the doctor said. "We will see how you're doing tomorrow."
The good news according to the doctor was the CT scan hadn’t revealed any inter-cranial bleeding. With time he said I should make a full recovery.
"But, understand having had two separate concussions in one day, full recovery might take longer than usual," the doctor said.
After the doctor left the room, Young walked in. "What did the doctor say?" he said.
"I’ll live, but I have to stay here at least overnight for observation," I said.
"Guess you will be going back to LA as soon as you’re well enough to travel," Young said. "Your case is over now."
"Aloha already?" I said. "Have I already worn out my welcome in Honolulu?"
"I didn’t mean it that way," Young said. "I’m sure we will catch Morton soon, but when we do it will be months before there is a trial. You could come back if you’re needed for that. I imagine you have someone waiting for you back in LA."
"Nah, not really," I said. "There is a guy I fancy there, but he is in a relationship, and nothing will ever come of it."
"Married?"
"No, ‘not exactly’ as he likes to put it. But, it’s a long-term committed relationship, and he isn’t the kind of guy to have affairs."
"You never know," Young said. "He isn’t married yet, sometimes those things don’t work out."
"He’s the loyal type, I’m talking puppy dog loyalty here. He’d never leave the woman he is with, and he is an amazing guy so she would never end things with him."
"So you’re staying on in Honolulu for a while?" Young said.
"I’m thinking about staying on a permanent basis," I said. "There is nothing back in LA for me really. I’ve been considering making a move for a while now. Hawaii has everything I like about a place; the sea, the beaches, amazing weather."
"If you feel the need to move, what about home, New Zealand?"
"Yeah, nah nothing promising waiting for me there either," I said. "I’ll move back there someday when I’m older, but not yet."
Young went silent for a bit. "Well, if you’re staying in Honolulu, maybe we could have dinner together or see a movie or something sometime."
"Detective Young," I said, "are you asking me out on a date?"
"No, I mean, well, yes I guess you could put it that way," Young said. His face had turned a curious shade of red. How cute. I laughed.
"Yep, sure, happy to have dinner or something with you," I said.
"As much as I’d rather talk about that, I guess we better get back to business for now," Young said.
"Yep, I never did have the chance to tell you my story did I," I said.
Young drew up a chair and pulled out a notebook and a pen. I started telling him the story, from the beginning when I first arrived and met Shaw. Young listened and wrote in his notebook. He asked a question from time to time.
"A PI working a kidnapping is a problem," Young said.
"Yep, it is," I said. "But Shaw insisted on no police. Another thing is this. After speaking with Kathleen that day, I had already started to feel the kidnapping thing was a bit sus. Call it female intuition if you wish. But she didn’t seem upset enough for a mum whose daughter was being held for ransom by desperate crims."
"And you know for a fact that Kathleen Shaw was in on the fake kidnapping extortion scheme?"
"Yes, I do. When I caught up with Allison Shaw after she crashed the car, she called me by name. The only way she could have known my name was if she and her mum were staying in touch. I’ve never heard of kidnappers allowing a victim to stay in touch with their mum."
"Makes sense, but you didn’t know for sure at the time the kidnapping was a fake and it wasn’t your call to decide it was. You should have called us as soon as Douglas Shaw told you his daughter had been kidnapped."
"Won’t argue the point with you, detective, but that’s all spilt milk now."
"And Shaw asked you to deliver the ransom," Young said.
"Yes, and the money was in the backpack that Adam Morton took off me at the hotel. Most of it anyway. I had to use some of it, a few hundred dollars for expenses."
"You saw Allison Shaw shoot Jimmy Kamaka?"
"Yep, but as I said, it w
asn’t intentional. Allison was shooting at Adam Morton. I learned only earlier today why she tried to shoot Adam. He was trying to take a lot more of the ransom money than they had agreed to. Anyway, Adam was running to his helicopter. It was parked near the wood line where Kamaka and I were standing. While Allison was firing, Kamaka caught one of the bullets meant for Adam. It was random bad luck. What a sad guy."
"And the gun she used was in the backpack with the money?" Young said.
"Yep, the semi-automatic I took off Allison Shaw after the car crash. If you recover it, when your lab checks the ballistics they will find it is the gun that fired the bullet that killed Kamaka."
"That really screws the chain of custody with you having possession of the murder weapon for several days," Young said.
"Yep, and I’m sorry, but I was trying to extricate myself from a jam that was not entirely of my own making. I thought the gun might give me some leverage with Kathleen and Allison. I felt I needed it to get to the bottom of who did kill Douglas Shaw. I was sure they both knew who killed him. Anyway, the chain of custody is rooted for sure now that Adam Morton has possession of the gun."
"I suppose it’s a moot point now since Allison Shaw is dead," Young said. "Who did you think had killed Douglas Shaw?" Young said. "Were you surprised by the dying declaration Kathleen Shaw made to Oshiro?"
"I was quite certain Kathleen Shaw had killed her husband," I said.
"Why?"
"The location and the weapon used," I said. "And based on past history, it seemed self-defense was a good bet. I don’t think she meant to kill him. I’m inclined to believe that she hit him a good bit harder than intended. Or maybe like Jimmy Kamaka, Shaw was just unlucky. Maybe he got bashed in just the right spot to cause his death."
"What was Douglas Shaw doing in your room?"
"Obvious isn't it? He was found almost nude. It would seem that he had deluded himself into believing he could talk me into having sex with him. He had organized the room for me before I arrived. He made the reservation and guaranteed payment. It wouldn’t have been difficult for him to get a key card from the front desk to let himself in."
"Easy enough to check," Young said. "How would Mrs. Shaw end up in your room with the opportunity to kill her husband?"
"Also, an easy one. Ken, Douglas Shaw’s driver, was Kathleen Shaw’s lover. No doubt Ken kept her apprised of her husband’s whereabouts. I expect when she learned Douglas was in my hotel room, she went there to catch us in the act and to confront her husband."
"But, you weren’t there."
"No, but I reckon seeing her husband in my room wearing nothing but a hotel bathrobe made it quite plain what he was on to. That would easily have caused a row where things got out of hand."
"Why didn’t you suspect Ken, the driver? After all, you saw him at the hotel and believed he was the one who tried to set you up to take the fall."
"The murder weapon didn’t feel right," I said. "If Ken had wanted Shaw dead, he likely would have just shot him. Or if he didn’t have a gun handy, he’s a big guy and could have beaten Shaw to death with his fists. A wine bottle seems more a weapon of opportunity. Something a woman would have used, a desperate woman trying to defend herself."
"So, you think Ken tried to frame you to cover for Mrs. Shaw."
"Yep, that is the theory that makes the most sense to me," I said.
"By the way, I checked on Ken’s condition. He is still in intensive care, but he is stable. Seems he will be in the hospital a while though. He needs surgery for multiple compound fractures of his left tibia."
"Yep, well I had to make certain he stayed immobilized. I didn’t have anything to tie him up with after I bashed him in the head. Forgive me if I don’t shed any tears for Ken. The rat bastard was not only keen to murder me, but he also intended to make me dig my own grave."
"Yeah, I understand," Young said. "You don’t have any problem there. Our crime scene people recovered the gun and shovel from the trunk of the Chrysler 300. Ken’s prints were on both of them. Probably best that he didn’t die though."
"Yep, true and I’m happy not to be a wanted person anymore," I said. "Come to think of it there may be a traffic warrant out on me for running that red light. Knowing that cop in Kailua, he probably charged me with fleeing too."
Young laughed. "No, I spoke with him and considering the circumstances he isn’t going to charge you. You’re all good there too."
"Good on him," I said. "Not to be unsociable, but unless you have more questions, I could use a rest. I have to stay here overnight anyway. Might as well take advantage of it. I’m shattered."
"Oh, sure," Young said. "I’m sorry, you must be exhausted."
"A bit," I said.
"Okay, I’ll check on you tomorrow, get some sleep."
"Right," I said.
Young got up and returned the chair to where he got it. He walked to the door, but stopped and turned back before leaving the room. "One more thing," Young said.
"What’s that Detective Young?"
"You’re still a wanted person if you want to know," Young said with a wink. "And it’s Mike. You can call me Mike."
"Ahkay, Mike it is," I said. "And call me T. J. please." I smiled, Young smiled and then turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. He was rather dashing. I reckoned having dinner with him would be sweet.
Chapter 21
THE DOCTOR KEPT ME in the hospital another day and night. He wasn't comfortable with discharging me until all the symptoms were gone. The day after admission to the hospital, I still had headaches. There had also been a feeling of pressure in my head.
Mike Young had come to the hospital to check on me twice the first day and was there the morning the doctor discharged me. Mike gave me a ride back to the hotel. We agreed to a seven o’clock dinner date at a place he knew and then Mike returned to work. I still had some sensitivity to noise and light. Concentrating was still difficult at times. But I felt better after catching up on my rest. With most of the day left, I decided to do something more productive than lying about or sunning beside the hotel pool.
Jimmy Kamaka had told me the name of the helicopter tour company where he and Adam Morton had worked. I got the address from the concierge at the hotel. He offered to arrange the tour for me, but I told him I wanted to check the place out first. I collected the motorbike from the parking garage. I then headed for Pearl City, the location of Oahu Air Tours. When I arrived, I saw helicopters that looked like the one I’d seen Adam flying. At the desk in the office, I told the receptionist I needed to speak with the owner or person in charge. The receptionist picked up the phone and rang someone. A guy who looked to be in his mid-fifties wearing chinos and a flowery Aloha shirt came out from an office in the back.
"Aloha, I’m Chet Beckett, operations manager," he said. "How can help you?"
"Hello Mr. Beckett," I said. "I’m T. J. O’Sullivan. I need some information. Would you be kind enough to answer a few questions?"
"Well, little lady, that depends on the questions," Beckett said. "What do you want to know?"
"I understand that Adam Morton worked here as a pilot," I said.
"May I ask what this about and who you are exactly?" Beckett said.
"I’m a private investigator, Mr. Beckett," I said. "I’m conducting a background check on Adam Morton for a client he has applied for work with."
"I see," Beckett said. "I need to know who I'm talking to when discussing personnel information. Even information about a former employee. So, yes you’re correct. Adam Morton was a pilot for us for about six months."
"This might seem a bit random, but are all your helicopters accounted for, Mr. Beckett?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Curiosity," I said. I turned and looked out the plate glass window. "So, your tour company operates the two helicopters out there?"
"Those and we have two birds out flying tours today," Beckett said.
"It’s a total of four helicopters then?"
"Are you certain it's there?"
"Sure, I’m sure," Beckett said. "I’m not following what any of this has to do with a background check on a former employee."
"I’ll be happy to explain in a moment," I said. "But, would you humor me and take a walk with me to the hanger to make certain the helicopter is there?"
"You’re not here doing a background check are you little lady?" Beckett said. "Are you from the insurance company?"
"The insurance company?"
"Yes, we made a claim on a damaged windshield. Are you here checking up on the claim?"
"Ahkay, Mr. Beckett. You got me. Yes, I work for the insurance company. They want to know a little more about the circumstances of the windscreen damage. If you allow me to examine it, it will expedite the claim process."
"Well, see here, the pilot wasn’t very cooperative in explaining the damage. That’s why we had to let him go."
"So, the pilot, that would have been Adam Morton?"
"Yes, it was Morton," Beckett said.
"So, how about it, Mr. Beckett? Can we have a look inside the hanger?"
Beads of perspiration had popped out on Beckett’s forehead, and he seemed a bit fidgety.
"Sure, I guess so," Beckett said. "Follow me."
I followed Beckett out the front door of the office building. We walked to a large sheet metal covered hanger behind the office. Beckett went to a side door, opened it, and motioned for me to proceed ahead of him. After we were inside, Beckett flipped a light switch.
"Well, shit," Beckett said. "Please pardon my French."
There was no helicopter in sight.
"It was here yesterday," Beckett said. "Shit, shit, shit."
"Is there a problem Mr. Beckett?" I said.
"Yes, there is a problem. There’s a big problem. I’m missing a helicopter for one. And it isn’t airworthy."
