Death Inside Diamond Head
A Matthew Hogan Mystery
Randolph Mase
Copyright © 2020 Randolph Mase
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Don Mase
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
To my grandsons Evan and Noah, who will probably hear me say many times, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!"
Chapter One
The Climbers
The two people got off the bus, walked to the entrance to the Kahala tunnel and through it to the other end, then exited the tunnel to face the barren and expansive floor of the Diamond Head crater.
The woman stopped to look at the crater. “This is it, Justin? This is why I gave up an afternoon by the pool?”
"It gets better,” the man replied. “I’ve read that the real highlight of the crater is the view from the observation point at the top of the crater. It should take about 45 minutes to get up there.” He looked at his watch. “It’s almost four now. We shouldn’t have any problem making it up and back down before the park closes. Let’s go!”
They walked to the toll booth and paid their dollar tolls, then continued to the information booth to learn more about the crater. Reading from a brochure, Justin said, “It’s about eight tenths of a mile to the top.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” his wife Lena responded. “So why will it take that long to get there?”
“Well, this also says that the trail will climb almost 600 feet over that distance.” He smiled at her. “I imagine that some parts of the trail will be pretty steep.” He smiled again. “So it’s a good thing we wore our sneakers, huh?”
Lena simply grunted. “Let’s go, then.”
* * *
After climbing one of the slopes mentioned in the brochure, they looked to the right and groaned at the sight of stairs. Many stairs. At the top, they could make out what appeared to be a tunnel.
“Ready?”
“Why don’t we rest for just a minute, Lena?” Justin looked to their left and saw a lookout where they could relax and enjoy a view. “How about there?” They walked to the edge and looked at the late afternoon view. They could not only see the inside of the crater but could also see the coastline from Koko Head Crater almost to the southern tip of Oahu. A very light haze colored by the descending sun shrouded the beaches, adding to their allure.
After enjoying the sun sinking slowly toward the Pacific horizon for several minutes, they resumed their climb. After a few minutes, they groaned at the sight of stairs in front of them. More stairs. At the top of the stairs, they could again see tunnel. Justin counted the steps as they climbed them slowly, pausing briefly after every 20 steps or so.
“74,” he said, breathing heavily. “Let’s hope there aren’t too many more like those.”
After another brief rest, they walked through the tunnel – which was on an uphill slope, lighted, and about 200 feet long – and finally emerged on the upper end, only to be confronted by another set of steps, even longer and more intimidating than the first.
“So much for that thought,” said Lena, starting her climb with Justin right behind her.
When they reached the top, Lena said sarcastically between breaths, “That was only 99 steps. I wonder if we’ll break 100 next!”
Justin chuckled as they entered another tunnel and continued to a spiral staircase. They climbed up two levels, then Justin walked quickly to a three-foot-high horizontal opening in the concrete and rock which led to the crater’s exterior.
Lena stopped for a moment to catch her breath. "Slow down, Justin. I’m exhausted!"
“We’re almost there,” he replied, climbing through the opening. “And it’s after 5:00 – the park will be closing pretty soon. We don’t want to be stuck here all night, do we?” He smiled at her.
She smiled back at him, proceeding to crawl through the opening. She heard Justin exclaim from ahead of and above her, “Wow, just look at this! Hurry up!”
“This is more of an obstacle course than a leisurely walk, isn’t it?” She moved as quickly as her tired body would allow, finally reaching the highest observation point on Diamond Head. She gasped at the magnificent view. To the right she saw Waikiki and Honolulu, with the airport and Pearl Harbor in the distance. Looking at the Pacific Ocean to the south, she saw a sailboat silhouetted perfectly by the setting sun. “What a shot,” she exclaimed, taking several pictures. To her left she could see Koko Head crater. “It’s just beautiful, Justin!”
“Almost worth the climb, isn’t it?” He moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She didn’t say anything. “But what about us? Can we make it?”
“I don’t know. That’s why we came here. But it’s not enough. We both need to work hard at it. And it still doesn’t change the fact that you’re never home.”
He stepped back and turned her around to face him. “It’s my job. I can’t do too much about that.”
“Well, maybe part of working hard is choosing between the job and me,” she replied, turning around to face the water again.
Justin shook his head slowly. “That’s a tough choice. I love you and I love my job. Don’t make me choose.”
“Then it’s probably just not going to work,” she said, walking back toward the opening in the concrete wall.
He followed her. “Can’t we at least talk about it?”
She stopped. “I guess we should. But not here.”
He looked around and saw nobody. “Why not? We’re alone.”
She looked at her watch. “It’s almost 5:30. The crater closes at 6. Even if we leave right now, we may not make it.”
He nodded and climbed through the opening.
As Lena climbed through, she saw Justin ahead of her, approaching the spiral staircase. After he disappeared from view, she heard a thud, followed by something striking metal, and then nothing.
Chapter Two
The Spiral Staircase
Finding it difficult to sleep any longer, the man opened the sliding glass door and walked onto the lanai of his room at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel and stood there admiring the view of the ocean in the early dawn light. To his left, he could make out the profile of Diamond Head, and he knew that at some point on this vacation, he’d be at the top of it with a wonderful view of Waikiki, Honolulu and the Koolau Mountains, and, in the other direction, of Koko Head Crater. Turning his attention back to the beach, he saw the surfers beginning their daily routine. They’d gather on the beach before dawn, and then, as a group, paddle their surfboards no more than a hundred yards from shore, turn them around, and wait. But he wasn’t sure exactly what they were waiting for. The waves at this part of Waikiki Beach were not very big, so it seemed as if the surfers were waiting for the waves to get bigger. And that could be a long wait. He had watched them carefully the day before, and it seemed to him that the waves had never gotten higher than a foot or two, which he thought would be totally inadequate for any type of surfing other than body surfing. But today the surfers waited again, floating on their surfboards.
Matthew Hogan, Private Investigator, turned and walked back into the hotel room and stood looking at the woman in the
bed, and he realized how lucky he was to be with her. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing off his cell phone. “Hello.”
“Matt? This is Tom Walker.” Sergeant Thomas Walker. He and Hogan had known each other since grade school and had graduated together from Gorton High School in Yonkers, New York. They’d tried to keep in touch with each other on a regular basis, but sometimes it went many months between connections. This was one of those times.
“Give me a second, Tom” he said as he made his way back into the room and then into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just kind of early, Tom.”
“What time is it?”
“About 7:00.”
“Sorry about that. But this really can’t wait.”
“What is it?”
“I got a call a few minutes ago about a cop that died.”
“And what’s so unusual about that?”
“The call came from the Honolulu Police Department, and his body was found in the Diamond Head crater. I remembered that you are in Hawaii now, so I called you.”
“Diamond Head? Hmm. Kathy and I had planned to go there this week. But why did you call me?”
“He was a New York cop, Matt. From New Rochelle.”
“Sorry to hear that, Tom. But again, why call me?”
“You know that we’re pretty much of a brotherhood in the police, Matt. After I got the call from HPD, I called a friend on the New Rochelle force. He just called back. They want somebody to work on the case with HPD and are willing to pay a good sum.”
“Give me a minute, Tom.” Hogan walked into the bedroom and retrieved a pen and pad from the night table. Kathy poked her head out from under the covers.
“Who was that, Matt?”
“Tom Walker. I think this may be a working vacation.”
As he turned to return to the bathroom, Kathy said, “I’m awake. You can stay here.”
“Thanks.” He smiled and sat on the bed. “Okay, Tom, I’m back. First of all, why did HPD call you?”
“I know the detective who called me. He worked here at NYPD for several months a few years ago. His name is Keoki Tanaka.”
Hogan wrote the name. “And why do the guys in New Rochelle think the extra help is needed?”
“They and HPD suspect foul play, but HPD is swamped with cases right now.”
“And how does HPD feel about having somebody else involved?”
“That’s really why Tanaka called me. He asked if there is any way we can help. I told him I’d see what I can do.”
“Where is he now?”
“Still at Diamond Head with the body.”
“What do you know about the victim?” Hogan continued, taking notes.
“His name is Justin Fisher. He’s been a cop for about 10 years. I went to the Academy with him.”
“How did he die?”
“Evidently, he hit his head on a metal railing inside the crater.”
“What’s suspicious about that?”
“Nothing, per se. There’s something else, though. They found drugs on his body. Cocaine and heroin, they think.”
“Maybe he was a user.”
“No way, Matt. I knew him, and he just did not do drugs.”
“Okay. What else?”
“His wife was in Hawaii with him, so she probably went with him to Diamond Head. But there is no sign of her. They fear she may have been kidnapped. Or worse.”
“I see,” Hogan responded, finishing his notes. He looked at Kathy, who nodded. “We can be there in about an hour. Can you let HPD know?”
“Will do. And thanks, Matt.”
“No problem, Tom. I’m sure I’ll be talking with you after I speak with HPD.”
Hogan ended the call and looked at Kathy, lying next to him. She was indeed a beautiful woman, even first thing in the morning. Kathy Russell worked as an attorney in a prominent Park Avenue law firm. They had dated at Columbia University, but it had ended suddenly on a sour note. By chance, they had run into each other a couple of years ago, and they both discovered that the spark was still there. Their relationship had continued to grow, and Kathy had continued to provide Hogan with leads that eventually led to cases that provided his livelihood. And she really helped him with his work; her analytical mind let her help him by seeing things that he didn’t see, and her spirit helped him to persist when he felt like giving up. He was lucky to still have her around. About a year earlier, she had been hit by a car, and was injured pretty seriously. She had lingered on the brink of death for several weeks in the hospital but, by some miracle, had pulled through and made it to almost a complete recovery. In fact, the only vestiges of the incident were a few scars on her left hip, and a slight, almost imperceptible, limp when she walked, both of which were virtually gone now. Fortunately, no other physical or mental damage had been caused.
“I’m sorry about this, Kathy. The reason we took this vacation was to celebrate your birthday and us. Not for me to work.”
“No worries. I like helping you in your work, and we can still fit some fun in.”
“Thanks. Ready for a hike?”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, they were in their rental car with doughnuts and coffee. “How far is it?” Kathy asked, making an approving moan as she sipped the coffee.
“Only a few miles. It’s at the end of Waikiki, and at this hour, we shouldn’t hit too much traffic.” The traffic was not bad, but they couldn’t believe how many people were on the sidewalks and headed toward the beach. The early crowd, the sun worshippers and the surfers, Hogan thought. He drove the car along Kalakaua Avenue, then followed Monsarrat to the left, then another two miles until he came to 18th Street and the entrance to Diamond Head crater on the right. Wooden barriers stood across the road leading into the crater, and two uniformed policemen approached the car as Hogan lowered the driver’s window.
“Sorry folks, the crater is temporarily closed.”
“I heard,” Hogan said, handing one of the policemen his identification. “I’ve been asked to see Detective Tanaka.” The policeman looked at Kathy. “This is my partner Kathy Russell.”
“Just a minute,” the policeman replied, walking to his car, where he spoke for a minute on the police radio. He nodded to his partner, who moved one of the barriers to the side. “Okay, Mr. Hogan. You can proceed through the tunnel and drive to the information building at the other side of the parking lot.”
“Thanks.” Hogan navigated the car through the narrow opening between the barriers, and thirty seconds later they emerged into the somewhat barren crater floor of Diamond Head.
“I always pictured Hawaii to be much greener and lusher,” Kathy remarked.
“Me too. But remember that this is an inactive volcano. I’m not sure how well vegetation grows on volcanic rock.” Hogan drove the car past the toll booth and parked in a space at the far end of the parking lot. The parking lot was empty except for a lone police car. They were greeted by another uniformed HPD officer.
“Aloha, Mr. Hogan. Please come with me.” Hogan and Kathy got out of the car and followed him a short distance to a small wooden building. As they entered, the officer said, “Welcome to Diamond Head.” He looked at Hogan and Kathy, both wearing athletic shoes, and smiled. “Good. You’re dressed for the climb.” He showed Hogan a small folded green brochure. “Detective Tanaka is waiting for you near the top of the crater.” Opening the brochure, he pointed to the Trail Route, moving his finger along the route, ending at spiral stairs near the summit. “He’s here, by the spiral staircase. It will probably take you about 45 minutes to get there. Take it slowly, and you may want to have these,” he said, handing them a couple of bottles of water.
“Thanks.”
As they turned to leave, the officer said, “I’ll let Detective Tanaka know that you’re on your way.” Hogan nodded.
They headed toward the beginning of the trail. “We may be up there a while. I think I’ll
make a stop,” Hogan said, motioning to the comfort station to their right.
* * *
A bottle of water, two rest stops, and 35 minutes later they arrived at the base of the spiral staircase.
“At last!” exclaimed Kathy. “That was a lot of exercise.”
Hogan simply nodded, taking deep breaths. Several minutes later, a voice called out from above them. “Mr. Hogan?”
“Yes. Detective Tanaka?”
A man finished descending the staircase and walked to them. He was about five-eight, stocky but not fat, and appeared to be of Asian-Pacific descent and was wearing khakis and a colorful Aloha shirt. He extended his hand. “Yes. Call me Keoki.”
Hogan grasped his hand. “I’m Matt, and this is Kathy Russell, my partner.”
Tanaka shook Kathy’s hand, smiling. “Good to meet both of you. Tom has already told me a lot. He has a very high opinion of you, and we sure could use your help.”
“Great. Let’s get started.” Hogan then noticed two uniformed policemen off to the right.
Tanaka led the way up the spiral staircase to the second level. Hogan looked up and saw a man’s body hanging head down with one of his feet apparently stuck between rungs at the top of the next set of steps.
“The victim, I presume?”
“Yeah, he’s the guy. A cop, you know.”
Hogan nodded. “Tom gave me some of the details.” He walked closer to the body. “What else do you know?”
Tanaka referred to notes he had made on a pad. “His name is Justin Fisher. According to the New Rochelle PD, he was on vacation with his wife, in an attempt to save their marriage. They got here about a week ago.”
“Any idea what was wrong with their marriage?”
“As with a lot of cops, it was about the job. The dangers, the long hours. Sometimes, couples don’t get to spend too much time together.”
Hogan nodded. “Do you know if she was here at Diamond Head with him?”
Death Inside Diamond Head Page 1
