Murder on Mokulua Drive

by Burrows-Johnson, Jeanne;

  My emotions were raw with indecisiveness. I rose and looked down on Keoni blissfully snoozing. Swallowing the taste of fear in my mouth, I strove to shake off the disturbing images that continued to grip me. In my current state of mind, I would not be very good at explaining myself. I decided to make a pot of coffee and calmly prepare for a discussion of what I had seen with Keoni as soon as he was awake.

  Just as I hit the button to start the brewing cycle, the kitchen phone rang. It was Joanne. She was so distraught that I could barely understand her. Some of the words may have been Cajun.

  “I, I can’t believe it. She was fine last night.”

  “Joanne, calm down. I can’t understand you. Who was fine last night?” I asked, in as composed a voice as I could muster.

  “Miriam! It’s Miriam! She’s…she’s dead! She’s just sitting in her chair, and there’s blood on the floor! Samantha’s really out of it! You’ve got to come! You and Keoni!”

  Gruesome images from my terrifying vision immediately flooded into my mind’s eye. “Okay, Joanne. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Trying to think logically, I said, “And, don’t do anything. Do you understand? Don’t touch anything and don’t call anyone else until Keoni’s had a look.”

  Quickly disconnecting, I dashed back to the living room to alert Keoni to the situation. I was making enough noise as I ran into the room that he was already half awake.

  “Honey, you’ve got to get up. Joanne just called and…Miriam’s dead. We’ve got to go over there right away,” I said.

  There’s nothing like a crisis to bring a retired cop to attention. After sitting up and rubbing his eyes, Keoni gave me a hard stare.

  “What do you mean, Miriam’s dead? She had a heart attack, or what? Who’s there?”

  “I think it’s just Joanne and Samantha. Let’s talk while we get ready. Joanne mentioned blood on the ground. That doesn’t sound like a heart attack and I don’t see how it could be related to her broken leg.”

  In a moment, I was in the bedroom, pulling on a swimsuit and shorts. As Keoni continued to pepper me with questions from the bathroom, I debated whether to mention my vision. It did not seem vital to the moment and I simply answered with the little information I had received from Joanne. As Keoni made a bee-line for the office, I went into the bathroom to put some allergy drops in my eyes and swipe a comb through my hair. Not knowing what the day might demand, I stuffed my cell phone, keys and a package of tissues into my pockets.

  I entered the hallway just as Keoni emerged from the office with a look of concentration I had not seen since the previous summer when he helped me to solve Ariel’s mysterious death. At his waist, he was securing a small pouch that triggered another unwelcome memory from my vision.

  Despite anything Keoni might be feeling, I knew he had moved into his resolute detective mode. I was almost jealous of his ability to separate personal anguish from the need to function professionally. It was certainly the best way to help Miriam’s Ladies and I would try to mimic his behavior—even if I did not have his inner strength.

  Rushing toward the kitchen, he said, “As soon as I take a quick look at the situation, we’ve got to get HPD to the scene.”

  I nodded. It was going to be a very long day. I checked Miss Una’s supplies while Keoni armed the security system. Leading the way out the back door, he strode toward Miriam’s cottage. Approaching the gate between our properties, Keoni stopped, opened his pouch and pulled out disposable vinyl gloves, as I knew the CSI team would when they arrived.

  I shivered, suddenly thinking of the man in the diving suit who had done the same thing the night before in my vision. As we passed through the gate, I called Joanne from my cell phone to alert her that we were almost there. I looked around at the peaceful garden briefly and thought of the contrast with what awaited us within Mokulua Hale.

  The nightmare Miriam’s roommates were experiencing would never be erased from their memories, but I resolved to support their emotional survival. Pulling on the gloves Keoni had given me, I paused and watched him scanning Miriam’s home from its roofline to the ground with the camera on his smart phone. He then moved forward along the path, glancing across the windows and door.

  At this point, I was not sure when I should mention my latest nocturnal event. I had never before interacted so closely with the company of players I saw. Normally—if there is anything “normal” about my visions—I merely float above or at the periphery of the scenes I am presented. But last night I had stood in the midst of everything as an unknown man garroted Miriam and then turned to walk right through me. Despite being rooted within those images and badly shaken after, I had been in denial of the reality of what I had observed.

  Approaching the cottage’s back door, I was called out of my confusion by a keening that was reminiscent of ancient Hawaiians receiving news of the death of a close relative or prominent person. Keoni and I paused and looked at each other for a moment. He then glanced through the window of the top half of the Dutch door, and signaled me to enter while he continued along the side of the building toward the garage.

  Opening the door into the kitchen, I found Joanne kneeling in front of Samantha, who was seated on a chair pulled away from an old oak dinette set. I patted Joanne’s shoulder. She glanced up at me as Samantha continued to emit a shrill moan. Shortly, the sounds softened and Joanne soothingly said, “Shush now, Samantha. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

  The young woman then looked up, and seeing me, started to breathe more steadily. Standing she came to me, obviously wanting a hug.

  “Oh, Natalie. Thank God you’re here! Is Keoni with you?”

  I nodded and opened my arms to pat her shoulder carefully to avoid disturbing any trace evidence that might be on her clothing. I looked over her at Joanne, who stood shaking her head in disbelief about the entire situation.

  At that moment, I heard Keoni arrive behind me at the doorway.

  “Morning ladies. I’m so sorry for what has happened,” he said softly. “Shall we all go out on the lānai?” he asked, beckoning to us as he held the door open widely.

  Gesturing toward a gliding rocker, he spoke reassuringly. “You’re going to be okay, Samantha. Right now I need you to sit down and breathe slowly, all right? Please remain here until I come back, or someone comes for you. Can you do that?”

  As he looked her over thoroughly, she nodded and collapsed on the edge of the chair like a crumpled piece of tissue.

  Signaling me to stay with him, he said, “Joanne, can you bring Samantha some water?”

  Joanne nodded and went back into the house.

  Pulling me to the side, he said, “While I take another look at the front of the house and street, I want you to keep everything calm and untouched. Okay?”

  I nodded and watched him walk away slowly, taking in every detail of the property. By the time Joanne returned with a glass of water, Samantha was rocking slowly, her eyes staring straight ahead but clearly seeing nothing. She looked up at us with a wan smile, but said nothing as she sipped the water.

  “Will you be all right alone for a couple of minutes, Samantha?” I asked.

  “Uh-huh,” she replied meekly.

  Somehow I managed to control my own feelings and motioned for Joanne to follow me out into the garden.

  Looking back at Samantha, I said, “I’ve been thinking about the fact that Izzy doesn’t know what’s happened here. I’m concerned that with her own health challenges, it might be hard on her to arrive to face a street filled with official vehicles.”

  “You’re right, Natalie. I thought about that a while ago. But I took your words to heart when you said for me not to call anyone else until you and Keoni had come. And since I know Izzy leaves her phone off during services, I thought I’d have time to figure out what I should say in a voice message.”

  Thinking fast, I responded, “Why don’t
you go into the house and call her now. If you get her personally, you’ll have to decide how much to tell her over the phone. If you have to leave a message, why don’t you say there’s been an emergency here and you need her to call you before she comes home. While you do that, I’ll cancel brunch with Nathan and the O’Haras.”

  Agreeing with me, Joanne turned to go inside the house. I called Margie and Dan first, since they were likely to leave their hotel in Waikīkī fairly soon. As usual, their response was understanding and generous. They asked if there was anything they could do to help. Not knowing how the remainder of the day would develop, I declined their offer and said I would check in with them again when I had some news. At the moment, it looked like our plans for a beach party would have to wait for another one of their vacations.

  As I dialed Nathan, I debated whether to have him come over, since I did not know how soon Keoni would be able to rejoin me. Even though Samantha was now subdued, without knowing her history, I was uncertain about whether something unexpected might cause her to erupt again. Once I gave Nathan a thumbnail description of what had occurred, I asked him how he thought Samantha would handle the situation. He said he believed she would be all right, but offered to come over if I wanted his support. After considering a couple of scenarios, we decided he would remain on standby at home in case it developed that he was needed.

  After verifying that Samantha was calm, I went into the kitchen. Joanne said she had not spoken with Izzy personally, but had left a message asking her to call Joanne’s cell phone as soon as possible. She said that without explaining the circumstances, she had also called to cancel an appointment with the gardener who was scheduled to come the following morning.

  Knowing we did not have long before a world of public safety officials descended on Miriam’s cottage, I suggested Joanne show me the maid’s quarters. Walking through the kitchen, I went down the three steps to the front hall and on to the room that held the body of the woman I had hoped to know as a close friend.

  With careful attention, Joanne used the edge of her robe to open the door fully. “I’m so glad you and Keoni are here, Natalie. I’ve tried to keep Samantha calm, but it’s been very hard.”

  “I can tell. You’ve done a remarkable job. Now that we’ve got her settled, I think she’ll be okay for a bit. When Keoni rejoins us, we’re going to have to call the police.”

  “I know. I wasn’t sure who I should call first, but I thought maybe there might be something that Keoni would find significant.”

  I did not reply. For a moment we stared at the tableau of death before us, overlaid with a contrasting scent of lavender. Sharing the experience, Joanne commented, “Miriam always loved the scent of lavender. She once told me that lavender sachets had been the last gift her mother had given her. She had treasured them for many years, keeping them in her suitcases so a piece of her childhood accompanied her wherever she went.”

  At that point, I nearly broke down as I looked into the room that had promised shelter for an abused woman. I thought of how it had become the final scene in the life of a woman I had been told was renowned for helping people find safety from crimes beyond imagination. How ironic that she had met her end in an abrupt and horrific fashion.

  Shaken from our private thoughts and shared sorrow, we watched the front door open and Keoni move into the hallway. Glancing from my face to Joanne’s, he announced, “You won’t believe it, but Miss Una’s up on the roof watching the front door, which I found unlocked.”

  Joanne shook her head. “Boy, that cat seems to get everywhere. That door shouldn’t be open. With everything you warned us about, we’ve been very careful about closing and locking all the doors and windows—and setting the system’s alarms every night and whenever we are all going to be gone. And this morning, knowing the rest of us were sleeping, Izzy should have reset it when she left for church.”

  “It’s all right, Joanne. I don’t think there’s anything you or the others could have done to prevent this. Someone wanted in and they seem to have had no trouble in disabling the security system. I’d now like you both to wait with Samantha on the lānai while I call 911.”

  Knowing that nothing could be done for Miriam at the moment and Miss Una could take care of herself, Joanne and I moved toward the back door. Glancing around, I watched Keoni pull out his phone. In addition to making the official call to the police, I was pretty sure he would be checking in with his former partner with the Homicide Detail of the HPD Criminal Investigative Division.

  After assembling a tray with some glasses and a pitcher of iced tea, Joanne and I rejoined Samantha, who continued to look like a zombie. Keoni came back outside shortly. He accepted a glass of tea and caught us up on his official notifications. “A unit from the Kailua station should be here in a few minutes. We have to be careful not to disturb the…scene. I’m going back out front and wait for the blue and white. I’ve also called my former partner Lieutenant John Dias who happens to be up the hill at Mid-Pacific Country Club. He’ll be here as soon as he can get off the golf course. His partner, Sergeant Ken`ichi Nakamura, will arrive later since he’s coming across the Pali. If you’re okay Joanne, I’d like to show Natalie something.” After Joanne nodded, he opened and held the back door for me to enter the kitchen.

  Walking a couple of feet into the front hall, he turned to face the back door so he could be sure we were speaking privately. “How do you think The Ladies are doing?”

  “Samantha is really rattled,” I responded. “Joanne’s upset, of course, but I think she’s got a grasp on things, if only to keep a lid on Samantha.”

  “That’s the best we could expect. The house is now secure, so while you rejoin them, I’ll check things out here in the hallway and then take a look into the maid’s room. But we don’t want anyone else to walk through the hallway or the room where the body is until JD gets here. I’m going out front to direct everyone around the side of the house to the back door.”

  A minute later I sat down beside Joanne. “So, when did Izzy leave this morning? Where does she go to church?”

  “She converted from Roman Catholicism several years ago and is now a member of Kawaiaha`o Congregational Church. She’d made fresh malasadas for the coffee time following the nine a.m. service. I guess she would have left early enough to help arrange things in the fellowship hall before going into the sanctuary. “She would have departed about seven-thirty or so, if she wasn’t running any errands, or picking someone up along the way.”

  Filling in the gaps, I asked, “So, Samantha is the one who found Miriam?”

  Looking over at the woman who continued to rock silently, Joanne told me everything that had occurred that morning. “I was having a cup of coffee on the lānai about nine o`clock. I looked up and saw Samantha’s banging against the kitchen window....and then she came running out. She was hiccupping and I couldn’t understand her. She said I had to come with her to her room. Then, she said she meant the maid’s room. I followed her to the doorway, where she stopped and simply pointed inside.”

  Reliving her own discovery of the death, Joanne was becoming agitated.

  “All right, Joanne. Take a deep breath and tell me what you saw.” I was already shivering from what I knew she would tell me, even though I had not stepped into the room…in the flesh that is.

  “It was terrible. I saw Miriam slumped down, with her head resting on the arm of the chair. There was blood on the ground…little drops of blood. She didn’t move and I knew she was dead.”

  “Okay.”

  “And something looked wrong. Miriam’s cane. It wasn’t facing her chair. It might seem silly that with everything else going on, that’s what caught my eye. But she was so precise about positioning the cane, so it faced her wherever she was.”

  So far, we had been speaking as though Samantha was not present, but she stopped rocking and shifted in her seat. I decided it might be good to try and e
ngage her in conversation before the police arrived.

  “Honey. Samantha. Look at me, Samantha.”

  Putting my gloved hand on her shoulder, I repeated myself. “Samantha. Look at me, please. Before you…opened the door and looked in the room, did you see anything out of the ordinary? Did you see Izzy this morning?”

  Like a snowman thawing in a desert sun, the woman let loose with a torrent of tears. She then rose and started to pace while emitting garbled words and phrases.

  “No, I…I didn’t see anything, anyone. I just…I just opened the door…needed….bag…in the closet…saw she’s, she’s dead. But I touched nothing; nothing at all.”

  “That’s good, Samantha,” Joanne said with a false tone of calm. “We mustn’t touch anything. That’s why we’re staying out here until the police arrive.”

  Suddenly, there was a shift in Samantha’s demeanor and she stood very still. “Yes, Joanne. I’ve been through this before with Luke,” she revealed. Seating herself again on the rocker, she continued. “Of course, that was different. I mean there was no one…dead. And it was different each time. Either the police came without any warning, or Luke’s lawyer was there to make sure we didn’t say or do anything without his approval.”

  Not knowing whether Samantha’s revelation of frequent interaction with the police in her marriage referred to spousal abuse or criminality on the part of her husband, I remained quiet. Hearing cars pulling into the driveway, Joanne sighed deeply, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down to make sure her housecoat was snapped completely closed. As she glanced toward the garage, a uniformed police woman came around the corner of the building. I stood and silently watched as she presented her badge in its case.