Murder on Mokulua Drive

by Burrows-Johnson, Jeanne;

  It never occurred to me that it might actually be a premonition. Maybe after having this, dream, there was something I could have done to prevent something awful from happening. I was just about to tell you when Joanne called announcing that Miriam was dead.”

  Shoving back his plate and coming around to my side of the table, Keoni hugged me and tried to assure me that there was nothing I could have done to prevent Miriam’s murder. “Even if you’d awakened in the middle of your vision, by the time we could have gotten to the cottage, Miriam would have been dead.”

  At the sound of something dropping in the living room, I knew that Izzy must have arrived. I wiped the tears that streaked down my face and stood up. “I’ve already let John know I had a vision. He said we’ll talk about it after he interviews The Ladies.”

  “Okay, honey,” he said touching my cheek. “Why don’t you handle things with Izzy and I’ll tidy up in here. Not knowing what might happen later, I’ll grab my phone, keys and wallet and wait in the office until you tell me to call John over. We should do that as soon as possible.”

  “Sure. The sooner they’ve been interviewed, the faster the women will settle down. But what about tonight? We’ve got a couple of spare bedrooms; maybe we should have them stay here.”

  “Let’s just deal with one issue at a time. We don’t know if the women will want to remain together. Or, maybe Izzy will want to stay with her niece down the road.”

  As I entered the living room, it looked like a play staged in an arena theatre. Evidently either Joanne or Samantha had pulled my wingback out of the corner and positioned it to face out the front window. Izzy was seated in the chair. Joanne was standing over her and Samantha was kneeling in front of her. Dumped on the coffee table were Izzy’s purse, a couple of empty Tupperware containers and a potted orchid that had become dislodged from its bark when it was dropped.

  Approaching Izzy gingerly, I expressed my condolences and then sat quietly on the sofa in front of her. When her sobs had subsided to murmurs of disbelief, I heard what I assumed were Keoni’s approaching footsteps. I looked up and with a slight nod and a spread of five fingers, signaling him to call John. Hearing Izzy repeat the phrase, “Miss Miriam,” I knew she had reverted to thinking in terms of her years as the woman’s housekeeper, rather than as her companion.

  Izzy was clutching a glass of water and staring out the window at the fountain when John arrived. Joanne and Samantha had moved to join me on the sofa. Even though only a couple of windows were open, the sound of bubbling water seemed to have a calming effect on us all. I was truly glad Keoni had been motivated to revive that old curiosity that featured three Art Deco nymphs circled by butterflies.

  With Miriam’s Ladies settled in the living room, I went into the kitchen for a brief consultation with John. Taking the lead, Keoni said, “I know we discussed doing your interviews in the office, but may I suggest you do Izzy’s in the living room since she’s finally calmed down?”

  “I agree. So, Natalie, why don’t you bring Joanne and Samantha in here for a little tea time. Keoni, how about you run interference with any of my team who show up needing a break? I don’t want to introduce any unknown factors, so if anyone other than Ken`ichi insists on seeing me, just pop in the room to let me know.”

  “Sure, JD. Natalie can put together anything they’d like and I’ll serve them outside to keep the noise at a minimum.”

  With our plan in place, John approached Izzy’s chair with clear deference for the fragile state of her mind and emotions. I beckoned to Joanne and Samantha. Soon we had positioned ourselves for a prolonged period in the kitchen. I began pouring a round of iced tea while we listened to a soft murmuring start up between John and Izzy. Personally, I was glad we could not decipher the details. I did not want anything to cause Samantha to return the hysterical state she had been in earlier. Perhaps it was the presence of the police that affected me, but despite my continuing disbelief, I found myself moving to Keoni’s stance of resigned acceptance of the grim reality facing us.

  Fingering our cups more than drinking our tea, Joanne, Samantha, and I passed the next quarter of an hour without significant conversation. Hearing noise outside the back door, I went out to greet a couple of members of the CSI team. Fortunately, I had some thick paper cups and plastic plates, so I was able to prepare their requests for coffee and a couple of bagels to go.

  Soon after, John joined us. As we looked up expectantly, he immediately calmed our concerns.

  “I’m through taking an initial report from Izzy, who’s obviously shaken like you are,” he said to Joanne and Samantha. “Nonetheless, we have to go through our normal procedures.”

  We all nodded solemnly.

  “I’m going next door for a few minutes, so you all might as well go and keep Izzy company for a while. When I return, I’ll need to take statements from each of you, okay?”

  Again, we all nodded and John exited through the back door. We then picked up our cups and moved to rejoin Izzy, who sat quietly watching doves splashing in the fountain.

  As the afternoon wore on, the flow of people in and out of my home reached a rhythm that was almost serene. Miriam’s Ladies spent their time in the living room, watching the usual Sunday television programming with little comment. Mid-afternoon, John returned through the front door with a polite but formal demeanor.

  After establishing himself in the office, he began his interviews. Between each, he conferred quietly with Keoni in the kitchen or visited with the members of his team who arrived for refreshment. Until he chose to speak with me about my vision, I continued to follow his directive to keep everything tranquil.

  Phones rang periodically and I handled the myriad questions from neighbors as briefly as I could. With all the blue and whites, unmarked detective cars, emergency vehicles, and the ME’s van in plain view, it was obvious to everyone that there had been an emergency—and one that ended in at least one person’s death. When the volume of calls dropped noticeably, I knew the police had begun their house-to-house inquiries.

  Finally, in the late afternoon, John entered the living room with an intent look on his face, by which I knew the time for my revelation had arrived. At his signal, I rose from my seat. “Mm, Ladies, are you needing anything to eat or drink?” I asked.

  Looking up at me in unison, they shook their heads. “I’m going to be visiting with Detective Dias for a while, so help yourselves to anything in the kitchen or ask Keoni, who is on the back lānai.”

  They assured me that they were fine and I moved to follow John into the office. I sighed softly at the thought of what was to come, for often the retelling of a vision is more disturbing than the actual experience.

  CHAPTER 10

  And there was the last nightmare touch….

  G. K. Chesterton [1874 - 1936]

  As I entered the room, John was arranging himself at my desk. Knowing I was ill at ease, he rose and came to seat me as though I were a visitor to his office. After sitting again, he turned to a new page in his notepad and adjusted his voice recorder.

  “I can’t imagine how this is affecting you, Natalie. I’m very grateful for the assistance you and Keoni have given me and my team today.”

  Choking back the effects of the tightness in my throat, I swallowed deeply. “I’m glad to do anything I can to help. I still can’t believe what has happened. It seems even worse than Ariel’s death. I just can’t imagine anything Miriam could have done to invite this attack.”

  “From what we can tell so far, I tend to agree with you. She’s a retired person with no enemies known to her housemates. There’s no overt sign of wealth to have attracted a burglar. She hasn’t remodeled to the degree you have and there’s no signs of valuable art or collectibles that would invite special attention. From our quick glance through her legal papers, there’s no one who stands to benefit from her death.”

  “It’s funny you me
ntion that last point. In one of our conversations, Miriam remarked that her home would remain available to her housemates throughout their lives. She also said that she and Henri had set up an irrevocable trust with the bulk of their assets going to UNICEF.”

  “Well, since she already told you that, I’ll confirm that what you’ve said is borne out by the papers in her desk. With her work for the U.N. and other agencies, I was surprised she had no filing cabinet. But I guess she’d reached that point in life where she’d gotten rid of all but her personal papers, so Ken`ichi was able to go through everything fairly quickly. Of course, we’ll have to confirm results we’ve found in our preliminary search, but that leaves our list of leads for this case rather blank.

  “Frankly, the lack of motive may make your ah, dream, vision, rather important. You’ve already proven yourself a valuable resource—not only to me, but to the Department in general. With the mix of so many cultures and beliefs in the Islands, we see a lot of unusual things in the cases we handle. On top of that, I had a most unique grandmother. Please don’t repeat it, but she came from Ireland and had what her people called “the gift.” As a kid, I learned there was no point in fibbing to her. She always knew what was going on, even when she wasn’t there to see it. So you see, I don’t have any problem in examining your little visions. It’s just too bad you can’t call up them up on demand. If that were the case, my closure rate might be a lot higher.”

  I smiled bleakly at his attempt to put me at ease.

  “Before we get started, do you want anything to eat? Do you need to take a break for a moment? Once we start, we could be quite a while, because I need to ask you about details you may not even know you’ve observed.”

  “I’m fine, John, I planned ahead—I’ve eaten already and here’s my cup of tea. What about you? Do you need anything?”

  With a chuckle he said, “You’re always the perfect hostess, Natalie. I don’t need a thing. I’m full thanks to your delicious leftovers from last night and I’m coffeed out. On my last run to the kitchen, I got this mug of water, so I’m set for the duration.”

  With the niceties over, we settled into our chairs and John gestured toward the digital voice recorder. “If you’re ready, I’d like to record your memories and even your speculations, in case I can’t keep up with my note taking.”

  We laughed lightly and I indicated I was willing to be recorded for posterity. After citing the date, our location and identities, John began his questioning.

  “Although I was present, I’d like you to recount your recollections of last night’s party at which Miriam Didión and her roommates were your guests. If possible, please include the times they arrived, their appearance and any conversations you had with them, or you overheard taking place between them.”

  “Mmm. I know Keoni’s birthday party started at six o`clock. I guess I should clarify that Keoni’s last name is Hewitt. He’s my boyfriend and a retired detective with HPD. I remember being glad our long-distance guests arrived first, so they could spend some time alone with him. I’m not really sure how many people came, since I’d invited quite a number of our neighbors. I just know the house was full until the end, and there didn’t seem to be anyone strange, anyone who wasn’t known by at least one other person.”

  John nodded, but remained silent, so I would not lose my train of thought—or, I suppose, slant the direction of my reporting. “Izzy must have come in officially about four thirty, because she was bringing the last of the food she had prepared. Miriam arrived with Joanne and Samantha after Izzy, but before any other guests. That would have been five forty-five or so,” I said, feeling renewed sorrow at her passing.

  “I remember those three came in as a trio. Because, as I said, Izzy… Esmeralda Cruz…had been back and forth with food items since late afternoon, when Keoni was gone for a while. They all had on lovely, almost formal, mu`u`mu`us. Joanne Walther…that’s the retired school teacher Miriam met in Guam during a speaking tour many years ago…was holding Miriam’s elbow. Samantha Turner…who had just joined the household from Hale Malolo…came in the door next. Izzy came out from the kitchen about that time, balancing some cupcakes she’d made from the leftover batter for Keoni’s birthday cake.”

  As I took a sip of tea, John paused the recorder and glanced at his notes. “As you can imagine, I’m trying not to make personal comments about the party, but that cake was great!”

  John then raised his index finger to indicate I should hold my words until he had turned the recorder back on.

  “Everything Izzy bakes, or cooks, is fantastic. It’s just too bad about her hands.”

  “What do you mean, Natalie, about her hands, that is?”

  “Well, she has rheumatoid arthritis and it’s really affected her hands. That’s why she had to stop working as Miriam’s housekeeper. But by then, Henri had died—that was Miriam’s husband—and Joanne had been a roommate for several years. Miriam was very fond of Izzy and asked her to remain as another housemate.”

  “So you’re saying that Izzy has limited use of her hands?”

  I nodded, and then seeing John point to the recorder, answered aloud. “Yes, that’s right. Thank goodness for all the appliances in their kitchen; but sometimes she still has to ask for help in moving large containers or pouring ingredients. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Miriam decided to have Samantha live with them and function as their part-time housekeeper.”

  “I believe you mentioned that Samantha had moved to Miriam’s home from Hale Malolo. That’s the women’s shelter in Kāne`ohe?”

  “Yes. I don’t know her personal story, but when Nathan—that’s my twin brother Nathan Harriman—met Miriam the day we were moving in, the two of them got to talking about their individual work in psychology. Nathan told her about his serving on Hale Malolo’s board of directors. Somewhere in their conversation, he mentioned that he was looking for job training positions to help the residents plan for their futures. Before the women left that day, Miriam said she’d like to interview someone from Hale Malolo to become their housekeeper.”

  “If Samantha was to become the housekeeper, why is Izzy still cooking?” asked John.

  “Well, the day Samantha was interviewed, she mentioned she wasn’t much of a cook, and Miriam said that wasn’t a problem. Izzy made it clear that she loved to cook whenever she felt up to it…and wasn’t traveling. In fact, the main reason for Samantha joining the household was that one or more of The Ladies are often on the road, and sometimes the scheduling of maintenance for the house or yard gets confusing. That reminds me, I don’t know if it’s important to your investigation, but Joanne mentioned she cancelled an appointment with a gardener who was scheduled to come this week.”

  “Hm. Thanks for that information. I’ll be putting together a list of the individuals and companies who provide services to the household.” After looking over his notes he continued. “Is there anything in particular that Joanne is responsible for in the house?”

  “Not exactly. But I’ve noticed she does most of the driving and she watched over Miriam. I think she has some kind of background in first aid—maybe from her stint in the Army, or her years as a teacher overseas on military bases. That’s how they met. Miriam was on some kind of lecture tour about the welfare of women and children, and they started chatting after the Q and A. I guess they corresponded for some time and eventually Joanne visited Hawai`i. After Henri died and Joanne retired, Miriam invited her to move in.”

  “So Joanne is retired from a career with the Federal government?”

  “I think so. I don’t know if it’s part of the Department of Defense or the Department of Education.”

  “Mmhm,” he said, scribbling down the information. “And what about Izzy’s retirement income or assets? Have you heard anything mentioned about that?”

  “Miriam was open about most everything in her life. I know Izzy worked for Henri and her for a
long time. I heard something mentioned about a pension they had set up for her. That wasn’t surprising because Miriam often spoke of women being taken advantage of in the workplace. I’m sure she would have been set up a retirement fund for anyone working for her.”

  “Mm. Returning to the party last night, what did The Ladies do? Initially? Did they stay together as a group?”

  “Well, the party was rather lively from the beginning. I do remember Izzy walking through to the kitchen with the cupcakes. Knowing it would be difficult for Miriam to get around with her foot in a cast, and that she knew a lot of the invitees, we seated her at a table in the front hall, where she could greet everyone and hand out name tags. I think Joanne stayed with Miriam for a while. After that, I saw her visiting with various neighbors from time to time.

  “And, Samantha…well…you’ve met her, John. She’s a bit shy. At first, she stayed at my side. Then when she saw the empty glasses in the room were piling up, she began bussing. In general, I guess I was so busy that I lost track of The Ladies. So many other people were coming up to me and asking about our remodeling. And when I wasn’t running tours, a lot of the neighbors cornered me with stories about my Auntie who had lived here in the cottage for decades.”

  “That’s your Auntie Carrie died recently?”

  “Yes. Carrie Johansen. She passed away just last winter, on January second. She was always the great partier. Even when her reasoning was gone, it was as though she knew there had to be a party somewhere in the area and didn’t want to check out too soon.”

  “When did you take possession of the house?”

  “Oh, it was right after her passing. I’d been co-owner for many years, so there wasn’t much paper work to process. But you know we didn’t move in until August first, because we’ve been redoing most everything.”

  John nodded and asked, “Were you already friends with Miriam and her roommates before you moved in?”