“No. We’d met them a few times. It seemed like one or another of the women was often traveling and we were pretty busy ourselves. I knew them primarily from Auntie Carrie’s stories about the neighborhood. You see, until I retired officially a year and a half ago, I wasn’t on the Island very much, because most of my assignments as a journalist took me overseas.”
“I see. I know you had a lot to do last night, but do you recall any conversations between the women that you might have overheard?”
“Not really. When I think about it, it’s almost as though I got catering staff without having booked it. Izzy kept filling platters and Samantha was constantly carrying dirty dishes and glasses to the kitchen. And someone ran the dishwasher at least once during the evening.”
I paused for another drink of tea and John looked at me with a questioning gesture toward the recorder.
I nodded and cleared my throat.
“Are you okay to continue?” asked John.
“Yes. It’s just been a long day already, and my throat’s getting a bit dry. But I’m good to go again.”
“All right, if you’re sure,” he said.
Knowing that the smallest detail could be a turning point in John’s investigation of Miriam’s murder, I tried to put myself back into the swirl of Keoni’s party.
“I guess I should emphasize that I’d invited a lot of the neighbors to the party. Most of them had known Auntie Carrie for years and had expressed interest in seeing what we’d done with her home. That meant there were many people I don’t know except as faces, addresses or vehicles in the neighborhood.”
I closed my eyes and thought of the people who had come through the house. “I really can’t think of anything anyone did or said out of the usual range of, ‘Nice to get to know you,’ ‘Looks great,’ or, ‘Come and join us for….’”
“Okay. I know you and Keoni have concentrated a lot of your efforts on beefing up your cottage’s infrastructure…windows and doors, the roof, your security system….”
“That’s right. Keoni wants to make sure that when he’s not here, I’m safe and the house can withstand anything from heavy rain to a hurricane or break-in.
“Speaking of that last item, I know he’s been working on updating the security system at Miriam’s.”
“Yes. Of course, you’ll have to speak with him about the technical aspects.”
“I’ll follow up on that. Did you hear home security systems discussed? Was anyone especially interested in the topic—maybe talking about it with one of Miriam’s roommates?”
“No. I do know Keoni and our neighbor General Smith were talking about security lights and the General’s grandchildren setting off timers and alarms by mistake. That’s the only time I heard anything dealing with security.”
“Before we leave the topic of the party, did you hear any conversations referring to Miriam, her home, or the ladies living with her?”
“Uh, regarding Miriam…everyone expressed concern for her health. But everyone left the topic once she reassured them that, aside from her leg, she was fine. They all laughed as she told the story of Miss Una. That’s my cat. You know her from the day Ariel’s death was solved. Well, one day, she ran into Miriam’s bedroom suite from the balcony and interrupted Miriam’s attempt to reorganize some things before Samantha arrived. It was when Miriam returned to that project that she fell and broke her leg. As to the rest of her entourage, I didn’t hear anything, other than Samantha being welcomed to the neighborhood.”
“Okay, Natalie. Let’s stop for a couple of minutes and when we resume, I want you to tell me about the end of the evening…and the vision you had.”
With that, John switched off the recorder and we took a break. Knowing how tense the next segment of the interview would be, I brought in a pitcher of water with lemon to keep my voice as clear as possible. One thing I have learned from on-camera and voice-over work is never to drink cold water, so I looked at the remaining ice in his glass with envy.
“Ready, Natalie?” John asked.
At my nod, he resumed the recording and asked me to summarize the end of the party.
“I know Miriam and Joanne left about nine and I scooted Izzy and Samantha out of the kitchen at eleven. The party finally broke up around midnight, and Keoni and I spent about a half hour tidying up. Then we went out to sit on the lānai for a while. After sharing a few stories from the evening, we went inside for the night. I’m not quite sure what time we went to sleep. Later, when I awoke after…my vision…I was alone in bed.”
“All right, Natalie. You know I’m not trained in interpreting dreams, let alone visions. As you tell me about this latest vision, I want you to close your eyes and walk through it. Just as it happened originally.”
“Okay, John. I’ll try. But before I start, I want you to know that this one was different, somehow. That’s why I didn’t quite trust that it was one of my…usual visions.”
“How was it different?” asked John, pausing in his note-taking to look me in the eye.
“Well, everything was the usual color of an old photo. You know, sepia, kind of purplish brown. But this time, instead of being on the periphery, I was right there, in the middle of everything when it got bad. It really scared me…but…there were several elements that seemed like they came from the stories I’d been hearing all night about my Auntie Carrie...”
“It’s okay, Natalie. I already know that it’s not like something you can control or put on pause or slow motion.”
With a thin smile, I responded. “Actually, sometimes scenes do go into slow motion.”
“I’m glad you can still smile, Natalie. Why don’t you explain the aspects of this vision that seemed unusual.”
“Mmm. Let me think. One of the stories I heard from Keoni, was my Auntie’s learning to scuba dive. So, of course she was in a diving suit. Then there’s the topic of security systems. Like you and I discussed earlier, Keoni was updating Miriam’s system, as well as our own here at White Sands Cottage. When Nathan & I were kids, Auntie Carrie had a piano, and I remember looking inside it once when the piano tuner was at her old apartment…the black wire in the murderer’s hands looked like what I saw inside Auntie Carrie’s piano. Oh, there was the wingback chair facing the bedroom window. You see, Miriam had had Keoni move her favorite chair downstairs because she couldn’t climb up to her bedroom suite…and she talked about sitting up at night, just napping all night long….”
I had been rushing my words to keep up with my thoughts and my throat had tightened again.
“Okay, Natalie. Drink some water and we’ll get started with the vision itself when you’re ready.”
I took a sip of water and nodded. He then directed me to close my eyes again. “So, you’re in bed, right?”
“Yes. I don’t walk around during my dreams, or visions. As in most of my visions, this one started with me being on the fringe of things. I was standing in Miriam’s front yard when I saw a man coming up from the beach access path. Then suddenly, I was hovering above the water watching him from the rear.”
As I began re-experiencing the vision, I calmed down and managed to scrutinize the images objectively without being riveted on the horror of the murder itself.
“That’s good, Natalie. I’m with you. You’re watching the man move up the path toward…toward Mokulua Drive, right?
“Yes. He’s in a black diving suit. He’s all covered up, from his head to his feet. He reaches the road and stops. I hear a car coming. There’s loud music playing and the man steps back into the shadows until it passes.”
“Hm. What kind of music?”
“Some kind of rap, with an Island rhythm—I mean Caribbean, not Hawaiian style.
“Okay. Can you see the car?”
“Yes, it’s a Jeep. It’s open; no roof. I know what kind it is, I saw one on TV, it’s a ‘C’ something.”
&nb
sp; “That’s good, Natalie. Don’t worry about the exact model. We’ll figure that out later.”
“After the Jeep’s gone, I see the man cross the road and walk toward Miriam’s. Next, I’m in front of her cottage, watching him enter the front gate. He goes around the house on the left. Somehow I know he’s going to the old security system box that’s on that side, near the garage.”
I paused, trying to picture details from the scene.
“Go on, please.”
“He’s back at the front almost immediately. He lets himself in the front door, after looking to make sure no one sees him. Now I’m in the hallway, near the kitchen, watching him come inside. He’s very quiet. He’s wearing what I think is called a skullcap; it’s kind of like a ski mask. It covered up everything but his eyes, nose and mouth.”
“All right, Natalie. I want you to freeze the scene. Look at the man carefully. What can you tell me about him? How tall he is…his race…any distinguishing features.”
“He’s not terribly tall. Somewhere between my height and Keoni’s. Maybe five foot ten. He’s pretty slim. His skin is fair. He’s probably not a resident of Hawai`i or a tourist, because he’s not tanned nor is he sunburned. Just a pale haole. His eyes are dark, I can’t tell the color because there isn’t much light in the hall. There’s a little bit of hair showing by his right temple; it’s light brown, not quite blond, kind of mousy. I don’t see any marks, like a birthmark, scar or tattoo. I can’t see any jewelry—except, now that I look closely, there’s a watch, on his right arm.”
“What can you tell me about it. The color? The face? The numbers?”
“Mm, it’s black and silver. Well, it’s probably stainless steel with a black band. The face is white and the frame is steel. The face is white. The numbers for the hours are black Roman numerals. There’s a circle inside the face itself with smaller numbers I can’t make out.
“Is there anything else that’s unusual about the watch?”
“Uh, there are little points on the part that joins the band to the watch itself. Two on each side, so that’s four altogether.”
“That’s excellent, Natalie. Go on now. Tell me what the man does next.”
“He looks around, but doesn’t see me even though I’m right in front of him. He takes a walks down the hall and passes the coat closet. Next he listens at the door…the door where Miriam is. But I didn’t know it at the time. He turns the knob slowly and goes right in.”
My breathing was quickening, and I could again feel the terror I had experienced during the vision itself.
“I’m standing right there, in the doorway. He pauses. Then he pulls out a plastic bag from a pouch at his waist and extracts what looked like a tie. You know, like those bolo ties cowboys wear?”
“Mmhm, I think so. But tell me exactly what it looks like.”
“Well, what I’m calling a tie is more like a single piece of old black piano wire with wooden sticks on both ends.”
At this point, I heard the Lieutenant inhale deeply. “Okay. What does the man do next?”
“He walks forward to a wingback chair that’s facing the window, with…with Miriam’s long, blond hair covering her face. She’s lying sideways in the crook between the chair back and arm. The guy drops the wire over the chair and I see his hands cross over…then he jerks the sticks…Miriam just…slumps down. And it’s finished. Except that he puts the wire away in the plastic bag in his pouch. Oh, he yanks out some strands of Miriam’s hair and puts them in another plastic bag. Finally, he looks around and sees something on the floor; he puts her cane against the wall. Then he turns and walks right through me, out the door, down the hall and out of the house.”
I opened my eyes to see John’s deep brown eyes staring at me. I sighed and licked my lips which were very dry. Silently, John reached over to hand me my water.
“Thank you Natalie. Let’s break for today, unless there’s anything you want to add?”
“No, no. That’s my vision. All of it.
Signing off with the time, John turned off the recorder.
“Thank you very much, Natalie. You may not realize it, but you’ve brought up several points that may prove useful in finding Miriam’s murderer. I know this has been a long day for all of you. Let’s figure out where Miriam’s roommates are going to spend the night. Then you and Keoni can get some rest. We’ll pick things up again tomorrow. Okay?”
CHAPTER 11
Nothing has such power to broaden the mind
as the ability to investigate systematically…
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus [121 - 180]
I had not realized how exhausted I was from retelling my vision of Miriam’s murder until I tried to get out of my chair. Not wanting to look foolish, I bent over and acted as though my foot needed rubbing.
“You all right, Natalie?” questioned John.
“Yeah, just a little tired. But I can’t imagine how drained you must be from spending an entire day—let alone weeks—with this kind of intense investigation.”
He laughed. “With this second round of seeing the life of a homicide detective, you probably understand why there are high rates of alcoholism, divorce, and suicide.”
“So how did you avoid all those pitfalls?”
“Oh, don’t kid yourself. I’m separated from my second wife and I can’t say I don’t tip back one too many bottles of beer on occasion.”
“I know Keoni has really cut back on his intake of alcohol, but I don’t understand how he managed to avoid the cycles of marriage and divorce.”
John looked at me blankly for a moment. I worried I had crossed the line of my friendship with him. “Well, I don’t mean for you to give me details. He and I discussed his first serious girlfriend being a nurse who died in Vietnam. And I know he’s been engaged a couple of times.”
“Let’s just say Keoni has a pretty accurate meter for measuring the likelihood of success in relationships. Plus, I think looking at the rest of us caused him to put the brakes on whenever he wasn’t sure about things.”
“I guess that’s one reason we get on so well. We both played the avoidance game for a long time and we’re happy to enjoy each other without all the youthful baggage of whether to marry, have kids, et cetera. It’s also great to be able to avoid all the awkward family situations that can mess up a relationship,” I observed.
John nodded and squeezed my shoulder as we walked out to the living room. I found my guests sitting out on the front porch while Keoni watched a television sports talk show. Looking up he gave John and me an inquiring look.
“I think Natalie’s vision is going to be a great deal of help,” announced John softly. “I’m going check in next door. Then, unless something unexpected has come up, I think it’s time to call it quits for today.”
“Sounds good, JD. I haven’t heard much vehicular traffic. Ken`ichi was over about half an hour ago. He said for you to give him a call when you and Natalie were through. He didn’t sound stressed, or like anything major had come up. ”
Keoni and I looked out at The Ladies, and then each other. I knew we were both thinking, “What now?” Neither of us wanted to be inhospitable, but with only one designated guest bedroom, I was debating my neighbors’ short-term living arrangements.
Turning to John, Keoni asked, “Are you going to need access to The Ladies tonight, or in the next day or so?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve got their initial statements, but until we’ve had a chance to go through the evidence we’ve gathered, I won’t know what will require follow-up. One of the first things I need to check on is how the murderer knew about the security system. From what Natalie has shared from her vision, the man knew exactly where to go to disable it. This means someone did their homework.”
“The security company Miriam uses is one of the oldest in the state,” observed Keoni.
“Yeah, but obv
iously someone provided the perp with the information he needed. As I see it, there are a couple of scenarios that make sense. The perp could have checked things out personally in advance. If he didn’t, then the intel was provided to him—either through someone’s on-site analysis, or from info gained through the security company. I’ve never dealt with a case involving leaks from that company, but you know how many employees a company like that goes through, even in a single year.”
“You’re right about that. How many cops retire in a year and end up looking for a job in security?” added Keoni.
John nodded. “So far, no one in the neighborhood has reported seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary last night—except to confirm the loud music Natalie reported occurring when the Jeep pass by. That reminds me, I need to have Natalie identify which Jeep model she saw.”
“Don’t worry about it, JD. It’s one thing I can do without interfering in your work. She can go on-line or I’ll swing by a dealership for a couple of brochures with color samples.”
“Oh, the color is simple. It was red. Bright red,” I offered.
“That’s good to know. With the way our sun fades finishes, if the color was that bright, it’s probably a newer model. First thing tomorrow morning, Ken`ichi and I will be at Miriam’s security company to greet the powers that be when they arrive at work.”
“I think you already know they run a 24/7 schedule,” Keoni said.
“Yeah, but the big boys won’t be there for the graveyard shift, and I don’t want to tip our hand in case there’s something funny going on at that office—let alone with their people out in the field.”
“So, what about our guests?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Natalie. There’s no ideal solution. I don’t have any serious doubts about their intentions where Miriam is concerned. Granted, they all had the opportunity, being in the house, but none of them has a motive—quite the reverse. All three women would benefit from Miriam’s continued well-being and generosity. Furthermore, even without your vision, I doubt that any of them has the tactile strength required to have garroted Miriam—certainly not Izzy, if she has RA,” John summarized.
Murder on Mokulua Drive Page 13
