by Frankie Bow
“You know Brian Gonsalves?” I said. “Gloria’s uncle?”
“Uncle Brian? Yeah, sure. What about him?”
“Uncle was there when Malufau fell out the window an’ wen’ maké.” Emma completely ruined the buildup I had planned. “He get all buss, that’s why. Probably uncle’s home brewed Okolehao.”
“That Okolehao is amazing,” I agreed. “You drink it and you think you’re fine, until you stand up and your knees start bending the wrong way.”
De Silva pulled out a note pad, all business now. “You’re saying Brian Gonsalves was present when Iulani Malufau died?”
“You got it,” Emma said.
“We think Brian Gonsalves and Iulani Malufau were working together. Malufau stole jewelry from high-end resorts and private planes, and Uncle Brian sold the stolen merchandise in Royal Pawn. When Malufau went to prison, it broke Royal Pawn’s supply chain, which is why he closed the store.”
“Then Malufau escaped and came back to shake down Uncle Brian. Probably thought Uncle owed him. It was self-defense, though. You’re not gonna put an old man in prison for defending himself, are you, officer?”
“Where’s Brian Gonsalves now?” De Silva asked. “Is he here in the building?”
“You just missed him,” Emma said. “He’s going Vegas. Eh, if I had good luck like him, that’s where I’d be headed too.”
De Silva hurried back to the cruiser and leaned in to the driver’s side.
“They’ll intercept him at the airport,” De Silva said when he came back “But I don’t know if they’ll want to pursue this. The prosecutor thinks he has a good case against Gloria. If Brian Gonsalves won’t corroborate your story. . . I guess we wait and see.”
Emma reached into her back jeans pocket and pulled out a pen.
“Maybe this’ll help.”
“Is that your pen recorder?” I asked. “You had it on the whole time? Is that legal?”
“Yeah, in Hawai`i only one party has to agree to recording. I checked with the university lawyers before I started carrying this around to record my whining students. Here, officer. Play this for whoever needs to hear it. Just make sure you get it back to me.”
Emma handed De Silva the pen recorder. He studied it for a couple of seconds and then slipped it into his shirt pocket.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
The case against Gloria was dropped within the week. Emma’s recording persuaded the prosecutor that Iulani Malufau’s death was accidental, and that Gloria was not even present. Uncle Brian was able to relocate to Hawai`i’s “ninth island” without incident. I understand he’s now a resident of the California Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. It’s not cheap to live in a hotel, but I suspect the contents of his red suitcase will sustain him for a while.
Happily, Uncle Brian doesn’t have to live out his golden years far from family. Tiffany is managing the new Las Vegas location of Balusteros Baby World. Davison is taking evening electronics classes at a local community college and watching Junior during the day.
I got my book chapter submitted a full week before the final due date. That evening, Donnie fixed us a celebratory meal of green salad with vinaigrette and pasta puttanesca. Afterward, we relaxed on the couch, sampling a fancy single-malt whisky Donnie had received as a Christmas gift from one of his vendors.
“It feels strange to relax.” I took a deep breath. “I feel like I should be working on something.”
Donnie smiled and slung an arm across the back of the couch. “Spending quality time with your husband is important, too.”
“You’re right. And it’s so nice to be here, just the two of us. I adore your family, of course, but it’s such a relief to have the house to ourselves again.”
“I’m really impressed with Alika Feinman. Things looked hopeless for Gloria, and then all of a sudden, all the charges were dropped. Molly, are you okay?”
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, this whiskey is really smoky. It tastes like burning tires to me. Sorry. I know it’s really expensive. I guess I don’t have very refined taste.”
“Molly, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Me?”
“You have a terrible poker face. This isn’t about the whiskey. What do you know about Gloria?”
“Oh, Donnie, we don’t have to talk about this now. I mean, everything worked out. Everyone’s safe—”
“Molly, please. Don’t keep things from me.”
“Okay. Fine. You want to know? I’ll tell you.”
And I did. I told Donnie the whole story, including Gloria’s shenanigans, Uncle Brian’s confession, and my attempt to flood the Lehua Inn.
“So, you’re telling me Gloria had an alibi the whole time? Why didn’t she tell anyone?”
“Because if she told the truth, her in-laws would stop paying for her legal defense.”
“And what made you think of Uncle Brian?”
“I figured it out after a woman we met at the birthing class, well, her aunty, told me Royal Pawn always had such nice things on offer, so much nicer than the other shops. I wondered why. Well, it turns out Uncle Brian had Malufau stealing jewelry from all over the state. From private planes, top resorts, people whose insurance would cover the theft. So, of course, no one in Mahina would ever recognize it as stolen merchandise.”
“But how did you put it together? It’s not obvious to me.”
“Because of this.” I touched the platinum necklace at my throat. “You got this jewelry from Uncle Brian, right?”
“No. I bought it from a respectable jeweler who specializes in estate pieces.”
“Oh. Well, I guessed wrong about that part, then.”
Donnie looked troubled. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Whose bright idea was it anyway, couples telling each other everything?
“Donnie, look. Emma and I accomplished the impossible. We got your sister’s murder charges dropped. Without revealing her bad behavior to her husband. We did what her lawyer couldn’t. No one’s in jail, and everyone can go on with their lives. Why are you acting grouchy about it?”
“Am I?” Donnie laughed. “I suppose I am. I’m sorry. I’m being, what’s the word you like to use? Petty. I’m being petty.”
“What do you mean?”
“Molly, I love Gloria. She’s my baby sister, and I’d do anything for her. But one thing about her—maybe you didn’t notice—she’s a little bit spoiled. Entitled, I supposed is the word I’m looking for.”
“You don’t say.”
“She does whatever she feels like doing at the moment, throws everyone else’s life into chaos, and she gets away with it. Every time. This is just another example.”
“Do you wish things had turned out differently?”
“No. Of course not. I feel a little sorry for Skye, though. You want me to get the Jameson?”
“I don’t need any more whiskey. I’m fine.”
“Here, let me get you a glass of wine.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I don’t need wine.”
“Did you just say you don’t need wine? Molly, are you feeling all right?”
“Me? Mostly. I have been a little bit queasy. Especially in the mornings. Oh, Donnie, that reminds me. There is one more thing I need to tell you.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, a loving family, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining. Follow Frankie at bit.ly/SpamMe
Also by Frankie Bow:
The Molly Barda Mysteries:
The Case of the Defunct Adjunct (Book 0)
The Musubi Murder (Book 1)
The Cursed Canoe (Book 2)
The Black Thumb (Book 3)
The Invasive Species (Book 4)
The Blessed Event (Book 5)
Benefit Anthology for Read Aloud America:
Paradise, Passion, Murder: 10 Tales of Mystery from
Hawai`i
The Miss Fortune Series:
Sinful Science (Hair Extensions and Homicide 1)
Once Upon a Murder (Hair Extensions and Homicide 2)
Tabasco Fiasco (Hair Extensions and Homicide 3)
TRUST FALL
A hard nudge in the ribs jolted me awake.
“Molly,” Emma hissed. “C’mon, stand up.”
I had dozed off in one of the comfortable new chairs in Administrative Complex Conference Room 5B, my head resting on the shoulder of my best friend and fellow sufferer, Emma Leilani Kano’opomaika’i Nakamura.
“What?” I rubbed my eyes.
“Are you sleeping?”
“Well, I was. Why do we have to stand up?”
“We’re doing the trust fall thing now. Eh, don’t let Jake see you making that face or he’s gonna give us another lecture about our attitude.”
“What? I’m not making a face. This is my face.”
Jake Ahu, Director of Faculty Development, glared around the room and tightened his grip on his clipboard.
“This is a trust fall, people. Come on, everyone out of your seats. We are cultivating a culture of trust here on our campus.”
Paradise, Passion, Murder: 10 Tales of Mystery from Hawai`i. Toby Neal, JoAnn Bassett, Jill Marie Landis, Kay Hadashi, Terry Ambrose, Gail Baugniet, Laurie Hanan, A.J. Llewellyn, C.W. Schutter, and Frankie Bow. http://getbook.at/PassionParadise
SINFUL SCIENCE
I was on my feet before the echoes of the gunshots had died away. The other customers in Francine’s Diner were still seated, staring through the front windows at the empty street and Walter’s General Store across the way.
“Stay inside until I signal that it’s safe,” I said to Gertie, my breakfast companion. “Do not come outside. You understand?”
She swatted my hand away.
“Of course I understand, silly. I’m old, not stupid.”
From the doorway of Francine’s Diner, I was able to get a visual on the situation.
Ida Belle. I might have known.
Once upon a time, say a month ago, I would’ve been surprised at the sight of an ancient woman in a turquoise track suit standing on the sidewalk with her hair in rollers, waving a .45 at someone. But that was before I started my undercover assignment in Sinful, Louisiana, population 253, and got to know Gertie and Ida Belle.
Sinful Science is Book One in the Hair Extensions and Homicide series, which takes place in Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune world. http://getbook.at/SinfulScience
ALICE MONGOOSE
“I would like to ask about the house next door,” Alice said. “My name is Alice. I have just arrived in Hawaii.”
“I am pleased to meet you,” said the dapper little fellow. “My name is Alistair. I am just getting up. Do come in and have a bit of breakfast and a cup of tea.”
Alice Mongoose and Alistair Rat in Hawaii by Mary Pfaff is now available in bookstores. Keep up with Alice and Alistair at bit.ly/MongooseMail
