Blood like the Setting Sun: A Murder on Maui Mystery

by Robert W. Stephens

  Alana nodded. I followed her up the stairs to the master bedroom. The bed was made. Everything looked perfectly normal, but there was no Mrs. Chambers to be found. We checked the other bedrooms, no one.

  “Maybe she went outside,” I suggested. “There’s a large window in the bedroom that overlooks the backyard.”

  We walked back into her bedroom and made our way over to the window. It was too dark outside to see anything, but then I noticed a large light switch beside the window. Each switch was labeled. I hit the one that read “Backyard.” Multiple lights instantly turned on, including the lights to the swimming pool. It took all of two seconds for me to spot the body. The body was surrounded by long, flowing streaks of red. It looked like she was floating in a setting sun.

  “Damn,” I said.

  I’d gotten to the window before Alana had, and I rushed past her.

  “Poe, wait,” she called after me.

  I ran down the stairs, through the living room, and out the sliding glass door that led to the back patio. I dove into the pool and swam over to the body. I turned it upside down and confirmed it was Charlotte Chambers. I dragged her unconscious body over to the side of the pool. Alana pulled while I lifted the body. Alana gently laid Mrs. Chambers on her back. I climbed out of the red-soaked pool while Alana started CPR. She did it for a full two minutes. There was no response, no coughing, no sign of life. Alana looked up at me. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.

  Alana pulled out her phone and called in the report. Two police cars and an ambulance arrived within twenty minutes. I sat beside Charlotte Chambers’ body the entire time. I didn’t want her to be alone. I know that may sound silly, and maybe even pointless, but I felt responsible. I should have taken the case more seriously. I never should have doubted her. The woman was dead. I didn’t know if it was over a piece of beachfront property or not. Maybe there was a much deeper mystery going on, and I vowed there on the patio beside the swimming pool that I would find out who did this.

  The paramedics lifted the body onto a stretcher and wheeled it out to the ambulance. The police taped off the area. Alana told me I needed to wait out by her car. By this point, most of the neighbors had come out of their houses. The local media arrived about thirty minutes later. I guessed one of the neighbors called them. Judging by the large turnout she’d had at the party, I knew Charlotte Chambers was a high-profile member of the community. Her death would be big news.

  The next couple of days were a blur. Alana got the case as I expected, and she was good enough to keep me informed of her progress, even though I hadn’t physically seen her since the discovery of the body in the pool.

  She’d called Mill and his wife and Bethany and her husband. None of them took the news well, but that was to be expected. Even if one of them had been responsible for the death, it wasn’t like they were going to celebrate in front of Alana. She wasn’t able to reach Joe Chambers, the youngest child who Foxx saw snorting drugs at the party. Mill told Alana that wasn’t unusual because Joe had a habit of not returning phone calls.

  The autopsy revealed Charlotte Chambers had been struck on the back of the head with a large object with a thin edge - maybe something like a shovel. The blow had opened a vicious cut, which was the cause of all of the blood in the swimming pool. The body was then either pushed into the water, or Charlotte simply fell into the swimming pool after being hit so hard. There was no way to tell if Charlotte immediately died from the blow to the head or if she had drowned first. The way I saw it, it didn’t really matter. The woman was dead.

  Chapter 6

  Joe Chambers

  I couldn’t stop thinking about that moment I spotted Charlotte Chambers’ body floating in the pool. When I looked out the second-story window, I knew it was her without having seen her face. I couldn’t imagine what her last seconds of life had been like - the water rushing into her mouth and down her throat, filling up her lungs. It had to have been beyond horrifying. Who could have done that to an elderly woman or anyone for that matter? I desperately wanted to help with the case, but Alana told me they had it under control. It wasn’t under control, though. The killer or killers were still walking free. The media was having a field day after someone, presumably at the police department, let slip the gory details of the murder. A grisly cell-phone photo appeared the next day. It didn’t feature the body, but it prominently showed the streaks of blood in the pool. Mara Winters was furious, and the leaks only served to solidify her distrust of the department.

  Charlotte Chambers’ adult children, with the exception of Joe, demanded to know why Alana never informed them of the threatening note left in their mother’s pantry. Alana was playing defense when she should have been on the offensive. No, there was nothing controlled about the situation at all, but there I sat, on the sidelines, twiddling my thumbs and spinning my wheels and any other clichéd saying I could think of to reinforce the notion that I wasn’t allowed to do anything.

  Mara Winters called me on the day before the funeral, and everything about my involvement changed. She asked me to meet her at her favorite sushi restaurant. We spoke about Charlotte Chambers. Mara told me a few stories. They were mostly little embarrassing tales that we all find ourselves in from time to time, but they made me laugh, which always makes one feel good. Toward the end of the lunch, I sensed Mara was struggling with something. I didn’t think it likely she had invited me to lunch just to tell meaningless stories. The sushi was nice, but it wasn’t that nice, if you get my meaning.

  We paid the tab, and I walked Mara to her car. She opened her door but hesitated a moment before climbing in.

  “What’s bothering you? You want to tell me something, right?” I asked.

  “It’s called not violating attorney-client confidentiality.”

  “Is it something Charlotte told you?”

  “No.”

  I said nothing. I thought it best to let her decide how far she wanted to go.

  “I got a visit from Joe Chambers this morning.”

  If I could have raised just one eyebrow, I would have.

  “Did you know Alana’s been unable to get a hold of him for the last few days?” I asked.

  “No, but that doesn’t really surprise me.”

  “What did he want?”

  “That’s not something I can divulge,” Mara said.

  “Do you want me to guess?” I asked.

  “Even if you hit the mark, which you won’t, I couldn’t even acknowledge if you were right or not.”

  “You’ve got to give me something,” I said.

  “You’re right. I do. I’ve been keeping this in my pocket the entire lunch, trying to decide if I was willing to even go this far.”

  Mara reached into her pocket and removed a small piece of paper. She handed it to me.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “It’s Joe Chambers’ address. I think you or Alana should pay him a visit. He has big news.”

  Mara climbed inside her car without saying another word. She started the engine and drove off. I watched her leave the parking lot and then looked down at the address. He lived in Kihei. Do you remember when I spoke about defining moments? You either turn left or you turn right? Well, this was another one of those decisions. Did I call Alana or not? If I called, she’d probably tell me to stay out, and she’d go speak with Joe herself. If I didn’t call and discovered valuable information on my own, I’d have to tell her about it. She’d be furious with me. Sure, she’d eventually get over it, but maybe she’d never trust me again with these cases. So I did what any sensible man would do in the situation. I caved into the fear of getting read the riot act. I called Alana.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “I have a little piece of information I think you might be interested in, but I need you to make me a promise first.”

  “Is this one of those times you want me to promise not to get mad? Because I won’t.”

  “No, nothing like that. In all fairness, she came
to me.”

  “Who came to you? What have you been up to?”

  “Mara. She didn’t exactly give me information. She just pointed me in the right direction.”

  “And what direction would that be?” Alana asked.

  “Here’s the deal. I want to go with you. I can’t be on the sidelines. It’s driving me crazy.”

  “So this is deal-making time now?”

  “Don’t look at it like that. You know I’m bluffing. You know I’m going to tell you regardless of what you say.”

  “Is this your way of begging without actually having to beg?” she asked.

  “Something like that.”

  “Spit it out.”

  I told Alana about my lunch with Mara and her suggestion that Alana or I check out Joe Chambers.

  “He has big news,” Alana repeated Mara’s last line to me.

  “I have no idea what it is, but I’m sure Mara wouldn’t have contacted me if it wasn’t potentially important to the case.”

  “Give me ten minutes. I’ll call you back.”

  Alana hung up. I thought about sitting in the car and waiting for her to call, but I decided to gamble that she wouldn’t say no. I started the car and pointed it toward Kihei. Alana called me back in about twenty minutes.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Is that wind I hear?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I’m wondering if you’re driving to Joe Chambers’ house right now.”

  “Not exactly.”

  “So where exactly are you going?”

  “To that chain restaurant in Kihei. I thought I’d order chicken fingers and a Long Island Iced Tea while I awaited your decision.”

  Alana laughed. “I spoke to the captain. I told him you’ve been working as a private investigator, and you’ve been on this case for weeks. I suggested it would be better for you to be working with us than on your own. He reluctantly agreed. Consider yourself an unpaid consultant on this, at least for the time being. He could change his mind at any point.”

  “Understood. Do I get one of those junior badges?”

  “Be serious, Poe. This is a big deal. I really stuck my neck out for you.”

  “I know you did, and I appreciate it. I won’t let you down.”

  “I’ll meet you at the restaurant, and lay off the Long Islands.”

  Alana and I met in the parking lot of the restaurant with the first word that starts with an r and the second word that starts with a t. I turned my car off and climbed into hers.

  “Any guess what this big news is?” Alana asked.

  “Not a clue. I’m not even sure how we get it out of him and not bring up Mara in the conversation,” I said.

  “That’s if he’s even at home. I left the guy several messages. Who knows where he is.”

  We arrived at Joe Chambers’ home after a short drive from the restaurant. He lived a few blocks from the beach in a house that was considerably smaller than his mother’s, but he had a beautiful red Mercedes parked in the driveway. It was a similar version to my two-seater, but the Mercedes was probably a good twenty to thirty grand more. The guy clearly wasn’t hurting for money.

  “Have we gotten lucky? Is he actually home?” I asked.

  “Maybe.”

  Alana parked behind the Mercedes, and we walked to the front door. She rang the doorbell, and we waited a good minute with no response. She rang the doorbell a second time. We waited another minute before I heard footsteps inside. Joe Chambers opened the door. I hadn’t seen him at the party, but I recognized him and his glorious hair from the photo his mother sent me. I had been right before. He did get all the looks in the family. He looked absolutely nothing like the rather ordinary Mill or Bethany.

  “Mr. Chambers?” Alana asked.

  Joe nodded.

  “My name’s Detective Alana Hu. This is my associate, Mr. Rutherford. May we come in and speak with you?”

  I thought it was kind of cool that she referred to me in that way. I thought I might start introducing myself as Alana’s associate at parties.

  Joe nodded a second time and turned away from us. He left the door open and walked back toward what I assumed was a living room. He didn’t say “Sure, come on in,” or “Right this way, please.” It was rather odd, and I wondered if the guy was high given Foxx’s earlier encounter with him. The place was dark. All of the curtains had been pulled shut. The television was on, but the sound was muted. There were a grand total of four pizza boxes sitting on the table in front of the sofa. Empty beer cans were placed around the boxes. Some of the cans had fallen to the floor. It reminded me of the aftermath of a frat party.

  Joe sat on the sofa. He didn’t invite us to sit. There really wasn’t anywhere for us to sit, anyway, except beside him on the sofa, which I had no desire to do. I was tempted to say “Nice place,” but I knew I’d never be able to disguise the sarcasm in my voice.

  “My condolences on the loss of your mother,” Alana said.

  “Yeah, it stinks.”

  “When did you find out? I wasn’t able to reach you.”

  “My brother left me a message. Can you believe that? He didn’t even have the decency to tell me in person.”

  I thought about saying that I understood Mill’s predicament, considering Joe obviously didn’t bother to return phone calls.

  “I didn’t know your mother very well, but from the few times we interacted, she seemed like a remarkable woman,” I said.

  Joe nodded.

  “Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to hurt your mother?” Alana asked.

  “Mill said you were investigating it as a crime. Is that what happened? Someone pushed her into that pool?”

  “We think so.”

  I wasn’t sure if Joe had heard about the deadly blow to his mother’s head. Maybe Mill hadn’t told him, or maybe he had, but Joe didn’t remember the details because he was drunk when the news was relayed. “Did she tell you about anyone threatening her?” I asked.

  “No, she never said anything.”

  “Did Mill ever mention anything to you about threats to your mother?” Alana asked.

  “Mill and I don’t really talk.”

  “I thought you both work at the hotel,” I said.

  “We do. I’m a bartender in the restaurant at night. He works the day shift. We manage to avoid each other.” Then Joe did something I found incredibly weird and slightly disturbing. He laughed. It wasn’t one of those small laughs one does when hearing a slightly amusing joke. This was a huge, side-splitting belly laugh.

  “Wait until he finds out. I can’t wait to see the look on his face,” Joe said.

  My conversation with Mara Winters popped into my head. This had to be the news she vaguely referenced.

  “Until he finds out what?” Alana asked.

  “That son of a bitch had it coming. My whole life he’s put me down,” Joe said.

  “Who has? Mill?” I asked.

  “He doesn’t think I’m worthy of the Chambers name, as if that names means anything, anyway.” Joe laughed again. “He’s going to shit himself. Bethany will too.”

  I wasn’t sure if this guy was just deranged or if my earlier guess that he was high was indeed correct. Neither Alana nor I said anything. We just waited for Joe to stop laughing.

  “They couldn’t wait for her to die. Did they tell you that? Of course they didn’t,” Joe said.

  “Who wanted her to die?” Alana asked.

  “My brother and sister. They wanted her dead.”

  “You heard them say that?” Alana asked.

  “No, they would never be that obvious, but I knew. You know how old my grandmother was when she passed. Ninety-nine years old. She was three months shy of turning one hundred. Can you believe that? Three lousy months!”

  I wasn’t sure why he’d just brought up his grandmother, unless he was implying his siblings didn’t expect their mother to go anytime soon. Did that mean one of them wanted to speed things up by dro
wning her in a pool?

  “Your mother told me she’d received an offer to sell the hotel to a large hospitality corporation. Is that true?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she showed me the offer.”

  He laughed again.

  “What’s so funny about the offer?” Alana asked.

  “She left it to me. She left it all to me,” Joe said. He laughed again. I thought he might fall off the sofa.

  I moved closer to Alana. “I think we got what we came for,” I whispered.

  “Absolutely.” Alana turned back to Joe. “Mr. Chambers, we’d like to express our condolences again. If you think of anything we should know that will aid us in our investigation, please call.”

  Alana removed a business card from her pocket and placed it on the table beside the beer cans and empty pizza boxes. Joe didn’t respond. He was still too busy laughing.

  Alana and I let ourselves out. We didn’t say anything to each other until we got inside her car.

  “You think it’s true?” Alana asked.

  “One way to find out,” I said.

  I pulled out my phone and called Mara Winters. I didn’t want to put the phone on speaker. She would have been able to tell, and I didn’t want it to freak her out to think I was broadcasting this conversation to the world, so I motioned for Alana to get close to me so she could hear.

  “Mara, it’s Poe.”

  “Judging by the excitement in your voice, I’m guessing you were able to talk to Joe.”

  “Are you able to tell me if Mrs. Chambers had a will?”

  “Yes, she had one.”

  “Did Joe Chambers come by your office to get that will read to him today?”

  “No, the contents of the will would have been divulged to the entire family at a specific time. I can’t just show it to whoever pops in the office.”

  “Would have been?” I asked.

  Mara hesitated a moment. “You’re very observant.”

  “Or maybe you’re just good at giving me clues. Joe showed up this morning with a new will, one that leaves him everything,” I said.

  “He told you that?” Mara asked.

  “Not exactly. It’s a guess on my part. You seemed bothered by your conversation with him, which leads me to believe you didn’t know about his mother leaving him the estate. You were bound to know the contents of the original will, so I’m assuming there must have been a new one you didn’t know existed.”