Blood like the Setting Sun: A Murder on Maui Mystery

by Robert W. Stephens

  It was obvious what this couple was doing. Bethany played the good cop, and Barry was the one who went on the attack. I wasn’t sure if this was their normal way of doing things or if they had prepared a plan for how to deal with Alana and me. I thought about their coworkers at the hotel. Could you imagine working with this pair? I think I’d last all of two days.

  “Is there something you think Jen is trying to keep us from learning?” I asked.

  “I don’t have the slightest idea. I’m just saying she’s not being honest if she told you Mill didn’t want his mother to sell the hotel. He hates that job, and he’s bitter toward his mother for not giving him more money. I’m guessing Jen also told you how Mill makes less than other managers on the island,” Barry said.

  “Is that true?” I asked.

  “I don’t know if it’s true, and that’s the point. There’s no way for Jen or Mill to know either, unless they personally called every manager and asked them what they made. It’s just a common complaint they have. I don’t think a week goes by without them telling us how underappreciated Mill is,” Barry said.

  “I imagine that can happen in family businesses. Did you two feel you were appreciated?” Alana asked.

  “My mother never went around gushing out compliments, but that’s just the way she was. I knew she valued Barry and me. Mill knows she valued him, too, and if he doesn’t, then he just doesn’t have a good grasp on reality,” Bethany said.

  “How did Mill take it when he found out about the new will?” Alana asked.

  “He was furious, of course,” Bethany said, “but he knows it’s a fake.”

  “Why do you think that?” I asked.

  “My mother would never leave everything to Joe. She told me just a month ago that she was thinking of leaving him out completely.”

  “Why would she do that?” Alana asked.

  “The drugs. She knew he wasn’t clean, despite what she might have said to others. She didn’t want him to have a generous supply of money to fuel his habit.”

  “Do you think Joe forged the will?” Alana asked.

  “Absolutely. Does it make any sense to you that my mother would suddenly change her will and leave everything to a drug addict? Do you really think she would trust the business to him after all my father did to build it? And what about Mill and me? Why would she leave us out?”

  The thought crossed my mind to inform Bethany that her mother had described her children to me as ungrateful bastards. Still, Bethany did bring up a good point. It made no sense to me that Charlotte would leave Joe everything. She didn’t impress me as a woman who kept her head in the sand. She had to have known Joe was still using, and there would have been no reason for Joe to stop once he got his hands on the Chambers’ fortune.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Detective,” Bethany said.

  “And what is that?” Alana asked.

  “You think someone in the family is responsible for my mother’s death.”

  “Why would I think that?”

  “We had the most to gain, obviously, but neither Barry nor I did it. We were working at the hotel all day. There are over a dozen employees who can vouch for us. Afterward, we had dinner with our daughter here at the house. I can’t speak for the whereabouts of Mill or Joe, but I know my brothers. We don’t agree on much, but I know neither of them would ever raise a hand to our mother, let alone drown her in a pool. The thought is preposterous.”

  “Who did kill her then?” Alana asked.

  “I’ve been asking myself that non-stop, and I keep coming up empty,” Bethany said.

  There really wasn’t anywhere to go after that little monologue. Alana thanked them for their time, and we walked out to her car. She started the engine and drove away, but she pulled over after driving a few blocks.

  “Bethany paints her brother as hating his job and desperate for his mother to sell the hotel, whereas Jen says her husband is a dream employee,” Alana said.

  “I’ve seldom met a dream employee, especially one who felt he was chronically underpaid, but we shouldn’t be surprised that Jen wanted to make her husband look like a saint,” I said.

  “And what about Barry’s comment that Jen is a constant liar?” Alana asked.

  “Again, I’m not surprised. We kind of knew the two families didn’t get along. Did it strike you as a bit convenient that they had dinner with their daughter the night Charlotte was killed?”

  “It’s certainly not unusual for families to dine together, but it did seem ironic that the entire Williams clan can alibi each other. What are the odds the two families are in this together?” Alana asked.

  “Why give different stories then? Almost everything they said contradicts the other.”

  “Exactly. It creates more doubt. Wouldn’t it seem rather odd to us if their stories perfectly matched? That’s what would really create suspicion,” Alana said.

  “Okay, let’s assume you’re right, and Mill and Bethany both planned the murder. Are Jen and Barry also in on it? Who did the deed? That’s a lot of people to trust and an awful lot of risk. What about how they all feel about each other? I don’t think they’re faking those bad feelings.”

  “Greed makes for strange bedfellows. Isn’t that a saying?” Alana asked.

  “I’m not sure, but it should be if it isn’t.”

  “Have we reached the point where we’re starting to throw out crazy theories because we don’t know where else to turn?” Alana asked.

  “Maybe, probably,” I said.

  “What are the other theories?”

  I wanted to say something insightful and brilliant, but I had nothing. I was more confused now than ever before.

  “Do you believe the new will is legit?” I asked.

  “Mara seems to think the signatures are identical,” Alana said.

  “Why leave out Mill and Jen? What did Charlotte learn that made her change everything, and why risk all her fortune on a guy who clearly can’t be trusted with money?” I asked.

  “If she learned one of them was the one behind the threatening note, why not call the police? And if she didn’t want the police involved, why not call you?” Alana asked.

  “That’s the thing. You just said ‘one of them.’ She wouldn’t have written both of them out of the will if it was just one of them. Maybe your theory isn’t so crazy. Maybe she realized they both had something to do with the threatening notes.”

  “I don’t know. The more we talk this out, the more absurd it sounds. I’m not sure those two could actually plan something that complex together,” Alana said.

  Chapter 12

  Surprises

  Alana and I ended up stopping at the Chambers Hotel on the way back to interview Mill. I won’t put the dialogue down here because we really didn’t learn much.

  He confirmed that he’d gotten a visit from Trevor Edelman, who demanded the Chambers family share the proceeds of the potential hotel sale with the Edelman family. He said he wasn’t worried about it because he knew they didn’t have a legal right to anything. He doubted Trevor had spoken to Charlotte since his mother would have undoubtedly said something to him about it. Mill backed up his sister’s claim that their mother debated whether to drop Joe from the will since she didn’t want to fund his drug habit. He agreed with Bethany that the will was probably fake, and he expressed regret at having gotten into a fight with Joe at the wake. He said he was deeply embarrassed by his actions.

  The only mildly new thing we learned was that he mentioned his wife misspoke when she said he didn’t want Charlotte to sell the hotel. I love the word misspoke because it can be used as an apology, or to cover a lie. For example, “I’m sorry I misspoke when I said these jeans make your butt look flat. I meant to say you look fantastic.” Mill said he would have been fine if his mother didn’t sell because he liked working at the hotel. You’ll notice he used the word like and not love.

  After the meeting with Mill, Alana and I drove back to her house. It was dark by the time w
e got there.

  “We should watch a movie tonight and maybe order some takeout,” Alana said.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Movie or the food?” she asked.

  “Food.”

  “I was thinking Chinese, but now I feel like a burger.”

  “What do you say we order a couple of burgers from Harry’s? I’d like to swing by the house on the way there and pick up the dog. I know Foxx gets tired of watching him. You mind if I bring Maui back here?”

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “Do me a favor and call in the order. I’ll see you in about an hour.”

  I got home in no time and was a little surprised to see a white sedan in Foxx’s driveway. If you read Wedding Day Dead, you’d know exactly whose car it was. I parked behind the car and went inside. Maui the dog greeted me. I walked into my bedroom and shoved some clothes into a backpack. I already had some toiletries at Alana’s.

  Then I walked toward the kitchen to grab Maui’s water bowl and some of his food. I spotted Hani, Alana’s sister, bending over in front of the refrigerator. She was wearing a large T-shirt and nothing else. My guess was the shirt belonged to Foxx.

  “Looking for anything in particular?” I asked.

  I clearly startled Hani because she did a little jump. She turned to face me.

  “Foxx said he thought you were spending the night at Alana’s.”

  “I am. I just came back to get some clothes and my dog.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you could keep this to yourself.”

  “Why? What’s the big deal?” I asked.

  “It’s just that I’d rather Alana not know.”

  “Hey, buddy.”

  I turned around and saw Foxx standing behind me. Fortunately, he was wearing more than just a T-shirt.

  “I thought you were spending the night at Alana’s,” he said.

  “I was - or I am. Can I talk to you in private?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  Hani grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and walked back toward Foxx’s bedroom.

  “I’m on my way out now. Should we talk outside?” I asked.

  Foxx nodded, and we both walked out to my car. I picked up Maui the dog and placed him in the passenger seat. I then tossed my backpack and Maui’s stuff into the small trunk.

  “This has been going on since Charlotte’s party, right?” I asked.

  “How did you know?”

  “I haven’t seen you with a girl in over a week. Then you gave me that line about taking a break from women, which I didn’t buy for one second.”

  “It was kind of a weak line, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “We hit it off at the party. When I took her home, she asked if I wanted to come inside. I didn’t think much about it. We had a few more drinks, several more drinks actually, and one thing led to another…” Foxx said.

  “You realize she has a thing about not telling the truth,” I said.

  “Yeah, you warned me about her, but it’s not like I’m about to marry the girl. We’re just having a little fun.”

  “You mean sex,” I said.

  “Have you seen that girl? You’re telling me you wouldn’t do exactly what I’m doing if Alana wasn’t in the equation?”

  I didn’t answer his question, but we both already knew the answer.

  “Why doesn’t Hani want Alana to know?” I asked.

  “Beats me, but I didn’t say anything to you because she said you’d blab to Alana.”

  “Hani said that? She used the word blab?”

  “I think so, but what difference does it make which word she used?” Foxx asked.

  “I don’t like someone thinking I’m a blabber. I’ve never been a blabber.”

  “Are you gonna do it?” Foxx asked.

  “Do what?”

  “Blab to Alana.”

  “No, of course not. I’ll respect yours and Hani’s request for secrecy, but if Alana asks me point blank, I’m not going to lie to her.”

  “Fair enough. But she won’t ask. She doesn’t know anything,” Foxx said.

  “Don’t be so sure. She’s hard to fool,” I said.

  I told Foxx goodnight and climbed into the car. I turned to the dog.

  “How long have you known about this, and why didn’t you say anything to me? At least no one accused you of being a blabber,” I said, but Maui didn’t answer me.

  I drove to Harry’s and picked up the two burgers along with two huge orders of fries. Alana had changed into a T-shirt and shorts by the time I got back. It was a casual outfit for sure, but she looked fantastic.

  We ate dinner while we watched the 1941 Bogart film The Maltese Falcon. Alana had never seen it. I had, but it had been so long that I remembered very few details.

  “I shouldn’t have eaten that burger,” she said.

  “You feeling sick?”

  “No, just beyond full.”

  We decided to watch another Bogart film, The Big Sleep, but we both fell asleep on the sofa before we got halfway through. It wasn’t boring by any means. I think we were both just exhausted by the long day of interviews. It was after midnight before we stumbled into Alana’s bedroom. Maui the dog followed us in there. He likes to sleep under her bed for some strange reason.

  I woke up early despite having gone to bed so late. Alana was still asleep. I walked into her living room and heard Maui’s footsteps behind me tapping across Alana’s wooden floor. I let the dog out back for a few minutes while I checked my phone for any messages - no texts and no emails. I let the dog back inside and fed him. Then I changed into workout clothes and went for a run. Alana lived in a small neighborhood. I preferred to lap it multiple times versus running on the main road outside of her community. There were far too many cars on it, and I’ve seen way too many people texting while driving. It wouldn’t take much for one of them to lose focus and hit me while I ran down the side of the road.

  I was about halfway through my run when Alana pulled up beside me in her car. She rolled down the window.

  “Get in,” she said.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “There’s been a death at the Chambers Hotel. It’s Joe.”

  I climbed into Alana’s car, and we made the drive to the hotel in record time. This was one of the advantages of driving in a detective’s car with flashing lights. We saw a few other police cars and one ambulance when we pulled into the hotel parking lot.

  “You better stay in the lobby until I figure out what’s going on,” Alana said.

  I followed Alana into the lobby. She spoke to one of the officers and then headed to the elevator. I looked around the lobby and saw Mill Chambers standing beside another officer. I was tempted to go talk to him but resisted the urge. I walked around the lobby and did my best to eavesdrop on various conversations, hoping to overhear some information. However, no one seemed to know anything beyond the rumor that someone had died. Alana came back downstairs several minutes later. She walked up to me.

  “It’s Joe all right. It looks like he overdosed.” Alana turned and saw Mill. “Let’s see what he has to say.”

  Alana and I approached Mill Chambers. He looked worried, maybe even frightened.

  “I’m sorry about your brother,” Alana said.

  Mill nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “The officer upstairs said you found him. Is that correct?” Alana asked.

  Mill nodded a second time.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Joe sometimes spends the night here when he’s had too much to drink. I get here early, so I overlap the night and day managers. The night manager told me Joe had checked himself into one of the rooms. It pissed me off because we’re near capacity.”

  “So you went to the room to get him out?” Alana asked.

  “I knocked on the door several times, but he wouldn’t answer. I have a master key, so I let myself in. That’s when I saw him on the bed.”


  “Was he still breathing when you found him?”

  “I don’t think so. I felt for a pulse but couldn’t find one. Then I called 911.”

  “Did you try CPR?” she asked.

  “Yes, but I’m not sure I was even doing it right. I took the class a long time ago.”

  “Did you come back to the lobby after that?”

  “Yes. I ran right back to look for the police,” Mill said.

  “Another officer spoke with a front-desk attendant. He said you and Joe got in a pretty nasty argument yesterday,” Alana said.

  “I didn’t kill Joe, if that’s what you’re implying,” Mill said.

  “What caused the fight?” Alana asked.

  “Joe showed up late for work, as usual. He told me I was fired since he was the new owner of the hotel. Then he started laughing at me. I told him he had no right to fire me. The operating agreement still keeps me in charge of all the hotel decisions, despite what his fake will might say. He told me I needed to leave again, and we started arguing.”

  “Did it get physical?” Alana asked.

  “No, I was too embarrassed by the way I behaved at my mother’s wake. I just walked away from him.”

  “Joe worked as the bar manager and bartender, right?” Alana asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Was it common for him to get drunk during work?”

  “Sometimes he would do shots with some of the hotel guests. I told him not to, but he knew I couldn’t fire him.”

  “Is that because your mother wouldn’t allow it?” Alana asked.

  “Yeah. I actually tried to fire him once. That lasted all of a day.”

  “I saw security cameras in the lobby and the hallways. I’d like to review the footage from yesterday and last night.”

  Mill led Alana and me to the offices behind the front desk. He tried to give Alana a quick lesson on how to go through the footage, but she already knew how to do it. Mill left us alone. It took a few minutes of rewinding the footage to find the argument between Mill and Joe in the lobby. There was no sound from the cameras, but the argument was obvious based on their facial expressions and body language. It looked like a physical fight might break out several times, but it never did. The video seemed to support Mill’s version of the argument.