Maui Murders

by Kathy Callahan

Cyrus Blackfeather sat in his recliner, watching that news channel from Sitka, Alaska. He was in his late seventies, lived alone, and found his need for sleep dwindling. He saw the photo of the murdering sheriff, identified as former hero officer, Lester Phillips.

  He sat forward quickly in his recliner and said out loud, “No damned way!”

  He got up and called information, asking to be connected to the head Five-O investigator in Maui, regarding those murders. He had information on Lester Phillips.

  “Sergeant Lee speaking, may I help you?”

  “Sergeant, are you in charge of the murder investigation where you’ve named Lester Phillips as the killer?”

  “No, sir, that’s my boss, but he’s on another call right now. Perhaps you can tell me what you needed.”

  “Well, I needed to tell you that is not Lester Phillips. I buried Lester and his wife over two years ago. I went to the funeral myself and saw him in the coffin. I tend the local cemetery here, and I can tell you he has not left his grave.”

  “What is your name, sir, and where are you calling from?”

  “My name is Cyrus Blackfeather, and I’m calling from Sitka, Alaska.”

  “My boss just hung up. He will want to speak with you. Just a second, I’ll connect you.”

  Sergeant Lee rushed in and told his boss about the call and thought he should talk to Mr. Blackfeather; he agreed and answered the phone.

  Cyrus repeated everything and told him he had better do more checking because he had made a bad identification.

  The detective asked if he knew the name and phone number of the dentist Lester Phillips dealt with to send for copies of his dental records. Cyrus Blackfeather chuckled softly. “Can’t help you there. No one can. Lester Phillips wore dentures for years.”

  “Oh lord,” said the detective. Before hanging up, he got Cyrus Blackfeather’s phone number and the name of the cemetery where Lester Phillips and his wife were buried.

  Sergeant Lee phoned Lester Phillips’s former boss in Reno, Chief Michael Burton. After speaking with him for several minutes, Sergeant Lee said he was e-mailing a photo from the coroner’s office, and he would stay on the line while Chief Burton received the e-mail.

  “Jesus, god!” Chief Burton exclaimed when he saw the photo. “That’s not Lester Phillips. That’s Bailey Frye, the serial killer everyone thought was killed in the blast and fire at the prison for the criminally insane where he was housed.”

  “Thank you, Chief Burton. We’ll be getting back with you shortly, and please keep this quiet until you hear further from us.”

  Sergeant Lee went in to the detective’s office and told him what Chief Burton said. “I don’t understand, Sergeant. The fingerprints on file match those of Lester Phillips. How did things get so fucked up?”

  “I’m calling the FBI. There are too many state lines being crossed here. We need to find out how Lester Phillips’s fingerprints got replaced with those of Bailey Frye. That involves federal databases, out of our jurisdiction. Besides, there may be others involved who will need to be identified. This is a can of worms. Let them wiggle through.”

  After talking with the head of the Hawaii FBI, the detective was informed they would take over the case, and not a word should leak out about Bailey Frye. They would personally contact Mr. Blackfeather and Chief Burton to assure their cooperation on the news blackout.

  Three weeks after the FBI case takeover, they assembled the Five-O detectives, the head of the Maui Sheriff’s Office, and Danny Keno to give them the official findings. While Bailey Frye was institutionalized, his closest friend was a paranoid young man guilty of hacking into the Pentagon’s computer, the European Union’s monetary funds computer, and the president’s personal iPad; he was a genius. He replaced Lester Phillip’s photo and fingerprints with those of Bailey Frye. He, along with the deliveryman that brought the canister of gas into the prison, were killed in the blast, and because of the extreme heat, it was assumed Bailey Frye was incinerated; all that was found that identified him was a single molar.

  Upon close microscopic inspection by the FBI lab, it was determined that the molar was extracted before the fire. This left Bailey Frye free to start a new life as Lester Phillips. The FBI believed that he somehow caused the avalanche that killed the Phillipses then waited until the right time to assume Lester’s identify. That time came with the advertisement for a sheriff in Paia.

  The FBI would be holding a press conference the following morning about the findings.

  Donnie Munson

  Danny Keno asked permission to tell Donnie Munson about the findings before he heard it on television. He felt since it was Donnie’s initial plan to bring in a special sheriff to Paia, he deserved to hear the news from an official source. They all agreed it would be proper; however, he would need to keep the information to himself until after the news conference.

  Danny got to the bank an hour before closing. He went into Donnie’s office and closed the door. Donnie’s appearance had not improved; he still looked thin and drawn. Finding out the sheriff had murdered four beloved people of the Paia community had taken a toll on Donnie in addition to the building of the Visitors Center.

  Danny told him the whole story of Bailey Frye and his identity switch with Lester Phillips. Donnie sat at his desk in a state of shock. He finally got up and came around to the side of his desk. “I brought that monster into this town. I’m just as responsible for the murders as he is.”

  After saying that, he fell to his knees, grabbed his chest, and died immediately of a massive heart attack.

  As far as Danny was concerned, Bailey Frye had committed another murder.

  The McMasters

  The news about the true identity of the sheriff had been a shock to everyone and, accompanied with the death of Donnie Munson, had left the household upset for days. But they had a nursery to put together, final plantings to get in, and Dewey was involved in his next video game. Layla finally got over her morning sickness, and she and Agnes were enjoying shopping trips for baby items.

  Layla gave birth to six-pound, dive-ounce Jeffery George McMaster. It was a quick delivery, and all went well except for Dewey having to be taken out of the delivery room right before he fainted. He later admitted he got queasy at the sight of blood but promised to do better next time. Agnes replaced him and was with Layla when she delivered.

  Mr. Soo and Ted were already planning a large playground area for the baby when he got older and had his friends over; it would be better than going to a park.

  The Producer

  When the FBI gave their news conference identifying Bailey Frye, the notorious serial killer, as the person who assumed the identity of the late Lester Phillips, the producer was immediately on the phone and called two of the top screenwriters in Hollywood. He flew them to Paia a couple of days later, assembled all the information he had, and told them to get busy on a script. The screenwriters would interview the locals.

  The producer personally contacted Ned Keller and asked if he and Fiona would allow themselves to be interviewed for a movie script he was working on. After a discussion, they felt obligated because they had sold the Steinmetz property to the producer and had made a hefty commission. They were interviewed for two days.

  The producer made several attempts to get interviews with Layla, Dewey, or Mr. Soo, but none of his calls were returned.

  He spoke with MayLee, Donnie Munson’s wife, who agreed to be interviewed because she wanted Donnie’s memory to be in a favorable light.

  Film crews were busy filming exterior shorts. Associate producers were getting a slew of permits required by the State of Hawaii, the Island of Maui, and the City of Paia.

  Eight weeks after the screenwriters arrived, filming began on the motion picture, featuring big-name stars in an ensemble-type cast.

  Homes for Sale

  After the filming ended, a coupl
e from the Midwest were on the Maui stop of a cruise. They rented a car for the drive to Hana and stopped at Paia to see the place where the murders occurred and where the film had just finished being made. They were enchanted by the town; it was charming, and the people were friendly and folksy. At the Visitors Center, a docent told them where the murders happened, and they drove to look at the homes. They liked the looks of the Kellers’ home and phoned the number on the For Sale sign.

  Ned Keller answered the phone and felt it was probably lookie lous but told them he would be there in about ten minutes to show the home. They introduced themselves to Ned and told him they were retired after selling their large farm to a co-op and wanted to move to a warmer climate. They wanted a friendly town and to be near the center of town. They said their former home was fifty miles from the nearest town, and in the harsh winter months, they might be marooned for two or three weeks without being able to make it into town. They found the home charming and just right for them. Ned was obligated to tell them about what had happened across the street and at his home. They told him they already knew, and since the murderer was no longer alive, they had no worry.

  Ned wasn’t optimistic when they told him they had to get back to their cruise ship but would be in contact and was surprised to hear from them several days later. They had ended their cruise, changed their flight back home, and were flying over from Oahu to Maui the next day. They met again with Ned, settled on a price, telling him they would pay cash. Ned was amazed, and six weeks later, the couple moved into the Kellers’ former home.

  Three months later, he received a call from a lady wanting to see the Boone home. Ned was met by a couple in their midthirties; he was a financial advisor who worked from his computer at home and she, a stay-at-home mom raising two young sons.

  They toured the home, and Ned was again obligated to relate the history of the area. The woman told Ned they knew of the past, but when she saw the home, she had to see the inside and feel the home. She said she would contact the local Catholic priest and have him bless each room and each deck of the home if they wanted to purchase the property.

  She told Ned she was very intuitive and felt their family would be happy there. When Ned told them the price included a Cadillac Escalade, they agreed that very day. Nine weeks later, the family moved into the Boones’ former home.

  Three months later, Ned and Fiona left on a luxury European holiday.

  Paia

  After the murders and the naming of Bailey Frye as the perpetrator, Paia was on everyone’s must-see list. Business was brisk and only became brisker when the movie cast and crew took over. The Visitors Center was packed; the food court always had a line. The crafters were overwhelmed with sales bringing in more money than anyone anticipated. The two main hotels were always booked. An independent film was being made on windsurfing. Paia was bustling.

  The only person unhappy with all the business was Otis, who once again lamented he was back to serving “Those pesky tourists!”