Wedding Day Dead: A Murder on Maui Mystery Page 21

  “So you were still talking to Panos up until he came back to Maui?” I asked.

  “That’s right,” he said.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Why’d you want to know?” Tench asked.

  “Just wondering. It’s no big deal,” I said.

  I looked at his business card.

  “I’ll give you a call soon,” I said.

  Tench nodded and left the restaurant.

  “What was that all about?” Alana asked.

  I explained to her my questions about why he would move so far from his work, as well as his insistence that he and Panos had been on good terms when Hani clearly remembered them no longer speaking to each other. Panos had told her, too, that he thought Tench was jealous of him. But jealous of what?

  “Maybe he just didn’t want to speak ill of the dead,” she said.

  “Maybe,” I admitted.

  “But Hani had to have been wrong. Tench was the one who told us about Hani’s miscarriage and Panos thinking about calling off the wedding,” Alana said.

  She had me there.

  Alana studied me.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing in particular. It’s just a feeling.”

  “Describe it to me,” she said.

  “Hard to describe. There’s just something about him that doesn’t sit right with me.”

  “You think he’s not telling you something?”

  “Maybe. He just seems very guarded, and I don’t know why,” I said.

  “Why wouldn’t he be guarded? He doesn’t know you.”

  “I know, but I don’t understand why he’s been so distant if he was this supposed great friend of Panos. He didn’t come see him after Panos got back to Maui. He wasn’t at the rehearsal party. He just told us he hasn’t been back to California in years. Why would be blow off Panos’ funeral. Hell, Kalena went to the funeral, and she was just the housekeeper. He didn’t come to Hani’s welcome home party either. You told me you invited him, right?”

  “Yeah, but he said he had to work late.”

  “So his best friend’s fiance finally gets released from prison after being falsely accused of killing him, and Tench doesn’t think to call even once?” I asked.

  “I don’t think he and Hani knew each other that well,” she said.

  “That just proves my point. Tench seems to have distanced himself from Panos and Daphne.”

  “What does any of this have to do with anything?”

  “You have to admit it’s a bit strange,” I said.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. People can drift apart. It’s not uncommon.”

  “I guess,” I said.

  “Plus Tench and Daphne broke up. Maybe he felt awkward around Panos because of that.”

  We drove back to Alana’s house, and I spent the night. She got up at some point to use the restroom, and when she climbed back into bed, she noticed I was still awake. I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversations with Shae and Aaron Tench.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Just thinking about something.”

  I rolled over and looked at her.

  “You want to go to Hana with me tomorrow?”

  “Hana? What’s in Hana?” she asked.

  “Someone I need to see.”

  XXII

  Kalena

  That morning I asked Alana again if she wanted to drive with me to Hana. I told her I was going to try to meet with Kalena, Panos’ former housekeeper. Alana was hesitant to go. I didn’t blame her. Although Hana is a beautiful little town, it’s an all-day affair to drive there and back. The road to Hana twists and turns along the coast. It makes for gorgeous scenery with the rugged coastline, waterfalls, and black sand beaches, but it’s also extremely slow going. There are many places where the two-lane road is so narrow you can only get one car through at a time. This causes severe backups. I didn’t know how many times Alana had been to Hana, but I’m sure it was enough to not want to do the ride again, especially on her weekend off.

  “Is this another one of your theories?” she asked.

  “You say that like I’m crazy.”

  “No, your theories tend to be dead-on. That’s why I’m thinking I need to go.”

  The drive took a few hours as expected. We took my car so we could enjoy the view better with the convertible’s top down, but we passed through several rain storms, so we constantly put the top back up. There was a good reason Hana was so green.

  We found Kalena’s house easy enough. It was a small place, maybe only one bedroom. I didn’t know how much Panos and Daphne had paid her, but I didn’t think it was much judging by the size of her home, which made the brand new blue Honda Accord in the driveway seem a touch out of place.

  Kalena looked understandably surprised when she opened the door and saw Alana and me standing there, but she was gracious and invited us inside. The inside was neat and tidy. Despite the small space, it was free from clutter. We sat down on a comfortable sofa. Kalena sat in a chair across from us. There was no TV in the living room. I did see a couple of mystery books on the table in front of the sofa. There was a large window behind Kalena’s chair. It offered a nice view of the thick, green palm trees outside.

  “How’s your family?” I asked. “Daphne said you moved back here to take care of them.”

  “They’re fine,” she said.

  “So they don’t live with you?” I asked.

  “No, my son and his family live in a neighborhood not too far from here.”

  “He and his wife have kids?” Alana asked.

  “Yes, two boys. Eleven and eight.”

  Kalena smiled, and it was obvious she was proud of them.

  “I missed you on my last visit to see Daphne,” I said. “I was sorry to see you go.”

  “I’m sure Ms. Daphne will do fine without me.”

  “She moved back to California. Did you know that?” I asked.

  “No. I haven’t spoken to her since I left.”

  “Does that make you feel relieved?” I asked.

  “Why should it?”

  “Sometimes when I’ve left jobs I didn’t like, especially ones with bad bosses, I was kind of glad to know if they also left the area. Let’s face it. You can sometimes run into them here or there, and it always makes for an awkward scene.”

  “We got along fine,” Kalena said.

  “Maybe,” I said. “But Daphne mentioned to me that Panos was really the main one who wanted you there. I thought maybe she didn’t.”

  “She never said she didn’t.”

  “That was a nice Honda in your driveway. Daphne bought you that car, didn’t she?”

  “No, I saved up for that,” she said.

  “I’m sure you can afford it. You just impress me as being a very practical person though. This house, for example, is small, but it’s probably exactly what you need. Why pay for something more? Not like that car, though. It’s not an extravagant vehicle, but it’s probably more than you need.”

  “I’ve always wanted one,” she said.

  “And you deserve it. I just think Daphne bought it for you,” I said.

  “It was a going-away present. She said she wanted to thank me for all the time I worked for her and Panos.”

  “So she did buy it for you?” Alana asked.

  “Yes,” Kalena admitted.

  “You always impressed me each time I visited. You always seemed to know what people wanted before they even asked you. That time Daphne asked you to bring me a lemonade, you had that glass to me in under a minute,” I said.

  Kalena smiled. She was clearly proud of her work reputation.

  “But Daphne said you didn’t have any lemonade already prepared. So you would have had to make some, and then put it in a glass with ice, and then walk through the house to get it to me. How could you have done that so fast?” I asked.

  Kalena said nothing.

  “I was thinking about that last night. The only way you could have been tha
t fast was if you were listening to my conversation with Daphne. I didn’t think you were just outside the room. We probably would have heard you. I couldn’t figure it out, but now I think I know the answer.”

  I watched Kalena for a reaction. She was quiet, and she wouldn’t make eye contact with me.

  “It was the intercom in the room. You could hear us through the intercom. I saw Daphne fumble with the button when she first tried to call you. I think you had the button already pressed down. It probably sticks. Maybe that’s how you found out you could listen to people through the intercom without them knowing. You liked to eavesdrop on the guests, didn’t you?”

  Kalena said nothing.

  “I’m not judging. I think you just did it at first so you could serve Panos’ guests better. You impressed him, which meant you got to keep your job, maybe even got better raises, but you did more than listen to the guests, didn’t you? You listened in on Panos and Daphne too.”

  “Is that true?” Alana asked.

  Kalena still said nothing.

  “Daphne suspected that you knew, didn’t she? That’s why she bought you that car. She was buying your silence.”

  “I told you it was a thank-you gift,” Kalena said.

  “You heard about Peter Bell, didn’t you? That’s why you’re afraid.”

  Kalena nodded.

  “Daphne’s in California. She can’t hurt you,” Alana said.

  “You don’t know her,” Kalena said.

  “I think what saved you is that you’re too close to her. There’s nothing connecting her to Peter Bell, but if you show up dead, that’s a different story. That’s when the police start snooping around her house,” I said.

  “You don’t know her,” Kalena repeated.

  “You heard something over that intercom. What did you hear?” I asked.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” she said.

  “We need to know, Kalena. If Daphne hurt someone, we need to know,” Alana said.

  “Daphne and Panos fought about the wedding, didn’t they?” I asked.

  She said nothing.

  “Did they fight about something?” Alana asked.

  “She didn’t want him to marry Hani,” she said.

  “Why not?” Alana asked.

  “She kept saying Panos promised her.”

  “What did he promise?” Alana asked.

  “I don’t know,” Kalena said.

  “Do you know why Panos went to the marina that night?” I asked.

  “Sometimes he would sleep on his boat, especially if they were fighting,” Kalena said.

  “Who? Hani and Panos?” Alana asked.

  “No, Panos and Daphne.”

  “That night of the party, did Panos and Daphne have a fight?” Alana asked.

  Kalena nodded.

  “They fought right before he left the house,” she said. “It was awful.”

  “Do you know what they argued about?” I asked.

  “The wedding. She couldn’t believe Panos was going to marry Hani. She said, ‘You promised me.’”

  “What about Aaron Tench?” I asked. “Why did he and Daphne break up?”

  “I don’t know,” Kalena said.

  “You may not have heard, but you know why,” I said.

  Alana turned to me.

  “What are you talking about?” Alana asked.

  “He found out. That’s why he left her. That’s why he moved across the island and stopped speaking to Panos.”

  I turned to Kalena.

  “He found out, didn’t he?” I asked.

  Kalena said nothing.

  “Please tell us. Tell us what you heard,” I said.

  Kalena looked away.

  “We’ll protect you,” Alana said.

  “You liked Panos, didn’t you?” I asked.

  Kalena nodded.

  “Don’t do it for us, Kalena. Do it for Panos. The truth needs to come out,” I said.

  Kalena turned back to us, and then she told us everything.

  XXIII

  Wine Country

  One of the few bad things about living in Maui is that flights back to the mainland tend to be red-eyes. I generally can’t sleep on planes, and this flight was no different. Fortunately, I got an aisle seat, so at least I wasn’t crushed between two other people or pinned against the curved wall of the plane. I landed in San Francisco at the crack of dawn. The airport was quiet, and all of the shops and restaurants were still closed. I rented a car and drove down to wine country. I’d never been to this part of California, although I have several friends who’ve described it to me. I believe the word they most frequently used was “spectacular.” However, now that I was seeing it for the first time, I didn’t think that description did it justice. It easily rivaled Maui in beauty. I wished I could have enjoyed it more than I did, but my mind was preoccupied with the conversation I was about to have. Confrontation might be a more accurate description, though.

  I passed several wineries before I arrived at the Laskaris Winery. I drove down a curved, paved road that took me past acres of vineyards and the large cabin that served as a place to have a wine tasting. The Laskarises’ private home was in the back of the estate. It was three stories high and easily ten thousand square feet. People obviously enjoyed their wine, and the Laskaris family benefited handsomely.

  I rang the doorbell, and their butler, I guess that’s what you’d call him, answered. He was a few inches taller than me, probably around six foot five, but he weighed about forty to fifty pounds less than me. I didn’t know how his skeletal frame allowed him to remain upright. At first I wondered if the guy was sick or something, but his voice was strong, and his eyes were bright. He led me to a sitting room in the back of the house that overlooked the vineyard. The room reminded me of a larger version of the one Panos built for his mother on Maui, and I assumed this room was the inspiration for the latter. There was a large bookshelf on one wall. I looked over the framed photographs. They were different shots than the ones in Maui, but they still showed Panos as a child and Panos and Daphne together as teenagers. The room also had a large sofa and two comfortable-looking chairs.

  “May I offer you a beverage or snack?” the butler asked.

  “No, thank you,” I said.

  “Very well. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you change your mind. I’ll inform Ms. Laskaris you’re here.”

  The butler gave me a small bow and exited the room.

  I was here to see the younger Ms. Laskaris, and I waited a full twenty minutes before Daphne graced me with her presence. Ironically enough, she was wearing the same low-cut white dress she’d worn on my last visit. Her tan seemed even richer, though, and those tempting inches of her cleavage were still present.

  “I was stunned when they told me you’d arrived this morning,” she said.

  Daphne walked across the room and gave me a hug.

  “I decided to do a little tour of wine country. Thought I’d pop in and say hello,” I said.

  “You should have called first. I could have planned a full day for us,” she said.

  “Oh, that probably won’t be necessary. My return flight is this afternoon.”

  “When did you arrive?” she asked.

  “Just this morning.”

  “I don’t understand. You’re here for less than a day?”

  “Do you mind if we sit?” I asked.

  “Of course not.”

  Daphne and I both sat down. She was doing a good job of hiding the anxiety I was certain she was feeling. I wasn’t sure how I was doing, though. I felt a slight sickness in the pit of my stomach. I thought about delaying the jump into why I was there. I could bring up the weather in Maui, discuss how I wished she’d told me she was moving, maybe even talk about the View restaurant and her decision to raise the rent on Wes and Jim, but what would be the point really? I was either going to be able to get her to admit to her role, or I wasn’t.

  “Has it been stressful?” I asked.

  “Has wh
at been stressful?”

  “Wondering if you’d gotten away with it.”

  “Gotten away with what?”

  Daphne smiled, and I knew the game was on.

  “Makani was a weak guy. I hate to say that since he’s not here to defend himself anymore. That was how you managed to talk him into it, isn’t it? But it’s also why you had to go with him. You couldn’t count on him to follow through with it on his own.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

  “You really should have asked me to continue the investigation. If you had, I probably never would have tied you to it.”

  “How do you think I’m tied to it?” she asked.

  “You’ve got your hands all over it. I don’t think there was one element you personally didn’t oversee.”

  “Did you stop by for a wine tasting before you came here because you must be drunk or something?”

  I smiled. Part of me really liked this lady. I appreciated intelligence and a good sense of humor, but who doesn’t?

  “Peter Bell didn’t impress me as a dumb guy. If he was going to shake someone down for the murder of Panos, it had to be someone with money. Makani doesn’t scream money to anyone. Then there’s Kalena. She knew or at least she suspected,” I said.

  “You’ve been talking to Kalena? What does she think she knows?”

  “About you and Panos, of course. Aaron Tench knew too. After our conversation with Kalena, we stopped by Tench’s house. He was a lot harder to get to talk. That’s the thing about loyalty. Even though he wanted Panos out of his life, he was still loyal to Panos’ memory. He eventually described an evening the three of you had. You went out drinking and stumbled back to your house. At some point in the night, Tench woke up and you weren’t in the bed, so he went looking for you. He found you on top of Panos.”

  Daphne laughed.

  “Let me get this straight. You’re accusing Panos and me of having an affair?” she asked.

  “It was the reason Tench broke up with you. He was so worried he’d run into you or Panos that he even moved to the other side of the island. He refused to talk to either of you, despite Panos calling him over and over again. I was a little confused at first because Tench knew so many details about Panos, such as Hani’s pregnancy, and then Tench told me that Panos would e-mail him all the time, trying to get Tench to change his mind about cutting him out of his life. He told Tench all those details about himself and his problems. I suspect it was to garner sympathy from Tench. Kalena also confirmed your affair to us. She heard you the morning of the wedding rehearsal. I believe the quote was, ‘You think you’re going to keep screwing me after you get married.’ You didn’t use the word ‘screwing’ though.”