The Honolulu Murder Files

Chapter 29

The threads were unraveling. Just like my favorite long-sleeved rash guard I bought myself last year for Christmas;  my murder suspects were coming undone. One by one. 

"Tio didn't do it. He didn't kill her." 

Detective Jones proudly announces the news as he hangs up his office phone. 

"He was on one of the neighbors surveillance videos, the ones that were out of town for the week to Vegas. They just came in to submit video evidence. Tio was seen at her approximate time of death, dragging around old palm fronds to the side of his grandmothers house."

Detective Keele stands and gets out an eraser from his desk drawer. He goes to the white board and erases Tio's name. 

"You want to permanently take him off the board?" Detective Jones asks, a bit perplexed. 

"Yep. No motive. He was a creep but that is all. Knows nothing about Lila's scheming, only the affair she was having with Kenny and has no connection to anything else. Let's go over the other suspects, and try to either interview again or find new evidence. I feel like we are getting closer..." 

 I felt it too. It was now day 12 of the murder investigation. Day 12 of me being dead. And my spirit was beginning to feel more and more restless. Which if you haven't gathered by now, is not a pleasant experience. 

"What about Kenny? Do we still have more on him?"

Detective Keele nods. 

"We do. We need to clear him of any connection to Lila and the obvious ring of stolen goods coming out of the hotel. If all he did was tell her how much money Tio makes, then there isn't anything left to connect him to her death. His alibi is good. But he could have been an accessory."

"Ok. So we reinterview him. How about the fourth suspect, Filau?" 

"No surveillance of him walking near her building the morning of the murder. He was only seen walking to the boat landing and back. Patrol pulled video feed. He couldn't have killed her. He was equally a creep though. Clearly was stalking her, and involved the surf instructor in it, but murder, no." Detective Keele says, erasing Filau's name. 

That was two suspects down. Only 13 more to go. 

"Since we are going there to reinterview, we should see who else we need to hit again." Detective Jones says.

"That's what we are doing genius..." Detective Keele quips, chuckling. "You get enough sleep last night?"

"Not really...this case has had me up late. That and my kids starting t-ball." He replies. 

"Sports are the way to go for boys, I'm telling you. Good for you getting him in young."

"Yep. And last night I stayed up researching our suspected sellers of stolen goods. I found a bunch of obscure sites online that sell hotel goods. One of them, locally, seems to have pictures of linens used by Hilton Hawaiian Village."

"Do you have the webpage name?" Detective Keele asks, settling at his computer screen. 

Detective Jones comes around to his desk and gives him the name. They both stare shocked at the website. Front and center was stock that looked eerily like it came from the hotel. And there was more than a few dozen items, there was hundreds.

🩸

The detectives have shown that they can follow a lead, no matter how obscure. I find this trait to be worthy a raise, at the very most, and a recognition at the very least. Though neither will befall the detectives trying to solve my murder. For them, it is just a day in the life.