The Lava Witch, page 12
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By the end of the day, everyone except for Vance had agreed to another interview, having arrived separately and under their own steam. Each had taken a turn in the interview room. Vance hadn’t answered his phone or responded to the messages left for him, and Hara, who’d been dispatched to Vance’s address, reported that there was no one there—but that there were several surfboards leaning against the wall of the garage in the place where he lived, and music playing inside the apartment.
O’Connor’s outrage at the additional interview at a police station was monumental, but he had nothing new to say—nor did Jody Phillips or Byron Coolidge, who seemed more intrigued by the interview room and process than annoyed at having to be there to answer more questions.
Kali had found Gloria Marsh to be the most unusual of the group. She was surly and uncooperative. Since she’d made her lack of respect for detectives abundantly clear before she’d left the lab, Kali asked Walter to take the lead on the interview.
Across from them, Gloria sat in the stiff metal chair with her legs spread apart and her hands in her lap. Walter advised her of her right to an attorney, which she declined with the roll of her eyes. She looked at them and yawned, then turned to Kali.
“How come you get to dress like you’re heading to the farmer’s market for your organic broccoli sprouts, but he has to wear a uniform?” she asked.
“Are you interested in the way people dress?” asked Walter. Kali said nothing, only watched the girl’s studied indifference. It struck her as practiced, a response to authority that she’d found to be successful in the past.
“Not especially. Just saying, you know? You look hot as hell in those uniform clothes. Uncomfortable.” She nodded to Kali. “But she gets to pull a T-shirt off the bedpost and put on her favorite jeans and come to work. Seems a little unfair, if you ask me.”
“No one did,” said Walter. The firmness in his voice got her attention. She went momentarily silent. “I want you to tell me about Maya Holmes, who was murdered, and I want you to skip the made-up stuff about how you didn’t know her.”
“Does this mean I’m a suspect?” Gloria asked. She was clearly making an effort to maintain an air of churlishness, but her voice had lost some of its earlier confidence.
“Just answer my questions.”
Gloria sat up slightly in the chair. “Listen,” she said. “I worked in the same room with her some of the time. We said things to one another like ‘Please pass the duct tape,’ but that’s about it. She wasn’t really my type. Gorgeous, sure, but I don’t go in for the sporty gals. I like women who are a little more . . . feminine. Softer to the touch than all those hard muscles.”
“So you asked her out and got turned down.” Walter leaned forward a little, putting his forearms on the table. “That must have been embarrassing. Did word get around?”
“I didn’t ask her out,” said Gloria. She reached up and pulled at one of her earrings. Kali could see that her skin was flushed. “I was involved with someone else, but I’m not anymore.”
“But you were attracted to her, and she knew it, and gave you the signal not to bother trying,” he pressed. “That’s just as bad, isn’t it?”
“You should know. I bet you’ve got a whole bunch of rejection memories under your belt.”
“It must have been pretty tough to see her every day and know you couldn’t have her,” said Walter. “Was it so bad that you preferred to have her dead?”
“How did she die?” asked Gloria, leaning forward, gaze fixed on Walter. “Tell me—was it slow and painful? Did the pretty girl have it bad?”
“You tell me. You were there, weren’t you?”
Gloria swung her gaze back toward Kali. Her eyes glittered with anger. “Whose show is this, anyway? Are you going to let him badger me? I didn’t kill her.”
Kali said nothing.
“But you know who did,” said Walter. “And you know why. Was it drugs? Who is the person supplying drugs to people at the research center? Is it Vance Sousa?”
Gloria looked at him in astonishment. “You can’t be serious. Vance the Vampire? The guy’s an idiot. Sure, he’s most likely using—or he’s on some kind of prescription meds that make him act like a rabid monkey—but no one there is a dealer. You’ve got a real screw loose if that’s what you think.”
“Well, here’s your big chance to set me straight,” said Walter. “There’s something dishonest going on there, and you can help us sort it out, or you can go down for being part of it.”
She stared back at him, unblinking.
“Guess this is where I tell you our conversation is at an impasse,” she said. “And that it will remain in that state until I have legal representation.”
“Duly noted,” said Walter. He sat back in his chair, smiling. “I guess if you need to lawyer up, there’s a whole lot you don’t want to say.”
Gloria looked away, but she didn’t say another word. Kali thought she’d said plenty.
CHAPTER 20
Hilo leapt from his seat in the Jeep and raced across the short stretch of lawn between the driveway and the house. He thundered up the front steps, and Kali shook her head, wishing—not for the first time—that she had a fraction of the big dog’s energy. She shifted the cloth grocery bag she was carrying to her other shoulder and followed Hilo up the creaking porch steps, wanting nothing more than to kick off her shoes and make dinner.
She reached out to fit her key into the door lock, pushing against the wood as she gripped the bottom of the small bag of groceries to keep it from swinging against the door. Hilo bounded inside just ahead of her, then came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the kitchen, legs splayed, head lowered. A low, fierce growl escaped his throat, and Kali could see a ridge of stiff hair running the length of his spine, standing on end.
She stood absolutely still, listening. Her eyes swept the space within her immediate view. There was no sign or sound of anyone else moving in the rooms opening off the kitchen and living room, but she had an overwhelming sense that something was out of order. She lowered the bag slowly to the floor, making no sound. Her hand slipped into her messenger bag, and she removed her gun. Reaching out with her left hand, she tapped Hilo lightly on his hips. He sat immediately, but Kali could see that his lips were parted, and his mouth was slightly open, revealing his teeth. Drool ran from his lower lip. His entire body was tense.
Holding the gun with both hands extended in front of her, she moved past the table, still covered with her papers and research on sorcery, and stepped carefully along one wall, making a quick search of the spaces behind the sofa and kitchen counter. Her heart was pounding as she went into the small guest bedroom that opened off one wall of the living room. It was empty. She moved into the bathroom, seeing nothing lurking behind the opaque glass of the shower door.
The only room left was her own bedroom. She stepped in, sweeping the room for any sign of an intruder. There was no one there, but her bedroom window was raised. The glass was intact, but she could see that the latch had been pried open. The rim of the wooden frame was splintered, and small chunks of wood littered the sill and floor beneath it.
She whistled, and Hilo sprang into the room, making a beeline for the window. He sniffed it, then followed a scent around the room and into the living room. She walked behind him as he made his way through the house, retracing the steps of whoever it was that had forced his or her way inside. The hair on his back was still standing on end, and she realized that she was experiencing a similar sensation—the skin on the back of her own neck seemed to tingle with the tension of the moment.
His investigation complete, Hilo returned to Kali’s side, pressing his body close against her upper leg. Still gripping the gun with her right hand, she pulled her cell phone from her bag with her free hand and called Walter.
“Hey,” she said in answer to his hello. “I don’t want to sound overly paranoid, but someone broke into my house and I’m not sure whether they might still be on the property somewhere. Can you . . .”
She could hear the sound of a door slamming, and Walter’s voice came in grunts that signaled he was running.
“On my way,” he said. “I’ll radio from the car and get someone over there. Stay on the line with me, and do not go outside. Do you hear me? Do not go outside.”
In the background, she could hear the noise of the engine turning over. Seconds later, she overheard Walter talking to dispatch on the car’s radio.
“Okay,” he said to her directly, when he was through, “give me any details you can.”
“There’s not much. Bedroom window was jimmied open, but the glass wasn’t broken. I haven’t checked everything yet to see what might have been taken, but there’s nothing obvious missing, like the television.” She felt her heart lurch as she hurried back toward her bedroom. “I haven’t looked through my jewelry.”
“I’m halfway to your house right now. Hara should be there before me.”
“Okay,” she said, standing in front of her chest of drawers. On the surface, the small ceramic bowl—the one with the raised hibiscus flower in the bottom that she used to hold her few pieces of jewelry—was where she’d left it. A sudden sense of anxiety overwhelmed her as she pulled up the edge of her shirt and covered her hand to tip the bowl over. The contents spilled onto the surface of the wood. She scanned the few items, counting the rings and earrings and necklaces. There was her grandmother’s gold wedding band, and the sapphire earrings that had been a gift from Mike. Nothing was missing. Her heart slowed in relief.
On the floor beneath the bookshelf next to the dresser, several books lay scattered. She knelt in front of them, making a quick assessment of the titles.
“None of my jewelry was taken,” she said, “but some books are knocked over onto the floor. It looks like they were pulled out. Maybe someone was looking for something more valuable that they thought I might have hidden out of sight.”
“Well, you know the drill. Leave everything where it is until we’ve checked for prints.”
In the distance, the wail of sirens could be heard.
“Is that the cavalry that I hear?” asked Kali, listening. “Maybe you should kill the sirens. I think someone might have been here when I got home, and I scared them out of the house. If they’re still on the property, we might have a chance of tracking them. Hilo picked up a scent right away. I’ll set him loose as soon as you get here.”
“Hara’s nearly there. I’m another ten minutes away,” said Walter. “But stay on the phone until he’s inside with you.”
“Right,” she said. A sense of uneasiness flooded through her. She looked around the small room, watching as a breeze moved through the open window and made the curtain flutter. She’d never felt uncomfortable living alone, especially with a dog as large as Hilo keeping her company, but she hated the feeling that someone had entered her private space uninvited. She wondered who it had been and what they’d been hoping to accomplish.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed before she heard Hara’s footsteps hurrying across her lanai. She met him at the door, and was moved by the level of concern on his face. Hilo, already agitated, sniffed suspiciously at Hara’s leg. Kali gripped the dog’s collar firmly.
“Are you okay?” Hara asked.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Now that you’re here I’ll have a better look around inside for anything that might be missing, but I think we should let Hilo out first to see if he can pick up the intruder’s scent. Let’s walk around to the side of the house—whoever it was left through the same window they entered through. I’m going to bring Hilo around to that spot.”
Hara nodded and turned back toward the door. Behind him, Kali led Hilo to the side of the house where the bedroom window had been forced open. Holding tight to his collar, she avoided the softer ground beneath the window that might have prints, and let him go.
“Fetch, boy,” she said. He leapt across the grass and bolted past Hara, darting into the thick shrubbery that crept toward the edge of the lawn. There was no path running among the bushes and trees there, so Hilo wove through the foliage, following a twisting line that circled back to the end of the driveway.
Hara was already at the end of the drive by the time Kali had jogged from the house to the lawn. She whistled sharply for Hilo, and he turned and ran back to her side.
“Did you notice a car pulling away from the road near your driveway once you got home?” Hara asked. “Maybe someone was waiting for whoever was in your house, or that person or persons may have left a car parked close by, just out of sight.”
“No,” said Kali. “Though honestly, I wasn’t paying that much attention. I was pretty focused on getting groceries inside.”
Hara pulled a powerful flashlight off his duty belt and began to examine the soft ground at the end of the driveway, moving along the verge of the road just beyond the junction of pavement and dirt drive.
“Motorcycle tracks,” he said, his voice sure. Kali joined him, examining the clear set of tracks revealed by the flashlight’s beam.
Walter’s cruiser pulled in behind Hara’s car. He climbed out and hurried toward them.
“The dog tracked a scent to this spot, sir,” said Hara. “No sign of anyone, but these motorcycle tracks are fresh.”
“Okay,” said Walter. “Mark off this spot. Ren Santos is sending someone over to collect prints and any other evidence we can find. I’m going to go through the house with Detective Mhoe.”
They left Hara there and walked across the soft grass and up the steps of the lanai, Hilo beside them.
“We’re probably making too big a deal about this,” said Kali. “It was probably some kid who thought they’d get lucky and find some cash lying around.”
Walter looked at her quizzically. “You get bumped on the head? You said your jewelry was sitting right there, in plain sight.”
She considered his point. “Yeah. They’d moved around the house for sure. Hilo was worked up from the moment we went inside. I’m just trying to make this seem less weird than it might be.”
Walter snorted. “Don’t waste your time. There’s zero chance you’re going to convince me that this was some random event.”
Together they walked through the house, paying attention to details. Back in her bedroom, Kali pointed to the pile of books on the floor. “They looked through my books.”
“Anything significant about that? First editions or something like that?”
“No,” she said slowly, looking at the titles that could be seen easily without picking them up. “Nothing valuable, except . . .” She halted, suddenly concerned.
“Except what?”
“My grandmother’s book,” she said slowly, looking more closely at the pile.
“The one she won all those awards for? About the Hawaiian legends?”
“Yes,” said Kali. “I kept it right here, on the top shelf, but I had it out to do some research for this case. I hadn’t put it back yet . . . it was on the kitchen table.” She turned suddenly and went back into the other room to look through the papers on the table, but quickly returned. The book wasn’t there. She stood in the doorway of the bedroom.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“It’s gone,” she said, doing her best to keep her distress contained.
“But it’s not the only copy, right?”
“It was the first copy,” she said. “When the book was printed, she was over the moon with happiness. She kept the very first book she lifted out of the box when they arrived from the publisher, and she left it to me.”
“Damn. I’m sorry, Kali.”
She nodded, taking a deep breath. Distracted, her gaze roamed around the bedroom, then stopped when she saw a small corner of blue silky material sticking out from the upper drawer of a narrow bureau on one wall. A tiny bit of lace could be seen. The drawer itself was slightly askew. Kali walked closer, staring closely at the material.
“What’s that?” asked Walter, following her.
She bit her lip, appearing somewhere between horrified and mortified. “That drawer,” she said, “is where I keep my undergarments. Panties, bras, et cetera.”
“And it wasn’t like that this morning when you left?”
“It was not,” she said. “I know, because I took some clean things out of the laundry basket instead of pulling open that drawer, which sticks. All this rain has made the wood swell, and it was jammed pretty tight. I didn’t want to fool around with it.” She looked at Walter. “I was going to empty it out and plane down the edges so it would open and close more smoothly, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.” She eyed the drawer and the small corner of exposed lace, and gave an involuntary shudder. “You don’t think someone looked through there, do you?”
“Guess we’ll know in a few minutes,” he said.
Walter and Kali both turned toward the bedroom door. The sound of people entering through the front door could be heard, and Kali recognized the voices of Ren, Hara, and several of Ren’s team. She filled them in on the new details she and Walter had discovered, and stood out of the way as Ren dusted the windowsill, window frame, dresser, and books with fingerprint powder. He moved methodically throughout the room, assisted by Walter.
“Sorry about all this, Kali,” Ren said to her. “I’m afraid we’re making a mess all over your house.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. She looked at the dresser drawer, feeling awkward.
“I’m not getting any prints at all, except for what’s likely yours,” Ren said. “Feel free to make a more thorough search if you think you’re missing any belongings.”
“Okay,” she said. She looked at Walter with imploring eyes. “Maybe you could start some coffee for everyone while I look around a bit more?” She glanced meaningfully at the dresser.
“Good idea,” he said. He looked at Ren. “Hara can show you where those motorcycle tire prints are. Now that we’ve got more people here, more lights, we can go through the path the intruder seems to have taken through the trees, check the ground more thoroughly. Hara said he could see prints outside, just beneath the window.”
