Kaua'i Me A River Part 13

"Did you know him?" she said.

"I vaguely remember him. I was five when my mom died. And now that I think about it, I never saw Uncle Robby again after Auntie Mana moved us to Maui."

I paused a moment. "But then after my dad graduated, he came back to Kaua'i and married Peggy Chesterton?"

"Yeah. Seems kind of weird, doesn't it? But he said one of the things he and Peggy had in common was they shared that tragic secret." She shook her head. "Peggy's brother and your mom. I'm sorry I was the one who had to tell you."

"I appreciate it. It answers a lot of questions."

We sat there a moment and Sunny's home phone started ringing.

"I'll let you get that," I said.

I went over to the ohana to use the bathroom one more time. My stomach was still doing flip-flops and Sunny's story hadn't helped. I hoped whatever it was that had made me sick would be out of my system before I had to go to court on Monday morning.

As I was walking back to the main house, my cell phone rang.

"Pali? It's Valentine. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Peggy Chesterton died this morning. It seems she was in a terrible car accident last night."

CHAPTER 19.

I started jogging toward the main house. "What? Peggy's dead? I just saw her last night."

I was taking the stairs to the lanai two at a time when Valentine said, "Yes, and Sunny told me she'd been to see you right before the accident."

I stopped mid-stride. "What?"

"I just spoke with Sunny and she said Peggy had come over to see you last night. She said Peggy seemed very upset about some allegations you'd made about her brother."

I looked up at the door to Sunny's but didn't take another step.

"Anyway," Valentine went on. "I'm so glad I caught up with you. I had no idea you were already here on Kaua'i. Since it appears you were the last person to see Peggy before the accident I'm sure the police will want to talk to you. My advice is to not say anything. Call me immediately. I can be there in twenty minutes."

I slowly made my way up the rest of the stairs and across the lanai. Through the screen door I could see Sunny in the kitchen putting the dishes away. She was humming like she hadn't a care in the world.

"Sunny," I said, coming into the house without knocking. "You heard about Peggy?"

She nodded. I detected a faint glimmer of smugness in her eyes.

"Why did you tell Valentine Fabares I'd p.i.s.sed off Peggy?" I said.

"You wouldn't want me to lie, would you? And besides, that's what I told the police when they called earlier. I did you a favor by contacting Valentine. She said she'd be willing to help if you were brought in for questioning."

The police arrived less than ten minutes later in an unmarked car. I went to the window and watched a guy in plain clothes get out from the pa.s.senger side and then his partner, a young woman, get out from the driver side.

I went to the door and the woman spoke first. "We're looking for Pali Moon. Is that you?"

I nodded.

"I'm Detective Kiki Wong and this is my partner, Detective Dennis Akanu. We're investigating a fatal accident from last night and your name came up."

I was stunned. Detective Wong, really? I knew a detective on Maui named Glen Wong, but Kiki Wong didn't look anything like my Wong. Although they were both clearly of Asian descent, Kiki was tiny, maybe ninety pounds. She was only about five two, maybe five three. Glen Wong wasn't a big man, but he was average height and pretty buff. As far as I could see, if there was a familial connection, it wasn't a close one.

I thought Kiki was dressed rather provocatively for a cop. She had on a deep V-necked black tank top with a short-sleeved blue *cop shirt' over it. The shirt was unb.u.t.toned and tied at her waist.

Detective Wong appeared to be the kind of gal who would act impressed with my success in martial arts and then challenge me to a fight and clean my clock. Her partner was a middle-aged local guy who looked like he should've been teaching high school math instead of investigating homicides and busting meth dealers.

I opened the screen to let them in. "I really don't have anything to say. I didn't even know about the accident until this morning."

Sunny came out of the kitchen. "Aloha, Kiki. Good to see you again, although once again it's under sad circ.u.mstances."

Detective Kiki Wong gave Sunny a tight smile. "Yes, Mrs. Wilkerson. Sad circ.u.mstances are an unfortunate part of the job."

She turned to me. "We got a tip that Mrs. Margaret Chesterton was out here last night talking to you before the accident."

I considered what Valentine had said about saying nothing, but then decided that nipping this in the bud would be the better option. "Yes, Peggy came over last night totally *ona, you know, drunk. She and I chatted for a couple of minutes and then she left."

Both detectives gave me the cop squint. Then Wong went on, "So you allowed an intoxicated woman to get in her car and drive away?"

"I, uh." I tried to come up with a good excuse, and Valentine's words echoed. "You know, I don't think I want to talk about this anymore without my lawyer present."

I looked over at Sunny. She shrugged. Then she leaned in and whispered, "You want me to get Valentine on the phone?"

"I guess you better."

The cops were kind enough to give me a lift to the station. The back of the cop car was like you see on TV, a slick vinyl bench seat and no door handles. Through the wire mesh separating the back from the front I could see all kinds of high-tech stuff. They had a GPS screen, an on-board computer, dash-mounted camera; the whole nine yards.

"Wow, you guys are well-equipped," I said. "The cops on Maui would love to have that much hardware."

Neither cop turned to acknowledge me.

After a few moments, Akanu said, "You ride in cop cars much on Maui?"

I decided to shut up for the rest of the trip.

They took me inside and brought me to an interview room. I've been in a few police station interview rooms before. It's not like I'm a habitual criminal or anything; it just seems I'm a person that cops like to talk to.

Valentine arrived minutes later. She and the detectives greeted each other. I felt like a dog at the pound. Like I hadn't done anything to deserve this, but now my fate was in total strangers' hands.

"Anyone want coffee? How about some water?" Akanu played the gracious host while Wong glared with her arms crossed. Valentine established the pecking order by declining for us both. I could've gone for a Diet Pepsi but I didn't want to cross her.

"Let's start from the top," said Wong. "At what time did the victim arrive at your premises?"

Oh great. So now they were referring to Peggy Chesterton as *the victim'. I glanced at Valentine and saw she'd picked up on it too.

"You don't have to answer that, Pali."

"We're just trying to establish a timeline, here, Ms. Fabares. Nothing more."

"My client doesn't wish to a.s.sist in establishing your timeline unless you plan to charge her with something. What difference does it make what time Mrs. Chesterton arrived?"

"Can I answer?" I said.

"No," said Valentine. "You may not."

I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I have no idea when she got there. I was asleep on the sofa and when I woke up she was at the door. I don't wear a watch and I didn't see a clock so I can honestly say I don't know what time it was."

"My client doesn't recall what time it was," Valentine said. Not nearly as good an answer as mine.

"Okay," said Wong. "Does your client recall if it was light outside or dark?"

There was no way I could avoid answering that. I looked at Valentine.

"My client doesn't recall."

"Why don't you ask your client if she'd like to answer before you answer for her?"

"Because this is a waste of time. My client has no knowledge of anything regarding Mrs. Chesterton's tragic automobile accident."

"Your client has already told us that Mrs. Chesterton appeared to be impaired when she left the premises."

Valentine said, "Peggy Chesterton had a severe drinking problem when she was younger. But she'd been clean and sober for years, maybe decades. It wouldn't have taken more than a couple gla.s.ses of wine for her to appear more impaired than she probably was. But regardless, my client has no medical or police training to allow her to ascertain a person's blood alcohol content."

I was baffled by the logic, but I'd put my trust in Valentine's lawyering so I kept quiet.

"True," said Wong. "But regardless of her BAC, if she appeared impaired, she was most probably impaired."

Detective Akanu maintained a zen-like smile but his eyes bore into mine as if he was trying to fit me for gla.s.ses.

The two detectives exchanged a look and then Wong got up and left. After a half-minute of silence Akanu spoke up. "You know, all she's trying to do here is get to the bottom of this. No one's accusing anyone of anything. But when a respected citizen such as Mrs. Chesterton runs off the road and into a tree for no apparent reason, we like to find out what happened."

The guy sounded like Dr. Phil. And, like a guest on the Dr. Phil Show, I really wanted to tell him my story.

Valentine said, "Detective Akanu, I respect you're just doing your job. But I'm doing mine. My client has nothing to say."

Akanu got up and left. I turned to say something to Valentine but she pointed to the camera in the corner. I folded my hands on the table and stared at the mirror on the other side of the room. Twenty minutes later we were told we were free to go.

We walked outside and I said, "Why won't you let me tell them the truth?"

"Because they will use it against you."

"But I don't know anything."

Valentine turned on me. "Look," she said. "Don't you ever disregard my instructions again. I told you to say nothing. I'm doing my best to distance you from this. From now on, do exactly what I say. It's your only way out."

Not much of a vote of confidence.

She asked if I wanted a ride to Sunny's and I nodded.

"I don't have anything to wear to court tomorrow. Do you know of a shop in Kapa'a that's open today?"

"I'd rather you didn't leave the compound. Why don't you see if you can borrow something from your step-mother?"

We pulled out onto the highway and I said, "Do you think I had anything to do with Peggy Chesterton's death?"

"I don't know and I don't want to know," she said.

Nope, not much of a vote of confidence at all.

When we got to Sunny's I called Farrah. "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk very long this morning. I didn't get a chance to ask you how things are going with Moke."

"Oh, Moke's great. In fact, in a few minutes Hatch is taking us all down to the beach. We're gonna dip his little feet in the ocean for the very first time. I wish you could be here."

What? Hatch was helping Farrah bond with Moke? He'd done a complete about-face since Friday when he'd been ranting about child endangerment and kidnapping.

"Oops. Sorry Pali, but I've gotta run," she said. "Hatch is out there blowing the horn and I still have to pack the diaper bag. I tell ya, Pali, this mother stuff isn't for wusses." She trilled an aloha and hung up.

CHAPTER 20.

Sunny buzzed Valentine through the gate but I asked to be dropped off at the ohana rather than the main house. I wasn't in the mood to give Sunny a play-by-play of what'd happened at the police station. I was afraid she'd enjoy it too much. Instead, I went into the guest house and crashed on the sofa. I awoke to the phone ringing. It was Sunny, asking me if I'd like to join her for dinner. I didn't feel hungry, but I was going to have to hit her up for something to wear to court so I accepted.

"I'm not a great cook," she said as I came in. "But your dad didn't mind. We ate out a lot and he was mostly a steak and rice guy. He bought himself a fancy grill and got a rice cooker for me and we were good to go."

She seemed awfully chipper under the circ.u.mstances. I told her about Valentine not allowing me to defend myself. I also told her about Valentine's seeming lack of faith in my innocence.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said. "Valentine's a worry wart. Goes with the territory, I guess. She used to drive your father nuts with her nit-picking and her *sign this' and *initial that.' When we got married and he told her he wanted to sign everything over to me as community property I thought she'd have a heart attack. She didn't want him to leave me a dime."

I asked if she'd mind loaning me something to wear to court and she invited me into the master bedroom. I felt uncomfortable looking at the king-size bed set against the wall. It was much too intimate a reminder of her relationship with my father.

She went into a walk-in closet and came out with a beautifully-tailored deep green linen sheath. "How about this? It will go great with your eyes."