Poe's First Law: A Murder on Maui Mystery

forgot to call him. My guess is that Hani mentioned her argument to Yuto and Yuto sided with you.”
“Maybe, but Hani made a point to tell me that she changed her mind on her own. She said Yuto had nothing to do with it.”
“The fact that she pointed that out means he had everything to do with it.”
“Absolutely, but I didn’t tell her that. There was no point in arguing anymore.”
I was tempted to ask Alana if she’d noticed the lack of talk about Yuto the previous night, but I decided not to. I didn’t want to create more drama when it might have simply been me overanalyzing the situation, as I am often prone to do.
“Hey, when do you officially start the new case?” Alana asked.
“This afternoon. I’m meeting with Tavii at the bar.”
“Interesting.”
“Have you heard anything from the department on the discovery of this body?” I asked.
“I heard about it the day they found Eric Ellis’ remains, but I knew I wasn’t going to pick up the case since I was about to leave for vacation.”
“Do you know who got it?”
“I think it went to Josh.”
“Josh? Who is he again?”
“He replaced Makamae.”
“That’s right.”
Detective Makamae Kalani had recently moved back to Oahu to return to that island’s police department. She’d come to Maui thinking she was going to eventually run the department. Her abrasive style quickly made enemies, my wife being one of them.
I’d worked a handful of successful cases with Detective Kalani, and her departure had come as a surprise to me, especially since she’d never told me, nor had she even sent a text message saying “so long” or something like that.
I couldn’t picture Josh Parrish, the beat cop who’d worked his way up to detective, but Alana said he was a decent and hardworking guy. Apparently, I’d met him and his wife at one of the police department’s holiday parties.
“Are you asking because you want to talk to Josh about the case?” Alana asked.
“No, I was more curious than anything else.”
“Well, depending on how deep you get into this, I’m sure you two will cross paths. I’m certain you’ll like him.”
“That’s good to hear.”
We spent the next hour sitting by the pool and taking in the sun. Then we eventually made our way back into the house for lunch. Before I knew it, my meeting with Tavii was fast approaching. I hopped into the BMW and made the short drive to Harry’s. I’d sent Foxx a text earlier to let him know about Tavii and also to invite him to partake in the interview. Foxx had quickly agreed.
As I entered the bar, I spotted Foxx sitting in one of the back-corner booths. He was writing something in a small leather notebook. I walked over to him and sat on the opposite side.
“How’s it going, Foxx?”
“Good, just making a few notes for our interview.”
“What kind of notes?” I asked.
“Interview questions. I don’t want to forget anything. You do that, don’t you?”
“Not exactly. I have them in my head, but maybe I should start writing them down. I usually take notes about what was said after the meetings.”
We spoke for a few minutes about my interview style and then Foxx looked past me to the bar’s entrance.
“There’s Tavii,” he said.
I slid out of the booth and stood to greet him. Foxx did not.
Tavii is of Hawaiian descent, although you probably guessed that from the name alone. He’s of average height with short, jet-black hair. He’s mostly thin with the exception of a small and isolated ring of fat around his midsection. It’s quite strange looking and hard not to stare at.
“Mr. Mayor,” I said.
I thought he might extend his hand. He didn’t. I didn’t offer a handshake either.
“Would you like something to drink or eat?” I asked.
“No, thank you. I had a late lunch,” Tavii said.
“Please have a seat,” I said.
I walked to the other side of the booth and squeezed in beside Foxx. Tavii sat opposite us. Then he glanced around the bar, probably to see if anyone was trying to listen to us.
“This is a pretty slow time of the day. No one will eavesdrop,” Foxx said, reading Tavii’s obvious concern.
Tavii turned back to us.
“You got your wish. I’m here,” he said in what was clearly a hostile tone.
“Why so upset?” Foxx asked.
“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t be seen together anymore,” Tavii said.
“We did? I don’t recall having that conversation,” I said.
“It was implied,” Tavii said.
“How’s that?” Foxx asked.
“Look, we all know what went down. You both blackmailed me. You’re lucky I’m the forgiving type,” Tavii said.
Foxx laughed.
“Is that right?”
“You think this is funny?” Tavii asked.
“Yes, I do,” Foxx said.
Tavii turned to me.
“Is he serious?”
“As a heart attack. Foxx generally doesn’t respond well to threats, but who does? I think you have a gross misunderstanding of what went down between us,” I said.
“Oh yeah? Then tell me your version of what happened,” Tavii said.
“I was about to do that. We were investigating a murder, which is what brought us to you. Your corruption, and yes that’s the right word for it, wasn’t hard to figure out. It also wasn’t our fault that you got in over your head. You’re still a free man and you’re still the mayor. I would think you’d be feeling pretty damn grateful toward us,” I said.
Tavii didn’t respond.
“Nice summary, Poe, and an accurate one at that,” Foxx said.
“Why don’t we agree to put all of that behind us. Let’s get to the purpose you’re here. What have you heard about Eric Ellis?” I asked.
“Not much. I know they found his body after he vanished five years ago. I’ve done my best to find what the police know so far, but I’ve come up empty,” Tavii said.
“Is that surprising?” Foxx asked.
“Yes. The police don’t normally keep secrets from the mayor. But given who Eric was, I understand.”
“How well did you know Eric?” Foxx asked.
“That’s a tricky question to answer. He worked for my family for a long time, but it wasn’t