Poe's First Law: A Murder on Maui Mystery

that she’d faked it. I sensed she was now in full-on drama mode, and she was going to attempt to make the evening all about her.
“Dad came back,” Hani said.
“Oh my God, I wasn’t just dreaming it,” Ms. Hu said, and I was surprised she didn’t bring the back of her hand up to her forehead and pass out again.
“Are you all right, Hani?” Yuto asked.
I turned and saw him standing several feet from Hani. I didn’t blame him for keeping his distance.
Foxx had come into the house by this point and was behind Yuto and off to the side.
“How the hell could you do this?” Hani asked.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Yuto said, which wasn’t the smartest reply for him to have made.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Hani asked.
Before Yuto could answer, she picked up an empty highball glass from the table in front of the sofa and hurled it at Yuto. He ducked, which didn’t make a difference since her aim was off. Instead, the glass smashed into the floor-to-ceiling window. The highball glass shattered. Fortunately, the thick windowpane did not.
“Stop it, Hani. You could have hurt him,” Alana said.
“Good. He deserves to be hurt,” Hani said.
“I know you don’t mean that,” Yuto said.
“Don’t be so sure. I’m going home. I suggest you don’t follow me,” Hani said.
Hani left the house without saying another word, not even to Alana and her mother.
“What do I do?” Yuto asked, but I couldn’t tell who he was talking to.
“I suggest you go home too. I wouldn’t try calling her for at least twenty-four hours,” Foxx said.
Yuto nodded. Then he turned and walked away.
I looked out the window to the backyard. The guests were slowly dispersing. Apparently, a good way to break up a party is to throw a glass against the window. The ironic thing, which was actually quite funny in hindsight, was that the jazz trio was still playing. Our family drama had a soundtrack, so to speak.
Alana turned back to her mother.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“I think I need to go home,” Ms. Hu said.
“Then let us drive you back or else spend the night here. You’re in no condition to drive on your own,” Alana said.
Ms. Hu looked at me.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Knew what?” I asked.
“That Yuto had found Sora and was bringing him here.”
“How would Poe have known that?” Alana asked.
“Because this is the type of stunt he’d pull,” Ms. Hu said.
“How many bourbons did you have?” I asked.
Yes, it was a hurtful thing to say, but it sneaked out of my mouth anyway. I’d also like to point out that there was no way in hell she really thought I’d orchestrated the return of her ex-husband. Ms. Hu may not like me, but she knows I’m not that dumb.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Ms. Hu said.
“And don’t blame me for something you know I had nothing to do with. We’re on the same team. Yuto clearly made a mistake, but no one was killed. You’re a strong woman. You’ll get over this,” I said.
“You have no idea what that man did to me,” Ms. Hu said.
“I do. He left you with two small children, but you survived. You did a hell of a job of raising them by yourself. Don’t let this man take your power,” I said, suddenly feeling like a motivational speaker.
“Poe’s right. He took us by surprise. That’s all. We don’t have to see or talk to him again,” Alana said.
“I want to go home. Will you drive me?” Ms. Hu asked Alana.
“Yes. Let me get my car keys. We can go now,” Alana said.
“Do you need me to go with you?” I asked.
“No, we’ll be fine,” Alana said.
She was anything but fine, I thought. But I wasn’t going to argue the point.
After Alana and Ms. Hu left, I walked outside and thanked the bartenders and jazz musicians for their work. They’d already been paid in advance, so they made a good deal of money for what amounted to one whole hour of labor. Nevertheless, I still tipped them.
Hawaii is an expensive place to live and work. These gigs are hard to come by and it wasn’t their fault the party had ended so quickly. I didn’t bother to ask them not to speak about what they’d seen since I knew it wouldn’t do any good. There was also the fifty or so guests who were probably already on their phones calling everyone they knew.
I could imagine their comments.
This mystery man showed up. Then an old lady fainted. Then the guest of honor hurled a glass at her fiancé. Do you think the wedding will still happen? I’m sure I don’t know.
The good news, if there was any good news, was that I had plenty of that 1792 bourbon left. I grabbed a full bottle and carried it into the house. I poured myself a generous amount and gulped it down. No, I don’t normally drink like that, but this party definitely earned me a pass. I was tempted to pour another glass but decided against it.
Instead, I walked down to Foxx’s house and retrieved my dog. Foxx and I spoke for about an hour. He was convinced the wedding was off. I didn’t agree. I thought Hani would forgive Yuto. Yes, he’d made a stupid decision to bring Sora Hu back to Maui, but I knew Yuto. He was a nice guy to the core. I was sure that his intentions were pure. On the other hand, that might not have meant anything to Hani. She’s often not the forgiving type.
After Maui and I got back to the house, I spent another hour cleaning up. Guests had left empty glasses and mini plates all through the house. I even found a half-eaten cracker on the hallway bathroom sink. I made a mental note not to have any more parties for a long time. Did Maui help me clean? Of course not. Instead, he spent that