Poe's First Law: A Murder on Maui Mystery

that. They’re delicious, and I’m sure you’d say the same thing if you’ve had one before.
Once my craving was satisfied, we drove all of sixty seconds to the apartment complex. We found one empty parking spot in the back of the lot and climbed out of the Lexus. It was a relatively small apartment building, maybe twelve units in all, with six on the bottom floor and the other half on the second. Alana had also given me the make, model, and license plate for Daniel Davis’ car, which I spotted in the lot, a good sign that he was home.
We took the exterior stairway to the second floor and knocked on the door for apartment eight. A tall man, somewhere in height between Foxx and me, answered a few seconds later. I guessed his age at around thirty. He had black hair that was long enough to cover his eyes.
He pushed his hair away from his face after opening the door. I had at least thirty pounds on the fellow. He was so skinny I could easily see his Adam’s apple protruding from his neck. He kind of reminded me of Ichabod Crane, the famous literary character who was chased by the Headless Horseman.
“Can I help you?” he asked in a deep voice that didn’t seem to match his body.
“Yes, my name is Edgar Rutherford. This is Doug Foxx. We’re consultants for the police department. We’d like to ask you a few follow-up questions regarding the man’s body you found while walking your dog.”
Daniel Davis hesitated a long moment. Then he nodded and stepped back so we could enter.
“I’m not sure what else I can tell you. I told the police everything that happened.”
“Understandable, but sometimes certain details can pop into your mind a few days later,” I said.
Daniel Davis led us over to the sofa, which was covered with a few surfing magazines and a crinkled bag of pretzels. I looked around the room as he removed the items so we could sit down. I saw a couple of surfboards leaning against a wall. A skateboard was turned upside down and was sitting on the floor beside the surfboards.
The other walls were covered with posters of giant waves, as well as some images of specific surfers who I assumed were on the pro circuit. I didn’t recognize any of them, which doesn’t mean they aren’t famous on the islands. I simply know little to nothing about the surfing community. There was a tiny kitchenette at the back of the apartment and a hallway off to the right, which probably led to the bedroom and bathroom.
There was one thing I didn’t see, and that was a dog. Furthermore, I didn’t see any items that would indicate a dog even lived in the apartment. There were no dog toys, no dog dish, and no dog bed. I looked on the sofa as I was sitting down, but I didn’t see any animal hair. Granted, some dogs, like mine, don’t shed.
“Can you tell us again how you found the body?” Foxx asked as he sat beside me.
I must admit that Foxx was really getting the hang of this investigator thing. He was going to give me a run for my money in no time.
“Really? I’ve gone over this no less than ten times,” Davis said.
“If you don’t mind, please go over it once more,” Foxx said.
“I took my dog for a walk off Pe’ahi Road. He kept tugging on the leash and whining, so I let him go. He ran into the fields and I followed him. That’s when he found that guy’s body.”
“Do you normally let your dog off the leash like that?” Foxx asked.
“Sometimes. He needs his exercise and I like to let him run.”
“What kind of dog is it?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe a lab or something like that.”
“Where is the dog now?” I asked.
Daniel Davis paused a moment. It was maybe only a second or two, but it was long enough to get my attention.
“He’s at the vet.”
“What for?” I asked.
“Surgery. I’m getting him neutered.”
“How old is he?” I asked.
“Five. Why all the questions about my dog?”
“We’re dog lovers,” Foxx said.
“What’s his name by the way?” I asked.
“Fred,” Davis said.
“Great name. Simple and easy to remember. But you’re right. That’s more than enough questions about Fred. Let’s get back to the unfortunate discovery you made. Has anyone come by to see you since you reported the body to the police?” I asked.
“Just you guys.”
“The man’s identity was established as Eric Ellis. Did you know him?” Foxx asked.
“Why would I know him?” Davis asked.
“Can you describe what the scene looked like?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Was most of the body uncovered or just some of it?” I asked.
“Just his arm, part of which was in my dog’s mouth. To tell you the truth, it was kind of hard to tell what it was. I thought it was an animal bone at first. Then I saw the guy’s hand.”
“I’m sure that was quite upsetting,” I said.
“Yeah, you could say that. I got my dog out of there and then called the cops. Look, I don’t know anything more than that.”
“Thanks for your time, Mr. Davis, and good luck with your dog’s surgery. I’m sure he’ll pull through fine,” I said.
“Thanks.”
We stood and Daniel Davis walked us to the door.
“Thank you again,” I said.
We exited the apartment and headed for the stairs.
“Well that was a giant waste of time. Why did you want to see that guy anyway?” Foxx asked.
I ignored his question. We got to the bottom of the staircase and continued toward Foxx’s SUV.
“You’re not going to answer me?” Foxx asked.
“Sorry, I wanted to get farther from the building. I didn’t know what we’d find, but I had an inkling something was up.”
“What do you mean?”
“A theory I had this morning. Either Mele Akamu killed Eric Ellis or she didn’t. One of those statements must be true and one must be a lie.”
“Of course. What’s your point?”
“If