Poe's First Law: A Murder on Maui Mystery

Mele Akamu didn’t do it, then someone is setting her up.”
“You mean the eyewitness?” Foxx asked.
“Maybe.”
“Daniel Davis doesn’t really have a dog, does he?”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“I didn’t see any sign that a dog lived there. I can’t tell you how many times I tripped over your dog’s toys when you two lived with me.”
“There was something else. He said his dog was getting neutered, but he also said the dog is five. Most people get a male dog neutered when they’re much younger.”
“Maybe he just adopted the dog,” Foxx suggested.
“Maybe. Let’s head back to Harry’s. The drive will give me time to make some phone calls,” I said.
“Who are you calling?”
“You’ll see.”
We climbed into Foxx’s car and I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I googled veterinary clinics and found five that were fairly close to Paia. The first one that came up was called the Maui Veterinary Clinic, not the most original name, but it got the job done. I pressed the phone icon link on the website and a receptionist answered a few moments later.
“Good morning, Maui Veterinary Clinic. This is Teri. How may I help you?”
“Hi, Teri. This is Daniel Davis. I’m calling to check on my dog’s surgery. His name is Fred. Is he out yet?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Davis. I don’t have a dog named Fred for today’s surgery. I suspect you called the wrong clinic.”
“You’re right. I hit the wrong link. My apologies.”
“No problem. Have a good day.”
“You too,” I said, and I ended the call.
“No Fred?” Foxx asked.
“Nope. Let’s try the others.”
I repeated my gimmick four more times and struck out with each one. I even called two additional clinics that were located on the opposite side of the island. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to Foxx.
“Well, I called every vet clinic on Maui. Unless Daniel Davis is getting some back-alley surgery for his dog, he lied to us.”
“If he lied about the dog, then he had to have lied about the way he found the body,” Foxx said.
“Here’s the next question. Who put him up to it? This helps us focus our investigation. We were looking at who might have killed Eric Ellis. Now we need to discover who benefits the most from Mele Akamu going to prison.”
“I don’t know, Poe. I don’t think this lets Mele Akamu off the hook for killing Eric Ellis.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I said.
“You know, there’s a giant hole in your theory.”
“What’s that?”
“Eric Ellis has been in the ground for five years. If someone was setting Mele Akamu up, then they started the con job years ago. That’s a hell of a long game to play.”

16


The Wedding Planner
Foxx and I drove back to Harry’s. Foxx invited me in for a drink and we spent the next hour debating what we’d learned in our interview with Daniel Davis. We both agreed that Daniel had probably lied about owning a dog. Although Foxx thought there was a harmless explanation for the lie, my mind went to more nefarious theories. Who was right? I had no idea.
I was about to drive home when I received a phone call from Hani. She told me that she’d just gotten a phone call from a wedding planner who wanted to view our event space in Wailea. Apparently, her clients were unhappy with the places they’d viewed, and their wedding planner had told them about our venue as a last resort.
I certainly didn’t like my business being viewed that way, but I agreed to meet the couple and their planner since Hani said she was still too distraught to leave her house. I made a quick U-turn and pointed the little silver car east.
It gave me an opportunity to listen to Dave Brubeck, another legend in the jazz world. I got through his songs, “Take Five,” “St. Louis Blues,” “To Us Is Given,” “Weep No More,” and “Autumn in Washington Square.” The last song of his that I listened to, “I May Be Wrong,” perfectly summed up how I was feeling about the Eric Ellis case. I was certain of nothing except the fact that I didn’t know what in the world was going on.
I eventually pulled into the parking space for my Wailea venue and found the happy couple (actually, they didn’t look all that happy) and their surly wedding planner. Was the wedding planner surly because of the couple or was the couple upset because the wedding planner was surly? Perhaps it was both.
The wedding planner, whose name I’m intentionally withholding, greeted me with a curt, “It’s about time. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting?”
I was tempted to answer her by turning around and immediately climbing back into my BMW for the return drive to Kaanapali. But I am a team player, when I want to be, and I didn’t want to lose the potential commission for Hani.
The end result of the tour was that the couple seemed to like the space, at least they said they did, but the wedding planner replied, “We can do better.”
Again, I was tempted to be nasty right back, but then I looked past her to the ocean in the distance. The water was one of the most gorgeous shades of blue I’d ever seen, and I came to the happy conclusion that there was no way this person was going to ruin my mood.
The couple thanked me for my time. The wedding planner did not, and they headed out the door. I didn’t immediately walk for my car too. Instead, I went onto the back deck that overlooked the beach. It was a reliable place to catch a nice breeze, and I decided to hang out for a while and enjoy the weather and the view.
I was about to leave when I heard the door open behind me. I turned and saw Hani walking toward me. She joined me on the deck a moment later.
“Change your mind about meeting the