Poe's First Law: A Murder on Maui Mystery

Mr. Investigator, you’re exactly right.”
“I thought things were getting much better between the two of them.”
For those new readers, Foxx and Hani had a fling a while back. Foxx had ended the brief relationship, only for Hani to realize later that she was pregnant. Everyone thought they would give it another shot, but Foxx was convinced it would never work.
After Ava was born, their relationship continued to have its ups and downs. They’d hit a seriously rough patch for a while where they wouldn’t even acknowledge the existence of the other person.
That changed after Foxx had suffered a near-death experience. I won’t say their relationship was great now, but at least they were talking again. I hadn’t heard about a fight in a few months, which was a world record for them.
“I thought so too,” Alana said. “But she won’t invite him. She said she’s worried he’ll drink too much and say something to offend Yuto.”
“And Foxx lives a few houses down from us, which means he’ll see and hear the party and wonder why he’s not here.”
“No, he won’t wonder. He’ll know exactly why he’s not here and I worry it will wipe away any gains they’ve made. I told her that Ava deserves parents who aren’t at each other’s throats.”
“What did she say to that?” I asked.
“She told me to mind my own business. Then she stormed out.”
And that’s when Britney Spears started singing, I thought.
“I can talk to Foxx if you like and explain the situation to him. He might be secretly happy that he doesn’t have to come to the party,” I said.
“I don’t believe that for a second. Foxx puts up a good front, but you told me he was hurt the last time he wasn’t invited.”
“What would you like to do then?”
“Maybe I should call Mom. Maybe she can talk some sense into Hani.”
“Your mother hates Foxx. She hates me too.”
Alana said nothing.
“You’re not going to even try to deny it?” I asked.
“I’m sorry I even brought my mother up.”
“There is one thing I could do.”
“What’s that?”
“Talk to Yuto. He’s having more and more sway over Hani these days and I really think he and Foxx have put their differences aside for Ava’s sake. He might be willing to convince her to invite Foxx.”
“If you asked him, he would,” Alana said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means Yuto follows you around like Maui does. He looks up to you.”
“Looks up to me? He and I are the same age.”
“That has nothing to do with it. He envies your personality.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, so I said nothing.
“You’ll make the call then?” Alana asked.
“I’ll call him after lunch. I’m starving right now.”
“You know, this is my first day of vacation. I’m supposed to be relaxing. I was hoping we could go upstairs and relieve some of my stress. But if you’re too hungry…”
“Who said I was hungry? Lead the way,” I said, and I smiled.

3
A New Friend
I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging outside by the pool in my backyard. Maui came with me and he alternated his time between exploring every inch of the yard for possible intruders and snoozing in the shade under the patio umbrella. He snored for about an hour until I dove in the pool to swim a few laps.
I think he sometimes feels left out when I’m in the water and he’s not. Often, I’ll put him in the pool with me so he can swim around for a while. Then I place him on top of my raft so he can float. I’m convinced the neighbors think I’m nuts for doing that.
The evening was just as productive. After lovely blackened tuna steaks and glasses of white wine, Alana and I retired to the living room to watch television. I won’t mention the programs we watched since I’m too embarrassed. I’m pretty sure we managed to kill a few brain cells. Eventually, I had to put my earbuds in and listen to Oscar Peterson again. I simply couldn’t stand the screeching of the reality show cast members yelling at each other anymore.
The next morning, I awoke a bit earlier than usual and did my morning ritual of a swim in the pool, followed by a three-mile jog around the neighborhood. I then took Maui on a long walk. The weather was perfect, as it usually was – seventy-five degrees, sunny, and a nice breeze coming off the ocean.
I was almost back to my house when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the name Mara Winters on the display. Mara’s my personal attorney and sometimes employer. She represents some of the wealthiest clients on the island who are often in need of a private investigator who can keep his mouth shut.
“Good morning, Mara. What can I do for you?”
“Mr. Rutherford, how are you doing today?”
We’d known each other for years, yet she still insisted on calling me Mr. Rutherford.
“I can’t complain. Just walking the dog and taking in this fine weather.”
“Say hello to Maui for me,” Mara said.
“I will. He sends his best as well.”
“A friend of yours called me this morning. She wants to know if we can meet as soon as possible.”
I searched my mind for who she might have been talking about but came up empty.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Mele Akamu.”
I didn’t respond, mainly because a million questions raced through my mind. The prime one being, how can I get out of this?
“Not who you were expecting?” Mara asked.
“No, can’t say it was. Did she tell you what she wants?”
“No. In typical fashion, she asked that we come to her home to meet. She said she’d explain everything there.”
“Doesn’t Mrs. Akamu already have an attorney?”
“Yes, and I know the man. He has a reputation for being ruthless.”
“I would expect nothing less from her lawyer.”
“Mrs. Akamu specifically stated that I need to bring you, which tells me one thing. She needs an investigator.”
“Or more likely her grandson does,”