Near the end. 

It feels like we are near the end. Restlessness is overtaking my spirit, almost like there is something about to happen, but I don't know what it is exactly. Could it be I'm getting ready to leave this weird limbo state? I haven't seen another ghost or spirit since I died. It's just been myself and the ones still living. I thought the afterlife would mean I'd be with my deceased family members. But maybe because of how I died, I'm still here. 

Have to find my killer. 

Detective Keele and Jones are back in the office. Both on the phone again. Hard at work, trying to tie the pieces together. Evidence was so circumstantial that they needed more in order to pinpoint a suspect and secure charges. I feel bad for them. My case was hard and it was taking a stressful toll on them. That much was apparent. 

"Dang it. No prints on the drugs. Absolutely none. Or on the bag." 

"Shit boss...not good. Now it's up to video surveillance." 

Detective Keele stands up to stretch. He has some bags under his eyes. This is taking a toll on him indeed. 

"Yes, and no. I talked to the sergeant in charge in drugs and he says they do have a distant lead. A bunch of chatter on the street in Waipahu." He says. 

"Oh snap. Well who is the lead?"

Striding to get a cup of fresh brewed coffee, detective Keele chuckles. 

"No one we know. But they are pointing fingers at a local drug dealer. The drug squad is staking out the house of the guy. He is part of a bigger drug undercover operation so they already have a warrant for the surveillance. We are thinking that the recent drug find at Leilani's building will come up."

Detective Jones stands and stretches, fatigue clearly showing as well on his face. 

"I gotcha. Once we hear if any of our suspects names come up we can do a secondary interview of them?"

"I don't know yet what we will do. I want to secure all the evidence we need, without tipping off the suspects."

It was still very personal for him. His niece was killed and her resemblance to me brought up a renewed passion for catching my killer. I could tell this easily and so could detective Jones. 

"Well I say we go talk to Tio in the hospital. He is off of the psych meds. I just talked to his doctor. The think it's a prime time to do a quick interview."

Detective Keele nods. 

"Sounds good. We can go there real fast. We still need to find out why Lila was listed on his emergency contact. I have a feeling it might be connected to the drugs somehow....since we found no evidence that Tio was ever on the dark web site."

They finished closing up their computer screens and marking a few more notes onto the white board. I wonder if Tio even knew that Lila was listed on his emergency contact form. She could have gone through and changed names on things. They were typed after all. If not, if he knew, why? It just didn't add up. 

"Let's roll."

🩸

Mental hospitals always scared me. Probably after watching the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, "Shutter Island" when I was younger. Something about a bunch of mentally unstable people crammed into a small building that really gives you the heebie-jeebies. Poor Tio was in here. I hope for his sake, he gets out soon. He doesn't belong in here. 

The detectives walk through a ward, following closely behind a charge nurse and the doctor treating Tio. The doctor chats about the facility and how they usually have a good release rate after initial treatment is given. 

"Do you have some lifers though?" Detective Jones asks, clearly curious. 

"Oh yes. We have approximately 50 patients that will reside here for the rest of their lives. A few were convicted of murder but are incompetent and cannot be in prison. It's a very diverse facility."

They walk through a large set of heavy metal doors until we reach a floor that looks like a regular hospital wing. There are windows with a view beyond to the jungle like hills. Hopefully, Tio isn't scared now that he is off meds that were keeping him sedated. I would have been scared, being in here. 

"Tio, good morning. These detectives want to speak to you. Are you up to that?" The charge nurse asks. 

"Detectives......hi." Tio weakly says. 

He is sitting up in bed, his countenance weaker and his skin more pale than I have ever seen him. He also appears to have lost weight, his face thinner. 

"Hello Tio. We wanted to see how you are doing first of all. They treating you alright in here?" Detective Jones asks. 

Tio shakes his head yes. 

"I'm ok. I know I lost it and that's why I had to come here. But I feel better now. I am clear headed."

I heave a sigh of relief for him. That is good that he can understand why he is here. He sounds almost like himself and that makes me feel better. Detective Keele must have decided to take the lead on the questioning because detective Jones sits down on a chair and stays silent. 

"Can you tell us why Lila has her name listed under your emergency contacts at work?"

Tio sighs audibly and sits up a bit higher in the bed, smoothing the covers over himself. He was preparing to spill some information, you can tell. 

"Detectives, I need to tell you some things. This might come back to haunt me but I am quitting work at the hotel anyway so...."

"You're quitting?" Detective Jones interjects. 

"Yep. My grandmother wanted me to. She is getting older as she puts it and I'll inherit everything once she is gone, her words, not mine. She would rather I spend my time with her and to "get me away from the toxic people" at work. I know I was wrong for stalking Leilani....but I didn't kill her. I would never! I loved her. With all my heart."

"Please, tell us whatever you want to." Detective Keele says, taking a seat nearest his bedside, notebook in hand.

🩸

"You're saying that you didn't give Lila permission to alter your emergency contact info?"

"No. She tried to blackmail me into using some of my family money to invest into a venture...but I told her no. I know she altered the emergency contact, because I didn't do it!"

"By venture, what do you mean?"

Detective Keele is writing down the conversation in his notebook. So is detective Jones. It appears that Lila has had her hand in a lot of dealings at work. More than anyone suspected. 

"I am not sure of all the details but it had to do with buying hotel supplies. Ones that were stolen. I know it involves some employees from the hotel but I don't know who. She only approached me to invest. She knows I am rich."

"Your grandmother is rich you mean?" Detective Jones asks.

"Well yeah, my grandmother is rich but so am I. Granddad left me with a trust I have had access to for years, since after high school. I think Lila found that out somehow. I don't know..."

"Did you ever tell anyone about your money?" 

"I only ever told Kenny, way back when I first was hired. That was before Leilani started working in our section. He was always razzing me on my clothes. Saying I needed to work overtime to earn more and buy something nicer to wear. I told him I was rich so he didn't have to worry, I just chose to dress like that." Tio says, his face tired. "But he never mentioned it again. I thought maybe he didn't believe me."

The detectives glance at each other. I know they were both thinking about Kenny and Lila's affair. Kenny must have told Lila at some point, and that means that Kenny might just have something to do with her scheming. 

"Has Kenny ever mentioned Lila and her doing things she shouldn't?" Detective Keele asks. 

Tio scrunches up his nose and he thinks. 

"Ummm...no. Not really. He used to talk crap about her and how rude she was...but nothing telling me or Leilani to like stay away from her. He just always said she could be rude."

He was telling the truth. Kenny never showed too much disdain for her but enough to throw us off the trail of their affair. Which was most likely purposeful on his part. 

"Did you ever hear of Lila doing drugs or having affairs?" Detective Keele asks point blank.

"Affairs? Drugs?? No! No way! Was she?!"

"I thought you needed to tell us some things as you put it..."

"I do. But not about Lila. I needed to tell you that I wasn't the only one stalking Leilani. And I'd never forgive myself if one of them killed her and I didn't say anything..." Tio says. "Filau, the Dining Director, he was filming her. Like every single day. On his phone. And also Kima and Ron, the married couple who are Directors too."

Detective Keele nods and jots down what Tio has said. But he fails to verbally respond, which makes Tio sit up straighter. 

"You aren't surprised?" He asks. 

"Unfortunately, no. We already knew this information." 

Looking thoughtful, Tio discloses one more tidbit. 

"Did you also know that Marcus was planning to ask Leilani out again? Right before she was murdered?"

~ This book is Copyrighted by K E Jennings and only available on Wattpad. if you are reading this on another site, it has been stolen without permission or monetary payment to the said author. ~

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Fun Hawaiian Fact: Shave Ice was invented by Japanese immigrants working on sugar and pineapple plantations. They would shave chunks of ice off with a knife and cover in fruit juice before eating.