Kima was a mastermind. She had successfully orchestrated two criminal operations, all hidden from public view. Her confession was unbelievable at first, but then it made sense. The suspects seemed to genuinely fit in the roles she had placed them in. Dots were connecting. But, those involved needed to fess up. 

"You'll get immunity for the stolen goods from the hotel, but not for the drug charges." Detective Keele says. 

"But that's an automatic felony! And the sentencing will at least be 10 years!" Kima exclaims. 

"It is. But it's a good deal. You'll probably only get 10 and then time served while awaiting trial...maybe early parole for good behavior. It's up to you." 

"I'll give you one more bit of evidence, and it's a smoking gun...but only if you talk to the prosecutor and get a lower sentence. I can't do 10 years." 

Detective Keele grunts, contemplating what he could and couldn't promise. 

"I'll talk to the prosecutors office. No guarantees, but I have sway. What else do you have?" He says. 

"I have a recording on my phone, Lila admitting that she wanted to off Leilani."

🩸

The married power couple of the Hawaiian Hilton Village has fallen. Detective Keele got Kima's husband Ron to admit to his part in the stolen goods ring. But he had no clue about the drugs. None whatsoever. Kima had an ex convict cousin that she got the drugs from and had roped in Lila and Reggie from valet to help her. Reggie then got Mark involved, the boyfriend of Rachel, the next door neighbor. They subsequently had Ian, the condo doorman, help them hide the drugs at my building. Thinking no one would suspect the location. 

Only someone had. And that someone was another detective. He was working with the Feds, and happened to get a CI involved, or confidential informant. Can you guess who? 

"Fucking knew that guy was hiding something. Can you believe we almost missed it? The connection?" Detective Keele laments. "I feel off my game.." 

Detective Jones sighs. 

"Boss, you're still on it...hell, I've never once seen you slip. The amount of suspects here was beyond anything we've had before." 

"Maybe so, but the signs were there. Kalu wasn't a murderer. He was a fucking CI! I'll never live this down." 

A delivery guy pops his head around the office door. 

"Is a detective Jones in here? Uber Eats order for you."

Detective Jones smiles and gathers the food order, handing the driver a large bill for a tip. He takes the bags from Teddy's Bigger Burgers and plops it on his desk. 

Detective Keele arches an eyebrow. 

"What? We needed a pick me up. And I'm starving." Detective Jones says, smiling. "The past 13 days have been crazy boss, you gotta admit." 

It has been 13 days since my death. Feels much shorter and also much longer. Time has no real concept once you die. It just doesn't pass anymore. Your clock is broken. 

The detectives have eliminated three more suspects, leaving only a few to check alibis on. As they begin to eat their burgers, detective Keele stands by the whiteboard. 

"Marcus. The lawyer. He is on surveillance for being outside of Leilani's condo about an hour before Kima arrived. The feed never picks up whether he met anyone or not though. What was he doing there? Did he plan to kill our victim?" 

The office phone rings. Detective Jones picks it up. 

"Homicide." 

He grunts and nods then hangs up. 

"The lawyer is here. Says he wants to see us." 

Both detectives look shocked, but relieved as well. Maybe Marcus was here to confess. Before they could even move, a patrolmen has escorted him to the office. 

"Marcus, please have a seat." Detective Keele says, gesturing to a spare chair in front of his desk. 

"I'm sorry to come unannounced detectives, but I'm ready to get some things off my chest. And no, I don't need my lawyer present." 

Detective Keele  cocks an eyebrow, coming to rest in his desk chair. 

"Are you sure? You can call your lawyer.." 

"I'm sure. Guilt has been eating away at me and I'm done. I don't care anymore what happens to me. I can't keep hiding everything." 

"Alright, go ahead. Detective Jones will take notes." 

Marcus runs a hand through his hair as I watch expectantly. 

What was he going to confess to?

"I didn't kill Leilani, first of all....but I was involved with Lila's drug running. The drugs you guys found at her condo, it's all over the news, I was a part of that. I got another hotel employee involved because I know him from dating Leilani. The hotel's surf instructor. He knew some buyers for the drugs and I was the go between." 

"You said Lila's drug running...was she the mastermind?" Detective Keele asks. 

"Yeah. She came to me about them. Said she'd gotten Filau, the Dinning Director involved as well as Kima, the House Keeping Director. It quickly became a hotel scheme. I can't believe we went this fucking long without getting caught honestly." 

"Why would you do that in the first place though?" Detective Jones asks. 

"Why else? Money. Big money. I have student loans I can barely afford....a lifestyle to maintain. Hilton pays shit for counsel compared to what I'd make if I'd joined a real firm in town." Marcus continues. "Mostly I wanted in Lila's favor. We were having an affair, on and off." 

Detective Keele stands up and retrieves a box labeled 'evidence' from the floor. He opens it and takes out an envelope, the one addressed to Lila's husband. 

"You were going to send this to Lila's husband, why? You know he already knew of her affairs. So why the letter?" He asks Marcus. 

"Because. Guilt. I never saw myself having a relationship with a married woman, let alone one who was already sleeping with someone else at work. She's been with Kenny for a long time. I guess I figured someone needed to tell her husband to leave..." 

"Why were you outside of her condo the morning that she was killed?" Detective Keele asks.

"I was there to give Kima a money drop. I came and waited, dropped it off for her then left after saying hi to Mark."

"Alright. We will tell the prosecutor that you have fully cooperated with us, see if they can cut you a deal of some sort, but you aren't getting away scot free." Detective Keele says. "Far from it."

"I know. I know." Marcus says, holding his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. 

"Leilani was the only woman I ever really loved...." He whispers.

🩸

The detectives wrapped up Marcus's confession and were on their way to see Rachel and hopefully also Mark. They had more than enough evidence to charge them in the drug bust and the dark web case, but they hoped for a confession before that. It has worked so far on everyone else and the paperwork was far less this way.

"Think they will confess boss?"

"They will if they feel like everyone else has been caught. And if we've taken away all their escape routes....which....I think we have." 

As they near my place I can't help but think of the others, has everyone been acquitted from the suspect list?

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, I saw the email from higher ups. The FBI is coming on board to give Kalu his alibi. He's off the list. And the realtor, Becky, remember her?"

"Yeah, I can't forget her.." Detective Keele grunts.

"Well her alibi came through. She was in bed with one of the guys at her office, an intern. He collaborated and we pinged their phones at her place. She couldn't have killed Leilani."

"It just leaves the neighbors and Lila." Detective Keele says. 

"Yep....and I think it was the blonde. Detective Jones says. "I'd bet money on it."

🩸

Unfortunately for her, Rachel was home when we knocked on her condo door. And so was Mark. Neither were prepared for guests. 

"Detectives....we weren't expecting you..." Rachel says, trying to shut her front door. 

She steps into the hallway but detective Keele moves forward and boldly holds the door open. 

"We need to talk to you and your boyfriend. Let's get this over with. There isn't any point in trying to hide anything anymore." 

Rachel backs up into the condo and stutters, looking at the dining room table where Mark is counting stacks and stacks of hundred dollar bills. His eyes go wide and he stops, frozen in place. 

"What the fuck man, what's going on?!" A voice says. 

In comes Ian, the condo doorman. My friend. I can tell he is thinking of what else to say but comes up short. This really was a surprise visit. 

"No one move. I want you three on the couch, hands out of your pockets." Detective Keele barks. 

Detective Jones does a quick frisk of the men and watches them sit, slowly and in shock. 

"Judging by the amount of money here, I'd say that you two are the ones who handle the profits from the drugs, am I right?"

Rachel looks at Mark and says nothing. 

"If you don't talk, we will go ahead and arrest you, book you and get warrants to seize it all anyway. You are caught. There is no way around it."

Mark opens his mouth then shuts it quickly. 

"I have nothing to do with this part of it!!" Ian says. "I've been fucking Lila is all. She is the one who asked me to come up here, carry the money to her."

Poor Ian. He got caught up in Lila's nasty web...and now would pay a price. I never would have guessed he'd sleep with her, but as they say, you can never really know anyone. So far, everyone has managed to surprise me. 

"I won't talk without a lawyer...." Rachel blurts out. 

"I was here with her the morning Leilani died. We were both online, we can show you proof. We didn't kill her." Mark says. 

"Shut the fuck up Mark!" Rachel yells, elbowing him.

The detectives scramble to stop her and cuff both her and Mark, leaving Ian to sit quietly on the couch, terrified.

"I'm not going down for murder on top of everything else!!" Mark shouts back. "And we are done by the way...I am gay!"

🩸

"You were with Lila the morning of the murder you say?" Detective Keele asks, jotting notes on a pad.

He is leaned down into a squad car, with Ian sitting inside, his hands cuffed behind him. 

"Yeah. We had sex in my car outside. She was here to see me that morning, not here for the drugs or money or anything, at least that's what she said. I video taped it, it's on my phone, the date and time will show it."

He finishes writing his notes then shuts the squad car door. The proverbial shit hit the fan by coming here. But they still lacked a suspect. Everyone had been cleared now, all had alibis. As they stand there talking, I can feel a weird sensation hit my spirit form. 

What is happening?

"Officers, can I talk to you?" 

🩸

We all turn to look at a little old man holding a camcorder. 

"I have something you need to see." The man says, his hands shaking. 

The detectives bring the man to their unmarked SUV and let him sit in the passenger seat. He feebly opens the camcorder and pushes play. An image comes into focus. The roof of my building. You can see it clearly, too clearly. 

"I like to record the birds. There are some beautiful ones that come to roost in the early morning, I can get them on here so I record every day at around 4:45. But look...." He says, pointing with a shaky hand. 

Into the view comes a woman. 

It's me.

I am walking around, spreading something from my hands. It looks like I am spreading bird seed, tossing it lightly into the air. Birds begin to come and you can see them on the screen, clearly too. My spirit feels fuzzier, as if I am floating as I watch the video. What was going on??

"I always see her too. She likes birds as much as me it looks like. But watch..." The man says. 

I am now standing on a stool or crate or something, leaning over the roofs edge, still throwing bird seed. Suddenly something must have spooked me because I pitch forward and then I go over, falling out of view of the camera. 

Oh my God!!

"Keep watching.." The old man says insistently.

Then the perpetrator appears in the frame, having jumped up onto the ledge. 

Timothy Earl Jones. 

My beloved cat.

~ 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. ~

🩸🩸Thank you for voting and commenting🩸🩸

The cat!! Did you suspect it was Timothy Earl Jones? Who did you think had killed Leilani? 

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Fun Hawaiian Fact: Feral or wild chickens are on all the islands. If you visit Hawaii be prepared to see them virtually everywhere!