Gracie had even provided us with the apartment number, and she’d done so without referring to any notes, further bolstering my theory that she’d gone there within the last week. We walked the stairs to the second floor of the complex and knocked on the apartment door for Tiana, which was a few units down from Daniel’s.
A woman with short, dirty-blonde hair opened the door. She had hazel eyes, an athlete’s physique, and she was dressed similarly to Gracie in a tank top and shorts. They were both beautiful women. Eric Ellis certainly had a way with the female gender.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. My name is Edgar Rutherford. This is my partner, Doug Foxx. We’re investigating the death of Eric Ellis.”
I waited for a response but didn’t get one.
“May we come in, Ms. Wise?” Foxx asked.
“Yes,” she said.
We walked into the tiny apartment, which was an exact duplicate of Daniel Davis’ place. While Daniel’s home had been sparse and uninviting, Tiana’s was painted in warm colors. The coffee table in front of the sofa was covered with small stones, crystals, and other supplies used to make necklaces and bracelets.
“Sorry, but the place is a bit of a mess. I’m getting ready for an art show this weekend,” she said.
“You sell jewelry?” Foxx asked.
“Among other things. I’m a little surprised to find you here. I didn’t think anyone was going to interview me about Eric,” she said.
“The police haven’t been by?” I asked.
“No, I don’t think they know about Eric and me. Gracie must have told you.”
“That’s right,” Foxx said.
“Does she think I killed him?” Tiana asked.
“She didn’t say that,” Foxx said.
“Ms. Wise, before we get into your relationship with Eric, can you tell me what you know about Daniel Davis?” I asked.
“Who?” she asked a bit too quickly.
“He used to live a few units down from you. He drowned recently.”
“I heard something about that. Terrible news, but I didn’t know him very well. We’d say hello when we passed on the stairway. I didn’t even know his name.”
“There’s only a handful of apartments here. You really didn’t know his name?” Foxx asked.
“People here tend to keep to themselves. What can I say?”
I would have believed that if this were in an apartment complex in New York, Chicago, or some other large metropolitan area. On Maui? Not a chance. The Aloha spirit wouldn’t have allowed it. Still, there was no point in arguing with her. As I said to Foxx a while back, obvious lies are just as helpful as the truth, sometimes even more so.
“We’re not here to judge you, Ms. Wise, but we’re assisting the police in their investigation,” I said.
It was a lie of my own since we weren’t technically helping Detective Parrish, which you already know. But I wanted to put her at some ease since we were about to dive into her romantic dealings. Was I worried that she’d call the police to verify my claim? I wasn’t. If she’d wanted to talk to them, she would have called them days ago. And she obviously knew about Eric Ellis’ remains being found since she’d told us that she was surprised that no one had come to speak with her before.
“You were in a relationship with Eric Ellis when he disappeared five years ago. Is that correct?” I asked.
“I was.”
“How long had you been with Eric?” I asked.
“A few months. We met at the Paia Fish Market. It was a long line that day. Well, it’s almost always a long line in that place. Eric was standing behind me. We got to talking. Then he asked if he could sit at the table with me since it was so crowded. We went out that night.”
“Were you aware that he was also dating Gracie Ito?” Foxx asked.
“Not at first, but he eventually told me. He said he was going to leave her,” she said.
Yes, she felt the need to repeat that tired, old line. They always promise to leave, and they rarely do.
“Did Eric ever talk about his job?” I asked.
“All the time. I was the one who convinced him to leave that Akamu woman. She didn’t appreciate him. I told him he could do better,” Tiana said.
“Were you aware that he tried to blackmail Mele Akamu?” Foxx asked.
“It wasn’t blackmail. He was getting what he deserved.”
Yes, it was a loaded statement, but I didn’t point out the irony.
“Gracie told us that he left their home to see Mele Akamu, only Gracie followed him to your apartment. She said she waited outside for a while, but she didn’t see him leave. Do you remember when he left your place that night?” I asked.
“Yes, it was around three in the morning. I remember because we were both asleep in bed when he got a phone call. He seemed upset and he said he had to leave. I thought it was his girlfriend, but it wasn’t.”
“Who was it?” Foxx asked.
“That Akamu woman. She said she wanted to meet with him immediately. I told him to wait until the morning, but he wouldn’t.”
“Are you positive it was Mele Akamu who called him that night?” Foxx asked.
“I’m sure. He said it was her. We argued a little about it. I told him he shouldn’t jump whenever she told him to. It made him upset that I’d say something like that. He should have listened to me, though. He might still be alive.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police about your suspicions after Eric disappeared?” I asked.
“Because I was scared. Wouldn’t you be?” she asked.
“One more question, I know you weren’t friends with Daniel Davis, but did you ever see him with anyone?” I asked.
“No, he was always by himself.”
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Wise,” I said.
“I heard they arrested Mele Akamu. Do you think she’ll get convicted? Is that why you’re here? To gather more evidence?”
“Exactly,” Foxx said.
She didn’t respond. Perhaps she was trying to figure out if we had ulterior
