Popcorn looked me up and down again.
“You really married that guy?” he asked.
“Yes, I did,” Alana said.
“Huh, he must have a big–“
I shoved him hard and almost knocked him off his stool.
“Watch your mouth around the lady, Popcorn,” I said.
“And a bad temper too,” he said.
“He can be a tad overprotective sometimes, but I wouldn’t press your luck with him,” Alana said.
“Sure thing. Have a good day, Detective. You too, Mr. Detective.”
“Enjoy your day and try to stay out of trouble,” Alana said.
We walked outside the bar and headed for our cars.
“You really think I get overprotective sometimes?” I asked.
“Without question. Don’t worry. It’s a trait that’s always scored points with me.”
“That Popcorn sure is a charmer.”
“He has a certain humor about him. It’s how he keeps himself out of jail. That and the fact he’s provided valuable information in the past.”
“Now I get it. But you were right about him. He doesn’t seem like the murdering type,” I said.
“I know. So, we still haven’t answered our big question. Who forced Daniel Davis’ head under the water? I better be getting into work. You heading home?”
“Not yet. I do have a question for you before you leave. When Detective Parrish opened that safe in Mele Akamu’s study, was there someone in your department with the expertise to do that?”
“No, there’s a locksmith we bring in for jobs like that. I’ve never seen a safe he hasn’t been able to crack. His office isn’t far from here. Why do you ask?”
“Can you give me his name?”
“Of course.”
“Also, any chance you can get some birthdates for me?” I asked.
“Birthdates for who?”
“The Akamu family, specifically Mele, her late husband and son, and Tavii.”
“Why do you want those?”
“I want to test a theory.”
31
The Rule of Three
I said goodbye to Alana and made the short drive to the locksmith. His office wasn’t that far from Lee Walters’ jewelry store. I found a parking space directly in front and entered his shop. It was a small space filled with various safes, doorknobs and locks, and a large assortment of blank keys hanging from a board behind the counter.
There was no one to be seen, but I heard a grinding noise from a room in the back.
“Hello?” I called out.
The grinding stopped a moment later, and an elderly gentleman with a thin rim of white hair around his head walked into the customer area.
“Hi there. How may I help you?” he asked, and he pressed his black-framed glasses up on his nose.
“Yes, I’m working with Detective Hu on a case and she referred me to you.”
“Ah, Alana, how wonderful. She’s a delightful person.”
“She certainly is. She told me that you help the police when they need to open a safe,” I said.
“I do.”
“Were you the one who recently opened the safe at Mele Akamu’s house? It was that home in the upcountry.”
“Yes, I did that one.”
“I’m hoping you can answer a few questions for me about that day.”
“Of course. What would you like to know?” he asked.
“First off, how difficult was the safe to open?”
“Not hard, if you have the right tools.”
“Are those tools easy to find?” I asked.
“Not the ones I use. Some are custom-made by me. That safe was a digital one, high-end and expensive.”
“Who else on the island has similar tools?”
“No one that I know of. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some safecracker out there who hasn’t been caught yet. Alana would be the better person to ask about that.”
“Did you have to drill the safe open?”
“No, that would have destroyed it. My job is to open it without damaging the safe.”
“You were able to break the code?” I asked.
The man’s eyes lit up.
“What can I say? I’m good at what I do. That’s why the police call me.”
“Was there any sign the safe had been tampered with?”
“No, it looked brand new. Of course, it would look that way since it was protected behind that bookcase. Very clever hiding space.”
“After you opened the safe, did you see what was inside?” I asked.
“I saw a gun sitting on top of some papers and a couple of passports. Then that detective told me to back away.”
“You mean Detective Parrish?”
“I believe that was his name. It’s the first time I’d worked with him. He wasn’t the most pleasant fellow.”
“Was there anyone else in the room?”
“There were two other police officers. I don’t know their names,” he said.
“That’s all of my questions. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Say hello to Alana for me.”
“I will.”
I left the locksmith, marveling once again at how mentioning the name Alana Hu opened doors across the island. Mele Akamu might be known as the godmother of Maui, but Alana was the queen.
I hopped into my car and drove to Mele Akamu’s house. I didn’t bother calling Tavii or Oleen to let me inside. Instead, I relied on my trusty lock picking kit. I was a bit out of practice, and it took me over three minutes to get past the deadbolt.
I walked past the mess that was the living room and entered the study. The bookshelf was still open. The door to the safe was also open and everything that was inside had been cleaned out. I closed the safe and pressed the lock icon. I then walked over to Mele Akamu’s desk, sat down and phoned Alana.
“Hello.”
“Your locksmith friend says hello.”
“That’s nice. He’s a great guy. I’ve never met a lock he couldn’t get past.”
“He said he made some custom tools to get into safes,” I said.
“He’d never admit this, but I’m pretty sure he was a burglar back in the day.”
“That makes sense. Hey, I’m at Mele Akamu’s house and I was wondering if I could bother you for those birthdates now.”
“How did you get inside?” Alana asked.
“The door was unlocked.”
“Right. Why did I even bother to ask? What’s this theory of yours that requires these birthdates?”
“Your locksmith friend said this is a high-end safe, but I bet I can get inside it in under five minutes.”
“I’ll take
