“They’ve hired a new bartender to open in the morning. Harry, the owner of the place wasn’t there yet when the new guy found Chuck.”
Gina gulped, wondering if she knew what happened. The scene in the hallway at the bar from the night before was still fresh in her mind. “Was he stabbed?”
“Why do you ask that?” he asked.
Gina didn’t answer, only kicking away a stone.
“Miss Santoro, if you have evidence to share, do it now. Otherwise, if I find out later you withheld evidence from a police officer during an official investigation, you could face jail time and fines.”
“Okay, look. That Candy you sent in with me last night is a real piece of work. Spending a day chilling out at the spa wouldn’t be enough to get her over whatever it is that’s got her tied up in knots.”
Kona chuckled. “Probably not. What happened in the bar last night?”
“You only heard what was said in the back hallway through Candy’s wire and my ear bud. There was a lot more to that tussle than that, though.”
“Such as?”
“Such as, when Candy saw Chuck muscling one of his girls, she just sorta flipped out. At first, she tried getting him off the girl, and when he pushed back, she drew a knife on him. She was quick, too, with this scary mean look on her face that was all business. That part you already know, but it was the look on her face that made me back off, not what Chuck was threatening.”
“Did she threaten or actually try to injure him?”
“Mostly she flashed it back and forth in front of his face.”
“When I got there, she was just holding it in her hand. Did you see her making slashing or stabbing motions?” he asked, once again taking notes on his legal pad.
“More slashing. That’s probably how he got the scar on his face, when she took a swing at him one other time.”
“What you saw in her hand was definitely a knife and not an ice pick?”
“Switchblade, with a blade about five inches long.” Gina gave it some thought. “I get now why you’re asking about that. You’re wondering if she might’ve been the one who killed Danny?”
“That’s one idea, yes. But by virtue of her being a slasher rather than a stabber, and having a knife rather than an ice pick for personal protection, it lets her off the hook for his murder, at least to a certain extent. That’s why I hustled her out the door last night in cuffs. I doubt she had anything to do with Danny’s murder.”
“Back to my original question, was Chuck knifed?” Gina asked.
Kona shook his head. “Apparently, while cleaning the bar after closing, he slipped on the floor, fell backward, and hit this head on the edge of the bar counter.”
“Front or back of his head?”
“I’m glad you asked that, Miss Santoro.”
“Why?”
“It’s the second piece of evidence that, to a small extent, lets you off the hook for taking a swing at him,” Kona said.
She crossed her arms. “I have an alibi for the time of his death. I was at home.”
“Alone?”
“Unfortunately. But I had to take a taxi home, because I was abandoned in Kapalama by the cop leading the stakeout at the bar. I do have a receipt for the taxi fare, though.”
“You could’ve gone back later in your own vehicle.”
She shrugged. “There should be plenty of video surveillance at businesses, both along East-West Road and near the bar in Kapalama. Even Pinoy Boy’s market has video of the sidewalk out front. I’d have to drive right past there to get to Bunzo’s, right? Check for CC video in the area, if you don’t believe me.”
“I plan to, once I have the time.”
“No signs of foul play in the bar?” she asked.
“Before we get to that, I have a few more questions for you.”
“Okay.” When Gina swallowed, her throat was dry. “Is this a formal interview or are we just chatting?”
“I hate talking to cops.” Kona got out his yellow pad, ready to take notes. “As far as you know, is Candy here on the estate at this time?”
“No.”
“Did she shelter here during the night?”
“As far as I know, no. Not in the house, anyway.”
“Do you know her current whereabouts?”
Gina shrugged. “Not at all. The last time I saw her, you were loading her in the back of your sedan.”
“She hasn’t called or contacted you in any way whatsoever?”
“Nope. We never exchanged numbers. Why?”
“It’s still my turn to ask questions. Did the two of you communicate in any way while in the bar last night?”
“Only after she’d broken up the fight between Chuck and the girl he was muscling.”
“What did she say to you at the time?” Kona asked.
“Something about me leaving, that I had no reason to be there, it wasn’t my fight. It was as if she almost outted me, or outted the stakeout.”
“Did you hear her make any threats toward Chuck?”
“Nothing specific, but with the way she was waving that knife around, and the look on her face, she wanted to give him another scar.”
“What exactly were they doing while she held the knife?” he asked.
“I told you a lot of this just a minute ago.”
“Tell me again.”
Gina gave it some thought. “They were about three or four feet apart, close enough for her to swipe him. Mostly, they threw insults and curses back and forth, along with a lot of posturing, but with a knife.”
“No punches were thrown, no pushing or shoving?”
“Not that I saw, not after the knife came out.”
“Candy never shoved him or hit him in the head?”
“Like I said, not that I saw. What’s this all about, anyway?”
“Chuck the bartender, also known as Charles Andover, died from blunt force trauma to the back of his head, just above the point where his neck meets his head. If it wasn’t enough that he had a brain injury, his neck was broken, also.”
“Just from
