Page 52 of Tiki Beach
Mr. Kwan looked uncomfortable. “Normally, we would require Ms. Yamamoto’s presence or a legally executed power of attorney.”
“Pearl is still out of commission, but let’s call Kawika!” I exclaimed. “He’s her POA and he asked me to find the box that held the key. He did that at Pearl’s request.”
It was only the work of a few minutes to get Kawika on video phone, showing his ID from his hospital bed and authorizing the opening of the box in Pearl’s stead.
After that, Mr. Kwan led us to the safety deposit vault, a secure room lined with metal doors of various sizes. Using a master key along with the one I’d found in the temple box, we opened Box 722—a medium-sized container that he placed on a private viewing table in an adjacent room.
“I’ll be right outside,” he said, leaving us alone with the steel container.
Lei lifted the lid, revealing several carefully organized items inside. On top was an envelope addressed simply “In Case of Emergency” in Pearl’s precise handwriting.
Lei opened it and read aloud:
“If you are reading this, something has happened to me. The contents of this box provide definitive evidence connecting the Santos and Akana families to historical crimes and ongoing corruption. The USB drive contains financial records documenting bribes disguised as consulting fees, alongside evidence of their joint attempts to acquire my property through both legal and illegal means. The recorded conversation was provided by a friend and it documents a meeting where both families discussed ‘removing obstacles’ to their development plans—with me specifically named as the primary obstacle. May justice finally be served. —Pearl Yamamoto”
Beneath the letter lay a small USB drive, a micro recorder, and a manila envelope containing what appeared to be property documents and financial records.
“This is it,” Keone said softly. “Proof of their corruption and conspiracy.”
Lei carefully bagged each item as evidence. “If we’re lucky. But I hope we are. With this, we can finally bring charges against both Akana and Santos.”
“But which one actually poisoned Pearl?” I frowned. “And who attacked Kawika?”
“The recorded conversation might tell us,” Lei said. “But we’ll need to analyze everything back at the station before drawing conclusions.”
As Lei finished securing the evidence, my phone rang with Kawika’s number flashing on the screen.
“Kawika?” I answered. “We got into the safe deposit box and it contains the kind of proof Lei needs to bring a case.”
“That’s good,” Kawika said, but his tone said something else wasn’t.
“Is everything okay?” I put the call on speaker so Lei and Keone could hear.
“Not exactly,” Kawika replied, his voice tense. “I just had a visit from Mayor Santos himself. He claimed he was there to wish me well, but he spent the entire time fishing for information about what Pearl might have told me and where we are in the case. When he was leaving, he said something . . . disturbing.”
“This is Sergeant Texeira and you’re on speaker,” Lei rapped out. “Speak.”
“He said, ‘Tell Pearl when she wakes that the Heritage Garden was a mistake. The holes we dig to plant in can end up as graves.”
“He’s trying to intimidate you. This evidence we’ve just uncovered could end his career and possibly send him to prison,” I said.
“I’ll check in with the guard on Pearl’s door and make sure everyone is on high alert,” Lei said. She stepped aside to make the call.
“There’s something else,” Kawika said. “After Santos left, one of the nurses mentioned seeing someone matching David Santos’s description at the hospital yesterday morning—around four a.m., right before someone attacked me.”
“That would make sense,” I said. “I think David wears a sandalwood cologne, too. I smelled it when we had our confrontation at the community center. Stay safe.” We ended the call.
“Pearl’s secure,” Lei said. “No activity on her floor.” Keone told her the additional snippet Kawika had added. Lei frowned. “More vague sightings. Still no hard evidence, though hopefully the contents of the safety deposit box give me what I need. Meanwhile . . . what do you think Akana’s role is in all this?”
“Partner or pawn,” Keone said. “He’s connected through the business dealings and the Cultural Corridor project.”
“Let’s get back to the station and go through these materials,” Lei said. “If we can establish a direct link between either Santos or his son and the poisoning or attack, we can make an arrest. Meanwhile, between his confrontation with Kat and being spotted in the hospital, I have enough to bring David Santos in for questioning.”
As we put away the empty box, Mr. Kwan returned with the necessary documentation for the evidence removal.
On our way to help Lei review the new evidence at the station, I mulled over what we’d uncovered so far.
Pearl had methodically created a web of evidence deposits: the crane box at her home altar, the drive and clues at the community center, the lotus box at the temple, the safety deposit box at the bank. Each cache contained pieces of the puzzle, strategically placed to ensure that, even if one was discovered and removed, others would remain to tell her story.
