Free Diagnosis Murder: The Death Merchant by Lee Goldberg Page B

stopped you before."
    "No, that's never stopped you before," Steve said. "I have plenty of work waiting for me back home without looking for more. I'm on vacation, remember? So I'm asking myself, What am I doing?"
    "You're assisting the Kauai Police."
    "They haven't asked for my assistance," Steve said.
    "I distinctly heard Ben invite you to go search Danny Royal's house with him," Mark said.
    Steve held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I admit I was curious. But I've had a chance to sleep on it. This is a local homicide; there's no reason for me or for you to be involved anymore."
    "I'm involved for the same reasons I get involved in any other homicide investigation," Mark said. "Either I'm asked for advice, or it's a case you're working on, or it involves one of my patients."
    Steve held up three fingers, lowering one at a time as he made his points. "No one has asked you for advice. It's not a case I'm working on. And it doesn't involve one of your patients."
    "That's not true," Mark said defensively. "Danny Royal was my patient. He came to me with his jellyfish stings."
    "You're reaching. You want to know my theory?" Steve didn't wait for an answer. "For you, running around the island asking questions about a murder is your idea of a vacation. You're having a great time. I saw the look on your face at the fire last night."
    "I don't take any pleasure in the suffering of others," Mark said.
    "No, but you take a lot of pleasure in solving mysteries," Steve said. "And you can't leave this one behind."
    "What would you like me to do, Steve?"
    "Think about letting Kealoha do his job and the two of us enjoy the rest of our vacation."
    Mark was quiet for a moment, considering what Steve said, then he nodded. "You're right, we came here for rest and relaxation. I should have fun."
    "Finally, you're grasping the concept. Take it easy. Enjoy what Kauai has to offer."
    "I will." Mark pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.
    "So what do you have in mind?"
    "I thought I'd go down to First Bank of Kauai for a look at Danny Royal's financial records and anything he might have in a safe-deposit box. Want to join me?"
    "Sure." Steve sighed and got up.
     
    Sgt. Ben Kealoha was waiting for them inside the bank with Arliss Brewer, the bank manager and chief loan officer, and Earl Ettinger, Danny's accountant. Kealoha was armed with a court order allowing them to see all of Danny Royal's bank records and to open a safe-deposit box, assuming he had one.
    He did.
    They found the usual mortgage documents, deeds, and insurance policies, as well as $100,000 in cash and half a dozen passports for Danny under a half a dozen different names and nationalities.
    Stuck amid the mortgage documents for the restaurant property, Mark found one of Danny's souvenir recipe cards, a tantalizing picture of lemongrass-seared island opah on one side, the recipe and a handwritten note on the other.
    Re: Ideal Oven, Ask Jim Lowe. A loose, trendy cook
    The only other information on the card was the preprinted address and phone numbers for the Royal Hawaiian and, in almost microscopic type, the name and address of the company that made the cards.
    Kealoha asked Brewer if he could borrow the bank's conference room to talk and to go over the cartons of financial information Ettinger brought and that the bank had collected for them.
    Brewer agreed, and even offered to provide all the fresh-ground Kona coffee they needed. They gladly took him up on his hospitality, and, while Ettinger patiently waited outside, they interviewed the bank manager about Danny Royal.
    Brewer was a man in his midforties with too much gel in his short hair. He looked quite comfortable in a coat and tie, despite the humidity and heat outside. Seeing a banker in typical business attire in Kauai somehow seemed strangely out of place to Mark.
    "What can you tell us about Danny Royal?" Kealoha asked.
    "Mr. Royal was a conscientious, dependable, hardworking businessman," Brewer said,