Free Death by Trial and Error (A Legal Suspense Short) by R. Barri Flowers

couldn't find anything to indicate their
marriage was in trouble."
    "That's not the type of thing that would
necessarily be plastered all over the internet," Naku said
wryly.
    "Probably not," Vanna concurred.
    "But her sister believes the marriage had
problems," Naku said. "And since she's paying us, we'll have to
assume all was not right behind closed doors till proven
otherwise."
    "I can't argue with that," Vanna said. "After
all, I've been down that road twice, with no one the wiser that my
marriages were a total disaster until I was practically signing the
divorce papers."
    "Well, Higuchi-Bordeau never got that
chance," Naku said. "Someone took her out before she could walk
away from Bordeau—if, in fact, that was her plan."
    "And I'm confident you'll get to the bottom
of it," she said.
    Naku chuckled. "I'll certainly try. Did you
come up with a connection between Higuchi-Bordeau and anyone else,
other than her husband and the men who were at the scene of the
crime?"
    "Not yet, but I'll keep looking."
    "So will I," Naku said, and then caught up on
some prior business issues with her before hanging up.
    He headed home as he pondered his latest
investigation. At this point, he could only wonder why Suzette
Higuchi-Bordeau was killed and who might have done it or been
responsible for it. He fully expected to get to the gist of it one
way or the other. After all, this was how he made his living and he
never liked to come up short, if only to earn his pay.
    He turned into the driveway of his Craftsman
bungalow on Ipukula Way in Lahaina. It had come on the market just
when he was looking to get out of his last house right after he
left the police force. This one had appealed to him for its charm
and the location—not too far from the hustle bustle of Front
Street, yet still peaceful, laidback, and close to his office. He
also liked that the backyard contained a number of fruit producing
trees, including mango and papaya.
    After entering the front door, Naku headed
across the hardwood floor of his Great Room and went straight to
the kitchen. There, he opened the refrigerator and took out a beer.
After guzzling down a generous amount, he changed into a tee shirt
and shorts before heading to his exercise room for a workout.
    Later, he called Gayle and got her voicemail
after several rings. He figured that meant she was still pissed and
didn't want to talk to him. It was something he would have to live
with, while hoping they could at least stay friends at the end of
the day.
    In the meantime, he had a case to keep him
occupied and a dead woman whose sister wanted to keep her alive, in
a manner of speaking.
    * * *
    The following morning, Naku decided to pay
Patrick Bordeau a visit at his office in Kahului, where the
island's main airport and the Kahului Harbor were located.
Bordeau's office was in a complex on East Wakea Avenue.
    Naku took the stairs to the second floor and
spotted the print on a door, which read: The Law Office of Patrick
L. Bordeau. He opened it and went inside.
    A young woman with short blonde hair sat at a
desk in the lobby. "Can I help you?" she asked.
    "I'm here to see Mr. Bordeau," Naku told her,
noting from the name plate on her desk that she was Tanya
Johansson.
    "Do you have an appointment?"
    "No, but it is important that I speak to
him," he stressed.
    Just then, a salt and pepper haired, tall,
trim, well-dressed man came out of an office. He seemed
preoccupied, but stopped in his tracks as his deep blue eyes locked
with Naku's eyes.
    "He would like to talk to you, Mr. Bordeau,
but doesn't have an appointment," the secretary said
apologetically.
    While her boss considered this, Naku seized
the moment and stuck out his hand. "My name's Eddie Naku."
    Bordeau gave him a wary look, but shook his
hand. "How can I help you, Mr. Naku?"
    "I'm a private investigator looking into your
wife's murder..." Naku watched as surprise—or perhaps it was ill at
ease—registered on his face.
    Bordeau sucked in a breath