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

and turned to his
secretary. "Hold my calls." He regarded Naku. "Why don't we go into
my office and talk?"
    Naku followed him into the large office with
a big window that overlooked palm trees and a pond. Bordeau closed
the door and rounded on him.
    "My wife's death is a police matter!"
    "It's also an unsolved case, and sometimes
private detectives can achieve better results," Naku pointed
out.
    Bordeau's thick brows drew together. "Who
hired you?"
    "Your sister-in-law, Kathryn Higuchi."
    "I should have guessed as much." He bristled.
"So Kathryn decided to hire an investigator to look into Suzette's
death? Well, I'm afraid you're just wasting your time and her
money."
    "Maybe," Naku allowed. "Or maybe not. The
point is, your wife is dead, and her killer is still at large. I
would think you'd want to move heaven and earth to bring such
person to justice."
    "Of course I would." Bordeau's face softened.
"I've already told the police everything I know."
    Naku couldn't help but think that he was
holding back. For what reason? "Why would your wife meet with a
known illegal gun dealer? And why were those other men—two of whom
are clients of yours with criminal records—there?"
    Bordeau sighed. "Suzette went to meet with
Tucker Matsumoto to try to collect money he owed us for the sale of
some weapons I owned. It was a perfectly legitimate transaction, I
assure you. As for Matsumoto being a known illegal gun dealer, as
you put it, that hasn't been proven. The other men are indeed my
clients and had come to my house for legal advice. They offered to
follow Suzette to the meeting place in order to protect her from
any harm that might come from street hoodlums who are known to
prowl that area."
    "Right. And how did that work out for her?"
Naku asked sarcastically.
    "Not very well," he acknowledged. "But that
doesn't mean the attack had anything to do with Suzette's purpose
for being there—or the men who were present, no matter their
background or present circumstances."
    Naku gave him a direct look. "From what I
understand, your clients never bothered to call 911. Instead, they
drove around with your wife and a seriously wounded Matsumoto for a
while before going to the hospital. That probably cost your wife
her life," he added, if only to make a point.
    Bordeau frowned. "They told me Suzette was
dead before they put her in the vehicle, and the autopsy seems to
back it up. My clients admitted they panicked out of fear that they
would be charged with the crime. Fortunately for them, the
authorities didn't pursue that angle and are looking for the real
killer now."
    "Who do you think murdered your wife?" Naku
asked pointblank, while wondering if this could possibly have
anything to do with his alleged love life outside the marriage.
    "I have no idea," Bordeau said as he ran a
hand across his mouth. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was someone
who had it in for Tucker Matsumoto, and Suzette was caught in the
crossfire."
    "So you're saying that Matsumoto has
enemies?" Naku asked.
    "I'm saying that in his line of work as a
licensed gun dealer, he could have come across some people who
didn't want to play by the rules."
    "Maybe it was Matsumoto who didn't play by
the rules," Naku tossed at him, while thinking: Or your
wife .
    Bordeau wrinkled his nose. "I'll leave it up
to the police to figure out." He paused. "Or perhaps you..."
    "I guess I won't take up any more of your
time," Naku said amusingly. When he got to the door, he turned
around and asked, "By the way, do you know who your wife might have
been talking to on the phone the night of her death? Apparently,
that's what sent her out to meet with Matsumoto."
    Bordeau flashed him a pensive stare. "I wish
I did know. My wife had many friends—some of whom she didn't share
with me. Could be the call had nothing to do with her death."
    "Or it could have had everything to do with
it," Naku said, "since this person made sure to use a virtually
untraceable burner phone. What do you make of