"Some-where! Over the rain-bow...." 

Detective Keele sings loudly in the front seat of his old truck. I joined him on his ride home, hoping to learn more about him. He is the lead on solving my case after all. And apparently he's a fan of IZ, the Hawaiian singer famous for belting out this song accompanied by soft Hawaiian ukulele sounds. IZ, or Israel Kamakawiwo' ole, was a native Hawaiian that clung to traditional beliefs as far a music was concerned. He was a legend. Too bad I can't meet him. 

"Ahh. Stupid tape player." 

The music skips and then sputters before stopping all together. We were effectively stranded on the H-1 freeway, trying to get closer to his exit. Honolulu traffic, well, pretty much all Oahu traffic was bad. Everyone was vying to get home at the same time. I wasn't sure where he lived but I guessed pretty good. 

'Pearl City'. 

He lived in one of the older cities nearby Honolulu. I pegged him to be close to retirement age, possibly late 60's. Though many people here worked beyond that age out of necessity. Hawaii is a god awful expensive place to live! 

"IZ my man, you died too young! I need to eat healthier.." He mumbles. 

This is the second time he has mentioned his health. Does he have any conditions? Something inside of me hoped not. I want him to live a long life. Not die before his time like I did. It's weird to contemplate your own death after you have died. 

We snake through Pearl City in relative silence, only the sound of the trucks AC blasting to accompany us. Finally, he winds down into a cul-de-sac neighborhood. Kids are playing soccer in the street and stop to let us by. Detective Keele waves as he passes. We come to a stop in a modest 2 story home with beautiful landscaping. Somehow, it fits him. 

I wonder what his family contained inside was like. Would they be like my old one, the family I lost before I graduated college? Something spurs me on to see.

🩸

"Kainalu, how was your day?" 

Kainalu. Detective Keele's first name was revealed! 

"My love, it was....a day. What you cooking? Smells heavenly!" 

"It'll be ono! What else would I make?" 

The detective finally freed himself from his dress shoes and tie. He groans and walks to the kitchen. 

"Of course it'll be ono woman!" 

He takes ahold of her waist and spins her around. She giggles and pushes him away. Her stature is quite a bit smaller than his, and her shoulder length black hair was streaked with grey. She is pretty and likely of Japanese descent. 

"Ah ha! Fish again. Stew though. You listened." 

"Kainalu!" She laughed, taking his arm and pulling him in for a hug. "How is the case coming along?" 

He hugs her fiercely and softly at the same time. I like what I'm seeing. A genuine family man. Guys can say they love their wives, but if they lack loving playfulness, I automatically doubt them. My dad was always playful with my mom. And he was the gold standard.

"The case is getting worse by the day." He sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. 

"It's day four correct?" 

His wife turns to stir the stew, her wrist flicking delicately. 

"Yep. Day four. So far we've interviewed four suspects and then today a grandmother and two spouses. It was nuts." 

She turns off the stove and ladles the steaming soup into two bowls. I can't smell it but I'm sure it is heavenly. 

"Is the grandmother the one who lives by Diamond Head? The one from the coworker?" 

She places the bowls on the table along with napkins and two spoons. 

"Yes. That's the one. Huge house. Easily worth millions. She was oddly enough not surprised we were there either. Almost like she thinks her grandson could have done it. I like the kid for it." 

"But he's locked up right? In the mental place?" 

He nods at his wife in between spoonful's of the soup. 

"He is." 

"She sounds very popular, the victim." 

"I don't know if I'd call her that..." 

"I would. Think about it. She's young and lives on her own. She's so nice to everyone she knows that not one bad word is said about her. They all like her. Except for the woman..." 

"Lila, HR director." 

"Yes, her." 

The detective clears his throat. 

"We found out today from her husband that she's bi-sexual. Another layer to the motive."

"She likes both women and men huh? That's becoming more and more common these days." 

She isn't wrong. 

"So...she has a double motive then. She could be jealous, thinking the poor girl likes her affair partner and she could be in love with her." 

"Maybe. But why kill her if she's in love?"

"Rejection?" 

I laugh loudly, knowing neither can hear me. Lila has never hit on me. Not once. She's just a bitch if anything to me. Or was. It's hard to remember I'm dead and won't actually be coming back. Once this case is solved, I go...somewhere else? Not really sure about that yet. 

Detective Keele finishes his soup and sighs. 

"The problem is we have too many suspects lined up still. And so far, each one has a motive. We also interviewed the dining director, who admitted to being a stalker..." 

His wife almost chokes on her soup. 

"Another stalker?! Like the young co-worker?" 

Detective Keele frowns and nods. 

"Sounds like back home in Kyoto." 

"Yes...it does. I know men there were prone to stalking and here we do have a larger Asian influence but stalking isn't that common to the islands as Japan." 

"True dear but...it so reminds me of Akari." 

Tears fill his wife's eyes as detective Keele gets up to kneel in front of her. I'm struck by the fact that she is from Japan and also something has happened pertaining to stalking in their lives. I just need to find out what. And how this connects to me. 

🩸

Pictures are spread on the cluttered work desk of a gorgeous tiny woman. She's smiling at the camera, in various assorted settings. She sort of looks like a much younger Mrs. detective Keele. I'm thinking this is someone important in their lives. A child perhaps? 

"What are you doing Kainalu?" 

The detectives wife joins him in his office, taking a seat in a leather side chair across from the desk and the photos. She looks sad.

"Just looking at Akari. Thinking." 

Her face contorts to show even more pain. 

"She was so young when she died. It almost killed us all..." 

"Especially your sister. Her only baby." 

It clicks. Akari was their niece. 

"Do you see similarities in your young victim and Akari?" 

He nods, picking up a picture and delicately touching it. 

"I can't help but to. They were the same age. She had just begun her career when she was killed. They were both an only child. There are far too many similarities." 

"Especially the killer." His wife whispers. 

"Yes. The killer. But we don't know yet who killed Leilani. I'm hoping to God it's not a stalker as well. Even though we have a few now...there might be another motive we haven't uncovered yet. And we're still compiling forensic evidence from her apartment and the rooftop. Hoping by tomorrow to have answers from those samples." 

Interesting. So they took evidence from the rooftop. I wasn't aware of that but it makes sense. I fell from the top of the building. Did my killer leave DNA? 

"DNA is the storyteller. It will point the way." She says, taking a photo from the desk. "How much longer will you work in homicide before you retire? It's been well over 20 years.." 

"You want me home already?" 

They both chuckle and lock eyes. 

"I don't want you to be unhappy if you retire but I know you are burning out. Can see it in your eyes." 

Her delicate hands reach for his across the desk. It touches my proverbial heart to see their love. It's real and palpable. 

"I am getting burnt out. Been doing this homicide gig for far too long. But I can't quit yet. Jones isn't ready yet to be on his own and they wouldn't hire another person to replace me. Fucking budget cuts..." 

"Kainalu! Language!" She scolds with a grin. 

"Sorry...I just get so frustrated with the job." 

"I know you do. It's been 23 years and counting. Homicide for that long is going to change you. And after Akari's  murder... I don't blame you. I don't want you to get run into the ground." 

"I am past that point I think. It's as if the job has invaded my entire being...I live and breathe these murders. But I'm not ready. Not yet. Soon I will be, and then I can drive you nuts all day long. You'll be stuck with me for life.." 

She takes his hand into hers and tugs him up, then they leave the office together, affection oozing off of their middle aged forms. I like him more now than I did before. Understanding his motive for wanting to solve my case only solidifies my confidence that he can in fact figure out who killed me. 

If only he could find who killed his niece, and finally have closure. 

~ This book is Copyrighted by K E Jennings and only available on Wattpad. if you are reading this on another site, it has been stolen without permission or monetary payment to the said author. ~

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Fun Hawaiian Fact: Only 12 letters make up the Hawaiian language alphabet; A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P and W.