"Broussard, John A - Kay Hoshinobu - Highway 7" - читать интересную книгу автора (Broussard John A)

"Anyway, the lawyer for the PPA was able to prove it was a sacred site, and he finally got the State to agree to move the right of way."

"So what was the reaction of the PPA?"

"They thought that was just great. That's what's so silly about all this. Why would I have wanted to stop the road construction? We won what we wanted in court."

Kay gently moved Lily on to the more immediate happenings. "According to the report, you were stopped by the police at the construction site and you said you were meeting someone there."

"That's right. That's what I told them. And it's true. I was supposed to meet Clyde Kealoha there. He's President of PPA. He sent Jerry a note, asking to meet him there. Only Jerry twisted his ankle, so..."

Kay, who had been jotting notes on a legal pad, interrupted. "Wait a minute. Slow down. Who's Jerry?"

"Oh, Jerry's my boyfriend. Jerry Francisco. I'm living at his apartment."

"And you received a note from Clyde to meet you at the construction site?" Kay sounded skeptical.

"Well, like I said, the note wasn't to me. It was to Jerry. And since Jerry'd twisted his ankle real bad, he couldn't go. But he figured one of us should be there, because Clyde's been real concerned about the project. We figured something might have gone wrong. You know, like with the plans to move that section of the road."

"Didn't he think it was kind of strange for Clyde to write a note instead of phoning."

For the first time in the interview, Lily's face went from concerned to something resembling a smile. "The apartment house we live in is just rooms. No one there's got a phone. We use the pay phone on the corner if we need to make a call." She added, as though surprised that she needed to make the point to Kay, "Everyone who knows us knows that."

Deciding this was a sufficient glimpse into Lily's lifestyle, Kay went on, "So you went alone?"

Lily nodded. "I waited around a few minutes for Clyde. I was actually a little early. That was when the patrol car drove up, and the cops started to question me. They took down my name and address. But it wasn't until the next day, sometime around noon, that they came by the apartment and arrested me."

The rest of the interview was a preparation for the bail hearing. Kay pointed out that Lily needed something more than a live-in arrangement with a boyfriend to convince the court she wouldn't jump bail. Reluctantly, Lily admitted to having an aunt on the island who would be willing to take her in until the trial. Kay thought that would make reasonable bail a possibility, but gave Lily no promises.

"What do you think?" Kay asked Sid as they were walking back to the office.

"It's a frame-up. Her boyfriend's getting tired of her, so he did the dirty work and sent her out to take the blame."

Kay laughed. "For you, that's pretty devious thinking. But you do agree that she's probably innocent?"

Sid shrugged. "I doubt that she did it alone, anyway. She might have been with someone else, maybe that Clyde, and is covering for him."

"Whatever. I'm convinced she didn't do it, and the best way to prove it is to find whoever did do it."

"Oh, oh! Here we go again. Special investigator Yoshinobu hot on the trail. You going to have the sand tested and trace it back to the source?"

"Not on a court-appointed attorney's budget, though that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll petition Judge Schreiber for the money to do a test. Meanwhile, I am going to go to the construction site and talk to the foreman. And I'm definitely going to interview Jerry. Clyde, too. The police report says someone called in about a loiterer around the construction site. Unfortunately, there's no tape recording of the call, since it didn't come in on 911. But it was a man who made the call, and he didn't identify himself. Now, that's someone I'd like to interview. About all he said was that there was someone roaming around the site who looked suspicious."

"A man or woman?"

"He said he couldn't tell for sure, because it was dark by then, but he thought it was a man."

"See. I told you. It was a frame-up. I'm betting on the boyfriend."

"So, if he was the one who made the call, why didn't he tell the police it was a woman prowling around?"