AN: Apologies for the lengthy delay in updating this. Thank you to my readers for being so patient and understanding.

Tanith

Chapter 3

Chewing on the last portion of his sandwich, Kono Kalakaua waited for the forensics expert to return to his office with what he hoped would be some positive results from his team. The look on Che Fong's face when he at last walked through the door said otherwise.

"Dat don't look like good news, Bruddah," Kono commented, as Che handed him a manila folder.

"Unfortunately, most of the prints are too smudged for us to work with. It appears that someone made an effort to clean up the surfaces and while they appeared to be in a hurry they nevertheless contaminated the samples we were able to lift," Che explained.

Kono sighed and opened the manila folder. His eyes lit up when he found something that had to have the potential of moving the investigation in the right direction. "Ya found da murder weapons?" He looked up at Che, seeking confirmation.

Che nodded. "Yes, we did. We found a bloody pocket knife in the trash. It was wrapped in a dish towel along with a length of cord from a telephone which may have been the weapon used to strangle the female victim."

"Let me guess. No prints?" Kono cut in.

"I wish I could tell you differently," said Che. "The moment we find anything more, I'll be in touch."

Kono thanked the forensic specialist and left the office to return to the Iolani Palace.

McGarrett leaned forward in his seat and repeated the question. "I'll ask you again. Do you have any reason to believe that your wife was having an affair?"

Prescott drew a deep unsteady breath before answering, "There was a time I suspected she was but like I said, we were working things out!"

"Do you know who it was that you had suspected of having an affair with Megan?"

Connor shifted in his seat. "No. No, I don't."

McGarrett caught Prescott's hesitation and didn't need a Polygraph to see the man was lying. "How long ago was this?"

"Four, six months. I don't know. What difference does it make? All that matters is what happened to her last night."

"Aright, let's talk about last night. What time did you leave the house?"

Prescott slammed his hand down on the table. "Oh I get it. So now I'm the suspect? Come on, Steve! I just lost the love of my life!"

"You know that I have to ask these questions," McGarrett shot back. He needed to gain control of the delicate situation, not just to defuse Prescott's anger but to find a starting point for the investigation. While he hoped that Prescott was not involved in such a heinous crime, he had to remain objective. "The quicker we can get through this, the more time I'll have to find the real killer."

"Pete picked me up seven. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before we went out on patrol around the University. Some kids had been hanging around making trouble since the protest a few days ago. Things got crazy after that and we got called to other locations but you can check that out with Pete. Are we done?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, we're done for now. If you can think of anything that might help, call me, alright?"

Prescott gave a non-committal response and stayed in his seat as McGarrett let himself out of the house.

Chin Ho Kelly scribbled down some notes in his book as he listened to the two tourists recount what they had seen that morning just before they had checked out of their hotel room. It had taken some time for him to track the couple down. Fortunately the hotel manager, Drake Jensen, recalled they had mentioned they were going to be spending the day at a nearby art gallery and the museum. Chin had missed them at the gallery but had caught up with the pair at the museum. "And neither of you got a good look at the man?"

"No, he pushed straight past us in the hall and out the front entrance but he was built like an ox and could've been Hawaiian but we can't be certain," the man answered.

"Can you describe what he was wearing?"

"Sorry I don't…wait! I do remember. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Yes, a blue and green one and a pair of tan pants."

"I see. Thank you, that's very helpful." Chin took down the description then addressed the woman sitting beside the man. "Mrs. Butler, did you notice anything unusual when you walked by room two-O-nine?" Chin turned his attention to the woman.

"I saw the door was slightly ajar and I could hear movement but I wasn't suspicious at the time. I figured whoever was inside must've been getting ready to check out too," Mrs. Butler shrugged then chewed at her lower lip, feeling a pang of guilt that she couldn't be of more help.

"What time would you say it was?" Chin prodded.

Mrs. Butler exchanged looks with her husband.

"It would've been before eight. We wanted to get to the gallery when it opened at nine so we had a quick breakfast on the way at a diner and left there around half past eight," Mr. Butler replied. He looked to his wife for confirmation.

Mrs. Butler nodded. "Yes, I remember looking at a clock at the diner. It was just after eight when we placed our order."

"Thank you for your time, Mr and Mrs. Butler. You've both been a great help," Chin reassured the couple with a smile. While he still didn't have enough information to form a lead, it was better than nothing and he wanted the husband and wife to know how much he appreciated their willingness to help with the investigation. "If anything else comes to mind, here's my number." He passed his business card to Mr. Butler then shook their hands and wished them an enjoyable vacation.

Stowing the black note book back into his jacket pocket, the Oriental detective watched the couple as they walked out of the cafeteria hand in hand to continue their tour of the museum. With a sigh, Chin decided a coffee to go was in order before he made his way back to the office. Half the day was already through and with very little in the way of progress, he was not looking forward to the afternoon briefing.