How did Nikki and Paulo not get caught?

[Nevrast]

So I've been thinking, how did Nikki and Paulo get away so easily with their crime? Don't you think the police would, I don't know, question his girlfriend (who fits the profile of a golddigger) and his brand new cook in a case of death by poison which would have been determined by the autopsy. Was their plan to get on the plane so quick that the body had only just been found?

Nikki talks so much about evidence with the ashes, but their fingerprints would be everywhere.

[tigardspaz]

There are poisons that can give someone a heart attack and are difficult to trace. Epinephrine, for example, which the body produces and therefore would be untraceable.

Regarding the diamonds, nobody knew he had them except for Nikki.

[MrSocko]

Yeah, the fact that no one knew about the diamonds is why its somewhat believable. As far as the cops know, nothing was stolen or anything, so there was probably no need to investigate.

That said, I agree. I dont think they should have gotten away so easily.

[interplanetjanet]

Their fingerprints should be everywhere, as mistress and chef. They made the death look accidental. And key, Nikki tells us the diamonds they're stealing are a secret, off the books, so no one reports them stolen.

[LandPirate]

The only problem I had with the senario is how did they get the safe open so easily?
.

[Smartypants]

I thought it was bad writing for her to give him a hard time about cigarette ashes being evidence and then IMMEDIATELY open the safe leaving her fingerprints everywhere. That was just silly.

[mrcheesedog]

No, i think that makes sense. Guys mistress is in his closet and touches his safe? That's not too much of a stretch, she just wanted to get her nice pearls for dinner that night. Guys Chef is in his closet smoking a cigarette? Now, that's cause for some investigation...

[equinox]

Nobody will be looking for fingerprints. So they don't matter. Howard is dead, he's not going to report a theft. And you don't sweep for fingerprints the houses of every person who dies of apparently natural causes. But, if Howard was not a smoker and a casual look at the room revealed ashes, that could raise questions.

[boonian androphile]

The pair of them should have at least been questioned by the authorities.

Maybe those same authorities though were too busy fielding Boone's concerns about Shannon, arresting Sawyer for bopping an Australian Cabinet Minister, and informing Jack that his father's body was found. You know: real, believable things that we have actually seen in season one!:)

[interplanetjanet]

If he'd left a will leaving everything to his devoted chef, Paolo, and his loving girlfriend, Nikki, I trust they'd have gone to head of the suspect list even with a natural-seeming death. Since the diamonds were not common knowledge (and I can quite see Howie using the "Here, my dear, let me show you a little secret...even my wife doesn't know" seduction line), it is not evident to anyone that Paolo or Nikki had anything to gain from Howie's death. In fact, they both stood to lose, especially Nikki.

[Hodgepodge]

Whose to say they weren't questioned! I don't know the timeline, but I assumed they were. As someone mentioned, she's probably young enough to be his granddaughter, I'm sure someone in authority talked to her. Paulo's a new chef, probably hadn't been employed that long. He was questioned as well.

[boonian androphile]

Maybe they were. Some tangible mention of it would have been helpful in furthering the illusion of their criminality. Minimally, they could have alibied each other.

[Hodgepodge]

Do we actually know the timeline of this incident? I mean, do we know the day Howard was killed? We know they were reading the article in the airport on Wednesday, September 22, 2004. Although, there's a thread discussing this very newspaper and date as being Thursday, September 24, 2004.

[equinox]

Of course, in real life, if actresses and cooks could easily put their hands on poisons that can mimic a heart attack without rousing suspicions, that would be cause for some concern. Where and from who did they get the poison? I don't suppose we had a good enough look at Paulo's cigarettes to tell if they were of the same brand as the mysterious cigarettes that were found in the ashtray in the hotel room of Christian Shephard, the doctor and non-smoker who died of a heart attack? Doctor, non-smoker, cigarettes, poison, heart attacks, Sydney, a few days before flight 815. Coincidences. Hmm.

[equinox]

Do we actually know the timeline of this incident? I mean, do we know the day Howard was killed?
Four days before the airport scene. If the airport scene was Thursday September 23 (Sydney date), then Howard died Sunday September 19. If the airport scene was September 21 or 22, adjust accordingly.
We know they were reading the article in the airport on Wednesday, September 22, 2004
We don't. The exact date the plane left Sydney was never revealed. Unless the newspaper in Exposé is taken as finally revealing it as being Thursday September 23.
Although, there's a thread discussing this very newspaper and date as being Thursday, September 24, 2004.
Yes, it's strange that they would decide to finally answer this question about the date and make an error in doing so.

[Hodgepodge]

Thanks Equinox! Doesn't seem like a lot of time for them to be questioned and then on a plane out of the country. Wouldn't it take longer than that for a tox screen? Maybe the guy had an ongoing problem with his heart?

[Smartypants]

If she was worried about ashes, she should have been worried about fingerprints on a safe. You killed a guy. You don't know for sure they aren't going to suspect murder. Put on some gloves when you take out the secret diamonds.

[I Hate Seabillies]

Of course, in real life, if actresses and cooks could easily put their hands on poisons that can mimic a heart attack without rousing suspicions, that would be cause for some concern. Where and from who did they get the poison?

Maybe Paulo just fed him a high fat diet and he croacked from a natural heart attack. He was overweight and the guy did say Paolo's food tasted great (fat = flavor). :D Nikki did say "finally" after he died. So maybe this was a long-con.

Or maybe Paolo cooked chicken from southeast Asia for dinner the night before.