HONOLULU -- Lisa-Katharine Otsuka was the so-called "mystery woman" who refused to testify in the investigation into Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign. Beverly Harbin was appointed to a seat in the legislature after withholding a criminal conviction from the governor. Now a jury is being asked to decide which one to believe.

Harbin told the jury Thursday that in 1999 she hired Otsuka to temporarily keep the books for her auto repair business. Otsuka was a former beauty queen who called herself a consultant and fundraiser as well and claims those were also part of her duties for Harbin.

Today, Harbin cried on the stand, saying she trusted Otsuka with the company's finances while Harbin arranged her father’s funeral, but later learned from her regular bookkeeper that Otsuka had written checks to herself.

“At first, she was mad,” Harbin said of the bookkeeper’s reaction. “She was saying what are you doing paying this girl so much money?”

At the time, Harbin decided not to press charges over the $12,000 dispute.

“I just decided to just put it aside move on and made decisions accordingly,” Harbin said.

But three years later, police and prosecutors investigating Otsuka's ties to the Jeremy Harris campaign interviewed Harbin. Otsuka refused to testify against the Harris campaign and was never charged in that case, but she WAS charged with stealing from Harbin.

In 2005, Gov. Linda Lingle appointed Harbin to the legislature. Harbin lost the seat after admitting that she didn't tell the governor she had tax liens and a misdemeanor bad check conviction.

It’s not clear how much of the political intrigue in this case will be heard by the jury. Even if they do convict, this case involves a relatively small amount of money and relatively little chance Otsuka will do any serious prison time. The case has taken eight years to get to trial.