Mare's Nest

by Larry Darter

  I walked to the shower rubbing the sleep from my eyes. After showering, I got dressed for the day. I didn't know when a call from the kidnappers would set things in motion. But I knew it could all be on with only a moments notice.

  First, I put on the yellow bikini I'd bought for the trip. I put on a pair of navy board shorts and a gray singlet over the togs. I chose socks and athletic trainers for footwear. It seemed more appropriate than the comfortable jandals I'd have preferred wearing. I might have to move fast.

  I grabbed my canvas beach bag. After tossing in my sarong cover-up, a pair of sunnies, and a Dodger's baseball cap Malone had given me I added two more items. I put my Colt Detective Special short-barreled revolver into the bag along with a Leupold Mark 4 spotting scope. Satisfied I was ready, I went downstairs to the hotel restaurant and had breakfast.

  At eight-twenty, Shaw rang me. He told me that he had received the instructions from the kidnappers. I was meant to make the drop at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve at eleven o'clock. Shaw said that he and his driver Ken would pick me up in front of my hotel within the hour. He told me the caller had given instructions for me to bring some specific items to the drop. Shaw said he'd pick them up from Ala Moana Center on the way. He said he would give me the details when he saw me and disconnected without explaining what the items were.

  With almost an hour to kill, I took the opportunity to do a quick Internet reconnaissance of the drop site. I'd seen a brochure on Hanauma Bay in the hotel lobby and recalled it was a popular Oahu snorkeling venue. I typed the name into the search bar on the browser on my phone and found the link.

  Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, or Hanauma Bay State Park was a bay within an ancient volcanic cone. Located on Kalanianaole Highway in east Honolulu, the park was open most days from 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the evening. According to the website, the park saw an average of 3000 visitors a day. It was surprising to me that the kidnappers had chosen such a crowded public area for the drop. But that would bode well for my plan.

  There was an aerial photograph of the Hanauma Bay on the website. There was a carpark and facilities built on a cliffside near the entrance. A steep paved road connected the top level with the beach level where the snorkeling took place. A tram service provided transport for visitors between the upper and the lower level.

  Of particular interest to me was that coin-operated lockers were available at beach level for guests to store valuables. If the person assigned to collect the ransom decided to keep the extra $250,000 I was certain they would stash it in one of those lockers. All in all, I couldn't imagine a more perfect venue for my plan.

  Satisfied with my reconnaissance, I grabbed my beach bag and left the hotel restaurant. I found a bench on the sidewalk in front of the hotel and sat down to wait for Shaw to arrive. I took the ball cap and sunnies out of the bag, put them on, and settled in to wait.

  At 9:25, the Shaw's limo pulled to the curb in front of the hotel. Ken was driving, and Shaw was sitting in the back. The rear door opened and I got inside. As the car pulled away from the curb, Shaw smiled at me and placed a hand on top of my left thigh. "You're so attractive," he said.

  I didn't return the smile. I shoved his hand off my thigh. "If you want to keep your nuts, you need to stop what you're doing right now," I said. "Tell me the details about the drop."

  Shaw's mood immediately changed. The big smile disappeared. Finally, he spoke. "Once you enter the gate, you are to go directly to the tram stop and board the first one available for transport to the beach level. The person sent to collect the ransom will contact you."

  Shaw reached into a shopping bag and pulled out a green felt floppy hat with an absurd looking floral stitching on it. "You're to wear this hat," Shaw said. "That's how the person will recognize you."

  "That should do it," I said. "It's the most hideous looking hat I've ever seen, and I'm certain no one else will be wearing one besides me."

  Shaw nodded. He lifted a bright blue backpack covered in colorful pink Hibiscus flowers from the floorboard. "The guy who called also instructed me to buy this specific day pack to put the money in," Shaw said.

  He dropped the bag back onto the floorboard and picked up a smaller black nylon bag. It was a promotional drawstring backpack with a store logo on it. "I put the extra $250,000 in this bag like you said."

  "Awesome," I said. "We need to make it easy for greed to take its course. That's why I wanted a separate bag for the extra money."

  We left Waikiki and drove north on a motorway which I assumed was Kalanianaole Highway. "I really like you, T. J.," Shaw said, "but, you need to stop acting like such a bitch."

  I glared at him. "Please, mind your language," I said. "I won't have to act like such a bitch if you agree to stop acting like a prick, will I?"

  Nothing more was said until we drove into the parking lot at Hanauma Bay. Ken stopped the limo in the area where taxis discharged their passengers.

  "Should we wait for you in the parking lot?" Shaw said.

  "No, they may have a lookout," I said. "I don't want to arouse any suspicion. Once I've made the drop I'll blend in with the crowd and wait for the person who makes the pick up to return to retrieve the extra $250,000. I'll ring you with an update when I can."

  "You sure this is going to work?" Shaw said.

  "No reason it shouldn't," I said. "Greed is a common affliction among our race."

  I took off the ball cap and sunnies and put them back in my beach bag. I put on the hideous floppy hat and got out of the limo. Shaw handed me the backpack, and I put it on my back. I grabbed my beach bag off the seat and put the straps over my shoulder. Shaw handed me the drawstring pack. I closed the door and headed toward the entrance carrying the drawstring pack. The game was afoot.

  Chapter 6

  AT THE ENTRANCE, I paid the posted $7.50 entry fee. The guy in the booth told me I had to view a mandatory video before entering the park. He directed me to the marine education center down the way. Inside the center with other guests, I watched the video. It covered the local marine life, preservation of the coral reef, and park safety rules.

  The video lasted about 10 minutes. Exiting the marine education center, an employee placed a stamp on my hand that would allow me to enter the beach area. I hoped the delay wasn't going to be a problem since it was almost eleven when the film ended. Surely, the kidnappers knew about the required video.

  I walked over to the tram stop and got into another queue. An employee walked along the line collecting the $1 fare. After handing him the dollar, he told me I could board the tram carriage. The instructions were to load from front to back, but I hopped on and sat on the seat at the very rear. After a minute or so, a guy of about 30 years of age got on and sat down beside me. He looked to be a native Hawaiian, with wavy black hair, and brown eyes. He was short, a bit heavy, and wore a black nylon Nike tracksuit. He nodded to me when he sat down, but didn't speak.

  The tram finished loading and got underway. The guy beside me turned and said, "You bring the money?"

  "Yes, one million dollars," I said. I didn't miss the look of surprise that flashed across the man's face. I pretended not to notice and continued talking. "All the cash wouldn't fit in the backpack," I said. "There is seven hundred fifty thousand in the backpack and two hundred fifty in the smaller pack."

  "Let's see it," the guy said.

  I lifted the blue kitbag to my lap and unzipped the top and held the bag so the guy could see inside. He nodded. I zipped the bag and set it on the floor. I picked up the smaller bag, pulled open the drawstring top and repeated the process. He nodded again. I closed the bag and set it on the floor beside the other one. The guy grabbed both bags and pulled them over between his legs.

  "When the tram stops at the bottom, don't get off. Remain seated, pay the return fare, and ride it back up to the top."

  "Got it," I said.

  "And when you get to the top, immediately exit the park and leave," he said. "No funny business. I have an associate up
there who will be watching you."

  "No worries," I said. "But, when do we get the girl back?"

  "Someone will contact you after we count the money and we're satisfied," the guy said.

  The tram reached the bottom of the hill and came to a halt. Everyone disembarked except for my new friend and me. The driver walked back to us. "You need to get off now," the driver said. "We've got to load up for the trip back up top."

  "My friend isn't feeling well," the guy beside me said. "She is going to ride back up with you." He handed the driver two dollars.

  "Okay," the driver said. "Sorry, you aren't feeling well, ma'am. We'll be leaving in a couple of minutes."

  The guy beside me got off the tram. He put the backpack on his back and then grabbed the string backpack off the floor of the carriage. He turned without a word and sauntered off toward the beach area. I turned to watch. He stepped into a grove of palm trees and was partially concealed. Still, I was sure he had gone inside a small hut about 100 meters from where I was sitting. Awesome I thought, expecting the hut was where the lockers were.

  The tram started up and headed back up the hill. I turned and watched the hut until I could no longer see it for the trees. I hadn't seen the guy come back out. Halfway up the hill, I noticed a small orange and black helicopter circling low over the park. It appeared as if it was preparing to land. I wondered what that was about.

  The tram stopped at the top of the hill, and I got off with the rest of the passengers. I had to be quick about it. I couldn't count on the fact that the guy who took the money had been lying about having an associate watching me. I ducked into a restroom. I first tossed the ugly hat into the rubbish bin. I stripped off the board shorts and singlet and stuffed them into the beach bag. I put on the sarong, the ball cap, and the sunnies. Hopefully, I looked different enough that the guy wouldn't recognize me if he got a look. The aerial photo I'd seen earlier made it clear he would have to return to the top using the same road I had to exit the park. The beach area below was bounded by the sea on one side and a sheer cliff face on the other two sides.

  After changing I exited the ladies room and melted into a crowd of tourists. From my location, I could see the road running up from down below. Sure enough, about five minutes later I saw the guy in the black tracksuit get off a tram and walk towards the park exit. He had the blue backpack on his back, but the smaller bag was nowhere to be seen. He'd left it down below in the lockers as I had expected. There had been no reason to believe he'd share the extra $250,000 with his accomplice or accomplices.

  I waited until he passed through the exit and then followed, moving slowly so as not to arouse suspicion. As I reached the exit, I saw the small helicopter descending. The guy in the tracksuit was jogging toward an open grassy area beside the carpark. The helicopter touched down on the grass. The guy threw the backpack inside and then climbed aboard. The engine revved up, and the helicopter lifted off. It turned and flew away with Shaw's money and was soon out of sight. Now all I had to do was wait.

  I looked at my phone and saw it was 11:30. No way to know how long I'd have to wait. That would depend on the length of the flight and then how long it took for him to make the return trip. I was certain he wouldn't risk leaving the money here overnight. The park closed at seven. He would have to be back before then.

  I gave Shaw a ring to report that the drop had gone off without a hitch. I told him that the courier had taken the bait and left the extra cash behind. I promised to ring him again when I had another update. Then I disconnected the call before Shaw had the opportunity to become obnoxious again.

  Chapter 7

  I'D FOUND A NICE SPOT beneath some trees near where the helicopter had touched down to pick up the ransom courier. It was out of the way where I couldn't be easily spotted from the carpark. With the spotting scope, I had an unobstructed view of the park entrance. Watching the entrance offered the best chance of seeing the courier guy when he arrived.

  Before exiting the park and taking up my observation post, I'd bought a couple of bottles of water. After waiting for a couple of hours, the second bottle was almost empty, and very soon I was going to have to re-enter the park to visit the ladies. While pondering that I caught sight of the Hawaiian guy in the Nike tracksuit through the scope. He was walking toward the park entrance from the carpark. He glanced from side to side as if he were expecting the cops or someone to jump out and confront him.

  I waited as he showed the attendant the stamp on his hand and walked through the gate. There was no need to rush. I wanted to confront him down the hill at beach level, not up here. If he decided to do a runner, I wanted him hemmed in by the natural obstacles to flight. Though to be fair, looking at him I didn't expect he could outrun me on foot.

  Once the man had disappeared from view, I took off the sarong. I put the shorts and singlet back on over my togs. After putting on my ballcap and sunnies, I picked up the beach bag and headed for the park entrance. I showed the stamp on my own hand to the attendant at the gate, and he waved me through. This time I bypassed the tram. Walking down to beach level wasn't difficult, it was getting back up the steep hill. I reckoned that's why the tram charged a bit more for the return trip than the trip down the hill.

  At the bottom of the hill, I headed for the hut where I suspected the coin-operated lockers were. I was almost to it when the guy came out the door with the black drawstring backpack.

  "Hey!" I shouted.

  The guy looked at me. It took him a bit to recognize me because I'd discarded the silly hat. But when it finally registered who I was, he wheeled and broke into a run. I picked up the pace, but a jog was all I needed to keep him in sight.

  He broke out of the trees in a small grassy open area and found himself looking up at a sheer cliff face with nowhere to go. I was almost on top of him at that point. Hearing my approach, he spun toward me, holding the backpack by the shoulder straps. He swung it at my head. I ducked, and the bag swooshed harmlessly above my head. Without breaking stride, I grabbed a handful of his tracksuit at his throat. I took his feet out from under him with a foot sweep. He went down hard on his backside. He rolled over and started to push himself up with his arms. But I put my foot on his arse and gave him a good hard push that sent him into a face plant. I dropped a knee into the middle of his back with all my weight behind it and heard the air rush out of his lungs with a whoosh. I stuck the barrel of the Colt I'd retrieved from the beach bag against the base of his skull.

  "I'd not like to shoot you," I said, "but you better believe I will if you don't stop resisting."

  "Okay," he gasped, "I'm done. Are you a cop?"

  "Not exactly," I said. "But if you don't do what I say, you will wish I was a cop instead of the mad bitch I am."

  "You won't shoot me with all these people around," the guy said.

  "Don't bet on that, mate," I said. "Everyone is having fun on the beach. They aren't aware of what's going on over here. I could shoot you and then walk out of the park before anyone realized what had happened."

  "What do you want?" the guy said.

  "I want you to show me where Allison Shaw is being held," I said.

  "I'm not involved in that," the guy said.

  "Of course you are," I said. "You collected the ransom."

  "I mean besides that," the guy said. "A guy offered me two thousand bucks to meet you and pick up the money. That's all I had to do with it."

  "But, you know where the money went," I said. "I saw you board the little orange helicopter near the carpark. I reckon I'll find Allison Shaw wherever you flew off to with the money."

  "If you're not a cop, let's work something out here," the guy said. "There is a quarter of a million dollars in the bag. I'll split it with you."

  "If it was money I wanted, why would I split it with you, rat bastard?" I said. "I've got a gun. I could take it all."

  "I'm so stupid," the guy said. "I knew the money was too good to be true. I should have just given it to the guy with the rest of it."


  "But, you didn't," I said, "because you got greedy. I was counting on that, actually."

  Keeping the gun pressed against the back of his head I patted the guy down with my left hand. I found a wallet on his right side and dug it out of the pocket.

  "Hey, that's my wallet," the guy said.

  "Yes, it is," I said, opening the wallet. I found a Hawaii license. "I like to know who I'm chatting with, Jimmy Kamaka. Now I won't have to keep calling you rat bastard."

  "Just take the money," Kamaka said. "Let me go."

  "No, Jimmy," I said. "I need your help. And, if you cooperate, I might let you keep the money."

  "No you won't," Kamaka said, "you're lying."

  Of course, I'm lying you twit. "No, Jimmy, I'm not," I said. "Why wouldn't I let you keep it. It's not mine. It belongs to the guy who paid the $750,000 ransom to get his daughter back. As long as he gets her back safe and sound, I doubt he could be bothered with losing this $250,000."

  "What do I have to do?" Kamaka said.

  "You only have to take me to where you went in the helicopter," I said. "Then, I'll let you go, and you can keep the money."

  "I still think you're lying," Kamaka said. "But, okay. What do I have to lose? I'll take you there."

  "Alright, Jimmy," I said. I'm getting off you now, but don't move until I tell you to. Understand?"

  "Yeah," Kamaka said.

  I stood up and took a couple of steps backward. "Okay, roll over on your arse, Jimmy," I said. "We need to be clear on one thing more before I let you get up."

  Kamaka rolled into a sitting position. I took the Colt in a two-handed grip and pointed it at Kamaka's crotch. "You see where I'm pointing this gun, Jimmy?" I said.