“Check.”
Kenji wavered, tried to open his eyes, then clamped them shut again. “You gonna pay fo’ dis.”
“One!”
We shoved Kenji’s chest at the same time. His knees hit the rear bumper.
“Aieee!” He tumbled backwards. Smacked his head on the lid. And landed on his back with a thud.
“Take that, tough guy.”
We each grabbed a gorilla-sized leg. He tried to kick, but the ties on his ankles made his efforts a waste of energy. His thrashing did keep us from getting him into his makeshift prison completely.
“Suit yourself,” Lexie said as she slammed the lid on his knees.
Kenji jerked up, cracked his head against metal, and curled up into a sniveling ball. With his legs clear of the opening, we slammed the trunk lid down. His muffled screams turned into nothing more than indistinguishable noises at a pig trough.
“That was fun,” I said.
Lexie and I high-fived each other. “Good job, McKenna.”
“You, too. Where’s Chance?”
“Inside with Mandy’s uncle. I’m afraid he can’t handle both him and Alvarez.”
“I don’t think Alvarez will do anything here because there are too many witnesses.”
“Billy knew what was going on.” Lexie sighed. “He sold out to save himself.”
My posse consisted of two hookers, a scared identity thief, and an inexperienced receptionist. They all had moxie, I had to give them that. “You guys did really good. But, I’m going to have to take down Alvarez alone.”
Lexie shook her head. “You can’t…”
“I have a weapon.”
She pointed at the gun in my hand. “You don’t know how to use it.”
“The gun? Not that.” I walked back to the open door of the limo and stared at the gaping hole in the driver’s seat. “Maybe it’s time I drove a tank.” I started to toss the gun into the car, but Lexie stopped me.
“Give it to me,” she said firmly, then pried the weapon from my fingers. “Plan B.”
“Let me guess, Chance has been teaching you to shoot.”
“Are you kidding? My dad taught me to hunt pigs when I was ten.” Lexie flipped a lever on the gun. “Someday, I’ll show you what the safety does.”
There was no time to argue. I only hoped she wouldn’t freeze if the time came that she had to pull the trigger. “Go.”
The four women ran back to their spot on the side of the building. I took my place in the lumpy driver’s seat. All I needed now was to see Frank Alvarez.
I checked. The engine was still running. I adjusted the seat forward. Dropped the car in gear. Planted both hands on the wheel. The air conditioning was blasting on high, making a vain attempt to clear away the dregs of smoke and foam particles. I sat, waiting for Robson Poussin to appear in the doorway. When he did, Chance was behind him. Frank Alvarez brought up the rear.
Bad news. Chance was holding his leg. Limping. I waited.
They were halfway here.
Fifteen feet.
Ten.
Alvarez motioned at the trunk. Uh oh, he wanted to stash someone back there. He gestured for Poussin to get in the front seat as he shoved Chance to the rear. I slowly cranked the steering wheel to one side.
The door opened. “Hurry up, Kenji, pop the trunk.” Poussin got in and closed the door without looking at me. “Give me your gun.” He held out his hand.
When I didn’t hand him what he wanted, he looked at me for the first time. His jaw dropped.
I covered my lips with a finger. “Shhh.” Checked the rearview mirror. Chance was to the side.
Poussin threw the door open and scrambled out of the car. “Frank, it’s a trap!”
I shifted into reverse. Jammed my foot on the gas. The door slammed into Poussin’s back and knocked him down. There was another thump, thump, thump.
The limo squealed across the lot. I kept my foot pressed to the floor until the car lurched to a halt and bucked against an immovable object. The odor of burning rubber snapped me out of my trance. I let up on the gas and surveyed the scene.
Poussin was sprawled out on the asphalt. Chance stood but was obviously shaken. Alvarez lay on the ground a short distance away. He moved. Rose slowly. How had he escaped the path of the car? The man was way too nimble. What was he, indestructible? Nothing like the guy I’d bested in the dream.
It looked like Alvarez was searching for something nearby. He shook his head. Oh, crap. The gun was no longer in his hand. He must have seen it because he began walking deliberately to his left. He knelt, reached down, and came up with the weapon.
Chance hobbled toward Alvarez. “Wrong direction, kid. You’re way too close.” He was an easy target. Impossible to miss. I slammed the transmission into Drive, pressed my foot to the floor. The tires squealed again, and I took aim.
Alvarez whirled around and turned the gun on me. Two flashes came from the side of the building. Alvarez grabbed his leg with one hand, but didn’t go down.
Chance jumped aside and rolled out of the way.
A muzzle flashed. Cracks spiderwebbed across the windshield. A sickening thud. The car jolted to a halt.
I sucked in deep breaths and stared ahead. The Pony Club sign rocked back and forth, then slowly toppled over. It landed on the hood with a final crash.
Lexie rushed into view, the glint of metal reflecting from an object in her hand. That’s right, the flashes I’d seen earlier. I admonished myself for ever doubting her. She had most likely saved my life.
I turned off the ignition. Slowly opened the driver’s door. My knees shook as I walked to where Poussin lay. Aimee knelt next to him. She glanced up. “He’s alive, but he’ll need an ambulance.” A moment later, she started toward Alvarez.
Chance waved Aimee away. “Don’t go near him. He’s breathing. That’s good enough.”
It appeared Frank Alvarez wouldn’t be capable of doing much in the way of physical intimidation for a while. A pool of blood had formed under his left leg, his right was cocked at an odd angle, and his breath was a raspy wheeze.
“Billy’s calling 9-1-1,” Aimee said. “Man, what a mess.”
“What happened here?”
I spun around. Benni stood before me gawking at the scene. Behind her, a red Corolla cruised away slowly. It looked like the driver was torn between taking in the chaos and leaving before anything happened to him.
“Where were you? Are you okay?” I pulled her into an embrace, unable to believe we’d all survived. “Who gave you a ride?”
“One question at a time, McKenna. That was Uber.” She shrugged. “Very convenient. And not that expensive, either. But, I did what you said. The second the lights went out, I got to the window. When those guys went by, I jumped out and ran like crazy.”
I wanted to tell her how much I loved her, but once again the moment was dashed when Chance snapped at me.
“What were you trying to do, McKenna? Kill me? I had everything under control.”
“Are you serious? Under control? You need Lexie’s help to stand. You’d be in that trunk if I hadn’t saved you.” I pointed at the limo. “Uh oh, the trunk—it’s open.”
“It popped open when you crashed into the Escalade,” Lexie said.
“Oh, that’s what stopped me?”
Lexie pointed at the rental. “That was the first thing you hit.”
“Oh my God.” Chance’s jaw dropped and he hobbled over to the Escalade. He whistled as he surveyed the damage. “You...you...it’s totaled.”
“You did take the insurance. Right?” I asked.
Chance glared at me. “No. You’re always saying it’s a ripoff.”
Benni approached and stood next to me, her eyes wide. Her mouth seemed to hang open involuntarily. Her gaze slid from one vehicle to the next, to the men on t
he ground, and back again. After she’d taken it all in at least twice, she sighed. “Remind me to never let you borrow my car.”
52
Looky-lous started appearing out of thin air. Under the garish glow of the streetlights, skin tones took on a surreal tinge. Blood turned black, and faces—even those of the onlookers—were cast into masks of distrust. It was like we had landed a spaceship in the lot and were little green men scrambling around.
It wasn’t long before the cops showed up in their blue-and-white cars with all lights blazing. The first responders called for backup. Then came the medics with their trucks. Tow trucks—three. At one point, I counted somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty uniforms, ten vehicles, three agencies, and who knows how many fascinated gawkers.
Billy tried sucking up to Chance, but when Chance informed him the cops would be wanting to ask lots of questions, Billy quietly slipped away. I suspected he was pulling his own disappearing act.
The Pony Club girls congregated in a small clump. Thank goodness the paramedics started helping them cover up with blankets. Some did a better job than others.
Chance and I waited together for the cops to interview us. Leaning closer, I pointed at a couple of the male onlookers who were eying the girls instead of the carnage. “Looks like Billy might be getting some good advertising out of this.”
Chance snickered. “I’m pretty sure that by the time the cops are done with him this place will be the last thing he’s worried about.”
“If he hasn’t already hopped a plane off island.” Indeed, Billy had played a little too close to the flame and been burned by his own greed. “Let’s hope they find him.”
It didn’t matter what direction someone was going on Main Street, traffic was completely blocked. “Look at this, Chance. Four lanes at a dead stop. Everybody wants to check out the disaster area.”
Chance laughed. “Yeah. We ought to be selling tickets for this. Even the governor will be jealous of how much press coverage we’re getting for free.”
We extended our stay in Lāhainā so we could handle a few more interviews with cops and lawyers in person. Ryan was delighted because he got to hang out with Benni and Lexie. The three became close friends in no time.
Kenji tried to save his hide by ratting out Alvarez, but Poussin pulled rank. He knew more. Had lots of good dirt on Alvarez and also had the better lawyers. Kenji might get some sort of deal, but there was no way he could afford a lawyer capable of keeping him out of jail.
Poussin claimed he’d sent Alvarez in search of his niece with the intention of bringing her home. Alvarez found her and decided—on his own according to Poussin—he could discredit her by embezzling funds from the Save Maui Water group. When Mandy had been accused of embezzlement, she confronted Poussin. The flaw in Poussin’s argument was that he hadn’t gone to the police once he learned what Alvarez had done.
In addition to the holes in Poussin’s version of the facts, the cops had plenty of other reasons to not believe Poussin’s story. They had our statements, Penny’s, and the flash drive. We were, of course, chastised severely for interfering in police business. But the fact remained, our little team had cracked a case that might otherwise have sent an innocent man to prison.
Once the dominoes began to fall, it appeared Frank Alvarez would be off the streets for many years. Things weren’t looking good for Robson Poussin, either, especially when some tightlipped FBI agents showed up and hauled him away.
Two days after what we’d taken to calling the “Showdown at the Pony Club,” I asked Benni to go for a quiet dinner. We went to the Rusty Pelican and watched the tourists trudging up and down Front Street. After dinner, Benni suggested we walk over to the park and watch the sunset. It sounded like the perfect time to pop the question.
We were on Hotel St. when a girl—probably about fifteen—handed Benni a brochure. Benni glanced at the picture and laughed. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in a while. Light, with a lilt, and a hint of playfulness.
“What’s so funny?” I tried sneaking a peek, but Benni hid the brochure behind her back.
“I’ll show you later.” She winked and held it on her opposite side.
We found an empty spot on the pony wall overlooking the ocean. With the sun going down, Lāna‘i loomed in the distance, a brown-and-purple mass rising out of the sea. I pointed at the clouds hanging on the horizon. “Looks like a distant mountain range. Magenta, silver, gold. Amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Hawaiian sunsets.” A heartbeat later, I asked, “What did that girl give you?”
“Here. You won’t stop till you see it.” She handed me a brochure for weddings on the beach.
I stared at the picture of a small wedding party. Bride, groom, some sort of official. A few witnesses. Guitar player and a singer. Why not do it now? I reached into my pocket. Felt the ring in its little velour bag. One knee? Or, while sitting next to her?
“Mr. McKenna?”
My throat tightened. I knew that voice. I smiled and looked to my left. “Aloha, Mrs. Nakamura. I see you brought reinforcements.” I chuckled, but my humor was lost on them. “What brings you into town? Something to do with the case?”
“Nothing of the sort,” the old woman cackled. “You and I both know the wheels of justice are stuck in first gear. I am here because of you. It was rude of me to not offer proper acknowledgement for your assistance.”
“I, too, am greatly in your debt. Thank you.” Yoshiko bowed slightly, but, there was something odd about the way she was acting.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was going on with Yoshiko and chose to ignore her sudden distractedness. “You’re both very welcome. How did you find us?”
Hisao stood behind the two women, looking sheepish. I didn’t see him as a thanks-for-saving-me kind of guy.
“I’ve been in touch with Auntie all along.” Benni let go of my hand and stood. She hugged Mrs. Nakamura, then Yoshiko.
“I also wish to thank you. And explain my actions.” Hisao’s voice was deep and this time lacking the anger and tension it had held during our previous conversations.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me.”
“I do this also for Yoshiko. I was originally invited to the meeting we discussed. However, I was uninvited at the last minute. My shame was too great and I could not tell Yoshiko.” He lowered his head, and spoke in a soft voice. “Please forgive me.”
I glanced sideways at Benni as Hisao and Yoshiko hugged. Benni was all weepy. It even looked like Mrs. Nakamura might be touched. Would wonders never cease.
“You should take some comfort now that the FBI is involved,” I said. “Nobody’s talking, but it looks like they’re opening an investigation into Congressman Alcott’s relationship with Finance International. Yah?”
Hisao nodded. “It is my hope they will face justice for their actions.”
He rattled off a string of Hawaiian words. I had no clue what they meant. He probably saw the confusion on my face and translated. “The life of the land is preserved in righteousness. It is an old saying. I felt responsible for helping.”
Yoshiko shifted position and leaned against her husband.
I said, “You were under a lot of stress, weren’t you, Hisao?”
He slipped an arm around Yoshiko’s waist as he answered. “I have always been able to resolve any difficult situation and thought I could handle this one. I was incorrect. You have made me realize we must not stray far from the boundaries of our own limitations.”
I gazed at Hisao for a second. “I think you just said you realized you shouldn’t have been trying to solve a murder.”
Mrs. Nakamura smiled at her grandson. “Mr. McKenna has a way of creating broth from difficulty.”
“What? Is that an old Japanese proverb or something?” I asked.
She bowed her head. “Yes, about ten minutes old. It is a poli
te way of saying you have a knack for boiling the fat from the bone.”
“Right. Thank you, I think.”
Benni covered her mouth with a hand and tried to hide her laughter, but her eyes gave her away. She was enjoying seeing Mrs. Nakamura test my patience again.
Hisao winked at me. “And my grandmother has a talent for finding the weakness in others.”
I raised my palm. He and I exchanged a high five while Mrs. Nakamura smiled. She raised two fingers to her eyes, then pointed at me. My pulse quickened. Got it. There was little I could do now except wait for the old woman’s next zinger.
We all chatted for a while, but Yoshiko looked increasingly uncomfortable. Benni started to ask Yoshiko if she was okay, but the young woman hunched over. Mrs. Nakamura spoke to her granddaughter in Japanese, and her eyes lit up.
“It is time,” she announced. “We must leave now or I will be delivering a baby here on the grass.” The old lady cackled and clapped her hands together as Hisao ran off to get the car.
When they were gone, Benni glanced at me. Now or never, McKenna. Perfect sunset. Perfect mood. Perfect opportunity.
“Let’s sit for a while,” I said.
Benni shrugged. “I’m okay with that.”
The last flames of pink and red spread across the horizon. Now, McKenna. Now!
For a change, both Good and Bad McKenna agreed.
Benni squeezed my hand. “Are you ready to go back?”
“No.” I stood.
Benni shook her head and scrunched up her face. “You’re acting very strange.” She, too, stood.
I went down on one knee. Pulled the velour baggie from my pocket—and dropped it in the grass.
Benni knelt next to me. “What did you lose?”
I seized the baggie. No, no, no! It was empty. I combed the grass with my fingers. Benni followed my lead. I swallowed hard when she stopped and her fingers closed around a shiny object.
She looked at the ring, then me. “McKenna?”
I swallowed hard.
Her lips parted. “Oh.” She handed me the little band of gold, smiled, and sat back on the short wall.
Maui Magic Page 27