by Frankie Bow
“Too late.” She shook her wrist to clear a tangle of gold and jade bracelets out of the way, and checked her slender watch. “Even if he left now, he wouldn’t get here till after ten. Probably for the best. Eh, Molly, you no like the food?”
Mercedes gestured at the Spam musubi congealing on my plate.
The Spam musubi, Hawaii’s favorite snack and Merrie Musubis’ signature dish, is a cube of sticky rice topped with a slice of fried Spam, and then wrapped in a strip of dried seaweed. From a distance, musubis look a lot like oversized pieces of sushi. Up close, they’re delicious.
Unfortunately, my appetite had been damped by the stench of our ancient air conditioning mixed with the greasy breakfast smells and cloying plumeria scent. Also, I’m a little self-conscious about stuffing my face in front of attractive strangers.
“Of course I like the food.” I stole a sidelong glance at the nice-smelling man, and wondered if I could pocket the musubi without anyone noticing. I could eat it later, in my office. “It’s just, I’m not usually up to breakfast this early.”
That was a dumb thing to say. This town still runs on plantation time, and no one around here thinks nine in the morning is early. The Farmers’ Market opens before sunrise, or so I hear.
The handsome man closed his manila folder and tucked it into the briefcase next to his chair.
“Good idea to have Jimmy Tanaka’s restaurant cater the breakfast,” he said, with an easy smile. Who was he? He seemed to know Mercedes, which wasn’t any help. Mercedes knows everyone.
“I do like Merrie Musubis,” I said.
“Really?” The man eyed my untouched plate.
“Oh sure! I think their food is actually pretty decent. Especially compared to most of what you find around—”
“Oh, Molly!” Mercedes interrupted me. “Speaking of food! When are you going to invite Donnie to come talk to your class about the restaurant business?”
Donnie! Now I remembered who he was. I was sitting next to Donnie Gonsalves, owner of Donnie’s Drive-Inns, Home of the Lolo Lunch Plate, and the Sumo Saimin Bowl. Merrie Musubis’ main competitor.
“Oh!” I squeaked, “That’s a great idea! You know my students really—”
“Shh!” Mercedes waved her hand to quiet me. “Here’s your dean. He’s gonna say something now.”
FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for taking the time to read The Case of the Defunct Adjunct. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
Mahalo,
Frankie
Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, a loving family, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining. In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Credits
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
About the Author