“When we left, Lara was released from the hospital to Stella’s custody,” Storm said. “Ryan went to see her this morning.”
“And?” Suzuki asked.
“The wedding has been postponed. They’re reevaluating the relationship.”
“No kidding.” Suzuki looked thoughtful. “It was nice of him to go see her.”
“Yeah, especially after her involvement with that Ken character,” Hamlin said.
“You’re jumping to conclusions.” Storm frowned at him. “Ryan could have told her earlier about Paradise Consortium’s ownership.”
“No way,” said Suzuki.
“What makes you say that?” Storm asked.
“He couldn’t. He had to keep it under wraps.”
She eyed Suzuki. “How do you know?”
Suzuki shrugged and drank some wine.
Storm softened. “At least he’s giving Lara a chance. Stella told me he brought her flowers.”
“Stella’s a romantic.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
Hamlin broke up the sparring. “In his letter to Ryan, Tagama reassured him that he had faith in the afterlife. He knew his negative karma would keep him from Nirvana this go-round, and hoped his son found comfort in Tagama’s belief that he would join Yasuko and begin his atonement for past mistakes. He also mentioned that Obake had an iron-clad alibi for Yasuko’s death, and the police didn’t have enough to prove Steven Kuko did it.”
“Tagama also told Ryan that Obake had found out he was working with the Feds,” Storm added. “Tagama was worried about Ryan’s and Lara’s welfare if he didn’t act to end things.”
Suzuki shook his head from side to side. “Noble, but tough.”
“Ryan is probably the most innocent of the bunch,” Hamlin said.
“Wait,” Storm said. “Stella and Keiko had nothing to do with Lara’s plan.”
“That’s true. But they knew Obake and what he could do. They knew at least two women who’d died in his operation.”
“Stella helped Keiko escape. Both of them have struggled to rebuild their lives,” Storm said. “Which reminds me, they’ve hired an attorney and applied for custody of Carmen.”
“Five people died, right?” Mark asked. “Obake, Yasuko, Steve Kudo, the other Yakuza guy, and Tagama.”
“Six. The guy who died in the bombing,” Hamlin said.
“That’s right, Tom Peters, the liquor commissioner,” Storm said.
“Have you heard anything about him?” Suzuki asked with a sly smile.
Storm and Hamlin stared at him, and he continued after a weighted pause. “Peters had heard rumors about certain Lahaina bars, and he knew someone on his staff was overlooking gross legal abuses.”
Storm narrowed her eyes. “How do you know this?”
Suzuki ignored her question. “On Monday, Peters announced to Wayne Harding that he’d be attending the meeting in Harding’s place,” Suzuki said. “Big mistake.”
Storm sat back with amazement. “Harding warned Obake.”
Hamlin spoke up. “Peters was the target? How did they convince him to stick around for the bomb to blow up?”
“Harding was supposed to bring him some tapes. Peters followed the rest of the people to the parking lot, and waited there. Harding, naturally, was late and the bomb went off. It was planted in the shrubbery in front of Peters’ car.”
“How’d they know he’d park in the right place?”
“Obake and his men made sure it was the closest free space, right next to the entrance.”
“I saw the result of the blast,” Storm said. “The whole side of the restaurant was gone.”
“Billy Coswell set the bomb?” Hamlin asked.
“Looks like it,” Suzuki said.
“And he was hired to kidnap us?” Storm asked.
“Obake thought you might have a copy of the sales contract for Lara’s Makena place. The contract with the rightful owner, that is.”
“Was Ken in on the kidnapping? And how about Lara?”
“Lara didn’t know that you three were on the Quest until she heard pounding on the cabin door,” Suzuki said. “From what we can tell, Ken was pressured into helping Billy, and he bought into the story that you were being held for your own safety and would be released as soon as Lara signed the falsified contract.”
“Hold it,” Storm said. “Who’s we? Who are you working with, Mark?”
“Me? I have a consulting firm.” Mark lifted his glass for a delicate sip. “Nice wine, Hamlin. Is this the ’02 or the ’03 Pinot Grigio?”
“Yeah, yeah. Advanced Medical Systems. Come on, Suzuki.”
The wait staff arrived with their orders. Storm couldn’t believe it; Suzuki must have control over waiter intervention, too. She watched him inhale the aroma from an enormous red lobster on the platter before him. The monster hung off both sides. A cute waitress brought a pot of melted butter and set it next to him. His wide face looked beatific in the candlelight.
She decided to relent for a while and enjoy her onaga. Hamlin looked delighted with his filet. They ate and avoided the Maui topic by telling amusing work stories and poking fun at government incompetents. An endless supply of those, they all agreed.
Storm put down her fork for a rest. “Okay, you’re not going to reveal your contacts. Or colleagues,” she added with a raised eyebrow, and watched Suzuki for a reaction. He attacked a giant claw with a nutcracker.
“Just tell me this,” she pleaded. “Remember when I called you from the restaurant?”
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it!” He looked to Hamlin for corroboration. “She calls me from a bar. Here we are, extra careful that Obake can’t track our calls—and there she is, outside the restrooms where these guys are trying to pick her up.”
“Please. They were blind drunk. And ugly. Did I mention they were ugly?”
“I should try that sometime,” Suzuki said. “Hanging around the women’s room, I mean,” he added quickly.
“They didn’t have any luck.”
“True,” Suzuki conceded.
“So what did you tell that sleaze ball?” Storm demanded. “You know, to get rid of him.”
Suzuki extracted a plug of white flesh from the claw and lowered it into the butter. Three times. He raised the dripping morsel to his open mouth.
“Suzuki?”
“I told him you were a secret agent with a license to kill.”
Hamlin made a honking noise and raised his napkin to cover a huge grin. Storm glared at him. He was bright red.
Mark’s mouth twitched. “Come on, I missed out on all the fun.”
“Fun?” She squinted at him.
“Not fun?” he asked, suddenly serious. For a very large man in a big red bib and crooked spectacles, he could have a lot of dignity. It showed up more times than others, and was in full force at that moment.
“No, not fun,” she said. “Those were dangerous men, and I was scared witless. There were also innocent people in trouble.”
Mark’s black eyes appraised her, while Hamlin’s had a new glow.
Suzuki raised his wine glass. “My dear friend, you have grown into an amazing woman.”
“Suzuki, you’re not playing fair.”
“I can’t. And you don’t want me to.” Despite the grease on his chin, Suzuki’s face took on a solemn sincerity. “Please, Storm. This is an outstanding dinner. It’s a pleasure to spend the evening with you both.”
When the waiter brought the check, he took it straight to Suzuki.
Storm reached out. “Mark, this is my treat. I promised. I’d be in the trunk of one of Obake’s cars if it weren’t for you and Hamlin.”
“I doubt it.” Suzuki looked pleased with himself. “It’s my gift to the two of you.” He winked. “Teamwork rules.”
The waiter appeared and whisked away the leather envelope with the check and Suzuki’s credit card.
It was time t
o be gracious. “Thank you, Mark.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, and sighed with contentment. “I have an ulterior motive.”
“Oh, no.” Storm groaned.
“Will you call me again for help? Life would be dull without you.”
Storm sputtered on her wine. “Suzuki, you’re a nut case.”
“Could be, but I’m a useful one.”
“I’ll call you,” Storm said.
“I will, too,” Hamlin said. “It was an illuminating evening, Mark. Thank you.”
On the way to the parking lot, Storm and Hamlin walked hand in hand. Their heels tapped the pavement together, the only sound in the dark street. She broke their comfortable silence. “Hamlin, did I ever tell you about this land my dad left me?” she asked.
“No, show it to me?”
“Yes, I’d like to.”
Glossary of Hawaiian Words
A bit of history: Until the arrival of the missionaries around 1820, the Hawaiian language was completely oral. The Christian visitors began to record the language and teach the Hawaiian natives to read and write.
There are 12 Roman letters in the Hawaiian alphabet, plus two diacritical marks, the kahakō, which is a line over a vowel, and the ‘okina, which looks like a backwards apostrophe and signals a glottal stop. Because a word with an ‘okina can have an entirely different meaning than the same spelling without it, the ‘okina is considered a letter.
If you spend some time in the islands, you’ll quickly pick up these terms. I’ve tried to use them so you can deduce the meaning from the context, but if you have any doubts or want further explanation, here are translations of commonly used words. Pidgin isn’t Hawaiian; it’s a combination of languages. When you’re pau, you’ll be ready for your next visit to the islands. A hui hou aku!
A hui hou aku—goodbye, or until we meet again
‘aumakua—a family totem, deified ancestors who assume the shape of plants or animals and helped the living
Auwē—Expression of alarm. Alas, a wail to bemoan something.
hala—the Pandanus tree, whose leaves are woven into mats, satchels, hats, and other useful items
kahuna lā‘au lapa‘au—experts who heal with medicines made from native plants
kekeface—local pidgin slang for someone with bad acne, literally zit face
kukae—pidgin for excrement, or shit
kolohe—mischievous, naughty, full of fun
manō—general term for a shark
manō hae—fierce shark or fighter
mauka—toward the mountains
omiyage—traditionally Japanese souvenirs, but now used to mean gifts that people take when they’re visiting friends or business colleagues
onaga—ruby or red snapper, a delicious fish, also ula‘ula
opihi—limpet, a shellfish that clings to surf-tossed rocks. Also known as death-fish, because many lives have been lost in harvesting it
pau—finished, over, done with
pua‘a—pig
puka—hole, opening, door
tita—local term for a tough woman
wahine—a woman, also wife
wiliwili—a Hawaiian leguminous tree, with short thick trunk, found on dry plains and lava flows
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