Motive

by Dustin Stevens

  Gone was any of the jovial warmth he had exhibited in their last encounter, replaced with a heavy seriousness that permeated his features. Dressed in slacks and a dark aloha shirt, he seemed a far cry from the carefree man running the pineapple warehouse just days before.

  Stepping to the side, Sam motioned for Kimo to take the chair he had just been seated in, pulling out the one adjacent to it. In unison they both lowered themselves into them, neither looking directly at the other. Behind them was nothing but empty space, in front of them the entirety of the room, still occupied by just a few staff getting ready for the night ahead.

  “Thanks for coming so early,” Sam said, his voice low.

  “You don’t have to thank me, Sam. You’re doing me the favor, remember?” Kimo replied, keeping his voice low, his gaze aimed at the opposite corner. Through the doorway he could see the two girls bandying about as they finished getting things ready, the guards still remaining frozen in place behind them.

  “Yeah,” Sam said, nodding. “Something like that.”

  “That bad?” Kimo asked, chancing a quick glance to the side.

  Sam blew out a long sigh, shaking his head. Kimo could feel him trying to find the words, the uncertainty rolling off of him.

  “Yesterday I was able to sit down with Dany for a few minutes over at GB and asked him about what you’d said.”

  Silence fell as another pair of musicians entered and made their way towards the stage, a man and woman laughing amidst an animated discussion. Both attired in black, they carried water glasses in their hands, interacting in a way that fell somewhere between friendship and flirting.

  “And?” Kimo prompted, moving his attention away from the pair, watching for any other interlopers that might venture too close. “He said it’s true?”

  “No.”

  Kimo pursed his lips out in front of him, surprised by the response. Given Sam’s demeanor he was expecting the worst. Chancing a quick glance to the side, he asked, “He said it’s not true?”

  Another sigh escaped Sam, his features grave. “No.”

  While the answer was a surprise, it explained Sam’s attitude. “You didn’t find out if it was true, but found enough to know it could be,” Kimo said, his voice almost a whisper, free of any inflection.

  He had known enough men like Sam over the years to know that while this wasn’t as bad as finding out a cover-up was going, not knowing for sure was a close second. Having served on the security detail for so long, the uncertainty of it would gnaw at him until an answer was uncovered. Until then, he would attempt to find a way to blame himself for it, perhaps even use it as a way to tarnish his own legacy in his mind.

  Hellacious story or not, Kimo was almost sorry he’d asked Sam for his help. Just days ago his friend had been enjoying his life working with the Takamini’s. Now he was here, stress etched across his features, fighting with inner torment.

  “Is that why you’re working tonight?” Kimo asked, his gaze still aimed forward.

  “Not exactly,” Sam said. “Last night I got a call from Dany saying they could use some extra guys. He said it was completely my choice, but after he had made a point to talk to me I didn’t feel like I could say no.”

  Kimo nodded, knowing the feeling. Once this was over he would be indebted in the same way to Sam, owing him a lot more than a few hours of work out on the plantation. He knew full well the comment was made by Sam as a joke, but he would be sure to repay him as asked and then some.

  Especially given what he was about to tell him.

  There was no easy way to approach the information he had, and no way he could in good conscience refrain from sharing it. The first time Mary-Ann Harris had called, the information was after the fact. There was no need to involve the police because they were already on notice of what had happened. This time was different. This time was preemptive, a head’s up that something was about to go down.

  If he didn’t go straight to the authorities, he at least needed to let the men tasked with security for the evening know. Whatever they did with it beyond that was on them.

  Drawing in a sharp breath, Kimo glanced back over his shoulder, careful no kitchen staff were close by, before shoving it out. “I got another call from Mary-Ann Harris this afternoon.”

  For the first time since they’d sat down, Sam shifted his attention from the room to Kimo. He twisted his upper body towards him, hooking a hand on the back of his chair, the fabric of his clothes groaning from the pressure the large man’s body exerted on it. “Mary-Ann Harris? About?”

  Just like that, the Sam from three years before was back. No longer was he the jovial pal that spent his days overseeing the plantation, shedding the persona like a garment to reveal his true nature lying just beneath the surface. He was in complete protection mode, his senses on high alert, entire body poised for action.

  Fishing his phone from his pocket, Kimo booted up the recording of the conversation. He thought of letting it play on speakerphone before thinking better of it and handing the implement across, the device looking tiny in Sam’s hand.

  The large man listened intently to every word, the phone pressed against his ear, his face void of emotion. When it was over he passed the phone back to Kimo, his fingers drumming against the table. His gaze darted from corner to corner, checking everything, his teeth sliding out over his bottom lip and beginning to gnaw on it.

  “Do you think they’ll be dumb enough to try something here?” Kimo asked. “Or do you think they’re going to try and do something the governor can’t cover up?”

  “I don’t know,” Sam said, his left leg beginning to bob up and down, uncertain energy pulsating from his body. After another moment of scanning he fixed his gaze on Kimo, his stare intense. “You’re going to stick around, right?”

  The look set Kimo back an inch, his eyebrows rising on his forehead. Many times before he had witnessed Sam on the job, but never had that tenacity been pointed in his direction. Even now he knew he wasn’t the recipient of any ire, but the concentrated power of the man’s stare was enough to make him uneasy.

  “Yeah, I’ll be here,” Kimo said, his voice sounding a bit shakier than anticipated. “What do you need?”

  Hearing the words he wanted, Sam went straight on the move, rising from his seat. “I need to go have a few conversations. And I might need to let some people hear that phone call.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The front gate to the house was already open as Danilo approached, his truck easing to a stop alongside the call box just long enough for the camera to get a look at his face before pushing inside. It was the first time he had ever arrived to see the front lane left open, somebody within the walls anticipating a few arrivals and saving the time being the only explanation.

  Most nights he wouldn’t bother to stop and offer even the perfunctory check-in if he didn’t have to, but seeing as how Zall himself was also expected soon, he knew the guards would be extra trigger happy. The impending arrival should have been enough to have the place locked down tight, but the hired hands were the kind that would be more worried about delaying the boss a few extra seconds than potentially letting anybody that might be tailing them slide inside.

  Had any of the men been hired by Danilo himself, the repercussions would have been swift and harsh. Such a careless misstep could expose everybody involved, something that could be ill afforded, not with the potential end so close.

  As they were hired by Zall to be nothing more than common street level stooges though, he let it go. Whatever his opinions of their shortcomings might be, it wasn’t his place to second guess the boss, especially in front of others.

  Besides, the most likely outcome was that it wouldn’t matter anyway. His recent tasks had given him a heightened sense of awareness, one that had not yet proved necessary. If Zall had figured the appearance of muscle was more important than competence, he was probably correct.

  The mere thought of such a small misstep derailing things though was o
ne Danilo would rather not dwell on.

  A single tap to the gas pedal sent a jolt of adrenaline through the engine, a low rumble emitted as it rolled down the driveway and came to a stop. Already parked ahead of him was the Lincoln Navigator he knew Zall to employ when he wanted to feign invisibility. Its polished black exterior gleamed in the moonlight as it sat silent, a stream of water dripping from the air conditioner beneath the front engine.

  A moment of uncertainty passed through Danilo as he checked the clock on the dash, ensuring he was still several minutes early, despite being the last to arrive. Leaving his keys in the ignition he hopped out and made his way towards the house, moving fast, still no sign of security about.

  Entering through the front door, he found the entire staff of the grounds already assembled in the living room, over a half-dozen people in total. Three of them sat shoulder to shoulder on the sofa, all dressed in black, all looking supremely uncomfortable. Another trio stood behind them, arms folded over their chests, gazes directed towards the floor.

  By Danilo’s count, the men were a pretty accurate cross-section of the demographics of Oahu. On either end of the couch were men of Chinese descent, a Korean splitting the space between them. Behind them stood a single Caucasian male, flanked by a pair of Polynesians, both much thicker than their counterparts.

  At a glance they all appeared to be in their late twenties, skin smooth, full heads of hair for all.

  Facing them on the opposite side of the space was a pair of arm chairs. Occupying the left side was Dr. Saiki, the first time Danilo had ever witnessed him being outside of the laboratory. His posture showed that he was just as awkward in a real life setting as Danilo imagined he might be, his skinny frame twisted up to the side, one leg crossed over the other. He still wore his long white lab coat, the material enveloping his body, though he had stripped away the goggles and gloves for the occasion. Without them his features seemed much less pronounced, his pale skin becoming the first thing noticed.

  The final seat in the room was taken by Zall, the polar opposite of Saiki in every way. He looked completely at ease as he sat staring back at Danilo, his elbow propped on an arm of the chair, a finger resting alongside his face. His right ankle was curled up and resting on his left thigh, doing nothing to distort the five thousand dollar suit he wore. Royal blue in color with a matching pinstripe, it was belied by a white silk shirt and a gold tie, a Windsor knot at the top, a pocket square beside it.

  A tiny hint of a smile played at his features as he looked at Danilo, his eyebrows tracking up a bit in expectation. “I trust it is done?”

  No formal greeting, no acknowledgment of the newest member of the party to the others, just a straight ahead assessment of where things stood.

  It was one of the things Danilo had always liked best about working for the man.

  “It is done,” Danilo said, lowering the crown of his head an inch and stepping closer. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts and stood at the midway point of the room, bisecting the space, bridging the gap between the two mismatched sides.

  His positioning was not by accident, knowing full well it allowed every person present to look square at him as he answered Zall’s questions. What he had done tonight was nothing short of impressive and even if he couldn’t receive the public adulation such a feat deserved, he could at least enjoy a few moments in front of this motley crew.

  The men were all new hires, but Danilo’s interaction with them thus far had showed they knew enough to defer to him. In the off chance that was ever questioned, this was his moment to reassert dominance above all others. Despite whatever he might lack in stature or in growing a bit longer in the tooth, he was still the alpha of the organization.

  Sensing that very thing, Zall paused a moment, allowing the assembled guards to marvel at Danilo, before pushing ahead. “Excellent work, Danilo. Truly splendid.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Danilo said, again dipping the top of his head in acceptance, looking back at Zall, but knowing the others were all staring his way.

  Shifting his attention from Danilo to the men across from him, Zall changed the tenor of his voice, moving from one of praise, adding a bit of flint to enforce the gravity of what he was saying. “As of this moment, our goal shifts. No longer are we on the offensive. Everything we set out to do has been done. From here on, this puts even more emphasis on the role you play. We must maintain the strictest of secrecy and be watchful at all times of anybody that might show up.”

  A few of the men shifted in their seats, an air of discomfort rising from the group. Watching their reaction, Danilo again felt little confidence in their abilities, glad they were relegated to the Hawaii Kai house and not the main residence. If given the go ahead he could have the entire bunch dispatched before morning, replaced with better versions by the next night.

  “For the next week or two I would like all shifts doubled in staff,” Zall continued. “Will that be a problem?”

  A moment of exchanged glances passed before the man standing in the right corner, the smaller of the two islanders, shook his head. Danilo knew him to be the leader of the makeshift crew, no matter how tenuous such a position was. He had a round, bulbous face and a pig nose, his hair spiked high and cemented into place with a healthy amount of gel.

  “No, sir. No problem.”

  “Good,” Zall said, the look on his face relaying the same thoughts Danilo had had since entering. He glanced over each of them once more before waving a hand in their direction, dismissing them from the room. “That is all for you gentlemen. Thank you for being here tonight.”

  Again the men seemed to glance amongst each other, none of them moving, a few murmurs passing between them.

  “I said that is all,” Zall repeated, his voice rising. “If you don’t mind, I would like to have a word with Dr. Saiki and Mr. Cruz. In private.”

  The last two were added as a definitive statement for everyone to clear the room and not be caught lurking around afterwards. The tone resembled iron as he said it, his face hardening much the same.

  It took a moment for the words to register before the leader stepped towards the door, motioning the others to join him. In order they stood and filed out like ducklings following their mother, a few casting sideways glances to Danilo as they went, nobody saying anything.

  Lined up one after another, Danilo couldn’t help but notice again how youthful each one appeared. Not a single one had any visible lines or scars on their faces, badges that Danilo himself wore with honor. Their inexperience clinging to them like a scent, a look of disgust crossed over his face as they departed, twisting himself at the waist to watch them go, making no effort to hide his thoughts.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Zall said, drawing Danilo back to face forward. Gone was any form of cordiality he displayed a moment before as he extended a hand towards the newly vacated couch. “Please, sit.”

  The same reproachful look still on Danilo’s face, he moved to the far end of the couch and settled onto it, sitting directly across from Zall. The seat cushion gave just a fraction of an inch as Danilo rested himself on it, the rough material scraping against his exposed calves.

  “They are, of course, nothing more than window dressing,” Zall said, motioning towards the door with the top of his head. “A first line of defense to keep people from reaching the basement.”

  Danilo nodded in understanding. There was nothing on the entire main floor of the house beyond some staged furniture, not a shred of anything that could be used against them or held in evidence. Everything of consequence was buried below ground, maintained by a steel door that would withstand a cannon blast once engaged, a full self-destruct in place if ever needed. It was a system he and Zall had designed in tandem, assembling it piece by piece, as if an army might one way day come poking into their affairs.

  “So, everything went well tonight?” Zall asked, moving on from the ineptitude of the guards and heading towards the reason the three men were assembled now.


  “Yes,” Danilo said, nodding for emphasis. “Dr. Saiki was presented with what he needed and the rest was deposited as you requested.”

  Zall glanced over to Saiki, who sat staring at the empty space on the couch to Danilo’s left, and back again. “And once there, no problems I suspect?”

  “None at all,” Danilo said. “You made it almost too easy for me. Thank you,” he added on to the end, making sure his employer knew the effort was appreciated.

  “No, thank you,” Zall said, the fact that he was pleased with the report stretched across his features. The corners of his mouth were turned upward and his eyebrows rose a little higher, the closest he ever came to an outright display of pleasure. Without changing his posture in the chair he shifted to look at Saiki and asked, “And you, Doctor? I take it everything you need is now in order?”

  Snapping himself back to attention, Saiki brought his hands together and rubbed them together vigorously, almost salivating as a smile crept across his face. “Oh, yes. This newest specimen was just perfect. Mr. Cruz really outdid himself, providing us more than everything we need.”

  The left eyebrow of Zall arched high as he stared across at Saiki, his body otherwise remaining impassive. “Does this mean we are still on schedule?”

  “I believe it does,” Saiki said, lowering his head in a combination bow-nod. “By tomorrow evening, we should have a first attempt ready to go.”

  Once more the hint of a smile pulled at Zall’s mouth as he processed the information. He looked at Saiki a long moment before shifting his attention back to Danilo, his head from the neck up still the only part of him to move.

  “You heard what I said to the guards earlier, correct?”

  “Yes,” Danilo responded.

  “That same directive goes for you,” Zall said. “You have done exemplary work, but now that Dr. Saiki has almost completed our task, it is time to lay low for a while.”

  A small shred of resentment arose within Danilo as he kept his face even, staring back at Zall. He had done exemplary work. With its nearing completion he knew that another shift in his duties was on the horizon, but this was a far cry from what he expected. “You want me to stay here with the guards and protect this house?”