by Kay Hadashi
“I okay, Momma. Jus’ a ghost trip me.”
“A ghost?” Josh asked.
The girl nodded, her pigtails bouncing. “Lady ghost.”
“Is this a new game I haven’t heard about?” Josh asked.
“Not that I know of.”
Not far from their restaurant was the hair salon Melanie normally patronized but hadn’t in several months. Another superstition, she tried to avoid the place since becoming pregnant. It was where Thérèse had been born in unusual circumstances, and even though she denied it to her husband, she was superstitious about it. When the door opened and her friend Lailanie came out, she couldn’t avoid her. The two families had dinner together only the week before, but that wouldn’t have satisfied Lailanie’s insatiable appetite for gossip.
“Hey, lady. We haven’t seen you here in a while.”
“Just trying to avoid a repeat of last time she was pregnant,” Josh said, tugging at Melanie’s hand to keep going.
“Are you going to the county council meeting tonight? I have a couple things I’d like to bring up.”
“Cancelled for this week, probably due to lack of interest,” Melanie said.
“Or they’re tired of bickering over nothing,” Josh added.
“Daddy, what’s bibbering?” Thérèse asked.
“Daddy’ll explain later.” Melanie touched her hair that was gathered in a short ponytail. “I’ve been too busy to come in, but soon, I promise.”
“Momma’s gonna have a baby,” Thérèse said.
“She sure is, and any minute, too!” the hairdresser said, laughing. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into something this evening?”
“After what happened last time she was in that condition?” asked Josh. “Are you nuts?”
Melanie and Lailanie both laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Thérèse asked.
“Nothing, little one,” Melanie said. She looked at Lailanie and almost wished she could risk going in, even if just for a luxurious shampoo and a long gossip session. She had an unexpected free evening and didn’t want to open the ‘care package’ that had been sent from Wyoming by Josh’s parents, or hear his explanations why all the stuff was so special. “Wish I could, but we have our usual dinner plans at our usual table in the usual restaurant.”
They watched a young couple dressed like wealthy tourists come out and walk away, hand in hand. When they were out of earshot, Lailanie said, “Oh, yeah. Got to keep an eye on the place, otherwise the help makes off with the profits.”
It was Josh’s turn to laugh. “There are profits?”
The hairdresser held Melanie behind while Josh and Thérèse went in the restaurant. “Just come by to chat for a while after dinner. It’s been dead quiet all day and I’m here till closing this evening. I could do something with your hair. I need some fresh chitchat anyway.”
The tic in Melanie’s eye hit for a moment. “As much as Josh is overly protective, I’m a little concerned about going in right now.”
“Yes, good ol’ superstitious Melanie Kato. If it’s any help, I’ll cross myself and say three Hail Marys before I start.”
“What did she want?” Josh asked suspiciously once they were seated at what had become their personal table whenever they went in.
Melanie hid behind her menu. “Just asking about the baby.”
“You’re not going in there, not right now. We got very lucky the last time. Let’s not press that luck, okay?”
“Lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice, Josh.”
“No, but tropical storms do. And one is due here next week, exactly on your due date.”
Melanie put down her menu. “Clear skies out there today. Anyway, I’m just going in for a while to keep Lai company until she closes this evening. It’ll be nice to talk about something besides hospital or pregnancy stuff.”
“Can I come?” Thérèse asked.
“It’s big girl stuff to talk about, Sweetie. But you and I get to spend a whole month together, starting tomorrow after I get home from work.”
“Yay!” The girl’s face curled into a frown. “How long is a monf?”
“Four weeks. Just you and me and Daddy, and pretty soon, a brand new baby.”
“Actually, I’ll be teaching five days a week this quarter. They just added another class to my schedule this year,” he said.
Melanie glared over the top of her menu. “I was hoping you’d have more time at home, not less, at least for this quarter.”
“We’ll have the nanny five days a week instead of just three. It’ll work.”
“Except we don’t have a new nanny yet. The other one quit because…” She looked at her daughter for a moment, innocently playing with her napkin. “…it got a little too weird.”
“If you ask me, the nanny was the weird one, not us.”
A plate of fresh vegetables was brought for Thérèse when Josh’s meal and Melanie’s salad were brought to the table. Just as she was fixing her salad the way she liked it, Melanie’s phone rang.
She had five ringtones altogether. One was for Josh, one for Trinh, one for the hospital, one for official mayoral duties, and one for everyone else. This one was from someone looking for Melanie Kato, Mayor of Maui County.
“Yes, sorry to disturb you, Doctor,” the man said with a heavy local accent. “My name is Keanu Kalemakani. I’m assisting in the police investigation concerning the stolen Hawaiian artifacts.”
“Hi, Keanu. What can I do for you?”
“It sounds like the county council meeting has been cancelled for this evening?”
“That’s the message I got earlier today, yes. Why?”
“Well, I think we might need to hold it anyway.”
There went her evening off. “For?”
“Like I said, I’ve been investigating the theft of stolen Hawaiian artifacts from the local museum. Something else was stolen from the library, and today one of the police crime techs found an online auction site that deals in historical artifacts. It appears those items are available for public bidding. This is something that needs to be discussed, and maybe a task force set up to prevent any further thefts or trafficking.”
The theft of Hawaiian historical items was a serious offense, a felony, as serious as the theft or removal of Native American Indian artifacts from tribal lands. There were few remaining artifacts to begin with, as the Hawaiians had been simple in tool making and had no real concept of private ownership. When the missionaries came to the islands, they often burned items they believed were used in religious ceremonies. What few things remained were considered treasures.
“I see. Yes, we should get something started. I’m eating my dinner right now, but I can be in Wailuku at seven o’clock, the usual time.”
“What?” Josh asked, after she ended the call.
“Council meeting is back on.” She called Trinh, her Vice Mayor, best friend, and next-door neighbor, to let her know the usual Thursday meeting would be held after all.
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? Harmon and I are doing last minute plans for the wedding, Mel.”
“I wish it could.” Melanie explained what the meeting was about.
Trinh had been making an even bigger deal out of this second wedding between her and Harmon than the first. Melanie suspected something else was going on right then, more like practicing for their honeymoon. “Sure. I’ll just have Harmon pick out the menu for the reception. And the flowers. Maybe he could sew my dress? Or better yet, send Josh over and they could work on this stuff together.”
“I thought you had all that done a month ago?” Melanie asked.
“We did, but the caterer went out of business and the seamstress retired. I told you all this. Don’t you remember?”
“Been a little forgetful lately. We can talk about the meal selections during the drive into town, and I’ll stay up with you later tonight to work on the dress.”
“When was the last time you sewed a dress? Mel, you’re a wonder at
sewing up aortas and hearts, but you suck at sewing clothes. Sorry.”
“Yeah, I kinda do. Okay, tomorrow I’ll find a new caterer and arrange all that, okay?”
“Hello? Earth to Space Cadet Melanie! I don’t need the caterer; I need the meal selections for the new caterer I’ve already found. But whatever. What time am I picking you up?”
“We’re at the Island Breeze and judging by the look on his face, Josh looks like he’d rather I leave right now.”
“I’ll come get you. Just make sure you use the bathroom before we leave. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone go to the bathroom as much as you do.”
After the call, Melanie called Lailanie, cancelling her appointment until another day. “What did you want to bring up?” Melanie asked.
“I want to talk about traffic. Maybe it’s time for some speed traps again, just like a few months ago.”
“But Lai, you got caught in one of those traps, remember?”
“Yeah, and it worked. I drive a lot slower now. The traffic along this side of the island is nuts, Melanie. Something needs to be done.”
“How late will you be?” Josh asked once Melanie put her phone away.
“Probably won’t be as long as usual, maybe just an hour. There’s no old business to discuss, just something new.”
“Which is?” he asked while walking her out to the parking lot to wait for Trinh.
“I don’t know much about it. It sounds like there’ve been some thefts of historical artifacts on Maui and they’re turning up in online auctions.”
“That’s too bad. I can see why the police want to discuss it.”
“The detective is part Hawaiian, about as much Hawaiian blood in him as you’ll find in anybody in the islands. He’s taking it personally, but I would too if someone was stealing part of my heritage and selling it to the highest bidder.”
When Trinh pulled up, Melanie struggled to bend down low enough to kiss her daughter. “Be a good girl, okay?”
“Mel, you look like you’re gonna explode,” Trinh said as she drove along the highway into Central Maui.
“I feel like it. I wasn’t so miserable with Tay, and I’m having trouble with my back.”
“Still? That’s been going on for a while. You stand all awkward in the OR,” Trinh said. She was an operating room nurse that often worked with Melanie.
“Sort of hard to reach the patient, and standing sideways makes me bend in odd positions for too long. That’s aggravating something in my back that needs to be left alone.”
Instead of discussing Trinh’s upcoming wedding, they talked about Melanie’s pregnancy, due date, and her plans for being induced when that day came.
“No surprises this time?” Trinh asked, just as she was pulling into the small parking lot behind the city hall and county building in town. “Takes come of the fun out of giving birth.”
“For once, a Kato woman is going to give birth in an organized manner, and not in some mad dash to the finish line.”
Trinh laughed. “As if that’s going to happen.”
During the meeting, Melanie, Trinh, and two other council members listened intently to Detective Nate Nakatani as he read from his notes, filling in for the other detective.
“From the museum, the feather kahili has been missing since two days ago, and two shark tooth battle axes were stolen last night. The library was the first place to be hit, losing the spear that has been in its glass case for so long. All said items are already receiving bids at an online auction site.”
“That spear had been there since I was a kid,” Melanie said. “They just broke the case? Did they take anything else?”
“Both times, they disabled the building alarm, jimmied the lock at the back door, and broke the case with a heavy implement, probably a baseball bat or tire iron. Took nothing else from either place. They knew what they were doing though, by disabling the alarm systems.”
“You said they’ve been found online?” Melanie asked. Her stomach was grumbling for food, not getting much of her salad earlier. She tried to drown it by swigging from a bottle of water. “We’re sure they’re the same items that were stolen?”
“Yes. Our crime techs were able to match official museum digital photos with what’s displayed at the website, finding several markers that indicate a perfect match.”
“We can’t just buy them and have them returned?” Trinh asked. “I know it only allows the crooks to profit, but those things belong here, not in someone’s home who will never appreciate them the way local Maui people do.”
“Actually, we discussed that, but the bids are already high, too high for us to compete with. It seems Hawaiian artifacts are hot stuff to collectors these days.”
“What site?” Melanie asked.
“ArtifactsEmpire dot com,” he said.
She jotted a few notes. “Okay, I heard something about a task force?”
“I’d like to bring someone over from Honolulu who’s experienced in this sort of thing. I hope you don’t mind, but I gave HPD a call earlier today and asked around. They have someone available,” Detective Nakatani said.
“Isn’t Honolulu Police Department where you got your start?” she asked.
“Yeah. Me and the missus decided to bring the kids here to raise. Only been here a few months.”
“Glad to have you. How long do you think your investigation will take?”
“Hopefully just a few days. Talking to that HPD detective, he can bring some fakes with him, something they used in a sting a while back when they heard rumors that the Bishop Museum might get broken into. That’s what I want to do, is set up a sting, by putting the fakes in display cases, aim a dozen hidden security cameras at them, and wait outside.”
“You think it’ll work?” Trinh asked. “They won’t have moved on to another island? How do we know they’ll hit the same place a second time?”
“That’s how a sting works, by setting it up to make it seem like easy pickings at the same place, too easy to pass up. But yes, eventually they’ll likely move on to a different island.”
“Do we have money in the budget for an extra officer?” Melanie asked. It didn’t really matter much, since she had a secret sugar daddy for budget overrides.
“For a few days. If it lasts longer than that, we’d have some serious shuffling to do. Even that leaves us one officer fewer to provide security the next time we have a major sporting event come to the island.”
“What’s your precinct commander think of the idea?”
Nakatani shifted his weight nervously. “I haven’t actually talked to him yet. I still don’t know my way around the precinct so well.”
“You want me to? I know him quite well.”
“I’ll talk to him first thing in the morning, but he might be calling you about the cost overruns,” he said.
“Actually, you know what? He probably wouldn’t mind getting a call tonight. He’s that way. But whatever happens, please give me an update every evening on the investigation. These artifacts are too important to Maui and to Hawaii to let go.”
When Nakatani sat down ending part of the meeting, Lailanie popped up like bread from a toaster.
“Mrs. Esposito, welcome back to the county council meeting. How may we help you?” Melanie asked her friend as formally as she could. She tried to smile but put more energy into tapping her pen on her legal pad.
“There are too many speeders on the highway from Central Maui to West Maui. I think we need more police along that road. More tickets would slow people down.”
“As we just discussed a moment ago, the department is already stretched thin,” Melanie said.
“If the police wrote enough tickets, wouldn’t that pay the salary of an extra officer to patrol along that road?”
Melanie could feel Trinh’s eyes burn into her, along with the other two council members. Even Nakatani looked up for her answer.
“The budget is an issue, but it’s also about finding qualified applicants to join the MP
D. I’d love to park a patrol officer at each end of the road and let them write tickets all day long, but we just don’t have enough officers. The council is always open to suggestions on how to attract more officers from neighboring islands, or even from the mainland, to live and work here. That’s what Detective Nakatani has done. Moved his family from Oahu to here. But if we take from them, that leaves a hole in their department. With increased crime and heavier traffic, we just can’t keep up. And with our high cost of living and low wages, it’s hard to attract people from the mainland. As it is, MPD is starting an important investigation with only two detectives, and one is on temporary loan from Honolulu. In fact, a few of the detectives are working overtime as patrol officers. I’m afraid if they put in too many hours, they risk exhaustion, which is never good in high stress occupations. But like I said, if the public has suggestions on how to attract and retain qualified police officers, we’d like to hear them.”
Nakatani seemed satisfied with Melanie’s response, even if it was canned.
“What can we do?” Lailanie asked.
“Drive safely.” Melanie looked around at the few people who had shown up for the weekly meeting. “Any other business?”
When she saw everybody looking at phones or picking at their nails, she adjourned the meeting.
Trinh scooped up her papers and tucked them away on her briefcase. Melanie did the same but was stuck in her chair, unable to push back from the table. That only allowed Lailanie a chance to come in for an attack.
“Lai, there really isn’t more I can tell you. If I had more officers, I’d put an extra one on patrol on the west side of the island, and another on the east, overlapping them in Central Maui. But MPD just doesn’t have the personnel for it.”
“It’s okay. I got the answer the first time. I was wondering if I should put you on my schedule for tomorrow?”
“Oh, yeah, in the afternoon, I guess. I’ll call at noon tomorrow to let you know a good time.”
Lailanie looked at Trinh in the way she had that didn’t allow someone to escape easily. “What about you, Trinh? Am I doing your hair for the wedding?”
Melanie looked at her friend for the answer, also curious. Trinh had had good luck and some bad in Lailanie’s salon over the years.