by Larry Darter
"Oh I see, you're still a little grumpy from the jet lag," Jackie said. "Must be because you didn't get much sleep last night, with Mike being there and all."
"No, I'm not grumpy, thanks," I said. "Here's an idea. Why don't you find a guy to shag, then you won't feel the need to live a vicarious sex life asking about mine."
"Ouch," Jackie said. "That was cruel."
I immediately felt a pang of regret for the remark. I knew Jackie was still trying to get over her last relationship. The relationship hadn't ended well when Jackie discovered by accident the guy was married and had been hiding that important detail from her while they were seeing each other.
"Yep, you're right," I said. "Sorry, mate. Maybe I am feeling grumpy. I have a lot on my mind I'm trying to sort at the moment."
"Like what?"
"I'm not ready to talk about it, actually," I said. "But, I appreciate you asking. Thanks for that."
Outside the metal-sided hangar that served as Jackie's office, and mine, since we'd gone partners, I could hear the whine of engines as small planes took off and landed out on the runway. I’d come into some money from my first case in Honolulu. Discovering that Jackie’s business was struggling a bit when we became friends I had invested money in her business to help her out. So, we were both mates and business partners.
"Hm, if I didn't know better, I'd suspect things between you and Mike were a little off," Jackie said. "I thought you liked the guy a lot."
"I liked, I mean to say, I like Mike, very much," I said. "It's just that something from the past has percolated to the surface again, and I'm struggling a bit."
"Something from the past?" Jackie said. "Or did you mean to say, someone from the past, someone by the name of Malone."
"All right, if you must know, it is my feelings for Malone I'm struggling with," I said. "For fuck's sake, I thought I was over that. Then last week, it snagged me again like getting caught in a rip current. And since it has, I'm having doubts about my relationship with Mike."
"It's only been six months since you left L.A. and Malone," Jackie said. "I think it's normal you haven't gotten over him yet. But, I'd think long and hard about walking away from your relationship with Mike. Just based on what you've said, Malone isn't an option for you, and maybe won't ever be. At least from what I've seen, Mike is a great guy."
"Yep, Mike is a great guy," I said. "That's part of the problem. Having these feelings for Malone resurface has me feeling so guilty. It's so unfair to Mike. He deserves better."
"It's not like you're cheating on him," Jackie said. "You can't help what you feel."
"I know, I know, but these feelings I have for Malone are a big part of why I can't commit to a relationship with Mike, not in the way he deserves."
"Still, I wouldn't do anything rash, like telling Mike about all this," Jackie said. "You know how ego-driven guys are. I think it would totally ruin things between you."
"Yep, something else for me to feel guilt and self-loathing over, keeping secrets from Mike."
"You know something?" Jackie said. "I could have used a few more days of vacation in Hong Kong. I wasn't ready to come home and jump back into the grind. Let's take a real vacation together."
"Like where?" I said.
"I don't know, anywhere, anywhere away from Hawaii," Jackie said. "Maybe the mainland, maybe take a cruise, maybe even go to Europe."
"And the purpose of that would be?"
"To give you a chance to work through all this, without the pressure of your day-to-day relationship with Mike. We could see the sights, do a little partying, maybe meet some guys."
"Meet some guys?" I said. "Meeting another guy at the moment is just about the last thing I can imagine needing."
"No, I don't mean meet a guy in the sense of a potential relationship, I mean meeting some guys for a little no-strings-attached fun, if you get my drift."
"Ahkay, sure, I get it," I said. "But, I don't think the no-strings-attached fun would help me sort my shit either. It would just be one more complication, one more thing to feel guilty about."
"It's just a suggestion," Jackie said. "I think this Malone thing will pass. Mike is a cute guy. I'd hate to see you throw that all away unless you decide for sure you don't want a long-term relationship with him."
"Yeah, all good, but let's talk about something other than my romance woes," I said. "Talking about it only makes me feel more depressed."
"Okay," Jackie said. "Got any new cases on the horizon?"
"Not at the moment," I said. "Still haven't closed the Madison Edwards case yet though. Madison is due to arrive in Honolulu today and said she would ring me when she checked into her hotel. I'm meant to accompany her to the police station to claim her jewelry. But, she hasn't called yet."
"So, once Madison gets the jewelry back, the case is over?" Jackie said.
"Yep," I said.
"We still on for the girls' night out this weekend?" Jackie said.
"Yep, sure," I said. "It will keep me out of Mike's clutches for an evening."
"Jeez, T.J., it sounds like things have really soured for you."
"Just be happy you don't have a man in your life at the moment," I said. "Enjoy it while you can."
"Pfft, like I will meet anyone," Jackie said. "I don't go out enough. It seems I'm always too tired after work. So, I go home, put on my yoga pants, plop down on the couch in front of Netflix, and pig out on junk food."
"To be fair, it sounds like your life is way worse than mine," I said, laughing.
"Yeah, well, there is no need to rub it in," Jackie said. The upturned corners of her mouth were a giveaway. Jackie wasn't cross over the remark. She was struggling not to laugh too.
My phone rang. I picked it up off the desk and looked at the screen. It was Madison calling, so I answered. Madison said she was ready to go claim her jewelry. She said she planned on flying back to L.A. the following day. I told her I'd meet her at her hotel, and we'd take a taxi together to the police station. Then we disconnected.
"That was Madison," I said to Jackie. "I have to go to the police station with her to claim the jewelry."
"Okay," Jackie said. "I've got some paperwork to do, then I'm heading home. See you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be in," I said. "Who knows, I might get a call from a potential client. You have anything on for tomorrow?"
"I've got a passenger ferry to Maui first thing tomorrow morning," Jackie said. "But, I'll be here all afternoon."
"All right," I said. "See you soon."
"See you," Jackie said.
After getting on my motorbike, I left for Waikiki to meet Madison. On the ride over, all I could think about was what Jackie and I had talked about. It was bloody depressing. Seemed I'd caught my own case of the Honolulu blues.
There were no complications involved in claiming Madison's jewelry from the police. The whole thing took less than an hour. Back at her hotel, I walked with her to the lobby.
"How much do I owe you?" Madison said.
"I haven't tallied the expenses yet," I said. "There was the round-trip airfare to Hong Kong, a hotel bill, and a few long-distance calls. I'll post a statement to you. The retainer you paid covered the fees."
"If you're sure," Madison said. "If you have the time to add it all up before tomorrow, I'd be happy to pay you before I leave."
"No, that's unnecessary," I said.
Madison reached into her handbag and pulled out an envelope. "Well, you can take this now. It's a cashier's check for the ten thousand-dollar bonus I promised."
"Oh no, Maddie," I said. "I told you a bonus wasn't necessary. I'm happy we were able to recover your jewelry, that's bonus enough."
"No, a deal is a deal," Madison said. "I insist." She pressed the envelope into my hand.
"All right, Maddie," I said. "In that case, don't expect a statement in the post."
"You should be reimbursed for your expenses," Madison said.
"No, it's all good. The expenses didn't amount to much,
and this generous bonus takes care of that and more."
"Well, thank you, T.J.," Madison said. "You did a wonderful job. I never doubted for a moment that you would get my jewelry back. And when I get home, I'm going to call that nice Mr. Malone and tell him how pleased I was with your work."
"You're too kind, Maddie," I said. "Thanks, so much."
"Then, I suppose this is goodbye," Madison said. "Not sure when I'll get back to Honolulu, but if you're ever in L.A., do give me a call."
"Sure will," I said. "Have a pleasant flight back to L.A., Maddie." Madison reached out and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. Then she turned and walked toward the lifts. I went outside, got on my motorbike, and rode to my flat. Case closed.
18
With the Madison Edwards case behind me and nothing new at the moment, the next morning I went for a surf. Grabbing my board, I headed to Fort DeRussy Beach Park. It wasn't North Shore, the place I enjoyed surfing the most, but you could catch some decent waves sometimes. Best of all, it was only a short walk from my flat.
Passing Embassy Suites on Beach Walk, I noticed the same black sports utility vehicle with limo tinted windows crawl down Beach Walk past me for the third time. I'd noticed it the second time it passed, but it could have been a tourist looking for parking. Seeing it again a third time felt a bit sus. The vehicle stopped in the traffic lane about forty meters ahead of me. A wiry Asian guy wearing all black bounded out of the passenger door and stepped up on the footpath. He pretended to look into the window of a shop. I leaned my board against the side of the building I was standing in front of, to free my hands. When I turned back towards the guy ahead, I caught in my peripheral vision a second bloke climbing out of the back seat of the SUV. He was wearing the same black clothing and was about the same height as his mate, but a little thicker.
It was common sense to take on the guy just getting out of the vehicle first. He was the nearest threat. The other guy would need a few seconds to close the forty meters that separated us. I met the thicker guy just as he stepped up on the footpath. Even though I couldn't see his eyes because of his sunnies, his body language betrayed his surprise I was coming toward him rather than moving away. His right hand went toward his waist at the back.
I didn't wait to see what kind of weapon he was grabbing for. Instead, I punched him in the throat with a closed right fist, putting every bit of my weight and momentum behind the punch. The bones in the human face can damage the hand. It’s always better to aim a punch at the softer tissues of the neck when you can. The guy forgot for a moment what he had been reaching for. He brought both hands up to ward off a follow-up blow. Instead of another punch, I brought the heel of my right foot down hard inside his right leg at the knee. That yielded the popping sound of tendon separating from the bone. I loaded up my right side and hit the guy on the left side of the head with an elbow. That staggered him, but he didn't go down. So, I hit him again. Same elbow, same side of the head. Game over. He went down sideways like a tree felled by an ax, his legs still on the footpath, and his head and upper body in the street.
The second guy was almost on the ball. He got his right hand on the back of my neck, then his left on top of my left shoulder. But I spun away to the right on the balls of my feet. He had been coming on fast. His momentum carried him past me a step or two before he could check his forward momentum and turn back toward me. I was already on him by the time he turned. Grabbing two fists full of his shirt, I head-butted him square in the face. Letting go of the shirt and taking a step back, I spun again and leg-whipped him below the knees with my right shin, taking his legs out from under him. He went down like the ground had opened beneath him. But, he was quick. He was already pushing his body up off the pavement when I kicked him in the side of the head with my right heel.
Sensing movement, I wheeled to face the street in time to see a third guy coming around the back of the SUV with a knife in his hand. Just then, a blur streaking right to left along the side of the vehicle intercepted the third guy, just as he rounded the back of the SUV. A big fist connected with the left side of the guy's head. The knife hit the street and bounced before skittering to rest against the curb. Less than a second later the third gangster hit the pavement, out cold.
Kevin Laanui, Greg Yu's friend, the man behind the punch, looked at me with a toothy grin.
"You okay?" he said.
"All good. Did Greg send you to protect me again?"
"Nope, I was passing by," Kevin said.
The wiry guy on the pavement stirred. Kevin walked over and kicked him in the head, and he went quiet. Traffic had stacked up behind the SUV blocking the street. Sirens blaring in the distance were getting closer.
"Grab your board and come on," Kevin said. "I left my truck parked on Kalia. It will be a mess when HPD gets here. Better if we go on about our business."
"Works for me," I said, retrieving my board from where I'd left it propped against the building.
We walked towards Kalia, the direction I had been going to start with. When we rounded the corner, I saw Kevin's beat-up yellow ute.
"Throw your board in the back and jump in," Kevin said.
I loaded the board and then opened the passenger door and got in. Kevin was already behind the wheel, and the ute was idling. He put it in gear and we lurched away from the curb into traffic. He turned right on Saratoga.
"So, mate, you only happened by?" I said.
"To tell the truth, I was sitting at the Starbucks on the other side of Kalia waiting for you to walk past," Kevin said.
"How did you know I would walk past?"
"I went to your apartment. While I was banging on your front door, a neighbor looked out. She told me she had seen you walking towards the beach with your surfboard. So, I assumed you were on the way to Fort DeRussy. Beach Walk was the most direct route from your place, so I expected you would pass by."
"Why were you at my flat?"
"Yu said you were back in town, and I have information to pass on," Kevin said.
"What information?"
"Word on the street in Chinatown is that some Triad muscle is in town from Hong Kong looking for you."
"What? Why?"
"Looking for some payback would be my guess," Kevin said.
"That's all over with," I said.
"Evidently, the Triads aren't over it yet," Kevin said. "You shamed them, T.J., and that's a big deal to Chinese people. They aren't just going to swallow that and go on their way."
"Bloody hell," I said.
"You can say that again, sister," Kevin said. "We need to let Yu, and what's his name, your boyfriend, know what's going on. We have to get HPD involved so you can get out in front of this."
"Yeah, nah, Kevin. We aren't getting the police involved. It's my mess. I'll sort it."
"That's not smart," Kevin said. "Here you were out on the streets unarmed while a bunch of gangsters was looking for you. I think you need the help."
"Let's be fair, Kevin. It's a bit difficult to conceal a weapon wearing togs, don't you think," I said.
Kevin looked over at me. "Yeah, when your togs look like those."
"Bloody hell, you sound like my dad. We aren't having that discussion, Kevin. You will only wind me up."
"Just saying," Kevin said. "Okay, you don't want to go to HPD with this, what are you going to do?"
"If they want a fight, then I'll bloody well take the fight to them," I said. "Now, if you don't mind, drive me to my flat."
"That's where we're going," Kevin said. "But you can't stay there."
"What? Why the fuck not?"
"I didn't know where you lived until this morning," Kevin said. "Sure, I'm a retired cop, but it wasn't hard finding out where you live. The Triads will find out too, and it will be the first place they go looking for you."
"Oi, I'm not hiding from the bloody rat bastards," I said.
"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it makes little sense to make yourself an easy target."
"I suppos
e I could stay at Mike's, but I'd rather not," I said.
"Then stay at my place," Kevin said.
"Your place?"
"Yeah, I have a house west of Honolulu, over by Kahe Point Beach Park," Kevin said.
"That might sort it," I said. "That's close to my office."
"Then it's settled," Kevin said. "We can go by your place. You can pack a bag and drop off your board. And we can load your bike and haul it over to my place."
"You sure you're up for it?"
"Yeah, no problem. I've got three bedrooms, and it's just me. There is plenty of room for a houseguest."
"Right, guess that's it then," I said. "Thanks for that, Kevin."
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to tell you," Kevin said.
"What?"
"Bernie Clements is back in town too. The Triads brought him with them from Hong Kong."
"No bloody way," I said. "My contact in Hong Kong said the Triads killed him."
"Well, if they did, like Lazarus, Clements has come forth from the tomb," Kevin said. "But, word is, he’s missing his right hand these days."
"Why would the Triads bring him back here?" I said. "It's not like they’re mates anymore."
"My guess is they brought him to help get their jewelry back."
"It was never their jewelry," I said. "Clements nicked it. My client has it back now, and she’s flying back to L. A. this afternoon."
"Then you’d better call your client when we get to your place to warn her to watch her ass until she gets on that plane. I doubt that the Triads intend for her to get off the island with that jewelry."
"Bloody hell, they had Clements, I'm sure they already got their money back from him," I said.
"T.J., you aren't getting this whole being Asian and losing face thing," Kevin said. "Hell yeah, I'm sure they got their money back, and they whacked Clements' right hand off with a meat cleaver, anyway. But, they still want that jewelry back to restore their honor. Sure, they are criminals, but they have to think of their reputation. They can't afford to let anyone get away with what Clements did, or you did. It makes them look weak."
"Well, for this bit, maybe I should call Yu and see if he can organize police protection for Madison Edwards until she gets on the plane to L.A.."