Sins of the Mother

by B K Johnson

  Tommy promised to take good care of his car, and gave him a chaste and sweet kiss on the cheek, thanking him for being her knight in shining shorts. He laughed and pulled her to him, hugging her fiercely. “See you back here at 9 p.m., no later, ok? And then we’ll see about shucking these shorts and beknighting you once again, ok?” She shooed him out of the house, and went to dress before placing the promised call to Loke.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Loke was beside herself with excitement. She’d waited for Tommy’s call before she headed for home. It was most important to her that she get Tommy to agree to meet her in Kaneohe. She knew a little Japanese restaurant there called Reiko’s, and she loved to frequent the teahouse. It had the same name as the heroine in the Laura Joh Rowland’s series, and whenever Loke visited there, she pretended she was in Japan in that ancient era. She could see herself using a sword and dagger, and dispatching anyone who accosted her.

  If she was brutally honest with herself, she knew the psychiatrists who had treated her over the years were right. She was a sociopath. She’d been labeled with this diagnosis from early childhood. Loke had trouble identifying with anyone else’s pain or suffering. She wasn’t exactly a narcissist looking out to satisfy her own needs, although that diagnosis could be used as well. Loke would just cut a swath through other kids at school, heedless of them. She had not been liked by her peers, and it was one of the main reasons she loved to travel with the hula halau. The only persona she allowed anyone to see then was the gorgeous, confident entertainer.

  When she danced, Loke was the center of attention. Everyone agreed that she was beautiful in her hula skirt and coconut bra, with her velvety mocha skin and long black hair. At a young age her breasts had plumped and her hips swayed with the natural rhythm of the seas. She didn’t have to try to respond to the drums. She was at one with them.

  Loke became the star of Leleo’s halau by the time she was 11. He always put her center stage, satisfying her ego. It was the one thing she was gifted at, and school became a thing of the past. The hardest part for Loke was the few times Leleo had asked her to be part of an ensemble. She hated it, and let him know it in no uncertain terms. Rather than curbing her surliness, he gave in to it, just like her mother and sisters had. Her temper was so fierce that her entire family was afraid of her. Maile was the only one other than Leleo who was able to withstand her anger. Maile simply catered to Loke’s needs, which resolved whatever pressing issue was at hand. Leleo took Loke’s emotions and channeled them into the dances, but he in no way curbed them.

  Her favorite, and the one that brought audiences around the world to their feet, was when she became Pele, the goddess of all volcanic action, which formed the Hawaiian islands. Pele was known to be volatile and mercurial. Loke considered Pele her alter ego, and justified all of her antisocial acts as a perfectly acceptable way for a Goddess such as herself to weed out lesser beings. Not survival of the fittest, but a kingdom only Pele or one of her chosen ones could rule.

  Getting rid of minor impediments, like another dancer who challenged her position in the halau, began early. At 13, Loke had first killed a young woman named Mariel, who was only two years older than Loke. She had drowned her in the ocean off of Kailua. She had felt no guilt, and told no one about her own culpability. She merely swam back to the beach, and raced to the lifeguard, yelling that her friend had gotten in trouble in the water and she couldn’t find her. The lifeguard located the young woman, brought her to shore, and attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But Mariel was dead. And no longer a threat to Loke’s career.

  At 15 she killed a boy who had tried to get too fresh. They’d been necking at Ala Moana Park after dark. He put his hand up her skirt, and squeezed, hurting her. Without thinking, she grabbed a rock and smashed him in the head with it, repeatedly. She got up, wiped herself off, and took the rock with her on the bus all the way home. She threw it in the ocean there, and washed her clothes and hair. When the news of the boy’s death was broadcast, Maile questioned, “Wasn’t that the boy you’d been seeing, Loke?”

  Loke responded, “I saw him for a little while but got sick of his bullshit. I grew tired of him, and I have no idea whom he’s been dating lately,” she lied. Loke’s name never came up in the investigation, and indeed, the Honolulu Police Dept. thought he’d been killed by a man because the attack was so vicious and bloody.

  Loke never admitted any of the killings of her youth, or those that she felt necessary prior to Kekoa’s death. The diagnosis given by the numerous shrinks she had seen before, and after, was based on their interviews of her, psychological testing, and other observations, in and out of hospital settings. All of her family members had been questioned, as were Leleo and the members of the halau. While all of these efforts had been made to cure her, they just pissed Loke off. Maile alone really seemed to understand that Loke didn’t have a choice. It was in her makeup, and they had to deal with it without judging her. None of them knew she’d murdered, or they would have had her institutionalized for good. Suspicions are not the same as knowledge.

  Now, preparing to meet Gillian Tomahawk O’Malley, Loke was firmly set in her path. She even enjoyed setting the stage. Tommy was the last chain in the link, and Kekoa would now be able to rest easy. Or so Pele had promised Loke. She was completely under a spell – the spell of vengeance. And the final act would release Loke’s demons, and give her peace. So Tommy was just another impediment in her way, but one she was most anxious to dispose of.

  Tommy had no difficulty finding the little teahouse in Kaneohe, and remarked to no one in particular what a lovely restaurant it was. She arrived at 7:00 p.m., a full half an hour before Loke specified. Tommy always believed in reconnoitering a place, regardless of whom she happened to be meeting. She’d learned the hard way that preparedness could save a life. She parked the convertible, and checked out the parking lot first. Then she walked around the block and returned to Reiko’s, loving the peaceful sound of the tinkling bell as she opened the door. “Maybe that is a good sign,” she thought, anxious to locate and save Dave.

  Tommy was dressed very simply in a lime green sheath. She’d been thrilled to leave the Jefferson mansion slipping her feet into little matching flip-flops, and not even having to take a sweater. The balmy weather was such a respite from chilly San Francisco. It warmed her soul and comforted her, helping to assure herself that Dave would be located soon, and be saved.

  Every eye in the teahouse turned to look at her when she entered. Most of the customers were Japanese, and therefore somewhat shorter than the average American. Tommy’s height alone was enough to raise eyebrows. And then that red hair and fair skin. She removed her sunglasses when she sat down, and scanned the room. One of the men at a table across from her gasped aloud when he saw the brilliant green eyes focus on him. He relaxed somewhat when she smiled his way, but had a hard time tearing his gaze from her.

  Comfortably ensconced at a back table against the wall and facing the door. Tommy took out Rod’s extra cell phone he’d loaned her, and called his home number. She left him a message that she was at Reiko’s and expected Loke to arrive any time now. She again promised him she’d bring his car back by 9:00 p.m. and not to worry. Putting the phone back into her small lime green clutch, she ordered a cup of green tea and some teacakes. It had been hard for her to accept the use of the cell phone, but Rod complied with Tommy’s request and gave her a phone without GPS while also changing the ring tone to a chime.

  She was just finishing the last of the three teacakes when she heard the tinkling sound again, and looked up. Tommy was absolutely certain that the small, beautiful Asian standing at the door was Loke. She watched her hauntingly thread her way through the tables straight to her without a moment’s hesitation, her short black hair bouncing against her shoulders. For two women who’d never met each other, they were each familiar with the other’s attributes. Tommy was a little surprised Loke’s hair was short, and not long, straight and silky like Dave had descri
bed. Nevertheless, Tommy was reassured this was Loke and stood to shake hands. Instead, Loke planted a sweet, shy kiss on Tommy’s cheek when she reached her table.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I came early and grabbed a snack, Loke,” Tommy greeted her. “I was so hungry after that long flight. Airplane food, you know. Simply not satisfying.”

  “Oh, heavens no,” agreed Loke, in spite of the fact that she was castigating herself for not realizing Tommy would, of course, have been early. She hadn’t wanted the guests of the teahouse to have enough time to familiarize themselves with Tommy’s striking looks. Or with her own distinctive beauty. Loke glanced carefully around the tables, keeping her bangs slightly hanging down over her eyes, just to see how many people were frequenting Reiko’s tonight. Only a handful of people, she thought, who may remember the gorgeous redhead. Loke, however, could just be considered another forgettable but beautiful Asian in this crowd.

  “ I admit I’m surprised you have short hair, Loke,” Tommy observed. Dave went on and on about your shiny black hair falling below your buttocks!” With this, Tommy laughed to try to recover from the unease she was beginning to feel around this woman.

  “Oh, I had to cut it shorter, as I am getting older and was advised that long hair only emphasized whatever wrinkles a woman one began to develop. Dave was unhappy about it at first, but he protested that he loved me for all of me, not just my hair.” What Loke failed to disclose was that she had been forced to cut her hair shorter in order to further a disguise. There had been too many reports of a Polynesian woman with long black hair having killed Larry Young, and who may have been the one to kidnap Dave Lee. The curled up braid just didn’t seem safe enough, so Loke reluctantly but determinedly used the scissors herself on her crowning glory.

  For the next half hour Loke regaled Tommy with tales of her burgeoning romance with Dave. Tommy started to become exasperated, just wanting to Loke to cut to the chase and tell her what happened last and if Loke had any idea who might wish Dave harm. Loke privately relished this exchange, and finally told Tommy of her most recent date with Dave at her home.

  “I must admit he is quite a lover. He left me more than sexually satisfied and a bit sleepy, but I had no idea he wouldn’t make it home, as the police seem to believe. He had his cell phone, but didn’t call me like he promised to when he reached home. I would have invited him to stay the night if I thought there was any problem.”

  Tommy shared the fact that Dave had called her but been interrupted, and that he was obviously in pain and had been kidnapped. Loke swore, “I know of no one who would have any reason to hold him hostage, or who would hurt him. He’s the kindest man, and can’t have any enemies. Why don’t you accompany me to my home, and see if you can find any clue Dave might have left that would help in the investigation? I’ve saved all of his phone messages and maybe you’ll hear something I haven’t, since you know Dave so well.”

  Tommy replied, “I only have a limited amount of time until I’m to meet with my friend Rod to see what he’s been able to find out. But if your home is close, I can give it a try, especially since it appears you are the last one to have seen or heard from him.”

  Loke assured Tommy that her Kailua home was only a few miles away. “It is a bit difficult to locate because of the many turns, however, so I can drive you in my car.”

  Tommy debated leaving Rod’s convertible at the restaurant, and didn’t want to chance having it stolen. However, this was Hawaii and it was in a gated and patrolled lot, so Tommy decided to leave the convertible there. She put up the top, locked the vehicle and left a message for Rod with the cell phone he’d given her that she’d made contact with Loke. She jokingly said, “If I’m not back by 9:00, at least you’ll be able to find your ride at the teahouse.”

  She innocently slid in the passenger seat next to Loke, who was in the driver’s seat already. Loke looked quickly to her left, checking for traffic, but glanced at Tommy. Something slithered up Tommy’s spine when she caught the brief, strange look in Loke’s eyes. It was only momentary, and then Loke pulled out into traffic and kept her gaze on the road.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Loke seemed really nervous to Tommy. There was something else about Loke that was triggering little synapses of electrical surges through Tommy’s body. She usually only felt these twinges when she was in danger. Tommy trusted Dave’s judgment implicitly and she had heard nothing but wonderful things from him about his latest love. But there was something vaguely familiar and unsettling about this woman. And in the throes of lust, Dave may not have exercised his best judgment.

  Thinking that Loke was just as upset about Dave as she was, she gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided to try to warm up Dave’s fiancée. She began to engage her in conversation. “I know from Dave that you met in his Women and the Law class, Loke, so I am presuming that you’ve known each other only a few months. Is that about right?

  “Oh, yes, and up until last week it has been the most exciting time of my life. Dave has been so very good to me, and we have had a whirlwind romance. He is my every dream come true. My head was still spinning with joy when he asked me to marry him a few days ago. And then to have him disappear like this. I am out of my mind with worry.”

  Loke shared this information with Tommy like she was an old and valued friend, not like someone she had just met. Normally, this would have put anyone else at ease, and made them relax in a newfound relationship. With Tommy, however, the opposite was true. She herself took time making good friends, having learned the hard way that too few of them stuck with you through thick and thin, especially if you were accused unfairly of having killed your own child. Her relationships with Dave, Trish and Nadine were the few that became even stronger, since they were the only ones who stood steadfastly beside her and knew without a doubt that she would never have harmed her infant daughter. Now, whenever anyone else exhibited a quick desire to become a friend, she questioned the sincerity of the offer.

  Loke shared intimate details of her affair with Dave, without any qualms. It struck a wrong note with Tommy. In her years on Oahu, through law school and then in return trips to visit with Dave or be on vacation, she had never known any Polynesian woman who shared sexual encounters with a stranger, especially a haole. Or tried so forcefully to befriend her. Tommy didn’t think this was solely due to her own Caucasian and first people heritage, or her strikingly different beauty in this land of gorgeous suntanned women. But she had learned that most Asian women were much more reserved than this loquacious female.

  Again, however, Tommy chose to attribute Loke’s forwardness as one more sign of anxiety. She ignored the clanging bells of forewarning, and continued to question Loke about Dave and their last evening together. Loke told Tommy about how much effort she had taken to prepare the sumptuous meal she and Dave had shared, and the bottle of wine he’d brought that they’d drunk together.

  Loke was an observant woman. While she drove from Kaneohe toward Kailua, she continued to watch Tommy out of the corner of her eye. She could see instantly that Tommy had taken a dislike to her, and was weighing everything she said. Loke had been trained as a dancer as well as an entertainer, and she was adept at evaluating her audience, even if it was only one woman. It was a skill that had allowed her to get close to most of the victims whose lives she had taken. None of them suspected her intentions, except for her own sister, Maile.

  Correctly gauging that Tommy wasn’t buying her offer of instant intimacy, Loke abruptly changed her approach. “I feel like I have known you already,” she assuaged. “Dave told me how very much you mean to him, and he was most anxious that we meet and approve of one another. He told me it was very important to him that we become friends, so that he would be able to keep you close even after he and I were married. He didn’t want me to feel threatened by you, I think, and so he told me that you had never had a sexual affair with him. Is that true?”

  “Good Lord, yes,” responded Tommy, disturbed that this subje
ct had ever been addressed. “Dave and I have been best friends for 14 years. We just seemed to take it for granted that neither of us was attracted to each other physically, and it was implicit that we valued our relationship far too much to cheapen it by grunting and sweating through a few moments of sexual gratification.” Tommy stopped short, shocked that she had so quickly summed up her deep friendship with Dave and shared it with Loke after only having known her for an hour.

  “Please forgive me for asking, Tommy, but I had to know for sure. You see, I was married once before and my husband was a philanderer who took anyone he met to bed. I did not want to repeat that mistake. I wanted to believe Dave, but since his feelings for you seemed so very strong, I wasn’t sure he had been completely honest with me. Thank you for trusting me enough to talk about it.” With this simple and seemingly straightforward apology, Loke once more put Tommy at ease.

  “Loke, I really have to know what you think has happened to Dave.” Tommy felt an urgency now to change the subject. “Nothing like this has ever happened before, and his parents have no idea who would want to abduct him. Although they are quite well off, no ransom note has been received. And Dave is in his 30’s now, quite secure financially in his own right. No report has been made of the use of his credit cards, or ATM, or anything, in fact, but his cell phone. What do you know?”

  “All I can really tell you is that we were followed, as I mentioned before. I thought at first that it might be my ex-husband, who had been quite jealous,” Loke prevaricated. “But then I noticed this other woman in class who just looked daggers at me, so I figured maybe she was an ex-lover of Dave’s and she was mad at me. I thought I saw her behind the wheel of a Volkswagen that parked on the other side of my house right after Dave arrived. I gave all this information to the Honolulu Police Department, but they haven’t let me know anything. They say I am not “an interested party”, but just the last known person to have seen Dave. Can you find out anything from them?” Loke rushed through this entire sequence, stopping for breath only once when she braked for a red light.