Mare's Nest

by Larry Darter

  "Yeah," Kamaka said, his eyes wide.

  "If you want to keep your nuts, Jimmy," I said, "don't try any stupid shit once I let you get up. If you do, I'll blow them off and possibly the thing they are attached to. Understand?"

  "Holy shit, you're a psycho," Kamaka said. "Okay yeah, I understand."

  "Awesome," I said. "You can get up now."

  Kamaka got to his feet. He looked a bit shaky.

  "Pick up the backpack, Jimmy," I said.

  Kamaka picked it up.

  "Now, we're going to walk out of here together without bringing any attention to ourselves," I said. "We're going to walk up the hill to the carpark and get into your car. Then you're going to drive me to where you went to in the helicopter with the money. I'm going to put the gun in my bag, so I don't scare anyone. But, remember, Jimmy. It will still be in my hand with my finger on the trigger. You do anything to annoy me, I'll shoot you in the leg first. Then when you go down, I'll shove the gun into your crotch and blow your little mates right off."

  "I'm not going to do anything," Kamaka said.

  "Sweet," I said. "Go. Start walking."

  I kept close to Kamaka as we walked towards the road leading up the hill. I guided him with whispered commands so that we gave the crowds of park visitors a wide berth. I didn't want him seized by any inspiration to try and attract attention by allowing him to get close to a crowd. If he had any such thoughts, he didn't reveal it. Kamaka walked straight to the road, up the hill, and out the exit to the carpark. He behaved himself, not giving me the slightest reason to shoot off his treasured bits.

  Kamaka led me to a faded green Toyota sedan with copious amounts of rust on the fenders. "This is my ride," Kamaka said.

  "Okay, unlock the passenger door, Jimmy," I said. "Then walk around and get in behind the wheel."

  Kamaka did as I told him. While he walked around the car, I opened the front passenger door but didn't get in. I waited to get in until he had opened his door and climbed in. He tucked the backpack into the space between the two front seats. I got in the car, with the gun back outside the beach bag and pointed at Kamaka. He started the car and backed out of the parking space. We drove out of the carpark and then south on Kalanianaole Highway toward Waikiki.

  Chapter 8

  "WHERE WE GOING, JIMMY?" I said.

  "Bellows Air Force Station," Kamaka said. "It's over on the east side of the island, on Waimanalo Bay."

  "A military installation?" I said.

  "Sort of," Jimmy said. "It was an airfield back in the day, but the Air Force deactivated it a long time ago. The runways are overgrown with grass now for the most part, but the Air Force still owns it. The jarheads from the Kaneohe Bay base use the beaches next to it for training sometimes."

  "Jarheads?" I said.

  "Yeah, you know the Marines," Kamaka said.

  "Why was a military installation chosen for this?" I said.

  "The military isn't using it for a couple of weeks," Kamaka said. "Adam, the dude who paid me to meet you and pick up the money, he knows this other dude in the Air Force Reserves who has keys to the place. Adam borrowed the keys for a few days while no one is using the place."

  "What's there?" I said.

  "A little air traffic control tower and a building they use for offices sometimes," Kamaka said.

  "And that's where Allison Shaw is?" I said.

  "Look, I told you I'm not involved in any of that," Kamaka said. "I don't know nothing about that girl you're talking about. I only know that's where Adam flew me in his helicopter."

  "How do you know this Adam?" I said.

  "We work together," Kamaka said. "He flies choppers for Oahu Air Tours, and I'm a mechanic there."

  "So, you're mates?" I said.

  "Mates?" Kamaka said. "You mean like friends?"

  "Yes, Jimmy," I said, "are you and Adam friends?"

  "No, not really," Kamaka said. "I mean we work at the same place and sometimes we have a few beers together after work. That’s about it."

  Things went quiet for a while. Then Kamaka spoke up again. "Adam isn't going to be expecting me back there," he said. "He'll be suspicious when we drive up."

  "Then we’ll stop close by and walk the rest of the way," I said.

  "Why can't I just drop you off there and leave?" Kamaka said. "You said you would let me go if I took you there."

  "Yes, I mean to do that," I said. "But, I'll need a ride back to Honolulu first after I finish my business with Adam."

  We rode the rest of the way in silence until Kamaka pulled off the motorway onto a narrow paved road. The road ran parallel to the motorway we had exited. "Almost there," Kamaka said. A few minutes later he slowed and pulled off onto the side of the road on the grass and stopped. He pointed to the left.

  "The tower and building are over that way on the other side of the trees," Kamaka said.

  "Sweet as, Jimmy," I said. "Switch the car off and hand me the keys."

  Kamaka frowned as he turned off the engine and handed me the car keys.

  "Now let's take a walk, lead the way," I said.

  We got out of the car. Kamaka and I walked towards the trees in the direction he had pointed earlier. After about a hundred meters I could see the tower he spoke of through the trees. As we neared the tree line on the opposite side, I saw the office building Kamaka had mentioned. The orange and black helicopter was sitting on the carpark between us and the tower.

  "Looks like Adam is still here," I said.

  "Yeah," Kamaka said. "I think he is staying here until he finishes the gig."

  A moment before we stepped out of the tree line, I heard three muffled gunshots in quick succession. We stopped walking. "What the hell?" Kamaka said.

  The door at the base of the tower burst open. A guy who looked to be mid-thirties, with longish straight blond hair burst through the door. He ran full tilt toward the helicopter. A young blonde woman appeared in the open doorway behind him. She held a large frame semi-automatic pistol. She aimed the pistol at the running guy and started blazing away.

  Since the guy was running toward us trying to reach the helicopter, the bullets were flying our way too. I instinctively dove to the ground behind a tree trunk. I could hear the bullets whizzing by overhead. I turned to see if Kamaka had taken cover. He was on the ground too, but on his back. The grass beneath his head was already turning red. I raised up a little to get a better look. For fuck’s sake. As luck would have it, Kamaka had caught a stray round. He had a bullet wound almost dead center in the forehead. No point in crawling over to check for a pulse. Kamaka had carked it.

  The helicopter engine was turning up. I looked back in that direction, and the rotors were spinning. The craft lifted off and gained altitude rapidly. The woman stopped shooting. She turned and ran back inside the control tower.

  I stood up, and with care peered around the tree. I still had the Colt in my hand. A second before I started to take a step towards the control tower, the woman appeared again in the open doorway. She was carrying the blue backpack with the Hibiscus flowers on it. She ran to a small tan Ford sports utility vehicle parked near the tower. She opened the door, flung the backpack inside, and got in. She started the engine. I hadn't seen the car until the helicopter took off because the craft had blocked it from view. The vehicle accelerated out of the carpark with tires squealing.

  I had to get back to Kamaka's car and started running back through the trees to the road where we had left it. When I got to the edge of the trees, I saw a flash of tan as the sports utility vehicle sped past on the access road. I jumped in Kamaka's car, started it, and then made a turnabout. I accelerated after the fleeing Ford. I couldn't be certain because of the distance, but I thought the woman I'd seen looked a lot like the photo of Allison Shaw.

  Once I turned onto the motorway from the access road, I caught sight of the sports utility vehicle. It was a good bit ahead of me. I pushed the accelerator to the floor but wasn't gaining much ground on the Ford. If anything it w
as pulling further away. Then the orange and black helicopter passed over skimming the motorway. It overtook and passed the tan Ford vehicle in a flash. Once it had passed over the vehicle, it banked and made a sweeping turn. Skimming low over the surface of the motorway, the helicopter flew right at the tan Ford. Common sense told me the pilot wouldn't crash the helicopter into a speeding car. With a load of very flammable aviation petrol, that would mean certain death. But the woman driving the Ford seemed to believe that was what was about to happen. She swerved to avoid what she seemed to believe was an imminent collision. She lost control, and the SUV skidded off the roadway. The Ford struck a barrier meant to prevent vehicles from going over a steep cliff into the sea. I reached the crash site moments later and stopped Kamaka's car on the side of the road. I could see the Ford teetering on the edge of the cliff. It had broken through two heavy steel cables and sheered off a couple of thick wooden posts. Smoke was billowing from the engine compartment. It appeared the vehicle was going to burst into flames if it didn't slide over the edge of the cliff into the sea first.

  Before I reached the Ford, the driver side door popped open, and the woman staggered out. She started running along the side of the motorway with the blue backpack on her right shoulder. By some miracle, she seemed to have survived the crash without major injuries. As I ran after her, I heard the helicopter approaching from behind me. It was still just off the ground, and I had to dive to the ground to avoid being struck by a skid as it roared over me. The woman was running hard. But, there was no way she was going to outrun a helicopter. That didn't prevent her from trying.

  I got to my feet and watched helplessly as the helicopter caught up with the woman. She went flying when one of the skids struck her in the back. I started running toward her.

  When I reached her, she was lying face down. I saw a large, bloody gash on the back of her head. I started to bend down and check for a pulse when I heard the beat of the rotors from the helicopter coming at us again. I dropped to a knee beside the woman. While the short barreled Colt revolver was not meant as an anti-aircraft weapon, it was all I had. I sighted on the windscreen of the fast approaching helicopter. I could see the pilot behind it. I squeezed the trigger, emptying the pistol as fast as I could. I didn't know whether I'd hit the pilot, but I had seen bullet holes appear in the windscreen. The machine started to climb rapidly. It screamed overhead. I turned and watched the craft to see if it was going to turn back for another pass. If I hadn't managed to hit the pilot, it seemed I'd got close enough to discourage him. The helicopter continued gaining altitude and flying away. I watched until it was a small dot in the sky and the beat of the rotors had faded away.

  I crawled to the woman and touched her neck, looking for a pulse. It was weak, but I found one, and she was breathing. It seemed the impact from the helicopter skid had only knocked her unconscious. Several cars had stopped on the side of the road and people were running up to us.

  "Call for an ambulance," I shouted.

  The woman moaned and started to come around. She opened her eyes and looked at me. It was Allison Shaw. "Lie still, Allison," I said. "The authorities have been called, and an ambulance is on the way."

  "No," Allison said, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She tried to get to her feet. I reached out to restrain her.

  "Don't get up," I said. "You've been hurt, seriously perhaps."

  Allison pushed me away and staggered to her feet. "I need to get away from here," she said.

  I stood up and tried to grab her by the arm. She pushed me away again and pulled the semi-automatic pistol I'd seen earlier from beneath her shirt. She pointed at me. "You don't understand," she said. "I have to get away from here. Do you have a car?"

  "Allison put down the gun," I said. I took a step toward her.

  "Don't come near me," Allison said. "I'll shoot. Now tell me which car is yours and give me the keys."

  I continued walking toward her. Her hand was shaking badly. "Give me the gun, Allison," I said. "It's all over. You're safe now. Just give me the gun."

  Allison kept the gun trained on me, but she didn't shoot. When I was close enough, I reached out and took hold of the gun. When I did, she relaxed her grip, and I took it from her. Her eyes filled with tears. "Take it," she said. "It's empty anyway."

  I reached out and took her in my arms. Allison buried her face in my chest and started to sob.

  "Please Ms. O’Sullivan," Allison said. "Please drive me away from here. I have money. I have lots of money. I’ll pay you whatever you want. Help me get away from here please."

  That's odd, how does she know my name? "You're safe now, Allison," I said. We need to wait for the ambulance. You're injured, and you may need to go to the hospital.

  "No, no, no...," Allison said, without raising her head. "I have to get away. Please help me."

  I heard sirens approaching. A few minutes later, a Honolulu police cruiser, a fire truck, and an ambulance arrived. A couple of medical technicians put Allison on a stretcher. They applied a neck collar, and then took her to the ambulance and loaded her in the back. A couple of police officers were attempting to get the traffic moving again on the motorway. Firefighters were busy hosing down the smoking Ford. It was still perched on the cliff edge.

  Taking advantage of the chaos, I knelt beside the backpack where Allison had dropped it. I unzipped it and found all three packages of money stuffed inside. I stuck my Colt and the semi-automatic I had taken from Allison inside the backpack and zipped it up. Trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, I walked back to Kamaka’s car. I inserted the key and opened the boot. I tossed the backpack inside. After closing the boot, I walked towards the ambulance. I had to find out where they were taking Allison.

  Two more Honolulu police vehicles had arrived at the scene. A blue-uniformed male officer intercepted me on the way to the ambulance.

  "Excuse me, ma'am," the officer said. "Did you see the accident?"

  "No, officer," I said. "I came upon it while driving on the motorway and saw the car had gone through the barrier."

  "So, you didn't see what caused the crash?" the officer said.

  "No, I didn't," I said. "I only stopped to see if I could help. It seemed the car was about to catch fire or go over the cliff."

  "Are you a resident of Hawaii?" the officer said.

  "No, I'm a tourist," I said. "I'm from New Zealand, actually. I'm here on holiday." I didn't fancy lying to the police, but I couldn't tell them the truth about the circumstances. That would have made things a bit awkward for me.

  "I guess I don't need your information if you didn't see what caused the crash," the officer said. "But, thanks for your cooperation."

  "No worries," I said. "I just want to pop over to the ambulance and see how the young woman is doing, then I’ll be on my way."

  The officer nodded and headed over to the crowd of passersby that had gathered. I hoped that none of them had arrived in time to see the drama with the helicopter. I intended to be quick about finding out where the ambulance attendants were taking Allison. Then I planned to make myself scarce.

  Arriving at the back of the ambulance, I peered inside the open backdoors. A female EMT glanced up from examining Allison.

  "Is she all right?" I said.

  "Who are you?" the EMT said.

  "A passerby, I stopped to help," I said. "I saw blood on her head and can't help feeling concern for her."

  "She is stable at the moment," the EMT said. "We'll take care of her."

  "May I ask where you are taking her?" I said. "I'd like to ring them later to check on her condition."

  "We're taking her to Queen’s Medical Center," the EMT said. "But, they won't tell you anything since you're not a relative."

  "Oh, right," I said. "Thank you."

  I turned and walked back past the crowd of onlookers to Kamaka's car. I needed to get back to Waikiki and to contact Douglas Shaw to tell him about his daughter. I also needed to get rid of Kamaka's car before someone discove
red his body. Being caught driving the car of a murder victim would be beyond awkward.

  Chapter 9

  IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON when I arrived back in Waikiki. First I wanted to get rid of Kamaka's car. I'd seen an advert for a car hire agency located in the parking garage at a hotel on Kalakaua Avenue. I drove there and found a self-parking garage across the street from the hotel on the left side of Uluniu Avenue. I drove to the second level and found a corner space. I used the sarong from my beach bag to do a quick wipe down of the front interior of the car to remove my fingerprints. I expected the garage staff would have the car towed as soon as they realized it didn't belong to a hotel guest.

  I got out of the car, careful not to touch anything with my bare hands. I left the key in the ignition after wiping it too. Grabbing the bags off the seat, I flipped the boot release, wiped the door handle after closing the car door, and then went round to the boot. I raised the lid and removed the larger backpack, then shut it and wiped it down with the sarong. Satisfied I hadn't left any prints on the car, I found the stairs and walked down to the street level. After exiting the parking garage, I made my way on Kalakaua Avenue toward the Sheraton. I walked instead of taking a taxi. I didn't want to risk a taxi driver who might remember me and be able to place me in the area where I'd abandoned Kamaka's car. I was happy that it was only a short walk. I was keen to get back to my own hotel so that I could shower and have a rest before dinner. It had been a trying day. I also had to call Douglas Shaw with the news about his daughter before any of that.

  I arrived at the Sheraton only to find Shaw's limo parked in the drive. Ken, his driver, was leaning on the front fender smoking a ciggy. I couldn't see his eyes behind the sunnies he was wearing, but I could feel him watching my every step. I made my way to the hotel entrance. Once inside the lobby I removed my own sunnies and looked about for Shaw but didn't see him anywhere in the lobby. I thought he might be waiting in the bar, but decided to go on up to my room and to ring him from there. I decided reporting in by phone was best as I wasn't keen to spend time with Shaw in person.