Maui Magic

by Terry Ambrose

  Chance rushed to my side and grabbed my arm. “McKenna? You really want to leave?”

  “Sometimes you have to give up on a case. You’ll learn that.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Chance shook his head. “You were a skip tracer, McKenna. How many skips did you stop looking for when things got tough? I thought you found everybody. Aren’t you the guy who always says he’s like a dog with a bone?”

  “Someone stole mine, kid. I’m empty inside. I can’t do this anymore. We have to get back to Honolulu.”

  A wail from the other room pierced the air. It was Yoshiko’s voice, not Mrs. Nakamura’s. Silence fell over us. No one spoke for what felt like an eternity, then Benni took the lead.

  “You know deep down Hisao is innocent, yet you’re willing to let him pay for the crime?”

  “Why would you do that, McKenna?” Chance asked.

  How could we fight against people with unlimited resources? They’d offered me a one-way trip into a cane field or riches. I was powerless against someone like that. “The truth being a strong weapon is a joke, Chance. Take the gig with your dad. You’ll be able to do whatever you want. This PI thing sucks wind. You’ll only end up destroying your life. Like skip tracing destroyed mine.”

  Four glum souls piled into the Escalade for the return trip to Kahului Airport. I stared out the side window as the coastline passed by, watching waves capped by white surf rush toward shore. Turnouts along the road provided ample opportunity for surfers to pull over and take a break in the ocean.

  We caught a red light at Launiupoko Park. Unlike the somber mood inside our vehicle, the park thrived with celebrations. The parking lot was already filled to capacity with families and friends on their way to stake out their respective territories.

  “Hey, Benni, check out the hot guys!”

  Lexie’s voice had that fake chipper tone people use when they want to break a tense silence. Benni turned her gaze from the other side of the road to the park and the group of young men. They were all bare-chested, their skin bronzed by days in the sun, and sat in the bed of an old beater pickup at one end of the lot.

  “They’re not worried about finding shade,” Lexie said.

  Benni sighed. “They’re probably just getting drunk.” She turned away and again stared out the opposite window.

  Obviously, she didn’t even want to look at me. Silently, I wished the young men well. I didn’t know them. It didn’t matter. At least someone on this island should enjoy life.

  The table closest to the pickup with the hot guys was in the shade. It looked like it was being used to feed an army. A colorful tablecloth, food, and assorted glasses and cups occupied nearly every square inch. Was this a gathering of their ‘ohana? Or simply my projection of false happiness?

  Further down the road we passed the Olowalu fruit stand, which had provided us with a lighthearted grocery stop on the drive in. What a difference in mood in our little group. Chance and Lexie were putting up a good front, but the fact was I’d cast a funk over the entire vacation.

  A few miles later, we drove by the vista point where we’d met Penny, and even I couldn’t avoid a wistful glance at the nearly vacant lot.

  “No Penny,” Chance said. He looked across the front seat at Lexie. “You found her address, right?”

  Lexie nodded, turned around, and regarded me with a spark of hope in her eyes. “We could check it out. It’s not far from the airport.”

  I shook my head. Lexie’s smile faded, and she glanced at Benni. Once again, Benni was watching the scenery outside her window. Lexie must have gotten the message. Nobody wanted to talk. Period.

  I had so many regrets in my life. I should have known my happiness, too, would end. It was the “cycle of life,” or some other crappy platitude. For the rest of the trip, we might as well have been in a morgue. We would at least have had something to talk about.

  Nearly an hour later, we were dealing with the bane of flying—airport security. As luck would have it, Lexie and Benni had been pre-approved by TSA. They zipped through in no time while Chance and I slogged along in silence.

  I let Chance go ahead of me, and his guy had him through the scanner while I was still fumbling with my passport. The agent sent me into the body scanner, but that’s where my clear sailing ended.

  Apparently, the TSA guy’s day was going like mine because he pulled me aside for a wand check. Why not? Just another crappy day in paradise.

  “Gotta empty your pockets, brah.” The TSA agent, a big Hawaiian with short dark hair and brown eyes, stared at me as though he’d seen too many bozos forget all about today’s flying regulations. Come to think of it, he probably had.

  “I don’t have anything in my pockets. They’re empty.” I glared back at him.

  The agent’s face softened. “You don’t wanna do this, brah.”

  Good McKenna whispered in one ear, “It’s a felony to assault a TSA agent.”

  Bad countered, “Do it. You’ll get three square meals a day and not have to pay rent.”

  It was a new low, even for Bad McKenna. I took a calming breath. Why shouldn’t TSA mess with me, too?

  “Fine. We’ll do it your way. I’ll prove you’re wrong.” I reached into my front pockets, felt nothing, and pulled out my hands. “See. Nothing.”

  “It was in the back. Turn around.”

  I did as instructed, he ran the wand over my right side, and the device emitted a piercing “wah-wah.” Oh great. Now what? Get busted by TSA? How perfect. I glanced to where Chance stood with the girls and wondered if he’d planted something on me in some sort of perverse practical joke. This couldn’t be happening. I snapped at the agent, “There has to be a mistake.”

  “Right rear pocket, brah. Come on.”

  I huffed and stuck my hand in. My fingers curled around a small object. It was about the size of a button. My irritation escalated to all-out anger that ignited fire in my cheeks. Strangling Chance wouldn’t do the job. He’d pay for this. I pulled out the metal object and gave it to the agent.

  “What is it?” I waited while he did his inspection.

  He pursed his lips, then raised his eyebrows as he watched my face. “You didn’t put it there?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Do you think I would have been stupid enough to—never mind.” He probably saw this kind of thing a hundred times a day, so justifying my “oversight” would only make me look guilty. I glanced over toward my fellow travelers.

  Benni, Lexie, and Chance were watching the spectacle. Based on the shrugs and shaking heads, they were as surprised as I was. Benni looked more upset than ever, probably because she was seeing me in a new—and very uncomplimentary—light. And Chance, he kept shrugging his shoulders and raising his hands at his sides, palms up. Maybe I’d been wrong.

  This might not be a practical joke at all. What if it was left over from my encounter with Cap Myers?

  The agent spoke into his lapel microphone, reporting what he called “an unusual situation”. A woman with a serious number of stripes on her shoulder joined us. She was obviously “in charge” because my big Hawaiian guy backed off and remained quiet while she inspected my passport and the metal disk. She gazed at me. “You have no idea where this came from, Mr. McKenna?”

  “Look, lady, I don’t even know what it is.” At least that part was true.

  The woman’s brows knitted together. “It’s a tracking device. Who would want to know your whereabouts at all times?”

  Wasn’t that just the million-dollar question?

  A million bucks. Of course.

  A healthy lack of trust.

  An army of invisible creepy-crawlies inched down my spine.

  The who did this part of the answer was easy—Cap Myers. The hard part was, if he didn’t trust me, why did he let me live?

  32

  I didn’t answer the lady from TS
A. How could I? So, I did the one thing that had worked for me so many times. I lied. “No clue.”

  She took another look at the device and shrugged. “Put him through the scanner again. If he passes, let him go. Confiscate the tracker.”

  We went through the drill again—hands held high over my head, legs spread shoulder-width apart. When the door slid open, the agent said, “Congratulations, you passed, brah. Ain’t seen that one before.”

  I licked my lips and glanced around the area. “Me, either.” Was Cap Myers here? Watching? Waiting?

  The big Hawaiian winked as I stepped into my slippahs. “You might wanna find out who done this, brah.”

  No kidding, Genius. I thanked him for the advice, but my mind was spinning with questions. No one, other than Cap Myers, would have a reason to track my location. Besides, I hadn’t been around anyone else. Did he and his boss want to make sure I left the island? Or did they have something more sinister in mind?

  As I approached my fellow travelers, Benni and Lexie turned away. Yup, Benni was still ticked off. They marched ahead, their roller bags behind them. I motioned for Chance to wait for a moment. Doing this alone was no longer an option. Someone had to know what was going on. In a way, I supposed this was me reaching for a lifeline.

  “I…I’m scared, Chance.”

  He leaned into me, his eyes narrowing. “Why? Because TSA pulled you out?”

  “Someone bugged me. They found a tracking device in the back pocket of my shorts. It had to be Cap Myers.”

  Chance stepped back. “McKenna, serious? How could he do that? We never even found the guy.”

  I gestured for us to follow the girls. We walked slowly, weaving between travelers headed in a hundred different directions. “You didn’t find him, but he found me. That’s where I was this morning when I disappeared.”

  “How did he contact you?”

  “I got a text message first thing this morning. It came from Hisao supposedly, so I left Benni the note about going for a walk. It said to meet in front of the Ilikahi.”

  “Let’s see your phone.” His eyes narrowed, and he held out his hand.

  Apparently, he didn’t believe me. “Why? You think I’m lying?” This couldn’t be happening.

  “Not at all. If you received a text, it will still be there.”

  “Oh, right.” Why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably for the same reason I hadn’t asked for proof I would really get my million-dollar payoff. Too scared. I let out a deep sigh. Whatever. I unlocked my phone and handed it to Chance.

  He tapped the screen. After a few seconds, he turned it around for me to see. “There’s no text, McKenna.”

  I peered at my list of messages. Began scrolling frantically up and down through the history. “I didn’t imagine this. I’m telling you, I got a text from Hisao this morning at 6:27 am.”

  “Come on, McKenna. Let’s catch up. I believe you, so to be safe, let’s assume they planted spyware on your phone. We’ll wipe it clean when we get back to Honolulu. It will be like it’s brand new.”

  My jaw tightened. I leaned my head back, closed my eyes, and muttered, “Spyware? Aren’t you just going all 007 on me?”

  “It’s a scary world out there, and you’d rather be safe than sorry, right? Did they get control of it during this meeting?”

  I nodded. “Before they put me in the car, the driver took my phone. He took out the SIM card…”

  “And? What happened next?”

  “I don’t know. The only thing I remember is they gave it back after they pulled me out of the trunk.”

  “Trunk? Do tell.”

  “They took me to some remote cane haul road and forced me to make a deal. Once I agreed to their terms, they threw me in the trunk. They could have done anything while I was locked in there. So, it’s got some kind of spyware on it?”

  “Let’s err on the safe side, okay? We’ll have it checked out. What else happened?”

  Even I was getting tired of listening to myself. It was time to knock off the melodrama and take a lesson from the Brits—put on a stiff upper lip. “Nothing much—they had a dump truck waiting, said take our money or die. Yada, yada. The usual stuff.”

  “You don’t have to pretend, McKenna.” He stopped, put a hand on my shoulder, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “That’s a scary situation. You have every right to be afraid of these guys.”

  I covered my mouth with my hand and swallowed hard. He was still my friend…he believed me. “I…I didn’t have a choice. Do you know how many times people said the same thing to me in my career? I was completely oblivious, uncaring. My usual response was to tell them you always have a choice. Well, now I get it.”

  “It’s a hard lesson,” he said with a note of sympathy in his voice. He pointed at my wrist. “What happened to you?”

  So far, I’d been able to hide the discoloration on my wrists. The marks left by the twist ties were slowly darkening into shades of red, purple, and blue. The mere sight of my skin made me shudder. “They secured me with twist ties. It was way overkill if you ask me.”

  He nodded as though he understood. “Very Sun Tzu.” When I gave him a blank look in response, he said, “You read the book I gave you, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah. He’s the Chinese military general from a couple of thousand years ago who…oh…I see. They wanted to intimidate me.”

  “Sounds like they did a good job—and that you made the right decision.”

  It felt strange to realize the kid who’d led a life of privilege had a better understanding of hard choices than me. I stopped in my tracks. “Chance, look around. What do you see?”

  “Gift shops, Starbucks. What’s up?”

  “We’re standing here with all the comforts of modern travel. By some standards, we lead cushy lives. I guess I’m just realizing how fortunate I’ve been. And, how callous.”

  Chance glanced over his shoulder and his eyes flickered in recognition. His smile returned, and he gave me a playful jab on the arm. “You can be kind of crusty. The girls are in the gift shop. Do you want to share this? It might help.”

  “I’ve never felt sympathy for someone forced to violate their moral code by circumstance. Now, all of a sudden, I get it. I’ve been like all these tourists and locals running to their destinations.”

  His eyes darted to his left, then returned to hold my gaze. Thank goodness, someone understood.

  “McKenna?”

  “Yeah?” I wanted to give him a big, squishy hug.

  “Don’t turn around, but the creepy guy from The Pony Club is watching us from across the terminal.”

  33

  Chance cocked his head toward the gift shop. “Let’s go.”

  My spine prickled again as an invisible, icy finger traced a line from my neck to my rear end. “Are you…positive? About the guy watching?”

  He grinned and led the way. “Let’s go find the girls. Okay?”

  I tagged along, stiff-legged. Inside the store, there was a small table overflowing with an assortment of stuffed animals. I circled the display, hoping to sneak a glimpse of the man Chance had seen, but stopped cold when I looked down. Staring at me with one eye was a green fish. It was him. Or rather, it. Stupid foam-filled mackerel. It was identical to the one Kimu pulled from the ocean. Sounds around me dissolved. My breathing quickened at the memory of Kimu dipping into the water and coming up with…that. Olive body. Bright blue spots. It was the same fish, right down to the white bands on the tail. How in the world?

  “McKenna?”

  Benni’s voice felt distant. Lost in a space I couldn’t comprehend. Kimu had asked me what I was going to do. Maybe the cane road hadn’t been my moment of truth. My head exploded with images of the beach—Benni, the tikis, the airplane.

  Someone shook my shoulder. I turned to see Benni watching me with something other than contempt
.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” For the first time since we’d left the Ilikahi, she sounded concerned.

  “Probably mine,” I croaked. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the fish. “Is he still there?” I muttered.

  Chance laughed, slapped me on the back, and nodded. “Yup.”

  Good cover, kid. He was turning into a pro. And I wasn’t as pitiful as I’d thought. My big moment hadn’t come on that dusty cane road. It was here. Now. Perhaps even at some point in the future. But, not when I’d been helpless and outnumbered.

  I looked at Benni with hope in my eyes. “I owe you the apology of the century. But first, Chance and I have something to do.”

  She contemplated my face for a moment, then let out a long, slow breath. “Okay. We can talk later.”

  Chance picked up a stuffed toy, then absently returned it to the table. “You know what, I feel the need to relieve some pressure. I’m going to hit the restroom. How about you, McKenna?”

  I took a deep breath. Yes, I was ready. Ready to trust my hunch. Believe in the dream. Yes, this was the right decision. No matter what the cost. Even if I failed, at least I would have tried. “Yeah, but first I have to buy this fish.”

  My friends peered at me as though I’d gone crazy, which might be true. I let Chance explain our meager, unspoken plan as I went to the checkout counter. We thought alike, and I knew exactly what we both wanted—Myers. With luck, he’d follow me to the restroom. He was arrogant enough to make another threat, and suspicious enough to wonder what I was doing with a stuffed toy. I carried my purchase proudly as we walked out of the shop, took a right, and turned into the men’s restroom.

  Just inside the entrance, Chance ducked to one side while I walked past a man who was wrestling with a backpack and two other bags. I stopped at the last sink and waited. Myers showed up moments later. He strode in, fixed me with an irritated glare, and stood at the sink next to mine. Chance slipped out of the room while Myers pretended to wash his hands and the man with the bags made his way to the exit.