It was one of the things Danilo had always liked best about working for the man.
“It is done,” Danilo said.
What he had done tonight was impressive, and even if he couldn’t receive the public adulation such a feat deserved, he could at least enjoy a few moments in front of this motley crew.
The men were all new hires, but Danilo’s interaction with them had shown they knew enough to submit to him. He was still the alpha male of the organization.
Sensing that very thing, Zall paused a moment, allowing the guards to marvel at Danilo, before moving ahead. “Excellent work, Danilo. Truly splendid.”
“Thank you, sir,” Danilo said, nodding to Zall, but knowing the others were all staring his way.
Shifting his attention from Danilo to the men across from him, Zall changed the tenor of his voice, adding a bit of flint to enforce the gravity of what he was saying. “As of this moment, our goal shifts. Everything we set out to do has been done. From here on, this puts even more emphasis on the role you play. We must maintain the strictest secrecy and be watchful at all times of anybody who might show up uninvited.”
A few of the men shifted in their seats, an air of discomfort rising from the group. Watching their reaction, Danilo felt little confidence in their abilities, glad they were relegated to the Hawaii Kai house and not the main residence. If given the go-ahead, he could have the entire bunch gone before morning, replaced with better men by the next night.
“For the next week or two, I would like all shifts doubled,” Zall continued. “Will that be a problem?”
A moment of exchanged glances passed before the man standing in the right corner shook his head. Danilo knew him to be the leader of the makeshift crew, no matter how tenuous such a position was.
“No, sir. No problem.”
“Good,” Zall said, the look on his face relaying the same thoughts Danilo had since entering. He glanced over each of them once more before waving a hand in their direction, dismissing them from the room. “That is all, gentlemen.”
Again, the men seemed to glance among themselves, none of them moving, a few murmurs passing between them.
“I said, that is all,” Zall repeated, his voice rising. “I would like to have a word with Dr. Saiki and Mr. Cruz. In private.”
They stood and filed out, like ducklings following their mother, a few casting sideways glances to Danilo as they went, nobody saying a word.
While departing, Danilo couldn’t help but notice how youthful each one appeared. No visible lines or scars on their faces, badges that Danilo himself wore with honor. Their inexperience clinging to them like a scent, a look of disgust crossed over his face as they exited, making no effort to hide his thoughts.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Zall said, drawing Danilo back to face forward. Gone was any form of cordiality he displayed a moment before as he extended a hand toward the newly vacated couch. “Please, sit.”
“They are, of course, nothing more than window dressing,” Zall said, gesturing toward the door. “A first line of defense to keep people from reaching the basement.”
Danilo nodded in understanding. There was nothing on the main floor of the house beyond some staged furniture, not a shred of anything that could be used against them. Everything of consequence was buried below ground, maintained by a steel door that would withstand a cannon blast, a full self-destruct in place if ever needed. It was a system he and Zall had designed, assembling it piece by piece, as if an army might one day come poking into their affairs.
“So, everything went well tonight?” Zall asked, moving on to the reason the three men were assembled now.
“Yes,” Danilo said, nodding for emphasis. “Dr. Saiki was presented with what he needed, and the remainder was placed as you requested.”
Zall glanced over to Saiki, who sat staring at the empty space on the couch to Danilo’s left, and back again. “And once there, no problems I suspect?”
“None at all,” Danilo said. “You almost made it too easy for me, having the lights extinguished for the evening. Thank you,” he added, making sure his employer knew the effort was appreciated.
“No, thank you,” Zall said, the fact that he was satisfied with the report stretched across his face, the closest he ever came to an outright display of pleasure. He shifted to look at Saiki and asked, “And you, Doctor? I take it everything you need is now in place?”
Snapping himself back to attention, Saiki brought his hands up and rubbed them together vigorously, almost salivating as a smile crept across his face. “Oh, yes. This newest specimen was just perfect. Mr. Cruz really outdid himself, providing us more than everything we need.”
“Does this mean we are still on schedule?”
“I believe it does,” Saiki said, lowering his head in a bow. “By tomorrow evening, we should have a first batch ready to go.”
Once more a hint of a smile pulled at Zall’s mouth as he processed the information before shifting his attention back to Danilo.
“You heard what I said to the guards earlier, correct?”
“Yes,” Danilo responded.
“That same directive goes for you,” Zall said. “You have done exemplary work, but now that Dr. Saiki has almost completed our task, it is time to lay low for a while.”
A small shred of resentment arose within Danilo as he kept his face even, staring back at Zall. He had done exemplary work. Now nearing completion, he knew that another shift in his duties was on the horizon, but this was a far cry from what he expected. “You want me to stay here with the guards and protect this house?”
“Oh, God no,” Zall said. “Bumbling fools they may be, the six of them can protect one empty house. No, from now on, I would like you at the main residence with me.”
“With you?” Danilo asked, the resentment receding. While having been there on a few occasions, never had he been stationed full time at the Zall home. This was a job more befitting a man of his skills, a recognition of the things he had done in the previous months.
“Yes,” Zall replied. “The next couple weeks are of utmost importance. I would like to have you on standby at all times. You may stay in the guest house.”
Feeling a bit of pride swell within him, Danilo had to admit the news didn’t come as a complete surprise. Based on their previous conversations, he had assumed something like this could occur, especially given that they were entering the second, more delicate phase of the project.
“Of course,” Danilo said, hiding every thought and emotion deep inside. “When would you like me to begin?”
“Tomorrow,” Zall said. “Dr. Saiki will be taking up residence with us in the main home at that time, too. We would be well served to bring everybody together to make sure things go as they should. Wouldn’t you both agree?”
The thought of sleeping anywhere near Saiki made Danilo’s stomach turn, but he pushed it aside, murmuring an affirmative to his employer’s question. The task was far more important than any personal differences that might exist, especially given that Danilo would be occupying the guest quarters.
Satisfied that the purpose of their gathering was complete, Zall stood. “Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a political massacre to bear witness to.”
Chapter Thirty
The white sands of Waikiki Beach stretched out below, extending in both directions as far as the floor-to-ceiling windows in the room would allow. Just minutes after high tide, the rolling waves of the Pacific washed in, one after another forming pristine three-foot curls before receding, wiping away a day’s worth of footprints, clearing the slate for a new morning.
Kalani stood with her arms folded, watching them, her mind surprisingly clear. For the first time in days she wasn’t thinking about mutilated bodies or grotesque crime scenes, content to see the water come and go.
It had been months since she’d even been in the ocean, before the shooting occurred. On their days off, she and Ben used to hit Sandy Beach on the south end of the island,
he on a body board, she on a 6’ cutter. When they were done they would swing by for a plate lunch at one of the food trucks in Waimanalo, two friends comfortable with each other’s company, needing the occasional day to remind themselves that they lived in Hawaii, that there was something beyond the grisly streets they dealt with at work.
“Look at those curls,” Rip said, stepping up beside her. “Open face, 5’ peak, 200-yard crest.”
Kalani shifted her focus from the water below to their reflection in the glass, looking at Rip in his slacks and button down, his hair almost combed into place. At first glance his appearance might give the impression of a white-collar worker at the end of a long day, but the first words out of his mouth confirmed the truth of it.
The waves held more hope, more serenity, more appeal, than any form of business ever could. There was a longing there that was evident in just two simple sentences.
“I thought you only rode the big stuff these days?”
“Naw,” Rip said, drawing the word out so it sounded almost like a grunt. “I hit the big stuff because it’s winter, and the North Shore is a pretty easy drive. I appreciate any good ride though, and those breaks right there are some of the best. They’re just always too damn crowded to mess with.”
Before Kalani could nod her agreement, the sound of voices turned her around, Rip joining her, waiting in the private room for the people they were meeting to arrive.
The first through the door was Chief Tseng, dressed in upscale aloha attire, his hair parted severely to the side. He looked like he had not had a wink of sleep all week. He grimaced at Kalani and Rip as he entered and shook his head, saying nothing.
Not the first impression Kalani was hoping for.
Behind him entered three men, only one of whom Kalani recognized: Governor Dwight Randle. His face pinched in a mixture of anger and anxiety, he glared at Kalani and Rip as he entered, clearly on the verge of exploding.
The two men behind him followed with expressions of dread. One was tall and wispy, his thinning red hair combed back. The other was shorter and more rotund, his fleshy features unmistakably Chinese.
“Governor, this is Kalani Lewis and Jon Ripowski,” Chief Tseng said, assuming the role of facilitator, his tone and expression both saying he would rather do anything but. “Kalani, Jon, this is Governor Dwight Randle, his Chief of Staff Tim Hall, and his Senior Policy Advisor Allen Wong.”
Kalani started to murmur a greeting, but was cut off by the governor.
“Where the hell are you on finding whoever did this?” Randle spat, raising a finger as he spoke, his ill-fitting sports jacket pulling at his stomach.
There was no response at all from Rip as Kalani felt her jaw drop, thrown off-guard by the brusque nature of the question, as she glanced sideways at Chief Tseng. For his part, he seemed unfazed by the unprovoked menace of the inquiry.
“We’re following up on leads, sir,” Tseng said, a bit of resignation in his voice.
“Which means you don’t have shit is what you’re telling me,” Randle said, swinging his gaze over to Tseng, his finger still raised in the air. “Right?”
“No sir, that’s not what I said,” Tseng replied.
“Oh, I heard what you said,” Randle shot back, cutting him off, adding a flippant wave of his hand to let Tseng know he was being dismissed. “I’ve heard what you’ve been saying all week. I want to hear from these two.”
“I handpicked you to lead this investigation for a reason,” Randle said, the comment somewhere between a threat and praise. “Tell me my confidence wasn’t misplaced.”
Twice Kalani felt her jaw move up and down before drawing in a breath. “As Chief Tseng said, sir, we’ve been following...”
“Being politically correct starts the minute I walk out of this room,” Randle interrupted, his voice rising a bit more. “Right now, I don’t want to be fed sound bites. Tell me where the hell we are with things.”
Heat surged in Kalani. With it came a renewed vigor as she stared at the pudgy little politician across from her, used to using his position as governor to get what he wanted.
Rising a bit taller, Kalani accentuated her height advantage over the man, peering down at him. “Right now, we have two things working against us. The first is that the bodies are coming faster than we can process them. With no known association between the girls, it’s like conducting multiple investigations.”
To either side of the governor, Hall and Wong seemed to clench up, drawing their mouths into tight lines and standing at attention. She didn’t dare glance to Tseng or Rip, knowing she was fast approaching the line of insubordination, but finding herself not particularly caring. This was a case she had not sought out, in a job she wasn’t sure she even wanted any longer. The entire thing was being done out of professional courtesy to Tseng and any lingering obligation she felt to the department.
Beyond making her life difficult, should she remain with the force, the governor had nothing on her. There was no call for his condescension.
“I’m very sorry the killer hasn’t been more blatant in helping you along,” the governor replied, a growing sneer spread across his face.
“And that’s the second thing,” Kalani said, remaining motionless, wanting so badly to take a few steps forward and wave her own finger in the governor’s face. “Maybe he has been, we just didn’t have the time to notice it, working under extreme time constraints in the dark. And maybe we could do a better job investigating if we didn’t have to be so invisible.”
This time the comment struck pay dirt, the color of Randle’s face growing deep crimson to match his tie. He took a step forward, flaring his nostrils as he drew in one breath after another.
“Now you listen here, little girl,” he said. “I know you might think you’re big and tough, but let me remind you this is my state, and what I say goes. If I want something done quietly, it gets done quietly, or I get rid of you and find somebody else.”
A litany of retorts came to Kalani, bits of fire ready to be spit out at the self-important ass standing before her. Instead, she let out a long, slow breath, making sure the next words she said wouldn’t force her on a plane to join her parents in Pennsylvania.
“My apologies, sir,” Kalani said, hating the words even as she said them. Her point had been made; she had to retreat just enough to let him believe he was in control. “This case, the ferocity and gruesomeness of it, has us all a little on edge. We are working as fast as we can, and will continue to.”
The governor maintained his stance until a smirk broke the tension and he took a step back. He glanced to his associates, a self-righteous look on his face. “Damn right you will.”
Instead of firing straight back at him, she chose a different tact meant to put the governor back on his heels.
“If possible, though, could you please direct whoever has been speaking to the press to refrain from doing so? Keeping things quiet is tough when the media is sitting in my driveway when I get home at night.”
The bright red veneer of Randle’s cheeks slowly drained away, leaving a ghostly pallor behind. His lips parted as he turned and again looked at his staff, neither one meeting his gaze.
“I’m sorry…what?”
The words had served their purpose. Kalani bit back a satisfied smile, knowing full well Tseng and Rip were doing the same beside her. “An investigative reporter was sitting in my driveway last night. He knew all about both incidents. Now, as far as I know, the only people who know what happened at the capitol are in this room and your security detail, and I know none of us said anything.”
Three times in rapid sequence Randle’s mouth flapped up and down, trying in vain to find some response. Finally, he turned to Hall and muttered, “Get Duke in here now.”
Hall almost sprinted from the room. Kalani watched him go with a bemused expression, relishing having the upper hand for even a moment, her words having the full shock value she was hoping for.
Nothing but awkward silence followed a
s the governor paced and stammered, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his name could soon be synonymous with a scandal. Hall returned, a huge man Kalani presumed to be Duke by his side.
Kalani vaguely recalled having seen him somewhere before, though his full name and title eluded her. He wore the same uniform as most of the people in the room, aloha attire and a dour expression.
“Duke,” the governor said, turning as the man entered, extending a hand toward Kalani. “This woman claims someone has leaked information about what happened at the capitol the other night.”
Completely ignoring the statement, Duke walked forward and held up a cellphone, thrusting it at the governor. “That’s going to have to wait, sir. There’s something you need to hear first.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Iolani Palace was one of the first buildings in the United States to be lit by electricity, long before even the White House. Hawaii King David Kalakaua had a fascination with science and technology that had developed in his travels, even forming a friendship with inventor Thomas Edison.
In the 130 years since it was first introduced to the palace, not a night had passed without hundreds of bulbs burning brightly. Not only did it provide illumination throughout the palace itself, but also lit up the grounds, distinguishing it for all who passed by as a house of royalty.
The first thing Kalani noticed as she approached the palace, entering through the front gate and walking toward the stately building just as visitors had done for over a century, was how dark everything seemed. Gone was any outdoor lighting from the wrought iron fixtures that surrounded the grounds. Unseen were any bulbs burning brightly from the dozens of windows in the building.
“Somebody cut the power,” Kalani muttered. The city around them provided just enough residual light to mark the way, but nowhere near enough to see the horrific centerpiece they’d been told lay in wait for them.
“Yup,” Rip agreed, moving in lockstep beside her. While his voice didn’t seem to convey the same sense of tension Kalani felt, she could tell from the terse response that he was alert, aware of everything around them.
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