Moonlight Cocktail

by William Cassidy

  “I called Papa David for you, and he would be glad to meet with you tomorrow at noon,” she said.

  “Really?” Jack exclaimed. “That’s great, Maile.”

  “Are you ready for him, Jack?”

  “I am. And I’ve even got some questions for him that the books didn’t answer.”

  Are they medical questions?” Maile asked.

  “Yes, they are.”

  “Good. Papa David loves to talk about medicine. Here’s his address. He lives in Haleiwa on the North Shore.

  “Thank you very much, Maile. I really appreciate your help.”

  “My pleasure, Jack. Good luck.”

  Jack loped down the steps of the red building that housed the Bishop Museum and walked toward his Jeep, convinced that he had just taken the first step on a journey that would ultimately lead to the person who had murdered Derek Reynolds.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jack got lucky on his trip home from the Bishop Museum. The traffic on H-1, which by late afternoon was usually bumper to bumper, was light. Perhaps, Jack thought, Kalaipahoa was looking out for him. He was early enough to visit Katherine at her dress shop in the Halekulani before she closed at 5:30.

  As Jack pulled into the Royal Hawaiian driveway, he noticed the white Navy sedan leaving. Richard Stanley’s scheduler had wisely left the Assistant Secretary enough time at the end of the day for a swim on Waikiki Beach. Jack left his Jeep with the doorman and walked briskly over to the Halekulani, cutting through the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel that stands between the Royal and the Halekulani.

  Jack reached the window of Katherine’s dress shop and saw two very elegant Japanese women engaged in animated conversation with Katherine. He always marveled at how well his wife communicated with women from Japan, even though she spoke no Japanese and they generally spoke very little English. A gentle bell rang as Jack opened the door to the shop, and Katherine waved at him and asked him to join the conversation.

  “Ladies, this is my husband, Jack. He has a very good eye for fashion.”

  Smiling, Jack turned to the ladies, “I’m not a professional, but I do have good taste,” he said, glancing at Katherine. “And I think I’ll know whether your husbands will like these dresses.”

  Each woman held up the dress she had selected, and Jack nodded his head at each.

  “I will take it,” the women stated in unison. And with that, they each produced a credit card, concluded their purchases, and left the shop smiling.

  “I want to hear about your day,” Katherine said. “What happened at Dave’s office? Did you talk to Gordon? Where have you been all afternoon? Help me close up and tell me everything while we walk home.”

  Jack gave her a detailed summary of his day and, by the time they reached their apartment in the Royal Hawaiian, they were both ready for a swim.

  “When are you going to call Gordon and tell him what’s going on?”

  “Right now. I didn’t want to disturb him at his office. I thought this might be the kind of discussion he’d want to have in private.”

  “Smart thinking. Will you join me for a swim?”

  “I will, right after I talk to Gordon. Why don’t you go ahead down to the beach while I call him.”

  “Okay, but don’t be long. Our dinner reservation at La Mer is for eight o’clock.”

  “I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”

  Jack called the Grants’ house, and Georgia answered the phone.

  “Georgia, this is Jack.”

  “Jack, you say that every time you call. You know I know your voice.”

  “Sorry, I keep forgetting your uncanny voice recognition abilities. Have you told Dave Mc Neil about them?”

  Laughing, Georgia replied, “No, and now on to far more serious matters. When are we getting together with you and Katherine?”

  “How about Friday evening for dinner at the Club?” Jack asked.

  “Perfect. I’ll put Gordon on, and the two of you can make the arrangements.”

  Gordon picked up the phone, and Jack detected immediately that his friend was upset.

  “Jack, how are you,” Gordon asked sharply, the tension evident in his voice.

  “I’m fine. How are you doing?”

  “Frankly, I’m concerned that it’s Wednesday night and I haven’t heard from anyone about what caused Derek Reynolds to collapse at the Club on Monday night.”

  “That’s what I’m calling about, Gordon.”

  “Have you heard something?”

  “I have. I talked to Dave this morning, and he asked me to call you. I thought I’d wait until you got home from the office so we could talk privately.”

  “What is it, Jack? Did the Club serve him some bad fish?”

  “No, the Club’s food was fine. The toxicology report cleared the fish and all the other food at the luau.”

  “You waited to tell me that in private?”

  “No. There’s something else going on.”

  “What is it?”

  “The toxicology analysis found a poison, from a plant, in Reynolds’ stomach. It was toxic enough to kill him.”

  “Do they think somebody poisoned Reynolds at the Club?”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “Holy shit! I’ve been a member of that Club my entire life, and nothing like this has ever happened before.”

  “I know. The reason Dave didn’t call you, and he feels bad about that, is that he’s in charge of the investigation.”

  “I understand completely. He’s doing the right thing. How can I help him?”

  “He’ll let you know as the investigation proceeds. If this is a typical murder investigation, you’ll be interviewed by a homicide detective who reports to Dave.”

  “Should I alert the Club’s board and the employees?”

  “No, not until you’ve met with the detective, which I’m sure will be very soon. You don’t want to jeopardize their investigation. Besides, none of this is public yet.”

  “What are they waiting for?”

  “They haven’t identified the poison. They know it came from a plant, but they don’t know which one.”

  “Oh hell, there are so many goddamned poisonous plants in these islands, it’ll take them forever. They’ll lose the murderer if they wait until they identify the plant. What difference does it make anyway? The guy was poisoned. The point is to find out who did it.”

  “You know, Gordo, that’s why you’re such a great leader and successful businessman. You know how to cut through the bullshit and get to the bottom line. But the rest of the world, particularly the criminal justice system, doesn’t work that way. They are very methodical, which causes them to be slow sometimes, but it usually results in a thorough examination of the facts and conviction of the bastard who committed the crime. I’m going to join Katherine now for a swim before dinner. Call me after you meet with the detective from homicide. And, by the way, we’re having dinner at the Club on Friday night. I just cleared it with Georgia.”

  “Thanks, old buddy. See you then.”

  Jack’s second swim of the day was equally refreshing and all the more enjoyable because Katherine was with him. They swam out clear of the tourists and watched the surfers catch waves on Hawaii’s most famous beach.

  “You know what job I’d like to have, Katherine?” Jack said, floating on his back. “I’d like to be the captain of the yellow catamaran that takes tourists out through the surf, gives them a whale’s eye view of Waikiki, and rides the waves back in.”

  “Were you a sea captain in an earlier life?”

  “I must have been. I’m not kidding.”

  “Believe me, I know you’re not kidding,” Katherine laughed as she bobbed on the gentle waves.

  “I guess I’ll have to settle for practicing law and owning a coffee plantation for now.”

  “You’d be bored sailing a catamaran back and forth all day long.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. The wind and the waves and the current are different each time you go to s
ea. Oh sure, there are some similarities, but no two trips would ever be the same. And I haven’t even considered the different people I’d take on each trip.”

  “What would I do? Blow the conch shell? Serve them lunch?”

  “How bad would that be? You enjoyed that catamaran trip we took to watch whales off the Big Island, didn’t you?”

  “I did enjoy that, Jack, because I was a guest and someone else was worrying about the wind and the waves and the whales and, I might add, the lunch.”

  “I hear you. We better head in and get ready for dinner. Are you excited about La Mer?”

  “Yes, I am,” said Katherine. “I hope your Navy friend enjoys the restaurant.”

  “I’m sure he will. Rich is our kind of guy, and he’s a long way from home,” Jack said as he and Katherine emerged from the surf and walked toward the shower at the edge of the beach.

  “Jack, I’m going to run up and get ready. Don’t gab too long about fishing with those beach boys at the pool. We only have an hour to get ready and walk over to the restaurant, and you can talk fishing with those guys tomorrow.”

  “I promise. I just want to find out where they’re catching ulua today.”

  After learning where Oahu’s surf fishermen were catching the most prized local sport fish, Jack filed the information in his fishing memory bank. He had been surfcasting as long as he could remember and, under his father’s instruction, had become quite adept at it as a boy. Fishing from the beach had always been his favorite way of tangling with denizens of the deep.

  “Hellooo,” Jack said as he entered their apartment.

  Hugo stirred and looked in his direction but didn’t move.

  “Don’t get up, Hugo. I’ll just be a minute, old boy.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Katherine asked from the bathroom.

  “Our Maine Coon.”

  Katherine walked out of the bathroom with her pink robe on. Jack put his arms around her and kissed her and told her that he loved her. She put her head on his chest and told him how perfectly happy she was.

  “I’m going to take a very quick shower and I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” he said.

  When Jack emerged from the bathroom, he saw an Aloha shirt hanging on the bedroom closet door. Katherine had chosen a dark green silk shirt with a pattern that resembled the leaves of a small tree.

  “That’s a perfect shirt for tonight, Katherine.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I spent the afternoon looking at pictures of leaves on small trees and shrubs that can kill you.”

  “Well, you won’t have to worry about that at La Mer.

  I’m sure the salads there are safe to eat.”

  “I just thought you’d want to know that you’re psychic.”

  “Psychic or psycho?” Katherine replied with a laugh.

  “The former, my dear.”

  “Well that’s good to know. There’s enough of the latter in the world already.”

  Jack and Katherine arrived at the Halekulani just before eight and walked upstairs to La Mer, where the walls were covered in the cocoa tones of Hawaiian koa wood and the candlelit porch extended out over the Waikiki surf.

  “Jack, this really is the most romantic restaurant in the Pacific. Do you remember our first dinner here on our honeymoon?”

  “I do. It’s been my favorite restaurant since that evening.”

  David, the maitre’d, recognized the couple immediately and showed them to a table overlooking waves crashing into the seawall twelve feet beneath them.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, it’s so nice to see you. What time will your guest arrive?”

  “He should be here any minute, David.”

  “May I get you cocktails?”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “We’ll each have a Martini. Tito’s Vodka and a capful of Tanqueray Gin. No Vermouth. Shaken until very cold. A twist of lemon in each and olives on the side.”

  Katherine smiled and turned to Jack. “I thought you might have a Bombay Sapphire Martini rather than a Wiki Wiki after the day you’ve had, Jack. You certainly deserve one after learning about a murder, escaping the jaws of a Tiger Shark, and spending the afternoon reading about poisonous plants that may have been put in a Mai Tai.”

  “I thought about it, but I’d like to be lucid for the entire evening, and Sapphire decreases that likelihood.”

  “Yes, but it is made from botanicals. You know, juniper berries, lemons, licorice, and coriander,” Katherine said.

  “Have you been reading liquor bottle labels recently?”

  “No, but there’s a bottle of Bombay Sapphire on the drinks trolley just behind your chair,” Katherine said with a smile as the waiter arrived with their Wiki Wiki’s.

  “All the more reason to stick with vodka tonight. I’m going to spend tomorrow afternoon talking about plants.”

  “Touche’, Jack.”

  Announcing with a smile that “Your prescriptions have arrived,” the waiter served their drinks just as Richard Stanley joined them at the table. He was a tall, prematurely gray-haired, handsome man in his late forties.

  “Good evening, Rich, let me introduce you to my wife Katherine.”

  “I’m delighted to meet you, Katherine.”

  “May I get you a cocktail, sir?” the waiter inquired.

  “I’ll have a Bombay Sapphire Martini, very dry and very cold, straight up with two olives.”

  Jack and Katherine burst out laughing and then explained their reaction. In response, Rich smiled.

  “Well, I was lucid all day,” Rich said, “and, frankly, I need a stiff drink after sitting through all those briefings at Pearl Harbor.”

  “Were they interesting?” Katherine asked.

  “They were, but the jargon nearly did me in.”

  “What’s the problem?” Jack asked.

  “These guys drive ships and fly aircraft for a living. They are great guys, terrific leaders and warriors, and very knowledgeable. But they speak their own language, and it doesn’t always coincide with the words the rest of us use.”

  “That trait isn’t limited to military officers, you know,” said Jack.

  “I know and I don’t mean to criticize them. But after a day of technical presentations, I need a stiff drink.”

  “The business boys have their own lingo too,” Jack said.

  “That’s management-speak, their first language,” Katherine said.

  “Unfortunately, clarity of language is not very important to most people these days,” Jack replied. “They’re focused on the bottom line — winning a war or making a profit. Descriptions of how they got there or didn’t get there are not of much concern to them.”

  “Well, lawyers are still carrying the banner for clarity in the written and spoken word, although that’s about all they’re carrying the banner for these days,” Rich said.

  “Katherine,” Jack said with a wry grin, “Rich is a recovering lawyer.”

  “Good for you, Rich.”

  “You know, it just got to be ponderous in the last few years. Fundamentally, I wanted to be the guy making the decisions.”

  “I know what you mean,” Jack said. “I always felt it was better to be the guy who made the decisions than the guy who advised the guy making the decisions.”

  “Gentlemen,” Katherine interjected, “we are not going to talk about the law all night, are we?”

  “Absolutely not,” Rich said. “In fact, I haven’t thought about it much since I left for the Pentagon and, so far, I haven’t missed it.”

  “Welcome to Hawaii, Rich,” Jack exclaimed as the waiter placed a Bombay Sapphire Martini with two large olives impaled on a toothpick in front of Rich.

  “And to Honolulu!” Katherine said happily. “Now, Rich, tell us how you’re enjoying life as a political appointee.”

  “First, let me offer a toast to new friends,” Rich said as he raised his glass to the Sullivan’s.

  “Katherine, I have enjoyed it immensely. Every day h
as been fascinating. I deal with the broadest range of the most interesting issues that are important to the country, and the people I work with are terrific.”

  “Do you miss the money?” Jack asked.

  “I do, but not enough to leave the Pentagon and return to private practice.”

  “Are there any parts of it that you don’t like?” Katherine asked.

  “As surprising as this may sound, given that I’m a political appointee, I don’t always like the politics that go along with the job.”

  “Are you referring to the glad-handing?” Jack asked.

  “No, I don’t mind meeting people, although it does take some time to get used to being a public figure, meeting hundreds of people and speaking to them. What I don’t like is the occasional pressure to make decisions on bases other than the merits,” Rich said.

  “You mean pressure to make a decision based on political considerations rather than the facts?” Jack asked.

  “Precisely. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen too often. Unfortunately, when it does happen, it’s usually on an important issue.”

  “That would be hard for me too,” Jack said.

  “I don’t think I could do it,” said Katherine. “I’d tell them where they could go.”

  “They’d probably listen to you, Katherine,” Rich said laughing. “But enough of the law and politics, tell me how you two got out here and what you’re doing and how you like it.”

  After ordering a bottle of chardonnay and entrees of marlin, ahi, and opakapaka, the sipped their respective Martini’s and talked about their lives. Jack and Katherine regaled Rich with the story of how they had met, married, honeymooned in Hawaii, and decided that their future together should have as much adventure as possible in as beautiful a place as they could find.

  “You actually did what most of us only talk about,” Rich remarked.

  “I would never have had the courage to do it without Katherine,” Jack said.

  “Nor I without Jack,” Katherine added.

  “So there really is something to the old saw about marriage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Rich said.

  “No question about it” Jack said. “I felt it the moment Katherine let go of her father’s hand and took mine on the altar.”