My Kind of Town
>> Arizona Memorial So excited
Everyone riding in the silver-blue van was excited as they pulled into the Arizona Memorial parking lot. In the back seat, Rosalita Resurreccion and her 6-year-old daughter Elizabeth were excited to be seeing this historical place for the first time. And of course they were excited to be with Muhammed Resurreccion, cousin of Rosalita's late husband Jesus. This was the first time they'd seen Muhammed in over a year.
Riding in the passenger seat, Muhammed's heart raced with anticipation. Here he was at last, about to bring his brilliant plan to fruition. Across the water he spotted his target, so close. Soon the months of planning would come to fruition. Muhammed was willing to die as a martyr for his people's cause, but hoped that would not be necessary. He wanted to live to lead another battle. But one way or the other, hero or martyr, today he would make a statement for his people that would be heard around the world.
In the driver's seat, Wilhemina Orlando's heart raced as she cruised slowly through the lot looking for a parking space. She'd been brought into the plan by her cousin Rey. She didn't know what the plan was, just that something would happen to benefit their Muslim kumpadres back in Mindanao.
Wilhemina had been recruited to be Muhammed's driver, beyond that she knew nothing. But something told her that it was here at the Arizona Memorial where Muhammed would make his statement. Another thought made her heart race a little more. Muhammed would probably, happily sacrifice her. One less witness.
But Wilhemina felt a sudden sense of calm when she saw a white Mustang convertible driven by a big black man with a shaved head pull into the lot. He was the one Wilhemina had stopped at the Hale Koa Hotel. He looked like an officer and she grabbed his arm and blurted her story about a vague threat. Marty -- Lt. Martin Luther Washington -- turned out to be a Navy intelligence officer. He listened to her story, five times, called his supervisor in Washington D.C., and gave her the code name Sandy.
"Over there!" Elizabeth said, pointing to an open parking space, bouncing on the back seat and excited to get going.
Some Hawaiian vacation, Martin Luther Washington was thinking as the silver-blue van parked on the side of the lot furthest from the visitor center. Today he was supposed to be playing golf at Kaneohe Klipper with his old buddy Gunny Evans. Instead, here he was tailing a suspected Muslim terrorist. Muhammed Resurreccion didn't know it, but he was about to get Big Bertha'd.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com