My Kind of Town
Beyond the profit motive
>> Maunalua Bay
A thin slice of moon glittered the sea as Lily and Quinn Ah Sun walked hand in hand. A cop, he had come to the rescue of his cousin when she got drunk this afternoon. Today was the first time they'd seen each other in 21 years, since they were each 6. And before they realized they were cousins, each felt the first tremors of what might have turned out to be love. But then they learned they were cousins. And so Quinn held Lily's hand only to steady her as they walked along the rocky shore. That's all there was to it. Really."So what about your family?" Lily asked. Up to now they'd been talking about her side of the clan.
"Well, you have a niece you don't know about," he said, glad to take his mind off how good Lily's hand felt in his. "Here." He pulled out his wallet. "Kuuipo. Just made 17. She'll be a senior at Kamehameha next year."
"She's beautiful!"
"I think beautiful women run in the family," he said.
"Thank you," she said, kind of wobbled, and reached out for Quinn's hand. His big, strong hand that gently encircled hers and made Lily feel secure. His hand whose touch excited her.
Quinn felt it too. He glanced at his watch. "I think I'd better get you home."
>> Portlock
Rosalita Resurreccion noticed the missing knife the moment she entered the kitchen of Miss Lily's home to get ice to make a cold press for Elizabeth's fever. Rosalita did the cooking and cleaning, and she was very organized and precise. A big block of wood on the counter normally held six knives. One was missing. The biggest one. She hadn't used it since she cut up a whole chicken last week to make adobo. But she remembered washing and returning it to its proper slot. Maybe Miss Lily had used it for something. Rosalita pushed the ice dispenser handle on the refrigerator door, filled a bowl with ice and headed back to the cottage she shared with her daughter behind the big house. And then she would put the fresh sheets on Miss Lily's bed.>> Usually when Mickey broke into a house, he was looking for stuff to steal. This was different. He'd been following the babe in the teal BMW for two days. He wanted her. But she had some nice stuff here in the master bedroom, including jewelry. When he was done with her, and maybe the maid and kid in back, he'd get around to the profit motive.. At the moment he was guided only by his twisted understanding of a more basic urge.
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