My Kind of Town
>> State Library The mysterious Bobo
Lily Ah Sun printed both the Star-Bulletin business brief about her father Sheets Ah Sun starting a new business, the Honolulu Soap Co., and the Dave Donnelly item about the mysterious Clarence "Bobo" Ah Sun's postcard from Acapulco, saying he was entertaining aboard a cruise ship, then slipped the microfilm roll for 1974 out of the viewer.
Her heart racing with excitement and anticipation, Lily slipped the microfilm roll for 1975 into the machine and forced herself to take a momentary break and call home on her cell. Her maid, Rosalita Resurreccion answered on the third ring.
"It's me," Lily said in a muffled whisper.
"Mum?" After the events of last night, Rosalita couldn't help fearing the worst. "Are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm at the library, so I really can't talk. Anyway, the designer is due there soon ..."
"She is already here, Mum. I showed her the room."
"Please tell her I'm sorry, but something suddenly came up here. Also tell her that I want a totally different look in the bedroom this time."
"Yes, Mum, she said maybe pink this time."
The previous design had been all white -- until the shooting and bleeding of last night.
"No no," Lily said. "Not at all. Tell her I want something more masculine. Something that Quinn would be comfortable with."
>> Portlock
"Yes, Mum, thank you," Rosalita said and managed to wait until after Lily ended the call to say "Oh my goodness." Quinn was Miss Lily's first cousin, and in Rosalita's world view there are some things cousins just shouldn't do. But Miss Lily was her employer and she would keep her thoughts to herself. Besides, Miss Lily was a wonderful employer, and had become an auntie to Elizabeth, Rosalita's 6-year-old daughter.
Speaking of which, the girl was supposed to follow Rosalita when they heard the phone ringing. "Elizabeth!" she called.
"Down here," came the reply from the interior designer Miss Lily had hired, Stephanie Lee.
In the hallway Rosalita sidestepped two big guys carrying Miss Lily's old blood-soaked mattress away and hurried back to Miss Lily's bedroom. "Elizabeth, stop pestering Miss Lee," she said sternly.
"Oh, no bother at all," the designer said. "Intelligent curiosity in a child is such a precious trait."
"Thank you," Rosalita said and dipped her head. "That was Miss Lily who called. She said to hold the pink and make it masculine."
"Really? Well good for her."
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