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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
A collector
>> Around Oahu
Having completed paperwork for a missing persons report on Shauny Nakamura -- there'd been an inordinate number of MPRs filed in the past few days, the desk sergeant told him -- HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes was on his way to Dr. Laurie Tang's when his cell rang.
It was Kona Weathers, boy wonder of the Chaminade criminal justice department and Gomes' protégé. As requested he'd done some Internet research on Kona's hero, computer magnate Victor Primitivo. "And there's nothing that would make me change my opinion of him, as you suggested."
"Tell me what you got."
"The car part is easy -- just four vehicles registered in his name -- 2003 Escalade, '65 Bentley and a '99 Harley."
"Nice mix. Firearms?"
"He's a collector, some historic guns, some new." Kona ticked off 30 different weapons -- handguns, shotguns, hunting and combat rifles. Gomes didn't like guns -- although after his close call with the methed-out Samoan cabbie who tried to strangle Lily Ah Sun, he was back to wearing an ankle holster again -- but he recognized most of Primitivo's guns.
"And he also has a Blazer R-93!" Kona added. "You know how much it cost?"
"Cost all depends on the wood and inlays. How much?"
"A hundred thousand dollars! Six figures! For a gun!"
The upper end of the gun market proved one of Gomes' little theories in life -- you can never go wrong catering to the rich. They, like the poor, will be with us always.
"You also asked about hunting on Oahu. I found several places on the Internet that offer hunting, wild pig mostly. One place was kind of interesting. The Web site says it's the only place on Oahu that offers large populations of chukkar and quail -- those species are on the other islands, but not here for some reason -- place called the Rockin' Pikake Ranch, out by Kahuku."
The last time he'd been seen, Victor Primitivo was heading toward Kahuku. Coincidence? Gomes knew it was just as likely that Primitivo's story to his wife about going hunting was a total crock. Like the guy who'd told his wife he was going to Kona to do some fishing for the weekend, then made the paper when he had a heart attack in a Waikiki hotel room while fooling around with his girlfriend -- Viagra overdose it was determined -- and Star-Bulletin extreme photographer Johnny B. Goo just happened to be doing a ride-along with the ambulance crew that responded.
Gomes filed away the tidbit about the only chukkar and quail on Oahu. His head was filled with countless tiny compartments of such trivia. In one he put a note to call Mrs. Primitivo tomorrow and ask about which guns her husband took on his hunting trip.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com