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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Rock the boat, baby
>> Off Kona
Aboard Daren Guy's fishing boat the Moku 'Aina anchored out in the bay, Sonya Chan told Cruz MacKenzie about the night she bought Daren the ticket that hours later would make him the state's first million-dollar Lotto winner, which would lead directly to his death. Difficult as it was for him to hear how much she loved Daren, she gave him details he needed for the column he had to file in the morning.
He wanted to know more, had questions lining up in his head like new e-mail but it was getting late. And Sonya had been through a tough couple of days.
Plus, he had enough for a column. They could talk some more tomorrow. And she had stopped getting drunk -- she was there already and starting to slur -- but it clearly had not eased her pain.
"Are you sure you're OK to take me back?" he said.
"Where are you staying?"
"Got a room waiting at the King Kamehameha."
"Oh, Cruz ..."
She dissolved into tears, then into his arms. "But, uh ..."
"Just hold me, Cruz. Just hold me."
Thus they succumbed to the passion of the past and the heartache of the moment. Sonya was back in his arms again, only because Daren was dead, but Cruz didn't care what the reason was.
There was something about Sonya beyond all logic and reason, something about her look, her walk, her hair, her smile, her laugh, and even her tears that had hooked his heart. And the new boobs were pretty good too. She was back in his arms, and for now that was all that mattered.
And then in the moonlight her black silk robe was falling away and she was leading him by the hand down into the cabin.
Above the sound of waves massaging the hull of Daren Guy's boat, the oldies channel on the radio played the Hughes Corporation hit "Don't Rock the Boat, Baby." Like a lot of good advice, it came too late.
>> With the yacht's running lights off, the telltale pink sails stored below, Daren coasted back to the scene of the original sin, quietly let the anchor slide into the water 50 yards away from the familiar boat as the moon escaped a cloud bank and lit up the sea.
He heard music coming from the boat he'd left just two nights ago, and then Sonya's laughter danced across the water. It was quiet for several minutes. And then he heard her cry: "Yes, Cruz! Yes yes!"
That was the second thing she shouldn't have done.
He knew who Cruz was and would deal with him later. But first things first. He went to bed angry, and it made him stronger for the cunning that would be required. The cunning and the killing.
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Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com