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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Enlightenment
>> Maui
Justine Silva was one of the most powerful women on Maui. The starter at the popular Waiehu municipal golf course, she had a big say in who got to play and who didn't. Men who at home or at work may have treated women as natural subordinates gave Justine obeisance. At least the smart ones did. Cruz had once sent her a dozen sterling roses after she got him out on the Fourth of July, and she'd always remembered.
"Long time, Cruz," she said when he checked in.
"Been busy."
"I know, that shark business on the Big Island."
He nodded. "Spooky stuff."
"What brings you to Maui?"
"Same thing, I'm afraid."
I wondered." Justine grinned grimly. "You're in luck. I got you in a foursome with Pat Ohara."
"Why's that name sound familiar?"
"Maui County medical examiner."
"Terrific!" Maybe the trip to Maui would be worthwhile after all.
"You have time to get some breakfast if you want. I'll call you."
"Thanks, Justine." Flowers or candy or something would be appropriate again.
Walking to the restaurant, Cruz experienced a flicker of enlightenment: Only a journalist would get a happy-skippy heart upon learning that he was playing golf with the county coroner. God, this is a weird business. If I knew how to do anything else, he thought, I just might do it. But of course he didn't know how to do anything else besides juggling words.
>> Off the Big Island
Daren Guy was busy steering the luxury yacht Wet Spot and talking on the radio with a man named Sushi who had a Japanese accent, preparing to make a rendezvous and pick up "the girls." Whatever that meant.
Sonya Chan, meanwhile, was having a good day, the fog that sometimes enveloped her staying away and allowing her to think. And, sheesh, did she need to think. At first she was confused after reading what amounted to Daren's confession of killing the two crewmen of this boat (when it was named Pet Shop) in the hours after winning the Lotto, of faking his own death to defraud the insurance company and of his belief that Sonya had been in on the crewmen's plan to kill him and so must be dealt with severely.
But now one thing was clear. If Daren was dead, he'd written, Sonya would be the beneficiary of $4 million. She loved him, but if he was thinking of killing her, well, it only made sense to start thinking of ways to kill him ... Hmmm ... She was a pretty good shot with a speargun ...
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek. His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin. He can be e-mailed at dchapman@midweek.com
