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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Wicked fairy
>> Kona
Waiting for his bag at Hawaiian Air baggage claim, Cruz MacKenzie remembered to phone Jasmine Kanaka. The call from his cell awoke her.
"You're flying back to Kona?" She sounded irritated, as if she was taking Cruz's announced absence personally.
"Actually, I just landed. Something's come up."
"More of that shark story?" Shark Story came out sounding like Other Woman.
"Related to it. I'll be here a couple of days anyway. When're you flying back to Kona?"
"I'm on the Maui run this week."
"See if you can switch. I'll be at the King Kam hotel. I'd love to see you."
"If you don't want to see me, I'll understand, just say so."
"I do want to see you."
She didn't reply. In the silence Cruz could hear angry hormones screaming so loud she couldn't hear his words or the emotion behind them.
"This period stuff, it really ... You don't sound like yourself, Jasmine."
"What do you mean? If you don't want to see me, say so."
"I do want to see you."
"No you don't! Have a good time at Kona!" The line went dead.
Oh boy. Cruz had fallen for a woman who suffered from Cujo Syndrome, also known as PMS. He hoped maybe this spell of bad thinking cast by the wicked menses fairy would wear off in a few days. It had to, didn't it?
Just as he saw his bag on the carousel, Cruz heard a car horn toot. Nick Ornellas waved from a silver Jag at curbside.
"Change of plans," Ornellas said as Cruz tossed the bag in the back seat. "But it's your lucky day -- you're on top of another big story."
>> Off the Big Island
The closer she steered the yacht Wet Spot toward the remote Pele's Bath, the more vulnerable Sonya Chan felt. Yes, she'd taught several of Sushi Leclaire's 12 Filipinas how to shoot a spear gun, but the debacle of them getting lost at sea when she turned over the wheel for a few hours to get some rest did not encourage her to think that the 13 of them could overpower Sushi and Daren.
Although she might try Daren one-one-one with the Glock 9mm she'd taken from Sushi at spear gun point.
And so she'd called her old friend and lover Cruz MacKenzie.
He always worked Sunday mornings. But he wasn't in. Who else could help? Perry Brown, the attorney? No, not yet anyway. Mano Kekai, Daren's fisherman friend? She tried his cell, he answered on the third ring.
"Eh, Sonya, how you doing?"
"Uncle Mano, I ... I think I'm in trouble."
"I know, bebbe, I'm close by."
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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