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My Kind of Town Don Chapman |
Buddha and the cop
» Kaneohe
HPD solo bike officer Quinn Ah Sun knew there would be a crime-scene investigation in progress at the H-3 tunnels plaza, which they recently left to pursue the Honda that had been chasing and shooting at the black SUV before it huli'd. If they stopped, both Quinn and his passenger, the second Lama Jey Tsong Khapa, would be questioned.
Problem was, the lama was supposed to be at his hotel in Waikiki, preparing to meet Hawaii's religious leaders later in the day at the East-West Center, a trip for which Quinn would have an HPD motorcycle escort. That lama, Quinn now knew, was a stand-in, placed there by Kamasami Khan and the Free Tibet Warrior Society after learning Te-Wu, the Chinese secret police, had orders to kill the lama.
Quinn was sworn to protect that secret. That's why he didn't join the pursuit of the Honda after on-duty officers took over. If he were riding solo, no matter that he was off duty, he'd have stayed right with them. But to do so would have endangered not just the young lama's health, but also his future safety.
Better, Quinn figured, to fill out a form when he was back on duty. So they returned to the Windward side via Likelike Highway. Quinn slowed as they exited Wilson Tunnel and behind him heard the lama gasp at postcard-perfect Kaneohe Bay ahead, to the right the twin peaks of Olomana, below the lushness of Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden. They turned right on Anoe, right again on Luluku, and up the hill to the entrance to Ho'omaluhia.
"Khan brought me here for a run," the lama said. "So much a beauty."
"You ever need somebody to run with," your holiness, "let me know."
This whole adventure had begun when the lama said he wanted to look down on the Windward side from the Ko'olau, which was dark the first time he came through the tunnel. Soon Quinn was parking the bike about a half mile past the visitor center, leading the lama up a steep slope to an observation point. "Over there," he said, pointing, "is where Khan lives."
Where at that moment Quinn's wife Lily was arriving to prepare a vegetarian meal for the lama, accompanied by her maid/friend Rosalita Resurreccion and Rosalita's daughter Elizabeth, being warmly greeted by the lama's eternal consort Bodhicita Guzman.
"What I witnessed -- the shooting, the crash, the chase -- this is what you do as a police officer?"
"Doesn't always come with that much adrenaline, but it happens often enough, I'm afraid. But I have to tell you, your holiness, I never felt so good about it, so at peace."
"You do it for the right reasons. You showed compassion, absolute altruism and great courage. You should be at peace. Now, how about lunch?"
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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