O'ahu Lonesome Tonight? (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series #5) (13 page)

“He doesn’t
know you. Probably thinks you work here or something.”

“Are you two
friends?”

“Not really. He
and Stu are tight, though. The dude practically lives at their house. Stu even
got him his job.”

“He works at
the boat yard?”

“Nah, he works
at Stu’s club.”

Natalie and a
man I assumed was the guy
Moko
had referred to as
‘the big boss’ showed up. The boss guy continued down the hall to the swinging
doors of the ICU but Natalie turned into the waiting room. She carried a large
lidded paper cup and teetered a bit on her sky-high platform heels. She wore a
fitted gray pantsuit with a pink V-neck shell that showed about as much
cleavage as one can get away with before being busted for soliciting.

She
clip-clopped over to Jason and he looked up.  

“Thank you for
coming,” she said. “I hated to wake you up this early but I knew you’d want to
know.”

He dropped his
head and nodded.

She then came
over and took a seat across from
Moko
and me. “Here,
Moko
, I brought you some tea.” She handed him the cup. “I
made it just the way you like.
One sugar, no milk.”

 He
mumbled ‘
mahalo
’ and set the tea on a side
table.

“I’m sorry I
didn’t get any for you,
Pali
,” she said. “I didn’t
know you’d be here.”

“No worries.
I’ve already had a ton of coffee. What do you know about Stu’s condition?”

“Not much. I’m
waiting for someone to come out and tell me something. I’m not very comfortable
going in there. You know.” She put a hand on her still undefined baby bump.
 

“How’d Stu wind
up in the
Ala
Wai
Canal?” I
said.

“It’s a
mystery,” she said. “Stu went to his meeting right after you left on Tuesday
night. He didn’t come home, but I wasn’t worried. Stu told me he’d probably
stay out at the boat yard. It happens a lot. Silent partners come in from the
mainland, or sometimes a celebrity brings in a yacht and they want privacy. Stu
works strange hours sometimes.”

I must’ve
looked skeptical, because she quickly went on.

“They’ve fixed
up a couple of rooms out there with beds and showers. Both Stu and Barry camp
out there if they have to.”

“And Barry
is…?”

“Barry Salazar
and Stu are business partners,” she said.
Moko
made a
little sound in his throat, but when I looked at him his face remained impassive.

Natalie went
on. “Anyway, Barry’s gone in to see what he can find out.”

Moko
spoke up as if he wanted to set the record straight.
“Barry’s dad built the Barber’s Point Boat Yard back in the fifties. Barry took
it over from him ten years ago. Stu started working there, what? Two years
ago?” He narrowed his eyes at Natalie as if daring her to dispute his timeline.

“That’s
correct,” she said. “Barry was good friends with Stuart’s father. Oh, I’m
sorry. I guess he was your father, too,” she shot me a tentative smile.
“Anyway, now Stu
  and
Barry are running the
business.”

“But Barry’s
the main guy,”
Moko
insisted.

“Michael,” she
said, using
Moko’s
formal name like a reprimand.
“Just because you work there doesn’t make you privy to what goes on in the
upper echelons. Stuart and Barry share the executive role.”

Moko
stood up and grabbed the paper cup of tea off the side
table. He stalked off; dropping the cup into a nearby waste can. It hit bottom
with a loud
thunk
.

CHAPTER 16

Natalie shook her
head. “Don’t mind him; he’s just upset about Stuart.”

“Do you know
why they moved Stu to the ICU?” I said, trying to get past the family drama.
“He was in a regular room before.”

“The nurse told
me they’re concerned about infection. I guess one of his injuries has gotten
kind of ugly.”

“Did Stu tell
you where he was having his meeting last night? It’s a long way from Barbers
Point to the
Ala
Wai
Canal.” 

“Oh, Stuart
never holds meetings at the yard. He usually has people come to the Waikiki
Yacht Club. We’re members. Stuart likes to do business on his own turf.”

“The yacht
club’s right on the canal, isn’t it?”

“Technically,
it’s in the harbor. But it’s by the bridge.
Where the canal
goes into the harbor.”

Jason, aka Mr.
Universe, pushed himself up from his chair and came and stood by Natalie. “You
wanna
go outside and get some air, Nat?” he said. “It’s
getting
kinda
hard to breathe in here.”

She stood and
looked down at me. “Would you mind staying here in case there’s any news?”

“No problem,” I
said.

Natalie and
Jason headed down the hall. There was a shaded lanai right outside the ICU
waiting room but for some reason the glass doors leading out there were marked,
emergency exit only
.

A minute later,
Moko
reappeared. He didn’t ask where Natalie and Jason
were so I assumed he’d passed them in the hall. He sat down in the same chair
he’d been in before.

“Jason seems
like a nice guy,” I said.

“Yeah.
He and
Stu been
friends
since
keiki
days. Back then, you’d never see
one without the other.”

We both stared at
the muted TV hanging from the ceiling. It was tuned to CNN. After a few minutes
I got tired of reading the subtitles and my neck was starting to get a crick.

“A friend of
mine was on the news last night,” I said.

“For sure?
On CNN?”

“No, just the local news.
He rescued a guy up at the North
Shore.”

“He a lifeguard?”

“No, just a bystander.
He had to go back to Maui this
morning. He’s actually my roommate.”

“Roommate?
No lie? You guys like…” he bumped his two fists
together and smiled.

“No, no. Not
that kind of roommate.
Just friends.”

“Hey, no judgment.
Jus’ wondering.
I don’ know much about you ‘
cept
that whole sorry
mess after Dad died.”

“Are you mad
about the will?”

“Me?
Nah.
I got
ever’ting
I need.
My wife, my kids.
And now, thanks to you, I got that trust
money
comin
’ in every month. No worries.”

“Would you mind
staying here in case someone comes out with any news?” I said. “I’m not used to
sitting this long. I’ll be back in five.”

“Take as long
as you need. I’ll see if I can get an update on Stu.”

I headed down
the hall and turned at the first set of glass doors leading outside. Natalie
and Jason were on a bench, his arms folded tight across his chest. I went
outside and waved. Jason uncrossed his arms and stood up to greet me while
Natalie busied herself stubbing the toe of her fancy shoe into the cement. The
unmistakable odor of burning cigarette hung in the humid air.

“Are you
smoking?” I said when I got within earshot. “Aren’t you pregnant?”

“Since when is
anything I do any business of yours?”

“Hey, that’s my
niece or nephew in there. And besides, I’m pretty sure it’s against the rules
to be smoking so close to the building.
Especially a
hospital
building.”

“Jason,” said
Natalie. “Have you met Stu’s half-sister,
Pali
? As
you can see, she’s quite the bossy big sister.”

Jason stood and
shook my hand. “Nat’s not been herself lately,” he said. “I mean, I’m pretty
freaked about what happened too, but at least I’m not pregnant.”

“Nice to meet you, Jason.”
I shook his hand and took the
opportunity to get a really good look at him. The guy was as handsome at close
range as he was from across a room. His tanned skin offset a brilliant white
smile and dark brown eyes. His tight polo shirt had an understated logo with a
little red flag on it. Underneath the flag it read, ‘Waikiki Yacht Club.’

“Are you also a
member of the yacht club?” I said, pointing to his shirt.

“I wish,” he
said. “I’m a bartender there.”

“Yes, thanks to
Stu,” Natalie added. “Jason’s had a few scrapes with the law.
If it wasn’t for Stu who knows where he’d be.”
She shot
Jason a ‘don’t forget your place’ look.

“She’s right.
Stu got me the job. He and I go way back.”

“So I’ve
heard,” I said. “Were you working the night Stu fell in the canal?”

“I was. In
fact, I walked out with Stu when we closed. Last thing I saw he was heading to
his car. He even offered to take me home, but it’s in the opposite direction
from where he was going so I told him I’d take the bus.”

Natalie seemed
irritated at being ignored.

“Did the doctor
come out yet?” she said.

“No.
Moko’s
going in to check, so hopefully we’ll find out
something. I guess Barry’s still in there.”

“That Barry,”
said Natalie. “If I find out he’s in there bothering Stuart about work stuff,
I’ll get his name taken off the visitor list.”

The three of us
lapsed into an uneasy silence. “I guess I’ll go back and see if
Moko
found out anything,” I said. “You want to walk back
with me, Natalie?”

“You go ahead.
I need to make a stop at the ladies’ room.”

She didn’t make
a move to get up. As I pushed through the glass doors I glanced back. Natalie
had an unlit cigarette clamped between her lips and she was digging through her
voluminous
Fendi
purse like a terrier after a
bone.   

***

Moko
was sitting in the waiting room when I got back. He
was talking to Barry—‘the big boss.’ I walked over and they both stood.

“
Pali
, I’d like you to meet my boss, Barry Salazar.”

I stuck out my hand
and gave him the ‘Homeland Security Special’—a handshake we practiced in air
marshal training: grip and grin while locking on the eyes searching for tells.
I threw in a mumbled,
Nice
to meet you,
even
though it’s not technically part of the protocol.

Barry eyed me
like a guy in the market for horse flesh. “The pleasure’s all mine, I’m sure,”
he said. Barry was what my Auntie
Mana
, the woman who
raised me, would’ve called a ‘fancy man.’ He had a sort of Mediterranean flair:
 swarthy complexion, thick shock of salt and pepper hair, and gold jewelry
adorning fingers, neck and wrist, not to mention an oversize diamond ear stud.

“You were in
with Stu earlier,” I said. “How’s he doing?”

“Not so good,
I’m afraid,” said Barry. “Stu and I had a quick meeting at the club on Tuesday
and I guess after I left Stu got into a little scuffle. Somehow, he ended up in
the canal. They brought him here to the ER and patched him up and he was fine.
Now the docs are saying the leg’s gotten infected.
Figures.
Guy shows up sound as a dollar and after a few hours in this place he turns
into a full-blown pus factory.”

I held back a
wince. I didn’t want to encourage him.

“Do they have a
prognosis?”

“They call it,
guarded
,
whatever the hell that means. His leg’s blown up like a damn balloon. Gunk
draining outta it looks like rotten mayo.”

I clenched my
hands then made myself release them. I practice martial arts. The first rule of
winning is to psych out the opponent.
Don’t kid a kidder
, I thought as I
shot Barry what I hoped passed for a pleasant smile.

 “By the
way, where’s the little wife?” Barry looked around the waiting room.

“She’s outside.
She needed some air.”

“Poor thing,”
he said. “She’s been through a lot these past few months.”

“She’s tough,
though,” said
Moko
. “Her people are from China.
They’re used to disasters. Stu says when she was a little kid she was shipped
off to Hong Kong with some relatives. He said no matter what happens
,
he’s never seen her cry. He says
she’s
probably
gonna
be one of those ‘tiger moms’ to their
kid.”

“I need to get
back to work,” said Barry. “We’re in the middle of something big and with Stu
out of commission I’m going to be doing double duty. Can I give you a ride,
Moko
?”

The offer of a
ride seemed to be a not-so-subtle hint that
Moko
was
expected to take a page from Natalie’s book. Suck it up. Get back to work.

“I think I’ll
stick around a little longer,”
Moko
said.
“Jus’ to be here when he turns the corner.”

“He’ll turn
that corner whether you’re here or not,” said Barry.

Moko
bit his bottom lip and nodded. “You’re right. Maybe
work’ll
keep my mind off it.
Pali
,
you call me right away when you hear anything, okay?”

Barry and
Moko
left. A few minutes later Natalie showed up alone.

“You want to go
in with me to see him?” I said.

She shook her
head. “Like I said, I’m not good with hospitals.
The smells,
the machines, the blood.
I’m barely able to handle being here in the
waiting room.”

“
You planning
on a home delivery with that baby?” I said.

She scowled.

“Look,” I said.
“I think it’ll help if we see him. Sometimes things sound a lot worse than they
really are.”