“ Some safe harbor, or where he feels at home,” she suggested. “Perhaps… maybe Maui? He was comfortable there once.”
“ Again I'm ahead of you, Jess. I've already alerted authorities there. They're on the lookout for Lopaka, armed with his photo. So far, nothing.”
“ Now whata we do?”
“ Keep our fingers crossed. Hope he makes a slipup? Whataya suggest?”
She gritted her teeth and returned the empty coffee cup to him. “That's not good enough, Jim.”
“ I agree wholeheartedly, dear Doctor.”
“ Talk is cheap, Jim. We've got to take some action and we need to do it now.”
“ What the hell do you think I've been doing with my days and nights? What the hell do you want from me, Jess? Miracles?”
For a moment, they glared at one another until she relented. “I'm sorry. Just have every nerve rubbed raw by this butchering bastard. Something about this beast that's primal. Savage monster's worse than Matisak and the Claw combined. I'm sorry but…”
“ No apology necessary.”
“ I had no right to-”
“ Shhhhh! Tell you what, Doctor. Maybe what we really need is a chance to completely clear our minds. I don't know about you, but what clears my soul is a good dive.”
“ What's that?”
Birds chirped and darted in and out of a nearby kukui tree grove.
“ Maybe it's time for a return visit to Maui for you; you could take up where you left off. Get in some diving before you're called back to D C.”
“ What, just forget about the case and go off diving? Alone?”
He smiled. “Who said anything about being alone?”
She smiled brighdy and looked long into his beaming eyes. “A few days' diving does sound great,” she admitted. Then with an accusatory tone, she asked, “Just what'd you go and do, Jim Parry?”
“ Arranged a little excursion for us. Maybe get in a day's worth of diving. Whataya say? Come on…”
“ How long? A day, two, three?”
“ I know it's not much time, maybe get in one day's diving, but it'll be made up in quality, I promise. You haven't really seen the islands until you've seen them by helicopter.”
“ Helicopter? Is-sat right?”
“ That's right. A few days, all expenses paid, kind of a reward for giving up your vacation for us.”
“ Reward? Hell, Jim, we haven't even apprehended the bastard yet, and you're doling out rewards? Some people might view it as something other than a reward…”
He ignored her protests. “Whataya say, Jess?”
“ I'm paying my own passage,” she insisted.
“ That's not necessary. This is on me.”
“ Ahhhh, I don't know.” Could get sticky, she thought.
“ We can argue on the chopper.”
“ We do that well anywhere, don't we?” She smiled.
“ You're getting quite good at being contrary, yes.”
She gave a mock frown. “All right, when do we leave?”
“ Soon as you're packed. I've cleared the way for us, and Tony's been placed in charge here, so there's absolutely nothing standing in our way.” He suggested she get her things together and place them into his car, handing her the thermos he'd brought as well. She obeyed as he lifted the radio mike and called for Gagliano, looking over his shoulder to be certain she was out of earshot for the moment.
Gagliano, who was somewhere up in the mountains with the armed forces and the HPD officers sent by Scanlon to assist, acknowledged his call. 'Tony, I want you to return to conduct the search from command, here at… at…” He looked over his other shoulder at the sign on the Korean's store which read Kawaohomaenape's. Obviously, the Korean had bought out the establishment from a Hawaiian owner but had retained the sign. 'The store,” Parry said, giving up on pronouncing the name. “Dr. Coran and I are outta here, Tony, and next time I get in touch it'll be from Maui. You got that? Out.”
“ Maui? Don't you mean Molokai, Boss? Over.”
“ Maui, Tony, but you don't know my whereabouts, understood? Out.”
“ Sure, sure. Boss.” Gagliano's voice crackled over the radio. “How long do you think we should keep these boys out here, Jim? Over.”
“ Give it till nightfall. Over.”
“ And then?” Click.
“ Call it quits. Out.”
“ Roger that. How long'll you be in Maui?”
“ Two, three days at tops, and thanks, Gag, for setting me straight. Over.”
“ Setting you straight? Boss, I said Molokai, not Maui, remember? Out”
“ I'm aware of that. Gag. Thanks anyway. Be in touch…”
“ We'll cover your backside. Over V out.”
“ Thanks, Gag.”
She caught the tail end of his signing off with Gagliano. 'Tony's going to be upset with us. You know that, don't you?”
“ Tony knows we're doing the right thing. He even wished us well,” he said.
She remained skeptical, her eyes telling him as much. “Well, if we're going, let's go.” She started off again for his car, mumbling to herself before turning, stepping backwards as she continued toward the car and saying, “You're really serious about our disappearing to Maui?”
“ Couldn't be more serious.” He took her hands in his for a moment, warming her.
She started around the car, reluctantly parting her hands from his, still mumbling to herself. He pursued, coming round to her side, opening the door for her but barring her from entering, asking, “What're you going on about, Coran?”
“ You…” She stopped to stare him down. “You know you're just flying in the face of good sense? If the newsies get wind you've split in the middle of an investigation of this magnitude for… for some fun in the sun with your M.E. -”
“ To hell with 'em. Besides, they'll never know.”
“ But if they do, think of the consequences. Your name'll be mud not only with the coldly logical Hawaiians and Orientals here, but with the muckety-mucks in their homes on Diamond Head and Pacific Heights and with the luncheon set at the Pacific Club. Think of Marshal, who'll see to it Washington knows. Think of Scanlon, who's just waiting for you to stumble.”
“ I'm willing to risk it. What about you?” he countered.
“ Me? What about me?”
“ Are you secure enough in your relationship with Paul Zanek to follow my instructions for a little R amp; R?”
“ I'm not the least worried about my superiors, but I'm supposed to be on vacation, remember?”
“ Stop worrying about what others will think,” he said firmly. “I have.”
“ Oh, really?”
“ Really.”
“ Does that include Scanlon?”
“ Him most of all.”
“ And your superiors?” she challenged, her unerring eye pinning him to the truth now.
“ They owe me,” he countered, catching her mischievous glint, kissing her quickly and offering her a seat with a flourish of his hand like some coachman out of a fairy tale, she thought.
Once they were inside with the motor revved up, he spoke across to her. “Don't forget, I'm the Sherlock who uncovered this whole ugly business with Lopaka in the first place, and with your help, I'm the one who's brought it along this far; together we've I.D.'d this animal. The rest can be left up to others.”
