“Unlikely,” I said.
“I agree,” she said.
I looked at Perry. She looked at me. From the hall, I heard the old man’s mop clank his bucket then smack the floor.
I glanced at my watch.
“Now what?” Perry ignored, or missed, the obvious message.
“When you’ve done all you can, taken photos, collected samples, et cetera, clean the bones. When they’re ready, call me.”
I rose.
Perry rose.
Pointedly, I gripped my briefcase in my right hand and held my keys in my left. Sorry, no fingers available for cracking.
Approaching Kailua Beach, South Kalaheo Avenue doglegs, crosses a bridge over Kaelepulu Stream as Lihiwai, and emerges on the other bank as Kawailoa.
Ryan called as I was entering the bridge. He wasted no time on chitchat.
“Plato Lowery is one obstinate bastard.”
“Oh?”
“The old goat refuses to provide a DNA sample.”
“Why?”
“Beats me.”
“He gave no reason?”
“He says he doesn’t need one.”
Lowery was right. He didn’t.
As my mind groped for ideas, my foot eased off the gas. Behind me, a car horn blared. So much for the aloha attitude.
“Are there any other relatives?” I asked. “I thought Plato mentioned a cousin.”
“Not that we’ve found.”
The horn sounded again. My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. A big-ass SUV was right on my bumper.
“The Robeson County sheriff was present when I did the exhumation in Lumberton. His name is Beasley. Call him, see if has any suggestions.”
“Worth a try.” Ryan’s tone conveyed little optimism.
I arrived home as the sun was flattening into the sea.
Katy’s mood had improved buckets since the previous day. So had her appetite. In fact, she was starving. Buzz’s Steakhouse was close, so we fired over there.
The Hawaiian gods were smiling. We scored a deck table and dined overlooking Kailua Beach. I ordered mahimahi. Katy chose teriyaki chicken.
As we ate, Katy described her day. She’d spent the morning in a helicopter, the afternoon sunning on Lanikai Beach.
Lots of blocker?
Yes, Mom.
Hat?
Hm.
Skin cancer. Wrinkles. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Eye roll.
“OK. Start at the beginning. How did you get to the chopper?”
“Took a bus. TheBus, it’s called here. I like that. Direct.”
“What did you see?”
“Downtown Honolulu, the harbor, some tower with a marketplace.”
“The Aloha Tower at Pier 9. One of the premier landmarks of the state of Hawaii.”
“The pilot mentioned that.”
“Since the twenties, that lighthouse has guided ships at sea and welcomed visitors and immigrants to Honolulu.”
“He mentioned that too. Compared it to the Statue of Liberty.”
“Fair analogy. What Lady Liberty does for New York City, the Aloha Tower does for Honolulu. For four decades it was the tallest structure in Hawaii.”
