Lieutenant Walter Chun was a slender broad-shouldered Chinese in the middle thirties. He was wearing civvies, had shining black patent leather hair and hard intelligent eyes that gleamed like black enamel. He appeared to be satisfied with my credentials and showed neither surprise, suspicion nor any other emotion at my story. But when I had finished, his lips were thin.
“You should have come to us in the first place.”
I shrugged. “I told you why I didn’t. I was just going through the motions to prove to my client that it wouldn’t work. I couldn’t know I was going to get the breaks beforehand.”
“You knew last night.”
“O.K., maybe I played it wrong according to you. But I’m bringing you a lot of information tonight. Are you willing to go along with my plan?”
Chun eyed me expressionlessly. “You know if your scheme doesn’t work, that won’t be the end of it. You won’t see California again for a long, long time.”
I didn’t want to think about that. I brushed it aside. “If it does work?”
Chun smiled slightly. “Then I think the haul will be big enough for us to overlook your somewhat unorthodox behavior.”
“What are we waiting for?”
Chun rose to his feet and indicated the desk phone. “You can use that phone. I’ll get a car and a driver.” He moved swiftly and silently out of the office.
I reached for the telephone book and located Allan Norris’ Makiki Heights number. Norris himself answered the phone.
“Ford speaking. Do you want to clean up that business tonight?”
There was a pause. Finally Norris said: “Do you mean you’ve really found something important?”
“More than that. I think I can wrap the whole thing up.”
“Well—” Norris hesitated. “Do it then. That’s what you were hired to do, isn’t it?”
“I think you ought to be in at the kill.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“I think so.”
“Very well, what do you want me to do?”
I looked at the map of Honolulu under the glass top of the desk. “Be on the corner of Nuuanu and Iolani in fifteen minutes. I’ll pick you up there.”
“Can you tell me anything now?”
“I’m pressed for time and there are too many angles.”
“Very well — oh, by the way, Carter MacDonald is here with me now. May I bring him along?”
I grinned into the phone. “Sure, bring him along.” I hung up and reached for the directory.
I located Walter Kent’s Wilhelmina Rise number and dialled. I made my voice hurried and business-like when Kent answered the phone. “I haven’t got much time to talk. You remember that business we were discussing today?”
Kent’s voice was surprised. “We talked about a lot of things.”
“The book business?”
“Oh.” There was a pause. “The books in my office?”
“Right. There’s a chance you may not be in that business unless you act fast.”
“What’s happened?”
“I’m on my way to the other side of the Island. If you could be at that Pali House of yours about an hour from now, I could stop in.”
There was another pause. “Couldn’t you stop by here first?”
“My business across the Island is urgent. Listen, Kent, I’m doing you a favor. Nobody’s forcing you to come.”
“I suppose there’s no other way,” Kent said dubiously. “All right, the Pali House in an hour.”
“Or thereabouts. I’ll see you then. So long.” I hung up as Chun returned, loading an extra police revolver. I got the number of the Hobron Club. A voice I didn’t recognize answered the phone.
“Get Jocko Vecelli on the phone.”
“Who’s calling?”
“Get Vecelli.”
“He’s busy now and don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Tell him Johnny Ford wants to talk to him.”
“O.K.”
Vecelli’s urgent business didn’t keep him from getting to the phone in one minute flat. “Ford?”
“Yeah. Sorry I had to run out on you but I had some things to take care of.”
“Where are you?”
“I’ve got some information you want.”
“I’ll settle for you telling me where you are.”
“Skip it. A certain party doesn’t think the Hobron Club is a good influence on the community, Jocko. I think you’re going to be closed up.”
“Nuts.”
“Maybe. We’re having a little meeting. You want to join us?”
Vecelli cursed. “Who is ‘we’?”
“You want to come or not?”
Jocko paused. “What about the girl over at your place?”
“We can take care of that, too.”
“Where’s the meeting?”
“You know Walter Kent’s place on the other side of the Island?”
“Is he in on this?”
“Don’t waste time. If you’re interested, be there in an hour and a half.”
“Say! Wait a minute!” Jocko’s voice was suspicious. “This is no long distance call.”
“Did I say it was? You’ve got your choice: be at Kent’s place in an hour and a half — or else!” I slammed down the receiver and winked at Chun.
He tossed the revolver to me and nodded. “He’ll come. Let’s get going.”
“What about Anne Seccombe’s body?”
“I’ve already dispatched a car.”
Chapter Six
Heroin Hideout
We hurried down to the big basement garage where a wiry young uniformed cop of Japanese ancestry stood beside a purring sedan. Chun said his name was Matsu and introduced me. Matsu climbed under the wheel and as Chun and I settled ourselves into the rear seat, Chun grinned at me. “By the way, you know who owns the Hobron Club, don’t you?”
“Giacomo Vecelli.”
“I mean the physical property — the building and the lot it stands on.”
I looked at him. “Not my client?”
Chun nodded. “Allan Norris.”
It gave me something else to think about as the police car howled out into Bethel Street.
Norris and MacDonald were waiting as we slid to a stop at Nuuanu and Iolani. I introduced Chun to them while he climbed into the front seat beside Matsu, and Norris and MacDonald got into the back with me. As soon as we were rolling, Matsu opened the siren and we wailed up Nuuanu Valley. The few cars we encountered on the lonely road darted over to the side like unprotected infantry under the onslaught of dive bombers. I’ll never know how we managed to stay on the road when we skidded around the top of the Pali and twisted down the treacherous turns on the other side of the mountain. Once, Norris jerked out a nervous, “Where are we going?” over the screaming complaint of the tires.
I grunted noncommittally and didn’t answer.
We made it to Kaneohe in nineteen minutes and it was an experience I wouldn’t care to repeat. A few brief minutes later, Matsu slammed on the brakes, threw the wheel over and we bumped up the dirt trail. Then we were skidding to a stop in the clearing. Chun turned. “This it?”
I nodded. “This is it.”
Chun, Matsu and I piled out hurriedly. Norris and MacDonald were getting out when Chun stopped them. “I think it would be best if you gentlemen waited here.” They sank back into the car, MacDonald silently, Norris muttering. Chun took Matsu to one side.
“You stay with them, Matsu.”
Matsu showed his teeth. “Am I protecting them or guarding them?”
Chun’s eyes glinted. “Both.”
Matsu nodded and I led Chun off down the path. We paused at the foot of the slope to reconnoiter. The flat taro fields were bathed in the light of a fat oversize orange moon that looked more like Culver City corn than the real thing. When a low-lying cloud drifted across its face, we bent low and took the irrigation path on the double. I found the hollow hau tree, knelt and reached inside. The hollow trunk was too hollow.