O'ahu Lonesome Tonight? (Islands of Aloha Mystery Series #5) by JoAnn Bassett

lives.”
    “But the
plantation owners and sons of the missionaries lied to the U.S. Government
about what was going on over here.”
    “Yeah, and
those lies were the only reason Washington sided with the overthrow. By the
time the truth came out it was too late,” I said.
    “Or they didn’t
care.”
    “Hard to know.”
    When we got
back to the penthouse it was nearly two o’clock but Steve still wasn’t back. I
called his cell and got bounced to voice mail.
    “That’s odd,” I
said. “It’s still raining hard. How much fun can it be to surf in this lousy
weather?”
    “I guess wet is
wet,” said Jeff.
    “Yeah, but he
never stays out on the water this long at home. I’m getting worried.”
    We went
downstairs and grabbed a quick plate lunch but I didn’t eat much. The rain, the
sad history of ‘ Iolani Palace, and worrying about Steve had put a dent in my appetite.
    “I think I’ll
just hang out and read my book,” I said when we got back upstairs. “Feel free
to go out if you want.”
    “No, I’m just gonna check my email,” Jeff said. “I told myself I wouldn’t
check it while I’m on vacation, but I’m finding it’s more stressful worrying
about it.” 
    “And you can
sneak a peek at Jack’s ‘doggie cam’ while you’re at it.”
    Jeff laughed.
“With him I’d rather not know.”
    We went to our
respective bedrooms. When I looked up a few minutes later, the only sound in
the penthouse was the low whoosh of the A/C fan. But you know that old saying, the
calm before the storm ?  
    That afternoon,
things felt just too darn calm.
     
    CHAPTER 12
     
    My phone rang
and I snatched it up. Was it Steve at last? No, my caller ID showed Farrah.
    “Hey Pali ,” she said. “Guess what? We’re still here.” She
giggled and for a moment I was at a loss as to what to say.
    I finally said,
“You mean you’re still in Honolulu?”
    “Yeah. Ono says we can’t go anywhere until this storm
clears, but the water’s getting bad here in Ala Wai Harbor. We’re gonna have to
leave the boat and stay at his friend’s place.”
    “ Tomika’s ?”
    “Yeah, her place.”
    I’d stayed at Tomika Fujioka’s lavish high rise condo when I first met
Ono. It’s at least ten floors higher than the Waikiki penthouse I was in and
the exterior walls of the condo are floor-to-ceiling glass. The twinkling
lights at night offer a postcard view of the Honolulu skyline.
    “Don’t freak
out when you get there,” I said. “It’s kind of high up.”
    “I won’t.” She
giggled again. “Ono’s promised to stay by my side the whole time.”
    “You haven’t heard
from Steve, have you?”
    “No. But I hope
he checked out of the Royal Hawaiian yesterday. He promised me he’d handle it.”
    “He did. He’s
staying here with us. But he went surfing this morning and he isn’t back yet.”
    “He went
surfing? Total bummer. With this storm there’s gonna be some bad ass waves out there.”
    “Yeah,” I said.
“That’s why I’m worried.”
    “Oh, gotta run. Ono sends his aloha . I just wanted to
call and let you know we’re okay.”
    I hung up
feeling even more anxious. Where are you, Steve?
    A half-hour
later my phone rang again.
    “ Pali ? It’s Stu. Say, have you got
plans for dinner?”
    “Uh, I don’t
think so.”
    “Natalie would
like to have you out to the house. Jeff can come too, if he wants.”
    I already knew
Jeff’s answer, but decided I wouldn’t say anything right away. I’d take the
time to come up with a plausible excuse.
    “That sounds
nice. What time?”
    “Say, cocktails
at six, dinner at seven? I have to be at work early tomorrow so we won’t make
it a late evening.”
    “Okay. Can you
give me directions?”
    “You got a GPS?
I’ll give you the address.”
    “No, we didn’t
get one.” I thought about explaining my irrational need to not be mistaken for
a tourist, then figured he probably didn’t care.
     “Funny. I
thought all decent rental cars came with ‘ em