*  *  *

The policemen had finally left with the plastic container, which held God knows what.  Michelle was grabbing a light linen stole, as the weather on the other side of the island, where Henry's house was located, tended to be more chilly than here in Waikiki.  Large parties in the islands could last until the wee hours.  Henry's yearly bashes usually reached gigantic proportion.  Indeed, he would probably have hung-over guests to feed in the morning.

There was a knock on the door and Michelle hurried to answer it.  She suspected it was the police with more questions.  Luckily, Nakamura was there.  He had been very good at deferring their curiosity.  Michelle glanced at her watch.  It was already 8:00 p.m.  They were going to be terribly late.

Omar stood in the doorway, smiling, and Michelle almost reeled backward, as though from a blast of cold air when she saw his face.  She actually felt goose-bumps erupt on her arms, where the hair was standing straight up.  His smile was pure malevolence.  She took a deep breath and invited him in. 

"Thank you, Michelle.  I came to collect Lucifer."

God he was angry, Michelle thought, although he was a study of politeness as he strolled in.  His body looked thin and lethal and tight as a board.  She realized she was very afraid of him now that she thought he might be committing rape and murder, harvesting organs to feed his cat.

Michelle introduced Omar to Nakamura and Heather.  He was still smiling, the perfect gentleman, but he must be furious about what she had done to his witches on the beach this evening.  Even Heather seemed subdued as she smiled politely, giving no indication that his witches had tried to kill her.

The curious thing was that Nakamura, a person who handled even unpleasant social occasions with ease, was openly hostile.  The men were sizing each other up, practically snarling like belligerent wolves.  Neither smiled or shook hands during the introduction.  It was perfectly obvious to Michelle that Nakamura suspected this man was feeding his cat human organs.  He didn't even try to hide his dislike.

"I'll get Lucifer," Michelle said, looking around the room for the cat.  She went into the kitchen but he wasn't there.  She had to go back through the living room, in which everyone was standing in frozen silence, Nakamura and Omar still directing hateful glances at each other.  Heather was seated on the couch and had lit a cigarette, which she puffed on furiously.

Michelle found Lucifer under her bed.  She had to crawl under it to get him.  He seemed fine as she picked him up and backed up on hands and knees.  She petted him and gave him a tiny kiss on his little pink nose before she walked into the living room and gave him to Omar.  She felt she was committing a dreadful act in handing Lucifer over to him.

Omar was still giving his awful smile to everyone.  Then he bobbed his head politely at Michelle and thanked her for taking care of his pet.  As he exited, it almost seemed like he had the cape on again; the exit was so theatrical Michelle almost saw it swish.  She turned around and leaned against the door, feeling more drained than she had been after the fight on the beach. 

"That was certainly uncomfortable," Heather said, shakily taking another drag at her cigarette, which glowed red from her furious puffing.

"I feel like I've met the devil himself," Nakamura said into a loud silence. 

"It was perfectly obvious you didn't like him," Michelle said.  "I'm not criticizing.  I was surprised."

"Wouldn't matter," Nakamura said.  He picked up Heather's cigarettes and lit one.  He puffed and coughed.  Michelle knew he didn't smoke.  "He would have known it anyway."

Heather nodded agreement.  "I've just met him informally in the lobby and hallways.  Seems like the temperature goes down drastically when he's around.  Gives me the creeps."

"He's furious at what I did to his sisters tonight," Michelle said.  "He's really mad at me."

Heather and Nakamura glanced at each other and were shaking their heads. 

"No.  He likes you.  It's perfectly obvious," Nakamura said.  "And I suspect he can be very charming.  He looks like a movie actor."

"Handsome, yes.  Like Dracula," Heather said, with a little shuddering laugh.

"Hell, let's go to the party," Nakamura said.  "On the way I want to hear all about those sisters of his.  And tonight I'm going to get you both rooms at the Sheraton Hotel, where I'm staying.  He's angry and I believe he's very dangerous."

Almost as soon as Michelle got out of the car and started walking up Henry's driveway she could smell delicious aromas.  She realized she was starving.  As they knocked, Henry and his wife, Nora, opened the door and beautiful Hawaiian music spilled out.  Nora was holding flower leis, made of plumeria, ginger and orange blossoms.  As she kissed each of them on both cheeks she placed a wreath of flowers over their head.

Nakamura was surprised at the intimate greeting.  Michelle whispered to him that this was the traditional way Hawaiians greet guests into their homes, as they all took off their shoes and put them in racks by the door.  Now Nakamura was an official guest, even though he was a stranger, and he would be treated to real aloha hospitality.

Nora led them through the living room, which was casually decorated in natural rattan furniture with many large plants and pictures of native Hawaiians, to the lanai that overlooked the back yard, where the pig had been roasting all day in a pit.  Colorful paper lanterns had been placed into the palm trees for light and there were about seventy-five people eating, listening to music, gossiping and drinking.  The backyard was not large, as it abutted directly onto the beach, where more guests were enjoying the balmy evening, but it was lush with tropical fruit trees bearing coconuts, mangos and bananas. 

There were sturdy redwood tables loaded with food and Nora handed them plates, urging them to try some of the island delicacies.  Michelle hardly ever ate meat and she skipped the Kalua pig and Teriyaki beef and the poi, which was a starchy, pasty staple made of tarot roots that she had never acquired a taste for.  She chose Lomilomi Salmon, mahi-mahi, lobster of the clawless species, known as spiny lobster from the local reefs, salmon steaks which had been roasted over the fire in tea leaves and wonderful salads made with sweet Maui onions and shrimp.  The tables were decorated with edible fruits; guava, mango, papaya, pineapple, lychees and coconut, and beautiful orchid and anthurium flowers.  Hawaiians love food and when they have a luau, unrefined gluttony is good manners.

While Michelle, Heather and Nakamura ate they listened to Hawaiian guitarists singing the traditional songs of the islands.  The lanai was a large open wooden structure overlooking the garden and a few couples were dancing to the music. 

Some of the children were still swimming in the water, but the night was becoming cool and most had gone inside.  The littlest ones were already asleep.  A full moon lit the beach outside, lighting the waves into phosphorescent rolls.  Some of the neighbors from adjoining homes had come over too, so the gala was not like a stiff formal office party for Heroshi, although all of Michelle's co-workers were there.

In Hawaii there are no private beaches.  No one can own beach property outright, it belongs to the island and everyone who lives there, so there were probably a few poachers at the party who had wandered in from the beach, but no one minded.

Michelle smiled when she saw Tom Mitsuto, her former boss and the head of Heroshi Hawaii.  He was absolutely plastered and making passes at all the beautiful women, as he did at every party.  He was inoffensive and comical and no one minded, as he was not selective, but made the rounds to every available female.  Tom was especially enamored of Heather, who finally became uncomfortable.  Nakamura took her off to dance on the lanai to get her out of his clutches.

Henry's little four year old son, Sammy, climbed into Michelle's lap and promptly went to sleep, a cute warm bundle she wished momentarily and fiercely was hers.  Tom Mitsuto eventually made his pass at Michelle.  He had tears in his eyes, sentimental with drink, and was telling her she was the best property manager he had ever worked with.  Michelle surprised herself by finding tears in her own eyes.  She really like Tom, even though he had been ready to sacrifice her to save himself earlier in the week.  But the tears were also for the island she had learned to love, and the gentle people, like Henry and his wife Nora that she would have to leave. 

Michelle had always been intensely ambitious about her career and now she wondered why.  She could stay here with her friends instead of traveling half way around the world into the competitive and exhaustively busy city of Tokyo, where she knew she would be treated with polite arrogance and never totally accepted.

Michelle looked down the beach and noticed there seemed to be another party that night.  She could see a fire in the distance, about a mile away.  Nora came over and took the sleeping child from Michelle to put him to bed.  When Michelle asked her about the other party Nora frowned and said that it was some kind of pagan religious gathering.  She had heard rumors of witch ceremonies.

Henry's surprise later that evening was a troop of professional dancers and a real Hawaiian band.  The guests sat down and watched the beautiful island girls do the hula.  Then the music got louder and drums thrummed the air.  Several native men jumped into the firelight and started dancing athletically.  Finally they were juggling and throwing flaming torches while they jumped around, some leaping across the wide roasting pit where the embers were still burning, holding the crowd breathlessly enthralled.

Nakamura was sitting between Michelle and Heather.  When the music became more quiet and everyone was sitting on the grass, singing and swaying to the soft sounds, he put an arm around each of their shoulders.  Michelle couldn't help but flinch at his touch.  He probably thought it was because of her sunburn and murmured he was sorry, his breath touching her cheek he was so close.  He put his arm around her waist instead.  She glanced at his side view, his eyelashes looked golden in the firelight.  She was surprised when she realized he was very attractive, with his high cheekbones and slightly slanted blue eyes. 

Tom Mitsuto was sitting on the other side of Michelle and also had an arm around her as they sang and swayed.  After a while she felt her breathing slow down and she became comfortable at the proximity of the two men.  Really, Michelle thought, surprised, she felt wonderful at the closeness.  She was so content here with her friends, listening to beautiful music, feeling the gentle breeze of the island and watching the hypnotic waves crash into the beach, she felt like crying.  She thought she had never been so happy.