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I'D FOUND A NICE SPOT beneath some trees near where the helicopter had touched down to pick up the ransom courier. It was out of the way where I couldn't be easily spotted from the carpark. With the spotting scope, I had an unobstructed view of the park entrance. Watching the entrance offered the best chance of seeing the courier guy when he arrived.
Before exiting the park and taking up my observation post, I'd bought a couple of bottles of water. After waiting for a couple of hours, the second bottle was almost empty, and very soon I was going to have to re-enter the park to visit the ladies. While pondering that I caught sight of the Hawaiian guy in the Nike tracksuit through the scope. He was walking toward the park entrance from the carpark. He glanced from side to side as if he were expecting the cops or someone to jump out and confront him.
I waited as he showed the attendant the stamp on his hand and walked through the gate. There was no need to rush. I wanted to confront him down the hill at beach level, not up here. If he decided to do a runner, I wanted him hemmed in by the natural obstacles to flight. Though to be fair, looking at him I didn't expect he could outrun me on foot.
Once the man had disappeared from view, I took off the sarong. I put the shorts and singlet back on over my togs. After putting on my ballcap and sunnies, I picked up the beach bag and headed for the park entrance. I showed the stamp on my own hand to the attendant at the gate, and he waved me through. This time I bypassed the tram. Walking down to beach level wasn't difficult, it was getting back up the steep hill. I reckoned that's why the tram charged a bit more for the return trip than the trip down the hill.
At the bottom of the hill, I headed for the hut where I suspected the coin-operated lockers were. I was almost to it when the guy came out the door with the black drawstring backpack.
"Hey!" I shouted.
The guy looked at me. It took him a bit to recognize me because I'd discarded the silly hat. But when it finally registered who I was, he wheeled and broke into a run. I picked up the pace, but a jog was all I needed to keep him in sight.
He broke out of the trees in a small grassy open area and found himself looking up at a sheer cliff face with nowhere to go. I was almost on top of him at that point. Hearing my approach, he spun toward me, holding the backpack by the shoulder straps. He swung it at my head. I ducked, and the bag swooshed harmlessly above my head. Without breaking stride, I grabbed a handful of his tracksuit at his throat. I took his feet out from under him with a foot sweep. He went down hard on his backside. He rolled over and started to push himself up with his arms. But I put my foot on his arse and gave him a good hard push that sent him into a face plant. I dropped a knee into the middle of his back with all my weight behind it and heard the air rush out of his lungs with a whoosh. I stuck the barrel of the Colt I'd retrieved from the beach bag against the base of his skull.
"I'd not like to shoot you," I said, "but you better believe I will if you don't stop resisting."
"Okay," he gasped, "I'm done. Are you a cop?"
"Not exactly," I said. "But if you don't do what I say, you will wish I was a cop instead of the mad bitch I am."
"You won't shoot me with all these people around," the guy said.
"Don't bet on that, mate," I said. "Everyone is having fun on the beach. They aren't aware of what's going on over here. I could shoot you and then walk out of the park before anyone realized what had happened."
"What do you want?" the guy said.
"I want you to show me where Allison Shaw is being held," I said.
"I'm not involved in that," the guy said.
"Of course you are," I said. "You collected the ransom."
"I mean besides that," the guy said. "A guy offered me two thousand bucks to meet you and pick up the money. That's all I had to do with it."
"But, you know where the money went," I said. "I saw you board the little orange helicopter near the carpark. I reckon I'll find Allison Shaw wherever you flew off to with the money."
"If you're not a cop, let's work something out here," the guy said. "There is a quarter of a million dollars in the bag. I'll split it with you."
"If it was money I wanted, why would I split it with you, rat bastard?" I said. "I've got a gun. I could take it all."
"I'm so stupid," the guy said. "I knew the money was too good to be true. I should have just given it to the guy with the rest of it."
"But, you didn't," I said, "because you got greedy. I was counting on that, actually."
Keeping the gun pressed against the back of his head I patted the guy down with my left hand. I found a wallet on his right side and dug it out of the pocket.
"Hey, that's my wallet," the guy said.
"Yes, it is," I said, opening the wallet. I found a Hawaii license. "I like to know who I'm chatting with, Jimmy Kamaka. Now I won't have to keep calling you rat bastard."
"Just take the money," Kamaka said. "Let me go."
"No, Jimmy," I said. "I need your help. And, if you cooperate, I might let you keep the money."
"No you won't," Kamaka said, "you're lying."
Of course, I'm lying you twit. "No, Jimmy, I'm not," I said. "Why wouldn't I let you keep it. It's not mine. It belongs to the guy who paid the $750,000 ransom to get his daughter back. As long as he gets her back safe and sound, I doubt he could be bothered with losing this $250,000."
"What do I have to do?" Kamaka said.
"You only have to take me to where you went in the helicopter," I said. "Then, I'll let you go, and you can keep the money."
"I still think you're lying," Kamaka said. "But, okay. What do I have to lose? I'll take you there."
"Alright, Jimmy," I said. I'm getting off you now, but don't move until I tell you to. Understand?"
"Yeah," Kamaka said.
I stood up and took a couple of steps backward. "Okay, roll over on your arse, Jimmy," I said. "We need to be clear on one thing more before I let you get up."
Kamaka rolled into a sitting position. I took the Colt in a two-handed grip and pointed it at Kamaka's crotch. "You see where I'm pointing this gun, Jimmy?" I said.
"Yeah," Kamaka said, his eyes wide.
"If you want to keep your nuts, Jimmy," I said, "don't try any stupid shit once I let you get up. If you do, I'll blow them off and possibly the thing they are attached to. Understand?"
"Holy shit, you're a psycho," Kamaka said. "Okay yeah, I understand."
"Awesome," I said. "You can get up now."
Kamaka got to his feet. He looked a bit shaky.
"Pick up the backpack, Jimmy," I said.
Kamaka picked it up.
"Now, we're going to walk out of here together without bringing any attention to ourselves," I said. "We're going to walk up the hill to the carpark and get into your car. Then you're going to drive me to where you went to in the helicopter with the money. I'm going to put the gun in my bag, so I don't scare anyone. But, remember, Jimmy. It will still be in my hand with my finger on the trigger. You do anything to annoy me, I'll shoot you in the leg first. Then when you go down, I'll shove the gun into your crotch and blow your little mates right off."
"I'm not going to do anything," Kamaka said.
"Sweet," I said. "Go. Start walking."
I kept close to Kamaka as we walked towards the road leading up the hill. I guided him with whispered commands so that we gave the crowds of park visitors a wide berth. I didn't want him seized by any inspiration to try and attract attention by allowing him to get close to a crowd. If he had any such thoughts, he didn't reveal it. Kamaka walked straight to the road, up the hill, and out the exit to the carpark. He behaved himself, not giving me the slightest reason to shoot off his treasured bits.
Kamaka led me to a faded green Toyota sedan with copious amounts of rust on the fenders. "This is my ride," Kamaka said.
"Okay, unlock the passenger door, Jimmy," I said. "Then walk around and get in behind the wheel."
Kamaka did as I told him. While he walked around the car, I opened the front passenger door but didn't get in. I waited to get in until he had opened his door and climbed in. He tucked the backpack into the space between the two front seats. I got in the car, with the gun back outside the beach bag and pointed at Kamaka. He started the car and backed out of the parking space. We drove out of the carpark and then south on Kalanianaole Highway toward Waikiki.
