Chapter 44
JOLAR
For the first time in my life, I truly hated my job.
If I had any other position within the Fleet, apart from a role in Security, I’d be back on Kaua’i right now, relaxing with my mate.
I’d have run him a bath so he could soak while our young napped, giving me the privacy to plan the second surprise wedding, and come up with a third.
I knew it should be three times because Mitch had made good on his promise to have Neal watch entertaining learning programs before any more Lilo and Stitch, and the nice people at Sesame Street had kindly clued us in that three was a magic number.
I didn’t believe in magic, but the humans apparently very much did, or else it wouldn’t have such a thing on a show meant to train up their young.
So, three human weddings so this would truly be a magical experience in my mate’s eyes.
“We’re here, sir,” the pilot said and I jerked my head in a nod.
The shuttle settled down onto the ground and the pilot released the hatch.
I unfastened myself and hurried out, wanting to get this meeting over and done with as quickly as possible so I would have time to plan this short leg of our honeymoon better.
“I’ll contact you when I am ready to return,” I informed the pilot. “It may not be until early in the morning.
“Understood. Shall I take her on over to the Center and return with a car?”
Now that sounded like a good idea but only if it didn’t put him out. “After this, I wish to check out a few things before my mate and young come here for a day.”
“If you can, I’d make it three days minimum,” he told me. “There are many famous beaches and then there is the Palace, the aquarium, gardens, oh, and your young will probably love the zoo.”
“I am also looking for an elopement type package I can book last minute.” He looked at me quizzically so I hastily explained about the magic number.
“Truly! If I am ever so lucky as to find my mate, I will remember this! Three times, and none of them must be elaborate you say?”
“Not at all.”
He gave me a grateful smile before heading back inside, calling over his shoulder as he went, “I’ll return in about an hour. I have to park this, check out a vehicle, then get through rush hour traffic.”
“Thank you,” I replied before hurrying into the building housing the Honolulu Police Department’s headquarters.
My appearance caused a small stir even though I knew they had been expecting me.
The desk sergeant on duty stood up from behind her desk.
“Oh, wow. I’ve seen a few of you Mylos about but never this up close.
You are really tall.” Her eyes roved over my bare torso and I noticed her pupils dilated and a small waft of natural pheromones came from her.
She was attracted to me, but I had the feeling that it was the same sort of attraction she would feel towards nearly any good looking male and my being Mylos and therefore exotic merely heightened that for her.
“I am average in height for my species,” I smiled down at her, using what our Human Interaction vids had called a ‘customer service smile’.
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “”Maybe I really should apply to study criminal justice,” she murmured and I inwardly chuckled, understanding that she had not intended to say that bit out loud and was actually talking about finding a reason to apply to be matched.
Pretending to not have heard her since she was unaware she’d spoken those words aloud, I prodded her on the matter at hand. “I believe Detectives Ramos and Hekekia are expecting me.”
She blushed, the tips of her ears and her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.
“Yes, sorry, I’ll let them know you’re here.”
She picked up the receiver to the phone on her desk, a type that predated cell phones as it remained tethered to their communication systems via a wire.
She punched in a few buttons, waited a moment, then spoke.
“Sorry to interrupt you, but there’s a…” her eyes widened as she realized she’d not asked for my name.
“Jolar,” I replied helpfully.
She tossed me a grateful smile. “Jolar here to see you.Yes, I’ll let him know. Mahalo.” She hung up the receiver. “One of the detectives will be here in a moment to escort you.”
“Mahalo,” I replied, remembering it from the language lessons that we spent an hour doing before every hula lesson, which in itself was a grueling two hours long once a week.
When I returned, I knew I’d be responsible for completing a module each week via self study to supplement it as part of our cultural exchange program.
I didn’t have to wait long. I’d seen Ramos before as he was a close personal friend of Commander Gundar’s, having helped rescue Darla from kidnappers during their own honeymoon. He visited the Fleet frequently, both as a guest and on official business.
“Jolar!” Ramos’ voice boomed. “It’s good to see you! I don’t know if you remember me, but I was at hula class the Saturday that you and that other guy started.”
“Klora, yes. I do remember but I also remember seeing you in passing when you came to visit Commander Gundar and Lieutenant Commander Sachuu.”
He looked pleased about that. “Well, I for one have heard great things about you from them both and I’m sorry to interrupt your honeymoon, but they said you were the closest and had intimate knowledge regarding the case.”
“I do indeed.”
He gestured for me to follow him. “We’ve put him in interrogation room five so you can get a good look at him and ask him any questions you might need to officially.”
“Mahalo.”
There was a window beside the door leading to interrogation room five. I paused to look through it, knowing it was one way so he couldn’t see me.
“That looks almost exactly like him, but it is not,” I told Ramos.
He looked taken aback. “That’s what he told the uniforms who brought him in and kept insisting when I tried talking to him. The Captain figured getting one of you to question him would make him ‘fess up.” he ran a hand through his hair. “And you’re absolutely certain.”
“His eyelashes are longer and fuller and his eyes are rounder. I will speak to him. He is likely to be a relative.”
“Or one of those doppelgangers always on social media.” Seeing my confused look, he explained, “Unrelated people around the world who are identical to strangers somewhere else. They post group photos after finding and meeting.”
That sounded…intriguing.
He opened the door for me to enter and I could almost taste the confusion and worry in the air.
“Finally!” he said as he saw me. “They told me they were getting one of you guys and I thought, cool. You’ll have the tech to be able to confirm I’m not whoever they said his name was.”
“Do you have a brother?” I asked.
“Yeah, why?” His eyes widened. “Shit! Is this what it’s all about? After Dad bailed him out the last time, he swore he’d fly straight. He’d not gotten into any more trouble since that we knew of, so thought he’d kept his word.”
“Your name?”
“Keanu Ito and my rascal of a brother is Jason Ito. I’m his younger brother by a year but people always mistook us for twins growing up. Well, and after, too, I suppose, seeing as I’m here and he’s not.”
“Jason Ito,” I repeated, glad to finally have the real name of the fake lawyer. Or was he a real one? “Did he become a lawyer?”
“He went to law school but failed the bar three times. Last I heard, he was getting a real estate license and setting up shop in South Carolina after following some girl back to the mainland.That was fifteen years ago and we’ve not heard anything much since except for cards on our parents’ birthday and anniversary, and of course, at Christmas. ”
“Please submit a DNA sample. I will have it run at the center for immediate results, and that way they will be able to release you.”
“What’s Jason done?”
I looked at him soberly. “I do not know if you're familiar with the case of Linda Takahashi?”
He shook his head. “I don’t follow the news if I can help it. Too depressing.”
I looked at him sympathetically. For good or ill, he was about to feature in some corner of the news thanks to his older brother. “Jason impersonated her lawyer for the past decade after the real one was murdered and buried on property he helped her scam from her nephews.”
His eyes widened. “He killed someone?”
I nodded.
“Is she pretty? He got into trouble for some minor identity theft during college, but Dad got the charges dropped after making restitution for what he’d spent taking out credit cards. I can’t imagine him actually killing someone, though.”
“This was after Linda Takahashi’s brother and sister in law died in an accident that is now looking extremely suspicious, and her husband went missing shortly after introducing her to Jason.”
Keanu’s face was ashen. “Well, shit. Um, his last Christmas card was one of those where you take a picture of yourself for the front of the card. It had a small caption underneath it which said Elkwood Lodge, Pinecrest, South Carolina. I don’t know if he was there on a trip and decided to use the photo of himself in front of the fireplace or if he owns the lodge, or what, but maybe someone around there knows where he might be. ”
I nodded. “If you hear anything from him, contact Detective Ramos directly. I’ll make sure he gives you his information.”
“I will, definitely! Fuck, what have you done, Jason! This is gonna kill Mom and Dad.”
I turned and left the upset male to sort out his emotions.
“A tech is coming with a swab right now. Our lab has one of your machines, so no need to take it to the center.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry to have interrupted your honeymoon for a false lead.”
“We got the name of a place to start looking for him,” I pointed out. “I had Xeranos listening in and he’s already informed my L.T.C.”
“Mahalo. I’ll let my Captain know so he can get in touch with the locals as well.
With any luck, he’s hiding out at the lodge and they’ll be able to bring him in.
I’ll also put Jason Ito’s name on the BOLO so if he tries to use his real identity, we’ll know instantly.
” He gave me a tight smile. “Now, is there anything I can do to help make this up to you?”
“Do you know anywhere I can make a last minute three day reservation and book an elopement ceremony?”
He blinked. “You mean you haven’t had your wedding ceremony yet? Oh, man, did I cause you to miss that?”
I put my hand up, stopping him. “That’s not it at all.” I quickly explained my motives and he began to smile, the grin growing wider with every word.
“Yes! Let me make a few calls. You might have to book your hotel and package separately though.”
“That’s fine.” I did not care if they were two separate companies as long as we had a nice place to stay and the ceremony happened.
He pulled a card and a pen out, quickly scribbling something on the back. “This is my personal cell number. Xero also has it so you can just get him to shoot me a message if you need me. You got a place to stay tonight?”
I shook my head. He grunted. “Come sit in my office while we get you sorted out. Ah, the tech’s here, hang on a sec.”
He let the tech in to collect the sample from Keanu Ito, then motioned a uniformed officer over. “Let him go. He’s not our man, but let him know to not leave the state and if he goes off island, to inform us first.”
“Yes, sir.”
He motioned for me to follow him down the hall. His office turned out to be a cubicle, and I settled myself into the slightly too small chair. I sat patiently while he first called his Captain with an update, then called someone who sounded like a friend.
“Yeah, so, who was it that Marie and Franco used when they did that little ceremony on the beach? Uh huh.” he tapped on some keys on his computer keyboard, quickly pulling up a site.
“Mahalo, Angie.” He turned to me. “These guys might be able to squeeze you in. The guy is an officiant and he can get you leis and everything, but you probably should call him as soon as you get to your hotel. And as for your hotel,” he opened a new page on his screen and typed in an address for a hotel finding search engine.
I could have asked Xeranos to do this, but Ramos seemed eager to help and it felt rude to not accept.
“I can get you in at The Outrigger tonight and the Hilton for the three days you wanted,” he told me.
I nodded. “That all sounds good.”
He began to punch in the contact number for the Outrigger.
“Hi, yes, I need to book a room for a Mylos officer here assisting the Honolulu PD. He grinned. Yes, thank you. Yes, that will be fine. Yes, he’s here now.
Someone will drive him right over.” He disconnected the call.
“The Outrigger is expecting you. Shall we go ahead and call The Hilton?”
“Sure,” I agreed.
He quickly made the call, passing his phone over to me so I could confirm payment details.
“Hey, there’s a Mylos here with a car,” another detective said, strolling up.
I jumped up from my seat. “Mahalo.” Then turning to Ramos, I added, “And thank you very much for helping me with the hotel and ceremony.”
“My pleasure. See you at hula.”