MANO

CHAPTER 4

The investigation was starting to hot up. Somehow the newspapers had latched onto the story and heat was beginning to trickle down from the governor's office.
Mano suddenly found himself working around the clock. It wasn't for the first time in his life and although he found his adrenaline pumping at such times, he knew that the kind of heat generated by such a time-consuming investigation was a marriage breaker. It explained why he was on wife number two, his first wife Linda walking three years into his marriage with her. He had made the mistake early in his career of bringing his job home with him and talking about the pressures of living a double life. At first it had just been raised voices but as the pressure built on Mano, his outbursts with Linda had given way to full-blown rows and arguments.
A vivacious blond walked into the apartment as he was ruminating on the wreckage of his first marriage. Suzy was the complete opposite of Linda, bright, outgoing and full of life. She had brought light back into his world, and he loved her deeply. "Did you bring in the Indian?" she queried, immediately, obviously hungry. "I'm famished," she announced.
He pointed towards the takeout. "Enough to feed an army," he said, kissing her on the cheek in greeting. "How was your day?"
"Hectic," she replied. "We got a new construction job uptown and they wanted the plans like...yesterday. Talk about pressure." Suzy was an architect for one of the biggest Oahu construction firms and unlike Mano she didn't mind bringing her job home with her. He didn't mind and liked hearing about her day. She knew better than to ask him the same question and instead she examined the cartons he had brought in and began laying the table for two. "You got the naan bread and the chutney dip. Great!"
"Chicken biryani there too," he remarked.
She smiled in appreciation. "You're learning," she cooed. It was Suzy who had first introduced Mano's tastebuds to the delights and delicacies of Indian cooking.
"Curried tofu too," he said, smiling.
"Top marks."
He grinned at her. "Tender lamb too."
"I love you, Mano. Did I ever tell you that?"
"All the time," he stressed, using the corkscrew to uncork a bottle of French Bordeaux. A claret. He'd only mildly partake himself because the job could suddenly call him out and he might need to drive, although he did have his HPD minders nearby. The department rented an apartment across the hall and it was sometimes used for witness protection when Mano was away. The entire complex had its own in-house security with state of the art security systems that included electronic access cards and cctv. A lot of the apartments were occupied by people who needed extra security in some way; judges, legal eagles, police and prison officers. The roof area had its own outdoor swimming pool, complete with jacuzzis, saunas and a fully equipped bar that specialized in exquisite Hawaiian cocktails like the blue Hawaii. It was a tropical drink made of rum, pineapple juice, Curacao, sweet and sour mix, and sometimes vodka. Other drinks included the lava lava which combined alcohol with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, and the Pina Colada, a dark rum and pineapple chunk mix. The roof area also had its own green garden areas with plants like palmgrass and exotic flowers unique to the islands, and the views over the blue Pacific were stunning.
He poured two glasses of red wine and he handed her the larger one, his fingers brushing lightly off hers as he handed her the glass. He felt a slight thrill at her touch and she smiled at him sensing his sudden interest. "Bed," she suggested.
"Later," he agreed. "After we eat."
"Sure you can hold off that long?" she teased.
"It will be a struggle," he joked, "but, yeah, I think I can hold off."
She smiled again and began forming food onto his plate as she took up a slice of nana and dipped it into the chutney dip. "Food's delicious," she asserted.
"Tasty," he agreed. "What's for dessert?"
"You're a top cop. Can't you guess?" Her look was provocative.
"I think I catch your drift," he said, smiling at her. As always he was taken by her looks; the blond hair that fell onto her slender shoulders, her green eyes and full lips and slender neck, the smooth tanned arms and long sinewy legs, her firm breasts beneath her tight, fashionable clothing. Like himself, she was fit, the swimming pool on the roof helping her figure. She also used the gym a lot and was into aerobic dancing.
She winked at him, her delicate eyebrows arching. She had been lucky finding a man like Mano, she realised, not for the first time. She had first been attracted to him by his rugged good looks but it hadn't taken her long to discover there was more depth to the man. She was intrigued by his job, never having dated a cop before. Many of her previous partners had been destructive affairs, but Mano had been different from the word go. She liked the fact that he was good in bed and knew how to pleasure her. He had none of the inhibitions of previous partners and he was open to experimenting. She liked that. He excited her and she was always pleased when she was in his company.
He caught the wink she threw at him, and smiling he laid down his fork. He came around the table and he caught her around the waist as she rose to face him. Their lips met, his tongue probing hers. She probed back. Their passions grew as he gripped her by the buttocks and lifted her light frame into the bedroom. Her legs wrapped around his lower back.
As he laid her on the bed, her fingers delved at his clothing, unbuttoning his shirt and trousers as his slid to her bra clasp. He undid the clasp without any fumbling, his expert fingers working her body. He felt her stiffen. His lips found the curvature of her feline neck and round breasts. He was fully aroused as he entered her and her face suffused with pleasure, moaning softly beneath his touch, her long fingers clawing like a tiger along the smooth edge of his back. It was as though they became one, and afterward they leaned back, comfortable with one another's nakedness, and talked.
He was the first to fall into a deep sleep, his chest rising up and down in tandem with his breathing. He always fell asleep first, she thought, her head propped up on the palm of her hand as she studied his scarred body. It was another thing he wouldn't talk about, the torture he had endured in the military. She understood his fatigue, knowing from her talks with other cop's wives the demands and pressures of his job.
It was who he was!
She sighed, her own eyelids growing heavy. She lay back. And finally slept.

* * *

Sunday morning.

November was proving very unseasonable.

The day promised glorious sunshine with blue skies and azure seas and normally on such a fine Sunday, Mano would indulge in one of his favourite pastimes and go sailing, in his younger days it would have been surfing, but with terrorists loose on the rock he knew he would have no time for trivialities on this fine morning. As soon as he emerged from the shower, booted and suited, he was gratified to see Suzy up and about and preparing egg, bacon and toast in the kitchen. Mano strapped on his shoulder holster that contained his departmental issued Glock 17. "Hi Suzy," he greeted. "Good night?"
"Slept like a baby," she replied. "Pity you have to work today."
"I know. I'd love to be going sailing but there's a crisis in work and I've got to go in."
"What time will you be in tonight?"
"Don't make any plans," he advised. "It could be very late."
She made a face but said nothing. She handed him a steaming mug of coffee and a plate with his eggs and bacon, and then she sat on one of the high stools watching him eat. She had nothing herself, but sipped fresh juice. "Going upstairs," she explained.
He nodded in comprehension, knowing she'd have twenty lengths done by the time he got to the office downtown. "Any plans for later?" he asked.
"Shopping, maybe."
He nodded again, buttering a slice of toast. He knew she never worked Sundays. Lucky her.
His own circumstances couldn't have been more different. The job had always had first call on him, even when he was a rookie with HPD. He had been plucked from the streets after two months, his superiors seeing something in him that would make him an ideal undercover. The opportunity for 'white shield' work excited him and he had jumped at the chance. He had never looked back. The work was dangerous. No question. He had always known his job would throw up challenges and dangers. Fear wasn't alien to him but he knew how to control his fears. He was very much a man who knew his own mind and limitations. He surveyed Suzy through hooded eyes and wondered fleetingly was she going the way of other women in his life. Then he chided himself.
She seemed to guess his thoughts. "It's just I was hoping we'd have the weekend together. It doesn't matter. I'll make out."
He came away from the table and hugged her. "I'll make it up to you," he promised. "Maybe next weekend?"
"Maybe?" It was a question.
He knew he'd have to partly explain. "There's a big problem in work," he said slowly. "Terrorists on the rock. Keep it under your hat."
Concern bit into her. "Terrorists?"
"Very dangerous ones," he confirmed. "I've already got two dead HPD victims on my hands."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "Those two women on Friday? At the airport?"
He nodded, a sad expression twisting at his features. "Pono knew them both."
Now Suzy's face twitched. Pono was a friend. She looked at her man and her lips formed a warning. "You be careful out there, Mano."
"Am I not always?" His humour had resurfaced.
"Get out of here," she growled, "before I make up a list."
His grin widened.
She caught him at the door and embraced him. "You mind what I said."
His face grew serious. "I'll be careful."

* * *

Reporters were waiting for him at the office. His face soured when he saw them.
"Bloodhounds," he thought.
Somehow they had got a whiff of something amiss, and he knew they wouldn't give up until they got to the bottom of things.
He wondered how best to defuse them. He could give the standard "no comment," but that wouldn't deter them and would only strengthen their resolve. He spotted a few that he knew. That guy from the New York Times. What was his name again? Mark Edwards from the Honolulu Advertiser. Jimmy McGee from the Washington Post. Half a dozen anchors from various tv stations. They were certainly out in force, he mused.
His driver said something to him. "How do you want to handle this, Chief Mano?"
Mano knew that Kalino would do whatever was asked of him, including driving through the throng. But it wasn't the way to handle this. He needed to buy time. He ordered Kalino to pull up alongside them and got out of the unmarked. He held up his hands to ward off the barrage of questions, glanced quickly at his watch, and announced a press conference for eleven o'clock.
It would buy him a few hours before he had to make a comment, a few hours to go into a huddle with his PR people and decide what to release.
It wasn't perfect, but it was the best he could do for the moment.