Chinese lady. I think her name was Norma. Looked about a hundred. Shorter than me.” Since Lorna herself was barely five feet tall, that made the old lady pretty small.
“There was another lady who worked there,” Louis said.
“Her,” Lorna snorted.
“A very attractive young woman. Chinese, too.” I could see he was hesitating, as if knowing too much about the attractive young woman would make his wife jealous. “I only spoke to her once or twice,” Louis continued. “In the parking lot.”
Lorna was glaring at Louis and I caught Ray’s eye. He nodded, and said, “Mrs. Cruz, could I talk to you for a minute? I’d like to see if you remember anything else about the elderly woman.”
They walked toward the front of the store, and Louis lowered his voice. “I think the woman’s name was Jewel, or Treasure, something like that,” he said. “I only spoke to her once or twice, but she was very friendly. Friendly enough that my wife was upset.”
“Can you describe this Jewel?”
“Tall. A little taller than me, in high heels. Black hair, always in one of those French braids. She wore those Chinese dresses, very tight. Silk, in bright colors.”
“Cheongsams?”
“That’s it. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything more. That was a very busy location, and I never had time to talk to her.”
Louis Cruz was hiding something. If it turned out to be relevant to the case, we’d have to come back to him. If not, I would let him slide. We all have our closets, after all.
A DEADLY CLAUSE
On our way back to the station, I told Ray what Louis had told me, and he said, “Wife confirms what the cell phone girl said. Lots of customers, all men. Some of them came into the pharmacy afterward, and as she said, ‘They didn’t look like somebody had been sticking needles in them.’”
We both laughed. “What do you think was going on in that acupuncture clinic?” I asked. “My guess is not acupuncture.”
“Back in Philly, we had a case like this, in Chinatown. They were using a clinic as a cover for a gambling operation.” He pressed one knee up against the dashboard of my truck. “I got called there for a multiple homicide. I walked in, there was this big round table, six guys sitting around it. Every one of them shot. Blood and guts and brains everywhere.”
“That’s grim.” I’d seen a couple of those cases myself, the ones that were so gruesome you kept seeing them in your mind for months or years after. I took a breath and tried to focus back on our case. “You get a lot of men coming and going from a place like that. Like the cell phone girl and the pharmacist’s wife said.”
“Skanky guys, too,” Ray said.
“And the beautiful girl could be some kind of waitress. Like in Vegas.”
“You know anybody in Vice? Maybe they heard about this place.”
“I can ask,” I said. “But we can make a little detour to Chinatown ourselves.”
I continued Ewa toward Chinatown. In Honolulu, we don’t use directions like north, south, east, or west. Mauka means toward the mountains, makai toward the sea, and Diamond Head is in the direction of that extinct volcano. Ewa, which is in the other direction, is toward the city of the same name.
“Remember that bookie, Hang Sung?” I asked as we drove.
“Guy looked like a weasel?” Ray asked.
“That’s the one. If anybody knows about gambling in Chinatown, he does.”
I pulled up at a seedy building on River Street, next to Nu’uanu Stream. “Last I heard, Hang was hanging out here. Up on the second floor.”
Hang was on a cell phone when we pushed past his secretary into a small office that overlooked the street. “Gotta go,” he said into the phone, hanging it up quickly and slipping it into his pocket. “Detectives. What a nice surprise.”
“Talk to me about acupuncture, Hang,” I said, sitting down in a hard wooden chair across from his desk. Ray sat next to me.
“Acupuncture? Helped me quit smoking.”
“You ever hear of
“There was another lady who worked there,” Louis said.
“Her,” Lorna snorted.
“A very attractive young woman. Chinese, too.” I could see he was hesitating, as if knowing too much about the attractive young woman would make his wife jealous. “I only spoke to her once or twice,” Louis continued. “In the parking lot.”
Lorna was glaring at Louis and I caught Ray’s eye. He nodded, and said, “Mrs. Cruz, could I talk to you for a minute? I’d like to see if you remember anything else about the elderly woman.”
They walked toward the front of the store, and Louis lowered his voice. “I think the woman’s name was Jewel, or Treasure, something like that,” he said. “I only spoke to her once or twice, but she was very friendly. Friendly enough that my wife was upset.”
“Can you describe this Jewel?”
“Tall. A little taller than me, in high heels. Black hair, always in one of those French braids. She wore those Chinese dresses, very tight. Silk, in bright colors.”
“Cheongsams?”
“That’s it. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything more. That was a very busy location, and I never had time to talk to her.”
Louis Cruz was hiding something. If it turned out to be relevant to the case, we’d have to come back to him. If not, I would let him slide. We all have our closets, after all.
A DEADLY CLAUSE
On our way back to the station, I told Ray what Louis had told me, and he said, “Wife confirms what the cell phone girl said. Lots of customers, all men. Some of them came into the pharmacy afterward, and as she said, ‘They didn’t look like somebody had been sticking needles in them.’”
We both laughed. “What do you think was going on in that acupuncture clinic?” I asked. “My guess is not acupuncture.”
“Back in Philly, we had a case like this, in Chinatown. They were using a clinic as a cover for a gambling operation.” He pressed one knee up against the dashboard of my truck. “I got called there for a multiple homicide. I walked in, there was this big round table, six guys sitting around it. Every one of them shot. Blood and guts and brains everywhere.”
“That’s grim.” I’d seen a couple of those cases myself, the ones that were so gruesome you kept seeing them in your mind for months or years after. I took a breath and tried to focus back on our case. “You get a lot of men coming and going from a place like that. Like the cell phone girl and the pharmacist’s wife said.”
“Skanky guys, too,” Ray said.
“And the beautiful girl could be some kind of waitress. Like in Vegas.”
“You know anybody in Vice? Maybe they heard about this place.”
“I can ask,” I said. “But we can make a little detour to Chinatown ourselves.”
I continued Ewa toward Chinatown. In Honolulu, we don’t use directions like north, south, east, or west. Mauka means toward the mountains, makai toward the sea, and Diamond Head is in the direction of that extinct volcano. Ewa, which is in the other direction, is toward the city of the same name.
“Remember that bookie, Hang Sung?” I asked as we drove.
“Guy looked like a weasel?” Ray asked.
“That’s the one. If anybody knows about gambling in Chinatown, he does.”
I pulled up at a seedy building on River Street, next to Nu’uanu Stream. “Last I heard, Hang was hanging out here. Up on the second floor.”
Hang was on a cell phone when we pushed past his secretary into a small office that overlooked the street. “Gotta go,” he said into the phone, hanging it up quickly and slipping it into his pocket. “Detectives. What a nice surprise.”
“Talk to me about acupuncture, Hang,” I said, sitting down in a hard wooden chair across from his desk. Ray sat next to me.
“Acupuncture? Helped me quit smoking.”
“You ever hear of
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