Myths and Memories: Keone’s Honeymoon
Some of you have asked, “How long after the end of Eyes of the Beholder is the beginning of Myths and Memories? The answer is just over 24 hours. It begins with Keone and his new bride getting a lift to the airport for their honeymoon flight. That honeymoon, will include time in Italy and Greece as well as a Mediterranean Cruise. In the section below, to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t yet read Eyes of the Beholder, I will use bride or wife instead of her name. But those of you who have read the first book will know who it is.
Sunday, July 7, 2013, 6:50 p.m. HST
Detective Lieutenant Tony Alcala slumped in his chair. He was down two detectives and crime on Maui showed no sign of taking a holiday. That damn Loftus case. He never wanted to hear about it again.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his reverie. He sat up straight and wiped the worry from his face before he growled, “Come on in.”
Detective Sergeant Keone Boyd, all six-foot-seven, two hundred seventy-five pounds of him, took a hesitant step into the office. “Hi, boss.”
“You’re on vacation.” Alcala shot back, then smiled. “But since I’m unlucky enough to be your friend, come on in. Where’s{your bride}?”
“Unloading my cruiser.”
Alcala could tell something was troubling Keone. Never one to beat around the bush, he said, “What’s your problem? Why does a man about to leave on a multi-week cruise of the Mediterranean look like he just swallowed bile?”
Keone hesitated.
“What’s wrong, Big Guy?”
“I visited Loftus in the Molokini ward, yesterday.”
Oh shit.
“Dr. Drayton was there, observing his catatonic patient. Even that scientist, Dr. Hasselbach, stopped by.”
“Sam’s lost it, eh?”
“I saw a shell of the man I knew but with a faint smile on his face. I found myself hoping he made it to his imaginary universe, if only in his mind.”
“Hold onto that thought and let the rest go.” Alcala grew increasingly uncomfortable with this topic…
Keone took the hint. “Anyway, how are you doing, boss?”
“Shitty. I’m understaffed, up to my ass in alligators, and now I have to waste my time taking a rogue detective and his wife to the airport.”
“I appreciate what you did for me…” Keone paused. “Sorry to leave you short-staffed, but I’ve got a suggestion.”
“Oh boy. Here it comes.” Alcala leaned back in his chair.
“What?” Keone looked like a childish giant caught with his hand in a cookie jar.
“I don’t know yet. But I’m not gonna like it.”
“{My wife’s} adamant that I completely forget about this place while we’re gone, so I have to talk fast, before she comes in.”
“You used up most of my goodwill during the Loftus case.”
“I know, but this isn’t about me. It’s about Sergeant Beyers.”
“Beyers? She’s the only one to come out of the Loftus case looking good. She was decorated for her work—unlike you. Why would she need my help?”
“She’d kill me if she found out I told you.”
“Told me what?” For a man of few words, Keone was sure taking a long time to say something.
“She deserves a break. She’s always wanted to be a detective. And I think she’d make a damn good one. But you don’t need to take my word for it. Why don’t you assign her to CID, while I’m gone?”
Alcala was skeptical and showed it.
“It could be temporary. Like you said, with me away and [unnamed] gone for good, you’re understaffed.”
“What’s her background?”
“She’s a local girl. Got her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Law and Society at UC Irvine before joining the Maui PD. She’s currently halfway through her masters in CL&S online. And she’s passed the detective exam…”
“Look. She has a fulltime job in Hana. I doubt her CO would let her take a temporary assignment over here without a good reason. Besides, the few weeks you’re gone is hardly enough time for me to evaluate her.”
“Everything you’ve said is true. But I wanted to put a bug in your ear before we left. We really could use Ange here.”
“I’ll look at her record and if the opportunity ever arises to bring her over for an evaluation, I’ll consider it. Now let’s get you and your bride to the airport.” A smile creased his face as he glanced passed Keone’s head. “And don’t worry. I won’t tell {your bride} about our talk.”
{The bride} bopped her new husband on the top of his head. “No more talking, or even thinking, about work, Mister Boyd. You’re a married man, now. You must focus entirely on your loving bride.”
“I know. But—”
“No buts. We’re officially on our honeymoon. Tony and the MPD will have to manage without you for a few weeks…” She glanced at Alcala. “It’ll help them realize how much they need their best detective.”
Neither Keone nor Alcala risked a word.
“Look,” she said. “I’ve been more than accommodating. I agreed to let you drop off your department car on the way to the airport. I agreed to let this overgrown cub scout take us to our flight. But I won’t allow police static to interfere with the most important time of our new life together.”
To satisfy {The bride’s} moratorium on shoptalk, Alcala spent the entire drive to the airport telling the lovebirds about his Greek Island tour five years before. Before his marriage went to hell, he thought. He even suggested a few romantic spots to visit.
While Keone unfolded his bulk from the back seat, Tony jumped out and transferred their luggage to a cart. “Aloha, you two. Enjoy yourselves.”
“We plan to,” {the bride} said, before planting a huge kiss on Alcala’s cheek. “Thanks for everything, Tony.”
Keone ambled over and gave Tony a bear hug.
“Stop. That hurts. Just get outta here. And have a great time, Big Guy.”
As he watched them walk arm in arm to the Agriculture Inspection station, Tony thought, Beyers, eh? Wouldn’t hurt to glance at her file.
His radio beeped and announced, “Shooting in ʻĪao Valley State Park. One man down. See ranger in parking lot.”
There’s never been a shooting in the park.
“Unit one-kilo-two responding to shooting in ʻĪao Valley.”
Alcala hit lights and siren and sped away from the airport.
About the pictures:
These pictures were taken in September 0f 2013 during our anniversary trip to the Mediterranean. Keone and his wife’s honeymoon closely mirrors that trip. In the top picture we are flying over the Italian Alps on the way Rome’s Fiumicino airport. In the bottom picture, Our cruise ship is anchored off Santorini, one of the beautiful stops on the cruise.