A pair of amateur detectives, Noah Blunt a former crime reporter, and Sam Hokua a retired competition surfer, solve baffling crimes in Hawaii using their combined strengths. Noah is steeped in crime and criminals from years of reporting, Sam is a Hawaiian shaman, a kahuna, and has impeccable instincts, as well as being related to half the population of the islands. These two friends support and enjoy each other as they search for meaning in their lives and try to help people find justice or closure in the aftermath of a crime.
A pair of amateur detectives, Noah Blunt a former crime reporter, and Sam Hokua a retired competition surfer, solve baffling crimes in Hawaii using their combined strengths. Noah is steeped in crime and criminals from years of reporting, Sam is a Hawaiian shaman, a kahuna, and has impeccable instincts, as well as being related to half the population of the islands. These two friends support and enjoy each other as they search for meaning in their lives and try to help people find justice or closure in the aftermath of a crime.
“Dammit to mushrooms,” blurted Noah Blunt as his jeep lurched into another deep pothole.
It was a workout driving this rutted, unpaved road in the Big Island outback. They were not in lush, green, tropical Hawaii now. All around them were low hills of brick-red cinders and jagged outcrops of lava rock—a barren and forlorn place on the downslope of Mauna Loa, one of the Big Island’s two giant shield volcanoes.
The road wandered past an abandoned quarry, half-filled with brackish water that gave the air a bitter funk. As the jeep tilted down into a flat plain, they saw their destination: Mars.
“Over there,” said attorney Richard Morningday, pointing from the jeep’s back seat.
Noah parked on a brand-new concrete slab about 100 feet from the habitat. They were the only vehicle there.
Sam Hokua felt a tremor pass through him as he climbed out of the jeep. “I get some kine bad vibes here, yeah.”
“Like what, Ace?” asked Noah.
“Don’ know, brah. Jus’ gives me da chicken-skin.”
A white geodesic dome, about 40 feet high, dominated the area. It resembled a giant golf ball with the bottom sliced off. Such domes were common in the Islands, but they usually housed military radars or space tracking equipment. This one was different, people lived in it—for an experiment that simulated a colony on Mars. Beyond the dome was a long solar panel array, which provided all the electrical power for the habitat.
The three men walked toward the dome in silence, crunching brittle red cinders underfoot. Bright blue sky stretched overhead, and there were no other buildings, roads, cars, plants, insects or people in sight. It didn’t take much imagination to believe you had been transported, somehow, to Mars.
This expedition to the red planet began yesterday when Sam Hokua had the bright idea that he and Noah would go somewhere upscale for lunch.
Jack Choi’s Café on the outskirts of Kailua town was always busy. A combination of mouth-watering food, reasonable prices and stunning ocean views kept the traffic high. Despite Choi’s location on the kona, or dry, side of the Big Island, the day had been stormy, with several heavy squalls blowing through.
So, as Sam and Noah walked into the café, they were not surprised to see free tables outside on the curving, seaside patio. They snagged a good table in the shade with a panoramic view of the storm-stirred Pacific. Choi’s smelled, enticingly of grilled seafood and ocean spray. Fifty feet beyond their table, incoming breakers crashed against a jagged lava-rock shoreline. Each exploding white-cap threw a bushel of sparkling diamond spray into the air.
As Noah looked around for a waiter, his cell phone rang. “Yes, this is Noah Blunt. Well sure. No, we’re at Jack Choi’s right now, out on the lanai. Right. Bye.”
Sam glanced up from the menu. “Some bill-collector, brah?”
“No, it’s a potential client. He should be here in a half hour, so let’s order up.”
“Now you talkin’.”
As they finished a memorable lunch of grilled mahi-mahi, curried rice and mixed tempura, a man in a suit walked over. He was fit, blond, well groomed and had a lot of jaw. The man carried a thin, expensive leather briefcase.
“I have a job offer for you, Mister Blunt, Mister Hokua. Do you mind if I sit down? I’ll pick up the tab for your meal.”
Before Noah could reply, Sam pulled out a chair and gestured for the fellow to sit. No Hawaiian would argue with a free lunch.
“My client needs help with a difficult situation,” the man said quietly, “and I was hoping you two could get involved.”
“Care to be more specific?” said Noah.
“You’re the team who solved the murder of Sir Rexford Hamilton in Honolulu while the police and FBI were chasing their tails. Yes?”
“That’s right.”
“And you two started an agency called “Blunt Force” here on the Big Island.”
Noah gestured toward Sam, who nodded in return. “We’re not licensed private investigators, although we do similar work. We call ourselves a criminal research bureau. We try to get at the causes behind a crime.”
What Noah didn’t say was that both he and Sam had balked at the $5000 fee the State of Hawaii charged for a PI license. So far, they had managed to dance around that requirement.
The man slid a business card across the table. “I’m Richard Morningday and my law firm represents M-A-A-M.”
Noah squinted at the card and smiled. “Let’s see… Mothers Against ... Angry Monsters?”
A former crime reporter, Noah was on the high-side of fifty, but trim. He wore his gray hair short and spiked it with a dash of gel every morning. He looked like one of those early football players from the leather-helmet era, not handsome but with depth of character in the eyes; kind of beaten up, but holding on to a boyish charm.
Morningday shook his head and smiled. “It means Mars Autonomous Aloha Mission.”
Sam said, “Mars like da candy?”
“No, Mister Hokua, like the planet. My client is affiliated with NASA, University of Hawaii, Cal Tech and Boeing. They jointly sponsor a project where volunteers live for a year, completely off grid, simulating a Mars mission. The crew occupy a closed dome habitat here on the Big Island. If they want to go outside, they have to put on a space suit and stick to certain routines.”
“And someone is doing this now?” Noah said.
“No. They were doing it but there was a death. NASA shut the mission down until it’s resolved.”
“Those investigations have to go through the police,” Noah said. “No way we’re gonna pre-empt the cops on a death. The answer is no; respectfully no.”
“I understand your reluctance, Mr. Blunt, but the police are already involved.”
“Then why you needing us?” Sam asked.
“Because the official verdict was death from natural causes but many people connected with the project think differently. Some things… just haven’t been explained. We want you to review the evidence, talk to the people involved. Be a fresh pair of eyes. I hear you’re very good at that.”
Noah lowered his voice. “You suspect what? Foul play?”
Morningday leaned forward on the table and spoke quietly. “The woman who died was an astronomer. In the eighth month of a year-long mission, she was found dead in her room, with the door locked, no injuries, no marks, no sign of a struggle, just dead. Asphyxiated.”
“Sounds like a specialist case. Something for a forensic pathologist.”
“Her name was Jill Alonzo.”
The words hit Noah like a punch in the stomach.
There couldn’t be two of them, right? Before he was married, Noah dated a woman named Jill Alonzo in Los Angeles, after writing a profile about her as a young lion at CalTech in the field of astronomy. The relationship never took off, but she was so smart and had such an amazing take on existence, the universe and life that he really enjoyed spending time with her. She had vision.
Eventually, they drifted apart, but she would call him sometimes when she was lonely or depressed and he was always ready to make her laugh, make her feel better. He was convinced that Jill would be a superstar someday. Another Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson. Now she was dead. What a waste.
“We’ll do it,” Noah said and looked up to see an expression of utter surprise on Sam Hokua’s brown tiki face.
As they neared the dome, Morningday said, “I asked General Cumberfield and Dr. Sezmanski to meet us here. They can brief you on the mission and the science aspects.”
“Mo’ better brief us on da murder aspects,” said Sam, still in a dark mood.
Noah glanced over at his friend. “Easy, Ace. One thing at a time, eh?”
A steel shipping container butted up to the dome and held a workshop as well as the “airlock” entry to the habitat. There was no other way in or out. They arrived at the outer door and waited while Morningstar punched a five-digit code into an oversize keypad. A heavy, clear plastic door clicked and slowly swung open. The three men crowded into the air-lock.
After a few moments, Morningday said, “Mr. Hokua, you have to firmly shut the outside door before the inner one will open. We’re on Mars now you see. Just pull it till it clicks.”
Sam pulled the outer door shut and a bar of bright LED lights moved over them from above.
“Scanning for contaminants,” said Morningday. It’s simulated but we have to wait for the cycle to finish.” It did and the inner door snapped open. They were now in the shipping container with its workshop and support equipment—including a rack of internet servers. The entrance to the dome was a triangular opening about five feet tall. They went through.
The habitat was divided into two sections. One was the common space which was as tall as the dome itself and brightly lit by the dome’s translucent white skin. This area featured a conversation pit, entertainment center and two long, curving desks up against the outer wall of the dome. On these desks were six laptop workstations—one for each crewmember. A man’s flannel shirt was draped over the back of one chair. It looked comfortable.
A curving metal staircase led up to the balcony level with the crew’s individual private quarters. Under that second level was a storage area, the galley and dining room, and a changing room where six space suits, each a different bright color, hung in a locker room. At the back of the dome was a compact gym with treadmill, free-weights, stretchy bands, and a unisex bathroom with a shower. Noah smelled coffee and discovered a fresh pot of Kona on a hot-plate in the galley.
Morningday poked around on the ground floor but found no one. He tilted his head up. “General Cumberfield, Dr. Sezmansky,” he shouted, “we’re here.” Moments later, a man came out to the railing on the partial second floor. He was average in height and build, had dirty blond hair and a long, thin nose in a Slavic face of flat planes and high cheekbones.
He nodded to them. “Hello.”
“Ah, Dr. Sezmansky,” said Morningday, “isn’t the General here too?”
Sezmansky shook his head. “No,” he said. “Cumberfield had an emergency at his secret base. Ach, I’m not supposed to mention it because it’s secret. He’s not here and let it go at that. Wait, I’ll come down. I made coffee if anyone’s interested.” He walked down the curving stairway slowly, carefully as though he had a fear of falling. Finally he was at ground level and shuffled up to them, hand extended.
Morningday said, “This is Dr. Jerzy Sezmansky. He’s a medical doctor who specializes in crew psychology for long missions—like Mars.”
Noah shook hands with Sezmansky. “Doctor, I’m Noah Blunt. This is my colleague, Sam Hokua. Pleased to meet you.”
“Aloha, Doc,” said Sam also shaking hands.
Sezmansky gestured around the dome. “As you can see this is a sophisticated living space. As close to a real Martian habitat as practical for this experiment.”
“What is the experiment?” asked Noah.
“Crew dynamics, group psychology and latent aggression in an isolated environment. Although we can’t simulate the lowered gravity and temperatures of Mars, we want to see how the crew behaves in isolation and stress.”
“See if anybody go nuts and kill the rest, yeah?” said Sam.
“I wouldn’t put it that bluntly, but yes. The crew is asked to believe they are actually on Mars. Isolated, cut-off from Earth. Then we sometimes throw a problem at them like a chemical leak, battery failure, no heat, the sound of howling winds for days on end, and so on. Cooperation is a necessity and we see what happens as they respond to these challenges. Do they pull together or pull apart.”
Noah pointed to the walls of the dome. “You have video cameras in here?”
Sezmansky nodded. “We have cameras on the base level, but not upstairs in the crew quarters. We felt it was important to give the crew a zone of privacy. They can each keep a video log if they like, to record private feelings and thoughts. Those tables there with the laptops give the crew a link to the outside world, but all communications go through a fifteen minute delay—each way—to simulate the radio distance to Mars. Everything is logged on a Linux server in the tech module. And that server also controls the lighting, temperature, CO2 levels and so on. There are no cell phones. Except for the mission commander.”
“Maybe we should see their quarters...?”
“Yes, Mr. Blunt. Richard will show them to you,” Sezmansky said. “My arthritis, you see.” He shuffled toward the galley while Morningday led the way upstairs.
The second level was a half-circle platform within the dome. There was an arc of doors for the crew cabins. Each cabin had a Greek letter on the door. Nerd heaven, Noah thought. A safety railing defined the front end of the loft platform.
“Let’s go right to Jill’s cabin, shall we? They’re all identical.”
“Da doors lock, yeah?”
“Yes, they do,” said Morningday. “But crew are asked to leave them unlocked in case of a medical emergency. Crew don’t know it but the mission commander has a master key so any door can be opened.”
“Only the commander?” Noah said.
“That’s right.”
“But Jill’s door was locked, yeah?”
“That’s right. It was locked and people called for her but she didn’t answer. The commander unlocked the door and they discovered she was dead.”
Sam looked around, “You feel that?”
“What?” Noah said.
Sam shook his head. “Like we movin’ around up here. Didn’t feel it down below.”
Sezmansky shouted up to them, “It’s due to the construction of the habitat. Something about how the wind hits the dome. Some people feel movement on the second level, some don’t. Some feel it acutely. Jill was one of those, I’m afraid. I had to prescribe a scopolamine patch for her, to calm the motion sickness.”
Noah turned to Morningday. “When she was found, was her room light on or off?”
“On, I think. She was in delta cabin. Here.”
It was a confined space and they moved in single-file. The cabin was shaped a like a slice of pie, starting narrow at the door end and expanding out to the wide end, which held a small desk, chair and shelves for a few books and trinkets. A compact bed stretched along one long wall and had drawers under it for clothes and toiletries. The other wall had personal photos taped up to break the monotony of the flat, gray paint. It was not unlike a prison cell.
Noah took a jolt like a Taser hit when he saw a picture of Jill and himself at the banquet celebrating his first Pulitzer Prize for journalism, an event which would take him off the city desk permanently. They were smiling, lifting champagne glasses, having a great time. His arm was around her shoulder. Now the memory came pouring back. He and Jill were both drunk and breathless with laughter. He wanted to make love to her that night, but she was not interested. She rebuffed him gently, but it stung. Noah sighed. She kept that photo all these years. Wow.
Noah turned to his colleague. “Sam, what are you getting?”
Sam shut his eyes and let his kahuna powers work. “Someone scared here,” he said. “Big time fear. Something she got to do. And ... some people shouting.”
“Well, that’s impressive,” said Morningday.
“Don’t ask,” said Noah. “Sam has his own skills. Anything more, Sam?”
Sam sat down on the cot. Slid his hands along the covers. “Something bad, kapu. Choking. Can’t breathe. No air, like under water.” Sam gulped a sudden breath. “I need out.” He rushed out of the cabin, stood at the railing breathing deeply, his head sagged forward.
Noah was right behind him. “Sam, you all right?”
“I got to get outta here, brah. Meet you at da car.” Sam headed for the stairs.
Noah turned back to the attorney. “Morningday, we need to talk to the crew. Call me when that’s set up. Thanks.”
As he hurried down the staircase after his friend, Noah wondered what was upsetting Sam.
Jerry Fortunato looked like he was still in high school. He was tall and lanky, with a large nose, big ears and a goofy haircut that screamed geek. Noah had gone through the preliminaries, got the guy’s life story and a lot of useless information. They were in the MAAM Administration center in Waimea town, in a conference room. Noah was about to give up when the conversation turned interesting.
“Were you and Jill close?”
“Nah, no way. She was the Captain’s piece.”
“Captain?”
“Yeah. Captain Lilly Thomas, mission leader, the bronze bull. She let us know that Jill was hers and everybody better keep hands off. So we did. There was some bad vibes—I think Hans Beringer—ol’ mount baldy—wanted Jill real bad. But Lilly slapped him down.”
“Literally?”
“Hell yes. She kicked his ass the second week and everybody kept their mouth shut. You know, besides our weekly paycheck, we each get a fifty grand bonus at the end of the mission. Nobody wanted to blow that off.”
“Money hasn’t been mentioned before,” said Noah.
“Hey,” Fortunato said, “we’re not the only ones to have trouble. The first crew had it way worse. They had fights, people got beat bloody. Finally, they had to call off the mission. Everybody having nightmares, fighting over nothing. They pulled the plug. And then, here’s the kicker, one of that crew, a month later, they find him hanging in his back yard, from a tree. Put the rope around his neck and jumped off a ladder. Maybe it‘s something in the water, huh? Or that volcano, putting out toxic gasses?”
“Can you give me the name of the guy who hanged himself?”
“Morningday will know. Ask him.”
Air Force Captain Lilly Thomas was a hefty African-American woman with short hair, chocolate skin, big bosoms and bulging, penetrating eyes. She sat up ramrod straight in the conference room. “I want my lawyer,” she said.
“That won’t be necessary, Captain,” Noah replied quietly. “This is an informal session. No recording, no charges or liability. I’m just gathering information.”
“I made a statement to the police, why don’t you gather that.”
“I read it. There’s not a lot of detail.”
“I don’t think that’s my problem, Mr.... “
“Blunt. Noah Blunt. No, it’s not your problem. But as commander of the MAAM you had a unique perspective. Isn’t that true?”
“I suppose so.”
“You had a master key to all doors in the habitat, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“The only cell phone in the group?”
“Yes.”
“You were aware of certain details of the mission that the crew didn’t know.”
“Yes.”
“And you were having an affair with Jill Alonso?”
“Yes... Wait a minute! Who the hell told you that? I think we’re done here.” She got up, crossed the room in three strides and banged the door shut behind her.
“Well, that was skillfully wrought,” Noah said to the bare walls.
In contrast, Hans Beringer wouldn’t shut up. He was a thin man with a bald head and a close-trimmed beard and moustache. He wore a tight t-shirt and every slender muscle and sinew in his arms showed as he gestured freely.
Noah said, “Now, wait a minute, Hans. Is that Jerry Fortunato, you’re talking about?”
“Yes. The other technician, super nerd. I’m telling you that once a week he went EVA—”
“What’s that mean?”
“Outside. He met up with a guy who looked like a biker. This guy handed Jerry some kind of package. A bubble-wrap package. About the size of a cigar box.”
“And you have no idea what was in this package?”
“Sure I do. “X”. Ecstasy. MDMA. We all took it. You can’t imagine how boring the nights were and a hit of X gave you a good feeling. You could really get into your book or magazine or video game. Or even play one of the god-awful DVDs they had in the library. It was free for the crew.”
“Jill took it too?”
“No. She was on some other medication and begged off.”
“But how did Jerry pay for it. You guys had no cash, right?”
“Yeah, no money of any kind. I got the impression that it was on the house. Keeping us happy. The first crew didn’t get along and there was big trouble because of it. You know, there are major contracts coming up for the real Mars mission. Billions of dollars into the aerospace pipeline. And if we can’t keep a crew from hating each other here on Earth, what the hell are they going to do in space?”
Noah looked Beringer in the eyes. “They said you were in love with Jill, is that true?”
Beringer scowled. “I liked her but all the women on the crew were lesbians. I think they picked them deliberately to keep us from having orgies every night. They didn’t like men and didn’t like each other very much. Jill was a good friend, but no romance.”
“I understand that you and the Captain came to blows over Jill.”
Beringer leaned back in his chair, scowling. “Who told you that?”
Noah shook his head. “I can’t disclose.”
“Well it’s bullshit. Lilly and I did have a set-to, a shouting match, but it was a mistake and we patched things up. You have to do that in the hab. Can’t hold grudges or the whole thing would break down.”
Noah sat in Holoholo, his red Jeep, watching Sam Hokua walk up. Sam had interviewed the other crew members, Bill Comden and Sharon Stein. Looked like he had had a rotten day, too.
“Anything?” Noah said.
“One to go. Sharon Stein got da conflict, we have to catch her tomorrow. But I learn all about da planet Mars. They got no air and it cold as one deep freeze. So, why somebody want to go live there? They crazy?”
“I don’t think so, Ace. It’s about money and contracts here on Earth. Billions of dollars for companies that aren’t building missiles and bombers any more. Seriously, didn’t you get anything we need to know?”
“This guy Lieutenant Bill Comden, yeah? He a nice guy. Not as loony as da rest. He say they have some kine special therapy before mission starts. Sezmanski comes in, puts them to sleep. They wake up two hours later, and now they gonna do anything to make da mission work. Think they really living on Mars. Life or death struggle.”
“Sounds like hypnosis. That’s weird. We need to ask Doctor Sezmanski. I can’t believe the crew would consent to that.”
“They chasin’ that big bonus, yeah. Maybe they agree to anything? Beats me, brah. I need some kine Mai-Tai now; maybe two.”
Noah pulled out his mobile phone and dialed a number. “Yes, Richard Morningday, please. Noah Blunt calling. I understand, but this is important, very important. Yes, hello Rich, Noah Blunt. We need to see Doctor Sezmansky right away. And General Cumberfield. Will you set something up and let me know. We’ll see Sezmansky, then. Yeah, got it.”
“Don’t tell me,” said Sam. “They all in a meeting?”
“We’re going to Sezmansky’s house, green side of Waimea. The General is not available.”
Sezmansky rented a large house, set far back from the road on the eastern edge of town. There were two cars parked close to the front door and Noah stopped alongside them. He and Sam went to the door and rang a bell. Nothing.
Sam said, “I hear voices inside, Noah. Somebody arguing, plenty pissed off too.”
Noah rang the bell again.
After a minute, the door opened and Dr. Sezmansky stood there, dressed in a three-piece business suit and tie, minus the jacket, his face red and sweating. “What do you want?” he asked, tartly.
“We told Richard Morningday to call you, set a meeting. He—”
“Oh all right,” said Sezmansky, “come in.” He stepped back and opened an oversize door.
The house was large and furnished in baroque taste, with a majority of the furniture overstuffed brocades, mostly gold and white. Sam and Noah walked into a large, two-story living room.
Noah said, “We have information that the crew was supplied with the drug Ecstasy. Is that true?”
Sezmansky made a sour face. “No that’s totally wrong. It was Lorazepam, an antidepressant. Rumors get started and people talk out of turn. Sit down,” he said. “I’ll be back in a moment.” Sezmansky left the room with his slow, shuffling walk.
Noah said, “The good doctor looked like he had been arguing with somebody.”
“He red as da dragon fruit.”
BANG. A shot resounded through the house. BANG.
“I hear somebody running,” Sam said, closing his eyes. “Now they coming around da front...”
Noah could hear it too, feet running on gravel in the driveway. A car started.
Sam ran to the front door, but the car fishtailed onto the Mamalahoa Highway, and accelerated hard, heading toward Hilo town.
Noah said, “Did you see a license plate?”
“Nah,” Sam said, “Too damn far away. Some kine German car – four silver rings.”
“That’s an Audi. Probably an A6. I noticed it when we pulled up. Not too common in the Islands. Well, I’m calling the cops. We might as well relax. Gonna be a long afternoon.”
Lieutenant Ushida of the Hawaii Police Department sat across from Noah and Sam in the living room while crime scene technicians worked Sezmansky’s back room. Ushida consulted his notebook. “The victim is Jerzy Sezmanski, medical doctor and registered hypnotherapist.”
“What’s that last part?” Noah asked.
“He hypnotizes people to stop smoking, lose weight—that kind of thing. And, by the way, I talked to Dick Morningday a few minutes ago. He confirmed that he hired you for a series of interviews with these Mars Mission people. So that’s cool. But you’re not getting mixed up in the death they had out there, right?”
“No, brah, not us,” said Sam Hokua.
Noah gestured toward the back room. “What happened here, Lieutenant? After all, we were present.”
“Victim was shot twice at close range with a nine millimeter handgun,” Ushida said. “No sign of a struggle. Evidence we found matches your account. The shooter appears to have run out the back door, around the house and then driven away at high speed. Michelin tire tracks, so it could be an Audi like you said. Morningday is on his way down here. He’s got some ideas about who did it and at this point, I’m open to suggestion.”
“Can we go?”
“Yeah,” said the lieutenant. “I got no reason to hold you.”
A military staff car was parked in Noah’s driveway when he and Sam pulled up. As Noah walked past the car, an officer jumped out and opened the rear door. A hefty middle-aged man in Army uniform got out and nodded to his driver who climbed back into the car.
“You are Mr. Noah Blunt, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” said Noah. “And this is my colleague, Sam Hokua.”
“Aloha,” said Sam.
The military man said, “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake here.”
“And you are?”
“I’m General Cumberfield, the officer in charge of the Mars mission.”
“My understanding is that this was a civilian project, through NASA and Cal Tech.”
“I am not responsible for your perception, Mr. Blunt. In any case, it doesn’t matter. Your services are not needed and you can consider yourselves terminated as of right now.” The General started to get in his car.
“Just a minute,” Noah said. “We were hired by Richard Morningday, an attorney. I don’t see how you have authority over his actions. And under posse comitatus, you should not be able to give orders to civilians anyway. So what’s going on here?”
“I don’t care who hired you or what rights you think you have in the situation. You’re done. This is a matter of National Security. Under the Patriot Act I have full authority here. And, either you comply or you can be arrested under military law and held without recourse for as long as I deem necessary. Understood?”
Sam was about to speak, but Noah held up his hand. “OK, General. We understand. Thank you for the information.”
“At ease.” The General took off his hat and ducked into the back seat of the staff car. Sam and Noah had to jump back as the driver sharply turned, reversing out of Noah’s driveway.
Sam brought two beers over to Noah’s kitchen table, a sour look on his face. “Was going to tell him to fuck off, brah.”
“Yeah, I know, Ace. And that probably wouldn’t have come to a good end. We need to stay mobile so we can get to the bottom of this—whatever it is.”
Noah took out his mobile phone and entered a number. “Hi, this is Noah Blunt for Richard Morningday.” He ended the call and held the phone up toward Sam. “He’s on a flight to the mainland.”
Noah’s phone rang and they both flinched. He put the phone to his ear. In moments, a wide smile spread across his troubled face. “Hello beautiful, what a pleasant surprise.”
Sam gave Noah a questioning look.
“Robin,” he whispered to Sam.
“Say aloha fo’ me.”
“Sam says ‘aloha’. Yes. What the hell? Do I need to take any action here? All right, but let’s talk again tomorrow.” Noah put the phone down.
“What going on, brah?”
“You are not going to believe this, but Robin called because she just got a request from General Cumberfield to put both our names on a terrorist watch list!”
“You shitting me?”
“No. It’s just our good luck that the request went to her, and not one of the drones in the Honolulu FBI office. She denied the request and mentioned that we had served with distinction as consultants to the FBI on a very successful case. Otherwise—”
Someone knocked on Noah’s door. They both flinched again. Noah whispered, “Sam, get out back and be ready to run. If they arrest me, you have to get through to Robin and have her pull some strings. Right?”
“Ho, brah! What happening here?”
“I don’t know but...”
“Mr. Blunt?” It was a woman’s voice coming through Noah’s front door. “Mr. Blunt are you up in there?”
“Sam, get out in my back yard, just in case. Here’s the keys to Holoholo.” Noah tossed the keys to Sam and, with a deep breath, went to the front door. He was aware that his hands were shaking slightly. Sam went out back and stood next to an open window so he could hear what transpired.
Noah opened his front door and there was Captain Lilly Thomas, dressed in an Aloha shirt and jeans, flip-flops on her feet, her face downturned with sadness. “Mr. Blunt. I’m sorry for how I treated you earlier. It was rude and unnecessary. I hope you will forgive me.”
“Captain Thomas... “
“Call me Lilly.”
“All right, Lilly. Come in won’t you?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“And give me just a moment.” Noah went out his back door and smiled at Sam Hokua. “Coast is clear, Sam. Come on in.”
Noah gestured Lilly toward the sofa. “Would you like a beer?”
Lilly Thomas sat on the near side of the sofa and shook her head. “I’m not a beer drinker. Got any red wine?”
“I’ll get it,” Sam said and brought Lilly a glass of Merlot.
“Thank you. I could use a drink.” She tipped the glass back and drank it all down. She sighed.
Noah said, “I’ve got to admit, I’m surprised to see you.”
“Yes,” she said with another sigh. She leaned back into the thick cushions of the sofa. Her mouth tightened up. “I’m afraid it’s all my fault.”
“What would that be?” asked Noah.
“Jill’s death. Now wait. Let me take you back a ways. I’m a NASA astronaut. I went up on STS-110 as a Mission Specialist for propulsion and avionics and co-pilot for the flight. I held the shuttle in position while some of our crew did repair and expansion work on the ISS—the space station. We were up for almost three weeks. Because of that experience, I was picked as commander for this simulated Mars Mission.”
Noah raised a hand. “Before we go any farther, do you know that Dr. Sezmansky is dead?”
“Yes. That’s what made me decide to come here. I need to get this off my chest.”
Noah leaned forward, “And what is that?”
“This mission was wrong from the start. The first time through, they selected people for their technical skills, not their personalities. Before long, there were fights, rivalries, broken hearts and worse. It turned into reality TV with things more out of control every day. Finally, three people were injured and they pulled the plug.”
“But the military wanted a success this time because big money contracts are riding on the mission, yes?”
“How do you know that? Well, yes. This time, they had everyone but me submit to hypnosis. Sezmansky was supposed to tell them to get along and cooperate as a first priority. But he had his own agenda and he also sneaked in another instruction, that we were actually on Mars – make one mistake and you’re dead. That was supposed to keep everyone focused.”
“You and Jill...”
“We weren’t sleeping together—having sex—whatever you want to call it. She just wasn’t interested. But I fell for her like a brick wall in an earthquake. I was head over heels in love. And I became very possessive of her, very jealous.”
“And you don’t know how she died?”
“I know what they said.”
“Cumberford was just here and bounced us off this case. Threatened us.”
“He’s a blow-hard. They gave him this mission to keep him away from the real Army, where he might do some damage.”
“Look plenty real to me,” said Sam.
A silence settled on the three of them and the pause grew longer and longer.
Noah said, “Lilly, who do you think did it?”
“Did what?”
“Who is responsible for Jill’s death? Or, who killed her?”
“Are you accusing me?”
“No, I’m asking you, the mission commander, what you think.”
“How could someone kill her? She was all alone, her door was locked from the inside and I heard that the police said it was natural causes. So why do you want to accuse someone of killing her.” Lilly Thomas had worked herself into a state. She stood up and walked toward Noah’s front door. A tissue appeared and she blotted her reddening eyes.
“We‘re only trying to get to the truth of the matter. If, and I’m only saying if someone harmed Jill, wouldn’t you want to know about it?”
She stopped and turned back toward Sam and Noah. “Mr. Blunt, I came here to say sorry for how I behaved before. But now you got me all riled up again. I hope you do find out what happened but can’t you let poor Jill rest in peace. Can’t you?” She turned and rushed out the front door, banging it shut behind her. Moments later they heard a car drive away on Onioni street.
As soon as Lilly stepped out the door, Noah gathered his keys, mobile phone, flashlight and a warm jacket.
“What you doin’, brah?”
“I think we should follow that woman and see where she goes.”
That made Sam smile. “Count me in, yeah?”
“Can you see her, Ace?
“Just da taillights. It damn dark out here, yeah?”
OK,” Noah said. “You stay glued to her and I’ll watch the road.”
As they came around the turn where the MAAM site was located, Noah doused his headlights and parking lights. There was a quarter moon and it suited them perfectly; some visibility, but not much. Noah’s eyes, having grown accustomed to the darkness, saw two cars parked on the MAAM concrete pad. He could just make out Lilly’s Honda Accord, and a silver Audi A6. Lights were on inside the dome and the repeating triangular shapes of the geodesic structure showed dark against the light color of the cloth covering. It looked even more other-worldly at night. He parked Holoholo on the concrete pad and shut the motor off.
Noah got out his phone. “Lieutenant Ushida, please. Jerry, this is Noah Blunt. Sam and I are at the MAAM dome. There’s an Audi parked here. I think it’s the same car we saw leaving Sezmansky’s house. We’re going in. Bye.”
“What he say, brah?”
“Nothing, that was me leaving a message.” Noah got out of the red Jeep he called Holoholo and took a flashlight from the glovebox. He and Sam walked carefully toward the dome. The cinders crunched softly under their feet. It was easy to imagine green, insectile, glassy-eyed Martians lurking silently in the darkness around them, ready to pounce.
“So what da plan?”
“Follow her inside and see who she’s meeting – after that, I don’t know.”
“How we gonna get inside anyway?”
“Let’s hope I remember the code. Noah pushed five numbers on the oversize keypad and the outer door to the airlock clicked and swung open. Quietly, they stepped inside and waited. Sam reached back and pulled the outer door closed and the LED bar swung over them. Noah placed his hands on the seam of the inner door to deaden the snap when it opened.
It worked; the door made a quiet click and opened a crack. Noah pulled it the rest of the way open and stepped quietly into the workshop. The lights were off in there and the tiny yellow and green status lights that blinked in the server rack at the back of the room did nothing to relieve the darkness. It was a good place to hide for the moment.
Noah slid along the wall and looked through the triangular opening into the dome itself. He froze in place. There were voices coming from the inner reaches of the dome, further back at the galley area. The dome had spotty lighting at night, probably designed to conserve battery power. Noah stuck his head into the dome and pulled it back. He turned to Sam.
“Let’s head for the room with the space suits. It’s dark on that side of the dome and we can probably get close enough to hear what they are saying. If it gets really juicy, I’ll try to record it on my phone.”
“Long as you don’t record us getting shot, brah.”
“Ready?”
Sam nodded. Noah stepped into the dome and Sam followed him. They walked softly clockwise, past the exercise area and into the locker room with the space suits hanging on the wall. They sat on a wooden, slab bench. The voices were much louder now. Captain Lilly Thomas was even more riled up than before.
“I’m gonna give you one chance to tell me the truth, understand? Did you get jealous and kill her?” she said.
“Maybe if you put that gun down,” said Hans Beringer, “I could concentrate on what I’m saying?”
“You’re lucky I don’t bend you over and stick this thing up your sorry ass.”
“Hey, I thought we were a team. I thought we were chasing Jill’s killer together.”
“Tell me!”
“No.”
“You got jealous of what she had with me and you took it out on her.”
“I told you no. N-O.”
“Then who did it?”
“I don’t know. I was down here, online, chatting with this chick in the Bay Area. If you can call it chat with that damned delay. Next thing I hear you yelling, pounding on her door. Everybody ran upstairs and we found her dead. Come on, you know I didn’t do it.”
Noah slowly edged his head around the wall of the locker room. Lilly Thomas had her back to him, sitting at the crew dinner table. She held a gun on Hans Beringer, who sat up straight, his hands flat on the table.
“Well, somebody musta done something. She didn’t just up and die.”
“I agree,” said Beringer. “Now why don’t you give that gun back to me and we can talk about this like adults?”
Lilly raised the gun into Beringer’s face. “The hell I will. I give you this gun and you gonna shoot me like you did Sezmansky.”
“I told you about that. I went to see him and he started to hypnotize me. You know I’m a sucker for that. I warned him but he kept at it. Once he had me under, he could get me to do anything. So I shot him yes. Out of fear.”
“Those detectives said he was shot twice.”
“I was very afraid.”
“I want you to go on Lilly’s laptop and see what she was doing that night.”
“I can’t,” Beringer said.
“You see this gun I’m pointing at you?”
“It’s not the same laptop. They replaced it. That’s why I came up here. Sezmansky just told me that she sent an e-mail to him and General Caruthers with all kind of details about drugs and mind control on the mission.”
“It don’t matter,” she said, “we can hit her archive on the server. Do it!”
She marched Beringer over to the table of laptops and he sat at the second one. He opened it and brought the machine out of a sleep state, in a few moments he had it running and had opened a black command window. He typed in some obscure Linux commands and shook his head.
“It’s no good. I need a root password to get into the e-mail archives.”
Lilly said “SevenSisters99, is the root password, camel-cased.”
“Here’s her last e-mail and Sezmansky’s response. He sent her a link to a video.”
“Play it,” she said.
Beringer clicked on the play button and Dr. Sezmansky’s face filled the screen.
“All you can hear is the sound of my voice,” he said in a soft monotone. “I am in control of your thoughts and actions. Where are you?”
Beringer said, “I am on Mars. I am in a habitat on Mars.”
Sezmansky went on, “An accident has occurred. There is a rip in the skin of the habitat. Air is rushing out. Can you hear it?”
Beringer said, “I can hear it.”
“Now the level is dropping dangerously low. You can feel it. It’s becoming hard to breathe.”
From behind Noah, came a soft, choking sound.
“You are struggling to draw breath. It’s harder every time you try to breathe.”
Noah turned around and saw Sam lying on the floor. His face was red and he had his hands on his throat. Noah knelt next to him, he bent close to Sam.
“Sam, what is it?” he whispered.
“No air...”
Sezmansky’s voice said, “Now you are feeling faint. Your heart speeds up to a dangerous level, trying to oxygenate your blood.”
Sam’s eyes began to flutter. Noah took Sam’s arms and threw them over this own shoulders. He dead lifted Sam up to a standing position and then picked him up off the ground. The weight was really too much for him. But he had to get Sam outside, away from that deadly voice. The power of the mind was such that, once it had an idea, even the natural survival instinct of the body could be overwhelmed.
Noah staggered through the locker room, through the exercise area. Each step was a massive effort. Sam gasped and wheezed as though his lungs had completely shut down. From behind them a woman’s voice yelled “Who’s there?” Noah ignored it.
Noah yanked open the air lock door and staggered into it. The LED bar ran back and forth, it seemed to take forever. As the outer door clicked open, Noah ran a few steps outside and then fell forward spilling Sam onto the ground.
Noah shook Sam’s body. He drew back his hand and slapped Sam hard across the face. Sam’s eyes flickered and opened. His face was going dark red.
“Look Sam,” Noah shouted pointing up to the skies. “The stars Sam. The moon. This is Earth, not Mars, there’s air good air all around us. Hawaiian air. Breathe, dammit, breathe. Sam the stars. You know their positions, every Hawaiian does. Look at them! You can’t be on Mars. The stars are telling you this is Earth, Earth. Breathe in, damn you. Take a breath!”
Noah shook Sam as his eyes began to close again. “The moon, Sam. It can’t look like that from Mars, you’d be too far away. The moon is just a bright dot from Mars. See.”
Noah pointed to the crescent moon. “Just look, Sam. Just look!”
Sam’s eyes opened wide. He saw the moon. The moon! It wasn’t just a bright dot, it was the moon. He was on earth. A giant hand that had been squeezing the life out of him opened.
He breathed.
“Oh thank God.” Noah fell back onto the cinders, empty.
From inside the dome came two loud noises, shots, and two flashes of light like a camera taking pictures. A moment later one single shot echoed. Then it was so quiet they could hear the stars twinkling.
Lieutenant Ushida leaned back in his chair. “I guess if I just followed you guys around, I would get to the dead bodies on this island a lot quicker.”
“Happy to be of service, Jerry.” Noah said.
They were in one of the crew cabins on the second floor of the dome. Sam was stretched out on the cot, Noah stood by the door fidgeting and Lt. Jerry Ushida, HPD, sat in the desk chair, tilting it back on the two hind legs.
“So tell me this,” said Uschida, “How did we go from one big happy crew to three murders?”
“Four, if you count Sezmansky,” said Noah. “And Lilly was a suicide. But the body count remains the same.”
“Based on the evidence I got so far, I don’t see it.”
Noah sat down on the cot next to Sam’s feet. “It’s about money Lieutenant. Billions and maybe trillions in the years to come. Certain people involved with this project were willing to cut corners.”
“But four bodies?”
“Start with the first mission; the crew did not get along, they fought, people were injured, they had to pull the plug. No one was going to accept those results. So they tried again. But this time they cheated. They used hypnosis and strong mood elevator drugs to make everyone artificially happy. Only it didn’t last.”
“But what about that first death, the woman astronomer. She wasn’t murdered, right?”
“Actually, she was. Her name was Jill Alonzo. When she learned that they were importing Ecstasy and the crew was stoned most of the time. She sent an email to General Cumberfield threatening to blow the whistle on his mission. He panicked and convinced Sezmansky they had to take action, to kill her. The good doctor came up with the idea of a deadly hypnotic suggestion. It would work because Jill was on scopolamine for motion sickness. She was many times more susceptible to his orders because of the patch she wore. He convinced her that she couldn’t breathe and it choked her.
“But once Jill was dead, Captain Lilly Thomas, who was in love with her, started snooping around and recruited Hans Beringer to help her. Lilly had full access to the records on the server, as mission commander. Beringer was also in love with Jill and when he learned that Sezmansky was responsible for her death, he went to confront the doctor. They had a furious argument just as Sam and I showed up. When Sezmansky tried to hypnotize Beringer, the technician shot him and ran. Captain Thomas followed him up here and they found the video Sezmansky sent to Jill – and played it. They quarreled and fought over the gun. In the fight, Beringer was shot then Lilly killed herself. And that’s about it.”
“I thought you couldn’t kill somebody through hypnosis,” said Ushida.
Noah nodded. “That’s generally true. But, scopolamine works on the centers of the brain that are susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. It takes away the inhibition against doing certain things: murder, suicide and so on.”
“Damn shame,” said Ushida. “Alright boys, I have at least a ton of paperwork to process. Try to stay out of trouble for at least 24 hours, yeah?” The Lieutenant ambled out of the wedge-shaped room.
“Hey Noah,” said Sam Hokua, “you really bitch-slap me out there when I can’t breathe?”
“’Fraid so, Ace. You want more?”
“No, brah. Mahalo. My people say, ‘He aikane, he punana na ke onaona.’ Nothing in this world better than a good friend.”
“Well, thanks, Sam.”
“But they also say, ‘Kapi ‘ia ka pa’aki a miko.’”
“Meaning?”
“Payback is a bitch!”
Noah laughed so hard he snorted – twice. “Tell you what my brother, lunch is on me. And some cold Hawaiian beer! All you can drink.”
“Now you talkin’!”
The Ghost Pepper and Other Stories by Gregory Von Dare introduces private detective Noah Blunt and his partner Sam Hokua. Noah had started out his career as a journalist in Los Angeles and Sam, a kahuna (shaman) and former world-class surfer until he was sidelined by a bad accident. Now these two friends are working together to solve cases they have been hired on for a wide variety of clients, running their business out of Noah's bungalow on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. Noah and Sam's investigations take them to a wide variety of settings including a dive shop, an experimental space lab, the suburbs of Hilo, Kailua town, a golf course, and Waimea Park. A big challenge for Noah and Sam is that they don't technically have their P.I. licences because they are building up the hours. This means they don't always have access to all the information and they have a bumpy relationship with the local police.
This was a great travel read on the airplane. I loved how easy it was to pick up and put down as each story could stand on its own, yet continued to develop the two main characters. It's a great destination mystery as the author captures the island life and culture by setting each of the mysteries in a different area or a different town on the Island. I also appreciated Sam Hokua's use of Hawaiin Pidgin when speaking with his partner as it made it more believable. The little Hawaiin shirts decorating the pages as you transition between scenes were perfect as well to keep the mood.
This collection of short stories may be the precursor to a full length novel and I really look forward to seeing the Blunt Force detective agency grow into a series. If you have visited Hawaii, you will recognize some of the destinations described and if you haven't, it's a great book to read if you are going (or just want to feel like you are there).