100 Ghost Stories Counting Down To Halloween 2017! #76

To Thine Own Self Be You

“I was directed to this office by an informant of mine, he said you could help me?” The hardened police detective named Roy Wong was not much older than Boy and, by his demeanor, he had seen much in regards to the ugly side of human nature. He was cordial and polite but it was obvious that somewhere within that well mannered, professional veneer was a hair-trigger temper that only needed a minimum amount of coaxing in order to come to the surface. Most men from Hawai’i’s finest were built that way, but this one was a special case. He was the good cop and the bad cop rolled up into one,
right now what Boy, Ivan, Tiny, and Rita were seeing was the good cop. At some point during or after the meeting, the bad cop was going to emerge but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s get back to the meeting.

“We will help you in any way we are able to Detective Wong,” Boy replied. The detective gave Boy and his staff the once over. They were almost like a throwback to the old Mah Jong parlors where you had to go to the back room to see someone about a problem or a particular kind of loan. The people seated in front of him was dressed in those same suits, ties, shiny shoes, office type dress for the lady. In the detective's experience, the dressed up people were the dirty ones. In his opinion, Boy and his cohorts were the same.

“See, we’ve been tracking this contract killer who’s been leaving a trail of bodies all over the place. Luckily, none of his escapades have made the news because of good police work if you know what I mean?” Detective Wong’s eyes were piercing and he made sure that he held Boys gaze while he spoke, but what he didn’t realize is that the three other people seated around Boy also had their eyes on him. “I see,” Boy nodded. “I take it that you haven’t been successful in tracking this person down?”

“Well, no,” Detective Wong replied. “What we do have is his calling card, which is specially made black talon bullets, and something else. This something else is what makes him unusual and we’ve had a hard time figuring that out. That is until my informant pointed me in your direction, which is why I’m here. We.…well... I...think that this guy is using a smaller form of biological or chemical poisoning and I’m hoping you’ll help me understand how it works?”

“I’m not sure I understand Detective Wong?” Boy completely understood but he was going to let the detective play out his cat and mouse game until it was time to act. 

“This thing this guy leaves is inside a Ti Leaf bundle,” Detective Wong began. “Our informant tells us that this is how you’ve done business as well, in very much the same way. This is how he does hits sometimes, he leaves the Ti leaf bundle on let's say the kitchen table. Someone will get very curious about said item and open it, that’s when the compound inside the Ti leaf bundle becomes hostile and explodes. From what I’ve seen it does horrendous damage especially if it gets under your skin, you’re pretty much done. All I need from you is to tell me what’s in the bundle?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue as to what’s inside this bundle that this person leaves, honestly,” Boy was very matter of fact but not rude, but Detective Wong was not having it. “You don’t? C’mon I mean look, I understand that you don’t want to be implicated along with this guy.……..this killer that we’re looking for, but my informant says you DO know what’s in it and that it’s very toxic and very deadly.”

“I don’t, I really don’t. I know I said we’d help you any way we could but this is something that I’ve never heard of before. I’m just as lost as you are.” Boy appeared to be clueless as to what the detective was alluding to but Wong couldn’t stand the charade anymore and he was going to give Boy one more chance to come clean. “My informant says that this is an office that puts curses on people, I mean I did some background research and it turns out that we at HPD know who you are but that we stay out of your way and in turn, you help us out when we need it. So, here I am asking for your help so help me out? Tell me what kind of chemicals are in those little Ti Leaf bundles?”

“Your informant is pulling one over you detective, we are a firm that specializes in the Hawaiian practice of conflict resolution or ho’oponopono. We don’t deal in curses, we deal in peeling away the layers of hurt and pain in our people's hearts and thereby, helping to cure the heart.” 

That’s all Detective Wong could take, now was the time for the bad detective to come out, the one who walked around with a pair of brass knuckles in his coat pocket, a 9mm in his holster and battery acid in his brains. He figured for the effect that he’d break Boys jaw in front of the three old people and make them have a cardiac, but then he decided that he’d beat the hell of the old lady first and then work his way up and save Boy for last. Detective Wong stood up from his chair and placed his hands in his coat pocket where he put his fingers through the holes of the brass knuckles he concealed. When he was fully upright his six foot five frame towered over the four people on the other side of the large koa wood desk. His height would allow him to just simply reach over the desk and take a swing at the old woman’s jaw, but he never got the chance. With blinding speed Boy blocked Detective Wong’s blow with his left-hand blade side out, with his right hand he reached up and grabbed Detective Wong by the back of his head and slammed his face into his old koa wood desk. The impact knocked the hardened detective silly and caused him to stagger back and crumple to the carpet. Boy knelt next to Detective Wong and gripped him by the back of his collar and whispered into his ear, 

“ ‘O wai ‘oe?” (Who are you?) ‘a’ole ‘oe i ‘ike, (You don’t know) ‘a’ole ‘oe i ike ‘o wai la ‘oe. “ (You don’t know who you are)

.............

When the detective came to, he was downstairs standing outside the building where Boys office was. However, he couldn’t recall why he was there, in fact, instinct told him to remove his wallet from his pocket and to look for his driver's license. He didn’t recognize the picture in the ID even though it was him that he was looking at. Kealoha, the doorman who guarded the entrance to Boys office watched the detective carefully as he wandered over to where he stood. “I’m sorry I’m having a hard time with uh.………uh...I can’t seem to remember who I am or what I’m doing here?”

“I can help you, I was instructed to take you someplace where some people can help answer your questions.” Kealoha was having a hard time adjusting to wearing a coat and tie, it felt constricting but nevertheless, he could not disobey Boys orders regarding the dress code. Detective Wong went willingly and in less than half an hour, Boys 1966 Imperial Crown pulled up in front of the Beretania station were Kealoha pointed to the front entrance. “Just go in there and show them your ID, they can help you.”

“Where is this place?” Detective Wong was still groggy, he felt like someone had rattled his brain completely loose.

“HPD headquarters,” Kealoha replied. Detective Wong hesitantly left the vehicle and made his way up the stairs and then turned into the open door. The door man removed his cell phone and sent Boy a text. “Mission accomplished.”

….……..

It was lunch time at the state office of permitting and Daryl Sahm made his way to the little break room where he quickly grabbed his Tupperware and exited the building down to Punchbowl street. From there he walked to Mililani street where he bought two cans of Pepsi from the hot dog vendor. Afterward, he found his way to the grounds of the ‘Iolani Palace where he was finally able to sit down and enjoy his breaded pork, rice and mashed potato for lunch. He was surprised to see what looked like ‘Laulau’ draped over the rice but it wasn’t steamed, it was still very green and uncooked. Untying the cotton twine string, Daryl opened the lau (leaf) and found a disgusting sight within, a tuft of black oily human hair, some finger nails and toe nails mixed with black feathers. Before he could react, the vile contents in the lau exploded and embedded itself in Daryl’s first layer of skin, then it slowly burrowed its way into the second and third layer of his flesh. It was a slow and very painful way for an informant to die. Especially one whom Boy had previously helped only to be betrayed.

….………

“Aunty Rita, find me this nameless killer for hire and bring him here. We need to talk face to face.”

Boy tried to never get involved in anyone’s right to earn a living, but he was curious as to where this person learned about the method of cursing someone through Pu’olo. He wanted to meet the person that Detective Wong was so desperate to find.