There's me, finally, Larry Nahinu. A very reluctant Kahuna who didn't want the life but had no choice.
Sucked into a division created by HPD under the veil of secrecy. Yet, it's probably the biggest joke in the department. Poor officers Kahl, Gushiken, and Chaplain Oku'u. They must have really thick skin. You can't tell me that all the teasing and derision don't get to you occasionally. Kahl's father was an Iraqi commando who taught him everything he knew, even before joining HPD. Gushiken went on her own dime to learn CQB and room clearing. She learned hand-to-hand stuff from her uncles, including Kali. Chaplain Oku'u was a bull of a man who was as gentle as a fly. I nearly got the butt end of his fury, but even in his prone state lying on the ground, he still had the wherewithal to kick me in the face. That takes training and internal fortitude. These three badasses keep getting poked like a bear; I'd hate to see what happens when they finally bite back.~
We're sitting in the office, looking at the warehouse in Waipahu on Google Maps. Being there in person is too risky, so this is safer. I found an obscure article in a newspaper from 1977 that talks about the hauntings in that same warehouse. The article claims the former warehouse had a gas leak that was silent and untraceable to the human senses. Within a short time, every man who worked in the warehouse died from the poison gas, like they went to sleep and never woke up. The newer warehouse is built on top of the old warehouse's lot.
"They don't even know they're dead," Oku'u said. "They're in a state of confusion."
"But why possess me, of all people?" Gushiken asked.
"Didn't you grow up in Waipahu?" Kahl asked.
"Yeah, small kid time," Gushiken replied.
"Some of those guys are probably your relatives," I suggested.
"Fucking great," Gushiken balked.
"Not for demonic purposes," I assured her. "But for communication, they want to know what's happening. We have to go there and tell them so they know they're dead and that they can move on."
"More than that," Oku'u stepped in. "The spirits of these men need a proper ceremony to send them off, but they also need something to remind everyone of what happened at that warehouse."
"A memorial plaque of some kind," Kahl nodded. "I'll get on that."
"What do I do in the meantime?" Gushiken asked.
"Ask your parents about this incident, see if they remember anything. If anything, just to verify if you're related to anyone who died from that gas poisoning," I said.
~
Surprise of all surprises, we were approved by the powers that be for a memorial plaque appropriately placed on the side of the front door so everyone could see it. A proper prayer ceremony was held by Chaplain Oku'u, who found the names of the men who died and contacted any living relatives to come and join the event. Gushiken talked to her folks, and indeed, they not only remembered the incident but that her mother had two of her own uncles who died that day. Everything seemed to fall into place, one after the other. That's one for our office, but Oku'u warned us not to get comfortable; more than worrying about ghosts, spirits, and demons, we also had to contend with admin and other officers' unwanted opinions. Well, they did mostly.
One evening, after a case, the four of us stopped at Zippy's for a meal. A bunch of squad cars parked out front, with a couple of personal vehicles here and there. We all got a wave from the officers sitting together, and we gave a wave back. Well, they did. After we got our orders, we joined everyone and sat within the group's perimeter. An officer whose name tag said KIM tapped me on the shoulder, and through the fried noodles in his mouth, he said, "Brah, even though you one civilian, you are still part of that HPD office, so you supposed to wave back when we wave to you, you understand?"
"I didn't know," I said. "I'm sorry," I extended my hand to him, and he slapped it away, but it was not hard.
"Too late now, you," he seemed offended. "You wait until we leave and wave good-bye, THEN you wave back,"
"Ok," I said. "I'll wait until then; no offense meant, sorry," I replied and continued with my meal. There was tension there, but no one said anything. Everyone just kept eating. Kahl kept his head down; Gushiken was reading the room while Oku'u smirked and shook his head.
It was plain to me that Officer Kim had a bone to pick with the division, but rather than address it to his fellow officers, Kim was using me as the scapegoat. "That's true what I heard, or what? You one Kahuna or something?"
"Yes," I nodded, looking him straight in the eye.
"Oh, you do that mumbo jumbo kine stuff?" The volume got higher with each question.
"No, I'm a healer," I replied.
"So, you not like that other Kahuna who runs that office by the university?" He sat straight up with an odd smile on his face. "You not like that guy, huh?"
"No," I answered. "Not like him at all,"
"Yeah, cuz he's full of shit just like you," Officer Kim leaned forward until we were nose to nose. Everyone stopped eating, putting their utensils down and staring at Kim and me. We stood up simultaneously, nose to nose, not a blink or wasted breath.
"You've got green onion on the side of your mouth," I pointed.
"Where? Where?" He said, wiping his face quickly.
"Here," I replied, giving him two solid middle fingers. He broke down laughing suddenly, which caught me by surprise. Everybody else broke down laughing, too. Officers Kim, Kahl, Gushiken, and Oku'u gave me a big hug, laughing their asses off.
"WELCOME TO THE DIVISION!!!" They all shouted.
I was in, even as a civilian. I was one of them.
Assholes.
....Pau
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