BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“No context. He just blurted it out. He was muttering at that point. That serum, it was wrestling with the hooch and the reefer.”

“I see. So, what was it?”

“The name was de Garza, Grazza, something like that.” She had to give up the name. Just in case. It would prove her worth, giving them something extra.

“Did he say anything else useful? Anything at all.”

“No. At that point he was plenty stoned. He was thinking I was his wife, then his mommy.” She shook her head at the notion.

The two guards passed them carrying the Japanese thug away, one at each end.

“Where they taking him anyways?” she asked Lansdale.

“Back to his room, in the Main House. He’s flying out pronto. He’s gonna have a heck of a hangover.”

“I hope so,” Kanani said, “and with plenty of blackout.”

“Now don’t you worry,” Lansdale said. “It’s just like I told you: He won’t remember anything. It’s amnestic, that stuff.”

Kanani shuddered anyway, and it made her shoulders quiver. “I would hate to see that one getting ahold of a sword or pistol. Because I think he’s used both of those plenty.”

Lansdale stared over her, at the doorway, nodding as if thinking over what she said.

“Got one pig shitting on fence,” she added, “take plenty whitewashing for make dat fence look mo nice.”

Lansdale nodded at that. His teeth shined. “To grasp what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge,” he replied, this being another of his sayings or proverbs or whatever it was he liked to spew. Wendell had told her to watch out for these, but she still didn’t know what it was supposed to mean or what to say.

“All righty,” she said.

“You went did good, wahine,” Lansdale said.

“Please don’t do that, mister.”

“Do what?” Lansdale added a spurt of a laugh.

“Try talking Pidgin. Only make one haole sound dumb.”

“Ah.” Lansdale tapped at his temple. “Will do.”

And he left her standing on the boogie bungalow lanai. He blended into the night. And she would have to go back inside and clean up the whole damn stinking mess. She didn’t even want to fathom what the Americans were doing working with a monster like that Japanese thug. That was Lansdale’s racket, and possibly Charlie Selfer’s, but she only hoped it wouldn’t end up Wendell Lett’s problem.

14.