Mysterious Message
“I’m sorry to interrupt your festivities,” Chief of Police Kapatka said
to Mr. Mahenili.
“That’s all right, Kioni,” Li’s father replied courteously. “We’re at
the end of our _luau_, and I know you’ve got your job to do. Just what
is it? You have word of the missing Dr. Weber?”
“Well, the answer to that has to be both yes and no. Actually, I’m here
to see one of your guests. You have a Mr. Thomas Brewster staying with
you, do you not?”
“Why, yes, we do.”
“And his son?”
“Yes, Mr. Brewster and his family are staying with me on their visit to
the islands.”
“I’d like to speak to them,” the chief requested.
Hank Mahenili excused himself and crossed the garden to where Mr. and
Mrs. Brewster stood chatting with other guests.
Biff and Li had watched the police chief talking to Li’s father. Now
they saw Mr. Mahenili and Mr. Brewster coming toward them.
“Come along, Biff,” his father said. “Police want to talk to us.”
Li tagged along, the deep brown eyes in his bronze face wide with
curiosity.
“I’m Thomas Brewster, Chief. And this is my son, Biff. Has Dr. Weber
been found?”
“No, Mr. Brewster, unfortunately not.”
“But it is Dr. Weber you want to see us about?”
“In a way, yes. Let me explain. An hour ago, we had a call from Wailuku,
that’s the capital of the Island of Maui. An emergency case had been
brought to the hospital there—a man suffering from a deep stab wound.
The man was identified as a certain Juan Tokawto. He has a police
record. A minor criminal, in and out of several scrapes, but a bad
character. A man for hire.”
“Yes. But what has that to do with me, or my son?” Mr. Brewster asked.
“I’m coming to that, sir. Tokawto was found unconscious. At the time the
police called from Wailuku, he was still unconscious, so they hadn’t
been able to question him. They did find in his wallet, though, a
picture, a small photograph—two photographs, in fact. They identified
the man in one of the photos from a picture that appeared on the front
page of our Honolulu paper yesterday.”
Chief Kioni Kapatka paused. He apparently enjoyed building up suspense.
“The photograph in our paper was one of you, Mr. Brewster. It appeared
the day you spoke at the mining engineers’ meeting.”
“I know. But I don’t see—”
“The small photo found in Tokawto’s pocket was also of you, Mr.
Brewster. Of you and a lad whom I presume to be your son. This boy,
here.” He looked at Biff.
“Remember, Dad? I told you about that man at the airport snapping
pictures of you, of you and me. Ted spotted him first,” Biff reminded
his father.
Thomas Brewster nodded his head. “Well, Chief Kapatka, I can’t imagine
why any criminal would be carrying a picture of me and my son.”
“But remember, Mr. Brewster, I said that man was carrying two pictures.”
“Yes.”
“The other picture was that of the missing Dr. Weber.”
The police chief’s last statement struck the group like a bombshell. For
moments, nothing was said. The chief broke the silence.
“I’m sure that now you will see the connection,” he said.
“Yes,” Thomas Brewster replied. “There must be one. But just what? Have
you any ideas?”
“Only this, Mr. Brewster. The man Tokawto must have been hired to keep a
close check on your and your son’s movements. I suspect he was in
Honolulu yesterday. He must have learned something—something of value to
someone.”
“Say, Dad, I wonder if that man could have been the one who—who—” Biff
paused. He didn’t want to reveal to the police chief that he had gone
into Dr. Weber’s rooms at the Royal Poinciana without authority. “You
know, Dad. The man I had that little scrape with.”
“Could have been, son.”
The police chief looked at Biff with renewed interest. However, he
didn’t press Biff for a fuller explanation.
“It is my belief, Mr. Brewster,” Chief Kapatka continued, “that when
Tokawto went back to Maui, he thought his information was worth more
than he was being paid. His attempts at getting more money were rewarded
by a stab in the abdomen.”
“Some reward!” Biff interjected.
“But why the Island of Maui?” his father asked.
The police chief shrugged his shoulders.
Biff touched his father’s arm. “I have an idea on that, Dad,” he said.
“Let’s hear it, son.”
“Wouldn’t you think that perhaps Dr. Weber might be on the island, or on
a nearby one? And that whoever kidnaped him must have his headquarters
there?”
The three men considered Biff’s idea.
“You could be right, Biff. Do you agree, Chief?”
Chief Kapatka nodded his head in agreement.
“The police on Maui have asked that you come to Wailuku. They want you
there when Tokawto has recovered sufficiently for questioning,” the
chief said. “_If_ he recovers,” he added.
“We’ll go right away. Can you come along, Hank?”
“Certainly. Let me explain to my guests.”
Biff felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Li.
“How about asking if I can go, too, Biff?”
“Sure. You can help us.” Biff turned to his father. “Dad, Li ought to go
along, too. He speaks Hawaiian, and he and I might pick up some valuable
information. Would you ask Mr. Mahenili?”
Thomas Brewster nodded his head. “You better go pack a small bag. We may
be there for a day or two. Hop to it. We want to get over there
quickly.”
Biff and Li went into the house.
“We’ll get there soon, Biff. We’ll take the Inter-Island Street-Car
System.”
“Street-car! What are you talking about? Street-cars running across the
ocean!”
Li chuckled. “That’s what we call the Hawaiian Airlines. They make so
many flights each day, it’s just like standing on a corner waiting for
the next street-car.”
And it was. When the boys and their fathers reached the airport, they
learned there was a plane taking off within fifteen minutes.
The flight to Kahului, the principal airport on Maui, took only thirty
minutes. They arrived just as dusk was spreading over the Valley Island,
as Maui is called.
The drive from the airport to the capital of Maui, Wailuku, was a short
one. The police were expecting them.
“We’ve just been talking to the police in Hana,” the Wailuku police
chief said. “Tokawto is still on the danger list. They haven’t been able
to get anything out of him.”
“Then this Tokawto isn’t here?” Tom Brewster asked.
“No. He’s in Hana, a coastal town about sixty miles from here.”
“Shouldn’t we start right down there?”
“You can, of course, Mr. Brewster. However, Tokawto’s been placed under
heavy sedation. There’s little chance that he’ll do any talking tonight.
I’d suggest you spend the night here, then drive down early tomorrow
morning.”
“Oh, yes, Tom,” Hank Mahenili said. “You don’t want to miss the drive to
Hana. It’s a truly beautiful and thrilling experience.”
The sixty-mile drive was one of continuous curves. The road snaked
around cliffs, dived down to sea level, then climbed back up another
cliff.
The party checked into the Han-Maui Hotel, then left for the police
station.
Tokawto had come out of his sedation, but was still in such serious
condition that his words seemed a meaningless jumble during his
conscious spells.
“I don’t know if he’s going to make it or not,” Mr. Brewster said in a
low voice.
Biff stepped to the wounded man’s bedside for a closer look.
“That _is_ the man who was snapping pictures of us at the airport, Dad,”
he declared.
“Do you also think he’s the one you had your tussle with?”
“He could be,” Biff said slowly. “I’d say he’s about the right size. I
didn’t get a close look at his face, though.”
Tokawto moaned. He opened his eyes. He looked at Biff, and a frown of
recognition crossed his face. He stretched out one hand and spoke.
“Ka Lae,” he said, and repeated the two Hawaiian words: “Ka Lae.”
“What does that mean, Hank?” Mr. Brewster asked.
“Ka Lae is the name of the southern tip of the Big Island-Hawaii.”
“I think he was trying to tell me that,” Biff said. “I’m sure he
recognized me, and is trying to tell us that we ought to go to Ka Lae.”
Biff’s father nodded his head. “I think you’re right, Biff. Those words
have a meaning for me, too. I’ll tell you about it later. Back at the
hotel.”
They walked the short distance back to their quarters.
“Hank, do you think we could charter a boat here for a couple of days?”
“I’m sure we can. You’re going to Hawaii?”
“Yes. To Ka Lae. But, I want it thought that we’re just off on a fishing
cruise. No need for anyone but us to know our real reason for going.”
“Do you think Dr. Weber might be being held on the Big Island?” Biff
asked.
“I think it quite likely, Biff. But there’s still another reason for us
to take a good look around Ka Lae. That I’ll tell you about when we’re
on our boat at sea. Would you mind hopping up to my room and getting my
sun glasses, Biff? Then we’ll go see about a boat.”
Biff took the stairs to the second floor three at a stride. Li was right
behind him. Biff scrambled through his father’s bag, looking for the
glasses.
“Hey, Biff. Look at this!” Biff, glasses in hand, turned to see Li
pointing to the mirror of the room’s dresser. He walked over for a
closer look.
On the mirror, written in soap, was a message:
“JW for Cs”