Read Online Too Hot Four Hula: 4 (The Tiki Goddess Mystery Series) by Jill Marie Landis - Free Book Online Page A

disappeared inside the van.
    “If they don’t have a sense of humor here, how’s that my fault?” Kiki’s voice carried out the van door.
    “You should have gotten permission,” Big Estelle shot back as she grabbed the handle by the door and hefted herself inside.
    “It’s easier to say oops later,” Kiki said.
    “Now Mother will be here unsupervised while I’m in the pokey. No telling what she’ll do.” Big Estelle stuck her head back outside the van. “Em, will you keep an eye on Mother?”
    “I’d rather keep an eye on a rabid Rottweiler,” Em mumbled.
    Then to Big Estelle: “I’ll try,” she said.
    Pat had followed along, toting the duffle with the boom box.
    “Get in.” Young nodded toward the open van door. “You’re part of this crew.”
    Pat threw up her free hand. “Hey, I’m just the sound tech.”
    “We’re taking you in, too.”
    “Aw, come on, man,” Pat said.
    He signaled another officer. Pat handed the bag over to Em.
    “Don’t lose this. If you do, it’ll be the end of us.”
    Officer Young turned to Em. He lowered his voice.
    “Come to the Waikiki substation. It’s just down Kalakaua. Give us about an hour. Between you and me, they won’t be held long. The show of force is just to teach ’em a lesson and get the crowd to disperse.”
    As the news crew jogged past, Em heard Moanike’ala Nabarro say, “Let’s get some shots outside the station.”
    The crowd surged toward the police van and started booing as the doors closed. Uncle Louie appeared at Em’s elbow.
    “If the bar manager’s smart he’ll offer everyone a free round of drinks before they decide to block the van’s exit,” Louie said.
    “If he was smart he wouldn’t have let this thing explode,” Em said.
    A surfer standing behind Louie had overheard. “Free round of drinks? I heard free round of drinks.”
    A stampede ensued as the crowd headed toward the bar and started claiming tables. When the paddy wagon pulled out with lights flashing, no one was paying attention.
    The fate of the Hula Maidens was already yesterday’s news.
    11
    LOUIE WAS TOO depressed to go with Em to the station. She left him in the suite muttering something about ordering room service after he lined up his cocktail making equipment.
    She followed the directions the concierge gave her and drove the rental van down Kalakaua Avenue to the Waikiki substation. It wasn’t much bigger than the Hanalei Post Office. The Maidens were slumped in chairs in a holding area. Em ended up at the desk of a lieutenant who had been assigned to get them out of the building.
    “You sure you can handle them?” Lieutenant Chun looked skeptical. He wasn’t about to turn them loose without someone taking responsibility for them.
    “I’ll try my darndest.”
    The lieutenant shook his head. “You know, my wife’s not gonna believe it. If we didn’t live all the way over in Pearl Ridge and traffic wasn’t so bad, I’d call and tell her to come down and meet ’em. She never missed a single episode of Trouble in Paradise . She’s a hula dancer, you know. Real kine, not like these ladies. But they’re funny, eh?”
    “Really funny.”
    “You were never on the show much,” he said.
    Em shrugged. “I was too boring to get much air time. I hid from the cameras a lot.”
    “I think I put the fear of God in ’em,” he said.
    If only.
    Em figured a lecture from an officer of the law might work on Lillian and Precious, the newbies, but Chun was wasting his breath on Kiki and the others. The only thing Kiki was afraid of was losing a live audience.
    Before she walked away from a living, breathing HPD officer, Em said, “May I ask you something, Lieutenant Chun?”
    “Sure.”
    She explained about the theft of Louie’s Booze Bible and added, “That notebook is my uncle’s life. It’s invaluable. I’m thinking we should give up on Hilton security and call the police. Could you take a report?”
    Just then a brawl broke out in the lobby