Page 28 of Pau Hana: Cat cozy Humor Mystery (Paradise Crime Cozy Mystery Book 5)

While I was gettingready for work in the morning, I got a call from Opal at the hospital. She’d stayed the night in Artie’s room while they ran tests.

“His insulin was off. Part of why he passed out,” she said. “But there’s more going on with him, and we don’t have answers yet.” Her voice cracked. “Kat, I’m sorry to bother you once again, but is there any way you could come fetch me after work today? I love my husband with all my heart, but if I have to spend another night in that visitor’s chair, I may need to be admitted right alongside him.”

“Of course,” I told her. “I’ll head out as soon as the post office closes.”

Aunt Fae had offered to mind the store for them for the day and was already down at their place getting coffee going and the doors open. I stopped in on my way to my postal duties to check on her progress. “How’s it going?” I asked, walking through the dimly lit aisles to where my aunt kept watch over the tablet they used to tally up goods at the back counter.

“Good thing your co-worker Pua showed up early at Opal’s request. I usually help out here in the afternoon, so I had no idea how to run the newfangled coffee machine Artie and Opal put in last week.”

I glanced toward the postal building. Sure enough, Pua had already turned on the lights in the post office. Knowing her, though, she hadn’t unlocked the doors to customers yet. She was prompt and tidy, but not a complete glutton for punishment. When she’d gotten her job back after a hiatus due to her crime family’s activities, she’d encouraged me to keep to the scheduled hours even if we had to fall behind sometimes.

“We’re running a post office, not a twenty-four-hour diner,” she’d said. “People need to plan accordingly.”

I chatted briefly with Aunt Fae and told her about my upcoming trip to Wailuku later that day.

“I can go get Opal this morning,” she said. “I bet if I called in the Red Hat posse, they’d be more than willing to watch the store for a while.”

“Thanks, but I have something I want to check into while I’m there. And I think although Opal is complaining about spending the night in a chair, she’s not going to be ready to leave Artie until they’ve figured out what’s going on with him.”

The hours at the post office that day seemed to drag. I kept checking the clock, hoping maybe it would magically say four o’clock when I knew it was probably closer to noon.

“You’re worried about Artie, aren’t you?” Pua said.

I nodded. “And I also feel bad because, since I can’t lift anything, I’m not much help to you with these heavy boxes and bags of mail.”

“You saw Chad stay and help get the packages sorted and the bags dumped,” she said. “No need to feel guilty.” She flexed hands covered in purple gloves and patted the crisp white apron she wore over her stylish clothing. “I’m fine with this. But tell you what. Why don’t you go ahead and head out for the hospital now? I can close up.”

“You sure?”

“I like closing up,” she said. “It’s my one chance to throw my weight around.”

That was a joke; Pua’s “weight” was all in her attitude. Her petite frame was half the size of mine.

I fired up Sharkey, and drove the infamous “backside” from Hana toward the central part of the island. Traffic was light with the incoming rainy weather, so I made good time.

I was antsy to get to town because I wanted to drop by a government agency that, by sheer luck, was only a block away from the hospital. I had to get there before they closed.

I needed to find out more about the property where Maile had vanished. It would help me move on if I knew the hermit might have had another reason for blowing up the house other than freaking out after my quick visit.

* * *

I madeit to the Department of Land and Natural Resources office less than an hour before closing time. The male clerk at the front desk glanced at the stark black and white clock on the wall as I made my way towards him.

“We close promptly at four,” he said by way of greeting.

“Yes. I’ll remember that. I’m here to request a public records search.”

“For what exactly?”

“I want to learn who owns some property out in Ohia.”

“Ohia? That’s out east, right? Near Hana?”

“It is.”

“We’re totally online now for property records information. All you have to do is search for the property in question and all the public records pertaining to that property will pop right up.”

I checked out his name plate—Jason Ka’aohoe. I was pretty sure that was the same surname as the first truant girl that Rita and I had checked into, the one who lived out at the sovereignty camp; but, with Hawaiian names having so many vowels and few consonants and as a newcomer, it was hard for me to be sure. Besides, it was getting near closing time and this guy didn’t want to extend the deadline. “Sounds good. I’ll check it out online.”

I went back outside and got into Sharkey for the two-minute trip to the hospital. I parked in the Visitor area and picked up the paper bag of items Opal had asked that I bring. I entered the building and asked at the Information Desk for Arthur Pahinui’s room. A woman with thick glasses, bright blue hair and penciled-on eyebrows directed me to the third floor.

Opal was standing by the window when I reached Artie’s room. Her face was pale with purplish half-moon pouches under her eyes. The bright teal tentlike gown she’d thrown on for the ambulance ride had various crumbs and food spots dotting her ample bosom. Her short white hair stuck up on top but was completely flat in back after a night in the hospital chair. “Hey, Opal.”

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here, Kat.” She opened her arms for a hug, then closed them, clearly remembering my touch aversion.

“I was able to get out here a little early. You have Pua to thank for that.” I went over to the bed and sat on a plastic chair beside it. I picked up Artie’s large hand; it felt dry and cold. “How are you doing, Artie?”

“Is that my Kitty Kat?” Artie’s voice was weak. His robust complexion was ashy and his milky eyes were sunken. “I hope you’ve come to spring me from this jail. Did you bring a hacksaw hidden in some haupia pudding?”

“Well, someone’s sounding a lot better than the last time I saw him,” I said. “Seems the hospital food agrees with you.”

“Ha. I’d rather eat poi and laulau any day.”

Opal scowled from the other side of the room. “He’s supposed to be resting.”

I set down Artie’s hand and crossed to where Opal was standing by the window. “I’m sure you must be exhausted after a long night in that chair.” I pointed to the bile green fake leather recliner in the corner. It had a permanent depression in the seat that seemed like it’d supported many anxious family members over the years.

“I am. Do you have all the stuff I asked for?”

That afternoon, Opal had called and given me a list of things to bring for Artie. I pointed to the bag I’d set beside the chair and rattled off the items . “Razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, pajamas, a bathrobe, and warm socks. It’s all there.”

“Mahalo. He’s so cold in this room. They keep it like a refrigerator in here. You’re sweet to help us out like this.”

“Speaking of helping out, Pua helped Auntie get the coffeemaker going and also offered to close the post office today so I could get down here before dark.” Pua had been, and maybe still was, one of Opal’s dearest friends so I thought I should give credit where credit was due. “So, how’s the patient? Any word on the test results?”

Opal glanced over at Artie, then back to me. “Like I said, he needs his rest. Let’s take this discussion out into the hall.”

“I’m not seven,” Artie called out as we left the room. “I’m seventy. I can handle bad news.”

“Ignore him,” said Opal under her breath. “He’s been acting like a child all day.”

I’d never heard Artie and Opal pick at each other like this, but a medical scare can do that to even the most loving couples. Once we got out into the hallway, Opal told me the doctor had said the tests showed Artie had experienced a mild heart “event.”

“Does that mean heart attack?”

She shrugged. “You know how they are here. They call everything either something you can’t understand, or they make it sound like it was nothing. But you saw him last night, right? Did that seem like a ‘mild event’ to you?”

“No. It seemed serious.” Seeing Artie unconscious on the floor had been downright frightening.

“They’re making him stay here one more night just to be sure his vitals are stable. But they’ve told me it’s best if I go home. I guess they think people in the room make it harder for the patient to rest.” She’d used finger quotes around the words, “people,” as if it certainly didn’t apply to her, but she could see how they may have had problems in the past with troublesome family members.

Back in the room, we put the robe and socks on Artie and stowed his toiletries. We said our goodbyes and I promised Artie I’d send in the cavalry to scoop him up as soon as he’d been cleared to go home. Opal lovingly kissed her husband goodnight after tucking in his blanket, and we made our way out to the car.

She gazed up at his third-floor window before getting in Sharkey on the passenger side. “I’ve hardly been away from him overnight for more than twenty years,” she said. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”

“And you don’t have to,” I said stoutly. “Artie’s going to be fine.”

I wished I was as certain as I sounded.