Free Moon over Maalaea Bay by H. L. Wegley

complexion. Middle Eastern I think.”
    James sensed alarms sounding in his mind at the words Middle Eastern. Did they know about the prince? They could be his neighbors and competition among neighbors in the Middle East often went badly. James could be caught in the middle. He paused to clear his head. “How did they contact you?”
    “I was eating breakfast at a restaurant in Wailea, and they just walked up to my table.”
    “Did they give you any clue how they knew to approach you or how they knew about our…merchandise?”
    “I tried to coax that information from them, but they avoided my questions. They implied they knew a lot about us and sounded as if they were wealthy. They gave me a phone number to reach them.”
    “Calling them could be dangerous, could even be a trap.” James paused to rethink the situation. “On the other hand, they already knew enough to trap us. They could have turned us in to the authorities. Since they haven’t done that, I think perhaps they really do want to buy our merchandise, unless they are robbers who only want to steal it. Regardless, we know we have something they want…Jennifer Akihara-Brandt.”
    Nguyen sighed. “Should we do business with them? That is the first question.”
    “No, Nguyen. That is the second question. The first question is, how did they link us to the girl? If they can link us to the missing girl, so can others. I must talk to them. Middle Eastern…we may be dealing with some of the prince’s neighbors, perhaps feuding neighbors. We must tread lightly.”
    Nguyen’s bald pate wrinkled above widened eyes. “So you are going to call them?”
    “No, Nguyen.” He smiled. “ You are going to call them…on your phone, and then hand the phone to me. Do it now, please.”
    Nguyen squirmed. Beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead. “Of course, Mr. James.”
    Any man who thought he was clever when he was not was a liability. One James could ill afford. Perhaps in a few months he would liquidate Nguyen’s assets to pay for the liability.
    Nguyen pulled a card from his pocket and reached for his cell.
    “When you get them on the line,” he paused, “let them know who you are, the man they met at the restaurant, then tell them you’re passing them to your boss. Do you understand?”
    Nguyen nodded and placed the call. Their customer answered promptly. After the introductions, Nguyen handed the phone to him.
    “So, Mr. James, at last we talk.”
    He couldn’t place the accent, but the fact that the man knew his name was of more concern. “You know who I am. It appears you have me at a disadvantage. Would you like to—”
    “No, I wouldn’t. I like having my partners at a disadvantage. But I will tell you this, I am someone who could be a very, very good customer. Someone willing to purchase certain merchandise which you have.”
    James sighed for effect. “I already have very good customers.”
    “But do you have anyone who will pay you four million dollars for Jennifer Akihara?”
    Nguyen was right. They knew far too much, and they were a problem, a big problem. “So we finally get to the point. First, I should warn you.” James paused. “She’s not a teenage, exotic beauty, she’s twenty-six and—”
    “We understand. We want her for what she knows , not what she looks like, though her looks are, shall we say, extremely interesting.”
    “I’m afraid that’s not the kind of business I’m in.” And not the kind I want to be in.
    “Maybe we want it to look like this is business as usual for you. Would five million help you make an exception to your business practices?”
    “I only do business with people I trust. Only those who will bring me no trouble in return. You want her for what she knows. That could bring big trouble, the entire US government.”
    “In case you haven’t noticed, Mr. James, part of the US government is already here. If you wait, more will come…NSA, the CIA, DHS to mention a few. Who knows, in a few