My Big Supernatural Adventure

By Lonnie Smith

On the downward slide towards retirement after a disappointing career as a Honolulu police officer, Detective Gouverneur McKoy’s world is turned upside down when Samael, an archangel, tells McKoy God wants to pay him back for a wrong he thinks he did to McKoy in a previous life. In other words, God owes him one. This opens the door for a larger supernatural adventure when McKoy enlists the help of Samael and the infamous Lilith to fight their way through the various levels of Hell pursuing Satan to retrieve a soul he had stolen. For McKoy, it is a danger-filled adventure no human has ever experienced as he finds himself facing demons, semi-gods, and fallen angels in the hostile supernatural environment of Hell. Little do they know they are pawns in a larger scheme Satan had in mind that will impact all of mankind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonnie Smith
• Release date: Dec 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311582768

Lonnie Smith

Author Number 1 (Kambel Smith) Kambel is my oldest son, he and I had kind of a rough start. He was born with autism which made it difficult for us to understand each other, but we finally got it together It seemed like forever before we found his knack. Today he is the one of the authors of Flames of Avasten. Kambel is master of book series illustrations. Author Number 2 (Kantai Smith) Kantai and I always had a good relationship, I enjoyed watching him grow. I got a chance to see some of the normal things I didn’t see in Kambel. Kantai was misdiagnosed with autism, his condition was eventually described as condition unknown. All I really know is he needed an IEP throughout his education. Kantai didn’t have autism, but his condition hid his knack until his early teen years. When we finally found it there was lots of work to do, it was difficult to steer him in the right direction, but we finally got it done. Today he is one of the authors of Flames of Avasten. Kantai is master of series development and story design. His input was a crucial part of choosing our audience. Author Number 3, my name’s Lonnie that would be me. I find it hard to describe myself because the story behind the Survivor series isn’t about me. I helped my boys break the chains of their so called disabilities and that’s really all I need. The only thing I can say that would definitely describe me is my name is Lonnie I’m author number 3.

Book preview

Prologue

The serenity of the early winter evening calm on the plains beneath the nearby Zagros Mountains was ripped apart by the abrupt materialization of a large shimmering orb that illuminated surrounding area in the harsh glare of a bright yellow light. Startled, a reddish-brown fox froze in place as it stared at this foreign intrusion, forgetting the rabbit it had been stalking for dinner. The fox’s eyes seemed to glow in the dark as the tapetum lucidum in the back of its eyes reflected the orb’s light. It quivered in fright and then broke into a run when a lone man, clad in a white long hooded cloak, stepped out of the orb and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. Tall, with an erect, regal bearing and a handsome almost beautiful face, the man stared intensely at the dark gray clouds ominously swirling around the Zagros peaks. Although the temperature was well below freezing and would grow colder as the night progressed, he showed no signs of being cold; Archangels of God are impervious to weather in the mortal world. His name was Michael, and he was the most powerful of God’s angels, God’s Hammer. God had instructed him to come to this desolate place to bring down the final curtain on a play begun many years ago, in a paradise called Eden. As with most plays, it was a tragedy in which two humans named Adam and Eve betrayed their maker and were driven from Eden to this inhospitable wilderness for their sins. Michael’s God was not a forgiving God. Michael knelt down in a brief prayer then scratched בסיעתא דשמיא(Besiyata Dishmaya – With the Help of Heaven) in the frost before standing up again and turning his attention to a small, fragile hut sitting on the banks of the Tigris River that had been home to the two fugitives from God’s anger for the last twenty years. Michael shook his head in sadness. He himself had no personal grudge against these two poor souls who had lost God’s love, in fact, he’d rather liked them, but he’d gotten his orders and archangels did not disobey the will of their master. He raised his arms to bring down a rush of snow that would make their deaths quick and clean, he could at least do that much for them. But he stopped suddenly as a pillar of fire appeared next to him and another robed figure similar to himself stepped out of it. They could have been brothers, but there was a cold arrogance about this newcomer that set him apart from Michael.

Come to gloat? Michael asked gruffly.

So, it ends like this Brother? the new arrival asked Michael. Did God finally realize his error in creating this human species?

Adam and Eve have played their part and their time is now at an at end Satan’el, Michael replied, but God still stands by his decision to populate this planet with mankind. There are already many humans here and their numbers are growing. All I’m doing is making a small course adjustment, nothing more.

Satan’el sneered, A world full of humans. Complete with free will I’m sure. Something God didn’t see fit to bless us with after all we’ve done to serve him.

Yes, free will and all, Michael confirmed patiently. This grist had been well gnawed and there was little else to say. God had decreed it and so it shall be done. There can be no further debate.

They stood in silence as they contemplated the forlorn hut swaying precariously in the freshening breeze of the impending storm.

Michael glanced at Satan’el, What happened to you Satan’el? We were brothers once you and I. We fought many battles together and now we’re enemies. You were Lucifer, God’s Morning Star, the first in God’s love, I envied you, but it wasn’t enough for you, was it? You wanted to rule Heaven and now look at you. No longer Lucifer by fiat of God, now just Satan…the Tempter.

Satan lowered his eyes in a rare show of shame. At least when you call me Satan-el you honor the memory of our brotherhood; that I was once one of you. But yes, I am now the Tempter, a role I’ve learned to embrace, if for nothing else than to prick the arrogance of our God every once in a while.

And you’re proud that you led Eve into this dismal fate?

Satan’el chuckled, Eve didn’t need my services. What happened in Eden is all on her. It was the free will God wanted them to have and Eve exercised it.

Satan’el was silent for a few seconds. And what about Adam? He’s just an innocent bystander in all of this. Are you going to destroy him too? It seems just a little unfair.

Michael grimaced, Yes, Adam too. That is also God’s commandment. Adam wasn’t that innocent. He allowed Eve to tempt him into eating the forbidden fruit.

Satan’el glanced at Michael, So he allowed a woman to talk him into doing something foolish. He laughed, I’ll wager he won’t be the last man that will happen to. The man had no luck with women…first Lilith and now Eve. By the way, where is Lilith? I heard she’s with Samael now.

Lilith is none of your business, Michael retorted angrily. God will take care of her.

Like he always does, Satan’el said under his breath.

Michael ignored has last remark. You know there’ll be a reckoning someday between us. It’s already foretold to be a battle you won’t win. The fact we were once brothers in service to God will mean nothing then. I will have to take you down, he hesitated for a second…Brother.

Satan’el flashed his teeth, but there was no humor, I know all about our final conflict Michael. You can try to take me down but I don’t subscribe to its final outcome being so certain. Be assured, when the conflict does come, I’ll be prepared. He paused, And it will come on my timetable, when I’m fully ready and not before. You won’t even see it coming. I’ve grown stronger Michael. You may lose. After that, I’ll sweep away this mankind abomination and their free will.

Michael grunted noncommittally and turned away from Satan’el.

Satan’el stared at him for a few seconds. You know Michael, Samael always said you were an asshole. With that, he dramatically twirled his right hand over his head and disappeared in another fiery pillar that whipped up several small snowy whirlwinds around Michael, flapping the hem of his cloak back and forth.

Michael shook his head and mumbled, Asshole. He then raised his hands back above his head invoked God’s name a loud voice. The response was an immediate thunderous roar as the now-black storm clouds started cascading down the sides of the mountains in a maelstrom of snow and gale-force winds. Satisfied, Michael pulled his robe tightly around his shoulders and waited for the events he had just set into motion to come to fruition, ending the drama of the last perfect humans created by God.

Chapter One

Genesis

The Expulsion from Paradise

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Book of Genesis: 

Chapter 3

King James Version

3:11 And he [God] said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Northern Mesopotamia (Iraq)

Near the Tigris River

20 Years after the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden

The small hut squatting on the bank of the Tigris River shuddered violently as it was ravaged by the blizzard plummeting down the slopes of the nearby Zagros Mountains. Like a wrathful God with little to vent his anger on, the unrelenting fury of howling, icy winds and snow seemed to focus on the hut, threatening to blow apart its flimsily constructed stick and mud walls, leaving its two occupants unprotected. Both were no strangers to divine fury; however, having been the target of God’s anger when they were evicted from Eden some twenty years earlier. Now a long way from that paradise and its immortality, Adam and Eve had little to look forward to other than the relief death would bring from their misery. Listening apprehensively as the storm driven wind whistled through the gaps in the hut’s walls, Eve cradled Adam’s head in her lap and lovingly stroked his hair, more to comfort herself than him. His fever had risen again, this time worse than ever. She knew in her heart his death would not be long in coming. Adam had been sick for several days, yet struggled stubbornly to rise out of bed each morning to gather the food and firewood necessary for their survival in the freezing nights of these mountain foothills. He’d been unable to get up this morning and Eve was afraid he would never rise from bed again. A tear slowly tricked down her face as she contemplated a bleak future without him. She leaned over and deeply inhaled the scent of his hair as if memorizing it against the time he would no longer be with her.

Eve was a small woman, only about five feet in height with the sparse body of someone who’d suffered through years of malnourishment and backbreaking physical labor. Many seasons had passed since their eviction from Eden’s paradise; seasons of struggling to survive in a harsh and unforgiving land. She had once tried to keep track the passing of time by carving a notch for each full moon on the center pole of their hut but eventually gave up after their number threatened the strength of the pole itself. There was no point in it anyway; she knew Eden was lost to them forever and it was her fault.

Eve rocked back and forth humming tunelessly until Adam finally fell asleep despite the fever that wracked his emaciated body. She pulled a thin goat skin shawl tighter around her shoulders but it did little good against the freezing temperature that would get progressively colder as the night wore on. She had draped what other few skins they had over Adam so he would at least be warm and then cuddled closer to share that warmth. Eve looked hopefully at the small fire she’d built in the middle of the hut for a little more warmth, but it guttered feebly with each gust of wind and did little to beat back the cold. She knew more firewood was needed but there was none left in the hut and she was reluctant to leave Adam to look for more outside.

Darkness came early during the winter months and Eve could see the daylight already fading around the edges of the thin skin she’d draped over the hut’s opening. It was going to be another long, cold night of exhaustion and hunger. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the hut wall, reminiscing about their life in the Garden of Eden some twenty years earlier where they wanted for nothing. That seemed like a long time ago; however, its memory was becoming harder and harder to recall with each passing year, fading into the pain of their current life. Eve knew she and Adam were the first of their kind, specifically created by God in his own image to populate the world. She knew this because the angels told her so, angels God had placed in Eden to care for her and Adam. Eve also knew how pleasing to the eye her reflection was in the river that ran through Eden; in fact, she thought she and Adam compared very favorably to the beauty of the angels.

The angels. The memory of those beautiful, heavenly beings warmed Eve even now and she smiled. They were pleasant, attentive…..and so conflicted. Eve could sense an underlying feeling of jealousy whenever they talked about how blessed she and Adam were to be given the gift of free will, something the angels had not been similarly allowed. Instead, the angels said their sole purpose of being was to obey the word of God in all things. Eve remembered thinking at the time about how boring their lives must be if they had nothing but that singular focus. There was one angel; however, who seemed to be different, Samael. She knew he was an important angel, an archangel she heard others call him, but he had a sense of humor and was often irreverent in making fun of his fellow angels and their pedantic insistence of singing praises to God. He smiled and laughed a lot, something Eve very rarely saw from the other angels. Eve knew Samael lusted for her and was flattered by it often to the point of occasionally flirting back, to Adam’s displeasure. She knew she would never give in to Samael but it was pleasing to be noticed as an object of desire every once in a while.

Eve was surprised when Samael told her about God’s previous attempts to populate the world with human life, all of which had failed or would soon fail. He told her these earlier humans lived outside of Eden and described them as brutish and violent in nature when compared to her and Adam, barely above the apes that God had used as their genetic starting points. This was why God had charged his angels to take such good care of her and Adam - to ensure they thrived and succeeded. As a consequence, she and Adam wanted for nothing. They were given food whenever they were hungry and they were never sick or in pain. She and Adam had only one task - to populate the Earth and they were doing a lustful job of it, producing numerous sons and daughters. Cain and Abel came first and then Seth followed after Abel’s death. Eve frowned; poor Abel, the memories of his murder by older brother Cain still caused her great pain. It was ironic she thought, that God had tasked them to populate the world but it only took two of her sons to make it seem overcrowded. Eve smiled; however, when she thought about Seth, a blessing from God to replace Abel. It was the one good thing she continued to thank God for even after she and Adam had been evicted from Eden. Adam was particularly fond of Seth, seeing him as a true heir. Many sons and daughters followed Seth, so many that Eve was not sure she could remember all their names. She hadn’t seen many of them in recent years because they were now widely scattered to farm their own land and tend to their flocks. They were also begetting and raising their own children, most of whom she knew she would never see.

Pampered and sheltered, Eve knew they should have been happy, but like spoiled children, they weren’t. God had perhaps gone too far in giving them free will and a curious intellect because these attributes spurred Adam and her to question their environment and the rules they thought unnecessarily limited their freedom. Eve in particular chaffed at these rules, particularly the prohibition against eating fruit from the Tree of Life. There was no Satan in snake’s form to coax Eve to take a bite of the forbidden fruit, no coaxing was needed. It was pure human curiosity piqued by being forbidden to do it. She wondered why their guardian angels, vigilant in all other matters, failed to prevent her from eating the forbidden fruit. Maybe they were instructed not to interfere with her exercising her free will; or more probably, their jealousy caused them to gleefully stand by as Eve willfully marched straight into tragedy.

At first, Adam had been angry about their expulsion, blaming her and then blaming God for bringing women into his life in the first place, a life he felt was already fulfilling enough. He raged against Lilith, God’s first attempt to provide him a companion. The problem was Lilith rebelled at the expectation of her subservience to Adam. Her constant defiance and criticisms drove Adam to hide from her in the deep interior of Eden. When Lilith finally abandoned Eden, walking out never to return, Adam quietly celebrated only to be distressed a short time later by yet another well-meaning attempt by God to give him companionship – this time Eve. Having learned his lesson with Lilith, God created Eve differently, using a physical part of Adam, his rib, as the starting point. The idea was to make her subservient to Adam from the beginning and initially this seemed to work. Both Adam and Eve seemed happy and in harmony with God until Eve succumbed to temptation and dragged Adam with her.

That they did survive was a not so much a miracle as a tribute to their strength of character. The hardships inflicted on them forged a strong bond of love powered by a mutual need to survive; an unintended effect even God probably didn’t anticipate. The harshness of their living conditions took its toll, however. In Eden, illness and death were unknown concepts. They started dying the minute they left it; their life spans reduced to just a handful of years by illness, injury and just being worn down by the day-to-day struggle to survive in a hostile environment. The toll had finally gotten to Adam; he was ready for death and she felt that she would not be long in following. She had known no other man and Adam was the center of her life, she could not picture life without him.

Eve felt yet another fever building up in Adam, the heat radiating from his body warming her leg. She knew the damp cloth she held to his forehead would have little effect, his fevers were getting progressively harder to quell and were returning with greater frequency. She closed her eyes and prayed harder than she’d ever done before, asking God to at least show Adam a little mercy because he was guilty of nothing more than letting himself be talked into tasting the forbidden fruit. Eve begged God not to let Adam die and to give them more years together…then with a little hesitation, she asked if Adam had to die could she die with him. She feared being alone. This time, the depth of her grief and heartfelt love for Adam stirred God to respond, something he hadn’t done in many years seemingly content to leave them in misery. Hearing a noise, Eve looked up as a tall man dressed in immaculate white robes entered through the hut’s small door. A holy luminescence surrounded him, starkly revealing the sparseness and filth of the hut’s interior. Scowling, Eve knew instantly who it was – Michael, an archangel and God’s chief warrior. He’d been a frequent visitor to Eden, not so much to check on her and Adam she thought, but to keep their caretaker angels in line. Physically, he was very handsome almost to the point of being effeminately beautiful with a slender body and long flowing dark hair. But it was a cold, stark handsomeness with no spark of humanity or personal warmth. The armor he wore constantly and the weapons he carried presented a fearsome visage that never failed to terrify her; even the other angels treaded lightly around Michael. Samael had told Eve it was Michael who defeated Satan in combat and thrown him out of heaven before the beginning of time. She believed it. Brusque to the point of rudeness, Michael had rarely condescended to speak to either her or Adam, which Eve thought was just fine because she considered him a pompous asshole. Samael had taught her that word and how he thought it applied to Michael. She smiled at that memory. When Michael did talk to them it was never in verbal form, instead he would communicate telepathically in a booming voice that left them with headaches for days afterwards. He communicated with the other angels the same way, and from their expressions, what he had to say was never pleasant.

Since Michael had been so contemptuous of them in the past, Eve was surprised to see him now after so many years. Even more surprising was his lack of armor, something she’d never seen Michael without before. It made him look… diminished…yes, that was the description she was looking for. In Eden, Eve would have been trembling in Michael’s presence but after 20 years of hardship, he no longer frightened her. She was just too tired to care.

Refusing to lower her eyes in deference as she’d always hastened to do in the past, Eve looked at him directly, challenging him, Michael, it’s good to see you again after all these years. Have you come to complete God’s punishment?

Pointedly looking around the hut, she continued, As you can see God’s taken everything away from us. Does he still want more? Her voice was as cold as the wind outside.

She hugged Adam fiercely as a particularly strong wind shook the hut, and then said a little more softly, It seems this storm may do that task for you before this night is done.

She smiled as she looked down at Adam to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The smile disappeared as quickly as it came as she lifted her head back up to look at Michael again who was frowning. I would have expected it would be Samael rather than you, after all isn’t that his job…collecting the dead? God must still be really angry if he sends his most important archangel to clean up this last little piece of business. But you’re too late; killing us now would be a mercy rather than punishment.

Grimacing at her confrontational attitude, something he obviously wasn’t used to from anyone or any creature, Michael announced in a clear, ringing voice Peace be unto you Eve. God has heard your prayers for mercy. Rejoice!

Eve stared at Michael in amazement. Not trusting what she’d heard she asked, this time in a little more respectful tone, What did you just say?

In a softer voice, Michael repeated, God has heard your prayers for mercy Eve.

Eve shuddered as an especially strong gust of wind shook the hut. She hugged Adam fiercely, then fighting back tears she asked in a contrite voice stumbling over the words and now fully regretting her earlier lack of respect, Is God going allow us back into Eden? She bowed her head and began whispering, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…..more to God than to Michael.

Moved by her contrition, Michael responded in a gentle tone of voice There is no more Eden for you to return to. God has removed it so no man can again enter. Adam will die soon. So too will you in a few years hence. Death is now the nature of man because of your trespasses. Despair not; however, because God still loves you like a Father loves his disobedient children. He has watched you live praiseworthy lives since your expulsion from Eden. He has watched the love between you and Adam only increase despite the hardships inflicted on you. He will reward your steadfastness as He punished you for your disobedience. Accordingly, to make up for the harsh life he inflicted on you, God will allow you and Adam to reunite in future lives after your time in this existence is finished. God will give you time to rekindle the love you have now, the love that God has found pleasing.

By now, Michael’s presence had awakened Adam and both he and Eve cried their praises of God for his mercy but Eve soon quieted and was troubled again. Michael, how will Adam and I recognize each other? Will we be in different bodies? How will we even think to look for each other?

With uncharacteristic softness, Michael responded. Fear not Eve. Look you into Adam’s eyes. Do you think you will not be able to recognize him again even if his soul is clad in a different body? Adam, do you the same with Eve. The window of the soul is in the eyes. Through them you will recognize each other. The memories will follow this recognition – your happiness and your trials and tribulations, all contribute to who you are and all will be available for you to recall once you establish contact with each other. This God promises because you are still his favored children.

Michael walked over and gently placed his hand on Adam’s head as he softly murmured a prayer. Adam closed his eyes and with a final labored breath slipped away, his lips curled in a small smile. Eve looked up at Michael and began to cry as she rocked back and forth still holding Adam’s head in her lap. Her grief was overwhelming and touched Michael. He whispered very quietly, almost reverently Eve, you have been a good woman to Adam and God has decreed it is your right to journey with him into death. Michael then touched the top of her head. Fear not Eve, your soul will be forever entwined with Adam’s. Wherever he goes, so too shall you. Now go in a peace that has been denied you.

With a quiet sigh, Eve’s eyes closed and her body sagged against the wall of the hut, Adam’s head still lying in her lap. Michael knelt, kissed their foreheads and then standing up, gently laid their bodies side-by-side on the floor of hut while quietly telling God his will had been carried out. Exiting the hut, he stood for a second and stared out into the blowing snow, sensing some movement. Then seeing nothing further, shrugged and walked away, the hut exploding into flames as he walked. Briefly glancing back for a last time, a golden, shimmering glow enveloped Michael and he disappeared. Thus, the lives of the first true humans on earth were at an end, their bodies gone but their souls now spiraling through time.

Like leaves tumbling before a bitter fall wind

Two souls entwined in life are torn asunder

Condemned by an unforgiving God

To be forever lost from Eden and each other

Fugitives from an original sin

Oh Eve, mother of mankind

What have you done?

Oh Lord, listen to Eve’s prayer

Grant us peace from thy wrath

Chapter Two

Honolulu, Hi

Present Day

Aala Park,

Honolulu, Hawaii12:30 a.m.

10 December

Benny knew he was in a world of shit the minute he walked into Aala Park, near Honolulu’s Chinatown, and saw two strangers waiting for him instead of his normal contacts. He downgraded his situation to full on fucked when they pulled out guns…big guns. Benny was known to the police as Benny the Jet because of the frequent drug deliveries he made for John Kealoha, an up and coming Chinatown drug dealer. It wasn’t the best of work, but it allowed Benny to keep a small apartment near Waikiki and buy a few $20 ladies drink for his favorite hostess in a small bar on Queen Street with a little left over to pay her for an occasional night of sexual satisfaction. Benny had been anticipating enjoying her pleasures tonight, right after he finished what he expected would be a routine delivery run – no danger and most importantly no police. Now, as he stared at the two gunmen that night of enjoyment didn’t look so certain and there was no reason for it. This was a milk run he’d done many times in the past, a quick drop off of a kilo of crystal methamphetamine to a couple of distributors who also worked for Benny’s boss. They, in turn, would give him their last week’s profits - $300K. The math was simple, making drugs the basic business foundation for all the gangs in Hawaii - each gram of crystal meth costing about $300 is broken into 30 hits or baggies at $10 each making it a cheaper and longer lasting high compared to cocaine. It was the drug of choice for the working man. Benny had always considered Aala Park as the perfect place for making a drop this time of night. It was close to his Chinatown home base and there were no tourists or local residents at night to witness the drop because of the park’s bad reputation. Even so, it was never totally deserted; not with the homeless who camped out every park in Honolulu during the night, sheltering in flimsy homemade tents and cardboard boxes and wrapped up in a cocoon of private miseries. They were the state’s forgotten corner of humanity suffering in silence and despair, many of them on the teetering edge of insanity and one step away from being admitted to a mental hospital. Benny was never concerned with the homeless because they weren’t a threat to go running to the police. In fact, he thought their presence actually masked his deliveries from casual viewers outside the park, especially police patrol cars driving in and out of nearby Chinatown on the two streets which bracketed the park - Beretania and North King. Besides, he thought philosophically, there was nothing he could do about the homeless anyway. They were everywhere, an omnipresence that Benny and everyone else considered as much a part of the parks as the trees and picnic tables. The two thugs confronting him tonight; however, were a different story. They were definitely a threat.

Sweating despite the coolness of the drizzling Hawaiian winter night, Benny focused his attention on his two assailants. The older of the two and the likely leader was in his early twenties; the other still a teenager, probably 18 or 19. Both were dressed in the de rigueur loose fitting hip-hop clothes, backwards ball caps and wraparound sun glasses despite it being night. Both had also accessorized their gangsta’ ensembles with guns, probably semi-automatic Glocks, the weapon du jour for all self-respecting gangbangers. Glocks were easy to obtain and keep in bullets.

Punks Benny thought, but punks hardened by life in a gang; the Salvador gang by the looks of them…Filipinos. There was a grimness of purpose about them which Benny understood to mean he wouldn’t be afforded any mercy, an attribute viewed as a weakness in the world of street gangs these two lived in. Punks, yeah, he thought but punks with guns and probably my killers.

Benny cursed his stupidity for not immediately turning around and getting the hell out of the park as soon as he saw these strangers. He knew only bad things happened when a drug exchange was compromised; there was too much money involved and worse, too big of a temptation not to leave witnesses. He searched his mind for some way - any way, to get out of this mess alive or at least not too badly injured. Hell, he thought, even badly injured was acceptable if it was the price to pay for staying alive. Moving slowly and carefully, making sure the two gunmen didn’t perceive his actions as a threat, Benny dropped the gym bag containing the meth and raised both hands over his head. Thinking no fear, no fear, Benny stared into the cold faces of the gunmen and tried bluffing them Who are you? What do you want? If you’re here to rip me off, take the bag but you should know it belongs to John Kealoha’s and he doesn’t take kindly to someone stealing his property.

The two strangers continued to stare expressionlessly at Benny as if they hadn’t heard what he said, or worse it didn’t matter, then the older of the two laughed coldly. Not good, not good, Benny thought.

Mr. Salvador says Hi, Benny, the older gunman yelled insolently. The two people you were supposed to meet didn’t want to hang around. I think they had dates or something. Both gunmen chuckled at that witticism and the older gunman continued ominously, So we told them we’d be happy to help out and take delivery of your product. The gunman shrugged then said humorously as if delivering a punch line to a joke, Unfortunately, we don’t have any money but I’m sure our credit is good since we’re partners now. Both laughed again then raised their guns into the classic ‘gangsta’ poses they’d probably seen in the movies, one arm extending straight out from the body holding the gun sideways. They had stopped laughing.

Benny swallowed nervously. He’d had hoped the name of Kealoha would scare them off but that didn’t happened, in fact they already knew whose drugs they were ripping off. This was the worst possible scenario Benny could think of and he started to panic, blinking furiously and licking his lips as he tried to come up with a way to get out of this mess. Always a glib talker, Benny had hoped for an opportunity to talk them out of shooting him. It always happened that way in the movies, but he realized this wasn’t the movies and it didn’t look like they were in the mood for any friendly banter anyway. To the contrary, it seemed they were just here to kill him and take his drugs. End of story.

Benny stole a quick glance around at the homeless camped nearby, wordlessly pleading for help. A few looked back at him briefly then quickly turned away, the sadness in their eyes telling Benny he’d have to look elsewhere for assistance. Most used the cold rain as an excuse to burrow deeper into their shelters, making it easier to ignore his plight altogether. Cold and wet, Benny wished he had someplace to burrow into and hide too, but then in desperation decided he was not going to stand there and let them shoot him down like a stray dog. With great trepidation, he slowly picked up the bag of meth from the ground and taking a deep breath, started walking towards his assailants in slow, measured steps holding the bag at arm’s length away from his body. Benny hoped they’d be so mesmerized by the bag they’d forget about shooting him as he approached and it seemed to be working. At least he wasn’t lying dead full of bullet holes which was a good thing. He stopped when he got within ten feet of where they were standing. Seeing their eyes still focused on the bag and not on him, Benny flung the bag as hard as he could at their faces causing them to instinctively raise their hands to protect themselves. Seeing their guns no longer pointing at him, Benny took off running towards the park exit, bending over as low as he could to make a smaller target.

His plan almost worked. He could hear several bullets buzz past him like angry bees as the surprised gunmen hastily fired off shots at Benny’s rapidly retreating form. Thinking he might actually get out of this mess unscathed, Benny bent lower and zigged zagged through the middle of a group of homeless, hoping their ramshackle shelters would protect him from further bullets…or the inhabitants of these tents would…at this point Benny didn’t really care. It almost worked, until a sledgehammer blow just below his right armpit tumbled him face first onto the garbage-strewn park turf. Stunned, Benny struggled to breathe through the grass and dirt clogging his nose and mouth. Despite that, Benny was elated he was even breathing at all which meant he was still alive, but where did that shot come from? The two punks were still somewhere behind him, this shot came from the side; it had been totally unexpected and unaccounted for. Still trying to regain his breath, Benny thought with a wild, black humor, I should have zagged sooner. His humor was cut short by hearing the footsteps of his assailants who were arrogantly sauntering over to where he lay. In Benny’s world, that meant a coup de grace shot to the back of the head at close range to make sure he was dead. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, resigned to the fact he was going to die and thinking that surviving the first round of bullets maybe wasn’t such a good thing after all. He wondered if it was going to hurt. But the killing blow never came. Instead he heard the beautiful wail of a police siren and then the sound of both thugs running out of the park, knocking over several of the homeless shelters in their flight. He exhaled and began to cry, hoping against hope he would survive this night’s horror. Maybe his girlfriend could come visit him in the hospital.

As Benny lay on the ground, he managed to flip over onto his back to get his face out of the dirt and look at the sky. It was raining a little harder now and he rubbed his face with his hand, using the moisture to clean off some of the dirt from his mouth and nose. The pain of every breath made him gasp. He dropped a hand down to check out his wound; it came away soaked in blood, a lot of blood….his blood. Instinctively, he put his hand back on the wound and pressed down hard trying to slow the bleeding but he knew itwas probably too late. He was right, the bullet had managed to nick one of Benny’s lungs and then progress on to tear an artery in Benny’s upper chest. The arterial hit was the more serious and began to spurt blood both internally into Benny’s chest cavity and out through the bullet entry wound, soaking his clothes. He could feel a pervasive chill taking over his body and knew it was because he was losing too much warming blood. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head and watched one of the homeless, a shabbily dressed an old lady with wild gray hair, walking over to him. Benny could smell her as she got close, a heady mixture of body odor, alcohol, and damp clothes. Instead of trying to help Benny, she began searching his clothes for anything worth stealing. She was soon joined by several other homeless who also felt through his pockets. Like jackals flocking to a fresh carcass, Benny thought and grimly wished them luck because all he had was a few dollars which they soon found and took. One person, a small wiry man, stripped off Benny’s shoes and stockings and quickly walked away holding them like valuable treasures close to his chest. Benny closed his eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream from which he would soon wake up and find his life back to normal. He opened them slowly a few seconds later…to see….my face only a couple of inches from his…and then he screamed….loud….and his heart stopped. Damn!

My name is Gouverneur Kemble McKoy; I go by McKoy or just G.K. to my friends for obvious reasons. And to all the criminals and low lifes I deal with everyday? Detective McKoy, Sir! because I’m a cop in the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) Criminal Investigative Division (CID). It’s my job to investigate a variety of crimes on the island of Oahu such as murder, robbery and assault and what happened to Benny clearly hit the sweet spot in my portfolio. In his case; however, it was more than business; Benny was one of my snitches and had been for a long time. Despite being a drug runner, he was a good guy and would buy me a beer on occasion; so this was personal…he was family. Well, perhaps a scummy member of the family, like a cousin no one wants to talk about or the one you tell to stay in the bedroom when company comes over, but still family...and... hey, a beer is a beer.

You can tell from my name I’m not Hawaiian ethnically or a locally born Kama’aina but I’ve worked at HPD for ten years now and have even learned to talk pidgin, the unofficial Hawaiian state language. I was a police detective in Boston for eight years before coming to Hawaii. Being Irish and living in Boston kind of predestined that some of my family members would be cops, in fact it was a family tradition - my father was a cop, his father was a cop, my two older brothers are a cop, two uncles are cops; you get the picture. Needless to say, I was under a lot of pressure to follow in their footsteps when I graduated high school, but having somewhat of a perverse nature, especially when I get pressured, I rebelled and became the family black sheep by joining the Navy instead. It took me 15 years of sailing the seven seas before I finally worked the rebellion out of my system and decided to join the family business. So, at 33 years of age, one year older than the maximum age for new recruits but my family pulled some strings, I took the Civil Service exam and a few weeks later I was wearing a different uniform in the Boston Police Academy. Like I said, it was a family business.

I was named after a great-great Grandfather who was a Civil War general from Rhode Island. He was an extremely competent general but got fucked over during the later stages of his career as sometimes happens to generals in our military when they compete with peers who are less competent but better politically connected. On the positive side, General Kemble was later exonerated by U.S. President, Rutherford Hayes; on the negative side, it happened well after General Kemble died. Me? The reason I’m living in Hawaii instead of Boston was also a case of being misunderstood but I don’t think I’ll be exonerated…ever. Vigorously applying your fist to the nose of a city police commissioner over the matter of dating his daughter can be somewhat detrimental to your career even after eight sterling years of service protecting the good people of Boston. I was a sergeant and thinking about promotion to lieutenant and the next thing I knew I was out on the street and trying to stay out of jail for assault. The fact that his daughter Amanda is now my wife in spite of her father’s objections only made the problem worse by putting both of us in the bad graces of a very vindictive and powerful man. So here I am on a damp and chilly early winter morning in Hawaii picking up the pieces of Benny the Jet’s soon-to-be murder. On the bright side, it beats doing the same thing on a cold winter morning in Boston. On an even brighter side, I was at eighteen years and counting as a police officer and looking forward with great eagerness to retirement and doing something less hazardous to my health like buying a small tropical island and fishing naked.

To get back to Benny…having a crime victim scream in your face is not the best way to start your day, especially if you’re still half asleep after rushing out of a warm bed to view a murder scene or what I thought at the time would be a murder scene. It’s certainly not something I’m used to since most of my customers are already dead by the time I get to see them and in no condition to scream or do anything else ever again except be dead. Benny would have been dead too if the first police officer on the scene hadn’t recognized him as one of my snitches and called me directly.