MANO

CHAPTER 1

He had spent eight dangerous years, working deep undercover on the Chinese triads operating out of downtown Honolulu, and when he had finished that assignment his testimony in the courts had put two hundred gangsters behind bars in Oahu State Prison, had broken up five triads peddling everything from people to narcotics. He was now a marked man, with a huge price on his head.
His security detail were aware of that and accompanied him everywhere he went. Mano himself didn't take the threat lightly. No threat to a Deputy Chief of the department would be tolerated which was why two HPD officers accompanied him everywhere he went. They were a special protective detail and they were run by Major Sean O'Malley, a big raw boned Irishman who had once worked protective detail on the President of the United States in the Secret Service and who knew what he was about. Major was a rank above that of captain and used widely in the Honolulu police department. He had sent his people on training course after training course, often showing them real life scenarios like the John F. Kennedy assassination or the crackpot who had taken a shot at Ronald Reagan, and wasn't above placing them with a celebrity for a few months to give them real life experience. They often returned fresh and with a renewed awareness of various situations. They knew how to screen a crowd, and the signs to watch out for with a loner. The man in the crowd who didn't smile, the man dressed in gloves on a hot day, the woman with the unusual backpack, or any of a hundred different signals given out before an atrocity was carried out. Mano's protective detail certainly knew what to look out for, and above all they valued solid communications, good teamwork, strong knowledge driven intelligence, and their Glock 17's.
Mano knew he was in good hands.
It was strange how he'd managed to infiltrate the triads, naturally suspicious of outsiders, because he wasn't native to China, and in fact looked no more a Chinese national than the incumbent in the White House. He was what the native Hawaiian's called a howlie, a big lump of a man, with a square typically American face. A saturnine look with a rugged jawline. He looked a bit like a gangster, something he didn't discourage, given his line of work. He wasn't above wearing a hoodie or the apparel of the street to blend in like a natural. He was a man used to living in the shadows.
Given his pedigree, the Governor had given him a wide swathe when appointing him to the role. He had assembled a crack team of cops, the cream of HPD, to help him with the formidable task. In the wake of 9 11, the Governor had appointed a special task force. It's brief was simple: Keep terrorism out of Hawaii.
But as Governor Watts liked to point out: "Times change, as do priorities." ISIS had taken over from Al Queda as a viable threat, the latter having waned in power since the death of Osama Bin Laden.
Mano hadn't wasted any time putting a crack team together, and one of them now stuck his head around his office door. They called him The Seeker in HPD, but the squad knew him as Kaimi. "Boss," said Kaimi. "A HPD Airport detail just had a shootout at Honululu International."
Mano dropped what he was doing immediately. "Anyone hurt?" he asked.
"Don't know, boss. Details are still sketchy."
"Grab Pono. I'll meet you down there."
Pono was the only female member of the team. Born in Hawaii, her full name was Ho'opono, and her diminutive frame had fooled many a felon.
The heavyweight on the taskforce was Nui, a giant of a man, with a footballer's frame. Rumour had it that he had once tried out for the Rainbow Warriors. Somebody new to the district had once commented about him: "Does that big ox ever say anything?"
It was an aspect of himself that Nui could live with. Like Mano, he wasn't a man for small talk.

* * *

Honolulu airport. Two o'clock in the afternoon. A busy Friday.
Lieutenant Kaikane was wrapping things up when Mano and his team arrived at the airport. Mano's gaze fell to the covered stretchers being led away. Following his gaze, the lieutenant spoke up.
"HPD officers Alohi and Luana. Both women killed in the line of duty. An APB has been put out. One perp. We have reason to believe that one of our officers wounded her attacker and that he could be bleeding badly. Hijacked a taxi at gunpoint from the concourse and sped off. HPD detail found the taxi abandoned. Driver was killed. He got away by hijacking another vehicle - private vehicle."
Mano was shocked and taken aback, but his voice had an edge when he addressed the lieutenant again. "Sorry for your loss Lieutenant Kaikane. But it's a HPD matter isn't it?"
"Not quite," Kaikane said tersely. He led them to a secure area of the baggage reclaim, and pointed out an expensive looking suitcase lying abandoned on a table. "Thought you'd best see this...my guess...you're looking at the components for a dirty bomb."
Mano felt a cold chill. He felt Nui brush past him. Nui knew the most about explosives on the squad. For a man so big he could move with a delicate air if the need arose. His big hands moved everything with exquisite care. He handed a bunch of papers to Mano who spread them out on the table. Maps, drawings, photographs.
"What have we got?" Kaikane asked.
The frown on Mano's face had deepened. "The Arizona memorial," he explained. "Looks like somebody is planning an attack on Pearl Harbour again."
"We'll give you whatever backup you need," Kaikane assured him. "We want these guys as much as you."
"Thanks, lieutenant." Mano glanced at Pono as she approached them. She looked pale.
"You okay, Pono?"
"Not really, boss. Alohi and Luana. I knew them both. We all went through the Academy together. I can't believe they're both dead." She was nearly in tears.
Mano's face twitched and he came forward and put his arm around her. "Don't worry, Pono. We're going to get them. Nobody guns down a member of this department and gets to walk. We'll nail them. They're out on a limb. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. They're stuck on this rock. It's now a top squad and HPD priority."
He turned towards Kaikane. "I want a lockdown on this rock, lieutenant. You know the drill. All airports, ports, transportation hubs. Contact the port authorities. Let them know we have a viable threat. I'll notify the FBI and Homeland Security. There'll be a briefing in my office later today at 21.00. Notify all commanders. Leave Watts to me...I'll notify the Governor. Start checking all the hotels...especially the high end ones."
"The high ends?"
"From the look of that suitcase...it's an expensive make. There's big money behind this operation, lieutenant. Concentrate your search on the good hotels initially. It's just a hunch."
"Okay, Mano."

* * *

The conference took place at 9pm sharp at HQ. Mano opened up the proceedings. "Okay, people. What have we got?"
It was typical of his style. There was no preamble and no small talk, but straight down to business.
Nui spoke up. "We got a fast kickback from the lab on the contents of our perp's suitcase. Definitively the makings of a dirty bomb."
Mano made a face. "Give me some good news."
"According to the lab, it's a vital part of a dirty bomb. Two capsules were found and both contained the same product - polonium-210."
"But we can't assume no other supplies got through?"
"The lab thinks it unlikely. They said the stuff is quite hard to come by," Nui confirmed.
Pono spoke up. "We put the word out with the hospitals. They'd notify us anyway of anyone turning up with gunshot wounds. Standard procedure."
Mano acknowledged the truth of that. He looked around his office as though seeing it for the first time. Light flooded through the large patio doors that led to a balcony overlooking one of Honolulu's busiest streets. Unmarked Ford Victorias were parked precariously, the keys left over the visors. Nobody was fool enough to mess with a cop's car, so they were safe enough. There were more than a few official HPD cars parked up next to the sidewalk too. The office was located at 181 South Beretania Street, the headquarters of HPD and positioned in the Alapa'i district of downtown Honolulu.
Alapa'i was named after one of the great Hawaiian warrior chiefs and had been a force to be reckoned with in his day. A usurper to the throne, he was historically regarded as a good ruler who had looked out for his people.
In that he wasn't too dissimilar to Chief of Police Kali who had set up the security detail for his Deputy Chief. Mano was young to be a Deputy Chief, but his rise through the ranks had been nothing short of metaphoric. By the time he'd put the triads away he had already hit the pay and rank of lieutenant and was earmarked for swift promotion to captain. A year into that he was suddenly catapulted into the rank of major, following another man's retirement. Assistant Chief followed, and then his current posting. A rumour within the department had it he was marked for the top job when Kali retired next year.
Mano always tried to ignore rumour, but in a force with nearly two thousand sworn members it was impossible to curtail gossip and rumour. The force operated in a quasi-military way with power emanating from the top down. The department had won numerous awards and citations for best practice.
Perhaps it was the swaying palm trees under the hot sun that contributed to the average Hawaiian's general sense of wellbeing. It was acknowledged as one of the best cities to live in stateside, but like any other state it couldn't avoid crime altogether. There was always somebody out to make a quick buck, a quick killing.
"Anything from the hotels?"
The Seeker spoke up. "Nothing so far, Chief. We're still checking."
Mano was silent for a moment. Thinking. "We may need to broaden that search. Include the low cost places. Check other options. Apartments, motels, rented condos. Vacation parks. You know the kind of thing."
The Seeker nodded.
Crime was one thing, terrorism something else again. The heavy guns were needed to combat the latter.
It was Mano's territory.