Dangerous Minds (Knight and Moon #2)(50)

“Well, you ran me over with an ATV,” Vernon said. “That wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.”

“That was also an accident,” Alani said.

“That wasn’t no accident. You ran over me twice!” Vernon said. “You’re a whackadoodle.”

“I am not a whackadoodle. How dare you call me a whackadoodle!”

“This isn’t going well,” Riley said.

Wayan Bagus picked up the food bag from the floor. “I will take Vernon into the kitchen and allow him to eat his dessert first.”

Vernon made a crazy motion with his finger going around in circles, pointed it at Alani, and followed Wayan Bagus out of the room.

“Vernon really didn’t know it was glue,” Emerson said. “He’s always felt horrible about it.”

“I know,” Alani said. “It’s just that seeing him so suddenly brought it all back.”

“We really need your help,” Emerson said to Alani. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Lives are at stake, including ours.”

“You don’t even have to ask. I’m in. You guys are like family to me, even the jackass in the next room who’s missing most of his eyebrows. I don’t even want to ask. Besides, I haven’t had a good adventure since you stopped coming to Kohala. What do you need?”

“A room at the Onizuka with a view down the mountain, and a telescope capable of spying on the runway at Bradshaw Army Airfield.”

“Do you think we beat Tin Man and the director to Hawaii?” Riley asked Emerson.

Emerson nodded. “I checked the FAA website. There haven’t been any inbound flights landing at Bradshaw in the past forty-eight hours. Of course, they might not have filed a flight plan.”

“The entire base has been buried in the inversion layer under thick cloud cover for the past three days,” Alani said. “Visibility is zero and, as far as I know, there haven’t been any inbound or outbound flights. This is an entirely different weather system from Kona.”

“Perfect. All we have to do is wait for the bad guys to arrive and use our telescope to track them to their secret lair, all from the safety of our first-class accommodations at the Onizuka.”

“It’s a moldy, cramped room with four bunk beds and the combined stench of a thousand dirty, tired scientists,” Alani said.

“Then we’ll do it from the safety of our barely-third-class accommodations,” Emerson said. “The plan is still sound, even if it doesn’t smell the best.”

Riley raised her hand. “Except for one small detail. What do you intend to do after you find out where they’ve taken the Penning trap?”

“ ‘Penning trap’?” Alani asked.

“I’ll explain it all later,” Emerson said. “It’s complicated and barely believable.”

“About the plan,” Riley said.

Emerson rocked back on his heels. “It’s a bit fluid at the moment.”

Riley narrowed her eyes. “Fluid?”

“Trust me. What could possibly go wrong?”

One hour later, Alani had organized a three-day stay for all of them at Onizuka, and Riley had checked the weather report for Pohakuloa. The cloud cover was expected to dissipate by the next morning and the airfield would be open for business. Vernon and Wayan Bagus were eating in another room. Emerson had disappeared.

Riley looked up from her iPad. “Where’s Emerson?” she asked Alani.

“He went into the master bedroom to pack supplies and meditate. He said he needed some private time to come up with an idea that didn’t involve Macaulay Culkin.”

Riley shook her head. “He’s not normal.”

Alani smiled. “You like him, don’t you? I thought I sensed a spark between the two of you.”

“He’s the most irritating person I’ve ever met.”

“And you like him.”

“He is constantly getting me into trouble. Did I mention he got me fired from my last job?”

“And you like him.”

Riley sighed. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. He has his moments. It’s just that some of those moments make me want to punch him in the face. What about you? Did you and Emerson ever have a thing?”

“No. We were always just friends. I had a thing for Vernon. He has his moments too.”

Riley checked her watch. “We should be moving on. I’m going to see if I can help Emerson pack.”

She left the living room and walked down the short hall to the master bedroom. The door was ajar and she could hear Emerson pacing. She pushed the door open, stepped into the room, and came face-to-face with Vernon in the buff.

“Crap on a cracker,” she said, clapping her hands over her eyes. “What are you doing in here?”

“I was using Em’s shower. It’s better than the one in the guest room.”

Riley peeked at him from between two fingers. “Okay, I guess I get that, but why are you still naked, standing in the middle of the room, flapping your arms?”

“I like to air-dry. It’s real refreshing and it keeps my skin all silky smooth. I got a butt like a baby. I guess you already noticed that.”

“I didn’t notice anything!”

Riley spun around and fled the room.