The Wizards of Xitt

The Funeral

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Funeral

Only a couple of troubling hours were consumed by the journey between Atlantis and Tenth Avenue. Kaila was back at the place he will always call home, but it didn’t feel like home. Kaila still found it difficult to believe he had spent only a couple of days away from it. Actually, everything seemed to be in their proper place. In fact, the sitting room was typically filled with remains of all the junks Kaheola had eaten in those few days. However, it still seemed something was missing. Kaila felt like he was only a visitor there, he did not believe he would be able to live in.

To complicate matters further, the living room now seemed extremely primitive. Like those houses, he used to watch on television, which defined the candor of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Even the few people he had met in the short walk through Tenth Avenue looked too old and gruffy.

In truth, only Atlantis now seemed like home to Kaila. He walked to a small side table and righted the family picture. The one that had yielded him a clue during the earlier days of his adventure. Those days now seem like centuries ago.

The thought unearthed the memories of his time with Malena. The girl that was surely destined to become his better half; he did not want to believe that she was gone. He did not know why though, he kept on having this feeling that the slender beauty lived on in Virgilla Osborne.

There was nothing different about the two girls both physically and otherwise. The only tiny difference which could be explained was that Virgill stirred more lust in him than Malena. The two women could not even have been twins. Such great distances and totally different environment, according to Science, should produce some noticeable differences.

Kaila thought of the possibility of Malena being no more. How his life in Honolulu would be without her. Until he met the slender girl, he had led a reclusive life. He had stayed out of the sun, stayed out of sight and mingled less. It had worked for him then, but he was sure, such a life was not going to work for him now. Malena had dabbed color to a black and white painting. Now death had cleaned off that color. He wondered what had really happened at Kukaniloko. He could not have been blind not to see Malena in that room if any recognizable part of her was there. He could not also understand what would have made Mrs. Spars conclude that her daughter’s death was suicide. Even to the extent of dropping all charges against him. He had caught a statement on that just before he dropped the ‘Daily Mail’ back in Atlantis.

Kaila found a note on the wall. Apparently, Kaheola knew that he would be coming soon. The corny young man said he would be back late, that he was driving to Halawa with Kiana his girlfriend. He urged Kaila to come over, if he felt he was up to it. The Beetles were in town. Underneath, Kaheola added ‘P.s.’. In the text that followed, he advised Kaila to buzz up Aunties Pussycat and Charlotte. According to him, the two women had been worried sick. Aunty Pussycat had been meowing all over the phone. She even got her Pussycat ass over to the house, the previous day.

As Kaila folded the note, there was a knock at the door. The first instinct that stirred within Kaila was flight. But he remembered that Mrs. Spars was not pressing charges and laughed at his stupidity.

He trotted to the door and without asking ‘who?’ opened the door. He then filled the c***k of the door so that the person would not see the mess Kaheola had made of the house.

Shock and fear washed over his spine like cold water. His visitor was Susan Graves, the no-nonsense interrogator of the HPD. She was smiling as he opened the door and her hazel eyes sparkled with beauty. Now in feminine clothes, Kaila could not believe how feminine she was, with full womanly curves and sensuous contours.

Kaila was mesmerized as well as afraid. He forgot that he had not yet said anything. One part of his mind was already doing the math. Mrs. Spars may have used the newspapers to set him up. Publishing that he was free could possibly draw him back to Honolulu.

“Welcome back Kaila.” Susan said smiling. Even the voice was not the one Kaila knew her with.

Kaila was still skeptical of the visit. He could not still rule out two facts. Susan could be there to spy on him or outrightly arrest him. “Susan,” his voice sounded more like a toad’s croak.

“I came earlier.” Susan informed him.

“You knew I was coming?” Kaila asked surprised

“Not exactly, but you sent a note-”

“Note?” Kaila cut her short.

“You could at least invite me inside. We can continue there.” Susan said.

“Oh please, come in!” Kaila threw the door wide open, forgetting that he was supposed to keep her from seeing the messy living room.

Susan said nothing about the state of the room. She just took a seat on a part of the long cushion that had no disgusting item on it. “You don’t really remember sending a note?”

Kaila was a bit confused, but he knew he had to keep playing her to get whatever information she had. “I sent many notes you know.”

She eyed him, Kaila was very sure she knew he was lying. “I’m talking about the one you sent us, stating the reason why you jumped bail.”

Kaila prompted her with his eyes to continue. Susan was going to continue all the same.

“You said you were sorry, that you weren’t sure you’ll live through the night the way we were going.”

Kaila nodded unconsciously. Susan seemed to have confirmed whatever test she was doing. She smiled.

“We found Malena’s body in Kukaniloko and a suicide note she left her mother. Autopsy of the two cops suggest no foul play, they were caught by the collapse of part of the mountain.”

Kaila turned his eyes away from Susan. Even though he found out at Kukaniloko that he did not know Malena that well, he did not believe her to be capable of suicide. Fine, she did not have the greatest of families, but she was content with life. She had the greatest of friends, she had him, and he was always there for her.

Kaila took a deep breath, the more he thought of it, the more useless he felt. He should have seen it coming; he should have prevented it... Actually, they had been separated during the ceremony. But she did not seem depressed, and when on earth did she have the time to write a suicide note.

Kaila came to a conclusion. “That suicide note is not from Malena and that was not her body.”

Susan had been watching him all the while. She shifted to the edge of the seat. “Mr. Maentel, I know it is very difficult to accept such news- But you couldn’t have been with her all the time, you couldn’t have felt what she felt. You only noticed what she wanted you to notice.”

Kaila got the point, she was right; he was feeling guilty that Malena was not content with him. That he had not done enough as a boyfriend, that he was a total failure. He knew he had to move on though, and work harder for whoever was coming next. Guilt for him was a dirty child that must not be readily carried.

“Actually, I feel pretty guilty myself. I took this job to protect American lives, to save them from ill-meaning strangers and also themselves. I’m not sure I’ll be back after my leave.”

Kaila turned towards the inner door. “When is the burial?”

“Already started.”

“Give me a minute.” Kaila said and turned into the hallway.

In the hall, he had to kick away Kaheola’s dirty shoes and smelly stockings in his haste.

His room was no better than the living room. Kaila wandered briefly, when he had become like Kaheola. Actually, he had scattered the room in his haste to prepare and meet Malena at Kukaniloko a few nights ago.

Kaila snubbed the room’s appeal and headed straight for the wardrobe. He took out the black tuxedo suit he had used to the unveiling of the Huna chip. It was Malena’s last gift to him.

The suit was still as fitting as it was during the revealing of the Huna chip. Kaila dusted the shoulder and did a few good stretches on it before turning. He held his breath; Susan was inside his bedroom.

He did not hear her come in and it seemed the room was not large enough for both of them. Kaila took quick shallow breaths as if there was not enough oxygen in the room.

Susan walked up to him and straightened the suit a little more. She arranged the collars of both the suit and the shirt under it. Kaila was barely breathing. For him, this was not the same woman who interrogated him at Hale Maka’i.

To keep the room from a cramping tension, she asked. “Why didn’t you use my car?”

Kaila remembered and smiled. He felt a little more at ease. “I didn’t have to.” He replied.

Susan selected a plain blue tie from the few hanging on the wardrobe door. “I won’t ask the obvious.”

“The obvious?” Kaila repeated as a question.

“How you got out of course.” Susan smiled; she was knotting the tie around his neck. “I know there are some parts of it that cannot be explained.”

Kaila looked at her wide-eyed.

She quelled his rising panic with a heart-stopping smile. “For the record Kyle, you are the first man to ever break out of Hale Maka’i. ‘Gave Mrs. Spars the goose bumps. But she decided to keep it out of the radar of the media. And gladly, we discovered the truth.”

What truth, Kaila thought. That he was innocent? That Malena had taken her own life? And what of the Policemen at Kukaniloko had been buried by a crumbling mountain.

Susan gave the suit one last caress, and gave one of those soul-winning smiles.

Whether it was the confusion in his mind, mere desire, or love, Kaila felt himself strongly drawn to Susan.

She however turned sharply towards the door.

Kaila knew that Susan knew more than she was telling him. Igor believed she saw his half leg trailing in the v-realm when he crossed over. He decided against asking any other question and followed her out of the house.

They met the funeral rites proper by the time they got to the cemetery. Malena’s body was being lowered into the ground. Literally, dust was being returned to dust, the earth Malena had borrowed for her short sojourn on earth, was being repaid to the earth.

Kaila and Susan came to a halt beside the ceremonially dressed men of the HPD, the Mayor of Honolulu, and other big wits of the Honolulu community. The white casket that probably bore what remained of Malena was visible towards the bottom of the grave. It was being lowered by strong band-like cloths. Kaila wondered if this was all life entailed. Rising early with full promise, and setting much too soon, with all those promises unfulfilled.

He found Mrs. Spars directly opposite him. The woman seemed to acknowledge his presence when their eyes met. She was not crying, but Kaila could see the sadness all over her not-so-beautiful face. She seemed to be cocooned in a thick web of guilt.

Kaila wished there was anything he could do to abet such guilt. He took one look at the casket and concluded that it was not Malena’s body that was inside the casket. Then he turned around and walked away from the grave.

It seemed the rite was hasten, because, not long afterwards, the dignitaries and other well wishers began to disperse. Each of them completed the funeral rite by giving Mrs. Spars a word of consolation or comfort.

Kaila was leaning on a very tall tree, his back to the grave. He could hear someone walking up to him, but he did not turn to look.

“Mr. Maentel.” It was the minty voice of Cora Spars.

Kaila wheeled immediately to face her.

“I’m sorry for everything.” And she meant it. Kaila could see the remorse etched about the rims of her now red large eyes. She was in considerable emotional trauma.

“No ma, I understand. You had to do what you thought was right.”

She stretched forth her hands. There was a black velvet covered case. “I can’t keep this.”

Kaila took it from her and opened it. There was a golden bracelet inside. The bracelet had insets of a rare gems and a language that was very ancient around it. Kaila ran his fingers around it. “I never saw her with it.”

“Must be recent then, or she treasured it too much to wear it.”

“Thank you ma.” Kaila offered. “And, she loved you very much.” He added.

“I know.” Mrs. Spars replied nodding. Then, she walked past him.

Kaila followed her with his eyes. Apparently, one of the remaining dignitaries was beckoning to her.

Susan soon joined Kaila, who managed to hide the bracelet without the pretty officer noticing.

“So what are you doing tonight?” Susan asked.

“What nature expects of us.” Kaila said offhandedly.

“I was thinking of driving down to Halawa.”

“Great idea.” Kaila affirmed without much thought. For all he knew, it was not every time that a man was wheeled around by his head. Every now and then, a man was moved by fate, ambition, fear, and even a woman.

Kaila allowed himself to be led freely towards Susan’s busscar; a Sienna XLE. He couldn’t help nothing that the sadness of Malena’s death was already easing a he buckled himself in and zoomed away from Malena’s grave.

The end