LITMIR.BIZ

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busy digging through her bag, and he decided not to interrupt her. This might be the beginning of the breakthrough they needed. He wasn’t about to jinx it by asking her a pile of questions.

      He made the turn, scooting through the intersection as the light changed from yellow to red. She directed him through a few more turns before telling him to pull over.

      “Park in the next block. It’s up ahead a little ways.”

      He parked the ’Vette, turned off the ignition and waited, watching her, wondering how she’d react to their surroundings.

      She rearranged a few loose items in the camera bag then snapped it shut. When she finally looked at him, Ryan raised one eyebrow.

      “What?” Confusion clouded her expression.

      “What’s up ahead?”

      “The lab.”

      “What lab?”

      “The film lab that does all…my….” Her voice trailed off on a breathy oh. She twisted in her seat, checking out the surrounding area.

      Her directions had taken them away from the busy downtown area to the Kaimuki area. Here, a mix of neighborhood shops lined the street. Out of the tourist path, the merchandise displayed in these store windows catered to everyday life and the needs of the nearby residents. He’d be hard-pressed to find a puka bead necklace or picture postcard anywhere in the vicinity.

      He held silent and waited. It took her a bit, but she did continue.

      “This is where I get my film developed. They do custom printing for me, too. There’s a little shop in front where they sell supplies, but their main business is processing and printing.” Her voice faded to a whisper. She rubbed her forehead and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “How’d I remember that when I can’t remember my own name?”

      “Don’t fight it. The research said you’d remember basic functions. Getting film processed would be pretty basic for a photographer. Let’s take anything that slips through and run with it. Are there any names attached to this place?”

      “Uncle Kimo?” She lifted her hands in a questioning gesture.

      “Good. Let’s go see if Uncle Kimo can give us some information.”

      AJ laid her hand over his as he reached for the keys. Something tightened deep inside. Something he wanted to ignore but couldn’t. Not as long as she touched him. He pulled the keys from the ignition and broke the contact with her hand.

      “Ryan, I can’t waltz in there and say ‘Hi, guys, what’s my name?’ That’s a sure bet for getting me hauled off to the loony bin. Or worse, what if I’m wrong and whatever I’m hiding from is linked to this shop?”

      “You got a point there.” Ryan tugged at his earlobe. “Do you think you can help me pull off a little undercover investigation?”

      She frowned. “What do you mean?”

      “You go in first. Just act normal, take your cue from their reactions. I’ll come in a minute later. If there’s any hostility, get out. Otherwise, you do your business and when you leave, I’ll see what they’ll tell me.”

      “Do you think it’ll work?”

      “Hey, I do this for a living.” He was none too sure himself, but no sense telling her that.

      “What if it doesn’t work? What if they don’t tell you anything?”

      “Now don’t go borrowin’ trouble. If they don’t give me any information, we’ll come back when your film’s ready and see what that tells us.” He gave her an encouraging smile and nodded toward the car door. “Go on. I’ll be right behind you.”

      “One minute?”

      “That’s all. You can time me.” He winked and she rewarded him with a half smile before she got out of the car. He glanced at his watch and scanned the surrounding area. Pedestrian traffic was light. A few import sedans, minivans and a Jeep or two were parked at random intervals up and down the street. Everything looked mostly normal.

      When AJ entered the shop, he strolled after her. He stopped to check out the large display window. Gold lettering arched across the glass, proclaiming Kimo Kealoha—Photography Services. The words formed a perfect frame for the reflection of the coffee shop across the street and the nondescript, dark blue sedan parked in front of it. A child’s stuffed toys littered the car’s dashboard. Ryan’s mental radar blipped. Something wasn’t quite right.

      He tried to shrug off the sensation. Ever since he’d talked to Jamie he’d been running on yellow alert. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be seeing spooks behind every bush.

      A bell jangled overhead as a teenage girl exited the photo shop. Ryan slipped through the door before it swung closed. He wandered in, nodded to the man behind the counter and began browsing. Tucking his sunglasses in the neck of his T-shirt, he kept an eye on the street while keeping an ear on the conversation between the shop clerk and AJ.

      “I’ve only got a few rolls of film, but I’m anxious to see how they turn out.” The quaver in AJ’s voice was barely noticeable.

      The man behind the counter laughed. “When aren’t you in a hurry?” His grizzled gray hair and rounded shape made him look like an overgrown elf. His voice matched the image. “And don’t we always rush your stuff?”

      “And don’t I always appreciate your rushing my stuff?” Laughter eased a little of the tension from her voice. Ryan glanced her way just in time to see the dimple in her left cheek, near the corner of her mouth. He hadn’t seen it before. He’d like to see it again.

      The man shook his head as he began sorting the film canisters and writing out work-order tickets. “Some haole was in here looking for you earlier. Funny looking man, all dressed up in a dark suit and a very ugly tie.”

      “Really?” AJ’s voice squeaked and Kimo paused in his scribbling to look at her. Ryan turned away to peruse a film display, doing everything he could to look disinterested in their topic of conversation as he worked his way around the store to have a better view of them.

      Kimo continued after a short hesitation. “He was tall, skinny. Bad skin, eyes so pale, I’m not sure they had any real color. Seemed to think you’d be in sometime today. Guess he was right. Do you know him?”

      AJ shook her head. “I don’t think so. He asked for me by name?”

      “Yes, but that doesn’t mean much, now that you’re starting to make a name for yourself—” He stopped in midsentence, holding up two canisters and shaking them at her. “You just picked this high-speed film up yesterday.” He pointed at another canister. “That infrared, too. Don’t tell me you stayed out all night shooting your experiment just so you could include it in the opening?”

      AJ’s eyes widened and she shrugged.

      “Ya gotta slow down, girl. You’re so busy shooting the island’s beauty, you never see it. When you get done with that show, promise Uncle Kimo you’ll take some time to look around you, without a camera in the way.”

      “Okay, Uncle Kimo. I promise.”

      “Maybe I could believe you if I didn’t know you so well. But I do.” Kimo shook his head and returned to writing the work orders. “I’d talk to David if I thought it’d do any good, but it wouldn’t. You and he are too alike to be together so much.”

      The color drained from AJ’s face. Her eyes closed and she bit her lip. Kimo never looked up from his task so he missed her reaction.

      “It was different when Justin was still alive.” Regret colored Kimo’s words. “He balanced you two. But now all either one of you do is work, work, work. That’s no kind of life.”

      It didn’t take a genius to see how much the mention of the two men’s names had shaken her. Ryan took a step toward AJ but stopped at the

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